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Arthur Kenneth Liepold
West Point, 1976
Be Thou At Peace
Posted by Chris Baggott (USMA 76, Company G-2) on June 9, 2010:
I last saw Ken on the day of our commissioning in 1976. Throughout the four years at USMA we remained good friends. It is very difficult to accept that Kenny isn't with us in body anymore. He will always remain in our hearts and minds.
I will always remember the first time I talked with Ken. During Beast Barracks we had to address all of our classmates by "Sir" but you had to add in the name of the next football team we were going to play. With no upper classmen around Kenny walked up to me and out of the blue said "Hey Chris, don't you think we should report ourselves for an honor violation by addressing the upperclassmen with BEAT NEBRASKA, SIR." Needless to say, on National TV we lost the game to the previous year's National Champion (77-7).
If you were to ask anyone on graduation day what the future would hold for our class, most would say we were starting a slow path to self destruction. The antics, tricks, and practical jokes were a 76' legacy. Now, 34 years later, who would have guessed that our class has surpassed the class of 1915 as "the class that wore stars." Thirty-three of our classmates are leading the Army and our country into the 21st century and for the first time in USMA history, two classmates are simultaneously Commanding two different wars (Stan and Ray). Stan and Ray can sleep easily because their backups are also classmates (Dave Rodriquez, Frank Helmick, and Bill Caldwell just to name a few).
Kenny was a born leader and possessed all the attributes of character and personal values that we all strive for. There are few better. My heart goes out to the Liepold family and my prayers are with you during this difficult time. Kenny is the 28th member of USMA 76 that are no longer with us. I will always fondly remember his antics as a cadet, but more importantly, I will remember the comradarie he shared with his classmates as well as the professionalism that was evident in all of his endeavors.
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