William Frederick “Tom” Tamplin Jr. was born in Mount Lebanon, PA, a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA, to William and Mary Tamplin. His loving parents shared a strong Christian faith and nurtured and supported Tom and his sisters in all they wished to pursue. 

Tom entered West Point with us, Henry F. “Fred” Faery Jr. and Ercole M. “Erc” Barone, on July 3, 1956 with the Class of 1960, and, after Beast Barracks, we three young men—Tom, a Pennsylvanian; Fred, a Virginian; and Erc, a Brooklynite; all recent high school graduates with no military experience or background—were assigned as roommates in Company A-2.

During plebe year, we faced a real challenge: our first-floor room was always the first to be inspected by the Company Tactical Officer (TAC) in Saturday inspections. We always had to be prepared for whatever the TAC’s hot button issue of the day might be. So we prepared to cover all eventualities. We worked particularly well together, which contributed to our successful plebe year. 

During yearling year, we were separated, but, during cow year, we were allowed to pick our roommates, and we reunited. This was our finest year in all aspects of cadet life: militarily, academically and socially. 

First Class year brought another separation. Tom and Erc stayed together, and while Fred moved to battalion staff, we all continued to consider ourselves roommates. In looking back at our West Point years, we recall Tom’s personality as the glue that bound us together. He was quiet, calm and thoughtful, and his sincerity and kindness kept two type A personalities in check. 

After graduation, Tom attended his roommates’ weddings in Brooklyn, NY and Roanoke, VA. After this joyful interlude, he attended Ranger and airborne training at Fort Benning, GA, followed by the Artillery Officer Basic Course at Fort Sill, OK and Fort Bliss, TX. While at Fort Sill, he joined 20 classmates in volunteering for Special Forces. All 21 were immediately transferred to Special Forces, despite there being no authorization for second lieutenants in the organizational structure. After Special Forces schooling at Fort Bragg, NC, Tom served a seven-month tour in Laos with the 7th Special Forces Group.

On a blind date while at Fort Bragg, Tom met Susan Poe, a Fayetteville, NC teacher (and distant relative of poet Edgar Allan Poe). But then Tom was re-assigned to school in Key West, FL, and then to Laos. Upon his return from Laos, Tom served as a general’s aide at Fort Bragg. During this tour, Tom and Susan continued their courtship, fell in love, and were married in 1963. 

The newlyweds settled at Fort Bragg for a year, where Tom got company command time in the 82nd Airborne Division and Susan commuted to a teaching position nearby. After the Artillery Officer Advanced Course at Fort Sill and Fort Bliss came an unaccompanied tour in Korea with the 1st Cavalry Division.

Upon Tom’s return from Korea in 1966, the couple moved to Fort Ord, CA for a tour with the Combat Development Experimentation Center, a welcome change of pace for both. Although they loved the beauty and attractions of the Monterey Peninsula, especially Pebble Beach, the highlight of their Fort Ord tour was the birth of their first child, Mary Adair.

Their joy was to be short-lived, as Tom was assigned to Vietnam during 1969-70 with the 54th Artillery Group. Upon his return, Tom attended the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, KS. This assignment brought more joy. Their second child, Thomas William, was born during the school year.

Following CGSC graduation in 1971, the Tamplin’s bought their first home, in Atlanta, GA, while Tom pursued a master’s degree in computer science at Georgia Tech. To their dismay, while in Atlanta Tom first noticed a lump on his neck, an alarming development since his sister, Nancy, had Hodgkin’s disease. 

Upon being assigned to OPO DA in Washington, DC, Tom decided on a Walter Reed Army Medical Center examination. Cancer of the thyroid was found, but the prognosis was excellent. Tom underwent surgery in September 1973 but sadly never recovered from the surgery and passed away on September 19, 1973. Tom’s untimely death in the prime of his life was a shock to all, especially to his wife, Susan; his young children, Adair and Thomas; and his parents and sisters.

As for us, his West Point roommates, we remember the joy and friendship Tom brought into our lives during our four memorable and significant years together. We miss him, and we can both say with much pride and affection, “Well Done, Tom; Be Thou at Peace.”

— With much gratitude to Tom’s widow, Susan Bender, for helping us assemble this account after many years—roommates Erc Barone and Fred Faery