Richard Melvin Mason

West Point, 1968

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Mike Trollinger on May 19, 1998:

Mase, You know, sometimes it seems like there is no justice in the world. You were always the one who wouldn't go with us out to Snuffy's to party. You always stayed back at the barracks to study or work out at the gym. You were always quiet, studious, and serious. We were loud, boisterous, and indifferent. I found out about your death when I went for a physical at Madigan in 1978, while applying to enter the Washington National Guard. During the physical, the doctor saw my ring. He asked me if I knew you, and I said "Sure, he was a good friend of mine back at school." I had lost track of you during my murky days. When he said you were gone, I couldn't believe it. When he told me how you had passed, it became more unbelievable. Mase, you were the steady one that gave all of us reassurance that everything would be okay, even when it didn't seem that way. You still give us that steadfast purpose in life, the one that you had when you were here. Only now you are gone, and you affect us by your memory. Thanks, Mase, for being there for us. We miss you and will be with you someday. Mike Trollinger

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