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View a eulogy for Paul Coburn Sawtelle, USMA '69, who passed away on April 16, 1971.

Paul Coburn Sawtelle

West Point, 1969

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by David W. Hill on December 26, 2006:

Paul and I became close friends while we were cadets. We both shared a common belief in the the teachings of Christian Science, and in the goodness of one infinite and perfect God. We met during new cadet barracks, while attending Christian Science services and meetings with our Christian Science minister for the armed services at West Point, Lt. Col (ret.) Robert M. Mummey. I once spent a weekend at Paul's home on Long Island, where I met his wonderful family. On that Sunday, we attended church together in New York, where his father was the soloist.

Paul was an inspiration to me in many ways. During our Cow year, we worked together to prepare a paper entitled "The Christian Soldier," which we submitted to the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston for possible use during its 1967 biennial meeting of Christian Science college organizations We spent many late nights in the basement of the old central barracks working together to prepare this paper. The paper explored the morality of killing as viewed in Christian Science, a topic of great interest at the time because of the Vietnam war. Paul and I were delighted when the church notified us that our paper had been selected for delivery at the meeting. I still have a picture of us in our summer dress whites on the platform of the Mother Church in Boston, where we presented our paper in front of the thousands of college students who were in attendance.

Paul was a member of the wedding party for my wedding on June 14, 1969 in Massachusetts. I can still see the smile on his face as Leslie and I walked beneath the arch of sabers coming out of the church. This is the way I will always remember Paul. He remains a perfect reflection in memory, just as he always will be.

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