Retired

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

Gene Tunney Boyer (July 24, 1929 – August 27, 2016) was the chief pilot of

Army One Army One is the callsign of any United States Army aircraft carrying the president of the United States. From 1957 until 1976, this was usually an Army helicopter transporting the president. Prior to 1976, responsibility for helicopter transpo ...

, the helicopter transporting the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, between 1964 and 1975. Boyer was the pilot during President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

's last day in office on August 9, 1974, when Nixon famously delivered the

V sign The ''V sign'' is a hand gesture in which the index and middle fingers are raised and parted to make a V shape while the other fingers are clenched. It has various meanings, depending on the circumstances and how it is presented. When display ...

just prior to leaving office. He led the restoration of the VH-3A " Sea King" helicopter, tail number 150617, that served as Army One that day. That helicopter is now on permanent display at the

Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum The Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum is the presidential library and burial site of Richard Milhous Nixon, the 37th president of the United States (1969–1974), and his wife Pat Nixon. Located in Yorba Linda, California, on land ...

. Boyer also served Presidents Johnson and Ford as a

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

pilot. Boyer co-wrote his memoirs, ''Inside the President’s Helicopter: Reflections of a White House Senior Pilot'', with Jackie Boor.

References

External links

Gene T. Boyer's website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyer, Gene 1929 births 2016 deaths Ohio University alumni American Master Army Aviators United States Army colonels White House staff Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Legion of Merit Writers from Akron, Ohio