George L Monahan Jr

West Point, 1955

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Phil Bouchard on January 15, 2004:

George and I go back to the West Point hockey team, where during Firstie year, he was the team captain and I was the cadet team manager. A fiery, relentless player, never has the term "captain" been applied to a greater leader. Our career paths continued through pilot training at Moore AB, TX and Greenville AFB MS. We flew and partied together. We then were assigned to Perrin AFB, TX for combat crew training in the F-86D interceptor. It was there that Buck Riggs and I roomed with George in a home rented in Denison TX. We flew and partied together. Our next assignment, also together, was at Selfridge AFB, MI from 1957-61.George and I and three other 94th Fighter Squadron mates rented the first floor of a 3-family home in Mt Clemens MI. The place was christened the "Club-58" by the townies. We flew and partied together. He met Mary, I met Carol --- --- we married our respective lovely ladies ----- we were in each other's wedding party ---- we started having children ----- our paths crossed several times in our 30-plus year careers. A great officer, a fantastic family man and a "bon-vivant" that would make Ireland proud. One of my greatest regrets is that I was in Taiwan on the day of his funeral; only Carol was able to represent the Bouchard's. Of the many Air Force officers with whom I served, George was the finest. A natural leader who evoked respect; an exemplary husband and father who evoked love; a lover of life who evoked genuine pleasure; -----truly a credit to our Alma Mater. Those who love life and lived it fully teach us the most about death ----- to accept that it comes, to meet it with courage, and to believe that such spirit can never be stilled. Be thou at peace, old buddy, until we can fly and party again. Phil "Bouch" Bouchard.

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