Posted by Bill Beck on March 6, 2010:

Ernie my friend, I regret that I was unable to spend time with you before you left us. Had I been less than 1,200 miles away, I would have been there to share from my stack of memories for you and the group. Memories that are permanently etched! They began nearly SIX DECADES ago. when we proudly wore our Air Force uniforms to Stewart Field to begin prep school. It was a fact, our lives would never be the same. At the end of that year, you and I were among the first to learn that we had passed the entrance exams and had been accepted into West Point. The beer bar in the PX had some extra business that day. I recall, at the end of Beast Barracks, we had our infamous five-day march, with full field packs, through the hinterlands of the Peekskill Mountains. I don't remember how we were organized but I do recall that we were put into two columns and the person directly in front of me was the same for the entire five days. For five arduous days, I was looking at the back of the same classmate, and below his 42-pound back pack was his belt with the name Wilson, E.B. printed on it. Near the end of the march, we were climbing a long, steep hill. As we got near the top, we could see an officer appearing to be bigger than life, with freshly pressed khakis holding a swagger stick and wearing a bright silver star on his collar. After we passed and were far enough away, you turned toward me and quietly asked, "Who the Hell was that?" We learned a short while later that we had just made eyeball contact with non other than Brigadier General John Michaelis, "Iron Mike", the hero of the Korean War, and our newly appointed Commandant of Cadets. Although we were dog-tired and caked with dust and sweat, we walked a little taller and gained a little more pride in being where we were that day. Ern , you had a unique ability, a talent, I have witnessed numerous times over the many years and to which I would like to give my perspective. It seems that any situation you encountered, whether its in academics, sports, the I.R.S., or other aspects of life, no matter how challenging or how grim, you had the incredible ability to approach the situation, in almost knee-jerk fashion, from a position of optimism and humor; most of all humor. More times than I can tell you, your approach to certain situations had a very favorable effect on me and likewise, I know upon others. I can give examples, too many to mention, but, I believe, one such situation illustrates what I am trying to say. About twenty or so years ago, you and I were visiting one of our favorite Pubs, overlooking the marina in Tiburon. You were recounting for me the episode when you made your first combat jump in Vietnam. You described it this way, "I was hanging there in mid air, the ground was still quite a ways away. I realized that, FINALLY, after all those years of training and preparedness, I am actually in combat. I love it and those guys down there are 'shootin' at ME. Fantastic!!" Good bye my friend ... we miss you greatly. Bill Beck

admin