The Days Forward

West Point Class of 1969

Suzanne Rice

Enriching Our Friendships

Congratulations to The Days Forward for 10 years of memories! I could not have anticipated the gift this website has been to all of us associated with the Class of ‘69—and beyond, to others who found the site. It has been a reservoir of stories perhaps otherwise missed because we don’t share experiences in a narrative format. We have had the opportunity to get to know so many in the class we would not have known except through their stories. Thank you for enriching many friendships and capturing the many ways 800-plus newly minted lieutenants from the Class of ‘69, their wives, and families have impacted the American scene these past 55 years.

Precious Recovery

 I’m very happy the class has thedaysforward.com.  When I had a stroke in July of 2013, I couldn’t read or write.  Public speaking was out of the question.  Now I can read well in public again as a church lector.  That came back in about six months.  My speech therapist told me to write, and many of my stories published in thedaysforward.com several years later were already written by then but had to be edited.  I look forward to every article written by classmates.  We have such an amazing class, with a variety of experiences. 

     I joined the Military Officers Association of America and they have a program where officers speak to 5th or 6th graders about their military service.  I am now able to do that.  The highlight is the story of my first parachute jump, which always brings smiles.  Bob Hope less so, because the kids don’t know him, but the teachers do.  I always ask the kids to read all my stories in thedaysforward.com, and many of them do.  Several groups went of their way and made game boards of my adventures.  Usually, I have forty minutes to speak, but several times, I’ve been asked to speak for an hour and a half.  So, I carry a list of my stories to fill up the time.  It comes in handy. 

     Most of my stories are light, but when I wrote the story about Combat Related Special Compensation, I had heard that many classmates who had been in Vietnam and had VA compensation for wounds, or disabilities related to Agent Orange exposure, had not known CRSC could make part of their military retirement tax-free.  I’d really like to know if anyone applied after reading the story.  

Music Chronicling Our Lives

     My appreciation and “Thank You” to the TDF team on the occasion of their 10th anniversary will be a little unique! Unique in the sense that I am including referrals to music that I think will resonate with the class and thus remind us of past stories that we each have that can be written for TDF.

     The music came about as my wife, Kathryn, and I relocated from CA to Nashville area in 2019 where we discovered county music. Each Country Music song is supposed to be a chronicle of a life event. I found this to be true when I started writing articles for the TDF. Initially I was not sure of what or how to write. With a little help, I joined the other USAF guys and wrote a short AF story. Much to my amazement I really enjoyed writing the article and resurrecting those long-ago memories. Those memories covered the spectrum from painful to thoughtful to wild times in the O Club. The attached country music recommendations coupled with the memories so vividly that I ended up writing more stories for TDF. Each new story became more meaningful and enjoyable to me personally. They reflected not only my past but truly helped me prepare for The Days Forward. If you listen to the words in the 3 attached songs, I am sure you will find some passage that resonates with you and reminds you of our graduation into an Army and Air Force at War. I can still remember storing my ‘69 Olds Cutlass in a friend’s garage under a tarp.  (listen to the song- you will understand).

     The Days Forward has been a comforting inspiration to me. My special thanks to our Rice Class Son who conceived The Days Forward Idea and the

TDF team for its successful implementation.

Happy 10th Anniversary!

You can find these songs on YouTube. They are mostly bittersweet.

-David Ball: “Riding with Private Malone”

-The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks):  “Travelin’ Soldier” 

 -Trace Adkins: “Arlington”

Our Treasure Trove

May the West Point Class of 1969 and their families join together in a “tip of the hat” to Bill Rice’s son (Christopher, also a grad), his widow (Suzanne), daughter (Meredith) and their very talented web designer upon the tenth anniversary of their wonderful gift to us of “The Days Forward.”

This remarkable publication has enriched the legacy of our Class and deepened the bonds between us, serving as both a record and an outpouring of our lives.  

The trove of treasured articles has given us joy, poignancy, and reflection, as well as a greater appreciation of the richness of our collective time on earth.  It has offered each of us an opportunity to reminisce, to express insights of what we came across on our individual journeys and how we dealt with them, what West Point meant and still means to us, and our love and respect for one another.  In many cases, it has given release to things we had held inside for years.  Often, it brought us back into contact with old friends and soldiers we once served with, many of whom search the site and, with careful screening and our permission, get back in touch.

Make no mistake, “The Days Forward” constitutes a record of our experiences that will last for generations.  In the near term, the present total of more than three hundred stories published on it will be digitized at the Honor Library in the Simon Center at West Point, available for review by cadets and other visitors.  With them will also be selected books, articles, studies, official reports and other publications authored by members of our Class.   Already present are hard copies of the 1969 Howitzer and our Legacy Book.  As they are completed, so too will be added the Memorial articles of our fallen comrades, which by design and with your help will eventually include all of us. In the end, it may be possible that no West Point class will have a more thorough (and preserved) collection of its personal history, both in and out of uniform, than the Class of 1969.

“The Days Forward” is a big part of this record.  You, members of the Class of 1969, are encouraged to offer your own stories to it.  

Remaining Connected

It does not seem possible that it has been ten years since The Days Forward started.  Hearing all the stories from Ernie’s classmates has been wonderful – some are funny, others more nostalgic and yet they all remind us of a time

in our lives which was filled with so much promise. Since I lost Ernie 1 1/2 years ago, it has helped me retain a connection with West Point and a lifetime of good memories which started there. I eagerly look forward to each article and treasure them.