Barry Vincent was born in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1945. As an Army brat, he grew up in a number of locations, including Japan and Germany. (Trivia: By the time he completed the fifth grade, he had crossed both oceans by ship and by plane.) He completed high school in Alpine, Texas, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Army upon completing the ROTC program at Texas Tech University. He obtained a BBA degree in Industrial Management and later obtained an MBA degree from the University of Alabama.
He entered the Army at Fort Bliss, Texas, in February 1969. After completing his initial training and then helicopter flight school, he served in Vietnam from October 1970 to September 1971 as an attack helicopter pilot flying the AH-1 Cobra with the 101st Airborne Division. Due to force reductions as the Vietnam War was winding down, in 1973 he transferred to the Army’s Quartermaster Corps and served another twenty years in various logistics management assignments in the United States and Europe. His last duty station was as Chief, Logistics Readiness Office, FORSCOM J-4 (Logistics), Fort McPherson, Georgia.
Awards and decorations during his career include the Army Aviator Badge, the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with “V”, both for valor while flying in support of ground forces in Vietnam, multiple awards of the Air Medal for achievement, a Bronze Star, and multiple awards of the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal. His unit in Vietnam also received the U.S. Army’s Valorous Unit Award and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry for sustained combat action during Operation Lam Son 719 (the Vietnamese Army’s incursion into Laos) in early 1971.
In January 1993, he retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel after twenty-four years of service. After leaving active duty, he was employed in the Atlanta area by several trucking companies and the State of Georgia as a vehicle fleet manager until fully retiring in 2010.
He met his wife, Cathy, in 1969 and they were married in Perryton, Texas. in 1970. Now married for 55 years, they have a daughter, Marcy, who presently lives in The Netherlands, and three grandchildren and two great-grandsons.
