Alexander Mark Zupsich was born in Urbana, IL, the son of Paula Katherine Zupsich and Joseph Steven Zupsich, on January 8, 1947. He graduated from Proviso West High School in Hillside, IL in 1965. As a boy, Alex was drawn to the adventure and honor of the military and vowed to become a West Pointer.
The Academy was a perfect fit for Alex’s classical, romantic view of military life. He loved military history and weaponry as much as strategy and tactics. West Point challenged his keen intellect and his physical ability in mountaineering and boxing. Alex had more patience, persistence and courage than most did. Since he was not the most organized guy, his path as a plebe was a tougher one. Nevertheless, Alex was one who, in the midst of many stormy days, gutted it out and refused to quit. While at West Point, Alex was first and foremost a Soldier. He gave up a summer leave to attend Airborne School and was a member of the cadet parachute club. His favorite intermural sport was boxing. Though he spent little time actually studying, he graduated in the top half of the class. More importantly, West Point is where Alex learned loyalty, camaraderie, honor, courage and self-sacrifice, values he held dear throughout his life and instilled in his children.
Alex chose tough, often unpopular jobs. He volunteered for Vietnam, where his training and values were put to the test. His reasons for volunteering were that he had always sought to help defend his county and that he wanted to help. He truly believed that the United States involvement would liberate the North Vietnamese as an important step in advancing the democratic cause. His expert knowledge of firearms and military skills were essential to his service as a rifle platoon leader and earned him three Bronze Medals with V device in battle. He was proud of the fact that he was nominated for these medals by his Soldiers as a sign of their confidence and respect. After his service in Vietnam, Alex was assigned to the Berlin Brigade in the middle of the Cold War. In Berlin he felt he represented the United States and always showed the professionalism and seriousness of intent of the United States. For one training exercise he took his Soldiers through the East Germany corridor en route to a training area in West Germany. His convoy was stopped by Russian soldiers who demanded that Alex’s Soldiers leave their trucks. In perfect Russian, Alex refused them by saying “? ?????????? ??????!” (in English it means simply, “I am an American Soldier”), and he may have had a few more choice Russian words. One can only surmise what the Russian soldier thought after Alex unloaded on him in Russian, but the Russian soldier let them on through.
Years later when the Berlin wall fell in 1989, Alex was ecstatic. He urged his family to watch the television coverage of the wild celebration. Shortly thereafter, he gave each of his children a piece of the wall packaged in a commemorative box. Alex explained to them that, for him, the fall of this wall in a city he loved dearly, and where he had served in the Berlin Brigade after his Vietnam tour, proved that his participation was part of a much greater historical victory.
Alex was fond of comparing childrearing to troop leading in Vietnam. His three children learned at an early age about “dress blues,” “POW,” “MIA,” “falling in line” and “information given on a need-to-know basis.” Though he was not the strictest father, when it came to chores, he insisted his children learn to make their beds in military style, with tight, square corners that showed respect for their sleeping quarters, as well as how to spit shine leather shoes.
Alex retired from the Army in 1975. In his post-military career, Alex remained loyal to his fellow servicemen and women. He maintained strong ties with classmates with whom he felt a bond like no other through their training and ideals, as well as travails in war and military service. Alex’s religious life was a direct extension of the values he honed at West Point, where he worked in the Newman Center and taught catechism alongside classmates. Throughout his life, he was actively committed to various military organizations, political campaigns and Catholic charities.
Alex was very smart and had a subtle and thoroughly enjoyable sense of humor. He was a serious man of faith. He was forgiving and extremely caring. Those who knew Alex remember him most for his big heart. He was unfailingly kind and would give you the shirt off his back. He was a leader of men in combat, a decorated combat veteran, the father of three exceptional children and a patriotic American. Those who knew him were grateful that their paths crossed his.
On January 20, 2011, Alex Zupsich died in his home in Los Angeles, CA. On February 11, 2011, he was honored by a military funeral at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Illinois not far from his boyhood home. In the words of his friend and classmate Tim Rucker, “Alex may have struggled with the mundane aspects of life, but his mind and heart always soared.”