West Point Class of '72

A Heartfelt Letter of Appreciation

LTG (R) Glynn “Coach” Mallory passed on 20 February 2020 and his wife Linda sent this letter of appreciation to the Class of ’72 for the special presentation of the P & T Award.

Proud and True Award Presentation

Classmates,

What a privilege to visit with Glynn and Linda -- truly great Americans. Kathleen and I enjoyed a range of stories from Glynn as a Tac (said he always insured he clicked the taps on his shoes so the E2 cadets would have a fighting chance) to stories about their early days of courtship to stories about them reaching out to burn patients at BAMC to stories about their fights v. cancer (Linda finished her cancer treatments the week Glynn was diagnosed). They both are such models of dignity and optimistic grace.

The award was very meaningful to Glynn -- he expressed gratitude to our class and to his beloved E2. I have attached a few photos. As well, he joked about "how unusual for someone to give an award to a TAC!" We gave Linda some yellow roses from our class as well. She is a sweetheart!

In all seriousness, Kathleen and I were greatly blessed by this visit with Team Mallory. May God comfort, strengthen, guide, and console them in the difficult days ahead.

Proud & True,

Bob

Notice of Lee Barnes Passing - October 25th

From Chris LeBlanc: Class of -72, hit your knees....The Lord just took Lee Roy Barnes, Jr. home just a few minutes ago. The doctors were weaning him off the ventilator and it appears his heart just could not take it. He’s gone… Lee has now just met his father for the first time, back on the reservation. For those that might not be aware, Lee Roy Sr. (for the love of me now, I cannot remember his tribal name) was an American Soldier, too, and was lost during the Korean War. He is buried in Kansas.
I will let folks know when I can what decisions are made for burial. Lee's son Chris is not sure yet. Stand by for more news, and stand up for a great American and Soldier.
Lee was in A-1.

Lee Barnes - Biography

Lee Barnes joined the Army as an Armor Cavalry Second Lieutenant upon graduation from West Point in 1972; he retired at the rank of Colonel, in 1997.

His service included duty stations in Korea, Germany and United States. He served as a tank Platoon Leader, Headquarters Company Commander, Armored Cavalry Troop Commander, and Tank Battalion Commander (concurrently serving as the Tank Regiment Commander for the Opposing Forces at the National Training Center). His staff time included battalion personnel (S1and Adjutant), logistics (S4) and operations, planning, and training (Army National Guard Advisor, Battalion XO, Brigade S3 and XO, and Division G3). His final posting was as the Chief of the Advanced Concept Office for Army Forces Command.

Lee joined Mystech Associates, which joined Northrop Grumman Corporation through a series of mergers. Lee served as Subject Matter Expert, Business Area Manager, Department Director, National Account Manager, Business Development Manager, and finally, as the Corporate Lead Executive, Orlando, retiring in 2012.

Lee has served as an independent consultant, but chooses to remain RETIRED, except for his volunteer activities, fishing, golfing and grand parenting.

Lee initially volunteered in 2011, to help with the Camaraderie Foundation annual golf tournament, “Pars and Stripes Forever”. He was elected to the board of directors in January, 2013. He was elected as Programs Director in 2015, elected Vice Chair of the Board in 2017, as Chair in Jan 2018, and in Jan 2019, re-elected as Chair for an additional one-year term.

'72 Classmates in Orlando

Here is the picture of all 72 classmates at the Cape Canaveral National Cemetary-A1 plus Chris Le Blanc, Steve Main and Ben Martin.

Lee Roy was well remembered and honored by many friends and associates. Skip did a great job sharing some remembrance for A-1 and Chris did the same. Ann was very appreciative of the company turnout!

Classmates at Lee Barnes Funeral

Going around the table starting on the left are:
Chris LeBlanc; Tod Wilson; Murro Martens; Bill Guarino; Ray Idzior; Paul Oskvarek; Lee’s son Christopher; Skip Ash; Tom Waller; Steve Curtis; Tom Pawlowski; Steve Main

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Our Next Mini Reunion: It is Charleston in April of 2024

Next Stop: Charleston. That will be Sunday, April 21, 2024 thru Thursday, April 25, 2024!

Charleston, South Carolina has been named the top city for tourism in the US several times in the past few years, and it was named the top city to visit in the world by the readers of Travel + Leisure Magazine in 2016. So, it’s time for our Class to visit this city…

Charleston has a full menu of things to see and do. Speaking of menus, this is a definite destination for foodies, with shrimp, grits, and barbeque. Other than during the hot summers, the weather is pleasant. There are beaches, waterways, and forests in the surrounding area.

But it is its history that makes Charleston especially interesting. The city was founded in 1670, and quickly became the largest city in the South. Charleston is an excellent natural port, but the first settlers had to endure challenges that persist to this day: hurricanes, fires, and even the occasional earthquake. The first cash crops were rice and indigo, whose cultivation was greatly assisted by the knowledge of the slaves who were brought with the first English settlers. Gradually, Charleston became the main port for the export of cotton to England prior to the US Civil War, and was probably the richest city in the US at the time.

Charleston played a major role is both the American Revolution and the Civil War. The British seized Charleston in 1780, in the worst surrender of American forces in that entire conflict. But the British soon discovered the hornets’ nest of the surrounding area. They were constantly harassed by guerrillas led by Frances Marion, the Swamp Fox (the nearby national forest is named after him) until the war ended and the British departed. In response to this vulnerability of American port cities, as clearly shown in both the Revolution and the War of 1812, the US built a set of forts to protect the Atlantic seaboard, from Maine to Louisiana (built by graduates from a certain new school on the Hudson). One of those forts was Fort Sumter, just outside of Charleston. It was here, in April 1861, that the forces of the states that had just left the Union bombarded the fort to force its surrender. Despite that early victory, Charleston remained bottled up by the US Navy for the duration of the Civil War, and economic recovery was slow after the war. Ft. Sumter is now a National Monument, one of the premier sights in Charleston.

Charleston also honestly confronts the aspects of its history that are objectionable today: Antebellum Charleston was the largest slave market in the US. The Old Slave Mart Museum tells that story.

Charleston has many other sights related to military history: the first successful employment of a submarine in combat occurred here. The Confederate submarine, Hunley, sank the Union ship, Housatonic, in 1864, with an explosive on the end of a long pike. Unfortunately for the crew of the submarine, however, the shock waves from the explosion came back to the submarine and killed its eight-man crew. The sub sank and was recovered in 2000 and is now housed in a museum (in north Charleston) specially designed for it. The famous aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown (CV-6), which served from World War II to the recovery of Apollo astronauts, is berthed in Charleston at Patriot’s Point.

Charleston has preserved its history for us to take in. With its cobblestone streets, the city offers horse-drawn carriage rides through a variety of neighborhoods in the Historic District. One of those areas is Cabbage Row, which became the inspiration for Catfish Row in the story of Porgy and Bess, considered the greatest American opera. In the outskirts of the city are the plantations and gardens of the antebellum era. Beaches, wildlife (yes, alligators), dinner cruises, beautiful sunsets – these are all available for us to enjoy, so let’s all meet there in 2024!

West Point Class of 72

Proud and True 72