Posted by LtCol (ret) Edwin Kennedy, Jr on April 8, 2018:

My father was a WWII enlisted sailor and part of the Greatest Generation that entered the Academy after WWII. He taught me the meaning of service and love of country through his example. I wanted to be just like him but I pale in comparison. He loved West Point but even more, he was a tremendous supporter of his class and his classmates. I always enjoyed hearing stories of his friends he made as a cadet. My father loved soldiers and became distraught when he lost them. I will never forget the time one of his officers was killed in Vietnam. He reminded me that they all had families too and he was brought to tears by their losses. We shared a lot of stories about being cadets and although my class was more than 20 years after his, we did share some similarities ---- slide rules, mandatory chapel, and uniforms (which have changed since then). My father was serious about his profession and I remember as he prepared for Vietnam, he read everything he could about it. As much as he was gone either deployed, or to the field, he always made time for his family. When I was a cadet, he was able to visit twice as part of his official duties prior to an extended overseas tour. I am in awe of his, and his classmates' records of service and thank God I was his son.

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