Walter W. Hodge
"Herky"

Company G-2

15 Apr 1938 – 10 March 2004

Place of Death: Arizona City, AZ

Interment: Family land in Williams, AZ

Nancy Hodge, Herky's wife, called Donald Anselm on 11 March 2004 to let him know that Herky had died at about 4:00am from a tumor on the brain.  Herky had under gone radiation treatment for lung and brain tumors for the last couple months, but the tumors were too far advanced for the treatment to be effective.  The cancer had spread throughout his body before he realized it.  Don talked with Herky's sister who said that he was very sick and now he was in a better place. 

On March 17th at Herky Hodge's visitation and funeral were the family, close friends, a contingent from the local VFW Post and a contingent from the Class of 1961, Connie and Jerry Zingsheim of Fountain Hills, AZ, Don Anselm of Huntsville, AL and Bruce Dalgleish of Prescott, AZ. Dick Skaggs of Flagstaff, AZ was at the burial service on March 18th at a family plot in Williams, AZ, near Flagstaff. Herky was buried in worn set of combat fatigues, probably from his service in Vietnam, and a red baseball cap with the Airborne and Ranger tabs on it. The family greatly appreciated the presence of the Class of 1961.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Herky's widow, Nancy, can be reached at:
Mrs. Nancy Hodge
PO Box 2227
Arizona City, AZ 85223
520 -494-8212

Published in the Arizona Republic from 3/16/2004 - 3/17/2004.

For pictures taken at the Memorial, please click here.

Class Memorial Pages\G-2 Walter Hodge.pdf

Taps Tribute:

Walter William Hodge "Herky" was born 15 Apr 1938 in St. Louis, MO, a son of Willie and Walter Hodge. He graduated from West Point in 1961 and served in the Army in Thailand and Vietnam. In 1963, he took one of the first groups of combat troops to Vietnam and returned with no casualties. He received the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster and the Vietnamese Expeditionary Medal for his service.

After leaving the Army, Walt taught GED classes at Phoenix College and was a veteran's counselor during 1974-78. In 1979 he founded Career Exploration Academy and worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Kayenta, counseling Navajo students, unntil1991. While working at Shonto Boarding School, he was president of the teachers union. Walt also was superintendent of Paloma School District and taught at Coconino Community College in Page. He later was a counselor at Desert Shadows Middle School in Nogales, where he wrote the manuscript for a book, "What Do You Want to Be, Now That You Are Grown Up?"

 His wife Nancy wrote a short time after his death: "Words cannot express my feeling of gratitude and appreciation for your support and prayers during this time. It has been overwhelming and at the same time comforting to hear how much Herky was loved, respected and missed by his classmates and fellow servicemen, even though many years have passed since seeing one another. It was very emotional for me to read the cards and letters received from all of you. 1he special lift-long bond that was shared with Herky and all the other men is phenomenal and beyond my expectations.

"Although Herky did not stay in the service .... he frequently made reference to his tour of duty in Viet Nam. After the service, Herky continued to utilize his outstanding leadership qualities throughout his career in the field of education."

Walter and Nancy were married in 1981 while working at a resident school on an Indian Reservation in northern Arizona. He was the head counselor and supervisor of the boy's dorm where Nancy was teaching. In 1990 Walt had the opportunity to fulfill a dream and move to Page, AZ, to accept a faculty position at the community college. The Hodge Family, grown to three over the years with the addition of a son Dane, moved to Page, near Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River, where Walt loved to fish.  

When Walt began to have frequent bouts with pneumonia due to his lung condition, the doctor recommended that he move to a lower altitude. In 2002, he moved to Arizona City in southern Arizona, and after a long, courageous battle with lung cancer, Walter Hodge departed this world on 10 Mar 2004, dressed in old battle fatigues with the Arizona National Guard firing a final salute. Walter is survived by his wife Nancy; son William Dane; and sister, Judith Lundin, of Phoenix, AZ.  

Herky was raised in a military family, moving from post to post with his dad, COL Walter W Hodge '25, mom, Willie, and sister Judy. COL Hodge was a native of Chicago and held military posts in Panama, Ft. Lewis, WA, Ft. Douglas, UT, the Presidio of San Francisco and also was stationed in Manila after the war. He was a member of the Alaska Road Commission in 1930, and he, another engineer, two Indian guides and a cook made a 30-day trip by pack train to survey the highway route. COL Hodge was killed in April 1949 on an official flight to Portland, OR, when his plane crashed into Mt. Hood. He was laid to rest in the Presidio of San Francisco with full military honors, and the largest office building in Alaska was named after him in 1956.  

After COL Hodge's death, the family moved to Tucson, AZ. Walt attended Tucson High School and then graduated from Brown Military Academy in Glendale, CA. Being from a military family, Walt entered both Sullivan Preparatory School and West Point with a reservoir of knowledge gained over 20 years of living on Army posts throughout the world. He knew more about military history and leadership than anyone in my life when we met at Sullivan's. Walt was an early leader who wanted to help others and was not concerned about himse1£ He was a recognized leader among the Class of '61, and as his good friend and Sullivan classmate, Mike Maloney, wrote, "He was the only one of the boys to make rank." He was a cadet officer, but more important was the way Walt helped and treated others during very difficult times for him personally and the military in general. He was my very good friend throughout my life.  

A memorial was held for Walter Hodge on 9 Jul 2005 at a gravesite on the family property near Williams, AZ, to dedicate a new headstone. It was a gravesite that Herky had selected and loved, in the mountains of northern Arizona. It was a lovely, clear, cool Arizona afternoon. Those present included Gary Lord, Jerry and Connie Zingsheim, Paul DeVries, Gus and Charlotte Stiehl, Jim Lynch and grandson James, Bruce Dalgleish, Gabe and Susie Gabriel, and Mike Brady and Colleen.  

Prior to the service, we viewed pictures and documents of Walt's life. It brought back memories of Sullivan prep school, the Academy, Ft. Benning, GA, and IOBC, Jump School and Ranger School, our first assignments and, of course, Viet Nam. The ceremony included a review of his life, wherein each classmate lit a candle and said a few words about him. There was a short video tribute with pictures from childhood to senior citizen. Nancy saw a part of Walt that she had missed. It is hard for the wives who came into our lives later to relate to the relationships that we have, the difficulties we overcame together, the joys of conquering Ranger School, the shared triumph and sorrows. Nancy deeply appreciated the opportunity to see Herky through our eyes, from our words and to feel our caring for her.  

May He Rest in Peace, God Bless for a Job Well Done.  

-Love, Nancy, Judy, and Dane

TAPS MAY/JUNE 2008