4.
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Please
be seated
5. SIGNIFICANCE AND PURPOSE
My
name is Bill Schwartz and I’m a proud member of the US Military Academy Class
of 1959. I'm honored, on behalf of my classmates, to welcome each of you to a
very unique Memorial Ceremony. The first of its kind. The purpose of the
Ceremony is to honor seven of our Ranger classmates who were killed in action in
Vietnam, and an eighth classmate who drowned while in Ranger Training, by
dedicating Memorial Bricks for each fallen Ranger and a class inscription on a
Friends of the Rangers Stone. It is absolutely fitting that this Ceremony take
place here at the US Army Ranger Memorial, which honors all fallen Ranger
comrades.
I
will read the names of each of our fallen Ranger classmates, not formally, but
the names that we as their friends and classmates, and company mates, and
roommates knew them by.
Clay
Fannin:
Infantryman
and Aviator.
Initially served
with 4th
Aviation
Company, 4th Infantry Division. Killed in Action on 10 January 1963, age 25,
while flying a Mohawk for 23d Aviation Special Warfare Detachment, with rank of
1st Lieutenant.
Frank
Gercz:
Infantryman.
Served with 1st Battle Group, 501st Airborne, 101st Airborne Division and 10th
Special Forces Group in Germany. Killed in Action on his birthday on 25
January1968, age 31) while serving as G-5, 1st Infantry Division) with rank of Major.
Dick
Jordan:
Artilleryman
and Aviator. Served with 82nd Aviation Battalion, 82nd Division and
1st Infantry Division. Killed in Action on 22 October 1965, age 29, while
serving as Battery Commander of “D” Battery, 1st Battalion, 5th Artillery
1st Infantry Division) with rank of Captain.
Roger
Quinn:
Cavalryman.
Served with 3d Cavalry; 9th Cavalry; 3d Battalion, 70th Armor; in Vietnam
initially with the 11th Cavalry. Killed in Action 3 April, 1968, age 30, while
serving as S-3, Cav, 9th Infantry Division, with rank of Major.
Larry Shuck:
Armor.
Died of drowning in a Ranger School training exercise, 27 January 1960, age 22,
Second Lieutenant.
Bill
Train:
Infantryman
like his father. Served with 1st Cay Division in Korea and 3d Infantry Regiment.
Killed in Action 16 June 1962, while serving as a MACV Advisor, age 24, 1st
Lieutenant.
Buse
Tullev:
Infantryman.
Served with 18th Infantry 3rd Infantry Division, 505th Airborne
Infantry Regiment, 8th Infantry Division; 11th Air Assault Division2
and the 1st Battalion 5th Cay, 1st Cav Division(Ambl) in Vietnam. Killed in Action, 2 March
1969 while serving as S-3, 4th Battalion, 3d Infantry, Americal Division, age
32, Major.
Rocky
Versace:
Armor.
Served with 3d Battalion, Armor, Korea and 3rd Infantry Regiment. Executed by
his Viet Cong captors on or about 26 September 1965, after service as a Province
intelligence advisor, MACV, age 29, with rank of Captain. Rocky will be
posthumously inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame this afternoon at 1630.
6. INVOCATION
Chaplain
Scott Crossfield, 3rd
Battalion, 75th Ranger
Regiment will give the
Invocation.
7. WELCOME
A.
Before proceeding with the Ceremony I’d like to welcome our guests.
B.
First, I’d like to especially acknowledge the presence of LTG William Train
and Mrs. Train, Bill Train’s parents, for coming here today from California.
General Train is 92 years young and is certainly a role model for us on how to
gracefully handle the ageing process.
C.
Second I’d like to extend a very special welcome to the next of kin of our
fallen Ranger classmates, who have traveled here from around the country, to be
present at this Ceremony. All the families with the exception of those of Larry
Shuck arc present. Its particularly heart warming to note the presence of so
many of our fallen classmate's children; children who barely got a chance to
know their fathers.
8. INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS
A. We have a number of Ft. Benning Active Army guests:
(1)
MG John LeMoyne, Commander USAIC
(2)
COL Hazen Baron—Commander, Ranger Training Brigade
(3)
LTC Brian Stephenson—Deputy Commander, 75th
Ranger Regt
(4)
LTC Clarence Chinn, Commander, 4th
Ranger Training Battalion
(5)
LTC Mark Johnstone, Commander, 6th Ranger
Training Battalion
(6)
LTC James Nixon, Commander, 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regt
(7)
CSM Michaci Kelso Command Sergeant Major, Ranger Training
Brigade
(8)
CSM Walter Rakow, command Sergeant Major, 75th Ranger Regt
B.
We are also pleased to have with us representatives of various Ranger Organizations:
(1)
MG Kenneth Leuer, President, Ranger Memorial Foundation. We appreciate
your support and assistance in making this Ceremony a reality.
(2)
COL Ralph Puckett, Ranger Memorial Foundation and
Ranger Hall of Fame Committee
(3)
Minor Kelso, President, Ranger Infantry Companies(Airborne)
(4)
Jim Grimshaw, President, US Army Ranger Association
C.
I also want to acknowledge the presence of our classmates, their wives
and families, as well as officers of the various Ranger organizations. I also want
to thank Tom Humphus Vice President of the US Army Ranger Association for
raising the idea of memorializing our classmates at the Ranger Memorial and who
then assisted us in specifically identifying which of our 15 classmates killed
in action in Vietnam were Rangers.
D.
Finally I’d like to extend our thanks to the US Army Infantry Center
staff; particularly Cliff Davis, Director of Ceremonies; the 75th Ranger
Regiment and the Ranger Training Brigade, for supporting this Ceremony. And I
particularly want to extend our deepest thanks to our classmate Bill Luther who
devoted an extensive amount of time
and effort coordinating and executing the details of this Ceremony. Bill’s
wife Carol saw so little of him that she starred checking his ID card to make
certain it was indeed her husband. I’ll now ask Bill to introduce our Keynote
Speaker, Fred Franks. Bill-
9.
KEYNOTE
ADDRESS
A.
Fred Franks Introduction
Our
principal Speaker, General Fred Franks, is a classmate whose life epitomizes the
words Duty, Honor and Country. Over his 36 year career, Fred Franks commanded
Armored Cavalry units from platoon through Regiment. In Vietnam, Fred served in
combat as S-3, 2nd Squadron, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment from August 1969
until being medically evacuated to Valley Forge General Hospital in May 1970
after being wounded in action in Cambodia.
He
also commanded Seventh Army Training Command, 1st Armored Division and Vii Corps
in Germany. As VII Corps Commanding General, Genera! Franks commanded the US and
British forces of VII Corps during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in
the main ground attack that liberated Kuwait in February 1991. He concluded his
active service as Commanding General Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) from
1991-1994, responsible for the U. S. Army’s school system and for formulating
concepts and requirements for future land warfare.
Other
key assignments were as the Deputy Commandant, U. S. Army Command and General
Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas (85-87), and as the first
J-7, Director of Plans and Interoperability, on the Joint Staff in
Washington D.C.
Fred
has received numerous military awards for service, four awards for valor, and
two Purple Hearts as well as individual decorations and awards from foreign
governments. In May of this year, the Association of Graduates of the US
Military Academy named him a Distinguished Graduate of West Point.
Since
active Army retirement, General Franks collaborated with Tom Clancy on a book,
into the Storm, a Study in Command. He is the visiting Chair in the Center for
Professional Military Ethic at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
He also works in the U. S. Army Battle Command Training Program, teaching battle
command to senior tactical commanders and staffs in seminars and simulated war
games. He has written for magazine publication on battle command, works as a
consultant, serves on a corporate Board, and teaches battle command at military
schools in the United States and United Kingdom. General Franks also serves on
the Board of Trustees of USMA and as Chairman of the Board of Vii Corps Desert
Storm Veterans Association, a non profit organization devoted to assisting VTI
Corps Desert Storm veterans and next of kin.
It is my privilege to present to you our esteemed classmate General Fred
Franks.
General
Franks' SPEECH
10. PRESENTATION
OF RANGER MEMORIAL PRINTS
(Fred
Franks assisted by Bill Luther)
A.
Fannin Family (3)
B.
Gercz Family (4)
C. Jordan Family (3)
D. Quinn Family (5)
E.
Train Family (2)
F.
Tully Family (2)
G.
Versace Family (2)
11. TAPS
Please
rise for the playing of Taps
12. BENEDICTION
Chaplain
Crossfield
13. CLOSING REMARKS
The war we fought was a long time ago but,
like the images of our fallen Ranger classmates, it is
fresh in our minds. The classmates we honored today believed deeply in the creed
of Duty and Honor and Country. And we are proud, so very proud,
to be their brothers.
Following
the Ceremony,
classmates and next of kin and their friends, are invited to the Ft. Benning
Officers Club for a reception.
14.
AMAZING GRACE
Senior
Airman Sperling, sound the bagpipes
15. RETIRE THE COLORS
Ladies
and Gentlemen, please remain standing for the retiring of our colors and the
playing of the Army Song.
This
concludes the Ceremony. Please proceed to the Entrance of the Memorial for the
Unveiling of the Memorial Stones
16. UNVEILING
OF THE STONES
The
Memorial Stones for
our fallen
Ranger classmates are here in Row 50. Unlike the other memorial stones that you
see at the Ranger Memorial, each stone for our fallen classmates is placed so
that they touch each other.