John W. Lewis

West Point, 1989

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by 1SG Reginald Mason, USA, (Ret) on February 2, 2006:

No, I'm not a West Point graduate so I'll ask for your indulgence at this sad time in our lives. I was the First Sergeant of Co B, 3d Bn, 12th Inf in Baumholder, Germany. The Company Commander was CPT Robert Hogan, the Company Executive Officer was 1LT John W. Lewis. To this day when folks ask me about the high points of my military career I refer to two, distinguished assignments; when I was a sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and when i was an Infantry Company First Sergeant; John had a lot to do with the latter. We had fun, we trained hard (and exceeded standards), and we took care of our Soldiers and their families. John was in the company area as much as I was; weekends, nights - he was just always around. He stayed on top of everything. CPT Hogan could command and I could perform my duties as First Sergeant simply because John knew, and performed remarkably well the duties of an Infantry Company Executive Officer. And in a Bradley equipped mechanized Infantry Company an XO job is not easy. They say that, "in the Army you make friends for life." That statement is certainly true. The three of us, CPT Hogan, 1LT Lewis and me left the Army and moved on with our lives. But the bond was too strong; we maintained contact as we settled into civilian life - up to the evening of 1 Feb 2006 when Rob Hogan called me and passed on the sad news. John, you will never be forgotten. Trudy - I just can't seem to find the correct words to console you. The best I can do is to tell you that you are loved and that God has a plan for all of us. Denise and I will keep you in our thoughts and prayers. Reggie BOAR HOG 7 1SG, Co B, 3d Bn(M), 12th Inf 1st Armored Div, Baumholder, FRG 1990-1993

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