Newest class of West Point cadets ends 6 weeks of training

Here is a picture of my friend and squad-mate from Beast Barracks who drowned in a military completion. SFC William Farrell I am glad that you sponsored three Naval Academy Prep School students who are now midshipmen. Kudos to you and each of them.
SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL This is Reggie Johnson my friend from the 1970s.

LTC Stephen F. - So sad Sir. Such a promising young man. Who knows where he would have been had he had the chance to graduate and serve.

LTC Stephen F. -http://defender.west-point.org/service/eulogies.mhtml?u=633580

http://www.rejscholarship.com/

I remember at my new permanent party base (McGuire AFB). Which is what it was before the name change to Dix-McGuire a short time back.. a Amn had slipped off the laddder from the 3d floor during a fire drill.. he had got a foot caught in the ladder in the fall part way down and his neck got caught a little more down and snapped between the rings. They had a counseling for those in the squadron(he was well liked all over Base ) and the base who were touched .. I went to the memorial service shortly after at base chapel.
He was from the local area (15 mi. From base) A lot of his townsfolk were in attendance.. The reception held In the main base Gym. We took care of the reception with help from our Army Comrades from Fort Dix (their Food Service Officer had gone to college with our Food Service Officer and be’d been See
Visiting her occasionally. He’d gotten permission from his commanders to give us any assistance they could)
and from Our Officer and NCO Messes. It was the first inner-Service gesture I had seen Since I had first joined the Service. It was an adventure working with my Comrades from the Army.. We had a common mission and it was to help that Airman’s family and community celebrate their member’s passing.. Sime prob’ly were curious about the Airman’s community at home.. I’d seen it at a later date and it was a small Twp. A single medium sized church and parish school house and gym and auto service plaza and fire and Police DEPT. I can then understand why resources May have been limited.. I had read in a article in
Our base paper that he had played on base intramural teams.. and
Folks from his community would be in the audience cheering him as he made a basket or made a goal on the football field.. this Airman not only had his circle of fans on base at the games but from his community also.. The parish school was small so I surmised he went to a larger school in township
after the parish school. We had stopped at the service plaza on the way back to base mainly to use the rest room facilities. It was a long ride back from the shore(Atlantic city and Seaside hts. Out of courtesy to the plaza we purchased a few candy bars n sodas .. for the use of their services.. I just think it looks better .. than being thought of as a freeloader.. I had seen our Base Honor Guard perform and found one of their members after the ceremony to find where I could obtain a application... They had a small building they used for practice.. that I visited later. Once I was a team member. Usually they had a new member visitfor a couple funerals. To catch on to protocol. I and another new member by circumstance were pressed into service for a funeral at Long Is. cemetary.. The Cmdr was satisfied with our performance and said we were on the team for sure. I had no prob getting released from work for detail. We seemed to of had a lot of Long Is. details. we had some Vietnam Nam burials, several
Of them . I remembered on e where we went to Philly Airport to bring an Airman home (Actually a SSGT. Using Airman in a general sense like the Marines use Marine and Army uses soldier,.. etc., ). It’d been raining steady.. the rain slowed, then ceased . And the sun broke through the clouds . We stepped out on the tarmac and marched up to the belt and some of our members moved the casket withhelp of a cart(tarmac had some oil spots and the airport workers didn’t want us slipping ) we slowly moved the transport container containing the deceased to the hearse. We strayed at present arms as the hearse and the limo moved back to the gate . We then
Marched at a trail arms to the gate and our bus, with Color guard leading us single file .. that was the only retrieval of that sort I ever took part in . It seems some pictures of our retrieval were submitted to the Philly papers and they forwarded pics to the AF HQ in D.C. They then came back again to our base paper. We received a nice letter from AF Chief of Staff and the Officer in charge of AF Honor Guard for our exemplary performance representing the AF on the tarmac at Philly Int’l Airport..
To me it was a sit-rep worthy of bragging rights for a new member to be part of an Base Honor Guard Flight to be recognized by the AF Chief Staff .. I did two press releases .. one for my former Reserve Wing and Local town paper.. (what I couldn’t figure is how the Detroit News got it..). <-
I found out the Philly Paper had got it from the base PAO who got it from a clerk who also serves on our Flight.. who gave the PAO the list of us that had been there.. (What our guy didn’t do and I don’t care (about mine)was get members permission to publish their names.
Some are touchy .. I think the Philly paprer seen on the list where I was from and sent a wire copy to Detroit News. So the family seen it before I had a chance to tell them.. I sent them a note and pic with me circled they sent me one with a pic of the whole Guard and wanted me to circle myself in the pic . That had to blow their mind to get a answer back so soon(2days).. 19 of us .
Our Lt. Was the only one upset with the clerk.. We should of all been anonymous members of a Base Honor Guard.. like a firing squad for a shamed member.. I can’t agree with that part . About us being anonymous.. firing squad ok with that., Well.. what’s done is done !
Can’t undo it.. just make sure it’s not repeated ... Well, did it again.!
A few sitreps for one.. May you have a good What’s left of Red Friday and an Awesome weekend
LTC Stephen Ford and family !