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William David Day
No. 21837
Died in Walter Reed General Hospital
Washington, D.C.
Interment:
West Point Cemetery
West Point, NY | |
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Captain Wayne David Day passed away on 11 March 1966
at Walter Reed Army Hospital, stricken in the prime of life by the same fatal
illness that had taken both his parents scarcely five years before. He rests today
in a beautiful spot--and in excellent company--near the Old Cadet Chapel at West
Point. Wayne was born on 3 November 1933 in Lima,
Ohio, and spent all of his pre-cadet years in Muncie, Indiana. As a boy, he was
sensitive and rather shy, by nature introspective, but with a definite strength
of character which cadet life brought into full focus. He was a well coordinated
athlete and, during his school years, he excelled in basketball, baseball, and
softball. He was always self-demanding and had little tolerance for the man who
would not give his all to accomplish any task at hand. Prior
to entering the Military Academy in 1954, he attended Purdue University and Ball
State Teachers College. Since he entered in what could have been his junior year
in college, adjustment to the regimented plebe life was not easy, and civilian
life appeared quite tempting. Some deep soul searching overcame his doubts, however,
and West Point must be acknowledged as the catalyst that molded Wayne's many fine
attributes--some of them latent--into the characteristics of a dedicated professional
soldier. His classmates knew him as a perceptive young man, impatient with inefficiency
and wasted effort, yet one whose quick wit and ready laugh could make him the
life of the party. Although some might well have misunderstood Wayne's seriousness,
his friends knew that it masked a warm, sympathetic personality.
At graduation,
Wayne was commissioned an Armor officer. After completing the Basic Course at
Fort Knox, he was assigned to the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Europe where
he held positions as platoon leader and S3 Air. When he returned to the States
in 1961, Wayne chose to join the Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg and acquired
the highly specialized skills that led to an assignment in Laos with a Special
Forces Team. He earned the Combat Infantry Badge on this tour of duty.
From Laos, Wayne returned to Fort Knox for the Armor Career
Course which was followed by another overseas tour, this time with the 3/64th
Armor in Schweinfurt, Germany. Initially, he was battalion S3, and later he commanded
Headquarters Company. One of my fondest and most poignant memories is the change
of command ceremony incident to my departure from my battalion in September, 1964.
I was privileged on that occasion to have Wayne participate as the Commander of
Troops.
In 1965, Wayne was chosen by his Armor
Branch to be the American exchange student at the British Royal Armored Corps
School in Bovington, England. He had just reported to that very choice assignment
when he fell ill. Wayne met Virginia, the girl who
was to be his wife, during his first tour in Europe, and they were married in
Muncie, Indiana, in August, 1961. Two beautiful children, Julie and Wayne David,
Jr., were born of that union. A true Army wife, Virginia endured the trials of
separation, the many dislocations, and the temporary homes. She never left his
side during his fatal illness. She now lives with the children in Boston, Massachusetts,
and has assumed the role of the head of the house with a competence that would
have made Wayne extremely proud.
The illness that struck Wayne down was
as sudden as it was difficult to comprehend, but he never gave up. Prior to the
operation that took his life, he asked if we knew what was to come. When we said
we did, he relaxed, assured that all that could be done, would be done. There
were no complaints, ever.
Where he rests today, the vigor and youth of
countless young men in gray will provide a living memorial to those ideals by
which he so earnestly sought to live. His family and his friends miss him, and
there will be a void, never to be filled, but bridged always by fond memories
of an outstanding soldier, an uncommon man, and a loving husband and father. We
are all proud in our sadness that he could have accomplished so much in such a
short time. The "Alma Mater" says it so well: "Well done, be thou
at peace." Every man is bound to do something
before he dies. If it be that to which he is called, then death is but a sleep.
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