Claude Vaughn Quigley

Claude Vaughn “Mike” Quigley was born June 4, 1944 at sea (latitude 30° 47’ N, longitude 68° 24’ W) to First Lieutenant Grace and Captain Calvin Quigley, USA. The ship’s crew nicknamed him “Mike” as his mother delivered aboard the USNHS St. Mihiel. As a military dependent, Mike was educated in England, Germany and Spain, and was fluent in French. In the middle of his Junior year at University of Maryland, Mike was inducted into the United States Army 8DEC65! Graduating OCS (6Nov66), he earned a 2LT Armor (USAR) Commission. He earned his Aviator Wings (ORWAC 67-12) 6Jun67 and was assigned as a Team Leader, Aero-Weapons Platoon, A Troop, 7th Squadron, 1st Air Calvary, Fort Knox, KY in August 1967. In December 1967, the Squadron departed for Long Beach, California, and boarded the USNS Upshur, sailing to Vietnam, arriving February 1968 just in time for the Tet Offensive! Upon completing his “live fire, in-country” orientation, Mike was transferred to B Troop, 7th Squadron, 17th Air Cavalry, 1st Aviation Brigade, USA Base Camp Enari, VN (Pleiku) as an Aero-Weapons Team Leader. He served with distinction, achieving the B Troop Aero-Weapons Platoon Commander position before being medically transferred to Camp Zama, Japan (4Jul69), with subsequent assignment to HQ, DUSAA, FT Belvoir, VA. Captain C.V. “Mike” Quigley’s combat service awards included the DFC, AM (20), ACM, and the VN Cross of Gallantry w/Palm. Prior to terminating his active military service, Captain C.V. “Mike” Quigley served in numerous, high visibility aviation positions with the HQ, DUSAA, FT Belvoir. Upon graduating Armor Officer Advance Course (71-4), Captain C.V. “Mike” Quigley excelled in numerous command and staff positions with 1st Squadron, 6th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Ft George Mead, Md (14Apr72-01Jun73). Transferring to Ft Bliss, TX (06Jun73), he assumed Command of H Troop, 2nd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment. A skilled tank maneuvers’ tactician, Captain C.V. “Mike” Quigley earned the praise of the 1st Cavalry Division Commander, when his Troop performed as a (winning) war game adversary during training exercises on Fort Hood. He was awarded an MSM for his troop command leadership and his Command Tank Crew achieving “Tank Distinguished Crew” in 1973 and ‘74. Following his discharge from active duty, Mike briefly worked in animation in California for TaskForce before attending the University of Texas El Paso, majoring in Business Administration. He formed Headquarters Aviation (1988-2006), an Aircraft Manufacturing and Private Aircraft Maintenance Company. From 2006 until he retired, Mike worked for Pension Planners of West Texas. Well known in the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) community, Mike was a past president of the 555 Experimental EAA Las Cruces Chapter and the El Paso Aviation Association. In 2016 he was inducted into the El Paso Aviation Hall of Fame. He was an active member at Mountain View Baptist Church for many years. He is survived by his partner, Janice Huddleston, and her family who has long considered him an adopted member. Services will be held February 5th , 12:30 pm MST, at Mountain View Baptist Church, 4959 Hondo Pass, El Paso, TX 79924. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, a family-only burial service will be held in the Fort Bliss National Cemetery, where Captain C.V. “Mike” Quigley will receive full military honors.