Thomas Franklin Eynon III was born to Tom Jr. and Sarah Lentz on May 28, 1938 in Scranton, PA. He had a conventional upbringing for the times and did well in academics and sports, playing center on a regional championship football team at Clarks Summit High School. In part because Tom had three brothers, his father encouraged him to apply for West Point. He did and succeeded, graduating in the top third of his class. While wrestling as a firstie, he was injured during pre-season and became an assistant coach for the plebe team, which won the Eastern Invitational Freshman Meet. At the same time, he began teaching Sunday School and tutoring younger cadets. It was during his cadet days that Tom experienced a profound spiritual awakening. It was this transformation that gave a completely new meaning to his life and his life’s direction.
Tom chose Infantry as his branch and successfully completed Airborne and Ranger schools at Fort Benning, GA. But, more importantly, that is where he met his “Georgia Peach,” Carolyn. They were married in 1963. Fifteen months on the front lines in Korea followed. When an American officer was attacked at Panmunjom on the DMZ, Tom was given the responsibility of forming a special damage control platoon to ensure that it never happened again. It didn’t.
Then came fixed wing flight school, followed by a transition into helicopters, for which he became an instructor and standardization pilot. Vietnam was heating up, so off he went to war. It sounded glamorous until the first day with his combat unit, A Troop, 1-9th Cav. They lost a man that day, and war was never to be seen as sport again. Tom led various units during his two tours, both abbreviated by injuries, earning him the Purple Heart. He was also shot down twice. Experiences were many, but possibly the most harrowing took place one moonlit night. Tom’s regimental commander had secured an area on the upper slope of a mountain with one rifle company. The Viet Cong had discovered this and were forming their regiment to take out the command outpost. Tom was assigned the job of thwarting the attack. He took two “Huey” gunships in the dead of night and flew blind to the area where he believed the enemy regiment was assembling for their attack. He wound up flying directly over the area, drawing tremendous fire from the ground below. He and his ship not only survived, but, with his wingman, Tom was able to repeatedly strafe the area until ammunition was exhausted. The Viet Cong attack never materialized.
After that assignment and while stationed at Fort Rucker, AL, Tom was offered the command of a new Cheyenne helicopter unit. This was an assignment any pilot would covet; however, Tom felt a call to Christian ministry, so he turned this exciting offer down to join a Christian ministry founded in the U.S. military called “The Navigators.” Years later Tom was informed that when the first crew took the Cheyenne up for its maiden voyage there was a malfunction, and the “bird” came apart in midair. There were no survivors! Tom would have been on that first flight if he had taken that assignment!
After resigning his commission in 1969, Tom, Carolyn and their two sons, Brent and Deryk, headed to Taiwan as missionaries with the Navigators, learning mandarin Chinese and reaching out to one quarter of the world’s population with the life-changing message that had so radically impacted his own so long ago. On furlough Tom obtained a master’s in Biblical studies from Dallas Theological Seminary. From there, they served in mainland China, pastoring secret Christians in the house churches and leading the first team into Russia for the CoMission, bringing their message to all who would receive it. All this just because of that one momentous decision back at West Point.
In 1989 the Iron Curtain fell, and the Russian Ministry of Education approached the leadership of the U.S. Biblical Christian movement to send leaders to teach morals and ethics from the Bible in public schools. The Eynons were the first team leaders to go for a year, and they wound up training more than 2,000 people from 80 organizations and 1,000 churches over a five-year period. They ended up as regional directors in eastern Siberia until health issues brought them home. The final assignment with the Navigators was to visit and counsel the 50 some families working with international students across the United States. To support that activity Tom bought a large, especially equipped pick-up truck and a 33-foot Teton Fifth Wheel. They visited all 50 states.
They eventually retired to a home in Winchester, MA. Tom served as an assistant wrestling coach at the high school (again), coaching the team to a couple of state championship titles. He led church committees and served on the town boards.
Tom and his family were the epitome of “service before self” and advocates for “choosing the harder right over the easier wrong.” He had two sons, Brent Thomas and Deryk Allen, and five granddaughters. Well Done, Tom. We are all proud of what you accomplished and of who you were. Be Thou at Peace, brother.
— Carolyn Allen Eynon and Colonel Ed Post ’60, D-1 classmate