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“ANOTHER DAY IN WHICH TO EXCEL!” Andre said this many times, to his men, to his contemporaries, even to his family. He said it at times, as many of us have, in a humorous way. Yet these words were more than a cliché, and their reiteration had a purpose. To Andre, they were a simple but precise way of expressing his philosophy of life; and although these words were spoken to others, they more often were self-directed.
Complementing Andre’s goal of excellence was his lifelong desire to be a career soldier. These ambitions were nurtured and supported by his brother John, who was most influential in guiding Andre’s development from the age of five, when his mother died, until adulthood. His youthful experiences led Andre to become a perfectionist. He wanted to excel in all things, not necessarily for the adulations that success and excellence bring, but more for self-improvement. Andre always believed in setting high goals and then striving to reach them. One of his many goals at West Point was to be Coach Palone’s best soccer player. This he never achieved, and this he knew he could never achieve; but he realized that trying for the unattainable would make him a better player.
Andre wanted to be the best husband and father; yet, he also was motivated to be the perfect professional soldier. Despite the competing demands of these goals, he succeeded as husband, father, and soldier. The mutual affection among Andre, his wife Gene, and their children Margaret, Jamie, and Andre, Jr., reflected the strength of his commitment to family.
Andre excelled as a friend, notwithstanding an ambivalent personality. To use the language of the department at West Point in which he taught, he was dynamic, with an intensity that at times was nearly overpowering. But he was as intense in his friendships as he was at work, and from this came the most meaningful of the many attractions of Andre Broumas — his complete unselfishness toward those who were close to him. He was thoughtful, kind, and appreciative, seemingly without limit. He was warm and sincere with boundless good humor. The goals he set in making and keeping friends were as high as those he set for himself as a soldier, and his capacity for deep and lasting friendships touched both military and civilian communities. Sharing the remembrance of Andre are many civilian friends: German villagers from a tour in Dexheim; Danish and American scientists from duty at Camp Century, Greenland; faculty and undergraduates from his graduate student days at Princeton; Department of State officials from a tour in their operations center; and soccer enthusiasts at all his duty stations.
Andre excelled as a professional soldier, and an explanation of his success requires more than recitation of early promotions, decorations, and honors. One example will illustrate. A classmate recalls visiting Andre and Gene at West Point while Andre was teaching in the Department of Mechanics. He attended one of Andre’s classes, which had taken on more than usual significance. The Secretary of the Army was visiting West Point that day and Andre’s class had been selected as the show class. Even though for some last-minute reason the Secretary did not attend, Andre was both honored and challenged by the selection of his class, and his performance that day was perfect. Here was a pattern so often repeated — the challenge sought or earned, followed by near faultless execution. This pattern portrayed the man and portended great achievement, which, for reasons unknown to us, was not to be completely fulfilled.
Andre excelled in his last assignment as he had done throughout his military service. He had returned to Vietnam to rejoin the 8th Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, this time as its commander. In explaining his desire to go back to Vietnam, Andre spoke of the training and experience the Army had provided him during his career. He felt a compulsion to share that experience in leading our young citizen-soldiers. It was not that Andre was seeking, as another soldier once remarked, the last bullet in the last battle; he enjoyed life far too much for that. But neither was he restrained by the risks attendant with combat, for he had faced death before — throughout a severe illness while on the faculty at West Point and during his first Vietnam tour. And so both duty and courage marked Andre’s return to Vietnam where five months later he died as his command helicopter was downed by enemy fire.
Andre Broumas was a man of unlimited drive, great force, and pervasive spirit. He possessed an intensive religious faith, not limited to the Greek Orthodox tenets he practiced but extending to a belief in the inherent goodness of man. These deep attributes of character combined to make Andre a natural leader; and his death while commanding an exceptional unit in combat is perhaps the only comprehensible part of this great loss of one who stood so high in integrity, in devotion to duty and family, and in service to his country.
At Andre’s funeral, so appropriately conducted at West Point, the eulogy was given by Command Sergeant Major Salazar, who had served with Andre during both of his tours in the 8th Engineer Battalion. Several thoughts from this eulogy summarize the feelings of the troops whose respect he valued so highly:
— By his nature he was interested in people — be it the General, the Chief of Staff, his company commanders, his NCOs, all his men. I am positive that he, more than anybody else in the battalion, knew more troopers by name, by rank, by what their jobs were, and how long they had been in the battalion.
— His Motto was “Take Care of the Troops First!”
— He was impatient with excuses and proud of results.
— In my heart I will always carry that proud feeling of having known him and having served him — Lord, take care of his soul; he tried so hard to do what is right.
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