Jack R. Hayne

West Point, 1949

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Mitch Hayne on April 2, 2024:

General Douglas McArthur made a famous speech to a graduating class of West Point where he spoke about "Duty, Honor, Country". This describes one aspect of my dad's life as a Greatest Generation soldier who served in World War 2 as an enlisted man and fought in Korea as an officer. Duty, Honor, Country. It describes Jack's pride in service and his pride in carrying forward the tradition of West Point. When humans age, it seems that we follow one of two paths: our bodies fail us while our minds stay sharp. Or our minds fall apart while our bodies stay whole. Although my dad was the former, in reality he was neither. He was driving pretty well until less than a year ago. And he was still fencing until just recently in November. We should all be so blessed to have a century of health in both mind and body. Life starts out tough when you are the only Jewish kid in a 1920s Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn. But summers at Jack's grandfather's Starlight Inn farm in Livingston Manor were the epitomy of early 20th century rural life. The milk farm doubled as a summer retreat for city folks with communal eating. For a city kid, tending the chickens, geese and turkeys, exploring the woods, riding horses, picking blueberries, and catching trout was a world of freedom and fresh air. As a teen, there was also a blond girl and a redhead that completed the summer experiences. The ride from the City, on the Ontario and Western railroad, passed by West Point where smartly dressed cadets intrigued the young city boy. And so the path to a military life was laid. Whether it was climbing trees to do WW2 airplane identification, or machining parts for B-26 bombers, young Jack's life already revolved around service to his country. In 1945, he entered West Point and his service clicked up a few notches. His roles in the Army included air defense of Seoul Korea, missile work at White Sands New Mexico, nuclear weapons instructor in cold war West Germany, and Nike missile defense siting against cold war Russian bombers in the northeast US. After 25 years in the Army, Jack worked another 25 years supporting the Navy at Grumman. He didn't mind helping the rival Navy folks out, but it got expensive at the betting during the regular Army/Navy football games each year. Navy always seemed to come out on top. A true early techie, Jack's hobbies ran the gamut from Ham radio, photography, early amateur computing, and electronics kit building. Not to ignore the physical: at various times in his life, Jack also regularly fished in the Great South Bay, hiked the mountains of Germany, skied in both Europe and New York, and of course: 85 years of fencing. Somehow, he did all of this while still being a great dad, husband, and grandfather, instilling the joy of skiing into almost the entire family, playing catch, fishing, days at the beach, and of course sticking masks on the kids to get them introduced to fencing. His love for Pearl was as loyal and deep as any couple I have ever met. They loved to travel together, and they truly filled their 95 or 100 years with joy and happiness that few who walk the earth can find. Jack lived his life with passion, intelligence, love, empathy, and good humor. When I was young, he was a strict disciplinarian, and I had a healthy fear of being on the wrong end of his lectures. That is, until my sister told me about looking for the little crinkles at the corners of his eyes, that would betray his true humor at trying to be an authoritarian. That might be my favorite lasting memory.

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