James Peter Mozden

West Point, 1964

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Marty Michlik on May 26, 1999:

Although we were classmates, we were in different regiments at West Point and I didn't get to know Moose well until Airborne and Ranger Schools in the fall of 1964. Moose drew people to him. He was unfailingly happy and easy to get along with, while always able to identify and laugh at our common challenges. ^M ^M He would talk, in his New England accent, about the funny things that happened to us all as we walked through the North Georgia mountains and the Florida swamps. I can still remember walking on a patrol with Moose while he pretended to be an Airborne School cadre asking himself if he had ever done any boxing. Then, in the middle of nowhere, Moose would begin to shadow box and say, "Why yes, I've done a bit of boxing in my time." That extended from boxing to skiing to anything Moose could think of that would fit. Soon he had us all doing it and it never failed to crack us up.^M ^M Several years later, at Ft Benning, I ran into Moose again where we were again assigned together. His spirit had not changed one whit. While clearly a dedicated professional, Moose was not one to be left out when there was fun to be had. For one Friday happy hour at the club, Moose hauled himself out of the sick bed wearing pajamas and an overcoat to participate with his chums.^M ^M Then in 1973 when I was teaching at West Point, I got the horrible word that Moose had passed away. I drove to New Hampshire in that terrible snowstorm and helped put Moose to final rest. He was a fine person, a fine soldier, and a fine friend. I miss his presence.

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