- Date Of Birth: January 4, 1937
- Date Of Death: April 24, 2022
- State: Florida
Colonel Alan Cawthra Macaulay, USMC, Retired, passed away on April 24, 2022 in Boca Raton, Florida. Alan was a decorated war hero who served his country with great honor. He was the warmest, most generous, and devoted husband, father and friend we will ever know.
Alan was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut on January 4, 1937 to Ernest and Mae Macaulay.
Alan served in various assignments on land and sea in aircraft squadrons in California, North Carolina, Japan, Okinawa, Korea and the Mediterranean. During the early 1960s he supported a number of notable and historic operations.
While stationed at Marine Corps Air Station New River in North Carolina, Alan met Petitesa Klenos, a teacher at Camp Lejeune, and they married in 1962. Shortly after, Alan received orders to Hawaii as the Assistant Operations Officer of the 4th Marine Infantry Regiment.
In 1965, Captain Macaulay deployed to Vietnam. During this 13 month tour he flew over 500 combat missions, was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and twenty four separate air medals.
In 1967 Alan returned stateside to Pensacola, Florida. Now a Major, he taught fixed wing acrobatics and precision flying at the Naval Training Command in Pensacola.
In 1968 Alan deployed again to Vietnam for a second 13 month tour of duty. While there he flew another 400 missions, and was awarded the Silver Star, a second Distinguished Flying Cross and twenty more air medals. By the end of this second Vietnam tour, he had flown a total of over 900 combat missions.
After this Vietnam deployment, Alan returned to Pensacola where he earned a BS degree in Business from the University of West Florida. In 1970 he moved to the west coast, first in command of the Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Facility, Santa Ana, California, and later as the Commander of Marine Helicopter Squadron HMM 165. While in California, Alan was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and earned his Master of Business Administration from Pepperdine University.
In 1974, Alan headed to Washington, D.C. where he led the Air Assault Systems Section at HQ Marine Corps, and later attended and graduated from the prestigious Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF), at the National Defense University (NDU).
In 1978 Alan deployed overseas as the Executive Officer of the 31st Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU), a two thousand man response team kept at sea and always ready to quickly respond to hostile threats. In 1981 he returned to Washington, DC, was promoted to full Colonel and served a two year tour as the Deputy Director of Operations, National Military Command Center in the Pentagon.
In 1983 Colonel Macaulay deployed overseas one more time, serving as the Commanding Officer of the 31st MAU. After this penultimate position, he returned to Washington for his final assignment as the Executive Assistant to the Marine Corps Director of Aviation.
Alan and Petitesa then began the next phase of their lives, moving to Florida in 1986.
Alan is survived by his loving wife of almost 60 years, Petitesa Klenos, and sons Frank (Kathryn), James, and Michael (Mandy). He is also survived by his brother Donald Macaulay of Madison, WI, and David (Bertha) Macaulay of Lexington, SC. His legacy of devotion, integrity and kindness to family will live on through his six grandchildren, Tyler, Meghan, Alexandra, Hanna, Christopher, and William.
