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Gen. Wayne Downing honored by hundreds

Posted July 21, 2007 11:00 pm

Cathy Bayer

Wayne Downing, a retired four-star general in the U.S. Army, didn't have to stop to chat with people who had only heard his reputation but hadn't met him personally, but he did it anyway.

He didn't have to spend extra time keeping personal relationships alive with friends and family, but he did it anyway.

That's just how the Peoria native was, said Downing's stepson, Dr. Phil Immesoete of Columbus, Ohio.

Immesoete spoke to hundreds of Downing's family, friends and military personnel from the Marines, Air Force, Navy and Army Special Operations Commands at Downing's funeral Mass Saturday morning at St. Thomas Catholic Church.

Downing, a Peoria native and former commander of the nation's Special Forces, died Wednesday at the age of 67. An official cause of death has not been determined, but Downing was suffering from bacterial meningitis and multiple myeloma, a cancer which appeared to be have been in his lymph system.

Immesoete said Downing's reputation as an Army Ranger and President Bush's hand-picked counterterrorism point man has made him a legend. But his human side is what made him legendary, he said.

Photos of Downing with family, Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush and NBC news anchor Brian Williams lined a table near the back of the sanctuary.

Downing went to Iraq with Williams and served as an NBC news military consultant.

He pointed out after the funeral that Downing ran the world's most lethal command as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Special Operations Command but was the kindest teacher and protector. Williams' wife credits Downing as the reason he's alive, he said.

On Saturday, Williams came to town, not to cover the news, but to pay his respects to his friend.

"I'm just remembering a friend today, who just happened to be a 34-year veteran," he said.

Former Peoria mayor Dave Ransburg echoed the sentiments of those at the service.

Whether talking to Downing's family or four-star generals, people are saying the same things: "I'm where I am because of him," he said.

Downing's burial will be at 1 p.m. Sept. 27 at the Cemetery at U.S. Military Academy, his alma mater, in New York.

When it comes to conflict, Lt. Gen. Robert Wagner, the current head of the Army's Special Operations Command, still asks himself the same thing: "What would Gen. Downing do?"

Wagner had known Downing for about 30 years, and Downing plays a part in his thought process. He also gave a eulogy for Downing Saturday.

"What would he say? Have we met his standards?"

Wagner even keeps Downing's picture in his full dress uniform and looks at it every time, "to make sure I got it right," he said.

Duty, honor and country are stressed at West Point, and those came through in Downing, Wagner said after the funeral.

"Legends will be told about Gen. Downing," he said.

Ross Perot gave the first eulogy about the man he described as a hero, a patriot, modest, fearless and tougher than steel. He detailed stories of Downing doing things for people who couldn't do anything for him in return.

He described Downing as a very decorated general, with a long list of awards over the years.

"And he deserved every single award," said the two-time presidential candidate.

He closed with the last line of the Star Spangled Banner, a question: 'O say, does that Star-spangled banner yet wave; O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?'

"As long as we have great patriots like Wayne Downing, the answer will be a resounding 'yes.'"

Cathy Bayer can be reached at (309) 686-3196 or cbayer@pjstar.com.

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