Larry gave his life in service to our country August 10, 1969. As a U.S. Army warrant officer/helicopter pilot he was shot down over enemy territory. He died instantly. Rest in peace Larry and thank you for your service to our country. See his Vietnam Veterans Memorial info here: http://www.virtualwall.org/dt/TalleyLJ01a.htm
I barely knew Larry but this breaks my heart. I recall the presence he was among us. I mutiply by the thousands his sacrifice and that of others.
I believe I learned of his death from Debbie Crumpton and Quentin Corbett the 1970s. I lost contact many decades ago from most my Hermitage friend and acqaintances. I often wonder about the rich knowledge their experience could bring us if it could be shared I wonder about their paths. I would love to hear from those who wish to respond th this message. Am I wrong--does memory become more persistent and clear as one ages? And am I wrong in thinking the number of people who have passed on from our class is statistically large , or am I in denial about our age? So many have passed--and each, like Larry, had I story I wish I knew.
Larry's mother and father never accepted nor could deal with Larry's death. It literally broke their hearts. His father and my Dad were good friends and Mr. Talley would talk about Larry and cry uncontrollably for hours long after August 1969. No, Diane, you are exactly correct....they all had stories to tell and lessons about living life that we probably needed to hear. Perhaps we need to focus on all who are left, and be more deliberate about connecting with one another and sharing our stories!!
Diane, I have felt for years that we have lost a large number of classmates. However the National Vital Statistics database and the CDC data base say that 20% of whites born in 1947 were dead at the end of 2013. Jerry Ramsey
Was contacted by Larry's sister, Lynn, thanks to Lina Angel, and she gave us a picture of Larry with his helicopter. This is a great addition to his profile. Thank you Lynn and Linda.
I did not know Larry well, but being deeply involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization I know we need to constantly fight for the rights of the ones who have died or made other horrible sacrifices,physical and mental for this country and for each of us who have homes, jobs and food on the tables. Many (too many) of our vets don't have these luxuries. Pray for the POW and MIA and the ones left behind waiting everyday for their safe return. I want to thank everyone of my classmates who chose to join in the fight for our country. I also recoomend that they join the VFW and help us continue our fight for the right of all veterans and their families.
I didn't know Larry well either but rather just knew who he was, walked the same halls of HHS with him, etc. When I first heard of his death, I was immediately saddened as his death was the first one to really hit home (or anyone I knew about) from that "war" (which was never named a War) we all watched footage of on the News each night. Up to that point it was all "over there," but after Larry died, I realized that there were so many more of our young men (mostly) who could die in that foreigh land of Viet Nam, a land that many of us had never heard of...or maybe just me. I immediately felt so sorry for his family loosing a son so young. Little did I know then what trials & tribulations lay ahead for me.
I had a daughter from my first marriage who was seven when I married my present husband almost 40 yrs. ago now! We soon had two sons 24 mos. apart. When our sons were 2 1/2 yrs. old and 6 mos., my daughter was killed in a tragic accident. Loosing a child is just something you never get over no matter how long it's been. I slowly learned to live with her death while throwing myself into taking care of my babies. When they were ages 3 & 5 we settled in Mechanicsville, where we still live. They were raised only with her memory. Our sons graduated High School; the older son went to college, however, the younger one had no clue what he wanted to do in life. The older son left home at 22 to get married, so the younger one choose not to remain at home "being the baby" so he moved out a couple months later. He job hopped for about five years before finally deciding to join the VA Army Nat'l. Guard. He graduated Boot Camp as a MP and was sworn in three months before 9/11. He received his orders of deployment to Kuwait in Jan. '03; went to IN for special training and shipped out in Apr. '03. He served in Customs for four months & then his Co. was sent to Baghdad, Iraq for the remainder of his tour. It wasn't until then that my heart really sank and I prayed harder than ever before for his safety. But still the Year 2003 was "my hear from H**L" thinking that I'd already lost one child ~ how on earth could I endure loosing another one. When we talked on their Satillite Phone, many times we could hear the motars hit....he said they started around dusk & continued most of the night. He was a Tower Guard at the Abu Ghraib Prison & they worked 12-hr. shifts. We gave him a huge "Coming Home" party on 5/1/04, a couple weeks after he & his entire unit returned with little injuries. All my prayers had been answered! He was a young Pvt. when he left here, but when he returned, he was definitely a 26-yr.-old man! Before he left Baghdad, he asked me one night if he could buy his grandparents' house (which I then owned & rented out) & I said yes. He had enlisted for 6 yrs. and when his time was up, he re-enlisted & became a Sgt. In '11 his unit was deployed again to Iraq for 6 mos. After 6 more yrs., he again re-enlisted & became a Staff Sgt. which will carry him to 18 yrs. service. In real life, he's married with a daughter age 4 and still lives in the house that I grew up in in Lakeside, and works as a Police Officer. He joined the VFW & enjoys every aspect of it. My husband served 8 yrs. in the Guard during Peace time, so our son ended up giving him an Auxilliary Membership to the VFW which we both enjoy ~ they're people of all ages. We especially enjoy the Karaoke once a month! I still pray that he never has to go back to the Middle East, as it doesn't seem to be much better now than when my son served the first time ~ it's just such a dangerous place to have to be.
Our older son is a Lead Mechanic for Fleet Services at Hanover County & has been there 17 yrs. He's also married with his three children & his wife's three children + one grandchild, & they also live in Mech. So we have a total of 7 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild!
I thank all of my classmates who served our Country as well as any of their children.
The Talleys lived on Norman Ave. next door to my family for years. Our families were very close. We rented a house on the Potomac together and spent many summer vacations together. Larry learned to water ski from my dad, who had all of us "up" on skies. We always had great fun together. The neighborhood kids used to sled in the winter on the hill behind the Talley's
Larry, my sister Nancy Jones (class 1966), Michael Tierney (class 1966) and Ted Georges all played together. We lived just blocks from HHS, so we would walk there as children and skate on the sidewalks. I remember playing beside the school where the buses loaded. We played around the neighborhood and in the woods in back of our houses for hours. There was a vine that we all swung on as we played.
Larry also went to NC with our family when we had a cottage rented there. A hurricane came up while we were there. I can still remember all of us, bundled in blankets like Indians, outside in the winds that skirted the storm. The winds were wild.
In high school, Larry was best friends with Quentin Corbett.
I will always remember that I was in my kitchen of our apartment in NJ when my sister called with the news about Larry. It was a shock to all and very hard on his family.
It will be great to see Lynn Talley at our reunion.
Thomas Luck
Thomas Luck
Larry gave his life in service to our country August 10, 1969. As a U.S. Army warrant officer/helicopter pilot he was shot down over enemy territory. He died instantly. Rest in peace Larry and thank you for your service to our country. See his Vietnam Veterans Memorial info here: http://www.virtualwall.org/dt/TalleyLJ01a.htm
Diane Stockmar (Bonds)
I barely knew Larry but this breaks my heart. I recall the presence he was among us. I mutiply by the thousands his sacrifice and that of others.
I believe I learned of his death from Debbie Crumpton and Quentin Corbett the 1970s. I lost contact many decades ago from most my Hermitage friend and acqaintances. I often wonder about the rich knowledge their experience could bring us if it could be shared I wonder about their paths. I would love to hear from those who wish to respond th this message. Am I wrong--does memory become more persistent and clear as one ages? And am I wrong in thinking the number of people who have passed on from our class is statistically large , or am I in denial about our age? So many have passed--and each, like Larry, had I story I wish I knew.
Diane Stockmar Bonds
Billie Moon (Davis)
Larry's mother and father never accepted nor could deal with Larry's death. It literally broke their hearts. His father and my Dad were good friends and Mr. Talley would talk about Larry and cry uncontrollably for hours long after August 1969. No, Diane, you are exactly correct....they all had stories to tell and lessons about living life that we probably needed to hear. Perhaps we need to focus on all who are left, and be more deliberate about connecting with one another and sharing our stories!!
Diane Hancock (Tignor)
I've thought the same thing - that a disproportionate number of our classmembers have passed.
Edward (Jerry) Ramsey, Jr.
Diane, I have felt for years that we have lost a large number of classmates. However the National Vital Statistics database and the CDC data base say that 20% of whites born in 1947 were dead at the end of 2013. Jerry Ramsey
Ray Edwards
Was contacted by Larry's sister, Lynn, thanks to Lina Angel, and she gave us a picture of Larry with his helicopter. This is a great addition to his profile. Thank you Lynn and Linda.
Peggy Brooks (Sheppard Strong)
I did not know Larry well, but being deeply involved with the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization I know we need to constantly fight for the rights of the ones who have died or made other horrible sacrifices,physical and mental for this country and for each of us who have homes, jobs and food on the tables. Many (too many) of our vets don't have these luxuries. Pray for the POW and MIA and the ones left behind waiting everyday for their safe return. I want to thank everyone of my classmates who chose to join in the fight for our country. I also recoomend that they join the VFW and help us continue our fight for the right of all veterans and their families.
Sue Jennings (Adt)
I didn't know Larry well either but rather just knew who he was, walked the same halls of HHS with him, etc. When I first heard of his death, I was immediately saddened as his death was the first one to really hit home (or anyone I knew about) from that "war" (which was never named a War) we all watched footage of on the News each night. Up to that point it was all "over there," but after Larry died, I realized that there were so many more of our young men (mostly) who could die in that foreigh land of Viet Nam, a land that many of us had never heard of...or maybe just me. I immediately felt so sorry for his family loosing a son so young. Little did I know then what trials & tribulations lay ahead for me.
I had a daughter from my first marriage who was seven when I married my present husband almost 40 yrs. ago now! We soon had two sons 24 mos. apart. When our sons were 2 1/2 yrs. old and 6 mos., my daughter was killed in a tragic accident. Loosing a child is just something you never get over no matter how long it's been. I slowly learned to live with her death while throwing myself into taking care of my babies. When they were ages 3 & 5 we settled in Mechanicsville, where we still live. They were raised only with her memory. Our sons graduated High School; the older son went to college, however, the younger one had no clue what he wanted to do in life. The older son left home at 22 to get married, so the younger one choose not to remain at home "being the baby" so he moved out a couple months later. He job hopped for about five years before finally deciding to join the VA Army Nat'l. Guard. He graduated Boot Camp as a MP and was sworn in three months before 9/11. He received his orders of deployment to Kuwait in Jan. '03; went to IN for special training and shipped out in Apr. '03. He served in Customs for four months & then his Co. was sent to Baghdad, Iraq for the remainder of his tour. It wasn't until then that my heart really sank and I prayed harder than ever before for his safety. But still the Year 2003 was "my hear from H**L" thinking that I'd already lost one child ~ how on earth could I endure loosing another one. When we talked on their Satillite Phone, many times we could hear the motars hit....he said they started around dusk & continued most of the night. He was a Tower Guard at the Abu Ghraib Prison & they worked 12-hr. shifts. We gave him a huge "Coming Home" party on 5/1/04, a couple weeks after he & his entire unit returned with little injuries. All my prayers had been answered! He was a young Pvt. when he left here, but when he returned, he was definitely a 26-yr.-old man! Before he left Baghdad, he asked me one night if he could buy his grandparents' house (which I then owned & rented out) & I said yes. He had enlisted for 6 yrs. and when his time was up, he re-enlisted & became a Sgt. In '11 his unit was deployed again to Iraq for 6 mos. After 6 more yrs., he again re-enlisted & became a Staff Sgt. which will carry him to 18 yrs. service. In real life, he's married with a daughter age 4 and still lives in the house that I grew up in in Lakeside, and works as a Police Officer. He joined the VFW & enjoys every aspect of it. My husband served 8 yrs. in the Guard during Peace time, so our son ended up giving him an Auxilliary Membership to the VFW which we both enjoy ~ they're people of all ages. We especially enjoy the Karaoke once a month! I still pray that he never has to go back to the Middle East, as it doesn't seem to be much better now than when my son served the first time ~ it's just such a dangerous place to have to be.
Our older son is a Lead Mechanic for Fleet Services at Hanover County & has been there 17 yrs. He's also married with his three children & his wife's three children + one grandchild, & they also live in Mech. So we have a total of 7 grandchildren & 1 great-grandchild!
I thank all of my classmates who served our Country as well as any of their children.
Carolyn Jones (DuVal)
The Talleys lived on Norman Ave. next door to my family for years. Our families were very close. We rented a house on the Potomac together and spent many summer vacations together. Larry learned to water ski from my dad, who had all of us "up" on skies. We always had great fun together. The neighborhood kids used to sled in the winter on the hill behind the Talley's
Larry, my sister Nancy Jones (class 1966), Michael Tierney (class 1966) and Ted Georges all played together. We lived just blocks from HHS, so we would walk there as children and skate on the sidewalks. I remember playing beside the school where the buses loaded. We played around the neighborhood and in the woods in back of our houses for hours. There was a vine that we all swung on as we played.
Larry also went to NC with our family when we had a cottage rented there. A hurricane came up while we were there. I can still remember all of us, bundled in blankets like Indians, outside in the winds that skirted the storm. The winds were wild.
In high school, Larry was best friends with Quentin Corbett.
I will always remember that I was in my kitchen of our apartment in NJ when my sister called with the news about Larry. It was a shock to all and very hard on his family.
It will be great to see Lynn Talley at our reunion.