Warren Wayne Halstead

Of McLean, Virginia peacefully departed life at age 100 on March 20, 2022. Although he was born in Kansas, he moved with his family to Tulsa, Oklahoma as an infant. He was the youngest of four boys and is survived by his younger sister, Dorothy Carter and her husband John; daughter, Gail H. Capp; son-in-law David J. Capp and three grandchildren; Paul Douglas Capp, Kathryn Lillian Capp and Kimberlee Lynne Capp. His wife, Thora died in 2016 after 60 years of marriage and their son, Douglas Clay Halstead, preceded him in death age at 19 in 1976. He is a member of the Greatest Generation, having served as a pilot first in the US Army Air Corps, and later the US Air Force when it was created in 1947. He flew in every major US Airborne operation during World War II, with his first combat mission on the night of June 6, 1944, the D Day operation during which he dropped paratroop elements of the 82nd Airborne Division. He also flew missions during Market Garden and Battle of the Bulge. His biggest mission was during Operation Varsity, on March 24, 1945 which was the largest Allied airborne operation in history to be conducted in a single day in one location with over 16,000 paratroopers. In 1953, he was sent to Korea and served as the Base Adjutant at Kunsan where he flew B26 bombers on low level missions. It was there that he received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He later had assignments at the CIA, Pentagon and Army War College. He stayed on active duty until 1973, after which he became a flight instructor and owned and flew various single and twin engine airplanes until the age of 94. A viewing was on March 28 from 2-6 pm at Murphy’s Funeral Home, in Falls Church, Virginia. A service with military honors will be on Wednesday July 27, 2022 at 11 AM at the Old Post Chapel on Fort Myer with Interment to follow in Arlington National Cemetery.