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© Whinery~Huddleston Funeral Service Lawton, Oklahoma November 13, 2015 Hazel Lewis Jr Hazel Lewis, Lawton, was born February 1, 1942 in Darlington, South Carolina to Annie Mae Bailey and Hazel Lewis, Sr. He passed away at his home in Lawton on November 13, 2015 at the age of 73. Funeral services will be held on Friday, November 20, 2015 at 12:30pm in the Whinery-Huddleston Chapel. Burial with full military honors will follow at Fort Sill National Cemetery, Elgin, under direction of Whinery-Huddleston Funeral Service. Hazel volunteered for the Army in 1957 and completed basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey. Mr. Lewis served stateside in Special Forces units at Fort Bragg, North Carolina and Fort Campbell, Kentucky. His first tour of Vietnam was in 1967 in Special Forces. He returned from Vietnam and spent six months at Fort Wolters, Texas and six months at Fort Rucker, Alabama to attend flight training. Mr. Lewis was one of five African Americans in his class. He was the only one to graduate. Lewis' second tour in Vietnam was with the 101st Airborne Division as an aviator. While in Vietnam, he was credited with over 1000 hours of flight time on the Chinook helicopter. He was stationed in Phu Bai, South Vietnam. Hazel retired from the US Army as a Chief Warrant Officer Three in November 1980. While serving his country, Lewis held various positions all over the world to include combat tours in Vietnam and three tours in Germany. Hazel was awarded numerous awards and accommodations to include: The Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart, Air Medal with two Silver Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with two Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal with Bronze clasp with three loops, Presidential Unit Emblem, Meritorious Unit Emblem, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal with Silver Star, Combat Infantryman Badge, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Ribbon with Device, Master Parachutist Badge, Senior Army Aviator Badge, and the 45 cal. Expert Pistol Badge. Lewis was also an original Green Beret and served on Project OMEGA, Vietnam. Hazel received an Associate Degree from Central Texas College in Killeen, TX and a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management from Cameron University in Lawton. He briefly taught at Central Texas College. Hazel also obtained graduate degree credits in Business Management. Hazel was employed at Cameron University in Lawton as the Men's Residence Hall Director beginning in 1989 and retired in 2012. He was affectionately called "Pops" by the students. He also served double duty as a police officer and as president of Chapter #32 of the Special Forces Association in Lawton. Hazel is preceded in death by his parents, Hazel and Annie Mae; his wife, Brigitta Lewis; his daughter, Diana Artis; sisters, Pansy Jones and Clara Norflet; and brothers, Redell Lewis, Woodrow Bailey, and Patrick Bailey. Survivors include his brother, Kenneth D. Lewis of Raleigh, North Carolina; sisters, Ms. Barbara A. Parker of Waterbury, Connecticut and Toni Omoregie of Auburn, Georgia; and grandson, Meco. |
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