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Frederic John Delamain
was born on July 18, 1930 in New Orleans, LA, the son
of Frederic William Delamain and Helen Miller Delamain. Initially
‘Jack,’ as he was known to his friends, followed his father on
military assignments during the early years of World War II, but he
returned to New Orleans while his father was overseas. In 7th grade
he was enrolled at Saint Stanislaus, a Catholic boarding school in
Bay St. Louis, MS. In 1946 he went to Germany with his family and
was part of the first class to attend Frankfurt (American) High
School, graduating in 1947. After brief stays at the University of
Maryland and Loyola University, Jack enlisted in the Army and
attended the U.S. Army Prep School for West Point. He entered West
Point in July 1950 and was assigned to Company F-1.
At West Point, Jack was very active in the Dialectic
Society, the Pointer magazine, and the Portuguese Club. He is
remembered for christening members of Company F-1 with nicknames
such as Woge, Woody, Surb, Beel, J-Bob, Kerly, and Beetle. He was
also known for his caustic sense of humor, which was remembered by
his daughter Renee as being “tempered by his tender heart and kind
spirit.” Upon graduation in June 1954, Jack was commissioned Armor
and departed for the basic course at Fort Knox, KY.
Between the basic course and Jump School at Fort
Benning, GA, Jack married Kinta Ann Bousquet, the granddaughter of a
couple with whom Jack’s parents often played games. Jack and Kinta
went to a carnival in New Orleans when they were 9 and 11, and Jack
won a bride doll for Kinta. They reconnected in college. Kinta and
her roommate wanted to go to a dance at West Point, so she called
Jack and asked him to go with her roommate and to get her a date. By
the end of the night Jack and Kinta were together.
Jack had a very successful military career that
included challenging troop assignments, combat command, and a wide
variety of important staff assignments. These included troop command
in the 5th Cavalry, 21 Infantry Brigade; squadron executive officer
and S3 in the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam; battalion
commander of the 33rd Armored Battalion, 3rd Armored Division;
battalion commander of the 60th Infantry Battalion, 9 Infantry
Division; and G3 of the 4th Infantry Division in Vietnam.
After Vietnam, Jack served on the Army Staff in the
Office of Personnel Management. In recognition of his very
successful career, Jack was selected to attend the National War
College, after which he returned to the Army Staff and served in the
Office of Chief of Staff for Force Development.
As a follow up to Jack’s study of Portuguese and his
active participation in the Portuguese Club at West Point, he was
selected to be the Chief of the Army Section of the U.S. Military
Group in Brazil. This was followed by duty at the Headquarters of
the Training and Doctrine Command, followed by duty at the United
Nations in New York. His final assignment was at the Headquarters of
the Supreme Allied Commander Atlantic in Norfolk, VA. He retired in
1984 as a colonel.
His continuing education followed his very successful
career progression. He graduated from the basic and advanced courses
at Fort Knox, KY; the Command and General Staff College at Fort
Leavenworth, KS; and the National War College in Washington, DC. In
1961, he was awarded a Master of Science degree in physics from
Tulane University.
Retirement from the Army did not stop Jack’s service
to the nation. Shortly after his retirement he joined the Huntington
Ingalls Shipyard in Norfolk, VA. He was a manager in the
Radiological Control Department, where he supervised work on nuclear
submarines and aircraft carriers. He retired for the second time in
1994. He and Kinta retired to the Outer Banks, where he loved
hunting and fishing with his son Bill. He also was a “helper” on an
offshore commercial boat for several years.
He was well known as a crossword puzzle genius. He
could complete puzzles in record time. At the shipyard, the first
thing he did in the morning was complete the daily crossword puzzle.
His coworkers took bets on how long it would take him. He would fill
it out like it was a fill-in-the-blank worksheet. His family recalls
Jack’s gift for languages, his incredible recall for details, his
knowledge of mathematics, his storytelling ability, and especially
his quick comebacks.
Jack and Kinta made many lifelong friends during
their frequent moves around the world. Their assignment in Vicenza,
Italy, yielded lifelong friendships and godparents for two of their
children. The Italy group holds annual reunions. Jack and Kinta also
hosted two very successful West Point Company F-1 reunions at their
home in the Outer Banks. Jack kept in touch with his roommates from
West Point, and they spoke even during the week of his death.
Kinta and Jack had four children: Marie Elizabeth,
born September 1, 1956; Frederic John, born January 27 1958; William
John, born November 23, 1960; and Renee Ann, born June 13, 1962.
Jack was preceded in death by Kinta, his wife of more
than 54 years, and his infant son Frederic, who died shortly after
his birth in Vicenza. Italy. Frederic, Kinta, and Jack are buried
together at the West Point Cemetery.
Well done, Jack. Be Thou at Peace.
— Ken Bailey and Renee Bevan, daughter |
