Ed McGushin's passing on November 20, 2010 was a great loss for our community. Ed and his wife Sandy lived latterly at Leitrim, a house that they designed and built to their specifications on the Busthead Road, near Halfway, before moving to Connecticut to be closer to one of their two sons. All of us who knew Ed well were proud to know him because he represented the very finest values of a great American soldier, and had a generous and gregarious spirit that became infectious with all who were close to him. He lived life to the full.

Ed was born in Sacramento, California, and was educated at the University of San Francisco and the University of North Carolina, before being commissioned into the Army and joining the elite of the elite, the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg. In the Army Ed was legendary for his leadership from the front, unrequiting persistent attention to his men's needs, and unit combat effectiveness. This matured and found its fruition on the battlefields of Vietnam, where Ed served with great distinction. He did two combat tours, in 1966 and 1972, and was awarded the Silver Star for heroic valor and bravery in combat.

When I first knew Ed we shared a common heritage of military service, both of us trained and led in our early military careers by World War Two veterans. What I always admired about Ed was his personal courage and integrity, and he was never boastful of his fine achievements in uniform, and paid the highest respects to those he was proud to have led.

Ed's time in Vietnam turned out to be a crucible for change in his life. Like so many outstanding combat veterans Ed realized that nothing could ever replace leadership in combat. His wisdom and humanity told him that all the promotions in the world via endless staff appointments and desk jobs could not replace for him what true soldiering is ultimately all about, leading a front line unit in combat. He took early retirement after a highly distinguished career, and went into industry.

He joined an emergent area software company, SRA International Inc, where he transferred all his zeal and energy to increasing their business base by orders of magnitude. He was not only popular as a corporate leader he became a household name for his unique approach to winning government contracts through team work and adding that extra something that won SRA significant government awards.

It was indicative of the respect for Ed that when he had his seventieth birthday the senior leadership of SRA went to Connecticut to celebrate with Ed and Sandy. They both loved and admired him.

Ed's passion came out in his most cared for hobby – cooking. Ed could well have been a master chef in a world class restaurant. He simply loved to cook and please his friends and guests with a wide range of different creations. His kitchen at Lietrim made most restaurants look modest – he designed it personally, and was never happier than seeing the smile on the faces of his guests as they enjoyed his productions. Ed brought a unique blend of grace as well as showmanship to the culinary arts in ways that only Ed could. His wine cellar was spectacular and he just loved to please.

Ed's sense of humor was wonderful. He had a wry and buoyant sense of fun. I shall always remember him responding to a telephone call I made to him, imitating an official from the Pakistan Embassy in Washington. Although I can do a pretty good Pakistani accent, after a while Ed caught on that this was his neighbor on the phone and turned the tables on me in the most hilarious way – he had a great mercurial sense of acting.

Ed's wife and two sons were his stars and true light in his life. He was a family man through and through. This spirit was reflected in his local support activities, helping others in our community as he and Sandy brought up their boys. Ed was politically savvy and did not suffer fools gladly, and always did what he thought was right, and was unwavering in his sense of fair play. I never knew Ed to be unnecessarily critical or judgmental of his fellow human beings – he always led by practice, not precept. I only knew him once to be critical of a local resident whom we both felt tarnished the military code our generation was nurtured on, and he was so right in this instance.

Ed never flinched from staying on course, and holding fast to that which is right. In an age when compromising values goes unnoticed Ed was a beacon for the younger generation.

All of us who knew Ed will miss him dearly, and we send our heartfelt condolences to Sandy and the boys. He was a man of deep faith and honor, and he believed firmly in his fellow men, his country, and he loved his family to the fullest. Ed, we will all miss you. The pud was very good indeed.

Ed McGushin was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday, January 25, 2011.

Tony Wells was a friend and neighbor of Ed McGuishin and is a former senior British Naval Officer.