Gifford Foley died Sunday, July 1, 1990, while performing an airplane stunt over the Niagara River in Buffalo.
An experienced pilot with thousands of hours in the air, Foley was also a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam and received a Silver Star and two Purple Hearts.
A resident of South Salem, he was recently appointed to the position of chief financial officer at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., Foley graduated from the Kent School, Kent, Conn., Dartmouth College and Harvard Business School, where he received a master's of business administration.
He is survived by his wife, April; his father, Gifford Foley of Vero Beach, Fla.; two sons, Gifford T. Jr. and James E.H., both of South Salem; a daughter, Catherine L. of South Salem; a brother, Thomas C. of New York City; and four sisters, Ellen F. James of New Haven, Conn., Catherine H. of Topeka, Kan., Emily F. Parry of Winnetka, Ill., and Elizabeth of Palo Alto, Calif.
SILVER STAR CITATION:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star Medal to Gifford T. Foley (2447541), Corporal, U.S. Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action while serving as a Squad Leader with Company M, Third Battalion, Third Marines, Third Marine Division in connection with operations against the enemy in the Republic of Vietnam. On 24 March 1969, during Operation DEWEY CANYON, Corporal Foley's platoon was conducting a search and destroy operation in the mountainous terrain of northwestern Quang Tri Province when the lead element encountered five North Vietnamese soldiers. Reacting instantly, the point man opened fire and wounded one of the enemy. As the startled hostile soldiers retreated through the jungle foliage to a well-fortified cave, Corporal Foley unhesitatingly led his squad in an aggressive pursuit and, as the Marines approached the North Vietnamese emplacement, they came under a heavy volume of enemy fire. After quickly deploying his men into covered fighting positions, Corporal Foley observed that two wounded members of his squad had fallen in dangerously exposed locations. Completely disregarding his own safety, he dashed forward to recover his comrades, but was driven back by the intense hostile fire. Resolutely continuing his determined efforts, he was seriously injured during a second futile attempt. Ignoring his painful injuries, he again crossed the fire-swept area and successfully evacuated the casualties to a relatively safe area. After receiving fire as he attempted to persuade the North Vietnamese to surrender, Corporal Foley threw a smoke grenade into the hostile emplacement, disorganizing the occupants and enabling him to position his men around the entrance of the cave. Boldly exposing himself to possible fire, he then approached the fortification and fearlessly hurled hand grenades inside, resulting in three North Vietnamese soldiers killed and the seizure of their weapons. By his courage, bold initiative and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of grave personal danger, Corporal Foley was instrumental in saving the lives of two fellow Marines and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.
There is a movie about Giff Foley. Here is a link.
Home Town: Winnetka, Illinois
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