Memorial Day Tribute: MAJ Larry J. Bauguess Jr.
Mentor. Leader. Man of Quiet Strength.
I met then-CPT(P) Larry Bauguess in the 18th Airborne Corps G3 section. I was just a 1LT, fresh out of the 82nd, and I’ll be honest—I wasn’t exactly thrilled about becoming a staff officer. But Larry took the time to mentor me anyway.
He wasn’t one of those leaders who got flustered or raised their voice. He had a quiet confidence about him. He showed me how to write operations orders, how to actually read them and apply them, and how to be effective on staff—even when I didn’t want to be there. I know I probably tested his patience more than once, but he never made me feel that. He just kept teaching. God bless him for teaching me.
We talked about our kids—they were close in age—and during football season, the conversations always turned to who had the better team and who was headed to a bowl game. I’d love to tell you we were close, but the truth is, our relationship was mostly professional. Still, he made me better.
He didn’t care about my rough edges or my stubbornness. He just saw someone he could help—and he did. That’s the kind of man he was.
A Life of Service and Sacrifice
Larry John Bauguess Jr. was born in December 1970 in Moravian Falls, North Carolina. He grew up playing baseball and graduated from Wilkes Central High School in 1989. At Appalachian State University, he joined the ROTC program, which set the course for his military career. He met his future wife, Wesley Ann Hobbs, during ROTC training, and they married in 1993.Honor The Fallen+4Carolina Panthers+4Major Larry J. Bauguess, Jr. Memorial+4CustomInk.com+4The Grateful Nation Project+4The Grateful Nation Project+4Major Larry J. Bauguess, Jr. Memorial
Commissioned into the Infantry, Larry served with distinction in various assignments, including deployments to Saudi Arabia in 1996 and in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005. He was assigned to the 4th Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
On May 14, 2007, during a mission to mediate a border dispute between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Teri Mengel, Pakistan, Major Bauguess was tragically killed by enemy small-arms fire. His actions exemplified courage and dedication to peacekeeping efforts.
Honoring His Legacy
Major Bauguess's legacy continues through various memorials and scholarships. The Major Larry J. Bauguess Jr. Memorial Field at Wilkes Central High School honors his love for baseball and commitment to youth development. Additionally, scholarships in his name are awarded to students who embody the values he stood for, such as responsibility, respect, and integrity. 508pir.org
I had been out of the Army for about five months when I got the call. I was working a corporate training gig in Atlanta, and I was an operations manager in oil and gas, trying to move on. The war was still raging, but I’d compartmentalized it. That day, it came rushing back.
All I could think about was his wife. His kids. What would happen to them? And then, I did what I always do—I buried myself in work. I changed my number from a Fort Bragg area code to a Houston one not long after. Told myself it was to stop getting those kinds of calls. That was true. But it was also because I was ashamed.
Ashamed I didn’t stay in. Ashamed I couldn’t do anything for his family.
So this is what I can do.
I can remember him. I can tell his story. And I hope that, through this post, someone else will see what kind of man he was. Someone I’m proud to call a mentor, a leader—and a friend.
God bless his family.
We remember. We honor.