THE WALL OF FACES

Mr. Bemis was my junior high science teacher. He was a man of exceptional kindness and integrity.

Lt Bemis and I served at Fort Lewis, Washington training new recruits. Earle was a bright handsome young man with a very positive mental attitude, great sense of humor and movie screen smile.

We served in the same unit for awhile before Earle was transferred to another unit which needed officers.

Many of our non commissioned officers, drill sergeants, had served in Vietnam. Earle told me that he volunteered for Vietnam. Earle left Fort Lewis for Vietnam before me. In July 1969 I left for Quang Ngai,Vietnam after advisor training.

I was hoping that I might see him. I often thought of Earle, wondered where he was and how he was doing.

I would love to hear more about him and the unit he served with in Vietnam.

It appears that he was killed before I left Fort Lewis. We lost a wonderful human being too soon with Earle's death in Vietnam.

DEAR LIEUTENANT BEMIS,
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A TRAINING OFFICER - GENERAL STAFF. . IT IS 2017, WHICH MAKES IT FAR TOO LONG FOR YOU TO HAVE BEEN GONE. WE APPRECIATE ALL YOU HAVE DONE, AND YOUR SACRIFICE. WATCH OVER THE U.S.A., IT STILL NEEDS YOUR COURAGE.. GOD BLESS YOU. MAY THE SAINTS AND ANGELS BE AT YOUR SIDE. REST IN PEACE.

Earle was a really nice guy. He was an officer at NGC. He introduced himself to me when he was a senior and I was a freshman serving my rat court punishment. He went to the same high school as I did and his little sister and my little sister were friends and classmates. Earle made my rat court punishment bearable and fun and many times we went to the chow hall for dinner and to the closed Dahlonega theatre because Earle had worked there before it closed and he had the key. He was a really good friend and very dear. He had a girlfriend that didn't treat him the way she should have. I didn't get to go to his funeral because he had been lying to his family about seeing me for a while when he was probably seeing his mean, unfaithful girlfriend and I couldn't tell his family that Earle had lied to them. God Bless Earle and his family.

Earle was a great guy. We were in nam together. When I came home went to work for Western Electric. His father was the chief Engineer I worked for and reported to.......... I could never bring my self to talk to his father about Earle. It was very hard for both of us... His father was a great man and Earle was too..... Sad that great guys like Earle had to go too soon.....