Posted by BG RM Ong (Ret) on September 11, 2012:

As a Yearling Cadet in Company E-2, I first met Terry Covington, who was a Plebe in the same platoon. We took our meals 3 times a day at the same table at the Mess Hall. So one can say that I got to know him very well. If there is only one word to describe him, I would choose "tough." It was quite easy to notice him -- he was the only Plebe in the Company who sported a Parachutist Badge on his Dress Gray uniform. In fact, he was the only Cadet in our Company who wore those jump wings. All of us were determined to earn those wings ASAP after graduation, and this young, punk Plebe was already sporting them! For us Yearlings, that was the quintessence of chutzpah! Terry was tough, because he easily handled every challenge thrown at him -- by the upperclassmen, the Tactical Officers and the Academic Department with aplomb, nay, with a bemused smirk on his face. He kept his shoes and brass shined, his room clean and his rifle lint-free -- and still managed to get out 5 minutes before every formation. Terry was a bright kid, and never had in any trouble with his studies, although he did not seem to exemplify the studious type who aspired for academic accomplishments. To him, books were something to read, and exams were something to pass, as the need arose, period. The ultimate proof that Terry knew how to survive West Point, is that he began Plebe Year as a chubby Plebe -- and ended Plebe Year as a chubby Plebe. We Yearlings failed in all our determined efforts to teach him how to emulate his older brother Ben's trim waistline. I don't remember much of Terry when he became a Yearling, because we had joined different platoons, and as a Squad Leader, I had a new group of Plebes and Yearlings to mentor and train. But in my occasional dealings with Terry, I did observe that he was doing okay in his new role as an upperclassman in the barracks and as a student in the classroom. A big surprise came the following year: we Seniors stayed in the same Company, but all the Juniors were reassigned to completely different Companies. This meant that Terry and I had parted ways. We did run into each other once in a while, like during our movements from barracks to classrooms, but with barely enough time to exchange an occasional "Hi!" and a smile. Good-bye, tough guy! I never saw you again after graduation, but now, I have the chance to dwell on a few pleasant memories of our times together. We have a lot of catching up to do, plus exchanging a lot of jump stories, when we finally meet again in that great Marshalling Area in the Sky. Airborne! Brigadier General Ramon M. Ong (Retired) Armed Forces of the Philippines

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