Paul Cosh'sTribute page

Paul F. Cosh
Sunday, September 15, 2002
Services for Paul F. Cosh, 57, a lifelong resident of Wantage, will be at 11 a.m. tomorrow in the Ferguson Funeral Home, 27 Third St., Sussex.
Mr. Cosh died Thursday in Morristown Memorial Hospital.
He was a road superintendent for Wantage Township for 28 years before retiring last year. He also worked on his family's farm, the Rock Valley Farm in Wantage.
Mr. Cosh was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War.
A life member of the U.S. Veterans of Foreign Wars, Mr. Cosh was also a member of the Auberger American Legion Post 213 in Sussex, and the Alpha Association of Vietnam Veterans.
Surviving are a son, Gregory Percy; a daughter, Kimberlee, Jean Bauer; his mother, Marie Cosh; a brother, Wayne; sisters, Barbara Munson, Nancy Case, Judy Witte, Carol Weatherill, and two grandchildren.

The above obituary was posted in the Star Ledger newspaper in New Jersey, Paul's home state. As I read the notice I realized that these announcements only gave the facts about the man and missed the whole point of his time here on earth. Yes, Paul was everything that was described in that article but you needed to know him, really know him, to understand the impression he made on others around him. This is how some men from his old Army Company will remember the man from New Jersey, who never forgot his buddies and they never forgot him.

Jim Deluco: "Paul, I feel fortunate that I got to see you again after all these years, if only for such a short time. I remember the fun we had in Basic training...you were nuts! Always good for a laugh. You lived a good and honest life...you were so dependable in the field. No matter how bad it got, I can only remember you with a smile on your face.

Bob Livingston: "Something in the last reunion about Paul Cosh really made me chuckle. That was I believe he and Bremner were the only ones who used the pool at Ozzies home. They were there to have a good time and they did, with a good show of boyish fun. We should have all taken a plunge like he did. Better to live life like that then having 1 foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. Paul had his priorities right. Always did."

TomMatteson: "He was one of my squad leaders in Weapons Platoon as well as roommate during our training. He was a good friend and a good soldier in Vietnam as well. He will be missed."

Henry Osowiecki spoke at Paul's Funeral Services and here is what he wrote when he returned home.

Ron Bergeron, Tom Bremmner, and I drove down to Sussex, NJ to attend Paul's funeral. We were the first to arrive at the funeral home at 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning. I brought a large blown up picture of the men that attended the Alpha Association 2002 reunion taken and mounted by Jim DeLuco.

About thirty pictures of Paul were on display and half were from the Alpha reunions. We were told by Paul's daughter, Kim, that Paul was happy to see the men that he served with in Viet Nam and looked forward to the yearly gatherings. She said he was very proud that he served his country during the Viet Nam conflict. His service and his association with the men meant so much to him that Kim had Paul dressed in his Army "Dress Greens".

You have all heard the saying, "my blood ran cold". Let me tell you, when I saw Paul in his uniform, I had an adrenaline rush, "my blood ran cold" and a flood of memories invaded my mind; basic at Fort Lewis, our youth, Paul standing tall, straight, and strong. The biggest hands in the company.

Viet Nam: Paul was one of the loudest gripers. But, when we were in 'it' you could trust your life to him. We did, and he did not ever let us down. Brothers bonded by combat, Paul, you, and I bonded by heat, hardship, the Hell of combat, trust, life and death. The shelling of our company the morning of Soui Tre; March 21, 1967, then the mad dash to LZ Gold; all standing tall, a team, a unit, no thought of backing down whatever it takes even if it is our lives. Forward to hell. No weak links. Each sharing the strength of the whole, together a team "BROTHERS".

Never again in our lives will we share or place our lives in the hands of "Brothers" standing at our side. Now we share the pain of the loss of a "Brother". A little of each one of us has died.

I spoke to Paul's family and friends. I told them of our Brotherhood. I told them that some of us were wounded physically and received the Purple Heart Medal. I told them that all of us were wounded mentally. I spoke of Paul's bravery. I spoke of our Presidential Unit Citation for Soui Tre. At one point my ability to talk was taken away from me by the memory of the horror we witnessed. I told the family that it was not their fault that Paul was in pain and they could not reach him. I told them that after Viet Nam, I have often thought of Paul and that I will do so in the future.

I told the family that Paul was my "Brother".

OZZIE

Jim Olafson, our Executive Officer, was so moved by the loss of Paul that he submitted this poem to me for posting . He wasn't the originator of the verses, but they accurately described what we were all feeling:

He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.

But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
' Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.

Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.

It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.

Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.

For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simply headline
In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."