Posted by Dick Greene on September 27, 2012:

Gene was the closest thing that I ever had to a brother. We were in the same squad in Beast Barracks and during the first conversation we ever had we learned that we both had attended college before West Point, that we both had absolutely no military background, and that we both ran the two mile. That last one created an immediate bond. During the next four years we ate at the same corps squad table three meals each day, practiced together each day; cross country in the fall, indoor track during the winter months, and outdoor track in the spring. We ran in races together close to 100 times but we never ran against each other, it was always against a common opponent and our success rate was off the charts. Gene was the ultimate teammate. Gene was married to his sweetheart Sally the week after we graduated and it was my honor to be the best man at their wedding. After graduation we had intermittent contact with each other but there is one day that I will never forget. It was 1966 and I was living in San Francisco at the time. Gene was to ship out from there to become the head of an interrogation team on the Cambodia and Vietnam border two days later. Sally was to meet him in San Francisco the next day. Gene was convinced that he would not come back from this duty and spent the day giving me instructions on what he wanted for his family when he did not return. If this is not an example of duty, honor, country, I have never seen it. Fortunately he did come back and he and Sally raised 4 wonderful children. A life well done, Gene, be thou at peace.

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