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Thomas Arthur Forman
No. 22138
Died in Columbia, SC
Cremated | | |
| | Thomas Arthur
Forman was born to Lloyd and Grayce Morgan in Glendale, CA. After Tom's parents
divorced, Grayce married Kenneth Forman, who adopted Tom and his brother, Gerry,
in 1948 and moved the family to Palms, CA, where they opened a small grocery store.
Tom and Gerry worked there.. After graduating from
29 Palms High School in 1953, Tom took the entrance exam to West Point, but did
not score high enough to get a Congressional appointment. He was tutored intensely
for one year, retook the test, passed, and joined the Class of 1958. His determination
to succeed was not only characteristic of Tom, but also was an indication of his
love and desire for West Point. Tom had a propensity
toward the Army and West Point, for he was the great-great-great grandson of George
W. Gardiner, Class of 1814, the first Commandant of Cadets at West Point during
1817-1818. He was killed during the Florida Indian War when Mjr. Francis Dade's
command was massacred in 1835.
Tom's heritage contributed to his fondness
to probe for weaknesses in the Tactical Department. His persistent efforts earned
him the privilege of walking the central and northern areas on many weekends.
Classmates quickly came to appreciate Tom's wit and skill in "beating the
system," such as when he acquired a wooden radio table from an upperclassman
that had a secret wire underneath that released the top to uncover a very small
TV that Tom had won in a Corps raffle. Tom created a phantom circuit from his
room to the orderly room, using the radiator system, which the CCQ triggered whenever
an inspecting officer entered the barracks. This scheme allowed Tom and his classmates
to watch the weekly episodes of "The West Point Story" without danger
of discovery. To add insult to injury, after graduation, Tom sent pictures of
this to his tactical officer, who was constantly harassed by his classmate as
a result. Classmates remember Tom for his subtle humor,
aggressiveness as Company G-2's intramural football lineman, and outspoken view
that the only fitting occupation for a West Point graduate was leading Infantry
troops. On graduation day, Tom married Madeline Dowd
of Thiells, NY, at the West Point Chapel. Two sons, Carl and Eric, were born of
this marriage. Tom initially was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division at Ft.
Bragg and moved with the 2d Airborne Battle Group, 503rd Infantry, when it deployed
to Okinawa in 1960. While in Okinawa, Tom was injured in a parachute accident
that resulted in constant, lifelong leg pain. In 1964, he returned to Ft. Benning
for the Career Course and was assigned to the 11th Air Assault Division that later
became the 1st Cavalry Division. Tom deployed with the division to Viet Nam in
1965, where he led a rifle company for six months through wild and interesting
soirees in the Central Highlands. He later served as an assistant brigade S3. After
a tour as Assistant Professor of Military Science at the University of Arizona-Tucson,
Tom returned to Viet Nam shortly after the Tet Offensive as Senior Advisor to
the South Vietnamese Army RF/PF training Center at Vung Tau. In 1969, he was assigned
as an instructor of the Military Advisor School at the JKF Center, Ft. Bragg.
In 1972, Tom left active duty. His awards include the Bronze Star Medal, Combat
Infantryman Badge, and the Meritorious Service Medal.
For a short period,
Tom became involved with real estate sales and development in Myrtle Beach, SC,
but after his marriage ended in divorce, he moved to Honolulu. Although plagued
with post-traumatic stress disorder and constant pain, Tom overcame alcoholism
and became an AA and Al Anon counselor. In 1985, he was diagnosed with cancer
associated with exposure to agent orange in Viet Nam and lost his larynx and half
of his tongue. Although he initially was given only a few months to live, his
personal fortitude carried him through many difficult battles with this disease
over the next eight years as the cancer continued to appear in different parts
of his body. Tom joined his classmates for the last time at the Viet Nam Memorial
on Veterans' Day in 1986. Though gaunt and frail, his loyalty to classmates, West
Point, and the Army was undimished. In 1988, Tom married
Alice Wakefield after an almost eight-year courtship and settled in "Rauha,"
their 4,800 sq. ft. retreat in Joshua Tree National Park. Isolated from the rest
of the world, they enjoyed their idyllic life together until Alice, also suffering
from cancer, passed away in 1990. Despite Tom's loss, his outlook on life improved.
He loved to observe nature. His son, Carl, remembers hiking with him in the mountains,
where Tom could always point out hidden creatures such as a fox, a deer in the
shadows, a rattler sleeping under a rock in the heat of the day, and the very
elusive bighorn sheep. Tom also enjoyed golfing with his brother Gerry, who lived
in nearby Los Angeles, and he maintained contact with many friends who noted his
serenity, appreciation of wildlife, and joy of living in the wilderness.
In 1993, Tom became increasingly frail and moved to Cheraw, SC, to be near his
sons, Carl and Eric, and their families. Though welcome in their homes, Tom preferred
to live independently and took an apartment nearby, where he tended to his garden.
He especially enjoyed the company of his five grandchildren and never lost his
highly developed sense of humor. Gerry, who visited him for the last time a few
months before he died, noted that Tom was at peace with life and with himself
and was very much in love with Maddy, his sons, and their families. Although too
ill to attend the Class of '58's 35th reunion, Tom managed to talk via phone to
his Company G-2 classmates who were at the reunion. A few weeks later, Tom died
at the Veterans Hospital in Columbia, SC. A memorial service in Cheraw, SC, was
attended by his family, friends, and classmates. Although
Tom was in pain, Eric states, "Dad yet seemed, in his clearer moments, to
be at peace with himself and with God. I hope heaven will appreciate his keen
wit. I envision him guarding the central and northern areas of Heaven, the way
he described his pranks and punishments at the Academy." One marvels at the
divine power that brings one such as Tom Forman to overcome the adversities of
life as he did. According to those closest to Tom during the final months of his
life, in the literal sense of 1 John 5:5, Tom has truly "overcome the world." |
