Posted by George Giacoppe on December 2, 2009:

Learning of Les Mason's passing has been deeply sad and moving because Les was such an extraordinary friend who was known at some level by each of us and yet perhaps none of knew him well enough to describe the void his departure has created. We each know little pieces from our past with him. Allow me to cite a couple memories that dwell with me today. On one of our long weekends during First Class year, I invited Les to come home with me to Massachusetts since he was too distant from Minnesota to get home and back. He accepted, and four of us cadets headed off to Fitchburg and my parents were delighted to have Les around for the weekend. He had already sampled my mother's great desserts from packages she sent to West Point, but this gave him a chance to enjoy lots of her meals and he was comfortable and gracious as you may expect. All went well until it was time to drive back to West Point; normally a four to four and a half hour trip. There were four of us in the car and we departed at about 1030 for what should have been an uneventful trip. The weather predictions were excellent, but by 1100 we began to run into falling snow that got heavier and heavier as we progressed more and more slowly. At one point, near noon, we stopped at a gas station to see if we could pool our money and buy some chains. Unfortunately, the chains were $38 and we could not gather enough to make the purchase. Things got worse. We finally arrived at West Point at 1832 hours. We were 32 minutes late! As a result, the 2nd Regiment cadets in the car were all "slugged" (given severe punishment) with 15 demerits, 22 hours of punishment tours in Central Area, and a month's confinement. Not to worry, we thought, because the far more humane 1st Regiment, given the same evidence, absolved the cadet from the infraction. We used that information to plea for consistency and mercy. Sadly, we got the former and not the latter. When the brass processed our appeal, they also reviewed the 1st Regiment cadet and in a perfectly consistent manner, changed the decision to slug the 1st regiment cadet as well. Les never complained about all this, but he did give us his patented wry smile that said it all. The system got us. Fortunately, a couple weeks later, we were graced by the official visit of the President of El Salvador and as was the custom, he granted us amnesty, so we never served out our total punishment. It was only few months later when we had received our branch assignments and were allowed off post to celebrate our selections. Les and Gerry Epley and I dropped our new class rings into a common glass of beer and we drew upon our common wisdom about the world to create a philosophical theory to explain the vicissitudes of life: 1. The whole world stinks. 2. People are no damned good. 3. War is hell. We drank the beer and laughed and yet we were to learn that, at times, it would be more true than humorous. Les was a soldier's soldier who enjoyed hard work as well as the gathering of his friends. He was skilled at both. My wife Louise and I visited Les and his family when he was teaching at West Point a few years later and, despite some hard breaks, he did not complain about the breaks but made us welcome. He soldiered on and, just as when he was a cadet and roommate, he could enjoy solitude and a book as much as a gathering of friends. I am sure that he continued that low profile approach to life after we were separated by 3,000 miles of geography. Some called Les "Sparrow," while others called him "Moose." In fact, both names are fitting. He was only as intrusive into our lives as a sparrow, but he leaves a void that is as big as a moose. May God Bless Les and Linda and the family. Be comforted in knowing that Les was a great friend and that we share in your respect for him and also in the depth of your loss. George Giacoppe USMA, 1960

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