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Family, Friends Pay Tribute To War Hero

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By GEORGE H. NEWMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 20, 2008

PLANT CITY - Ralph Scott, who survived some of World War II's most ferocious battles, died Aug. 4 at age 85.

At his funeral, the decorated veteran was remembered for more than his military service.

The retired bread deliveryman with a great sense of humor was a dedicated husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather and friend to everyone he met, friends and family members said.

Scott was memorialized as a man who loved his family, his country and his God. Above all, no one could forget he was a national hero, fighting through Africa, Italy, France, Belgium and Germany.

Scott was buried with full honors Aug. 8 at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Charlotte. He is survived by two sons, Tom of Plant City and Jeff of West Virginia; two daughters, Debbie Hall and Vanessa Richards, both of Plant City; 14 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

Scott, an Army sergeant, was awarded the Silver Star, Purple Heart and other medals during military service that ended with his 1947 discharge.

The day before his funeral, more than 20 relatives gathered at the community clubhouse near his Country Meadows home to reminisce.

"My grandfather didn't talk at length about the war with me until we saw 'Saving Private Ryan' at the movies," grandson Dennis Clasing said. "Eventually we heard a lot of amazing and interesting stories about his military experience."

'That Is A Real Hero'

Speakers at his funeral included former Mayor John Dicks and state Rep. Rich Glorioso.

"Ralph Scott wasn't a comic book hero," Dicks said. "He was a living, breathing all-American hero. His bravery under fire was astonishing. When he faced the machine guns at Omaha Beach on D-Day, he told me he was scared of dying. But he kept on moving forward. He made it to the beach. He found cover on the shore. He kept firing and moving toward the German lines. He never gave up. That is a real hero."

Three members of the Florida Army National Guard honor guard, stationed in Orlando, removed the flag from Scott's coffin at the end of service at Haught Funeral Home, carefully folded it into the familiar stars-up triangle and handed it to Scott's younger daughter, Vanessa Richards.

The Rev. Noland Colkmire, a visiting relative, and the Rev. Ron Churchill, senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Plant City, where the Scott family attended, eulogized Scott.

"Ralph Scott was faithful to the Lord," Churchill said. "He was faithful to our country. He was faithful to his family. He was faithful to his friendships. Ralph was faithful in every way. He always kept the main thing, God, country, family and friends, the main thing in his life."

Born in Dorchester, Va., Scott was raised in coal country but decided early on that he didn't want to work in the mines.

In a 2004 interview, Scott remembered his early years leading up to World War II.

"I left home at 16 and worked in President Roosevelt's CCC Civilian Conservation Corps camp," Scott recalled. "I spent 16 months building forestry trails near Winchester, Va. We lived like soldiers, with barracks, Army food and a schedule that went dawn to dark. We had a view of the Shenandoah Valley. Then the war broke out, and I joined the Army."

Scott went to basic training in Macon, Ga., and after 13 weeks was shipped to North Africa and then Sicily.

"During the invasion of Sicily, we fought German forces as soon as we hit the beach," he said. "The Italian army was inland, and we saw little of them during the fight. We pushed the Germans back, and I remember seeing full divisions of Italians surrendering before we left."

The rest of Scott's military career, including the bloody assault on Omaha Beach, was a mixture of horror and triumph, he said in 2004. And while he didn't speak of his combat for years, his loving character and sense of humor were always present, friends and family members said

Fun Memories Shared

After the war he moved to Baltimore, where he and Charlotte married.

Ed Hall, Scott's son-in-law, recalled times that he and Scott visited Baltimore Memorial Stadium to watch quarterback Johnny Unitas and the Baltimore Colts play to a sold-out stadium.

"If it wasn't football season, then it was baseball where we watched the great Oriole teams of that time," Hall said. "We had a lot of great memories there."

Grandson Dennis Clasing said Scott bought him his first BB gun and bicycle and took him to sign up for Little League baseball.

His great-grandson Brian Clasing said Scott taught him how to cook sausage, corn bread and biscuits and gravy.

In Country Meadows, Scott often took great-granddaughter Brianna Lee on rides in a golf cart to see the alligators in the community's waterways.

"Dad was a good example for everyone in the family," daughter Debbie Hall said. "He was a father and best friend to all his kids and grandkids. We will miss him dearly."

Reporter George H. Newman can be reached at (813) 865-4451 or gnewman@tampatrib.com.

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