|
Robert Ervin ‘Bob’ Ley lived
a life epitomizing West Point’s motto of Duty, Honor, Country. On
behalf of the entire family, we want to share with you our father’s
story and his lifetime journey that provided us with so many
beautiful memories. It is a narrative of a great man who lived life
to the fullest—with passion, love of country, steadfast dedication
to his friends and family and undying loyalty to the soldiers with
whom he served over the 38 years he dedicated to the U.S. Army.
He was born to humble beginnings in McAlester, OK on
March 13, 1931. His parents - Maurice L. Ley, a railroad engineer,
and Ruth E. Ley, a housewife and mother - were passionate people
that knew the value of hard work and passed this trait onto our
father. Dad and his younger sister Mary Ruth Ley were proud to be
from McAlester and always cherished their kinship with the people of
this area.
Perhaps due to his family’s proud Choctaw tribal
heritage and his ancestor’s participation in the American Civil War,
Dad was an avid reader of military history. He read and idolized
great military leaders; he always spoke highly of both George S.
Patton 1909 and Douglas MacArthur 1903. These interests inspired him
to pursue a life of military service. He joined the Oklahoma Army
National Guard in 1946 while attending McAlester High School and
joined the U.S. Army upon graduation in 1948. As an enlisted man,
Dad applied for an appointment to West Point and was accepted in the
fall of 1949 to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School, then
located at Stewart Army Airfield, Newburgh, NY. On July 5, 1950 he
entered West Point as a member of the Class of 1954.
His legacy at West Point was that of achievement,
hard work and camaraderie with his H-1
classmates. He was considered a ‘hive.’ His easy-going nature
enabled him to make close friends that remained with him his entire
life. While at West Point, he met his first wife, Mildred E. ‘Betty’
Ley, during his cow year. Directly after graduation, they got
married. They were blessed with four children during their 26 years
together: Robert E. Ley II, Lawrence M. Ley, John E. Ley and Mary E.
Lee. Our mother supported dad as only a loyal officer’s wife and
mother could.
My father was commissioned as an Armor officer during
our country’s Cold War and Vietnam War periods. From 1954 to 1973,
his served in numerous leadership positions: platoon leader with the
44th Tank Battalion, 82nd Airborne Division; executive officer and
company commander with the 3rd Battalion, 14th Armored Cavalry
Regiment; team leader and advisor, Military Assistance Command
(MACV), Vietnam; commander of the 1st Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 82nd
Airborne Division (the first airborne unit integrated with the M551
Sheridan light armored vehicle); province advisor to Quang Nam
Province, MACV, Vietnam; and commander of the ‘Lightning’ Brigade at
Fort Knox, KY. He also completed a resident master’s program for
mechanical engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology and
successfully completed both the Air Command and Staff College and
the Industrial War College. His final assignments, from 1976 to
1984, were all overseas: Military Attache to Ecuador; J4 to the NATO
Joint Staff in Madrid, Spain; and Director of Training at the School
of the Americas at Fort Gulick, Panama Canal Zone. He retired from
the service in 1984.
Dad loved being with soldiers. Our family was
thrilled when Dad found passion, once again, in his new life in
Reston, VA with Judith Neal ‘Judy’ Ley, whom he married prior to his
retirement. Judy’s daughter Amy also came with them to Virginia. Dad
and Judy remained side-by-side for 22 years.
During their life together in Northern Virginia, Dad
worked at a local hardware store, managing the plumbing and
electrical department until the store closed in 1999. He also became
a community leader for his Neighborhood Cluster and a life-long
friend for those on their cul-de-sac. Judy opened up a store, the
Ley-Canovas Gallery, in Reston in 1985. It was the fulfillment of
her lifelong dream and enabled them to pursue another one of their
passions - traveling the world. They both thrived for the next 18
years as world travelers and as active parents and grandparents.
Their life together changed forever in 2002; Judy passed away after
a short but stubborn battle with cancer that year. Dad eventually
closed the gallery in 2005.
After overcoming cancer himself, Dad rediscovered his
love for life. He met and married Mary Mullaney Ley. They spent
their time supporting each other, traveling, being with family and
participating in numerous local West Point events. He and a group of
‘Old Soldiers’ - his closest friends - were regulars for breakfast
at a local eatery. The stories they told were continually
embellished as the years progressed, as one would expect from Old
Soldiers!
On August 29, 2011 Dad succumbed to a sudden illness
and passed away at the Reston Community Hospital. He is buried with
Judy at Arlington National Cemetery.
His family misses him greatly. He will always be
remembered as an Old Soldier and a father whose eloquent stories,
quick wit, ready laugh, generous heart and unfailing loyalty will
never fade away in the memory of those of us who love him. His many
expressions that he coined will remain with us always! His gravesite
is on the corner of Patton and MacArthur Drives; men my Dad admired
immensely throughout his life. What a fitting end to this great
man’s story.
“Well Done; Be Thou at Peace.”
— His son, Colonel John Ley (Retired), USMA 1980,
and family |
