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View a eulogy for George Patrick O'Toole, USMA '65, who passed away on December 12, 1967.

George Patrick O'Toole

West Point, 1965

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Robert James O'Toole on April 27, 2009:

Pat was the oldest of 7 children. I was the youngest. My memories of Pat are wonderful. Pat was my hero. Whether he came home from West Point in Uniform or from his subsequent military training; I always remember looking up at him and thinking WOW, what a cool guy; and he's MY BROTHER! Pat was always on the positive side of every conversation. He ran every day. If he didn't have shorts available, he'd run in his fatigues or street clothes. He did push ups and sit ups every day also. He loved to sing Irish songs no matter where he was. He was a member of the Glee Club at West Point, so he didn't only know Irish songs, he seemed to know the words to every song. Pat was also a prankster who was always pushing the envelope. His graduation from West Point was a great memory. We stayed at Col. Flanagan's house. Col. Flanagan befriended Pat (I think to help keep him on track academically). I stayed over night in the barracks one night. That was a big thrill for me. At the Graduation Ceremony all of the Cadets threw their hats in the air at the end. I rushed out on the field and collected as many hats as I could hold on to. From West Point he went on to Alaska and the on to Special Forces Training. I remember taking Pat to the airport in Bloomington, Minnesota when he left for Vietnam. He showed us where he was flying to on a map while we were waiting with him. We said our good-byes, and off he went. I didn't know at the time it would be our last good-bye. I was so proud of Pat and always thought he was bullet proof because of his stature and attitude. I remember vividly the day we got the word Pat was missing. I remember thinking he is just missing. He'll turn up alive. Then the man from the Army came to the door to let us know they found him. We all went through a very emotional time burying Pat. He was the leader of our family, and now he was gone. But the values our parents instilled in us helped us to move on. Our parents handled Pat's death with incredible grace. They were proud of Pat and did not blame anyone ever for his death. Pat had an impact on all of his brothers and sisters. Pat was raised by two incredible parents (George and Gen O'Toole). The 7 of us won the lottery of parents by being born into this family. Pat displayed all of the values and attributes our parents tried instilled in all of us. I think about and pray for Pat almost every day. I am proud to say he was MY BROTHER! My thoughts of him are not of sadness. My memories of Pat make me chuckle and give me strength.

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