thedrifter
05-24-07, 07:00 AM
Local Marine remembered forty years later
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Alfred A. Kaspaul was the first person from Malibu West to die in the Vietnam War. A German national and American patriot, he joined the Marine Corps because of his love for this country and the Marines.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Malibu played host to an elaborate ceremony nearly 40 years ago when a newly built athletic field off Trancas Canyon Road was dedicated in memory of Sgt. Alfred A. Kaspaul, a Marine who was killed in Vietnam on Oct. 11, 1966 at the age of 21. And now that same property, which has fallen into decay over the years, is being planned for a new park, which Kaspaul's family hopes can be dedicated to the memory of all the American men and women who have died in defense of their country.
The dedication of the Sgt. Alfred A. Kaspaul, U.S.M.C. Memorial Field on June 17, 1967 included a program conducted by Gen. Wood B. Kyle, who had headed Kaspaul's 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment at the time of his death. In attendance were community leaders and neighbors of the small Malibu West community, as well as Kaspaul's sisters, Marion and Barbara, and his parents, Fred and Erika.
"It was very nice," Erika Kaspaul said this week, speaking in the kitchen of the same home she and her family moved into when they first came to Malibu. "We had only been living in Malibu for two years. The Marines came, so many people were there."
Kaspaul was the first person from the Malibu West neighborhood to die in the Vietnam conflict. He was killed by a gunshot wound to the head during a night ambush.
Born in Communist East Germany to parents who had also lived under Nazism, Kaspaul had wanted to become a Marine at an early age after coming to the United States.
"He believed in this country and the freedom that it gave us," said his sister, Marion Wadleigh, who now lives in Colorado. "He wanted to belong to the Marine Corps, which was the best in the world to him, and America was the best country in the world to him. He just wanted to do something for this country because of the freedom that it gave him."
The Kaspaul family fled East Germany when Alfred was 5. They first went to West Germany and later to Switzerland. Then, Fred and Erika Kaspaul, both physicists, received invitations to come to the United States with their family in 1957.
The family first moved to the East Coast, and later came to Malibu. Alfred Kaspaul never permanently lived in Malibu, since he joined the Marines prior to the family's move here. But he did come to the area during his leave time, and his father said he loved the place.
Alfred and his sister, Barbara, who was older by one year, went through the process to become a U.S. citizens on their own prior to his joining the Marines, even though they could have become naturalized through their parents, because they wanted to do it on their own.
Alfred Kaspaul enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1963 before graduating from high school. He earned his diploma plus two years worth of college credits while he was in the service. As a Marine, Kaspaul raced through the promotions, becoming a sergeant in just two years.
"He was hard-working, very intelligent," said Fred Kaspaul, proudly pointing out that his son spoke German, French and English, while also becoming fluent in Vietnamese shortly after arriving in Vietnam in February 1966.
With his fluency in the language and personable attitude, he had a good relationship with many of the natives in South Vietnam, with one area even naming a town hall after him. The Marines who fought alongside Kaspaul, many with whom his father kept in touch over the years, also spoke highly of him.
Kaspaul stood just 5 foot, 5 inches tall, but he was a handsome man with a charming personality. Col. J. C. Studt, the Marine who brought the news of Alfred's death to the family, wrote in a recent e-mail to Fred Kaspaul, after observing a photo of Alfred, "I've inspected thousands of Marines in my day, and your son really stands out; immaculate uniform, not a wrinkle; lean and fit physical condition, and a handsome lad. The kind of Marine you'd pick for a recruiting poster."
Wadleigh, although five years younger than her brother, said she enjoyed spending time with him. "He was one of my best friends," she said. "He was a cool guy. He and I were tight. We played together. I was a tomboy and we were both the outdoorsy type."
She also spoke of her brother's love for architecture, and said had he lived, she imagined he might have become an architect. Wadleigh said there is also the possibility he would have become a career Marine, something her parents say they believe he would have done.
Kaspaul was also a talented writer. Extracts from his journal were published in the Santa Monica Evening Outlook a couple months before his death. In one entry he wrote in the third person about what it is like for a Marine being involved in a war "unlike any other war that has ever been fought by man before."
"It's a war of nerves, he never knows who his enemy is until he shoots at him. If it's not the Cong, it's his booby traps, Punji pits, Malay whips, etc., or it may be a kid selling him sodas with acid or glass splinters in them... He thinks of home, his family, his girl, and what he plans on doing when he gets back. Every bit of news you send him is cherished. He reads it over many times until the ink vanishes from between the lines, and then suddenly it's dawn-and it starts all over again."
Wadleigh remembered the day when the news reached her family that her brother had been killed in action. Col. Studt and a chaplain came to their home early on a Saturday morning.
"I just woke up to hearing my mom sob profusely," Wadleigh said. "I went up to see what was going on. My dad said, 'Get dressed, something's happened to Al.' It just about killed me. It really hurt. He was my brother, and it hurt. It still hurts. It's not a place I go to very often."
Erika Kaspaul said, "My whole system went haywire" in the time immediately following her son's death. She had to take some time off from work, eventually quitting her job and starting to work from home with her husband, as they still do today. She got by through doing various artwork, including stitching and crafts.
Fred Kaspaul became involved with the Marine Corps. He sent supplies and food to the men in Vietnam, and has stayed in touch with many Marines.
"When a person becomes a Marine, the whole family becomes a Marine," Fred Kaspaul said.
He added that, to him, his son never died because "Marines never die." "He lives in us. To me, he is still here. It is hard for me to explain this."
The Kaspauls say a day doesn't go by that they don't discuss their son. And they continue to honor him in their home, with various pictures and honors of his displayed throughout the house. They saved all his letters from Vietnam.
Wadleigh said it took her a long time to come to peace with her brother's death. She said it finally came in 1981 when she wrote a poem called "To Al With Love." The page-long piece is a poetic brainstorm, as she discusses her frustrations with his death, and tries to figure out how she can come to terms with it.
The park named for Kaspaul unfortunately came at a bad time. With the changing demographics of the area, the young population declined, and the park was soon abandoned. There is no evidence remaining that the area-which included a football field, basketball court, archery range and running track-even existed.
But now there is the possibility of a new park. The city owns the land, and is trying to secure funds to build practice fields and possibly a dog park.
But the Kaspauls and Wadleigh do not want the new area named after their loved one again. They said they would prefer it be dedicated to all who have died, and be called "Memorial Park."
Ellie
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Alfred A. Kaspaul was the first person from Malibu West to die in the Vietnam War. A German national and American patriot, he joined the Marine Corps because of his love for this country and the Marines.
By Jonathan Friedman / Assistant Editor
Malibu played host to an elaborate ceremony nearly 40 years ago when a newly built athletic field off Trancas Canyon Road was dedicated in memory of Sgt. Alfred A. Kaspaul, a Marine who was killed in Vietnam on Oct. 11, 1966 at the age of 21. And now that same property, which has fallen into decay over the years, is being planned for a new park, which Kaspaul's family hopes can be dedicated to the memory of all the American men and women who have died in defense of their country.
The dedication of the Sgt. Alfred A. Kaspaul, U.S.M.C. Memorial Field on June 17, 1967 included a program conducted by Gen. Wood B. Kyle, who had headed Kaspaul's 3rd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment at the time of his death. In attendance were community leaders and neighbors of the small Malibu West community, as well as Kaspaul's sisters, Marion and Barbara, and his parents, Fred and Erika.
"It was very nice," Erika Kaspaul said this week, speaking in the kitchen of the same home she and her family moved into when they first came to Malibu. "We had only been living in Malibu for two years. The Marines came, so many people were there."
Kaspaul was the first person from the Malibu West neighborhood to die in the Vietnam conflict. He was killed by a gunshot wound to the head during a night ambush.
Born in Communist East Germany to parents who had also lived under Nazism, Kaspaul had wanted to become a Marine at an early age after coming to the United States.
"He believed in this country and the freedom that it gave us," said his sister, Marion Wadleigh, who now lives in Colorado. "He wanted to belong to the Marine Corps, which was the best in the world to him, and America was the best country in the world to him. He just wanted to do something for this country because of the freedom that it gave him."
The Kaspaul family fled East Germany when Alfred was 5. They first went to West Germany and later to Switzerland. Then, Fred and Erika Kaspaul, both physicists, received invitations to come to the United States with their family in 1957.
The family first moved to the East Coast, and later came to Malibu. Alfred Kaspaul never permanently lived in Malibu, since he joined the Marines prior to the family's move here. But he did come to the area during his leave time, and his father said he loved the place.
Alfred and his sister, Barbara, who was older by one year, went through the process to become a U.S. citizens on their own prior to his joining the Marines, even though they could have become naturalized through their parents, because they wanted to do it on their own.
Alfred Kaspaul enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1963 before graduating from high school. He earned his diploma plus two years worth of college credits while he was in the service. As a Marine, Kaspaul raced through the promotions, becoming a sergeant in just two years.
"He was hard-working, very intelligent," said Fred Kaspaul, proudly pointing out that his son spoke German, French and English, while also becoming fluent in Vietnamese shortly after arriving in Vietnam in February 1966.
With his fluency in the language and personable attitude, he had a good relationship with many of the natives in South Vietnam, with one area even naming a town hall after him. The Marines who fought alongside Kaspaul, many with whom his father kept in touch over the years, also spoke highly of him.
Kaspaul stood just 5 foot, 5 inches tall, but he was a handsome man with a charming personality. Col. J. C. Studt, the Marine who brought the news of Alfred's death to the family, wrote in a recent e-mail to Fred Kaspaul, after observing a photo of Alfred, "I've inspected thousands of Marines in my day, and your son really stands out; immaculate uniform, not a wrinkle; lean and fit physical condition, and a handsome lad. The kind of Marine you'd pick for a recruiting poster."
Wadleigh, although five years younger than her brother, said she enjoyed spending time with him. "He was one of my best friends," she said. "He was a cool guy. He and I were tight. We played together. I was a tomboy and we were both the outdoorsy type."
She also spoke of her brother's love for architecture, and said had he lived, she imagined he might have become an architect. Wadleigh said there is also the possibility he would have become a career Marine, something her parents say they believe he would have done.
Kaspaul was also a talented writer. Extracts from his journal were published in the Santa Monica Evening Outlook a couple months before his death. In one entry he wrote in the third person about what it is like for a Marine being involved in a war "unlike any other war that has ever been fought by man before."
"It's a war of nerves, he never knows who his enemy is until he shoots at him. If it's not the Cong, it's his booby traps, Punji pits, Malay whips, etc., or it may be a kid selling him sodas with acid or glass splinters in them... He thinks of home, his family, his girl, and what he plans on doing when he gets back. Every bit of news you send him is cherished. He reads it over many times until the ink vanishes from between the lines, and then suddenly it's dawn-and it starts all over again."
Wadleigh remembered the day when the news reached her family that her brother had been killed in action. Col. Studt and a chaplain came to their home early on a Saturday morning.
"I just woke up to hearing my mom sob profusely," Wadleigh said. "I went up to see what was going on. My dad said, 'Get dressed, something's happened to Al.' It just about killed me. It really hurt. He was my brother, and it hurt. It still hurts. It's not a place I go to very often."
Erika Kaspaul said, "My whole system went haywire" in the time immediately following her son's death. She had to take some time off from work, eventually quitting her job and starting to work from home with her husband, as they still do today. She got by through doing various artwork, including stitching and crafts.
Fred Kaspaul became involved with the Marine Corps. He sent supplies and food to the men in Vietnam, and has stayed in touch with many Marines.
"When a person becomes a Marine, the whole family becomes a Marine," Fred Kaspaul said.
He added that, to him, his son never died because "Marines never die." "He lives in us. To me, he is still here. It is hard for me to explain this."
The Kaspauls say a day doesn't go by that they don't discuss their son. And they continue to honor him in their home, with various pictures and honors of his displayed throughout the house. They saved all his letters from Vietnam.
Wadleigh said it took her a long time to come to peace with her brother's death. She said it finally came in 1981 when she wrote a poem called "To Al With Love." The page-long piece is a poetic brainstorm, as she discusses her frustrations with his death, and tries to figure out how she can come to terms with it.
The park named for Kaspaul unfortunately came at a bad time. With the changing demographics of the area, the young population declined, and the park was soon abandoned. There is no evidence remaining that the area-which included a football field, basketball court, archery range and running track-even existed.
But now there is the possibility of a new park. The city owns the land, and is trying to secure funds to build practice fields and possibly a dog park.
But the Kaspauls and Wadleigh do not want the new area named after their loved one again. They said they would prefer it be dedicated to all who have died, and be called "Memorial Park."
Ellie