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Thomas Arthur Forman
No. 22138
Died in Columbia, SC
Cremated |
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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."
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