Herbert Dwight Raymond

West Point, 1964

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Dennis F. O'Block on May 31, 2016:

Dan Evans and Dwight's wife, Geri, asked me to represent the Class of 1964 say a few words at Dwight's Memorial Service in San Diego... What a tremendous honor for me. Words below. --------------------------------------------------------- I have been honored to speak to you today to represent the Class of 1964 of the United States Military Academy at West Point. Over the years I have learned many lessons about life, and I believe one of them has applicability for ALL of us HERE today... This lesson I learned from being a very amateur Poker Player, And that is we can not change the spots on the cards that we have been dealt no matter how bad we may want to.. Dwight is gone... and there is nothing any of us can do to bring him back.... And I believe that we all are engaged in of what I call the Great Poker Game of Life in that every morning we wake up each one of us is dealt our hand for that day. None of us can not change any of the spots on our cards, all we can do is choose how we want to play those cards we have been dealt for that day. When we all woke up this morning we ALL had different hands to play... with one exception and that was today we ALL held the Dwight Raymond Card.. We can not change the spots on it and all we can do is decide how we choose to play it.. TODAY and from this day forward. Now, I believe if we could communicate with Dwight today, which we obviously can not, and ask him his thoughts on this maybe Dwight might say something like this... MOURN YES... GRIEVE YES... BUT FROM THIS DAY FORWARD PLEASE REJOICE and CELEBRATE THE MAGNIFICENT LIFE I WAS ABLE TO LIVE.. Dwight might say, LOOK AROUND... ALL THESE WONDERFUL FRIENDS AND FAMILY.. PEOPLE THAT LOVED ME AND I LOVED AS WELL. CELEBRATE MY THREE WONDERFUL CHILDREN.., DWIGHT, GREG AND WENDY AND THEIR MOTHER, MARIE.. CELEBRATE MY WONDERFUL GRAND CHILDREN... CELEBRATE MY WONDERFUL WIFE GERI AND ALL THOSE GREAT YEARS WE SPENT TOGETHER. PLEASE CELEBRATE MY 1964 GTO THAT I BOUGHT AS A CADET 52 YEARS AGO THAT IS STILL IN OUR FAMILY AND WILL BE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME. DWIGHT MIGHT SAY... AND THEN I GOT TO SERVE MY COUNTRY FOR MOST OF MY LIFE AS A UNITED STATES MARINE. I GOT TO GRADUATE FROM THE PREMIERE MILITARY SCHOOL IN THE WORLD AND THEN GET SWORN INTO MY BELOVED MARINE CORPS BY MY FANTASTIC FATHER. So as we come in for a landing here... That's Marine Pilot Talk...(:>) We have this GREAT photograph taken on June 3rd 1964 with Dwight, and his 2 West Point Marine Buddies... Don Swartz, and Denny O'Block getting sworn into the Marine Corps. This picture hangs proudly in my "I LOVE ME ROOM" in my home and has for many, many years. I walk by it several times every day... But since Dwight's passing this photograph has taken on an entirely new meaning to me... Look at Dwight.... and his eyes as he looks at his Father, Col. Herbert D. Raymond III... Remember his father was a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy.. Can you imagine the tremendous pride his father must have been feeling at that moment swearing his West Point Graduate son into our beloved Marine Corps.. And then the reverse... Can you imagine the tremendous pride and joy that Dwight was feeling at that moment as HE was thinking about the GREAT gift he gave his father... As I depart the area today, I know what MY marching orders are... And I invite you ALL to join me... From this day forward, effective immediately, we all must play our Dwight Raymond card with joy and celebration for the magnificent life that Dwight lived... A hearty WELL DONE Dwight, from your 1964 West Point Classmates... BE THOU AT PEACE..

admin