John M. Runkle

West Point, 2009

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Robert Mihara on December 18, 2011:

John was a man of impressive character, maturity and intellectual ability. Many of his classmates demonstrated great intelligence and maturity, but John stood out amongst them in his drive and self-possession. I felt that I could speak to him as a colleague and valued his perspective on the many challenging issues we dealt with in the classroom. John was always quietly contemplating. I often had to pry comments from him in class, but he had the kind of considered opinions that made teaching so rewarding. John had that rare combination of deep introspection and drive to action that made him a true soldier-scholar. I feel strongly the personal and professional loss of a comrade like John and grieve for the loss of such a fellow professional and friend. Yet, John will continue to inspire me by a life well lived if too short.

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