Scotty Greiling Dedication Ceremony
December 2, 2010
Posted in Everytown USA, Reunions, Scotty Greiling, USS America, VA-82 Marauders, Vietnam War
Tags: Paul Greiling, Scotty Greiling, VA-82 Marauders, VA-82 Reunion, Vietnam War
During the Greiling Dedication Ceremony, Scotty’s brother, Paul shared a few words on the “Scotty” many in the audience may not have known.
“My sister, Gail, my niece, Karen, and I want to thank all of you for this wonderful tribute to Cmdr David Scott Greiling. To me, this tribute is really to all of you heroes, not just my brother. It means a great deal to us and our families to have Scotty remembered in this way. After more than 40 years, it has been a pleasure and a privilege to finally meet all of you.
Paul Greiling speaks about his brother, Scotty. (Photo Courtesy Paul Greiling)
“I want to thank Walt Moser and Tom Brown for all the help in arranging and coordinating our trip here. In addition, I especially want to acknowledge Karen’s husband, Cmdr Jay DeBellis, who is presently deployed overseas. He is responsible for putting us in contact with you so that we could be part of this memorable weekend. Our biggest regret is that our parents could not be here and never had the chance to meet and talk with each of you. It would have been such a help in their grieving.
“In 2003, at Scotty’s 50th High School Class Reunion they had a special tribute. I would like to quote from that dedication by Hugh Hanes, Scotty’s classmate. ‘Scott Greiling was an example of the best of our class in many respects. He was a scholar, athlete, musician, dramatist, Eagle Scout, active in church and community, and a friend to all.’
“I want to take a few minutes to expand and augment these attributes based on the Scott Greiling whom Gail and I knew while we were growing up with him. You will have to forgive me for eulogizing Scotty, but as his younger brother, you might expect it. However, I can honestly say that in my mind, it is all true. I could not have asked for a better older brother.
“First, Scotty was a very good student, finishing very near the top of his high school class. The one thing I particularly remember while he was in secondary school was that he was a voracious reader. I believe he and our mother read every book in the town library. They would discuss or argue about each book.
David "Scotty" Greiling graduated from Kendallville High School in 1953 and from Purdue University in 1957.
“Upon graduating from high school, he was awarded a Navy ROTC scholarship to Purdue. At Purdue University he was selected to be in the first class of a new engineering program, Engineering Sciences. This program combined all fields of engineering—mechanical, electrical, chemical, civil, etc., along with physics—a five year program, condensed into four years. This was only for the cream of the crop.
“Later while in the Navy, he received his Masters in Nuclear Engineering from the Navy Post Graduate School in Monterey. Coincidentally, his Master’s thesis, written in the early 60s, analyzed the physics of ion implantation into semiconductors. In the late 60s, at the research labs where I spent most of my career as a research scientist, the technology of ion implantation into silicon was developed and patented and is still today one of the key technologies for all integrated circuits in computers, cell phones and even fighter jets.
“From Monterey, he went to Annapolis to teach engineering to midshipmen. While there, I remember him ‘complaining’ that he wanted to get combat experience since that is what he had been trained to do.
“Scotty had excellent athletic ability. It goes without saying that anyone who has the eye-hand coordination to make night carrier landings must have some extraordinary athletic ability, as you all must have. He was a track/cross country star in high school. The mile and the half mile were his specialties. At the Kokomo Relays, he set the record for the half mile. He would train year round, running every day, rain or snow, while I rode my bike to keep him company. He always told me he needed me to be with him while he ran, even at track meets. Why? I never asked. I was just glad to be with him.
“The summer after graduating from high school, he played American Legion baseball. His team won the State Championship and played in the National Finals in Altoona, PA. He was the center fielder and a pretty good hitter. …During those days, he would answer the telephone with, ‘Yankee Stadium, Center Field, Mickey Mantle speaking!’ I thought that was so neat.
“He was also a musician, playing the clarinet in the high school symphony and marching bands. Most astounding to me was that he could sing in tune, an accomplishment in the Greiling family! When we went camping, we would sit around the campfire and he would sing. I fondly remember him singing Harry Belafonte’s ‘Day O’. To me, it sounded just like the record.
“Scotty took part in our high school’s Thespian Club, which for our small town was an outstanding program. I am not one to be superstitious. However to this day, I vividly remember his role when he was a sophomore in the high school play ‘Our Town’ by Thornton Wilder. He had a small part, the paper boy, Joe Crowell, Jr. Just to remind you, in the last scene in the graveyard the deceased are sitting around and talking. One asks, ‘Whatever happened to young Joe, the paper boy?’ Another of the deceased responds, ‘He was killed in the war.’
“Scotty was very active in our local Boy Scout troop while growing up, going every summer to Boy Scout Camp, attending jamborees and earning the Eagle Scout badge. His main enthusiasm for Boy Scouts was camping, which we did as many times as possible during the summer and even camping during the winter. I guess this was all in preparation for your Survival, Escape, Resistance, and Evasion Training.
“One characteristic that Hugh did not mention in his tribute to Scotty is what I consider to be his most important attribute. Scotty was very sensitive and considerate of others, especially me. He always included me, his younger brother, by many years may I add, whether in a pick-up baseball, football or basketball game, which we did all year round, depending on the season. If there was an odd number of players at any of these pick-up games, Scotty would be the first one to sit out and let others play.
“I particularly remember when I was about seven, Scotty and his friends decided to go camping. This was I believe their first overnight camp out in the wilderness—one of his friend’s backyard. Scotty asked my mom if it would be okay if I came along, his little brother! My mom never had to ‘encourage’ Scotty to include me in his activities—camping, ball games or just hanging out with his friends. He just brought me along.
“One fall when I was about five, Gail came down with Scarlet Fever and the family was quarantined. Since we were not allowed to leave our yard or play with anyone else, I had Scotty all to myself. I was so disappointed when Gail got well!
“Scotty and I used to wrestle all the time, not fight, just horse around, in the living room or our bedroom. Our father would walk by while Scotty had me in a full nelson, pinned to the floor, screaming, trying to break my neck and our Dad’s only comment was, ‘Now boys, don’t break the furniture.’ However, we did break our beds numerous times, jumping and wrestling on them.
“The summer I got my driver’s license, 1956, when Scotty came home from one of his midshipmen cruises, we drove from our home in Michigan to California, picking up his girl friend and driving back across the country, camping all the way. Scotty persuaded the folks that if I came along on the trip, I would be the chaperon! After all, we did have two tents. Even now, I still visit some of the sites where we camped in California and Arizona.
“One weekend, when I was in high school I visited Scotty at Purdue, staying with him at his fraternity house. He had a trophy on his desk which read ‘Awarded to the Biggest BS-er in the Frat House’. That was Scotty! He was great at embellishing any story. One story I remember in particular, was when he was stationed in Pensacola for flight training just after graduating from Purdue. In the 50s he told me only Annapolis Grads got to fly jets. However, he told me how he was able to finagle his way into training for jets. One night at a bar, he purposely struck up a conversation with a senior officer at the base and told him how he desperately wanted and needed to fly jets. The fellow took a liking to Scotty, everyone did, and responded with, ‘If you can drink me under the table, you’re in!’ Scotty said it was no contest.
“The summer I was married, Scotty was in Brownsville, TX, training for carrier landings. He came to Michigan for my wedding. At the rehearsal dinner with my soon to-be-wife’s sorority sisters and our college friends, Scotty arrived fashionably late, driving up in his MGB with the top down. Of course, he might as well have been Tom Cruise from Top Gun as far as the bridesmaids were concerned. He had them spellbound with stories of ‘night carrier landings in the middle of a hurricane,’ ‘survival training in the Amazon jungle’ and other such tales. I wonder how many of the wives here fell for those same stories from you gentlemen! He would tell me that his modus operandi was, ‘I get out of my super-sonic jet, get in my super-sonic car and pick up super-sonic women!’ To me, there was a great deal in the movie Top Gun that brought back memories of Scotty.
“My daughter, Heidi, incorporated Scotty’s Vietnam experiences in her high school and college term papers and class discussions about the War. During her freshman year at Michigan in one of her liberal arts courses, the Vietnam War issue came up. This was the mid-80s and there still was a great deal of anti-war, anti-military sentiment expressed by many of the young liberal students. One day, in snowy, cold, dreary, grey Ann Arbor, Michigan, in the middle of a heated, emotional discussion about the war, up pops this blond, tan, California beach girl, Heidi, and interrupts with, ‘None of you know what the hell you are talking about! I had an Uncle who blah, blah (she related a bunch of facts).’ It shut the class up and ended the discussion. How could they argue with someone who seemed to have ‘real-life experiences.’ I would like to point out that Heidi was born after Scotty was lost in Vietnam and she never knew him. She obviously inherited Scotty’s BS ability.
“In closing, you have no idea how significant this weekend has been for us. When Jay told us he had ‘found’ Scotty’s squadron, it immediately brought back all the emotions from over 40 years ago. This weekend has been very therapeutic and helpful in bringing closure for Karen, Gail and I. We want to thank you for including us in this wonderful tribute to all of you and Cmdr David Scott Greiling.”
“It was an emotional weekend for everyone,” Walt Moser concluded. “…One touching thing happened right after we had all left the museum and were heading to dinner. The Museum ground crew was towing the airplane back into its normal position when an eagle (very rare in these parts) flew over the museum ramp, made several very low circles of the airplane and flew off to the northwest into the impending sunset. Those guys doing the work felt the presence of Scotty Greiling very strongly. It really touched them, and when this was announced in the dinner, a number of people got very choked up. It truly was an emotional and rewarding day and all of us got a lot of closure with the ceremony.”
Scotty Greiling's name adorns Streetcar 313. (Photo Courtesy Paul Greiling)
Thanks, again to everyone, especially my Uncle Paul for these words.
Thanks Paul. That was indeed a special weekend and a special speech by you. We all cried in 1968 when Scotty went down, we cried at the dedication ceremony, and I cried when I just found this blog on the web.
Tom
I had a cousin that was a POW. I wear a POW bracelet everyday. That bracelet I wear is for Cmdr Greiling.
I didn’t pick him…He picked me. I reached into a box full of bracelets and that one felt right…..I also served in the Navy. I pray that he returns or his remains are returned.
My cousin was one of the lucky ones to return and was able to tell his story.
Hello, I found this about a year ago when I was doing research on a POW bracelet that I have worn. It has since broke (taking it on and off too much) But I still have it on a necklace chain instead. I am an Eagle Scout myself, and I wanted to let your family know that I am dedicating our flag retirement ceremony at our local camporee to Mr. Greiling this year. He has been a large figure in my life, even though I only knew him through webpages and a metal bracelet. I wish I could shake his hand and thank him for his ultimate sacrifice for this country. Thank you to his family as well.