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<p><em>Julian Thomas “Tom” Caraballo</em> was a West Point classmate, an H-1 companymate, a yearling year roommate, and a longtime loyal friend. During the year that we roomed together, we had so much fun and so many adventures, some good and some questionable, but all typical of West Point life for a cadet.</p>
<p>Tom was born on January 8, 1937 in Alexandria, VA. He had one younger sister, Sally, who looked up to and adored him. She often visited him at the Academy, where he introduced her to his cadet friends, whom she often dated. </p>
<p>His parents described Tom in younger years as being a very precocious child, getting into everything and curious about all things great and small! During his years at George Washington High School, he retained his curious ways, always challenging his teachers to quell his thirst for knowledge. He graduated high in his class, and his yearbook mentions him as “…a happy-go-lucky fellow, well rounded and fun loving and sure to achieve much success in future endeavors… .” His four years at George Washington, a premiere and highly rated Virginia school, prepared him well for West Point.</p>
<p>Tom had numerous reasons for attending USMA. First, it offered a first-class engineering curriculum, comparing favorably to MIT and Cal Tech. Second, it was a very prestigious institution. Finally, and maybe of paramount importance, it offered a totally free education (in fact, the Army even paid cadets once they were at the Academy). Incidentally, the three-year commitment to serve in the Army after graduation was not a deterrent, although he had no intention at his young age of making the military a career. So, he walked the halls of Congress to try to find a congressman or senator who could not fill his quota of appointments to the Academy. He was successful in this quest, received a senatorial appointment from Senator Harry Byrd, and entered on July 3, 1956, joining the Class of 1960, whose motto became “Go Like ’60.” This defined, to a tee, Tom’s boundless energy and zest for life.</p>
<p>At West Point, Tom was a free spirit and very special cadet. Although never taking himself too seriously, he did well in academics, enjoyed participation in athletics (especially intramurals), and took part in numerous extracurricular activities. These activities facilitated him making many friends in our class. One of his pet projects was serving as an announcer on the cadet radio station, KDET. His sense of humor made him a very effective moderator, listened to daily by hundreds of cadets, who called Tom their all-time favorite disk jockey. Among his many other interests, he found time to “drag” almost every weekend. He loved to dance. On most weekends, Tom could be found in the Weapons Room dancing to the latest rock ’n’ roll song. </p>
<p>Tom selected Infantry as his branch and reported to his first assignment, the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC, ready to assume duties as a platoon leader. He enjoyed his association with the dogface soldiers, but shortly after the midpoint of this tour he applied for and was accepted into flight school, where he learned to fly helicopters. He then was assigned to Korea for a year flying Hueys. In 1964, it was back to Fort Rucker, AL to learn to fly fixed-wing aircraft, especially the C-7A Caribou. He was one of the few officers to be dual rated. Following this, he was assigned for a year in Vietnam. On returning, he attended the Infantry Officer Career Course at Fort Benning, GA. In 1968 it was time for another year in the war zone. At this time, the Tet Offensive had started, and Tom was in the thick of it. He was involved in resupply operations to units in contact with the enemy. He flew more than four missions a day, often receiving tremendous groundfire, much of which struck his Caribou but did not deter him. He received several medals for valor, including the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star. His exploits in Vietnam earned him the nickname “Caribou Caraballo.” He was an outstanding aviator. He ultimately received his senior wings and, near the end of his time in the service after amassing over 2,000 hours in the Caribou, the coveted master wings. When the Caribou was turned over to the Air Force, he was sad. </p>
<p>In 1970, he was selected to attend the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, KS, followed by attending Tulane University for an MBA. He served in various aviation-related positions of increasing responsibility until he retired.</p>
<p>Upon his death from Alzheimer’s on August 27, 2020, his daughter, Paige Caraballo Clay, said of him: “Dad spoke fondly of all the time spent at reunions, golf and travel with his classmates. He lived the values taught at West Point, and I’m proud to be his daughter. I will always miss his chuckle and his great dance moves!” Paige was one of three Caraballo siblings, all raised to honor the high moral standards of the Academy. </p>
<p>Tom was put to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Dear Friend, we are so saddened at your passing but are comforted in knowing that you are now resting peacefully and are free from that terrible disease that took your life all too soon. You have so many loving friends, classmates and family that will cherish your memory forever. God bless. </p>
<p><em>— Alonzo Coose Jr.</em></p>
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