Wilbur Moore Warren II

NO. 17731  •  29 October 1926 – 13 January 1988

Died 13 January 1988 in Atlanta, Georgia, aged 61 years
Interment:  Arlington Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia

 

WILBUR MOORE WARREN II was born in Savannah, Georgia on 29 October 1926. He was the only child of Madeline Low Warren and Wilbur Moore Warren.

Will spent his early years in Atlanta, Georgia and Wilmington, North Carolina, graduating from New Hanover High School in Wilmington in 1944. As a boy, he spent many afternoons listening to an elderly Wilmington neighbor, Mrs. Bellamy, de­scribe her Civil War experiences. This fascination with the Civil War, and warfare in general, manifested itself in later life as he became a Civil War scholar and a soldier in his own right. His classmates recall that, when Will arrived at West Point, he was an expert on Civil War incidents that most of them never knew occured.

Will also was shaped by his experiences in scouting, Not only did he achieve the coveted rank of Eagle Scout, but he went on as a man to become a scoutmaster and a lover of the outdoors, especially when it involved camping and hiking. Even after his retirement, his Sunday afternoons in Atlanta regularly included a trek up Stone Mountain. Another strong influence in his life was his aunt, with whom he spent much of his time. She assisted him in obtaining an appointment to the Military Academy and, after a short stint in the Air Corps and the USMA Preparatory School, Will en­tered USMA on a hot July day in 1946.

Will is remembered by his classmates with affection. They describe him as "One of those genuinely nice people that we meet so seldom in this world." They also recall that he seemed to enjoy the rigors of cadet life and maintained his good humor and positive attitude even when, "There was no earthly reason to be optimistic." He also is fondly remembered as the only cadet in Company D2 who enjoyed small talk at reveille formation. In June 1950, Will successfully completed his life as a cadet and graduated into the Infantry. For his first assignment, he picked the 7th Infantry. Almost immediately, for Will and many of his classmates, war emerged from the his­tory books to become a harsh reality. He served as an Infantry lieutenant in Korea. His Combat Infantry Badge was always a source of pride to him.

His subsequent assignments included The Infantry School and a tour as aide‑de­camp at Fort MacPherson in Atlanta. While serving there, he met and courted Dorothy Dale (DeDe) Johnson. They were married in Columbia, Mississippi in May of 1953. Soon after, the couple found themselves in Bamberg, Germany, where Will was as­signed to the 26th Infantry Regiment as a company commander. While there, son Wallace Hugh and daughter Amanda Low were born.

In the mid‑50s, the Warrens returned with the regiment to Fort Riley. A year at The Infantry School followed and, after graduation, the Warrens moved to Charles­ton, South Carolina where Will served as an ROTC instructor at the Citadel. While in Charleston, a second daughter, Patricia Johnson, was born.

After The Citadel, Will was assigned to XII Corps in Atlanta, followed by a tour with one of the early advisory groups in Vietnam (1960 ‑ 61). Then came a period of relative stability for the Warrens at Fort Leavenworth where Will was first a stu­dent and, later, an instructor at the C&GSC. In the late 60s, Will served a tour in Hawaii at CINPAC, where he was known to his boss, ADM McCain, as Mr. "Korea."

Will's active duty military service ended in 1970 when he retired and he and DeDe returned to Atlanta. For his service, he was awarded the Legion of Merit.

In Atlanta, Will approached civilian life with all of the resolve that he had exercised on active duty. Soon after he retired, he took a position as general manager of a large shopping mall, and he surely enjoyed his job as much as any he had ever held. When the mall was sold, Will worked for a while with the former owner and, in addi­tion to some private consulting, was asso­ciated with a local camera store.

In addition to his love of family and the military, Will had a fascination with pho­tography. In retirement he pursued his hobby. With his 1938 Leica, he photo­graphed the Atlanta skyline, the yellow daisies on Stone Mountain and the lions in the Atlanta Zoo. All of it was done with the precision and attention to detail that was so typical of his approach to life.

On 13 January 1988, Will died follow­ing a heart attack and stroke resulting from complications of the diabetes he had battled in later years. We remember Will as a good friend and classmate and as a loving father and husband. In addition to his family, he loved the ocean, zoos, cooking out, pho­tography, history and iced tea. We called him "Will," a name that suited him well. He was a quiet but powerful man who shunned trivialities; a cheerful Southern gentleman who believed that we must all forge our own happiness.

James Wallace, Jr.

NO. 17624  •  6 Jun 1926 - 16 Mar 2005

Died in Alexandria, VA Inurned in Grace Episcopal Church, Alexandria, VA


James Wallace, Jr., was born in Toledo, OH, the elder of the two sons of James Wallace III and Fidelia Latimer Mills. Along with his brother George, Jim attended Toledo public schools, but Jim's last two years of high school were at The Hill School in Pennsylvania.

Jim's father was a civil engineer who earned his wings during World War I through the Aviation Branch of the Signal Corps. Jim's uncle, MG Ralph H. Wooten, was an Army Air Corps pilot. Wooten suggested that Jim consider West Point if he was interested in a military career. Heeding that advice, Jim applied for and received an appointment from Rep. Homer A Ramey of Ohio.

Well liked at the Academy, Jim participated in many activities, including the Howitzer, Pointer, 100th Nite Show, the Debate Society, and the Ski, Radio, and Model Railroad Clubs. Considered a walking encyclopedia, Jim was often called upon for obscure information. He was not a "star man" but graduated in the upper half of his class academically.

Because his father and his uncle had been pilots, Jim chose the Air Force upon graduation, but being a fighter jock was not in his future. He graduated from basic flight training flying the T-6 and then went to B-25 school, only to be washed out after 200 hours of flying time.

Jim next attended the Armament Systems Engineering School at Lowry AFB, CO, and was assigned as an aircraft maintenance officer for P-47s at a NY National Guard unit in Niagara Falls, NY. To improve his skills, he completed a five-month Training-with-Industry assignment in fire control systems at the Hughes Aircraft Corporation in Los Angeles.

There, Jim met Barbara "Bobbie" Frances Brooks after attending church one morning. As a good-looking six-footer in uniform, he garnered much attention. They saw each other often, but he soon left California, returning to New York briefly before being reassigned to Otis AFB, MA, where he worked as an aircraft maintenance officer and a personnel officer.

Although Jim and Bobbie had discussed marriage before he left California, he never proposed. After leaving, Jim missed Bobbie, so he called her and popped the question over the phone. On 27 Feb 1954, they were married in Flint, MI, where Bobbie had moved after Jim returned to the East. Their first home together was in Massachusetts.

The sudden change from maintenance to personnel prompted Jim to reevaluate his career path. He applied to the Air Force Institute of Technology and graduated in 1956 with a master's degree in electrical engineering. He was immediately assigned to the Snark missile development office at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH.

All of Jim's official papers identify him as James Wallace, Jr., but he actually was James Wallace IV, and James Wallace V was born in Ohio on 30 Nov 1956. Jim next attended another Training-with-Industry program at the Rand Corporation in Santa Monica, CA, in anticipation of work with the Air Force Space Systems Division in Los Angeles.

After three successful years at Space Systems Division, Jim, Bobbie, and Jimmy headed back east to the Office of the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development at the Pentagon. On their second day in town, they bought the first house they saw, a good decision because they lived there for many years. After serving at the Pentagon, Jim served as an Air Force officer at the Central Intelligence Agency and, after his retirement in 1970, continued with the physical sciences offices of the CIA as an expert in infra-red technology. During his service, he earned three Commendation Medals, a Meritorious Service Medal, and the CIA Black Award.

Even before he retired, Jim and the "clan" were busy in the theater, all appearing on stage in various shows. Jim and Bobbie even produced a play, and Jim was elected to the Little Theater of Alexandria Board of Governors, Jim's first civilian job was in real estate, and he became incredibly knowledgeable of the Old Town Alexandria market. When John McEnearney (USNA '49) left their firm to start a new company, he invited Jim to be one of their first agents. He was a professional agent with a sense of humor and a great asset to John's company. Upon seeing a "For Sale by Owner" sign, he remarked, "Before long, people will be taking out their own appendixes." In the '80s, Jim put his real estate knowledge to good personal use when he and Bobbie bought four run-down waterfront cottages on the Chesapeake Bay in North Beach, MD, and assisted the town in a major improvement program, including the restoration of his cottages. He and Bobbie did much of the restoration themselves and were gratified to see their efforts "help improve the North Beach image." Living in Alexandria, they nevertheless spent much of their time at their North Beach cottages.

Although very busy, Jim used a newly obtained computer to do income taxes for some clients, manage his real property and that of his son and daughter in law, and assist Bobbie with her writings. She is a highly successful author of more then 20 children's books.

In 2003, Jim developed cancer. After two years of combating it with chemotherapy and radiation, Jim died on 16 Mar 2005. He is inurned in the memorial wall at Grace Episcopal Church in Alexandria, the church he and Bobbie attended for 40 years.

Bobbie now lives in McLean, VA. Their son and daughter-in-law, Christine, and two granddaughters, Victoria and Elizabeth, live nearby.

At the time of Jim's death, John McEnearney wrote of him, "Above all, he was a kind and gentle man; a true gentleman, who was always ready to help ... in any way he could.... Jim will be sorely missed by all who knew and respected him."

-- Classmates, family, and friends

Jerome N. Waldor

NO. 17421  •  21 September 1927 – 2 September 2005

Died in Livingston, NJ
Interred in Sharey Tefilo Israel, Montclair, NJ


"My dad was the wind at my back." 
Dr. Matthew Waldor, speaking at Jerry's funeral

Jerome Noel "Jerry" Waldor was born on 21 Sep 1927, the second son of Jack and Rose Waldor, in Newark, NJ. He grew up in Newark, attended Weequahic High School, and formed many lifelong friendships. Several friends from his elementary school days spoke at his funeral service. In 1950, Jerry married neighbor Rita Kaden, and eventually their family grew to three sons and eight grandchildren.

Jerry enlisted in the Navy V-5 program in 1945, but in 1946, while in pre-flight training, he received an appointment to West Point. Jerry loved West Point, and in 1950 was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Rita and Jerry traveled to postings around the country, finally landing at the Royal Air Force Station, Sculthorpe, England in 1952. He served as a crewmember on the B-45 Tornado jet bomber, receiving training as a navigator-bombardier. He returned to McGuire Air Force Base, NJ, where he remained on active duty until 1954.

In 1954, Jerry was commissioned a captain in the Air Force Reserve. At McGuire, he was selected to command the newly-formed 5th Military Airlift Squadron in I960. He moved to the Pentagon, and then in 1978, he moved to the Defense Logistics Agency. In 1983, he was assigned to Air Force Logistics Command at Wright-Patterson AFB. He assumed a Tactical Air Command assignment in May 1985, where he remained until his retirement as major general in August 1987. During his service, he received many distinctions, including the Distinguished Service Medal and the Legion of Merit.

Military service was a pivotal force in Jerry's life. Upon his retirement, a ceremony was held at Langley AFB and attended by family and friends. At the ceremony, he spoke about his 40-plus years in military service. With his usual humility and humor, he credited both the Air Force and his wife Rita for allowing him to serve. The military gave Jerry an enormous amount; he learned a clear sense of discipline, camaraderie, a focused sense of service, and leadership skills, all of which served him well throughout his life.

In civilian life, he settled in West Orange and then South Orange, NJ, not far from where he was born. He established an insurance agency in the late 1950s, the Brounell Kramer Waldor Kane Agency, later the Waldor Agency. Under his leadership, the agency grew into a significant presence in the metropolitan New Jersey business community. An active believer in education, he earned his CPCU designation in the early 1960s. He was joined in the business by two of his sons in the 1980s. Both sons appreciated his ability to listen, guide, offer advice, and let them make their own decisions and mistakes. By early 2004, the agency employed more than 40 people. The atmosphere, while productive and disciplined, remained warm and comfortable under Jerry's tutelage. In addition to running and growing a business, Jerry remained committed to serving his community.

Jerry's life was guided by the mantra of service: service to his community, his country, and fellow humanity. Jerry served as campaign chairman in the 1980s of the United Jewish Federation of Metrowest and as president in the early 1990s. His service to that community was, and remains, legendary. He was on numerous committees and boards throughout the Federation. As one fellow board member said, "Jerry was remarkable for his ability to inspire others through his own example of hard work and total dedication." In addition to his involvement with the Metrowest community, he served on the boards of Cerebral Palsy of New Jersey, National Conference for Community and Justice, Daughters of Israel Geriatric Center, and New Jersey Y camps. His involvement in the campaign to build the West Point Jewish chapel is one his enduring legacies to West Point. The building which graces the Post is a testament to his hard work, which he shared with others.

Jerry was an avid tennis player. He played singles and doubles with competitive ferocity. He enjoyed the game and appreciated his rankings, marveling at how his ranking improved as his age bracket rose.

He was never known to say "no." "Super" became his signature answer to the question of "how are you?" This was no stock answer; this was how he felt, and he accepted the ribbing he got for answering that way with his usual grace. His infectious enthusiasm for life made him beloved throughout his communities. At a recent dinner for the Friendship Circle, an organization devoted to helping disabled, handicapped children, the director said, "Jerry was an exceptional example for all of us. He was able to give 100 percent to his community, 100 percent to his business, and 100 percent to his family."

He was devoted to the ideal of community. One of his most important missions was building communities by bridging differences. People in conflict sought him out; not as a judge, but as someone who would listen, give a fair hearing, and offer sound, pragmatic advice. He stressed what we have in common, unlike those who stress our differences.

Jerry remains sorely missed at work, at play, by his community, and by his family.

--Marc Waldor, son

George Frederick Vlisides

NO. 17635  •  

Died 27 Jan 1965, of Bien Hoa Air Base, Republic of Vietnam, aged 40.
Interment: Greek Orthodox Cemetery, Ann Arbor, MI


GEORGE VLISIDES, The "Gorgeous One," was killed 30 years ago. His personality is still fresh: ambitious, eager, duty first, strong, help the underdog, proud, seek the adventure.

At hand is a letter from George of September 1956 with all abstract of events at West Point: socials in 1950; the Commandant’s party; TDY to the Air Ground School; tennis club's defeats; inquiries about the health of the children; touching all the bases; interested and interesting; balanced.

Detroit was the place of George's birth. His parents came from Greece and started successful restaurants in Detroit and Ann Arbor. He had a solid boyhood. The patriot sense was in place early.

After high school, George enlisted in the Air Corps and got his second lieutenant's bars and Bombardier Wings in 1944. During the rest of WWII, George flew in heavy bombers, but, to his chagrin, did not go overseas.

Michigan's Second District sent George to West Point in July 1946. Many of his classmates had prior service, including some 30 officers. The competition was stiff, and he liked that. In Beast Barracks, George could be seen, 3d rank, 2d file, hard, sweaty, angry, determined, a man to be reckoned with. Back at South Barracks, he was a man to help with the dress off, get the scratch out of the B-plate, and calm the storm. George went to C-1. From the first ranking he was our top plebe; and he stayed on top through our First Class year.

Math was tough; social sciences were a breeze. Soccer was a letter sport, but wrestling needed a little more time.

Many a Class of '50 wife later tried and failed to make a match for him. His ideal was a cross between Marilyn and a choir girl. George never married.

After graduation, George went to the Air Force and pilot training. He had a couple of bad days, got washed out, but he believed in himself. George took it to the Chief of Staff, re-entered the pilot program, and received his wings in March 1952. He fought with the 49th Fighter Bomber Wing in Korea, flying 84 missions in the F-84 and receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Bronze Star, and the Air Medal with two clusters.

During the summer of 1954, George became a TAC in the Office of Physical Education. He cut an impressive figure for the cadets; he was in magnificent shape, and went to parachute school at Ft. Benning and got his jump wings. By this time he had lost his hair. He simply shaved it all and became even more arresting. We called it "aplomb," albeit a more mature front and top.

He wasn't mean enough for the cadets to anoint him as being legendary.

By the mid-fifties, many of the class went back to Alma Mater as captains, mostly married, in our prime. We loved George. He was steady, predictable, and ready to do bachelor things. He was always available for filling the party table. He was great for helping along a joke, even by being the subject of them.

By June Week 1955, George had acquired a long 1949 Lincoln convertible, purple and expensive. George took a full load to Camp Buckner for a picnic supper. As we parked by the shores of Lake Popolopen, a clean Chevy pulled alongside. The doors of both cars opened, but the other driver, a gray-haired ranger with a '35 arm band, was quick and said, 'After you, Sir!" Tact prevailed then, but later all holds were off and no mercy was shown our senior classmate. No party with George for the next 10 years failed to hear that story, and no C-1 formation since.

George served a tour in Europe and then graduated from the Air Command and Staff College in 1961. Next came staff duty with HQ AirTraining Command at Randolf AFB, and promotion to major. Vietnam was heating up, George was a Regular, and he wanted more combat. He volunteered in 1964. In October, he made a quick swing to the DC area for adieus, a stop by the Pentagon's D-Ring for the latest, and a pause for gifts to the girls. He had a charming way with childrcn, shy and sincere, no talking down, a sure vote getter. George was now full of happiness, confidence, abilities: the kind of man America sends to war, a West Pointer.

The 1st Air Commando Squadron became George's home on 5 Nov. His duty was operations officer, but he flew close support missions in combat as the pilot of A1E aircraft. For almost 3 months he flew strikes against targets in the northwestern arc around Saigon. He was awarded another Distinguished Flying Cross and two more Air Medals. On 27 Jan 1965, George and his enlisted Vietnamese observer flew as part of an afternoon squadron strike. The mission was a success. At 1650 hours, with the sun dropping but the weather good, George made his landing approach. His left wing dropped, caught, the bird rolled, crashed, burned. That was it; both men were killed. Lindbergh has told us, "An airplane is like a rattlesnake; watch it every second for it is just waiting to bite you."

It was a quick bite of bad luck. George had 2,600 flying hours and 2,000 hours first pilot time. He had 154 hours in the A1E. It was a truly bad snake bite.

Funeral services were held for George in the Greek Orthodox Church in Ann Arbor on 5 Feb 1965. A memorial service for his many friends and classmates was held at the Ft. Myer Chapel in Arlington, VA, on 21 Mar. Mrs. Elena C. Vlisides, George's mother, was present. George also was survived by a brother and a sister.

And so passed another air warrior. Time too short; talents too little used; stopped in mid­flight. George was the epitome of the Academy motto. West Point was one of his icons, the ancient Greeks the other. He enjoyed telling of the glories of the Greeks and he thrived on tales of their courage. George had courage. Walpole, though not a Greek, had George in mind when he wrote, “Tisn’t life that matters. 'Tis the courage one brings to it." 

- JBL, C-1 classmate

Ralph Hadley Viskochil

NO. 17661  •  

Died 21 April 1967 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, aged 41 years.
Interment: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia


DEAR RALPH,

This letter is a labor of love that will never appear on paper exactly as it is etched in the minds and hearts of those who love you, admire you, and miss you. The two years since your passing have proven that you are one of those few truly great men who build so well in life that they live with even greater purpose after death.

We who had the joy and privilege of knowing you well are just beginning to really appreciate what an exceptional man you were. We knew you as father, son, brother, husband, pal, classmate, instructor, comrade-in-arms, community leader, patriot, soldier, officer, and professional engineer. We had the pleasure of participating with you and following your leadership in everything from wild schemes to rebuild the house and the country club, to Boy Scouts, investments, Little League, golf, bowling, squash, photography, art, music, camping, and yea ‑ even work. Your hobby must have been collecting hobbies, yet you did them all justice while maintaining excellence as an officer, engineer, and father.

When one works as hard as you did at so many worthwhile, difficult, and varied problems, one often does not see immediate results and wonders if any progress is being made. It occurred to us that you might appreciate a progress report on the results of your 4 1/2 short years of effective effort.

They are still talking at Leavenworth and Walter Reed about the great courage, good humor, and sheer guts you displayed during that last difficult year ‑ with the painful treatments, loss of voice, learning to talk all over again, and all the while keeping an even keel at home and at work.

The tremendous stack of condolence letters from friends and admirers all over the world shows what an indelible impression you made on so many people. The letters were from generals, contemporaries, junior officers, enlisted men, and civilians ‑ completely rounded just as your beautiful life.

Of course the most important monument a man can build is his family, Your performance here is proving every day to be your crowning achievement. Your brave wife, three handsome sons and darling daughter all reflect your example, the goals you set before them, and the love you lavished on them. I hope it is possible that you are able to see them from your new duty station and to share the pride and admiration we all feel for them as they go about the important business of maturing and contributing to the community by their actions. Joy, Stephen, David, Lani, and Larry will always shed credit on their beloved husband and father.

You will be happy to know that your Boy Scouts in Korea, Leavenworth, and Springfield, are flourishing because you built so well. The many contributions sent in on your behalf to the Springfield troop have resulted in a fitting and practical memorial to the things you stood for. The Springfield Country Club, whose inception received the benefit of your wise guidance and hard work,  has become one of the finest in the Northern Virginia area. The real estate work you did in DCSLOG still serves the Army well as do your many construction projects and the officers and men you trained and guided so effectively. Indeed Ralph, you left your mark. "When man departs from this world, neither silver nor gold accompany him; he is remembered only for his love of learning, love of his fellow men and his good deeds."

 Thus you are remembered, dear friend.

- E. C. West

Bobby Gene Vinson

NO. 17575  •  

Missing in action in Vietnam on 24 Apr 1968, declared dead on 12 Sep 1977. Body never recovered.

 

SHOULD WEST POINT begin retiring football jerseys, a good one to start with would be number 44. Bobby wore this number for 4 years, having made the 'A' squad in plebe year on a national championship team. A native son of Nederland, he grew up in the rough and ­ready world of Cajuns, oil field workers, and longshoremen in East Texas. He learned how to play and fight, when necessary, with the toughest and was the Outstanding High School Football Player in Texas in his senior year. Bobby turned down a full scholarship to Rice in order to compete in the last year of the Davis-Blanchard era. Probably his most notable football feats were a 98-yard intercepted pass return in 1948 and a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the 1949 Army-Navy game. He was number one in the plebe class in physical aptitude and could take on the best heavyweights in boxing and wrestling. Anyone would rue the day that he stood next to Bobby on "bloody Tuesday" in Bill Cavanaugh's boxing class.

Bobby also was an outstanding student, with particular talents in mathematics and science. It was amazing to see him return from a rough football practice and focus on academics with consistently outstanding results in the classroom the next day.

Bobby entered Air Force flight training just as the Korean War began and he quickly grasped the essentials of this new challenge. It came as no surprise when he was selected to be a jet fighter pilot. Combat skills were honed at the Fighter Gunnery School at Nellis AFB, NV, and he was soon on his way to Korea. Aircraft losses were heavy during the winter of 1951-­52, particularly for fighter-bomber pilots, but Bobby flew 100 combat missions in F­84s the same way he played football - with 100% commitment, 100% fearless. On one memorable mission, he spotted a North Korean tank. When his rockets failed to fire, Bobby recycled armament switches while continuing the attack. The tank was destroyed, but the F­84 kissed the ground during his pullout. A bushel basket of dirt, grass, and brush was retrieved from the F-84 after returning to home base.

In between flying 100 combat missions, Bobby learned skeet shooting. (In those days, the Air Force thought skeet shooting improved aerial gunnery skills.) Two years later he represented Tactical Air Command in the National Championships.

After the Korean War, Bobby was assigned to George AFB, CA, as a fighter pilot and met Joan McKinney while vacationing in Mexico. Bobby and Joan were married in September 1953 and raised 4 handsome and extremely bright children: ­Chuck, Robert, Victoria, and Laura.

The following years brought a series of tactical assignments interspersed with annual returns to West Point as assistant football coach. Later, while stationed at Wheelus AFB, Libya, Bobby learned scuba diving and water skiing - sports he pursued for the rest of his life. The Vinsons returned to Langley AFB, VA, where Bobby joined TAC Headquarters. Next came Armed Forces Staff College and the Pentagon.

Charlie Gabriel, classmate and retired Air Force Chief of Staff, remembers Bobby as a staff officer of unparalleled integrity who would challenge the system to provide absolutely objective staff studies. Charlie also notes that Bobby was the best fighter pilot he knew.

The years spent in Washington are remembered by their many friends for fun-­filled gatherings at their home in Northern Virginia, especially the "Vinson Backyard Olympics" where one and all tested aging skills in a variety of games and contests. In 1965, the Vietnam War intruded. Bobby became increasingly involved in staffing fighter operations for combat. In 1967, he returned to the cockpit.

After a brief training period in F- 4s, he joined the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing at DaNang. "Skipper" Scott, classmate, fellow football player, and later Superintendent at the Air Force Academy, recalls that in their earlier assignment to the same fighter wing, Bobby was the top fighter pilot, able to beat everyone, including a top Korean War ace, in "dog fights" -- simulated aerial combat. LTC Vinson was quickly checked out to lead combat missions; the most challenging being night attack missions under flares in North Vietnam.

The April afternoon before Bobby's last flight, he enjoyed his favorite sport - scuba diving for lobsters in the Gulf of Tonkin. He told Skip Scott that they would cook lobsters upon his return from a night attack mission against the Ho Chi Minh Trail in North Vietnam. His aircraft apparently was hit while making a second firing pass under flares. His wingman reported the aircraft explosion, and Bobby was never heard from again.

Defense policy was to list pilots lost in combat as MIA until their true status could be determined.  Joan Vinson became a national leader in the movement to account for MIA-POWs. She was and is a wonderful wife and mother who kept the family together after the loss of Bobby.

COL Bobby Gene Vinson was declared KIA on 12 Sep 1977. From the "fields of friendly strife" at West Point to the skies over North Vietnam, he served his country with  pride and distinction. Check Six, 44! 

- His roommates Rufus Smith and Dick Leavitt

Paul S. Vanture

NO. 17969  • 26 May 1924 - 30 Sep 2004  

Died in Burke, VA.
Interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA


Paul Schuyler Vanture was the youngest of nine children born to Charles Papachristakis and Agnes Lenore McGinnis in Norfolk, VA . His father, a Greek immigrant, attempting to Americanize his last name, changed it to "Ventura:' which was scrambled when he or an immigration officer juxtaposed the "a" and the "e." Paul’s oldest brother, George Dewey Vanture '20, was on Bataan when it fell in 1942 and was killed aboard a prison ship just prior to the end of the war. Paul acquired an "uncle" in John Porter 'Kit' Kidwell '25, who married Paul’s sister Aggie, and he lived with them after his parent’s health declined.


In 1943, as World War II raged, Paul joined the Army, served a tour in Korea, and was mustered out as a corporal in 1945 to proceed to West Point. He was active in the Choir, Glee Club, Honor Committee, and the Pointer magazine.

Commissioned in the Anti Aircraft Artillery, Paul served in the Korean War as a platoon leader in Battery D, 21st Anti Aircraft Artillery Battalion of the 25th Infantry Division. Often, his unit was placed in front of the Infantry and assisted in clearing areas for attack.

During a Chinese Army offensive, his unit and the infantry had to move rearward in difficult terrain to avoid being overrun. As the Chinese infiltrated the infantry lines, with Paul’s platoon in front, Paul ordered his unit to rake fire over the front to halt the Chinese. He then moved his unit to the rear in an orderly fashion. For his actions, Paul was awarded the Silver Star.

In 1952, Paul returned to the States, stationed at Ft. Bliss, TX. There he met Lonnie Ann Woodruff, and they were married on 23 Dec 1952. After advanced schooling at Ft. Sill, OK, Paul was assigned to the first Nike Ajax Missile Battalion, Ft. Meade, MD. Afterwards, he earned a masters degree in English at Columbia University and from 1958 to 1961 taught English at the Military Academy. He was subsequently selected to attend the Ecole d’Etat Major, the French staff college, followed by an assignment to NATO Headquarters in Fontainebleau, France.

Paul then attended the Armed Forces Staff College before being assigned Departmentof the Army Operations at the Pentagon, receiving the Legion of Merit for his work. In 1968, he returned to Korea, commanding a battalion in the 38th Air Defense Brigade. He then returned to Ft. Belvoir, VA, as a staff officer with the Combat Developments Command. In 1969, Paul retired from the Army.

Paul and family then moved to Alexandria, VA, where he was offered the position of administrative assistant to Congresswoman Edith Green of Oregon. Colleague and friend Eleanor Lewis later said:

"There were rumors that he was going to be (1) a friend of Green's, (2) someone from her church, (3) a retired professional military officer, and (4) someone with absolutely no Capitol Hill experience. Needless to say, the staff was a bit on edge.... When I returned from lunch one day, there was a military cap on a chair in the reception area with lots of gold 'stuff' on it....Were we all going to be 'mustered out' under this new, tough, and possibly much too regimented authority figure? Would we have to learn to salute?”

Our new chief was none of the above. Congressional offices can be chaotic... but from the beginning Paul provided us with a calm professional order, boosted our self confidence and morale, and did so with great humor and intellect. Despite having no experience in the warfare of Capitol Hill, Paul took to his new profession immediately. He was smart, funny, stunningly intellectual, and very savvy about issues both substantive and those affecting personnel and he took to the political environment like the professional that he was in all things that he did. To boot, Paul was a superb writer, something every member of Congress desperately needs on the staff."

Upon Greed's retirement, Paul served in the same capacity for Congressman Otis Pike of New York. He also briefly wrote movie reviews for a friend during her leave of absence. His work was such an improvement that she feared she would be out of a job, but Paul had no qualms about handing it back over to her.

At Paul's funeral, Richard Craig '49 said:

Paul was many different people. He was my brother in law. He was a loving husband, a father, a scholar, an undernourished child, a youth orphaned at an early age, a college professor, a writer, a storehouse of funny stories, an artillery battalion commander, a photographer, a West Point graduate, an enlisted man in WWII, an administrative assistant to congressional representatives, and a laughing companion on a mountain trout fishing trip. Paul was an insatiable reader, a person with reason for pride, and yet possessing a quiet humility. He was a man for all seasons, a warm friend always interested in every aspect of out lives.”

Paul was one of those rare people we often hear of but seldom encounter: a genuine American war hero who cared more for his men than he did for himself. Since Paul's death, I have mentioned his name in conversations with three of his classmates. Significantly, each of them separately used the same words to describe Paul: "What a sweet man!"

Paul is survived by his wife Lonnie Ann; three daughters, Ann Lenore, Cordelia and Elizabeth; two grandsons, Paul and Skyler, and one granddaughter, Cristen.

- Paul D. Vanture '58 with thanks to Lonnie Ann Vanture, Ann Vanture, Elizabeth Vanture Cain, Cordeia Vanture Morgan, Richard Craig ‘49, Joe Laccetti ‘50 and Joe Buccolo ‘50

Herbert Patton Underwood

NO. 17666  •  8 February 1927 – 28 February 1987

Died 28 February 1987 in Sylacauga, Alabama, aged 60 years.
Inurnment: Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia


HERBERT PATTON UNDERWOOD was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on 8 February 1927, the son of the late Clarence Woody Underwood and Mrs. Tapley Lee (Patton) Klein. He was valedictorian of the Class of 1945 at Columbia Military Academy, Columbia, Tennessee, and was appointed to the United States Military Academy in June 1946. He was the first appointee from Franklin County, Alabama to graduate from West Point.

The October following graduation he married the former Florence Bernadette Swinyard of New York, New York (divorced in 1981). By the fall of 1955 he was the loving father of four.

Twenty‑one years were spent in the service of his country. He saw military action in Korea and Vietnam, and was the recipient of the Bronze Star in 1951 and 1968 and the Army Commendation Medal in 1951. His military assignments included tactical officer with the Officer Candidate School, Fort Benning, Georgia; both Infantry and Engineering School Basic Courses at Fort Benning and Fort Belvoir, Virginia; instructor at the Engineer School, Murnau, West Germany; company commander, 35th Engineer Battalion, Kitzingen, West Germany; Infantry Advanced Class, Fort Benning; the Infantry Board, Fort Benning; S4, Headquarters Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, Wurzburg, West Germany; executive officer and commanding officer, 15th Infantry Battalion, Kitzingen, West Germany; Research and Development, Infantry Weapons, Rock Island Arsenal, Illinois; professor of Military Science, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania; and his final assignment prior to retirement in 1971 with the Department of Research & Development at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama.

He became an authority on the M‑16 rifle. Initially involved with the original testing of this weapon during his tour of duty with the Infantry Board in 1958, later assignments saw him involved with the writing of contracts awarded for its manufacture. He was twice sent on temporary duty to Vietnam to follow up on its performance in battle.

Following retirement, he pursued a hobby that intrigued him all his life, the building and flying of radio controlled model airplanes. Always a perfectionist, his handmade airplanes were works of art which he proudly displayed and competed with in meets all over the country.

In the later years of his life, his interests in combating illiteracy led him to the Reading Reform Foundation. He intended to work with the underprivileged and the penal systems. However, he chose to begin his efforts closer to home. It gave him such satisfaction to work as a volunteer phonics instructor for his granddaughter Nicole's Summer Day Camp Program, and also for the Oregon, Ohio, Summer School Remedial Reading Program. Once the school year began, he also assisted the first grade teachers (in Nicole's school) in their reading classes. Today Nicole is an above average reader, implementing the disciplines permanently instilled by her "Grandpa Woody.”

Diagnosed in December 1986 with terminal cancer, his battle was over just 3 short months later. He is inurned in the Columbarium at Arlington National Cemetery.

Surviving are his mother; two sons, Keith and Herbert, Jr.; two daughters, Diane and Karen; two grandsons, Kevin and Herbert III; and four granddaughters, Nicole, Michelle, Mallory and Amy.

From his eulogy delivered by his daughter Karen, "He will live in our hearts for infinity, as there will still be things our memories will keep; some things known to each other only."

John Ufner

No. 17796  •  18 Aug 1926 - 22 Oct 2004

Died in Stuart, FL
Interred in West Point Post Cemetery, West Point, NY


Throughout his life, John Ufner was well known, not only for his wit but also for his ability to make life long friends. All who knew him still miss him. But there is much more to say about John.

John was born in August 1926 in Lyndora, PA, a small town in western Pennsylvania. His family later moved to nearby Butler, PA, where John graduated from high school in 1944. When John was a high school sophomore, his father died. As a youth, John thought West Point was only something you read about or saw in the newsreels, and becoming a cadet was something remote and probably unobtainable. At the time of his father's passing, however, John’s high school English teacher gave him a book on West Point to encourage him to pursue the goal of becoming a cadet. He ultimately won an appointment as a result of competitive examinations.

After graduating from high school and before entering the Academy, John served as a private in the Army Reserves. Before entering the Academy in July 1946, John attended Millard's Preparatory School in Washington, DC. As his entry in the 1950 Howitzer attests, John made innumerable friends, was someone whom everyone knew, and ensured that there never was a dull moment when he was around.

The Military Academy afforded John a wide scope for his athletic abilities and interests. His major sports achievement was earning his numerals, monogram, and Major "N' as a member of the baseball team. In addition, he earned numerals for participating in football for three years. He also played on the Academy golf team in his First Class year and won the intramural championship.

As it was for so many of his classmates, John’s transition from First Classman to combat leader was swift and unexpected. In August 1950, John arrived in Korea as an infantry platoon leader with the 21st Infantry Regiment of the 24th Division. For his outstanding valor in combat, John was awarded the Silver Star and the Bronze Star. After his Korean War tour, he was assigned as aide de camp to the commanding general of the Third Armored Division. He served as aide de camp for one year in Tokyo and in a similar capacity at Ft. Knox, KY; Camp Rucker, AL; and Ft. Benning, GA.

In 1954, John married the beautiful Marilyn DeMotte in Indianapolis, IN. Together they became the proud parents of two daughters: Annette in 1954 and Elizabeth in 1958. The pattern of a strong and loving family was established early.

John's last military assignment was as assistant G 1 for the 3rd Division. Afterwards, in 1955, he resigned as a captain. He then joined the Superior Steel Corporation in Carnegie, PA, before accepting a position with the Republic Steel Corporation in Detroit, MI, as assistant district sales manager and then district sales manager there. These responsibilities were followed by successive positions as district sales manager in Pittsburgh, PA, and in Cleveland, OH, finally attaining the status of general manager of sales. His sales career finally ended when he became vice president, still with Republic Steel, in charge of the Manufacturing Group. In 1984, he retired from this position, a happy man with both daughters married and on their way to success. At this time, he formed John Ufner and Associates, a consulting group. He then retired again, moving to Coral Gables, FL, where he continued to play golf, his favorite sport.

Those who knew John well remember the personal details of his life: that he liked instant coffee, that neither he nor Marilyn smoked, and that he did some photography and gardening besides playing golf. They also remember his golf handicap was an impressive five. During retirement, traveling was a major activity for the Ufners. Clearly, he enjoyed both his professional and personal life and had a deep love for his family. For a time during retirement, when John found life somewhat boring, he got his broker's license and became associated with Prudential Bache and then Paine Webber, before finally retiring for good in Stuart, FL.

On 22 Oct 2004, John died on the golf course, apparently of a heart attack, doing what he always enjoyed. He left behind his beloved wife Marilyn, and, in his own words, two wonderful daughters and five superb grandchildren.

John declared that the Academy was the most influential part of his life because it instilled in him honor and integrity. When he learned that he had received his appointment, he did not realize then that West Point would forever shape his life. He also believed West Point was a significant factor in helping him to form the close and lasting personal relationships that he did.

The esteem and respect in which John was held were evident at his funeral at West Point. In addition to his immediate family, some of his closest friends from near and far were in attendance. The funeral ceremony was as expected for one of ours. Prayers, three rifle volleys, Taps, and presentation of the American flag to Marilyn took place, after which we walked silently away. It was over, but John, a loyal son of West Point and true friend to many, will be long remembered.

-- Family, friends, and classmates

John Hunt Truesdale

NO. 17809  •  

Died 28 January 1967 in a bus accident near Reno, Nevada, aged 40 years.
Interment:  Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia.


MY SON, JOHN TRUESDALE, and his beloved wife, Glory Dischert Truesdale, were killed in a bus accident with several others on 28 January 1967 while on a skiing holiday. He had returned from duty in Vietnam in November 1966 and was stationed at Fort Ord, California, at the time of his death.

A memorial service was held at Fort Ord and at Arlington National Cemetery where he and his wife were interred.

No greater tribute could be paid to John's memory than the thoughts expressed by his friend and fellow officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rex Beasley, in the words quoted below.

"John was thoroughly devoted to the highest ideals of his profession. Infantryman, paratrooper, special forces officer; these military speciaties which he held place him in the elite vanguard of those who serve in the defense of our country. His service in Vietnam in 1966 with the Special Forces (Green Beret) included duty in such now famous outposts as Khe Sanh and An Khe, for which service in action he received the Bronze Star Medal."

John's compassionate and unselfish interest in his fellow man constituted the primary motivating element in his life. Unbounded enthusiasm, a wonderful zestiness and spontaneity, charged the atmosphere of John's activities both at work and at play. John's versatility and natural leadership made him welcome in any endeavor. Whether on the drill field or the tennis court, his desire to express perfection gained and merited our admiration.

Another fundamental and significant aspect of John's experience was his devotion to his religion. A practicing Christian Scientist, he served his church wherever he was assigned. Appointed by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, to serve as a Christian Science Representative in the Armed Services, John gave liberally of his off-‑duty hours in this important work. Counseling servicemen of his faith, assisting with denominational services where these were authorized, and giving prayerful assistance to those requesting it, John carried the banner of our Christian ethic no less effectively than he carried the shield and weapons of our country's defense. During a period of two years in Seoul, Korea, he made a significant contribution to the establishment and growth of a new church in that city, thus expanding the availability of Christianity in that important nation.

John's exuberance and conscious optimism are a continuing inspiration to those who knew him and served with him. His faith that right will prevail, his devotion to country and mankind, and his example of joyful perseverance are permanent contributions to the legacy of "The Long Gray Line."

John was one of those rare persons whose warmth, enthusiasm, and genuine interest in all good things made him a wonderful guy just to have around. Your interests were his interests; he was a thoroughly comfortable friend. He epitomized the words of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, wherein she writes: “To live and let live, without clamor for distinction of recognition; to wait on divine Love; to write truth first on the tablet of one's own heart ‑ this is the sanity and perfection of living, and my human ideal.”

John is survived by his father of Richmond, Virginia, two sisters and two brothers. Glory Truesdale is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George J. Dischert of Moorestown, New Jersey, and two brothers.

- Cavour L Truesdale

John Charles Trent

NO. 17938  •  11 October 1926 - 15 November 1950

Killed in Korea, November 15, 1950, near Wonsan. Aged 24 years.

 

"We are landing at the Port of Wonsan tomorrow; it has not yet been secured. Please don't worry about me." These were the last words heard from big, wide-smiling, gentle John Trent who met his death near Wonsan, November 15, 1950.

John, or Jack, as he was known to his family and friends in Memphis, was born on October 11, 1926 to Walter and Eleanor Trent. His parents still live in the house on Walker Avenue where he was born - a house filled with memories of his happy boyhood. The youngest of five children, John was born into a family, close-knit in love for one another, and one in which traditions, especially as to holidays and birthdays, are carried on from year to year - family gatherings at Thanksgiving and Christmas, trips to the country at Easter and on the Fourth of July, picnics in the summertime and circuses in the fall.

In his junior high school years, John became interested in sports, entering every one that was offered in the school. His capacity for leadership was shown by his being elected president of the senior class, captain of the football team, and most popular boy in his class. The newspapers selected him as one of the most promising football players entering high school that year.

His interest and skill in athletics continued to develop during his high school days. As a senior, he was a member of the Student Council, and received many honors in athletics. Immediately after graduation, John attended Louisiana State University, finishing one year's work before he was called to the Air Force. After fifteen months In the Air Force, he entered West Point.

Whenever John was at home, there was a gathering of the boys from high school days, for a spaghetti supper. These friendships did not lessen with the years, and each time John returned, it became a standing joke to say, as the phone rang and rang, "Jack is home again!"

John's years at West Point and the few months after graduation, are beautifully described in the following tribute written by "HIS ROOMMATES":

"On that warm Summer day In 1946, a strapping young man came to us from a loving Tennessee family who had moulded him in the family traditions of love and honor. With those inbred ties of closeness and courage, he lived and died a true All-American. These words are most fitting to John C. Trent, our dearest friend, who left us on the Korean field of battle on 15 November 1950.

"Our initial acquaintance with John took place on a field similar to that from which he left us . . . a Beast Barracks tactics problem on the mock battle grounds that circumscribe our Alma Mater. Here for the first time we met the broad-shouldered, rugged individual who was to be our roommate for three years. John arrived at West Point and we immediately accepted the modest and unassuming typical "Rebel" for the friend that he was. Despite the many laurels and kudos that he earned for his prowess and accomplishments, he departed from us unchanged as the quiet fellow he had been from the start. We remember him for that cool steadiness and amiable personality that depicted a man who lived for the enjoyment of life itself.

"John never lost sight of his eternal goal to return home to his cherished family in Memphis and spend his days with Mom, Dad, his sisters, brother Bud, relatives and friends. The love and ties that are often absent within the American family of today were ever so present with the wonderful Trents. John's return from every leave aIways found him bubbling over with the joys of having been HOME. Naturally, too, there was always "THE" girl in John's life which meant that Memphis was the garden spot of the world for him.

"If John's family and home were his first love, then we must call football his second. In the ALL-American game, John fulfilled his every ambition as he led our Black Knights of the Hudson through the difficult 1949 campaign . . . undefeated and untied. In each of his three years on the gridiron he held one moment to be more cherished than the others . . . 1947 . . . A pass interception against Navy that resulted in a touchdown and a 21-0 victory FOR THE TEAM . . . 1948 . . . His last-second grab of a Galiffa pass that proved the margin of victory FOR THE TEAM against Pennsylvania In a bitterly fought 26-20 battle . . . 1949 . . . Leading THE TEAM in the huge bowl at Philadelphia In defeating our great rivals, the Midshipmen of Annapolis, 38-0, the soundest trouncing in the history of that long series. The shy, reserved pride of this ALL-­American John Trent was ever at its highest in receiving from friend and foe alike the simple accolade of recognition, 'Hi, Big John.' For this kind of man, it was more than enough. It was this kind of man they called 'ALL-American,' the best our beloved country had to offer.

"It was during his graduation leave that the desperate cry came to us from Korea. John came to us again to join the new Team which again was the best we had to offer. Big John was there with his brief words, with a pat on the back from those big fists to bolster spirits that sagged momentarily, just as he had done in every football game he'd fought . . . keeping an eye on the score and the yardage. He was there, his platoon sergeant tells us, on that black Korean night as he started to check his position and see his Team, to give the pat on the back and the brief words to those who were fighting fatigue and sleep In their foxholes as they waited for the enemy. The sergeant had wanted to make the rounds, but as was the way of this ALL-American, Big John insisted on personally visiting his weary Team himself. It was during this necessary check of the perimeter that John received those fatal wounds. He was reverently laid to rest among others from the Team at the Marine Cemetery in Wonsan, Korea.

"That Big John had not changed to the very end is related by his platoon sergeant. His conversation throughout those last days was filled with his true loves . . . his family, his home and friends, 'the' girl, and . . . Football.

"Thus it was that we came to know and love and lose our ALL-American friend . . . Big John Trent."

In him seemed to dwell the promise of greatness the sort of personality that made people love, admire and respect him; he had within him a love of people, kindliness and a deep, abiding faith in God. He has left a heritage of which he, his family and his friends may be justly proud.

Why he was chosen to die is not understandable, but perhaps he and thousands of others have died so that the generations to come shall be able to walk without fear, to live and worship as they please, and to hold their heads high, as free men should.

His Junior High graduation Speech is a strangely prophetic one, entitled "I Am An American," and ends fittingly:

"I become a link in an unending, unbroken chain, welded together by the Spirit of Freedom, and shining with an undying purpose that will keep forever the principles of Democracy supreme in a turmoiled world."

- Louise Trent Ferguson

William S. Todd, Jr.

NO. 17797  •  9 Dec 1924 - 8 Feb 1955

Died near Frederick, MD
Interred in West Point Post Cemetery, West Point, NY


William Simmons Todd Jr., was born in Ossining, NY, and grew up in White Plains with his parents, William Simmons and Catherine Adams Todd; sisters Carol, Della, and Katy; and younger brother, Western. "Bill" was an Eagle Scout in Troop 17 in White Plains and, in September 1942, began his studies at Washington & Lee University. In February 1943, shortly after his 18th birthday, he joined the Army.

It took Bill three tries to get into West Point. On the first attempt, he came in second for a congressional appointment. Then, after spending eight months at the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, he again missed. He returned to duty with the Army Air Corps and served with the Thirteenth Air Force in the Pacific Theater, earning battle stars for the Luzon and Borneo campaigns. In October 1945, Bill received an Army nomination for the Academy and returned to the Preparatory School for another try, but a congressional appointment came through, and his Army appointment went to one of his fellow trainees.

Early in his cadet career, Bill's classmates, upperclassmen, and the Tactical Department realized he was a natural leader. His bearing, sharp appearance, and confident approach to getting things done resulted in his selection for high cadet leadership roles.

Bill was a "big brother" for younger classmates. His roommate for three years, Joe Griffin, was one of the many younger cadets who watched Bill meet the challenges of cadet life calmly and with humor. In fact, Joe feels he owes his graduation to Bill's positive influences and, in Bill's honor, named a son "Todd."

Bill was a solid student and stayed comfortably out of trouble. He was an excellent athlete, both on the corps squad lacrosse team all four years and in company intramural sports. A teammate said, "The team had confidence in him. He was a showman, yet he was a leader. He respected everyone and treated them as his equal."

During his First Class year, Bill was the second-ranking cadet, militarily, in the class and commanded the 2d Regiment of the Corps of Cadets. John "Jack' Murphy, Cadet First Captain and lacrosse teammate, adds: "Bill was a pleasure to work with. We never heard a negative word from him. He had a great sense of humor, a contagious laugh, and always good, open, helpful advice." William B. DeGraf, Bill's counterpart as commander of the 1st Regiment, comments: "He was a fine leader in the Corps and in athletics. He was universally liked and respected by his contemporaries and by the TACs."

Many of us tagged along with Bill on visits to his home in White Plains, where his family graciously hosted us. We remember his family as close-knit and fun-loving, with parents pestered, but undaunted, by two somewhat mischievous sons and three lovely daughters. His entire family spent many days at West Point during Bill's four-year stay.

Upon graduation, Bill was commissioned in the Air Force. He completed pilot training and, in 1951, joined the 126th Bombardment Wing, a National Guard unit activated to augment the air support for NATO during the tense Korean War years. Shortly after Bill's arrival, the Wing moved to Laon, France. With this unit, he flew the B26, a twin-engine, propeller driven, light bomber of WWII vintage.

Facilities available were primitive, but Bill kept his good humor and cheered his comrades. A fellow officer comments: "Living in a tent city was no picnic, but Bill always managed to lighten the load and our spirits by organizing athletic events and exciting trips. He volunteered for tough assignments like Korean TDY and ferrying aircraft to the States." Another classmate comments: "Bill was recognized as a fast burner. He was the quiet professional who did everything better than most people and, in leadership, was number one."

Along with Army classmates, Bill also "marched to the sound of the guns" by spending several months on temporary duty in Korea with the 17th Bombardment Wing flying combat missions, and was awarded the Air Medal.

As much as any cadet, Bill enjoyed the many weekend female visitors to West Point. Indeed, his good looks earned him more than his share of attention from them. He didn't find the right woman, however, until a few years after graduation. On 2 Jan 1954, CPT William Todd and Diana Burkett married in Miami Beach, FL. Their daughter, Daryln, was born just weeks before the accident that claimed Bill's life.

In 1955, while Bill was stationed at Hill Air Force Base near Ogden, UT, his unit was being re-equipped with the B-57 Canberra, a twin jet light bomber. On 8 Feb 1955, Bill was ferrying a brand new B-57 from the Glenn L. Martin factory in Baltimore, MD, to Tinker Air Force Base, OK. Only minutes after his takeoff from Baltimore, the plane crashed near Frederick, MD. Bill died instantly.

Bill's wife, Diana, now remarried, lives in Florida. Their daughter, Daryln Hoffstot, lives in Ligonier, PA, and has given Bill two grandchildren, Henry and Maeve. Daryln adds she would be happy to meet her father's old friends should they ever find themselves in western Pennsylvania.

Bill was a natural leader with an omnipresent positive attitude that turned the rigors of scholastic and military training programs into attainable challenges. Had he been spared that tragic accident, we know he would have achieved the great success we all expected. His family, classmates, friends, and colleagues remember him with affection and deep respect. William Simmons Todd, Jr., we salute you!

- His family and classmates

Henry Edward Tisdale, Jr

NO. 17362  •  

Died 14 September 1951 in Las Vegas, Nevada, aged 23 years. Interment: West Point Cemetery, West Point. New York.

 

IN THE SUMMER OF 1950, Henry Edward Tisdale. Jr. and I, newly commissioned second lieutenants in the United States Air Force, met as planned in Washington, D.C. Several weeks before, we had agreed to drive our brand new automobiles, in tandem, bound for San Antonio, Texas. to begin our careers in the Air Force. We were close friends, having spent four years together as classmates at La Salle Military Academy in Oakdale, New York, along with Henry's sibling, Patrick David Tisdale. From there. the three of us went on together to West Point, graduating in the USMA Class of 1950.

The family was an extraordinary one. The father, Colonel Henry E. Tisdale. Sr., as an artillery officer who designed firing systems, conducted the first airborne military operation, built the defense system for the Panama Canal, and facilitated the initial development of the Women's Army Corps in World War II. Young Henry’s older brothers Paul and Pierre (USMA 1944) were his role models: and he also valued the companionship of his younger brother Pat at West Point, especially during plebe year. A sister Julie, at IBM, and another younger brother John, an electronics engineer, completed the remarkably gifted progeny.

The strong family influence produced in Henry an intellect which was multifaceted. A voracious reader, a star‑man every year at La Salle and at West Point, Henry was a happy, exuberant young man and a dedicated American patriot as well. He saw his mission in life to be that of a superior military role model, and he did strive continually toward that goal. His father’s success and his brothers' influence had much to do with Henry’s need to excel, but with all of that, his sense of humor and his gentility were always with him. At graduation ceremonies in 1950, Henry ranked sixteenth in a class of 670.

Now, I think back forty years ago to our drive to San Antonio, where our service in the Air Force was to begin. I had a brand new white Chevrolet ‑ a graduation gift bought at the A&C dealer in Highland Falls ‑ and Henry's car was a gun‑metal grey Nash, the right front seat of which turned down to form a bed. Whenever we decided to stop for the night, I chose a motel, and Henry slept in the Nash. He was probably just as comfortable in his car bed as I was in the motel, and the price didn't bother him either! During the day, we'd stock up on fruit, cookies and milk for the day's journey, and we'd have a decent meal when evening arrived. We drove southwestward furiously, taking turns in the lead, and we had a few close calls along the route. We’d settled on some signals: when to slow down. when to hit the brakes, traffic up ahead. etc. I'll never forget one particular heartthumper: Henry was in the lead on an uphill two-­lane road, I was in the left lane trying to overtake a van. Suddenly, at the crest of the hill, I saw Henry's left arm signaling furiously as a sedan appeared over the hill, racing in my direction. To pass the van was impossible; to get behind it was unreachable. My only chance was to veer to the left and go off the road, hoping the shoulder would hold. Fortunately, as the sedan passed, I quickly turned the wheel back to reach the right lane. At the top of the hill, Henry had pulled over to wait for me. It might have been a disaster, so we vowed never to take such a chance again. We did finally reach San Antonio safe and sound, only to learn that we were to be assigned to different air bases in Texas. After eight years as classmates and friends, we were separated.

Henry remained in San Antonio that year and married Sylvia Tower, daughter of Colonel Milton Tower, U.S. Army. Their son, Stephan Austin Tisdale, was born in 1951.

In September of that year, during a course at the Air Command and Staff School in Montgomery, Alabama, I was called out of class to the telephone. A disaster had occurred. Lieutenant Henry E. Tisdale, Jr. was killed in an air accident over Las Vegas, Nevada on 14 September 1951. Henry was a star man, a superior classmate, a fine, gentle man, and a friend forever.

Francis E. Thompson

NO. 17558  •  17 Mar 1929 - 6 Jul 2007

Died in Charleston, SC
Interred in Beaufort National Cemetery, Beaufort, SC


Francis Eugene Tompson was born on St. Patrick's Day 1929 in the small central North Carolina town of Salisbury. From an early age, Frank was interested in aviation and built flyable model airplanes out of balsa wood. He joined the local Civil Air Patrol unit while still in high school and solo-piloted a J-3 Piper Cub at the age of 16. Frank completed 12 years of school in ten, but graduated with honors. He attended North Carolina State in Raleigh for one year, where he was appointed first sergeant in ROTC as a freshman.

Academics came easy to Frank at West Point, He had used some of the same text books at NC State, and he was typically in the upper sections. Physically, the Academy was somewhat more difficult. He participated in intramurals. As a cow, he also participated in the annual Goat-Engineer Football Game on Thanksgiving Day as an Engineer. The Goats won the game, but Army did beat Navy the next Saturday. Indeed, Frank never saw Army lose to Navy during his four years.

The Air Force became a separate service on 18 Sep 1947, and, at graduation, Frank chose to enter the Air Force as a pilot trainee. This choice brought laughs from his classmates, since Frank had become air sick on every flight during his summers as a cadet!

During Cow summer, Frank met a student nurse named Frances Coley back home in North Carolina, and, although she was at West Point for his graduation, she would not marry him until he was half-way through basic pilot training at Perrin AFB, TX. He would drive the 2500-mile round trip from Sherman to Concord, NC, on weekends just to date her until she agreed to marry him on 24 Nov 1950 in Salisbury. Ironically, since leave was not allowed for student pilots, the morning report for Perrin AFB on 24 November showed him present for duty in Salisbury, since the Air Force gave him time off without leave! In addition to flying aging T-6 aircraft at Perrin, he flew T-6s, brand new T-28s, and war-weary B-25s at Reese AFB, Lubbock, TX, prior to earning his wings on 4 Aug 1951. Frank rapidly earned his senior pilot wings in August 1958. (He would rapidly advance to command pilot in 1966.)

Frank and Frances were assigned to Great Falls AFB in Montana. There, he flew C-54s to Alaska, and she worked at a Catholic hospital. Frank mused to his mother. "The back of my airplane smells just like the back of Daddy's old trucksÑonly I'm flying fruit and produce to Alaska, not driving it!" The tour in Montana was short, however, and he was assigned to fly C-47s in Korea, where the war had broken out in June 1950. In Korea, C-47s were used to drop propaganda leaflets on the enemy, carry agents up north to parachute out and infiltrate back into the south, and hover over enemy lines broadcasting surrender enticements from a speaker. During his five-month, 76-mission tour, he earned the Distinguished Frying Cross and several Air Medals.

Returning stateside in June 1952, Frank rejoined his wife at Brookley AFB, Mobile, AL, where they spent some wonderful years. Serving in an air evacuation unit, flying C-47s, they covered all of the Southeast, from New Orleans to St. Louis to Washington to Miami, moving sick, wounded, and other military patients. The small unit had plenty of camaradarie. Years later, in 1981, Frank established a series of squadron reunions that lasted for years until too many of the old group had passed on. While at Brookley, Frank learned to be the squadron adjutant and personnel officer, attending the Squadron Officers Course at Maxwell AFB, AL. He turned down an of-fer to become an instructor there in order to transfer to Kelly AFB, TX, to be aide to MG James Stowell '24, Commander, Continental Division, MATS. At nearby Lackland AFB, their daughter Terri Lynn was born in November 1953. After MG Stowell retired in 1954, Frank flew C-54s with the 1700th Air Transport Group until he transferred to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to earn his MS in aeronautical engineering. In Ann Arbor, their son Stuart Nelson was born in January 1957. One rebel and one Yankee, though both would graduate from high school in Fairborn, OH.

Frank then went to the AF Missile Test Center at Patrick AFB, FL, where for four very interesting and fun-filled years he helped prepare the Atlantic Missile Range for missile tests launched from Cape Canaveral. He averaged over 40 flying hours a month despite filling a demanding desk job. From Florida, he transferred to Seattle, WA, for training with the Boeing Company, followed by a tour at the Space Systems Division of the AF in Los Angeles, furnishing refurbished Atlas missiles for the Mercury and other programs. He also worked on the Titan and Gemini programs before being transferred to Charleston AFB, SC, where he flew C-141 jet transports, primarily to Viet Nam.

A short 13-month tour on Midway Island in command of the Airlift Command Post for MAC followed. Then, Frank returned to Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, where he was the MAC liaison to the C-5A Program Office. With a rare PCA without PCS, he moved into the Aeronautical Systems Division as chief of reliability, maintainability, systems safety and quality control for all aircraft programs, such as the F-15, B-l, A-10, and F-16. He retired to Charleston, SC, in June 1976.

In retirement, Frank became very involved in community affairs and accepted a position with the University of Southern California as a teacher of graduate systems management courses on military bases around the world. Since both of his children had graduated from college (daughter Terri from Florida State University and son Stuart with the USMA Class of '78), Frances accompanied him on his many tours. From Europe to Japan, Guam, and Hawaii, as well as all over the United States, he passed on important lessons from his lifetime experiences to young military officers of all the services. When USC dropped this program in 1990, Frank earned a master's degree in history at local schools and taught history and aeronautical subjects for Limestone College and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in the Charleston area.

- JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 TAPS 41

Grace Gay Thomas, Jr

NO. 17648  •  3 July 1928 - 14 September 1994

Died in Bradenton, FL. Interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.


"G.G.,"as he was known by his classmates and friends, was born in Monroe, LA, the oldest of the 3 children of Grace Gay and Gene Thomas.

In 1935, the family moved to the Panama Canal Zone, where his father worked on the Gatun Locks.

Even at this early age, G.G. assumed responsibility. He watched over and ran interference for his younger brother.

G.G. did extremely well at Cristobal High School, graduating as valedictorian, best athIete, and a member of the Honor Society.

As a cadet, he continued his outstanding work. Those who knew him best describe him as fun-loving with a good sense of humor. This didn't stop him, however, from doing well both academically, in which he vied for first in the class in Spanish, and in leadership, in which he excelled. He was selected to be a lieutenant during First Class year. While a cadet, he met and dated Shirley Schroers. On 28 Oct 1950, they married at St. Joseph, MO. The marriage lasted a lifetime and resulted in two children - Wesley, an architect; and Temple, married to an Army officer - plus 4 beloved grandchildren.

Parachute School was next, followed by assignment to the 505th Airborne Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, Ft. Bragg, Eighteen years later, he commanded a battalion of the same regiment in Vietnam. Leaving Ft. Bragg, he was assigned to the 187th Airborne RCT in Japan and Korea. There, he received his first Combat Infantryman Badge. His commanding officer, later Army Chief of Staff, remembered that G.G.'s work was of such high quality that he was selected as an aide-de-camp.

Returning to the United States, he was assigned to the Infantry School followed by a tour with the 3d Infantry Regiment at Ft. Myer as Commander of the Honor Guard Company. Subsequently, he had two Pentagon tours, was advisor in Ethiopia, commanded 3 battalions and was G-4 in the 82d Airborne Division, commanded the 8th Division Spt Command in Europe, and was G-3 of XVIII Airborne Corps. He was Chief of War Plans at FORSCOM and then returned to Ft. Bragg, where his career began, to be President of the Airborne Board. He was a graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the War College and received a Master of Science from the University of Alabama.

G.G. was one of the most decorated members of his class, receiving two Combat Infantryman Badges, 4 awards of the Legion of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross, 3 Bronze Stars, a Meritorious Service Medal, 7 Air Medals, a Joint Service Commendation Medal, and 7 Army Commendation Medals.

A mere recitation of his assignments and decorations doesn't describe G.G.'s character. One general officer put it this way, "G.G. combined a unique directness with an equally unique dedication and earnestness to do what he believed was right for the Army. And he never let anything, such as rank, interfere with those motives."

In a briefing for this officer, he began, "General, it is very important that you understand this, so I'll keep it as simple as possible."

Another general described him by saying, "G.G.Thomas was one of the most outstanding officers, regardless of rank, that I have known. G.G. was a real professional in every respect and a great human being. The Army is better today because of G.G. Thomas."

G.G.’s commander in Vietnam stated, "When my helicopter went down in enemy territory, G.G. was at my side in minutes to take me to safety. He was always there when you needed him and without asking."

Following retirement, Shirley and G.G. moved to Bradenton, FL, where they became pillars of the community. G.G. spent 14 years at the top level in the banking business. A young banker said, "it is easy to climb the corporate ladder with people like Mr. Thomas pushing you to the top."

He was a director of the Kiwanis Club, a member of the Vestry and Senior Warden of the Episcopal Church, and treasurer of the Bradenton Country Club. These later years provided time for GG to enjoy his love of golfing, fishing, and family.

How do I sum up G.G.’S life? I might point out that he always opted for the right way, not the easy way. He was also compassionate. When the North Koreans released the American POWs, G.G. met his classmates as they returned. On impulse, he gave his original Combat Infantryman Badge to one of them.

He was incapable of telling even a half-truth. To G.G., there was no shade of gray when it came to integrity. It was either 100 percent accurate and true, or it was a damn lie.

He was loyal and caring to his family and friends. He genuinely loved people from all walks of life, and they loved him in return.

At his memorial service, the Priest said, "West Point forged a man of integrity and character, and our nation has been blessed by one to whom 'Duty, Honor, Country' were more than words, but a guiding light to live by.”

- Family and friends

Ernest C. Thomas

No. 17465  •  7 Feb 1927 – 27 Dec 1983

Died in Fort Walton Beach, FL
Interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA


Ernest Collins Thomas grew up in Leavenworth, KS, and entered West Point through the United States Military Academy Preparatory School. If anyone ever made the demands of the Academy look easy, Ernie was that person. Eternally optimistic, handsome, bright, and charismatic to boot, he could not help but impress his fellow cadets and the faculty and charm the ladies. His social skills were borne out by his selection as company hop representative for four years, culminating in his elevation to chairman of the Corps Hop Committee in his first class year. Ernie was a gifted athlete in all pursuits save swimming. In this endeavor, Ernie, a product of the Great Plains, demonstrated a marked talent for sinking to the bottom of the pool. This was so even during his senior year, after four years of remedial swimming instruction.

As a new plebe, Ernie promptly recognized all of the benefits of dining at ease on steak at a Corps Squad training table. He tried out for football, qualified as a quarterback, won his numerals, and enjoyed his meals. Ernie could sing, a talent he amply demonstrated in the mandatory tryouts for the Chapel Choir. His Vaughan Monroe like crooning gained him immediate acceptance to his second "Corps Squad team.' Ernie breezed through the academic program; indeed, he was unfazed even when Russian was thrust on him as his foreign language study "of choice."

Where Ernie really excelled, however, was in any and all matters pertaining to leadership. Every rating he received remarked that he was destined for a position of high prestige and responsibility in the cadet chain of command as a First Classman. This was so until his "cow' year, when, during an exchange trip at the Naval Academy, his freespirited sense of adventure took over and he joined his midshipmen roommates in going "over the wall" after Taps. He was caught and "slugged" for his offense. Consequently, he had to settle for the rank of cadet lieutenant and battalion adjutant. He took this setback in his typically good spirit. As a parting gesture, Ernie's classmates elected him class treasurer. Despite his cool demeanor, Ernie could be deadly serious when it was called for, especially when embracing and championing West Points ideals. Upon graduation, he entered the Air Force, eager to apply all that he had learned at his alma mater in a career that promised high adventure and the opportunity to serve his country.

Ernie's Air Force career followed two separate paths; the early path focused on flying, the other on research and development. After receiving his pilot wings at Enid AFB, OK, he reported for B 29 combat training at Randolph AFB, TX, and Lake Charles AFB, LA, followed by assignment to the 19th Bombardment Group on Okinawa during the Korean War. Flying assignments in California and Texas were next, prior to transition training in the B 47 Stratojet then the Air Force's primary jet bomber and eventual B 47 duty with Strategic Air Command at Mountain Home AFB, ID.
The shift to the second phase of his career was by triggered by attendance at the University of Washington, where he earned a master's degree in Aerospace Science in 1960. This degree led to a most welcome assignment as an instructor in the Ordnance Department at West Point during 1960 63. In 1964 Ernie' s life and career path then shifted further with his marriage to Judy, and multiple assignments that focused on research and development in the Washington, DC area. These assignments centered on duty with the Air Force Systems Command. Ernie and Judy's prolonged stay in Washington provided welcome stability, in a city of vitality and interest, and put them in contact with old friends. In 1968, this bliss was interrupted for a year when Ernie served in Viet Nam at Headquarters, Seventh Air Force, Saigon, where he was engaged in establishing requirements for and evaluating weapons systems. To add zest to this work, the assignment was preceded by a stint at the jungle survival school in the Philippines.

In 1972, the Thomas family departed the Washington area for Patrick AFB, FL, where Ernie became involved in the B 1/cruise missile business. Still later, at Eglin AFB, FL, he returned to an earlier pursuit: development of conventional munitions. During this stay, Ernie and Judy acquired a beautiful waterfront home at Fort Walton Beach, where they enjoyed the varied Gulf Coast activities, and Judy opened a successful real estate business. In 1979, upon his retirement as a colonel, Ernie accepted a position with a small firm engaged in consulting and representing several area companies.
Unfortunately, this idyllic retirement life was cut short for Judy and Ernie when he became ill and passed away in 1983. Ernie is missed, not only by his wife but also by his many friends and classmates. We will always remember him with fondness and regret that he left us so soon.

-- Classmates

Kenneth Arnold Tackus

NO. 17837  •  20 September 1927 – 1 December 1950

Killed in Action, December 1, 1950 North Korea, aged 23 Years.

 

KENNETH ARNOLD TACKUS  was born on the twentieth day of September 1927 in West Hartford, Connecticut. Throughout Ken's boyhood days, he manifested two desires. One was to graduate from West Point and the other was to be of service to his country. These two aims guided his every step throughout his early life. He patterned his living and education to these ends. He was always able to see the right path to take, not only for himself, but also for any who wished to follow him. Ken was always large for his age. This worked both to his advantage and to his disadvantage. Many times he was called upon to do tasks that were much beyond his years or his experience. He always responded and did the job to the best of his ability.

By the fact that he was called upon to do these things, he gained in consideration of others. Sometimes Ken was too considerate and did not seek aid from his friends when he should have done so.

Ken's prep school days were spent at Fishburne Military School in Virginia. There he prepared himself for entrance into the United States Military Academy. He was active in all phases of society there. He was very good in athletics, he worked on the school paper, and was always on the Honor Roll for academic achievement. He could play as hard as he could work and was the life of any party.

Ken entered the United States Military Academy on the first day of July 1946. The Academy served to solidify all of his beliefs and his thoughts on a way of life. Here Ken became a man. He consolidated his past training and learning with special emphasis to honor, duty and religion. While at West Point, Ken met his wife, Dorothy Dunn. They were married at the Catholic Chapel at West Point on the seventh day of June 1950.

Unfortunately, Ken and Dotty were soon parted by his call... duty in Korea. Ken joined the 57th Field Artillery Battalion in the 7th Division. He participated in the landing at Inchon and the subsequent fight­Ing in the Chiang-Jin Reservoir area, where he was listed missing in action.

In the closing chapter of Ken's life, there is one thing that all may remember and learn well from him. That is that Ken is one who loved his fellow man. Ken walks amongst us yet, for there is a little bit of Ken in all of those who knew him and loved him. Every time we laugh or see a beautiful sunset we are doing it with Ken as he enjoyed laughter and loved beauty.

- V. R. G.

Harold W. Strickland

NO. 17448  •  20 Jul 1926 - 16 Apr 2000

Died in Paulden, AZ
Interred: West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY


Harold Wade Strickland was born in Memphis, TN, to Carlisle and Eunice Strickland. He was a seri­ous student and always loved flying. "Hal" received his pilot's license when he was just 12 years old.

During high school, he joined the ROTC at Cen­tral High in Memphis and concurrently wrote to his congressman requesting an appointment to the Acad­emy. Since there had been no prior contact, the con­gressman merely set up the procedure whereby Hal could take the civil service examination in competi­tion for an appointment. Many months passed with no results, so he applied to the Army Air Corps for service in 'WWII. Seven days before his induction, his congressman informed him that he was to be an alter­nate appointee to West Point. Hal was inducted into the Army Air Corps but was sent to Amherst College in Massachusetts for entrance exam preparations rather than flight school. Hal passed all the entrance exami­nations but nevertheless had to wait an additional year to obtain the principal appointment.

Before receiving that second appointment, he spent seven enjoyable months as a control tower operator at Westover Field, MA. He returned to Amherst College for further preparatory study and for officer's candi­date courses at the Infantry School at Ft. Berming. His discharge was granted in June 1946 and, one month later, Hal finally arrived at the Academy.

He cherished his days as a cadet. Out of 671 in the class, he graduated number 102 academically and held the rank of cadet captain, the highest rank obtainable. His last year was particularly enjoyable as he was com­pany commander, a position that afforded more lead­ership opportunities.

After graduation, Hal began pilot training in T-6s at Connally AFB in Waco, TX. Over Christmas leave, he drove back to Larchmont, NY, and married Sally Pearse, whom he had met briefly on Easter weekend at the Academy. They spent their honeymoon travel­ing back to Waco via New Orleans. Hal soon was sent to Craig AFB in Selma, AL, where he received his wings and flew the F-51 Mustang, his other love. Together, Hal and Sally journeyed to Luke AFB, where Hal re­ceived gunnery training near Phoenix, AZ. Sally later returned to the East Coast to await the arrival of their first child as Hal prepared to serve with the Fifth Air Force at Kimpo Field in Korea. There, he earned the Distin­guished Flying Cross and two Air Med­als. After completing the required 100 missions, he rotated back to the States to serve with the Air Defense Command at Niagara Falls, NY At first, they only had F-47s, which was a slight disap­pointment, but then they received the F-86 Saber jet and all was well. Hal was appointed Flight Commander and spent hours concentrating on making his flight the best all-weather interceptor flight in the Air Force.

Another son and a daughter were born while the Strickland family lived in Niagara Falls. It seemed pru­dent at the time to resign from the Air Force, and he did so in 1957. The family moved to California and Hal was hired to work on the Navaho Missile System for North American Aviation. One month later, the Na­vajo project was scrapped and so was the job. A week later, Honeywell hired Hal to work in their engineer­ing department and another son was born. He worked there for 12 years and was promoted to Western Re­gional Manager. He also found time to earn his master's degree in engineering at the University of California - ­Los Angeles and flew for the Air National Guard out of Ontario, CA. His next step up the corporate ladder required a move to Minnesota but Hal declined.

It was time to start his own business. In 1998 , Hal decided to retire and move with Sally to a 60-acre ranch in Arizona, near Prescott. Oh, how he loved working on the ranch and being outdoors! One morn­ing, two years later, he complained of being tired. That evening, he passed away quietly, without pain or dis­comfort. His 50th reunion at West Point was a month away and he eagerly had been looking forward to see­ing his buddies and sharing good times again. His chil­dren came from all parts of the world to be with Sally and remember their dear dad. Hal was interred at his beloved West Point with full military honors.

- Lovingly submitted by Sally P Strickland

Harry Raymond Steffensen

NO. 17852  •  

Died 19 September 1981 in Vienna, Virginia, aged 57 years. Interment: Fort Myer, Virginia.

 

OVER 30 YEARS have passed since my USMA roommate, Harry Steffensen, asked me to write his biographical sketch for the Howitzer. By rights, that job should have fallen to the third who shared that room tucked away in a cozy corner of South Area over Grant Hall. Howie Mitchell, after all, had been Harry's roommate throughout the entire four  years of our cadetship. I joined them at the beginning of yearling academic year. I got the job, then, based not on closer familiarity and friendship but more probably because of my only academic distinction: I could write passing English themes with the same ease that I regularly blew recitations in math, acknowledged by my roommates in the following traditional skit performed often for my benefit:

Mitch: "How many math sections are there, Steff?"

Steff: "I dunno, Mitch. Wait, I'll find out.... What section you in Pablo?

Such ragging was utterly devoid of malice: Harry hadn't a mean bone in his body. It was his subtle, mirthful way of telling his goatie roommate, "We'd hate to lose you ‑ get cracking on your homework." There's no law against being compassionate and funny at the same time, and the Moose (as he was affectionately known) was both.

Howie Mitchell cannot remember how Harry earned his nickname and neither can I, although I have two theories. The first is that when enraged at The Systern and some of the personalities within it, as he frequently was during those four years, you could hear him bellowing defiance like a wounded bull moose throughout the division of barracks. The other, and more likely, is that his sighs and groans were akin to those of a lovesick moose ‑ and the truth was that our Moose was hopelessly smitten from plebe year on and so remained forever.

At first glance, they seemed ill‑met by moonlight, this soft‑spoken, demure girl from the urban East and the exuberant young man raised on a midwestern farm. But Harry would have revered his alma mater if for no other reason than it bridged the distance between Lynn, Massachusetts and Forest City, Iowa and brought him Lois. They were married 2 July 1950 and lived happily ever after.

Harry's good fortune continued with the birth of three children: Janet (now Mrs. James Johnson), Carol (now Mrs. David Huff), and Jim, and culminated in the birth in 1981 of his first grandchild - a son Eric, born to Janet. Eric now has a sister Laura, born in June 1983; Carol and Dave produced another granddaughter, Julie, in July 1985. They are as eloquent a testament to the value of Harry's life as any man could wish, but there is more.

In his professional career, Harry established an enviable record of service to his fellow citizens, both in uniform and out. By the time he elected early retirement, he was an Air Force command pilot who had served his country nobly and well through two wars, Korea and Vietnam, in a series of important command and staff positions. Somehow during those 23 years, he managed to earn two more degrees ‑ a Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Oklahoma and a Master's Degree in Business Administration at the University of Connecticut. The latter was put to good use when he gave up the warrior's role for that of public servant in one of this country's most populous and affluent counties. At the time of his death, Harry was serving Fairfax County as its assistant director of finance.

Harry possessed all of the virtues customarily associated with a boyhood spent on the farm. He was direct, honest, hardworking, and as comfortable to be with as an old pair of shoes. One could, as we did because our career paths diverged, lose contact for years at a time, and pick up on the same warm familiar chord when paths crossed again as if hardly a day had passed. These traits, coupled with his staunch loyalty to his friends, made him one of the most popular members of the Class of 1950 in the Washington area where, incidentally, he was one of the "sparkplugs" behind the monthly class luncheons.

Except for a lack of both height and heft, Harry might well have become one of the class's most noted athletes. Among us runts, at any rate, he was admired for his fierce competitiveness and physical coordination. He had the momentum, but not the mass, to become a star forward on the West Point hockey team, settling instead for a manager's slot just to be near the game he particularly enjoyed ‑ and pitching his company to an “intramurder" softball championship along the way to help vent some of the frustration.

Not surprisingly, Harry remained an active sports buff for the rest of his life. It somehow seems appropriate, then, that the end came on a particularly lovely Indian Summer's day in Northern Virginia ‑ on a golf course. Among the friends and classmates who thronged his wake a few nights later, one was heard exclaiming softly, "What a beautiful way to go!"  Scant solace for the heavy loss we were suffering together, but understood and appreciated nonetheless.

In addition to Lois and the children, Harry is survived by his father, Mr. Harry N. Steffensen, and his sister, Mrs. Helen Wooge. From the privileged intimacy of our cadet days, I can attest to Harry's special respect and love for them both and, on behalf of the class, thank all of them for their unique influences that helped shape the qualities of character of the man and so the more endeared him to the rest of us. The pleasure of his company is sorely missed.

Henry Donald Spielman

NO. 17616  •  

Died 11 September 1975 in New York, New York, aged 47 years
Interment: Knollwood Cemetery, New York, New York


When HANK SPIELMAN returned to West Point for his 25th Reunion in May of 1975, he must have known that he was saying fare­well to his classmates in the Class of 1950. Even then, the cruel malignancy was starting to take its toll on that charismatic person­ality that became so personally involved with West Point.

On the 11th of September of 1975, Henry David Spielman was laid to rest in Knoll­wood Cemetery in his beloved New York City. The sole son of David and Sadye Spielman, he was survived by his mother and sister Audrey, of Falls Church, Virginia.

Hank's life was a paradox. As a cadet, a soldier, and as a businessman, he had to learn to cope with adversity. But he always developed the knack to succeed. He liked to boast that he was first man in his class in French, the last man in Military Topography and Graphics; that he was an All-State basket­ball player and yet had difficulty with the plebe obstacle course. Although he suffered through an unbelievably hard plebe year, he developed an affection and camaraderie for his company mates that was to be his hallmark for twenty-five years.

His home in New York became a hospitality suite to any cadet or graduate. His mother affectionately regaled in her role of "cadet hostess of Manhattan." He served the Army well for three  years after graduation. When the Korean War broke out in 1950, Hank was transferred from Fort Custer, Michigan, to an anti-aircraft artillery battalion in Germany. Having "missed  the war”, family business interests enticed him out of the Army. In 1957 he assumed the presidency of Spielman Chevrolet and Transportation Incorporated, businesses he expanded and consolidated until his untimely death.

Few soldiers or graduates have ever nurtured a deeper love of West Point. Nothing gave him more pride or pleasure than to escort a friend around his alma mater, or to host a young cadet in his New York apartment, or to sponsor an aspiring candidate in his endeavor to become a cadet. His apartment was tastefully decorated with the pic­tures and memorabilia of his cadet days. A visitor might even perceive that Hank Spielman should have never left the Army, let alone West Point.

He gave of his money, time, and talent to many charitable  organizations. But in his characteristic style, he had to play a leading role in his favorite, the  organization to build a new Jewish Chapel at West Point.

Hank ran his automobile business with the same philosophy that he practiced personally. The following principles were extracted from the organization pamphlet which Hank used to govern the conduct of his employees in their dealings with customers.

1. Smile - A smile is a trademark of a friendly person. Everyone likes to do business with a friendly person.

2. Do Small Favors - Big favors take time and are not expected. It is the little acts of courtesy which mean so much to all of us.

3. Know What You Are Talking About. Customers depend upon you for advice. If you don't know the correct answer, don't try to cover up. Admit you don't know and call someone who does. Thus, you will win the respect and confidence of those you serve.

4. Keep Promises – Confidence is the foundation  on which business and friendship are built. Promises should  not be made unless they can be kept. Broken promises  undermine confidence.

5. Be Tactful - Tact is the consideration for the feelings of others. Try to understand the personality of each. Handle customers with care. Embarrass no one. Make it easy for people to deal with you.

6. Say Thank You - No two words create more good will or bring people back more often than a friendly, courteous, thank you.

Perhaps Hank copied these principles out of some field manual at the Command and General Staff College. In any case, it re­flected his philosophy of life, be it in busi­ness, the Army, or his own relationships with his friends.