The Days Forward

West Point Class of 1969

Suzanne Rice

250th Birthday of the Army – Tribute to Veterans

We know and hold in high esteem, the early leaders of the U.S. Army who fought so valiantly for our freedom. George Washington, Nathanael Green, Henry Knox, Ethan Allen. We have been taught about heroes of later years: Andrew Jackson, Winfield Scott in the War of 1812; Zachary Taylor in the Mexican War, dozens of heroes of the Civil War; Walter Reed and Leonard Wood of the Spanish-American War; in WWI, John J. Pershing, Edwin Hubble; Dwight Eisenhower, Audie Murphy and many more who served in WWII; Douglas MacArthur in Korea, Creighton Abrams among many others in the Vietnam War, Norman Schwartzkopf in the Iraq War and many heroes from the years in Afghanistan. I would like to make my tribute to those millions of soldiers who served under/with our famous heroes – the ones we don’t know by name. They were heroes – all – because they were willing to give their lives to protect us and our way of life. Many were our fathers, husbands, sons, brothers, sisters. Along with the hundreds of thousands of nameless patriots, we should remember all of the families that supported, encouraged and waited for their own personal hero. Sometimes, it was hard, but hard builds character and those who have been associated with our Army, its leaders and its values (https://thedaysforward.com/framing-the-army-of-the-future-1995/ ) have contributed to our country during their service to our country and for most in their lives after serving. Their strong and patriotic essence is the backbone of our land, for they continue to make their communities better because of their love of country and for the values that they internalized and are passing on to the next generation. Having been associated with these folks for many years has been the most unique and enriching experience and I salute you all!

250th Birthday of the Army – Long Journey to America

     My connection to our Army started in 1945, two years before I was born in Wels, Austria. My parents had fled from Hungary, their homeland, before the advancing Soviet armies. Their goal was to reach the American army so that when the war ended, they would hopefully be in the US not the Soviet zone of occupation.

     Their journey took them to the picturesque town of Gmunden, Austria which had just been occupied by American soldiers and there they stopped.

     Finding shelter in a dairy barn, they eventually secured better accommodations while my father went to work as a bricklayer in a neighboring town.

     Finally, four years later, they found a distant relative in Cleveland, Ohio who, with the help of Catholic Charities, sponsored their passage to America. I, meanwhile, was born in Austria in February 1947, early enough to make the crossing with them on a Navy transport ship the USS General S.D. Surgis (AP-137) named after a USMA 1846 graduate.

     Forty-seven years later, as the Commander of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, I attended a reunion of the Regiment’s World War II veterans. They brought their albums showing their march through Europe at the head of Patton’s 3rd Army. 

     “Here is where we ended up”, one veteran related, “in a beautiful little town in Austria, named Gmunden” ! 

     It was then I realized that my parents, so many years earlier, had found refuge in a town occupied by the regiment I then commanded.

250th Birthday of the Army – Beyond the Battlefield

   Beyond the Battlefield: How Army Service Strengthens American Society

     When my father, a World War II Army veteran, learned I had decided to attend West Point, his eyes conveyed a deep pride that words alone could never fully express. He instilled in me a strong work ethic and love of country. As a child, when I asked him how I should answer if someone asked if I was Italian, he firmly replied, “You’re an American.” His words captured a powerful truth I came to fully appreciate through my own military service: while the Army’s stated mission is to defend our nation and win wars, its true value extends far beyond the battlefield. It has long served as a source of social mobility, individual growth, loyalty to nation and community, and leadership development—benefits deeply woven into the fabric of American society.

     Soldiers and officers from every corner of the country, representing a patchwork quilt of races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds, live and work together toward common missions, learning mutual respect and understanding. I saw the personal growth in my soldiers, peers, and fellow West Pointers attributable to their service experience. The Army equips individuals with a wide range of work and career skills that not only benefit them but also positively impact society. Training and experience in diverse fields brings veterans with specialized skills back into civilian industries, government, and community organizations. The Army’s emphasis on discipline, responsibility, loyalty, and resilience become integral to an individual’s character, affecting how they interact with others and their broader social engagement.

     Many of my West Point classmates have risen to the top of professions and organizations in and out of government. In the Class of 1969 alone, we have generals, medical doctors, lawyers, judges, brilliant engineers, teachers, scientists, CEOs, COOs, an Astronaut, an Ambassador to Germany, and a transcendent college basketball coach. In the Army these men developed and honed skills in problem-solving and critical thinking; leadership and teamwork; discipline and work ethic; adaptability and resilience; selflessness; and civic participation. These skills have significant societal impact, spreading exponentially among colleagues, mentees, students, and others they encounter. The skills and values not only enhance individual career paths but also strengthen the workforce and foster innovation, productivity, and a commitment to the greater good.

Hurrah to the U.S. Army at 250!

Thank you for making our nation safer, stronger, and better.

250th Birthday of the Army – Happy Birthday!

In a previous essay on The Days Forward about what West Point meant to me, I stated that not counting obvious things like the birth of my kids, there were three events in my life that I count as being both profound and life-changing.  I went on to say that in chronological order the first was attending and graduating from West Point.  The second was meeting my wife, Avril, my Firstie Year at West Point, and the third was coming to know Jesus Christ as my Savior.  But there was also a fourth event that was quite significant that preceded everything else in my life; and that was being born an Army brat on December 26, 1946, in a Quonset Hut which was part of the hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia.  So, in some respects, the Army is more a part of who I am than just about anything else in my life.  I was born into the Army, I was schooled by the Army, I met my wife on an Army base, I have 21 years of Army service, and even today the bulk of my retirement is funded by the Army.  For me, almost everything that it means to be an American was first learned in the Army.  I learned respect for the flag every evening at 5:30pm when everything stopped for a couple of minutes while the flag was taken down.  I’m sure I probably learned the Pledge of Allegiance and the Stars Spangled Banner in an Army grade school.  My Cub Scout and Boy Scout and Explorer leaders were all either an Army wife or an enlisted man or NCO or Officer in the Army.  Even my clergy growing up were all Army Chaplains, and almost all my childhood memories of a religious nature happened in a chapel on an Army base somewhere in the world.  My conservative values were certainly forged in the Army.  Before I ever set foot on West Point the Army had already given me a sense of duty, honor and country.  And when I die and the final words at my funeral are said, Taps will be played, a 21-gun salute will be given, the flag that covered my coffin will be presented to a loved one, and a military cemetery will become my final resting place.  What does the Army mean to me?  Everything!  So, of course, I would like to be a part of saying “Happy 250th Birthday” to the United States Army!

250th Birthday of the Army – Amazing Opportunities

     Considering how the Army influenced my life – what the Army means to me, I thought the best way to do this was to repeat facts from a simple presentation I had given to my granddaughters’ elementary school, which annually recognized veterans of the students’ families near the Veterans Day holiday. I did it for 13 years and received amazing responses from the young students in the classes every single year. I focused on things that the average person wouldn’t be doing, but would be experienced in the Army more or less routinely. I supplemented the activities with video clips to portray the events more realistically.

     Extracts from the presentation are shown here:

  • I spent 25 years in the Army, and enjoyed the support of my family throughout.
  • Some really neat & fun things I got to do in the Army included:
  • Flying in a helicopter at very low altitude (known as Nap of the Earth) Parachuting out of an airplane,
  • Skimming along the water in a zodiac boat,
  • Rappelling down the side of a cliff,
  • Doing the Slide for Life on a zip line
  • Bouncing along different terrain in an armored personnel carrier.

     I also did a bit of traveling throughout our country, in a dozen different states to include California and Virginia and many in between. I also ventured to a few countries overseas to include Iceland, Germany, Turkey and Vietnam.

One of the most important things was my ability to work with so many patriotic and dedicated individuals from all walks of life who wanted to serve their country.

     I’ve done a lot of interesting and fun things and have seen many places in the United States and around the world, which would not have happened if I hadn’t been in the Army. My experiences were amazing and I’ll always have those memories.

Looking back over my life in the Army with my wife of nearly 55 years JoAnne, we experienced many great events that we shared with our children and grandchildren. We also learned the nuances of local cultures in different parts of the country, to include food preferences such as shrimp and grits and baby back ribs.

     I could not have imagined how much my life would change after I graduated, but I loved all of it.