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Gary H. Nourigat

Sgt. 1st Class

Izmir

MAAG

1959 - 1963

© 2014 by Author

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[Editor:  Gary's daughter, Trish, asked me to place a memorial for her dad on this website's Memoriam page.  I did that and, with other information she has sent, I am establishing this page for Gary.  Following is her story about her Dad.]

He trained the Navy in sonar equipment/signal and even went to Africa to train them there.  In one of the pictures below, you can see he has a Seargant badge on his sleve when he was very young; before he even married my Mom in 54.

He was with Central Intelligence so they came to visit my Mom after he died.  I don't really think a rank mattered but I remember he got merit pay, a differential every month for his special work.  He was awarded so many commendations throughout his career:  Silver Star, Bronze Star, another paper one was for going behind enemy lines and being fired upon under blackout conditions while getting intel back to headquarters, the Korean Presidential Service Medal with 6 BZ Camp Sts, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, AOM (Japan), National Defense Service Medal, UN Service Medal, Distinguished Unit Citation, and Combat Infantry Badge.  One was for being blown up in a jeep during the Korean war.  One was for shrapnel when a grenade went off behind him.  He had many ribbons for occupation in foreign countries.

He was also in the Viet Nam War during the late sixties in Pleiku (Apr 1967-Feb 1968), with signal and communications, and I remember him telling me that they were trapped for weeks without reinforcements.  They had to lie in a rice paddy in water with leaches and not make a sound.  He said they listened for the squeak of sneakers in the grass.  (See Army Commendation Medal below.  A very special award.)

He was very lucky in the end to get out alive.  The day he left for America, the flight he was scheduled to be on that day was blown out of the sky.  He had been put on another flight at the last minute because there wasn't any room.  I remember when he came home how skittish he was when I'd wake him for dinner and he must have still been there in his sleep.

My father trained all armed forces in signal and security communications.  In the Korean war, he worked with the Chinese Army (Taiwan)  He also worked with UN/NATO (Turkey), where he helped set up NATO with the UN; Strategic Air Command in (Germany); and, as stated served in Viet Nam.

We were told that CIA still uses some tactics that are not declassified/released and some of his work never will be.  Because I'm not sure about all his commendations, they list them in a spot on one of the documents and you can probably decipher them better than me.

He was cremated and buried at Arlington with honors.

Click Photos to Enlarge

Shoe Inspection.



Gary with Helicopter Pilot.



Gary and Children in Istanbul.



Gary at NATO.



Re-enlistment, 1957.



Army Commendation Medal, 1968.