1stLt Foley's Rememberance of Col Studt

           Several years ago a group of officers gathered in a Lexington, Va. restaurant the evening before Bill Dabney's Memorial Service. Many of us made short remembrances about Bill. I remember part of what I said. “I had the honor of serving under three of the best officers the Marine Corps produced - Bill Dabney, Matt Caulfield and John Studt.” Two of them are now settled in to Warriors Heaven, but having toured Vietnam with Matt in in 2019, I am certain we will not be writing any eulogies for him for quite a while. This effort, however, is for Colonel John C. Studt.
           My first real meeting with the Colonel took place after our departure from Khe Sanh. India Company's CO, who had replaced Bill Dabney (and who shall remain nameless!) had been relieved. I was summoned to Col. Studt's tent and was informed that Tom Esslinger was taking over India and that I was now the S-2. I “suggested” to the colonel that I should stay with India as Tom's exec. This suggestion was promptly answered with “you are now the S-2.” Of course I had no idea what an S-2 did at the batallion level, and I may have reinvented the position. I have come to realize that our wise leader knew of Tom's and my friendship and did not want to leave me in a difficult position.
           There was a wonderful benefit to being the Colonel's S-2. I spent a great deal of time with him. When we were on the move I shared a tent wtih him, made our breakfast and listened intently to his tactics and discussions on military history. One morning after I had surveyed the damage from a helicopter explosion on Hill 1025's LZ Colonel looked at me and said: “Richard, Kilo has no officers.” Well, I was elated to seize the opportunity to be a meaningful Marine Officer again and off I went to Kilo.
           After Kilo I went on R&R. When I returned to the batallion I found out that the Colonel had rotated and that I was now India Company's CO. I like to believe that this was a reward from the Colonel. In a lengthy telephone conversation we had in 1993 we discussed what he considered his best command and his service after Vietnam. I was pleasantly surprised how well he remembered me and Tom after twenty-five years. An exceptional officer has left us, and, as they said in the movie “we may not see his kind again.”

Semper Fidelis,
Rich Foley