Herbert J. Smith

West Point, 1965

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jack Lyons on May 12, 2010:

Herb and I were roommates during the first eight weeks of our time at WP, known then as Beast Barracks. As anyone who has ever gone through it can attest, it was a real challenge. Thanks to Herb, I made it through. He was more mature, and with a couple of years of college under his belt, was able to keep up my spirits and help me, as I was an immature, naive, 17-year-old. That he would do this under such stressful circumstances says a lot about his character. He was generous with his time; he was understanding and patient; and he had an infectious, balanced sense of humor that got us through the worst moments, when each of us was just trying to survive day by day. At the end of Beast, our families came up to the Academy, and we enjoyed a picnic together one weekend. Once the regular academic year began, we were assigned to separate companies, but they were adjacent in the barracks, so we continued our close friendship for the rest of plebe year. Without his support, concern, and advice, I doubt that I would have made it through those first few months. I feel blessed to have had him as a roomie, friend, and classmate. May he rest in peace.

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