Wall of History Nomination
Lt. Col. Leonard P. Lynch

FROM: Terry Lynch

DATE:  April 26, 1998 

TO:  Editors Montgomery Advertiser

REF:  Wall of History Nomination: Lt. Col. Leonard P. Lynch

Like Moses, Lt. Col Leonard P. Lynch and 4,000 armed troops
 parted the sea of hatred and opened the road to Montgomery that
 King and 25,000 marchers might pass without bloodshed.

I would like to nominate Lt. Col. Leonard P. Lynch, my father, 
for the Wall of History.  The Wall of History should not be 
without a career soldier who represents the era inclusive of 
World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War and the Vietnam War.  
As a distinguished soldier my father would best represent this 
era and be typical of the values of duty, honor, God and country 
such a historical piece of architecture should represent.

My father was a distinguished career Army officer who lived many 
years in Montgomery, and whose duty took him to many parts of the 
world to fight aggression and defend America's freedom.  His name is 
already chiseled above the entrance hall walls of Sidney Lanier 
High School commemorating those seniors who served in World War 
II.  His 24 years of honorable service would be well represented 
upon a Wall of History to honor all Montgomery area soldiers.

During World War II my father served in the Pacific theater 
defending America against Japanese aggression.  After World War 
II he served in Europe as a peace keeper helping in the 
reconstruction of Germany and to build a strong alliance against 
the threat of communist expansion.  He served in the Korean War 
defending America against communist Chinese aggression and was in 
Europe again to fend off Soviet communist in the pre-Berlin Wall 
era.  He had some of his hardest duty as a senior officer in the 
Montgomery area during the Vietnam War.  He was responsible for 
informing families that their sons had been killed in action.  
This caused him extreme hardship and was a contributing factor to 
his early death in 1973 of a broken heart.

One of my father's duties that is of greatest historical 
significance was protecting the Selma to Montgomery marchers.  He 
was the logistics transportation officer who trained, organized, 
supervised, deployed and advised the Alabama National Guard 
troops who protected the Civil Rights marchers from Selma to 
Montgomery on March 21-25, 1965.  At that moment in history my 
father was in direct voice communication with Attorney General 
Robert F. Kennedy under Commander in Chief, Lyndon Johnson, directing 
the movement and placement of 4,000 troops to effect a safe, non-
violent march.

In this historic march my father played every bit as significant 
a role in Montgomery's history as did Rosa Parks or even Martin 
Luther King, Jr.  In fact the Selma to Montgomery march was only 
enabled and non-violent because of my father's involvement and 
effective command in keeping troops between 25,000 marchers and 
those whom wanted to hurt them.  This is clearly evident by the 
fact that the only fatality occurred after the march when troops 
were withdrawn and marchers were returning home.

My fathers life and duty as a soldier to his state and country
spanned the time from 1920-1973 and represents the war era when 
duty, honor, God and country were primary values we should be 
proud to acknowledge and pass to our children.  Given his 
military service between 1944-1968 and the fact he was born and 
raised in Alabama, living many years in Montgomery, my father 
would be an ideal choice for a career soldier to represent the 
World War eras.  This should be expanded to include the Korean 
War, the Cold War and the Viet Nam War, all of which my father's 
life and duty to his country represents.

I would be proud to nominate my father as a Montgomery resident 
to symbolize war era soldiers on the Wall of History.  If his 
nomination is considered and endorsed for inclusion on the Wall 
of History by the RSA, the family can contribute photo records 
and other material and documents related to his military service 
sufficient to create a relief or other sculpture.

Given my father's duty as a transportation and logistics officer 
I'd suggest a design of him as a soldier in helmet holding a 
scolded map and looking through binoculars toward the future.  As a 
soldier my father earned a place in history and represents an era 
when duty, honor, God and country were primary values.  We should 
be proud as a community and institution to pass those values to 
our children by representing Lt. Col. Leonard P. Lynch as career 
soldier on the Wall of History.

Respectfully,
TerryLynch@aol.com

 Montgomery, Alabama

P.S.  Please pass copy of this letter along to Mr. Charles 
Humphries of PH& J Architects, Inc. and to Mary Ann Neeley, 
Executive Director of the Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery and 
Ed Bridges, director of the Alabama Department of Archives and 
History for their consideration with respect to the Wall of 
History.  Thank you.