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| Boyd
T. Bashore |
| NO.
17712 • 7 June 1925 - 17 May 2001 |
Died
in Falls Church,VA
Interred in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA
|
Boyd Truman Bashore truly
was a man for all seasons a soldier, student, author, family man,
jovial companion. He enjoyed tennis, golf, handball, skiing, scuba
diving, and especially boating. His soldiers and contemporaries
from the 2d Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, where he'd commanded
their renowned 2d Battalion "Wolfhounds" in Viet Nam,
admired LTC Bashore as a "bon vivant, host extraordinaire,
tactician, and theoretician," and respected his leadership
as he distinguished himself in battle and by his penetrating analysis
of those actions.
Born in Washington, DC, the son of a career Army officer, Boyd
had happy reminiscences of Maine, Hawaii, and Kentucky. Graduating
in 1943 from Manlius High School in Syracuse, NY, he enlisted in
the Army, attended Officer Candidate School, and became a member
of the 42d "Rainbow' Division. While at Amherst Prep School,
he won a presidential appointment to the Academy.
Called "BT” or "Tiger," he soon made himself
known. Roommate Ken Moll notes, "Boyd had been a paratrooper
second lieutenant before becoming a plebe. He loved to get up on
a table and yell 'Geronimo!, then jump off and do that shoulder
roll thing. The rest of us cadets were in awe of him."
Ken was startled when Plebe Boyd left the Academy without permission.
"He had a problem with a girl in New England and felt it necessary
to visit her. As soon as BT got to his destination, he sent a telegram
to the Commandant saying he had not deserted ... In a few days,
Boyd came back ready to face the music. He walked the area in all
types of weather for six months but never complained."
Two months before graduation, BT met Vassar student Judy Campbell
of Billings, MT. Judy soon learned of his Plebe year troubles and
adds, "That girl's father did not want his daughter to wait
four years and marry into the military. Her loss was certainly our
gain."
After his initial assignment to the 505th and 508th Regimental
Combat Team, they married in September 1951. Boyd and Judy trekked
to Ft. Benning and then to Mainz, Germany, where he commanded a
company in the 42d Armored Infantry Battalion. Two sons, Brian and
Steve, were born there. Boyd and Judy enjoyed many good times in
the popular Wiesbaden Air Force Club, singing along as classmate
Matt Henrikson played the piano for the group. BT`s roommate, Bolo
Brunson, sometimes visited from Belgium.
Returning to Ft. Benning, Boyd commanded a tank company and attended
the Advanced Course. Daughter Betsy arrived. Paul Braim recollected,
"Boyd has a certain distinction among our group; he had written
a story on airborne which was made into an RKO short subject, and
also a much praised article, 'Sword of Silk,' about the father of
airborne operations, German general Kurt Student."
BT foresaw international communist assaults in Southeast Asia
and the need for American assistance. During 1956-58, he was aide
to MG Joseph Harper, chief of MAAG Philippines. There, Judy and
Boyd enjoyed the friendship of classmate Eddie Ramos, later president
of the Philippines, and his wife, Ming. Sloshing through paddies
and jungles with Filipino troops, BT developed a model for counter
insurgency campaigns. His resultant article, "Dual Strategy
for Limited War," appeared in Military Review, May 1960, and
was republished in Franklin Osanka’s book, Modern Guerilla
Warfare.
BT attended CGSC in 1959, and daughter Laura joined the family.
He then joined the MAAG in Saigon to advise Vietnamese airborne
forces and train infantry. He helped develop America’s first
counter insurgency plan for the Vietnamese. Assigned to the Academy’s
history department during 1960-64, BT wrote “Soldiers in Tennis
Shoes.” It put a human face on the enemy in Viet Nam, as did
his popular elective course, "Revolutionary Warfare."
The birth of their youngest son, Charles, completed the family.
In 1964, the family went to Hawaii, where Boyd served with Headquarters,
USARPAC, then joined the 25th Division in Viet Nam. Boyd entered
combat in Viet Nam in 1966, earning a Legion of Merit, two Bronze
Stars, and five Air Medals. Headquarters, 25th Infantry Division,
was in a Cu Chi field, the same place used by Vietnamese airborne
as a drop zone into which Boyd jumped as an advisor in 1961. The
area contained a great network of tunnels and a VC headquarters.
BT’s classmate, Andy Rutherford, recalls: "I worked very
closely with Boyd in Viet Nam. As the Hau Nghia province advisor,
I accompanied Boyd on all his operations in the province. I was
mouth agape witnessing him direct the operation, like playing a
perfect piece on the piano." Upon his return from Viet Nam,
Boyd served with Headquarters, CINCPAC.
Boyd returned in 1967 as a colonel to the Army War College, then
to Pentagon duty with Army Research & Development, and later
with the Chief of Staff’s office. His expertise was in demand,
but he found time to begin writing a comprehensive private manuscript
on the Viet Nam War. Though never published, it became a treasure
of facts and a strong rebuttal against leftist fictions. Boyd retired
in July 1971, receiving a second Legion of Merit. The seven Bashores
then boarded their classic 72 foot yacht, Wampeter, for a wonderful
six week trip to the Bahamas.
BT subsequently worked as a volunteer with the Counsel on DC Affairs,
Chesapeake Bay Yacht Club Association, and Southwest Waterfront
Redevelopment. BT joined the office of classmate Jack Murphy, chairman
of the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee, and also worked
on the Coast Guard and Maritime Subcommittee, and later with the
Office of Coastal Zone Management, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric
Administration.
Around 1981, Boyd began to suffer from Binswanger’s Disease,
beginning 20 years of advancing debilitation. He endured this rare
illness with his trademark patience and good humor. Throughout his
distinguished career and adventurous life, he was a fun loving,
kind, and wonderful husband and father. Family gatherings still
feel his presence. Judy sums it up: "We had it all."
- Judy with classmates
|
USMA 1950