Colonel John Dalton "Sailor" Byrne FA USA, Retired

April 8, 1916 – November 14, 2011

November 14, 2011, San Antonio, TX. He is survived by Colonel and Mrs. (Janet Dalton Byrne) Thomas W. Otto, Jr., Dr. Thomas M. Sears and Candyce Byrne, Mr. and Mrs. (Robin Pickens) Michael D. Byrne; four grandchildren: John Otto and his wife, Michelle; Julianne Otto; Christopher Sears and his wife, Jennifer; Michael Sears and four great-grand children: Emily and Elizabeth Otto, and Michael and Benjamin Sears.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Alice Maria Nielsen Byrne, Lieutenant USARNC; their infant son, Justin; his parents Mr. and Mrs. Laurence Joseph Byrne of Elmira, NY; his brother Captain Joseph Laurence Byrne, ANG (442nd Regimental Combat Team, buried at Epinal, France) and his sister, Mary Alice Byrne of Elmira, NY.

Colonel Byrne was a 1939 graduate of the United States Military Academy and a former student at the United States Naval Academy, Class of 1937. He was a graduate of Columbia University and the Army War College. He served during three foreign wars, WW II, Korea and Viet Nam, and was awarded the Silver Star, Legion of Merit (2), Bronze Star (2), Army Commendation Medal, and the Purple Heart. He served with gallantry and distinction in the 3rd Infantry Division, the 24th Infantry Division and the 2nd Armored Division. A gifted linguist, diplomat and writer, Col. Byrne’s foreign tours included attaché duty in Stockholm, Sweden and Madrid, Spain. He was also assigned to the Joint Chiefs’ Staff and was an Associate Professor of English at USMA and "Pointer" Advisor.

Once retired from the Army, he taught English at the Peacock Military Academy in San Antonio, TX and the New Mexico Military Institute, Roswell, NM, where he continued his life-long dedication to the education of young people.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at the Army Residence Community in San Antonio, TX on December 8, 2011. Burial with his wife and infant son will follow at West Point in Spring of 2012.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to any of the following in memory of Colonel John Dalton Byrne.

San Antonio Symphony

P.O. Box 658

San Antonio, TX 78293-0658

www.sasymphony.org

Roswell Museum and Art Center Foundation

400 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 220

Roswell, NM 88201

www.roswelmuseum.org

National MS Society/LA

Attn: Tributes and Memorials / John D. Byrne

2440 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Ste. 115

Los Angeles, CA 90064