Memorial Day- Gary Steven Kadetz

In honor of memorial day I wanted to remember our fallen Kadetz. Here is the bio of Gary Steven Kadetz provided by west-point.org For eulogies on west-point click here.

Gary Steven Kadetz Cullum: 25877 Class: '65 Cadet Company: B1 Date of Birth: June 24, 1943 Date of Death: May 19, 1966 Age: 22 years, 11 months and 25 days young Killed in action, Vietnam, 19 May 1966. Interment: New York, New York THE 1ST BATFALION, 8th Artillery, held memorial services at Cu Chi, Vietnam for Second Lieutenant Gary S. Kadetz. Lieutenant Kadetz was killed on 19 May 1966 by enemy fire during Operation “Wahiawa” while acting as a forward observer with Company A, 2d Battalion, 27th Infantry. The service, conducted by Rabbi Greenspan from Saigon, began at 10:00 a.m. and was attended by 125 men who had known and respected Lieutenant Kadetz. Major General Fred C. Weyand, Division Commander, Brigadier General Edward H. de Saussure, Assistant Division Commander ( Support), and Lieutenant Colonel James W. Cannon, Battalion Commander, were among those present. Gary Kadetz was born on 24 June 1943 in Brooklyn, New York. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Norma, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Phil Kadetz. When he first entered West Point in the summer of 1961, his name “New Cadet Kadetz” gave him more attention than he deserved. It was his first military experience, though, so it took a “normal” adjustment period before he became a good plebe. Classmates always remembered his determination during Beast Barracks to make it through, no matter how tough it was. He was a constant source of encouragement to his classmates. Even through the toughest times as a cadet, e.g., Beast Barracks and Plebe Year, he was never reluctant to show friendliness and a smile to his classmates and even the upper class. We remember well the difficulty Gary had in learning Russian because of his Long Island accent. But as was typical of him, he overcame this problem and eventually even enrolled in advanced Russian courses. He also volunteered to fight in the Yearling Open boxing tournament at Camp Buckner in the tough heavyweight division. He lost in a close match, but it was not because he quit— as usual, he gave it all he had. Gary was very active in football as a lineman for four years, participated in track as a shot putter, belonged to the Russian Club, and was an active member of the Jewish Choir. One particular asset Gary had was perseverance; he never would quit, no matter what. We can still recall the beatings he would take as a third team lineman taking on the first team in football to better prepare them for the big game the following Saturday. Not once would he complain or quit! He was admired by all who knew him for this noble trait. There was no doubt that Gary cared for his classmates. He was always willing to do more than his share of company duties as a plebe. Even as an upperciass cadet, he continued to assist his friends and classmates in academics, as well as in setting them up with some very attractive “drags” from New York City. We can still remember how happy and satisfied he was at both recognition and graduation. Although not the most gifted cadet, he was certainly one of the most determined to succeed and he did! Gary became a member of The Long Gray Line on 3 June 1965, graduating in the second third of his class. Gary enjoyed discussing the virtues of duty, honor, and country. He could win just about everyone over to his way of thinking on this very important subject. His integrity was impeccable! His parents lived in Queens, Long Island while he was a cadet, and they really made his friends feel at home when we visited. They are special people, as Gary was. Gary Kadetz's desire to follow the “sound of the guns” was no accident. He was very patriotic and felt strongly that it was his duty to fight if our Nation was engaged in a conflict. He felt pride in defending our freedom and in preserving the freedom of other nations like South Vietnam. In doing this, Gary made the ultimate sacrifice— he gave his life for his country! —Classmate, Joseph P. Koz