Michael Duglas McCarty ^78,79

   Cause of his death was Suicide.

  General Notes:

Mike was the third child of Mac and Polly McCarty, born while the family lived at Laird Hill just outside of Kilgore, Texas. Mac was 28 and Polly was 26. Mac was an oil field worker (like his father).

Graduated from Robstown High School, Robstown, Nueces County, Texas in May 1968.

Attended A&I University, Kingsville, Texas for a short time and Del Mar College, Corpus Christi, Texas.
"Volunteered" for the Army in April, 1969. Attended basic training at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas and received additional training at Fort Ord, Monterey, California. He was stationed in Vietnam in September, 1969, as Private First Class U.S. Army Company C 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry WAGNCOA. He was promoted to Specialist Four on April 19, 1970. He received a Purple Heart on April 29, 1970 "for wounds received in connection with military operations against a hostile force". Mike reported: "I received a flechette dart from our own artillery; It is a small dart almost an inch long, and it comes in a beehive round; I was down in the door of the bunker, and the round exploded before it went over the berm." He also told his mother that he and two of his comrades dove into a fox hole and that all three were wounded and one died. He received the Air Medal on May 5, 1970, and the Army Commendation Medal on August 16, 1970.

After a 7 day leave which he spent in Taipai, Vietnam, he refused an order to take off the hand made cowboy boots from Taipai and put on his military boots. He was Court Martialed on July 22, 1970, reduced to E-2 classification and returned to the field. On July 25, 1970 he said he was not feeling well and wanted to return to the base and see the doctor. His commanding officer ordered him to return to his battalion but he proceeded to board a helicopter and return to base. He was Court Martialed again and sentenced to be reclassified as Private First Class, receive no additional pay, receive a Dishonorable Discharge, and serve 10 years in prison. The charge was "that private (E-2) Michael D. McCarty, Company C, 2n Battalion, 7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile), APO San Francisco 96490, US Army did, at Long Khanh Province near Fire Support Base Garry Owen, Republic of Vietnam, on or about 25 July 1970, in the presence of the enemy, run away from his company." During the Court Martial it was shown that there was very little evidence of any enemy in the area and that the officer rescinded the order for Mike to return to his Battalion. If you are interested you should read the verbatim transcript of the trial. His sentence was later reduced to a bad conduct discharge and 2 years in prison (served at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas).

In May, 1976, Michael was examined by Cecil A. Childers, M.D.. In a letter addressed to his parents he states: "This is to certify that Mr. Michael McCarty has been under my professional care for the past two months. He has been hospitalized at Physicians & Surgeons Hospital and Memorial Medical Center. He has had an extensive workup including a full battery of psychological tests. The results lead to the definite diagnosis of Paranoid, Process Type, Schizophrenia. Copies of his workup are included. It is clear that this individual probably was psychotic while he was functioning in the service. I cannot imagine how he was given anything other than a medical discharge. In my opinion he definitely needs to be service connected for an ongoing schizophrenic process which he had probably before he went into the service and certainly which became obvious and florid during his service experience."

Michael Duglas McCarty jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge on May 25,1978. His parents settled his estate on June 23, 1982. As far as I know (2004), no death certificate has been issued.
@MI78@

  Noted events in his life were:

1. Military: Served in U.S. Army in Vietnam, Sep 1969.

2. SSN: 463-82-5356.