Tribute to a Hero

Barbara Tripp began looking for a way to honor her husband’s meritorious service in the U.S. military after he died nearly seven years ago, but she decided to wait for the proper opportunity. 

Years went by, and nothing seemed to be the right fit for a man who served 23 years and earned two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, a Prisoner of War medal, a special commendation from Gen. Douglas MacArthur and a personal letter of thanks signed by President Harry Truman.

“I wanted to do something for him, with all of his time in the military, but I didn’t know what to do,” Tripp said. “I put up a marker for him at the 16th tee on the golf course, and I thought that was nice. But it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.”

Last year, however, Tripp heard about a project spearheaded by Terry Andreessen and the Lincoln County Veterans Memorial Foundation to build a veterans memorial in Libby. And she immediately recognized the perfect way to honor her late husband, Harry Tripp. 

“When I saw Terry’s project in the paper, I said ‘Aha, this is a good thing to donate to,’” Tripp said. “I told him ‘How about doing a flag at the memorial in the park?’ 

And he thought that was a good idea.”

On Monday, Tripp presented a check for $3,200 to the veterans group to pay for a U.S. flag and a POW-MIA flag, both of which will wave 50-feet above the veterans memorial at Riverfront Park on a lighted flagpole that will bear a plaque dedicated to her husband’s heroism in World War II and the Korean War. 

Construction on the veterans memorial began last month and is scheduled for completion next fall. The flagpole will rise from the ground near the centerpiece of the circular memorial, which will be encompassed by rows of bricks sunk into the ground with upright surfaces bearing the names of military veterans. 

Several members of the veterans group gathered with Tripp at the site of the memorial to thank her for contributing to the project, which will cost an estimated $110,000 and will be paid for entirely through donations. The group has raised about $44,000 so far.

Andreessen, a veteran of the war in Vietnam, had high praise for the late Harry Tripp, who achieved the rank of master sergeant in the Army and Air Force and chief petty officer in the Navy, the highest ranks for non-commissioned officers.

“He was a great American,” Andreessen said. 

Harry Tripp joined the Army as a radioman in 1937. He left the Army in 1939 and joined the Navy in 1940. He was captured by the enemy in World War Two and spent three-and-a-half grueling years in POW camps in the Philippines and Japan.

He was released and sent home after Japan surrendered in 1945. Later that year – remarkably – he enlisted in the Air Force and began a 19-year stint with that branch of the military. 

Barbara Tripp responds casually when people ask her why her husband rejoined the military after surviving the horrors of POW camps: “He just really liked the military.”

When Harry Tripp retired from the military in 1959, he had amassed dozens of medals – a list too lengthy for this story – and was recognized as an American hero by the top military leaders of his era.

Harry and Barbara Tripp were married in 1961 in New Hampshire. His post-military career included positions with defense contractors Hughes Aircraft Company and Martin Marietta. He was also a safety supervisor with Morrison Knudsen during construction of the Teton and Libby dams.

The Tripps settled in Libby in 1981. 

After Harry Tripp’s death in 2006, his remains were placed on a mountain peak near the home where Barbara Tripp still lives. She often looks out the window with full view of the mountaintop and swears Harry is watching her from his resting place.

“When I do something good, I look at that mountain and say ‘Harry, did you see that?” she said. “And when I do something bad, I say ‘Harry, I hope you didn’t see that.

“But I don’t have to worry this time. He’ll be glad to see his name on that flagpole.”