Robert Marshall Alber
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Supreme Sacrifice, Extraordinary Service: Profiles of SDSU Military Alumni by Robert Fikes, Jr., Librarian San Diego State University San Diego, CA: San Diego State University Library and Information Access, 2014 Contents Preface…...…………………………………………….1 SDSU War Memorial Profiles……………………….3 World War II…………………………………..……4 Korean War……………………………………….66 Vietnam War………………………………………76 Iraq & Afghanistan..………………………….……100 Non-Combat Casualties…………….…….………103 Generals & Admirals………………………………112 Outstanding Aztecs………………………………. 133 SDSU Military Benchmarks……………….……..157 War Memorial Statistics……………….…….……163 References……………………………………….....164 1 Preface This tribute to San Diego State University’s military alumni started out as one of three sabbatical projects in the fall of 2005 and was intended to be a survey of the school’s contributions to the nation’s armed forces. The inspiration for attempting this occurred several years earlier when a colleague informed me of letters written by former students serving in the military during World War II to Dr. Lauren Post (right), a popular geography professor and football coach. Post’s brainchild was a newsletter, the only one of its kind in the nation,that was distributed worldwide and kept this group of alumni in contact with one another and with those left behind on the home front. It is the often poignant, deliberately understated experiences told in the letters by young men and women, many of whom soon perished, that demands a retelling to this and future generations. Early in the project, I began to investigate the lives of a few of the fallen heroes listed on the university’s war monument in order to have some examples to cite in an essay, but as I looked closely at the abbreviated life of one deceased person after another the more I was fascinated with each of them as individuals. The feeling was heightened each time I came upon something someone had said about one of them or something profound they themselves had said or written and, the most emotionally jarring experience of all, when I came upon a photo---then suddenly, in a sense, they were not really deceased. It did not take long to come to the realization that each person on the monument had lived an interesting life and that not just a few, but every individual on the monument deserved a profile that could be read by anyone who cared to know more than merely the spelling of a strange name etched in granite, who desired to feel more of a connection to those who had given their lives in defense of the nation in three major wars. The discovery that some errors and omissions had occurred in qualifying names for the monument does not detract from personal stories recounted here that reflect on deeper issues of life, death, and purpose. And in the big picture there is much more to be said about SDSU’s contribution to the nation’s defense and this is highlighted in sections profiling military top brass and other men and women of exceptional accomplishment--- all the sons and daughters of a proud alma mater. The university is indebted to alumni who for decades sought to have a more prominent place on campus for a war memorial, in particular members of the War Memorial Committee who raised funds; saw to fruition the erection of a handsome three-sided obelisk (the jagged, broken top symbolizes untimely deaths) designed by art professor Jesus “Jess” Dominguez (left); and who have faithfully lead the university in commemorating those brave souls who made the supreme sacrifice to preserve our freedoms. Robert Fikes, Jr. 2 San Diego State University War Memorial Dedicated: November 23, 1996 Artist/Designer: Jesus Y. Dominguez 1996 War Memorial Committee: Chet DeVore (‘41), Bob Cozens (‘42), Jess Dominguez, Tony Fulton, Ish Galligan (‘43), Tony Ghio (‘43), Myrna Hall, (Harry Hodgetts (‘41), Wilbur Kelley (‘38), Bob Menke (‘43), Ed Moore ((‘43), Tricia Moulton, Lois Roberts (‘43), Joe Suozzo (‘43). 3 SDSU War Memorial Profiles The one thing that came across clearly in those letters to Prof. Post was a genuine affection for San Diego State, a place often described in idyllic terms. During World War II, an era when school spirit was at its peak, a sense of unity prompted a rapidly dwindling student body to organize fundraisers, letter writing campaigns, and to maintain an enormous bulletin board with photos of servicemen---an impressive manifestation of their concern for former students-turned-soldiers---and a host of other patriotic activities in support of the war effort. With a campus population of roughly 2,000 it was much easier then to have personally known many of the young men and women who were put in harm’s way. It is estimated that more than 3,500 students had served in the armed forces by the close of 1945. A few even saw combat in Europe in the RAF and in Asia with the Flying Tigers before the United States officially entered the war following the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, another battleground where several more of our former students fought and died heroically. Many veterans returned to school in the post-war period but nearly a hundred were killed in action on four continents and were laid to rest in cemeteries around the globe. From the late 1940s through the 1950s enrollment grew tremendously and by the middle of the decade a second war memorial plaque honoring Korean War alumni had been placed alongside a much larger WWII plaque at Hardy Tower. Eventually, as the campus expanded by leaps and bounds with new buildings and a much larger and more diverse student population, and in the wake of the politically polarizing war in Vietnam, the desire for a more conspicuous location to honor fallen soldiers was reignited. The SDSU War Memorial, dedicated in 1996, lists not only the names of alumni killed on the front lines but also those who died mostly in accidents both here and abroad while on active duty. In this section misspelled names on the plaques and the monument are corrected and problems regarding the inclusion of several names are noted. 4 World War II John Edward Abbott Jr. Capt. John E. Abbott Jr., age 25 and a resident of Lemon Grove, graduated from Grossmont Union High School and attended San Diego State from 1937 to 1938 where he pledged Tau Delta Chi fraternity. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1943. As a cadet lieutenant he participated in basketball, cross country, and soccer. John served in the 35th Infantry Division and was killed in France on January 5, 1945 during the Battle of the Bulge. He was the commanding officer of Company K. In his book In This Faraway Land (1971), author and former Arkansas governor Orval E. Faubus, who also served with John, recalled this stunning tribute to his fallen comrade: "Capt. Abbott’s men respected him highly. It was related to me that they were so affected by his death that they ‘advanced as one’ in marching fire and overcame the enemy opposition." John was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service and the Silver Star for “conspicuous gallantry in action.” He was buried in Ft. Rosecrans National Cemetery. Raymond Lawrence Adair Born in the state of Washington but later a resident of Beverly Hills in Los Angeles County, Lt. Raymond L. Adair, age 24, was senior class president at Hoover High, manager of the debate team, and president of the Hoover Senators. In his high school year book he announced his intention to attend SDSU and the University of Chicago. At San Diego State he was on the freshman football team in 1937 and in 1939 was a member of Sigma Lambda fraternity. He was also general manager of the Aztec Radio Guild, had married his sweetheart, Claudia, and was studying to become a lawyer when war broke out. Wanting to avoid the infantry, he went to Canada to join the Royal Flying Corps. Raymond fought in the Northern Pacific with the 8th Air Force, 36th Bombardment Squadron, and was decorated for his service there. But on August 29, 5 1942 he was reported missing in action. The B-17 Flying Fortress he piloted went down somewhere in the Aleutian Islands. Today his service to the nation is honored at the Memorial to the Missing in Anchorage, Alaska. Herman H. Addleson Serving in the 101st Paratroop Division, Pvt. Herman H. Addleson died in Normandy, France on D-Day on his first and last jump mission in Europe. A 1941 graduate, he was in the choir, on the cross country running team, and was known by many as the guy who sold cokes at San Diego State’s basketball games. His letter to Prof. Post recounting his departure for the warfront is both memorable and poignant, to say the least. He wrote: “We are now on the boat, destination unknown. You heard how tough the paratroopers are. What you don’t know is how these same men felt as we boarded the ship and left the soil of the U.S.A. From the Staten Island Ferry to the boat was something to witness. First we joked and kidded as we passed the familiar signs, Maxwell House Coffee, etc. and then that thing stopped the crowd. It was the Statue of Liberty. Tough guys had tears in their eyes, many stood gazing with open mouths, and many a heart was in one’s mouth….Then as though some giant was pushing us away, the New York skyline disappeared. Then we all leaned back and thought of what we left behind and what we are fighting for.” In 2006, Charles Wax of Rancho Santa Fe posted on the In ternet: “I’ve visited his grave at Normandy.