The Good Soldier

                                                                

  In late May I placed a call Sheila Hall Larson to ask if she would be willing to talk to me about an article for Heart of Ohio Magazine.  Urged on by my daughter, Chief Master Sergeant Wendy Hunt of the 179^th, I had decided to try to do the article.  She had the utmost admiration and respect for the General, and she felt this was a story people would want to hear.

Brigadier General Fred Larson died on January 1, 2012. Knowing it had been less than six months I was afraid it might be too soon for Mrs. Larson to talk about his loss, but Wendy kept asking and I finally made the call.

Sheila Larson is a gracious woman, but talking to her I could tell she was a little reluctant about the article.  I assured her that she would have complete control of the finished product, and she agreed to meet with me.

On the day of our meeting  I pulled into Sheila’s driveway and she met me at the door.  An attractive woman in her sixties, Sheila Larson has an air of composure about her that I am not certain I could muster at this stage of the grief process.  I liked her immediately; the fact that she had nice things to say about my daughter and son in law certainly didn’t hurt.

Sitting at her kitchen table she spoke openly about the loss of her husband and who he was.  “The people who worked for him either loved him or hated him.  Fred was a taskmaster, and he didn’t hesitate to point out the good or the bad.  But he also did a great deal of mentoring, and his door was always open because he wanted to be approachable.  My husband was a humble man who paid attention to his troops.  When someone would talk to Fred about his or her chances for advancement he would say, “The job you have right now is the most important job.  Learn to do that well, then set your goals.”

I was sitting across the table from a woman whose husband had been a career soldier; what part did Sheila play in that?  “Fred and I were a good team,” she said with obvious pride.

“When he was commander at the base he told me he was not concerned about his troops, but he was concerned about their families.   That’s when we decided the 179^th needed a Family Support Group.   Ellen Drouhard and I put some people together and we held our first meeting in early 1988.   In September we sent out a survey to see how much interest there was in a group like this, and then we got to work creating what we perceived the 179^th really needed.   We fashioned it after a very successful group in Oregon, but shaped it to serve our needs.” Sheila said.

Starting with nothing the group set out to form a support system that would serve the families when they needed help most.

“We held bake sales, sold Christmas ornaments and other fund raisers all the time because we had absolutely no money.  I remember once selling cookies in the chow hall and a military member asked me if I had a vendor’s license,” she laughed.

“The timing was right for the FSG, as we became known.  Eventually it became a part of the members  pre-mobilization briefing.   We did training with other bases in Ohio and other states, too.   I’m happy to say it is still a vital part of the 179^th, helping families while their loved ones are away serving our country.”

I listened and made notes and soaked in Sheila Larson’s calm; I appreciated what a strong woman she is.   The demands and deployments her husband’s chosen career demanded must have been hard to bear for someone left behind to hold down the fort, but she shows no signs of that.  She speaks quietly about a remarkable man with whom she was half the team; a loving family and a network of friends who keep her strong today. 

I did not know Brigadier General Fred Larson, but meeting him for the first time through the eyes of his wife was an honor.   I know she is accurate when she says, “Fred and I were a good team”.   

 I also believe that somewhere he’s smiling and saying:

“We were a good team, and you are still the good soldier.”