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A Tribute in Honor of: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sgt. Floyd Andrew Deal Narimasu High School, Class of '68 |
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SGT - Army - Regular 173rd Airborne Brigade 18 year old Single, Caucasian, Male Born on Jul 17 1950 From GLOBE, ARIZONA Length of service 1 year. His tour of duty began on Feb 03 1969 Casualty was on Apr 07 1969 in LAM DONG, SOUTH VIETNAM HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE Body was recovered Religion PROTESTANT Panel 27W - - Line 29 |
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Silver Star Recipient |
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Purple Heart Recipient |
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If you would like to add a memory or rememberance to Sgt. Floyd Deal's page, please send to: Linda Plummer or Keith Shaver and they will be added here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Rememberances and Memories....... | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
I will never forget that morning, I had my baseball uniform on walking out the front door going to play a double header. Up the walk came the General and the Chaplain. They asked me to go back inside, I refused, I knew then that the one person who loved me unconditionally was no longer in my life. Floyd was KIA. You see, I had to play ball that day, that's where Floyd would want me. When we were small and my dad would call and say he was coming to see us. I would wait all day but he would never show. I would cry and say dad doesn't love us. Floyd would take me by the hand and say, I love you. Lets go throw the ball around. Then there I was, in center field playing ball the way he taught me. The loneliest center fielder in the world, with tears in my eyes. When Margie Kaizawa and I went to Drake Hospital to talk to some of his platoon that were wounded, they told us a story, How they got caught in an ambush, some of Floyd's fellow soldiers were wounded. Floyd, being the corpsman, couldn't leave them there so he went back in. He didn't make it out. Floyd was selfless that way. There are many stories where I would get into trouble and Floyd was always there, always taking care of his little brother. He taught me so much about life. About defending myself. Most of all he taught me about courage and strength. For 30 years I carried with me a lot of anger, and resentment. I ended up in places where few would even read about. In those places I ran across many Viet Nam vets. They to had a void in them, an anger and fear they couldn't control. It was the dark side of life where we existed. The under belly. Those vets, like myself, had their innocence taken from them. Something we couldn't get back. The pain was very great. We shared that pain. Me talking about Floyd, them talking about their loved ones. Then something amazing happened on this journey. I was traveling down the East coast and I called my medicine woman and explained I had to go to the wall. She said "yes, its time". She came picked me up, along with her husband who was a vet himself. You see, I had put off going to the wall for along time. I used Floyd's death to act out in very selfish ways. It was time for me to ask for forgiveness. I will never forget that day. It was much like that day in center field. When I saw Floyd's name, the tears came, the pain came. and the healing came. While asking for forgiveness a calm came over me, like Floyd was smiling at me, like he touched me and said, "I love you little brother". It's been along hard journey. It's time to let it go. On the walk away from the Wall, I turned and looked back. I could see the whole Wall. All the names. In my selfishness I could now see that those names too, had brothers, sisters, children, mothers and fathers. I wasn't alone anymore. Floyd was a true warrior. He received the Silver Star. While thinking back on all those years of darkness, I couldn't get myself to admit that I love Floyd, and I miss him. Yet there is another part of this journey. Today Floyd has a nephew named after him. He is my son. Another warrior. A peace warrior. I will raise him the same way Floyd taught me. To stand for something or fall for everything. When you see those vets out there, who are homeless, or addicted to drugs. Remember. that they are human too need love also. Don't be to quick to turn away, for you see, one of them might have been Floyd. So because of Floyd, I am a better person today, this doesn't come from anger or hate, this tribute comes from sadness, and a place in my heart, called love. I love you Floyd, I miss you Floyd, thanx for being my big brother. Doug Deal '69 |
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We were on a family trip to DC, about three years ago. I made it a special part of our trip to pay my respects to Floyd and all of the other Vets we lost. This is a quest that all Americans should make at some point in their lives. Inside you have a feeling of trepidation but once you start the walk toward the wall your heart begins to feel as though the lives listed are watching you in gratitude that you care about them. There are huge directories that are in alphabetical order. The National Park service is there and they provide the pencils and rubbing forms. They will direct you to the panel but they stay back once you begin. It is a very personal experience. The silence is respectfully awesome and the sounds of the city are drowned out, even though you are outside. It is a sanctuary separate from the outside world around it. It is as though you become one with the Wall. It is an experience that every American should have even if they do not know anyone listed. I felt as though I could reach out and touch Floyd. Barb Meerdink Lucas '68 |
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I was a classmate and good friend of Floyd Deal. Floyd and his brother Doug came to NHS in my junior or senior year. He was a great friend and I have many fond memories of hanging with Floyd, Doug, Jeff Gorman, Kenny Fujimoto, Bruno Brown and many other friends. When I think of Floyd, it brings back memories of hanging out at their house in Mutsumidai (MAAG HOUSING), our many escapades in Ikebukuro, Suntory Beer Garden (those huge mugs), the teen club, eating lunch together with the gang at the NCO club, putting on boxing and gloves and sparring (Doug could box; I couldn't and almost got KO’d). All of us at NHS were greatly saddened when we heard that Floyd was killed in action. I have many more fond memories of Floyd but I can’t put them all down in text. Dean Uchino '68 |
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I really didn't know Floyd. I was new to N.H.S. and remember sitting across from him early on in Senior year. He enlisted and was gone. And then he was killed. By then Doug & I had become the best of friends so I saw closehand the effect this had on his whole family. Steve "Bruno" Brown '68 |
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