50th Company, OC 24-69 Infantry OCS
This is a repository for memorabilia collected by members of OC 24-69. For more info or to add to our site: info@oc2469.com
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A Company of Men
Written by Brian Walrath in 2015 as a tribute to my 50th Company classmates
Click here for audio: https://vimeo.com/416782906
The youngster sat by the old man’s side, for a time not a word was said.
Then he peered up at the weathered face and pondered the graying head.
“When you were in the Army, Gramps, was it during World War Two?”
“I’m not that old,” laughed Grandpa, “Though it might seem so to you.”
The memories came rushing back from some hidden reservoir,
Of a nation torn asunder by a far off foreign war.
“Still, it seems so very long ago when I wore my suit of green,
And I knew a company of men the likes I’d never seen.
“Duty in the military wasn’t what most fellows chose.
To be numbered in the ranks was rarer than you might suppose.
The ones who served the homeland were looked down upon with scorn.
More respect was shown to Woodstock than to those in uniform.
“No cheering crowds would send them off with waving flags and bands.
The crowds were chanting protests and flags burned across the land.
No long and fervent lines formed up outside recruiting stations.
T’was not the age that pundits dubbed the greatest generation.
“But what to call this Shakespeare’s few, where to search the dictionary?
If asked, they’d blush and grumble ‘we were just ordinary.’
Yet they heard their country beckon while the ordinary shrank.
They’ve an unsung sort of greatness worthy of the country’s thanks.
“I’m honored to be with them, this company of men.
Through nearly half a century I’ve not met their kind again.
The books don’t count them giants but they’re mighty big to me.
And when I stood among them, I was the tallest I’d ever be.”
Welcome / Current Events
1968: The Year It Started
1968: The Year It Started
- Announcements of upcoming events, records of 50th Company conference calls, and other information will be added as appropriate.
1968: The Year It Started
1968: The Year It Started
1968: The Year It Started
- A narrative of the political and cultural climate that lead to our enlistment in the Army and to OCS.
50th Company Directory
1968: The Year It Started
50th Company Directory
- A spreadsheet listing all the OC 24-69 graduates: Our lives today, Post-OCS Assignments, Diverse Careers, Memories of OCS.
Men Of 50th Company
50th Company Reunions
50th Company Directory
- A copy of the entire book which was handed out at the 2017 Fort Benning reunion
Blue Book
50th Company Reunions
50th Company Reunions
- Video of the entire 50thCompany Blue Book.
50th Company Reunions
50th Company Reunions
50th Company Reunions
- Videos, still pictures taken during all four reunions, and after action reports for all reunions.
Eulogies at the Wall
Arlington Wreath Ceremony
Arlington Wreath Ceremony
- Video with photos and narrated remarks in honor of Jim Dupont and Tom Edgren who were killed in action in Vietnam.
Arlington Wreath Ceremony
Arlington Wreath Ceremony
Arlington Wreath Ceremony
- Video of the 50th Company Wreath Laying Ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery during the 2019 Reunion.
OCS Memorial Dedication
Arlington Wreath Ceremony
OCS Memorial Dedication
- Video of the March 2018 50thCompany Memorial Dedication at the OCS Memorial Walk at Fort Benning, highlighted by Bill Yacola’s reading of “A Company of Men.”
OCS Photos/Stories
OCS Photos/Stories
OCS Photos/Stories
- Photos from the good old days at Benning’s School for boys, listed by platoon.
Where We Served
OCS Photos/Stories
OCS Photos/Stories
- Photos of our service in Vietnam, Korea, Germany, Iraq, and stateside.
In Memoriam
OCS Photos/Stories
Memorabilia/Links
- Remembrances and obituaries of classmates and cadre whom we have lost since graduation.
Memorabilia/Links
Life After OCS Stories
Memorabilia/Links
- Links to literary accomplishments of 50th Company classmates, as well as other OCS related websites.
Life After OCS Stories
Life After OCS Stories
Life After OCS Stories
- Videos recorded during the monthly “Shoot the Breeze” Zoom calls in which classmates recount their lives from the time 50thCompany graduated to today.
Comrades In Distress
Life After OCS Stories
Life After OCS Stories
- Information and resources to turn to for help on issues that might be pertinent to men of our age .
OCS Alumni Association
OCS Alumni Association
OCS Alumni Association
In 2019 the U. S. Army OCS Alumni Association opened a Heritage Center at Fort Benning to celebrate legacy of the more than 250,000 OCS graduates
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