Tom Spivey, 85, was born Aug. 1, 1922 in Philadelphia, Penn., to Thomas R. and Hilda Hilz Spivey. He entered into eternal rest Feb. 21, 2008, at his home in Oak Harbor.

Tom spent his youth in a number of places across the U.S. due to his father being in the U.S. Navy. Living in a military family instilled in Tom a strong sense of duty, responsibility and pride in our great nation.

In 1940, during his senior year in high school, Tom joined the National Guard along with his best friend, Leroy Rowand. During training as a radioman, he received a terrible electric shock while at the top of a pole. The electricity arced to the emblem on his hat, giving him a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. He was burned wherever he had metal on his body – his right arm, his calves (from the lineman’s spurs), and had the bottom of one foot burned off. He was saved by the fact that he hadn’t yet fastened the safety belt; he fell 30 feet to the ground, away from the arcing electricity. He recovered in time for summer maneuvers.

On Dec. 7, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The National Guard troops were converted to regular army; Tom and Leroy joined the 57th Brigade. From the 57th Brigade, they were moved to the 44th Infantry Division.

On Feb. 16, 1942, the 44th Cavalry Recon Troop was formed. The 44th Cavalry Recon Troop was known as the “Suicide Unit,” since their ultimate deployment would place them behind enemy lines in France and Germany. Their mission was to monitor the enemy’s movement and activities, and radio the information back to field headquarters. Tom and Leroy both volunteered for duty.

After training at Fort Lewis, Wash., the 44th Cavalry Recon Troop was tasked with patrolling the entire West Coast, looking out for possible landings by the Japanese. On Aug. 3, 1942, Tom’s platoon of 25 men began patrolling about 300 miles of coastline. Since the U.S. was at war, the entire west coast was in blackout, making their 12-hour nighttime patrols very dangerous. At least they got to take breaks from this nerve-wracking activity. Tom was a good-looking man. The local girls figured him to be a “Casanova,” but that really wasn’t the case. Betty Hathaway worked as a telephone operator in Tillamook, Ore. The details are now lost, but somehow Tom asked Betty, in joking fashion, to marry him. Betty, believing he had a “bad” reputation, told him there was no way she would do that. In February 1943, they were engaged; they were married September 26, 1943.

In January 1944, the troop left for Louisiana for more maneuvers. There they learned tactics, coordination, and teamwork. When they left Louisiana, they were ready to face the enemy on his own ground. The troop went on to Camp Philips in Kansas for some finishing touches, to prepare them for overseas duty. Betty joined Tom in Salinas, Kan. Finally, the troop was stationed in Massachusetts at Camp Myles Standish, awaiting their orders.

On Sept. 4, 1944, they received notice that they would be “shipping out.” Ten days later, they landed in Cherbourg, France. Betty moved back to live with her mother and father in Tillamook, Ore.

The 44th Cavalry Recon Troop was a small group of brave and capable men. The film “Saving Private Ryan,” where the U.S. soldiers are moving through the fields, the forests, and the ruined French towns, going from building to building, describes some the experiences that Tom went through. At one point, he had been out in the field for 165 days without a break.

The war ended for Tom during the Battle of the Bulge on March 29, 1945, when he attempted to take out a roadblock just outside of Mannheim, Germany. He was hit with machine gun fire as he was moving a log; the bullets ripped through him, breaking his arms and legs, shredding his flesh, and shattering his pelvis. His buddies figured he was dead, but they called out to him anyway. Tom raised his arm to let them know he was alive, and got shot in the wrist. The rest of the unit went into action as Tom lay on the road. Suppressing fire from the Troop’s 20 machine guns allowed one of the men to grab Tom and throw him on the hood of the Jeep. They drove as fast as they could to get him to medical help. Miraculously, he survived the ordeal, but he spent almost a full year in a body cast. Not wanting to worry Betty, then eight months pregnant, Tom asked that a telegram be sent telling her that he had “broken his arm.” For his bravery, he was awarded the Bronze Star; his injuries during combat earned him the Purple Heart. After almost one year spent in hospitals, he left the Army with an Honorable Discharge.

Tom worked for several local businesses in Tillamook before he bought the county’s only music store in 1963.

When Betty, Tom’s wife of 56 years, died in 1999, he counted on the friendship of his long-time army buddy’s widow, Genevieve Rowand, of Oak Harbor. They developed an even closer friendship and were married on Jan. 2, 2000. Tom enjoyed the last years of his life on Whidbey Island, loving the panoramic view from their home on a bluff overlooking Oak Harbor.

Tom is survived by his wife Genevieve, his daughter Susan (Gunther), and son Tom Jr. (Amber). His stepchildren Linda McCullough (Steve), Tim Rowand (Debbie), Doug Rowand (Carol), and Susie Thompson (Ron) and 11 grandchildren: Bob Lehman, Tamara McGregor (Jeremy), Anna Spivey, Tommy Spivey, and Troy Spivey, Eric and Tate McCullough, Vanessa Malcolm, Kelli Rowand, Hope Thompson, and Parker Rowand and four great-grandchildren are Caley & Mason McGregor, Kyle McCullough, and Chase Malcolm.

A memorial service for Tom Spivey was held March 1 at the Oak Harbor First United Methodist Church. Arrangements were entrusted to Burley Funeral Chapel. Graveside services will be held at a later date at the IOOF Cemetery, Bay City, Ore. Arrangements were entrusted to Waud’s Funeral Home.

Donations in memory of Tom Spivey can be made to the Puget Sound Kidney Center, 1005 Pacific Avenue, Everett WA 98201.