Eulogy for
General
Joseph F. Lickun
Ladies
and Gentlemen, if I may manipulate the words of William
Shakespeare just a little:
I
come today, with sadness and with pride, to praise
our dear departed comrade… friend and Green
Beret brother, General
Joseph Lickun… not just to bury him. Too often
today… as it was in Shakespeare time, the good that
is done by our fellowmen, the pinnacles they have
achieved in their illustrious lives, are off handedly
interred with their bones and quickly forgotten.
I am here to promise you that this will never
be the case with our beloved General.
The
General as we all knew was a very straightforward
individual and could be a very profane speaker.
He had a unique ability regarding profanity.
During a normal conversation he could liberally
sprinkle four letter words into what he was saying
and the listeners would hardly take notice of it.
(Of course at first some had to get over the initial
shock). He
spoke so easily and used these words in such a way
that it just seemed natural for him to talk that way.
Joe could also when necessary open up with
both barrels and let forth such blue-flamed phrases
that they seemed eloquent in their delivery.
One would believe that Joe was a relative of
General George Patton or indeed definitely read his book.
The
General had such a passion for the military that is
matched by few of his peers.
At age 14, when most other kids were thinking
about hot-rodding, first dates, and getting through
high school, General Lickun had already embarked on
a military career as a member of the New York State
Guard. He quickly moved on to the US Army and by his 18th
birthday had become the youngest First Sergeant ever in that illustrious body. Over the next half century
of service to his country, Joe Lickun served his country
with honor and valor during World War ll, Korea, and
Vietnam. And various other social and political hot
spot in the world.
After carefly reviewing Joe’s records I discovered
he spent 5 years in and out of Vietnam. Which would
be equivalent to 8-to 10 tours according to amount
of time spent.
While in Vietnam Joe was responsible for the
lives of 50,000
Korean troops…Who were directly entrusted into
the capable hands of the General…And he did his country
proud.
His
brilliant mind…his fearlessness, his extraordinary
ability to be a strong and deceive leader, gained
him the admiration and respect, not only of the men
whose lives were entrusted to him, but also to everyone
of his peers and superiors right up to the Commander
in Chief of the armed forces of our great country.
Unlike
most officers who are commissioned by Congress… the
President of
the United
States commissioned Joe Lickun. That gallantry…
that forcefulness… that vision, that unparalleled
ability to take control and emerge triumphant, even
in the most treacherous and foreboding of situations,
earned him such revered accolades as the Distinguished
Service Cross… the Silver star… the Bronze Star… the
Purple Heart, the Combat Infantry’s Badge with two
stars. The Central Intelligence Agency’s Distinguished Intelligence
Cross, the Vietnamese Medal of Gallantry, which was
awarded personally by the Prime Minister of the Republic
of Vietnam.
The National Security Medal awarded by the
President of the Republic of Korea, The Korean Service
medal with seven battle stars the Korean Cross of
gallantry and the French Legion Medal of Honor. In
all 55 medals and citations. In New York his Beloved
State… Governor George Pataki honored him with the
rank of Brigadier General.
Over the years the General mastered several
languages including Chinese,
Vietnamese,
Czech, Cambodian, German, Japanese, Korean and Russian
just to name a few.
With these additional skills, also made him
an invaluable asset not only to our own country but
also to the Korean government.
In spite of his life long commitment
to the military, General Lickun also found time to
study for an MBA in Business Law, and then went on to earn a doctorate.
After
retiring from active service in the military…the General
re-joined the New York Guard. (He
came back home from where he started). He also
joined the American Legion the VFW the Special Forces
Association and the Special Forces Group a non-profit
organization. This organization which he help founded
was one of his favorites. As
he felt it would help make a difference in the lives
of young people.
He believed that in an era when our government
relies as heavily as it does on Reserve and National
Guardsmen, that these organizations needed to place
more emphasis on combat skills. As a crowning achievement
this organization for the first time in American history
under the direction of General Lickun was able to
teach Active Army Reservist, National Guardsmen, Rangers,
ROTC and West Point Cadets our knowledge. His group
was instructed to teach everything from land navigation,
communication first aid, rappelling, demolitions,
hand to hand, FEMA, PLDC, basic and advanced survival
and more.
In
a schedule as busy and focused as his was, one would
not imagine that the General could find time for a
social life.
Yet… he did find time for love… marriage and
a close knit family.
Today, he leaves behind a grieving wife Katie
and two
Sons Joe Jr. and Bobby, three grand children and a
host of relatives.
As
I close I would like to paraphrase some words from
another brilliant mind.
The 18th Century poet William Wordsworth.
In his immortal poem.
The
Happy Warrior he asked:
Who
is this Happy Warrior?
To
whom we say a sad goodbye today?
Who
is he?
He
is the one whom every man is arms
Can
wish to be.
He
was that generous spirit who
When
faced with challenges of real life
Tackled
them as only he could.
With
proud thought.
His
high endeavors were always a guiding light
Which
made the difficult path ahead shine bright with hope.
And
when doomed to go in the company with pain and fear
And
bloodshed’s sad refrain,
Turned
his necessity and challenge into glorious gain
Sleep
Well! Dear Brother!
AIRBORNE!!
