Eldon Bargewell was no stranger to combat. From the beginning of his Army career, he found himself running missions with MACV-SOG deep behind enemy lines as a recon team leader. Crossing into North Vietnam and Laos, he was injured four times and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his valor under fire.
After attending Officer Candidate School, Bargewell served in the Rangers and then spent 17 years in America's most elite unit: Delta Force. Rising to the rank of Major General, Bargewell had a massive impact on generations of soldiers and the special operations community as a whole. When he retired in 2006, he was the most decorated soldier in the Army.
After he passed away in 2019, friends and former teammates formed the Eldon A. Bargewell memorial committee to preserve his legacy. "We are creating Delta Park honoring Major General Eldon A. Bargewell because he is a role model for our young people," friend and neighbor Jason Fry said in a press release. "Not because he was a soldier but because he was the guy who did his job."
Through immense time and effort, the committee secured "Delta Park" at the triangle formed by the intersections of Emerson, N, and Maple Street in Hoquiam, Washington. Sculptor Rip Caswell was selected to sculpt and cast a statue of Bargewell to serve as a memorial, which has been unveiled at Delta Park.
On May 20, the park for formally dedicated, the event was attended by members of the Special Operations community, including an honor guard from the Ranger Regiment, and special guest speakers Adm. Eric T. Olson, Lt. Gen. Xavier T, Brunson, Lt. Gen. Lawson, W. Magruder III, Jay Fry, and Marion Bargewell.
Reach Jack Murphy: jack@connectingvets.com or @JackMurphyRGR.
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