MSG Douglas May

He was a retired Army Master Sergeant and also a retired U.S. Postal Employee. He was born on March the 26th, 1939 in Sardis, Mississippi and grew up at Grenada, Mississippi. He was born to the late Powel and Ella May.

At age 15 he was asked to join the National Guard as they were short of men deploying to Camp Shelby. He served as a pole man stringing WD-1 radio wire.

At age 17 he joined the Army and received his basic training at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas and subsequently was assigned to the Army Security Agency subordinate to the National Security and remained there until he retired on May 1st, 1976. He served in the Army Security Agency as an Electronic Warfare Signal Intelligence Chief. His headquarters was Arlington Hall Virginia.

In 1966 he was assigned to Osmara, Ethiopia in the province of Eritrea in support of Emperor Haile Selassie, where a revolution was ongoing with the communist trying to overthrow his Majesty. Eritrea is located in the East Africa on the Red Sea and presently independent of Ethiopia.

He was a Vietnam Combat Veteran serving as Operation Sergeant with the 371st Radio Research Company located at Phuc Vinh.

Midtour he was assigned as a non-commissioned officer in charge of the joint Army and Air Force Airborne Coordination Center involved in Airborne Radio Direction, finding, targeting, and locating hostile enemy combat units country wide day and night.

He was the recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnam Gallantry of Palms with four Campaign Stars, six Good Conduct Medals, National Defense Medal, Korean Defense Medal, coupled with other commendations.

He was a Master Free Mason, initiated in Berchtesgarden, Germany Lodge #865 located at Bad Abiling, Germany collocated with the Army Security Agency Intercept Station now closed.

He was a Federal Police Officer and graduated from the Little Rock Arkansas Police Academy prior to going to the Post Office.

He leaves behind his wife of 51 years, Elisabeth Bergbauer May; his daughter Jennifer Ann May, two grandchildren, Tyler Wampler, and Chandler Wampler, and one sister, Polly May Dogan.

Family will receive friends from 1:00pm to 2:00pm on Monday, December 27th at Memphis Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens, 3700 N. Germantown Rd, Bartlett, TN. Services will follow at 2:00pm.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralGermantownParkway.com for the May family.