Edward Martel Eneboe Jr. 1944 - 2026
Edward Martel Eneboe Jr. died Tuesday morning, July 14, 2026, at his home in the American Legion trailer park in McMinnville, Oregon. He was 81 years old.
He was born August 28, 1944 in Viborg, South Dakota, to Dr. Edward Martel Eneboe and Harriet (Nelson) Eneboe. In 1954, the family moved to Hawarden, Iowa, where Ed graduated from West Sioux High School in 1962. While there, he was active in track and field, and in 1962 won the Iowa State Championship in the one-mile run. He left Iowa State University during his fourth year, hitchhiking and hopping freight trains to California, where he joined a Hot Shot firefighting crew with the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
In June of 1967, Ed enlisted in the U.S. Army, attended the Warrant Officer Rotary Wing Aviator Course, and in January of 1969 was commissioned a Warrant Officer and received his Wings as a U.S. Army Helicopter Pilot. In February 1969, he was sent to South Vietnam and assigned to D Troop (Air), 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division as an Aeroscout pilot, based in Phu Loi, just north of Saigon. His call sign was Darkhorse 19er, but unofficially it was “Weird Eddie.” He flew “Loaches,” OH-6s (Light Observation Helicopters), flying low level missions to intentionally draw fire and locate the enemy. At the end of one year, when he was eligible to return stateside, Ed opted to extend his tour six months and transferred to a Medevac unit flying “Hueys,” UH-1Hs, evacuating wounded soldiers often under fire. Ed served 19 continuous months in Vietnam before being honorably discharged in September of 1970. During that time, he was awarded the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Air Medal for Valor. Ed returned to Southeast Asia and flew for Air America from 1971 to 1974 in U.S. Government operations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. He eventually settled in McMinnville, Oregon, flying seasonal contracts (fire-fighting, logging, offshore oil, and seismic) for Evergreen Helicopters and other companies.
Edward is survived by his brothers, David Roy Eneboe (Donna, and nephews and niece, Jeff, Justin and Tamara) of Fountain Hills, Arizona; and Craig Allen Eneboe of Hayward, California.
Ed leaves behind a world of friends. In his life and career and as an active member of the American Legion, Ed was intelligent, independent, the life of every party, kind, generous to a fault, and ever ready to instigate or participate in anything FUN! We sure miss him.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 25, 2026, at the American Legion, 126 N.E. Atlantic St, McMinnville, Oregon.
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