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MEMORIAL ARTICLE
Published Assembly Jul '97
Walter Joseph DeLong, Jr.
No. 15584 Class of 1946
Died 13 June 1994 at Tacoma, Washington, aged 70 years. Interment:
Mountain View Memorial Park, Tacoma, Washington |
Walt was born 29 July 1923 in Spokane, Washington.
His father was a veteran of WWI who joined the National Guard,
was in the 41st Division when it was activated in 1940 and became
G-3 of the division. He later became Adjutant General of the
State of Washington and was also State Director of Selective
Service. His brother, Clarence (USMA '55), recalled that Walt
and his family lived on a farm outside Spokane and Walt rode
a horse to a two room grade school. After the eighth grade, the
family moved to Dishman, Washington, also a small town near Spokane.
Walt attended West Valley High School where he played football,
baseball, basketball and track. He was also drum major of the
school band as well as for a local American Legion drum and bugle
corps. His senior year, he was named State Champion Drum Major.
After graduating in 1941, he attended the University of Washington
for two years before gaining his appointment to West Point. He
joined the Class of 1946 on the banks of the Hudson on 1 July
1943.
Cadet life was relatively uneventful for Walt.
Academics proved no problem for him and he stayed well ahead
of the Tactical Department. As was the case with most of his
classmates, his athletic prowess was demonstrated on his company
intramural teams. At graduation, he was commissioned a second
lieutenant in the Field Artillery.
During graduation leave, Walt married Carolyn (Lynn)
Hemstead at Albany, New York on 8 June 1946. Following basic
Artillery schooling at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Walt was assigned
to Nagoya, Japan where he served as an Artillery unit commander
and a Legal and Government Officer in the Occupation. As was
the norm then, Walt traveled to Japan alone and Lynn joined him
when housing became available. From Japan, the DeLongs returned
to Fort Bliss, Texas where Walt served as Director and Instructor
in the Basic Electronics Section, US Army Guided Missiles School.
In 1952, Walt was selected to serve as an instructor at the USMA
Preparatory School at West Point. He also served as Coach of
the USMA Prep basketball team. He was selected then to attend
the Army Language School to study Portuguese in preparation for
assignment as Artillery Advisor and Training Officer for the
Military Assistance Advisory Group, Lisbon, Portugal in 1955.
Returning to the States in 1958, the DeLongs moved to Fort Lewis,
Washington where Walt was Executive Officer of Artillery and
Missile units. He was selected for the Command and General Staff
College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in 1960 and following graduation
in 1961, Walt went to Korea for an unaccompanied tour as Artillery
Training Officer, G-3, Eighth Army. He returned to the States
with an assignment as Assistant Professor of Military Science
at Seattle University, Washington. His Portuguese Language skills
came into play again in 1967 when he was assigned as Chief, Training
Section, Army Section, US Military Group, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Walt decided to retire in 1971 as a Lieutenant Colonel to try
his hand at civilian life.
The Delongs chose Tacoma Washington as their retirement
home. Walt had planned to earn a degree in accounting before
starting his second career. All his plans were thrown into disarray
in 1972 when he suffered a tragic accident which precluded his
working again. A few years later he suffered a heart attack and
then developed cancer. He died on 13 June 1994 from congestive
heart failure. He is survived by his wife, Lynn, two sons, Walter
III and Jeffrey, a brother, Clarence and a sister, Norma.
When asked to talk about Walt DeLong, his friends
and associates were unanimous in emphasizing several traits that
made him special: warm, compassionate, understanding, a gentle
man! Everyone who knew him remarked what a considerate, loving
and kind husband and father he was. He had a great sense of humor
and was always ready to help anyone who needed his help. Professionally,
he was hard working and very responsible; a quick thinker and
extremely intelligent. For those lucky enough to be his friend,
he was considered one of those rare treasures, a true friend!
To these words provided by his family, classmates
and friends, the Class of 1946 is honored to add this phrase
that means so much to every West Pointer: "Well Done Walt;
Be Thou At Peace!"
'46 Memorial Article Project and his wife Lynn
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