(Meg Falk, an American hero. Rest in Peace, dear friend).

The news hit me with a wallop as I looked over the mail that came in while I was out. My pals in Tennessee forwarded me the obituary of one of the most dynamic and totally alive people I have ever known.

Meg Falk was a woman of extraordinary vitality, a life force all her own, with merry Irish eyes to match. If you ever had a chance to socialize with her, as I did in her elegant home in Falls Church, you would know the kind of impact she had in every facet of her personal and professional life.

We had a lot in common. Meg was from Detroit, for one thing, and all of us from the Motor City share a legacy of the long decline of a great city. Like her, I tried to make it work for a few years after college, but went on to explore the wider world.

My Tennessee pals brought us all together. I was working in the Bureau of Personnel in the mid-1980s, and we shared interests and programs that supported Navy families. I was mostly interested in moving junior officers around, but Meg was interested in the families that had to endure the stresses of military life without the little ribbons and medals of recognition for what they contributed to the Nation.

My heart goes out to Jim, her devoted husband, with whom I shared many memories of life on the aircraft carriers and days at sea. He was always a risk-taker, even after he left flying, and after becoming a certified therapist, worked for the Arlington County jail as a psychologist. They were a great couple, and great friends.

I am a little rattled this morning, since it is hard to conceive of a world without her in it. The memory of her actions to help the families of those killed, wounded or missing after the attack that morning on the Pentagon is still fresh. She was an American hero.

And the great wave of World War Two Vets departing has largely passed, but at its peak, Meg took personal action to ensure that the families of the deceased were treated with honor and respect. The shortage of active personnel made honor guards difficult to provide, and the single most significant thing about the interment ceremony is the solemn sound of “Taps” being played.

“Day is done, gone the sun,
From the lakes, from the hills, from the sky.
All is well, safely rest
God is nigh.”

Meg knew that last tribute was important, and given the shortage of musicians, a boom box or cassette player was simply not acceptable alternative. She championed the adoption of the ceremonial bugle, which did not require an expert musician, just a dignified person to “play” it.

A masterful version of “Taps” is produced by a sound device that slides snugly deep into the bugle’s bell and the resonating tones inside the bugle provide realistic horn quality. The recording itself is from the 1999 Memorial Day service at Arlington National Cemetery.

Which is where Meg will go, eventually, as will I. So we will all be together again after Taps is played for us all. Here is the obituary that she and Jim provided to her favorite charity, Camfed, which fights to better the lives of young women in rural African:

02 March, 2016. Meg Falk, of complications associated with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Meg was born to Margaret and Al Falk on October 7, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan. She grew up in Dearborn, Michigan, attended Sacred Heart School and went on to get her Bachelors degree at Marygrove College.

In her first career as a teacher, she taught in parochial schools, the Detroit Public Schools and five years for the Department of Defense Overseas Schools in the Far East and Europe. After ten years of teaching, she returned to graduate school and received her Masters in Public Administration. She was then selected as a 1980 Presidential Management Intern and moved to Washington, D.C. beginning her second career as a civil servant.

She worked one year at the Department of Justice and then transferred to the Department of the Navy where she worked ten years on behalf of Navy families. Meg met her beloved husband, Commander Jim Bryant, USN (Ret.), while working at the Navy Annex. They happily married in 1986 and were completely devoted to each other.

In 1991, the Office of the Secretary of Defense hired Meg to develop policy and programs in support of all service members and their families. In 1999, the Department also gave Meg the responsibilities for casualty and mortuary affairs.

The wide-ranging responsibilities under Meg came into play significantly on September 11, 2001. Once evacuated from the Pentagon after the attack, she and two of her staff proceeded to set up the Pentagon Family Assistance Center for the families of the missing. The center was operational the next morning and was a safe place for the victims’ families to gather for updates, counseling, Federal and local assistance and a wide range of other support services. The center operated around the clock for a month.

For her efforts in setting up this vital support center for the Pentagon families, Meg received the “Woman in Government Award” in 2002.

Of all the things Meg accomplished at the Pentagon, she was very proud of the creation of the Ceremonial Bugle. Unlike the previous use of a tape or CD when a real bugler was unavailable, the bugle now sounds Taps digitally at veterans’ funerals, adding dignity to the honoring our nations’ veterans.

Meg retired in May 2005 from the Pentagon, but returned to the Navy five months later to serve on Task Force Navy Family established to assist the military and civilian members and families affected by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. She worked for two years in support of this effort and retired again, this time successfully, in 2007.

Meg is survived by Jim Bryant, her wonderful husband of 30 years. Meg’s remains will be cremated and eventually buried with her husband in Arlington National Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Meg’s favorite charity, Camfed, which works to break the cycle of poverty and disease in rural Africa by educating girls and investing in economic and leadership opportunities for young women.

www.camfed.org

Copyright Camfed and Vic Socotra 2016
www.vicsocotra.com