Michael Thomas GlynneCullum: 25551 Class: 1965 Cadet Company: E2 Date of Birth: March 18, 1944 Date of Death: May 28, 1966 -- in Vietnam Hostile death Age: 22 years, 3 months and 11 days young. Interred: Laurel Hill Cemetery, Thomasville, Georgia - View or Post a Eulogy |
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DEAREST MICHAEL:
I hope that you are at peace in your new world and are happy with the
God you worshiped so faithfully during your life. Rereading your many
letters has helped me to accept your role as God’s servant in heaven
rather than on earth. It is hard for me to look back on your life and
picture you as the soldier whose job it was to hunt and kill the enemy.
Instead, I see you as the loving brother who never neglected his little
girl friend no matter where you were or what you were doing.
As your sister I see you as the adventurous Boy Scout who always managed to bring home something new after every expedition, whether it was an Indian arrowhead or a case of poison ivy. Who could ever forget the eager fisherman at camp who put his prize catch into the camp refrigerator where it tainted the other foods stored there?
I also see another Michael, the one who always studied hard, ignoring his limitations, extending his reach beyond his grasp. Your academic reports from The Hill and from West Point were reflections of your hard work and of your dedication to learning. But perhaps the greatest tribute to your study was the knowledge you gained—not for the marks you would make, but for the sake of knowledge itself.
You began a new phase in your education in August of 1965 at Fort Benning. There, in the Ranger course, you were taught to synthesize academic knowledge, your limited experience, and common sense into an overall ability to fight and stay alive in a hostile environment. You worked hard at Benning, and you graduated confident in the knowledge that you were prepared for the future. Your future, five months in Vietnam with the 25th Infantry, although overshadowed by suffering, was nevertheless illuminating. You wrote home, telling us of the tragic inevitabilities of war that you had not fully anticipated, but reminding us that you were firmly committed to the justice of your and our country’s mission. There was some comfort, at the time of your death, in recalling how strongly you believed in the cause you fought and died for.
Although you never learned to play a musical instrument, you were always musically inclined. I can remember that your voice contributed a calm and beautiful tone to the choirs and glee clubs you sang with. How can I express the pride I always felt when I heard you sing in church on Sundays, and as I watched the people around us turn and look at you with admiration? You seemed to sing with your heart as well as your voice.
You were always the great traveler, roaming the world, searching and adding to your fund of knowledge. You brought back so many interesting stories of the new friends you met and the experiences you shared with them. We at home still feel the impact of your desire to erase the “ugly American” image abroad in the letters that come for you from places I never knew existed.
But your friends were not all from foreign lands. There are those here at home who keep your memory alive and often speak fondly of you. Many of them have contributed to a memorial fund in your name at The Hill School; many of our neighbors continue to pray for you.
There are also many tangible things to remind us of you. Tributes to your bravery and devotion are represented by the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star medals we proudly display on our bookshelves at home. An acknowledgement of your scholarly achievement is represented in the family library by the Herman Beukema Award which you received at graduation. Surrounding it are the books you won as prizes for scholarship throughout your school years. All attest to the learning you loved so much.
Thus ends my humble tribute to the brother I loved. Words can never fully describe the kind of man and brother you were. Mother and father send their love as do all in the family. In all of our prayers is the fervent wish that you have found the peach you so richly deserve.
With my love,
Your Sister, Linda
