View a eulogy for Thomas Matthew Rienzi, USMA '42, who passed away on December 15, 2010.
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Thomas Matthew Rienzi
West Point, 1942
Be Thou At Peace
Posted by Howard haupt on December 20, 2010:
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'Long Tom' Rienzi was beloved by the Class of '57 as a character who made our Cadet days enjoyable. One of the best stories I remember was his rationale for why, as an 0-4 Tac , he was going to make general. "THERE ARE 16 GENERAL OFFICERS IN THE SIGNAL CORPS, TEN ARE WEST POINTERS, EIGHT OF THE TEN ARE CATHOLIC. I'M IN THE SIGNAL CORPS, I'M A WEST POINTER, I'M CATHOLIC. SO I'M GOING TO BE A GENERAL, GODAMMIT, CADET -- UNDERSTAND?" Spoke with him a few years ago at our 50th where he was leading the alumni group to Thayer Monument, leading cheers, hollering to everyone he saw like we were getting ready for Normandy or an A - N game, telling everyone how wonderful we all were. What a guy! Wish I could have served with him. |
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