 Courtesy Patricia Ann Stuzen Haught |
Remember...Alan Dale Helmick
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| Alan Dale Helmick was born on September 25, 1948, in Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia, to Frances Ruth Pringle Helmick and Clensford Dale "Happy" Helmick. He was the second of four children in a family that included an older sister, Sandra Kay, and two younger brothers, Roger Lee and Randy David. He lived along State Route 100 near Maidsville, West Virginia, for much of his childhood. |  Alan (on the left) with his parents, his brother Roger and sister Sandra |
 Alan, elementary school |
 Alan, high school |
Alan attended Granville Elementary School. Later he attended Riverside Junior High School and graduated from University High School in 1967. |
On May 19, 2019, University High School honored Alan and two other graduates who died in Vietnam; the three are Army Sgt. Lewis Milton King, Army SP4 Johnny William Smith, and Army SP4 Alan Dale Helmick. ("Vietnam War Memorial Plaque Dedication Ceremony," University High School, Morgantown, WV, 19 May 2019, accessed 6 November 2020, https://www.facebook.com/UHSHawks/videos/434250730466636/.)
Based on their personal accounts, it is clear that Alan had good friends, a fun sense of humor, and enjoyed life. A childhood friend, Allen Holbert, shared that Alan loved squirrel hunting and that the two of them held three competitions each year for who could kill the most squirrels.
Larry O'Connor shared several stories about his best friend Alan. Larry said that Alan's grandfather had given Alan an old pickup truck that needed painted, so they decided to paint it with house paint that Alan found in his parent's basement. They used rollers and brushes and painted the truck which, according to Larry, turned out pretty good with only a few brush strokes showing in the dried paint. Alan and Larry used to go to Dogs N Suds in Morgantown, a local eatery that sold root beer by the gallon jugs. While cruising around town, Alan used to lift the gallon jug and drink from it as though he was drinking moonshine (a West Virginia stereotype). As high school seniors, Larry and Alan had enough credits to graduate but needed another class to fill their daily schedules. Larry took an audio-visual class, where he mostly attended other classes and showed movies. Alan signed up for home economics, which involved mostly cooking. One day when Larry had no movies to show, Alan invited him to come by the home economics class because Alan had baked a cherry pie. So Larry and Alan ended up eating the entire pie themselves.
Larry and Alan were also friends with Bill Howdershelt. According to Larry, the three guys, all seated in the front seat, would ride around in Larry's car cruising Morgantown and Star City. Alan was in the passenger seat, so periodically he would duck down so that it appeared that Larry and Bill were seated alone together. Bill would tell Alan to sit up, but Alan just laughed. Before smoking was prohibited in restaurants, Larry, Bill, and Alan decided to get something to eat at Tel-A-Dine, which was located on the boulevard near Star City, West Virginia. This restaurant is similar to a modern-day Sonic, but you could choose to dine inside. Once inside, Bill started smoking cigars. Alan was smoking a pipe with Cherry Blend Tobacco. Soon the entire place was filled with smoke. The manager came out and glared at them and turned on huge exhaust fans to remove all the smoke.
| After high school Alan enlisted in the Army under the Buddy System with Ronald Petrucci and Donald Brotherton (both are now deceased). Alan began his tour in Vietnam on June 5, 1968. He held the rank of Specialist Four at the time of his death. His Army occupation or specialty was Heavy Vehicle Driver. Larry O'Connor shared that Alan actually received several awards for driving without having an accident. Alan served with the 20th Engineer Brigade, 169th Engineer Battalion, 159th Engineer Group, C Company.
According to Larry O'Connor, Alan came home on leave after being in Vietnam for a year. Alan shared that he had volunteered to return to Vietnam for six more months because the Army would grant him an early discharge cutting off six months from his enlistment. The family was told that Alan died on April 14, 1970, through non-hostile action. The Army classification is DNB, which means "died, non-battle." |
 Photo taken almost exactly two months before Alan's death |
 Many soldiers had their photos taken with the Confederate flag as a backdrop during the Vietnam era. |
Left is one of the best military photos available of Alan Dale Helmick, so I want to share it. My cousin was a handsome young man! |
Alan received the following military commendations:
| Alan Dale Helmick's body was returned home, and he is buried at Beverly Hills Memorial Park, Morgantown, Monongalia County, West Virginia. |  Military grave marker for Alan D. Helmick |
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Alan is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial ("The Wall") in Washington, D.C. His name is inscribed at Panel 11W, Line 3. |
Article prepared by Alan's first cousin, Patricia Ann Stuzen Haught. All photos courtesy Patricia Haught.
November 2020
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.
