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View a eulogy for Walter Brown Russell, USMA '51, who passed away on May 17, 2016.

Walter Brown Russell

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Lewis Russell Nelson on May 21, 2016:

Walt was "Buddy" to me and most of the vast Russell family, although he was already commissioned by the time I really knew him. Not usually available for family reunions as I was growing up, he emerged as a rather heroic figure, even before I learned about Pork Chop Hill. I was a 2nd lieutenant headed for Vietnam when he was shot down over there. What a wake-up call. He seemed so invincible, and I didn't really expect to be involved in combat operations.

Walt was profoundly wounded. I didn't get a scratch, but his recovery from that stupid war was faster than mine. Instead of becoming a general, he became an attorney and tackled a huge political job, leading a large urban county. That is the man who should be remembered. Not an army officer. Not a war hero. Not a disabled veteran. Not a survivor who required constant care as his shattered body deteriorated over the past decade. But as a civic leader and family man who rose to the occasion after having his chosen career explode with his helicopter.

I love Buddy. I love Nancy and their children. I love his siblings, each one a unique individual. And I hate war. How could you know Buddy and not hate war?

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