<div>
<p>
<em>Frederick Gilman Saint</em>, in a distinguished but all too short military career, proved himself as a soldier and leader in the most difficult and trying situations. He was also a devoted husband and father. His untimely death was a great loss to both his family and his country. His son, who never had the opportunity to know him well, nevertheless loved him. Many of his comrades-in-arms knew him well in peace, in war, and in the most trying circumstances of deprivation—and they also loved him.</p>
<p>
Fred was born in Elmhurst, Illinois, on 8 December 1908. His boyhood was typical for a young man growing up in a small town in the Midwest at the turn of the century. He stood out as an exceptional student and football player in high school, and went on to attend Purdue University for a year before entering West Point in 1927.</p>
<p>
After “Beast Barracks,” he was assigned to K Company, then located in North Barracks. From the beginning, Fred was recognized by his peers and upperclassmen alike as a mature and highly capable cadet. In his four years at the Academy, he established an enviable academic and military record. Aside from earning numerous academic stars, he was chairman of the Honor Committee and commanded K Company in his first class year. Upon graduation in 1931, fifth in a class of 297, he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers.</p>
<p>
Fred’s first assignment was to the Vicksburg Engineer District on Mississippi River flood control. Following a year at Princeton to earn a master’s degree in civil engineering, he was assigned to Fort Belvoir where he established a reputation for getting things done quickly and efficiently. While there, he married the lovely Miss Jean Crosbie, whom he had met earlier as a cadet. Leaving the Engineer School and accompanied by his young wife, he went off to teach civil engineering at West Point. There his son was born, Crosbie Edgerton Saint, and Fred spent four happy years as a gifted instructor, promising young officer, and happily married family man</p>
<p>
Just prior to the outbreak of war, Fred was assigned to the Philippines. After Pearl Harbor, he assumed command of the 14th Engineers. His battalion supported the withdrawal into Bataan and then participated in its hard-fought defense. According to some fellow officers who served with Fred in that difficult campaign, he recommended building a road through the jungle to facilitate resupply during the defense and was told it was an impossible task. Later, when the road was under construction and he was asked what he was up to, he replied, “Doing the impossible.” One classmate recalls that in the final defense of Bataan, the night before the surrender, he was able to relax slightly because for the first time in the campaign he knew one flank was secure. Freddie Saint was there with his 14th Engineers!</p>
<p>
After being forced to surrender, Fred survived the infamous “Death March” and was held as a POW at Camp Cabanatuan until December 1944. There he played a key role in organizing his fellow prisoners to help themselves. His personal efforts in directing the engineer activities to improve the sanitation in the camp saved the lives of thousands of his colleagues and earned him their ungrudging admiration and affection.</p>
<p>
As the United States invaded the Philippines, Fred along with many of his fellow prisoners, was sent by ship to Japan. On what can only be described as a “hell ship” of unbelievable deprivation, he continued to lead by example and organized the prisoners to help themselves survive. His prison ship was attacked by US aircraft while docked at Takao, Formosa. Wounded in the attack, and suffering from the results of mistreatment and deprivation, Fred died of his wounds a few days later. He was buried at sea by his surviving colleagues.</p>
<p>
He died in service of his country, his life cut short before his full potential could be realized. He left behind a legacy of leadership and self-sacrifice. It was this legacy and memories of a kind, loving father that prompted his son to follow in his father s footsteps as a soldier.</p>
<p>
<em>Crosbie E. Saint</em>, son</p>
</div>
<p>
</p>