RIP Buck Compton

Got an email this morning from a reader noting we should have addressed the passing of Buck Compton. Honestly, I thought I cross-posted here, but looking back I realize I did not. The emailer noted that the world was all a rage over the passing of Whitney Houston, and virtually nothing on Buck. Yup. It’s horrible that such is the case, and pains me, no doubt about it.

Anyway:

This from the LA Times, by way of Blackfive:

As a Los Angeles deputy district attorney, Lynn D. “Buck” Compton was known for heading the three-man team that successfully prosecuted Sirhan B. Sirhan for the 1968 slaying of U.S. Sen. Robert F. Kennedy.

And after then-Gov. Ronald Reagan appointed him to the 2^nd District Court of Appeal in 1970, he was known as one of its most conservative jurists.

But it was long after he retired from the bench in 1990 that Compton became known for something that previously had been mentioned only in passing in newspaper articles about him: his World War II military service.

Compton was a first lieutenant in Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment in the Army‘s 101st Airborne Division — one of the true-life characters who gained late-in-life renown when they were portrayed in “Band of Brothers,” the 2001 HBO miniseries based on historian Stephen E. Ambrose’s 1992 bestseller.

Compton, who suffered a heart attack Jan. 11, died Saturday at his daughter Tracy’s home in Burlington, Wash., said his family. He was 90.

For reasons that should be fairly obvious, I’ve always looked up to infantrymen who went on to law school.  My long time friend and Legionnaire Eddie Dentz (VA) was one of the people who convinced me to go to law school.  Eddie was the Chairman of the Legislative Council when I first came over to the Legion, and one of the smartest guys I ever met.  It wasn’t until years later that I came accross a reference to him in a book about WWII and found out he had actually been behind enemy lines for a long time during the Battle of the Bulge.  As Eddie neared the end of his life he asked me to come over to his house, and he gave me all of his law books dating back to 1946.  Including his meticulous notes.  Although they are of little actual financial value, they will always be among my most prized possessions.

And then about 5 years ago I was staying at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, and the event I was at started to exceed my ability to pay attention so I went outside for some fresh air.  Seated on a small bench in front of the hotel was a man smoking a pipe and wearing a small CIB.  I introduced myself as a fellow recipient of that medal, and thanked him for his service.  He introduced himself as Buck Compton.  “THE Buck Compton?” I asked.  “I’m the only one I know of” he repied with a small grin.

We spent about an hour talking on that bench, and it was hard not to just feel the awesomeness coming off this guy.  I’d read Ambrose’s book of course, and seen the video series, but to be honest, we talked mostly about his experiences returning to the states, and his subsequent law career.  In fact, the most interesting thing was going to law school when he got back, and his prosecution of Sirhan Sirhan, the man who murdered Robert Kennedy.

Buck was more than just an amazing soldier, leader and lawyer, his bio is something that reads like Forrest Gump.  For great men like Buck, the end of the war was not something that terminated his excellence, but was rather the start.  Before he even deployed he had sort of an interesting life, having attended UCLA, where he was an all-American selection for Baseball.  He played on the same team with Jackie Robinson.  He was also on the UCLA football team.  While at UCLA, Buck was in ROTC, serving under Cadet commander John Singlaub (who is amazing himself, having been a founding member of both the OSS and the CIA.)

After his return, according to Wikipedia:

In 1946 he turned down an offer to play minor league baseball, choosing instead to concentrate on a career in law.^[15] Compton married Donna Newman in October 1947 and the couple adopted two children.^[16] He attended Loyola Law School in Los Angeles, joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1946 and became a detective in the Central Burglary Division.^[17] He left the LAPD for the District Attorney‘s office in 1951 as a deputy district attorney, and was promoted in 1964 to chief deputy district attorney.^[18]

During his time with the District Attorney’s office, he successfully prosecuted Sirhan Sirhan for the murder of Robert F. Kennedy.^[19] In 1970, Governor Ronald Reagan appointed him an Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeal.^[20] He retired from the bench in 1990^[21] and resided in the state of Washington until his death.

I’m glad I got a chance to meet him, and spend a quiet sunny afternoon on a bench talking to him.  He was an amazing man, and will always be one of my heroes.

 

Category: Politics