UntitledEDWARD E. STACEY1937 - 2009Edward "Ed" Stacey passed away on June 15, 2009. He had been suffering from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and complete renal failure since 2005, both of which were attributed to exposure to Agent Orange while on duty in Vietnam.Ed is survived by his loving wife Zoila, and his son Andrew (Andy).Ed graduated from J.M. Tate High School in 1955 and entered the Air Force the following day. He spent twenty-six years in the service, with more than nineteen of those years spent in overseas assignments. He began his career as a Radio Intercept Operator and served in Japan, Philippines, and England in that capacity. In 1960, he volunteered to attend a twelve-month Chinese Mandarin language course at Yale University. Following that training he served a tour in Okinawa and Japan flying reconnaissance missions along the coasts of China and North Korea as an Airborne Mission Supervisor. When the need arose in 1964 for Vietnamese linguists, Ed volunteered and on completion of training in 1965 was sent to Vietnam where he flew reconnaissance missions over Laos and North Vietnam in C-130B-II aircraft. A follow-on assignment took him back to Japan but also led to much additional time on temporary duty in Vietnam. In 1967, he was moved to Okinawa and began flying on the RC-135M reconnaissance aircraft, again in the areas of Laos and North Vietnam. His primary assignment on those missions was also as an Airborne Mission Supervisor. He continued his flying assignments in those areas, flying a total of more than 525 combat missions, and logging almost 9,000 flight hours. In 1977 Ed volunteered for training in the Korean language and was subsequently assigned to Korea for one year. Ed's awards include the Air Medal with twenty-seven Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with V device, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with eight Oak Leaf Clusters, Combat Readiness Medal, Cold War Service Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Ribbon with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Good Conduct Ribbon with Bronze Knot, National Defense Service Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with bronze Oak Leaf Cluster, Vietnam Service Medal with fifteen Service Stars, Air Force Longevity Ribbon with five Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Marksmanship Ribbon, Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Palm.Following his tour in Korea, Ed was assigned to duty in the Philippines. On completion of his assignment in the Philippines, Ed and Zoila returned to Pensacola to make their home. From 1983 until the end of 1999, Ed worked at NAS Pensacola with NADEP and DFAS.Ed has been a faithful member of the East Hill Church of Christ, and will be missed by all his friends and brethren there.A visitation will be held from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. Thursday, June 18, 2009 at Pensacola Memorial Gardens Funeral Home.Funeral services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Friday, June 19, 2009 at the funeral home. Interment, with full military honors, will follow at Pensacola Memorial Gardens.