John Hunt Truesdale – Major, United States Army

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John Hunt Truesdale, Number 17809

January 09, 1927 – January 28, 1967
Died 28 January 1967 in a bus accident near Reno, Nevada, aged 40 years.
Interment:  Arlington National Cemetery

jhtruesdale-usma01 My son, John Truesdale, and his beloved wife, Glory Dischert Truesdale, were killed in a bus accident with several others on 28 January 1967 while on a skiing holiday. He had returned from duty in Vietnam in November 1966 and was stationed at Fort Ord, California, at the time of his death.

A memorial service was held at Fort Ord and at Arlington National Cemetery where he and his wife were interred.

No greater tribute could be paid to John's memory than the thoughts expressed by his friend and fellow officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rex Beasley, in the words quoted below.

“John was thoroughly devoted to the highest ideals of his profession. Infantryman, paratrooper, special forces officer; these military speciaties which he held place him in the elite vanguard of those who serve in the defense of our country. His service in Vietnam in 1966 with the Special Forces (Green Beret) included duty in such now famous outposts as Khe Sanh and An Khe, for which service in action he received the Bronze Star Medal.”

John's compassionate and unselfish interest in his fellow man constituted the primary motivating element in his life. Unbounded enthusiasm, a wonderful zestiness and spontaneity, charged the atmosphere of John's activities both at work and at play. John's versatility and natural leadership made him welcome in any endeavor. Whether on the drill field or the tennis court, his desire to express perfection gained and merited our admiration.

Another fundamental and significant aspect of John's experience was his devotion to his religion. A practicing Christian Scientist, he served his church wherever he was assigned. Appointed by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston,  Massachusetts, to serve as a Christian Science Representative in the Armed Services, John gave liberally of his off-duty hours in this important work. Counseling servicemen of his faith, assisting with denominational services where these were authorized, and giving prayerful assistance to those requesting it, John carried the banner of our Christian ethic no less effectively than he carried the shield and weapons of our country's defense. During a period of two years in Seoul, Korea, he made a significant contribution to the establishment and growth of a new church in that city, thus expanding the availability of Christianity in that important nation.

John's exuberance and conscious optimism are a continuing inspiration to those who knew him and served with him. His faith that right will prevail, his devotion to country and mankind, and his example of joyful perseverance are permanent contributions to the legacy of “The Long Gray Line.”

John was one of those rare persons whose warmth, enthusiasm, and genuine interest in all good things made him a wonderful guy just to have around. Your interests were his interests; he was a thoroughly comfortable friend. He epitomized the words of Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, wherein she writes: “To live and let live, without clamor for distinction of recognition; to wait on divine Love; to write truth first on the tablet of one's own heart – this is the sanity and perfection of living, and my human ideal.”

John is survived by his father of Richmond, Virginia, two sisters and two brothers. Glory Truesdale is survived by her parents, Mr. and Mrs. George J. Dischert of Moorestown, New Jersey, and two brothers.

– Cavour L. Truesdale

TRUESDALE, JOHN H

  • MAJ   US ARMY
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 01/09/1927
  • DATE OF DEATH: 01/28/1967
  • BURIED AT: SECTION 13  SITE 16246
  • ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY

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