Ronald Lee Walter

West Point, 1965

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Tom Needham on November 12, 2015:

I FIRST MET RON IN 1-503 WHEN I TRANSFERED FROM MACV IN AUG 67. I WAS S-2 AND HE WAS ASST S-3. HE HAD JUST GIVEN UP RECON PLAT AND CAME DOWN WITH MALARIA. WHEN HE CAME BACK, WE WERE FOX HOLE BUDDIES, HAD A LOT OF FUN WITH HIS SZE ON THE DEPTH OF THE HOLE AND HE TAUGHT ME A LOT AS HIS PLATOON AND I ENDED UP IN NEWLY FORMED D/ 1-503. WE LIVED TOGETHER DURING THE ADVANCED COURSE. IN THE SEVENTIES I WAS ABLE TO HELP GET HIM BACK TO THE 1-503 AND A COMPANY IN B/2-503 WHERE HE DID VERY WELL. I WAS IN HIS WEDDING AND GODFATHER TO IS FIRST CHILD. WE BECAME GOOD FRIENDS BUT I LOST TRACK OF HIM FOR A WHILE AND WAS NOT A GOOD GODFATHER.ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO WE RECONNECTED. AFTER I GOT SICK HE WENT OUT OF HIS WAY TO CHECK ON ME. IN 2011, MY SISTER AND HER HUSBAND RENTED AND LATER BOUGHT A PLACE IN GOODYEAR AZ. WE ALWAYS GOT TOGETHER AT SPORTING EVENTS AND AT THE FRANCISCAN MONASTERY. AS YOU KNOW HE WROTE A BOOK ON THE FRANCISCANS AND I BELIEVED SPENT HOURS GETTING THEM BACK TO FISCAL SOUNDNESS AND DEVELOPED THEIR FURURE PLANS. THIS IS JUST MY GUESS. HE WAS ALL THAT USMA WANTED, ALWAYS LOOKED OUT FOR THE LITTLE GUY AND ME AN OCS GUY, WAS A SUPER FATHER AND MY FRIEND. IF YOU NEED ANYMORE, PLEASE ASK ME. MAY HE REST IN PEACE, TOM

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