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LAURENCE BURTON BONNER entered West
Point from the Great Northwest on 5 Jul
1950. Born in Washington State, he was appointed
from Portland, OR, and his family’s
military heritage almost guaranteed that he
would dedicate his life to serving his country.
His grandfather had been a career Army chaplain,
and both his father and uncle (a USMA
graduate) lost their lives in the South Pacific
during World War II. Another uncle on his
mother’s side pursued an Air Force career.
Larry’s enthusiasm for outdoor sports was
a tremendous asset in meeting the physical
demands of Beast Barracks and Plebe Physical
Education. Later in his cadet career, he was
captain of the USMA Ski Team. A member
of Company E-1, he was injured playing intramural
football Yearling year, giving rise to
the nickname of “Gimp” for much of that
year and the next. Academics gave Larry no
unusual headaches, and he especially shone in
the French Department, occupying a seat in
the First Section throughout the course and
serving as vice president of the French Club.
In military matters, he was appointed corporal
during Cow Year, and lieutenant as a First
Classman. His ability to detect unique aspects
of any subject, combined with an off -the-wall
sense of the ridiculous, made him a welcome
addition to any group, social or official.
Larry met his future lifetime partner,
Suzene Swisher, when the Class of 1954
visited Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on
the Combined Arms Trip in June 1953. His
classmates met her after graduation, when
he reported to Ft. Knox, KY, with his fellow
new Armor Officers and introduced them
to his bride. Their son Steven was born in
1955 at Ft. Hood, TX, and later graduated
from Syracuse University; their daughter,
Andrea arrived later, in Frankfurt, Germany.
Andrea married Bryan Sundorf in 1983, is
raising their children, Nicholas and Sophie,
and earning a master of arts degree at the
University of Massachusetts.
Initially assigned to Armor and Cavalry
units, Larry spent a notable three years with
the 14th Armored Cavalry Regiment astride
the Fulda Gap. After more schooling at Knox,
his French proficiency was recognized and he
attended the Sorbonne in Paris, followed by
an assignment to the French Department
and the award of a master’s degree from
Columbia University.
From that time on, Larry’s contribution
to our country’s defense was guided by his
knowledge of the French language and by his
affinity for the global cultural impact made
by the French in their long history. His assignments
to five continents included tours
at our embassies in Paris, Tunis, Brussels, Viet
Nam (twice, earning a Bronze Star for Valor),
Cambodia, and Haiti. He was our country’s
Army attaché in Paris. He also was awarded
two Legions of Merit and two Meritorious
Service Medals.
In the mid-1960s, Larry was the training
and operations advisor with the U.S. Military
Assistance Advisory Group in Tunisia. His
fluent French and his well-honed people
skills enabled him to develop close official
and personal relations with the people of
Tunisia, especially highly placed military
and civilian officials. He played a significant
part in the selection of Tunisian officers and
noncommissioned officers for attendance at
American service schools, coordination of
their travel arrangements, and their pre-travel
orientation. Several of those military students
later rose to high positions in their government.
His colleagues gave him credit for
thawing Tunisian-American relations.
Larry was invariably selected as liaison
officer during visits by ships of the U.S.
Sixth Fleet to Tunisian ports. His liaison
skills were even more critical during less
festive occasions. In October 1964, a massive
flood caused extensive damage and loss
of life some 40 kilometers south of Tunis,
including the destruction of a railroad bridge,
the only rail link to the country’s southern
provinces. Larry coordinated the influx of
American aid and served as liaison between
local officials and U.S. Army engineers.
In addition to humanitarian actions, the
engineers restored the rail link with a Bailey
Bridge. When another flood hit Jerba, Larry
again coordinated relief efforts, earning the
admiration of Americans and Tunisians alike.
When Larry’s advisory tour was over, the
U.S. Defense attaché hosted Larry’s farewell
party, attended by more Tunisian officials of
all levels than any previous such affair.
Larry’s service in Southeast Asia, and his
service in the Washington area contributing
to U.S. efforts in Southeast Asia, eased the
tasks of our military leaders and diplomats
during a sensitive and critical period. In 1970,
while avoiding publicity in Cambodia, his
command of French enabled him to develop
a rapport with people at the highest levels of
the Cambodian government. He did his best
to train and equip their armed forces to resist
the Khmer Rouge insurgency. Although this
effort proved to be in vain several years later,
Larry and his associates in Phnom Penh and
in the field were able to gather and forward
intelligence vital to U.S. operations then in
progress in Viet Nam. Upon his return from
Southeast Asia, his assistance with intense
diplomatic efforts at the highest levels of
our government was vital to the outcome of
those efforts.
In 1982, Larry retired from the Army,
attacking retirement with the same gusto
with which he approached West Point and
his Army career. His retirement status was
described as that of “a modern American
vagabond, criss-crossing the United States in
[a] VW Van with his beautiful wife Sue and
their beloved dog, Dusty.”
On 13 Feb 2004, Larry died after a courageous
and painful fight with Alzheimer’s
disease and pneumonia. He is survived by
Suzene, their children, and two grandchildren.
One who knew him best said: “Larry
will be remembered for his style, wit, courage,
blue eyes, and a way with words that
made him a legendary storyteller among his
friends. He was a soldier and a dreamer.”
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