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Former Green Beret, Vietnam Veteran Ronald Wood honored after passing




Ronald Wood from his days as a Green Beret.COURTESY OF WOOD FAMILY

Ronald Wood from his days as a Green Beret.COURTESY OF WOOD FAMILY

Ronald Wood, a resident of White House and former Green Beret who served multiple tours in Korea and Vietnam, passed away on May 11 at the age of 88.

On Tuesday, May 17, a memorial service was held for Wood at the Austin & Bell Funeral Home in White House. Fifteen Green Berets were in attendance, six of whom carried Wood’s casket in military formation. A 21-gun salute was performed, along with a bugler. Several military officers also spoke about his life and the dedication he had serving his country.

“He had the most amazing funeral and burial that I have ever seen,” remarked Ronald’s wife Carolyn Wood. “I was very pleased that he was given the honor he deserved. Had he been here to watch that, he would have been very humbled and amazed that that many people knew and cared about what he had done. There are many heroes among us. We just don’t know it.”

Born in 1933 in Hurricane, Utah as the youngest of eight children, Wood lived a modest childhood. While his family spent the winters in Hurricane, they stayed in a cabin up in the mountains during the summer months with no electricity or running water. Wood’s father was a sheep herder and also maintained a farm with cows and raised several crops.

Ronald Wood with his wife, Carolyn Wood.COURTESY OF WOOD FAMILY

Ronald Wood with his wife, Carolyn Wood.COURTESY OF WOOD FAMILY

“It was a very simple life with very little money. He had to figure out ways to make it, and he did,” Mrs. Wood said. “He was part of a very loving family. He talked about being so poor, but then spoke about how rich he was with his family.”

Growing up as the youngest son, Ronald admired his older brothers. Five of them would serve in combat, some in World War II, others in Korea. Ronald wanted to follow in their footsteps, so in 1951 at the age of 18 he officially enlisted.

Ronald served on the front lines in Korea for 12 of the 18 months he spent there. After four years in the military, he got out, but eventually missed it so much that the decided to re-enlist.

This time Ronald was sent to Fort Campbell in Kentucky. Because he got bored with the everyday menial work of being a soldier, he decided to join the special forces, even though he was around 30 at the time, somewhat older than most of the soldiers that enlisted.

Ronald Wood poses beside his Green Beret uniform that resides in the White House History Museum.COURTESY OF WOOD FAMILY

Ronald Wood poses beside his Green Beret uniform that resides in the White House History Museum.COURTESY OF WOOD FAMILY

After months of rigorous training, Ronald served for 12 years as a Green Beret, which is unusual for that length of time. He served three separate tours of combat duty in the 1960s in Vietnam with a special forces team of 12 men.

“Special forces do different kind of work than the regular soldiers, and his team went into area that were a little off the grid. He came through that with no Purple Heart and no injuries. I don’t know how he managed it, but he did,” Mrs. Wood said.

Harry Vessner, a veteran who served alongside Ronald in combat while in Vietnam in the 60s, also remarked on how much he enjoyed working with him.

“We were on the same special forces team, and he was a real nice guy. He was always cheerful and never got mad and was a good man to have on the special forces. He was a good soldier and a professional soldier. I know a lot of civilians tend to put their nose in the air when they hear that but, in the military when someone says they are a professional soldier, we know what that person is talking about,” Vessner said.

After 20 years in special forces, Ronald eventually left the military. He then served as an ROTC instructor at Vanderbilt University at a special forces slot, and later as an ROTC inspector at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro.

After his time as an ROTC, he then went to work for an electronics company until his retirement at age 65.

It was at this point in Ronald’s life after retirement that he met his wife Carolyn after having become a widower from a previous marriage.

“We were both widowed. I was single for a little over two years and decided that it would be nice to have a gentleman friend,” Mrs. Wood said. “So, I went on match.com on September 1, 2007, and on September 13, I met him. And that was the end of match.com. We started dating and he was such a pleasant and wonderful person. I never intended to remarry, but when he proposed to me, I thought it was a good idea, and it was.”

The couple eventually married in 2008, with Ronald at 74 years old and Carolyn at 69. They remained together for 14 years.

When Ronald was 80, a general and sergeant of special forces at Fort Bragg in North Carolina paid a tribute to his military career. He was presented with an honorary plaque with coins and received a special recognition for his service as a Green Beret.

“He was brave, loyal and honest and was just the most amazing person,” Mrs. Wood said. “He was religious, and truly very humble and softspoken. You might know him for five years and never know what he did, or never know that he was a Green Beret.”

A highly decorated uniform of Wood’s can be found proudly displayed at the White House History Museum. Aside from his military career, Ronald was a talented sketch artist. Several of his drawings and art pieces can also be found at the museum as well.

Ronald would go on to outlive all of his siblings, including two of his daughters who have passed away. He also survived multiple bouts of cancer until his passing.

“Never once did I hear him complain or feel sorry for himself,” Mrs. Wood said. “I never knew anybody that didn’t love him. He was truly amazing. Anybody that ever knew him would say the same thing.”

“We continued to keep in touch, and he would send me pictures from when we were in Vietnam,” Vessner added. “He came down here to visit with his wife once and spent a few days here. He never really changed, even when he got sick. He just didn’t let it phase him. If I had to go into combat again, I for sure would take him with me.”

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