Gary Hurl

Gary Hurl

Company D 1/22 Infantry

Vietnam

January 1970

(December 5, 1948 - September 23, 2012)

Gary passed away on September 23, 2012. He was born on December 5, 1948 to the late
Ken and Betty Hurl in Saginaw, Michigan.

Gary was a loving husband to Marsha for 35 years. He was a father to his daughter, Kelly Gray and his son,
Cory (Mischa) Allen. Gary was a brother to his sister Sandra Hurl and his brother Kim Hurl. He was
a cherished grandfather to Jodi Gray and Olivia Gray. Gary was a son-in-law to Rita Bartczak.

Gary Hurl served in the United States Army 4th Infantry Division. He was loved and respected by the men
he served with in Vietnam, who he truly considered to be his brothers. He was a kind man who always put
the needs of others before his own.

A cremation will take place and be followed by a burial at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan in the future.

Memorial donations may be directed to The Beaumont Foundation at P.O. Box 5802 in Troy, Michigan 48007-9620

S.K. Schultz Funeral Home

I first met Gary in the fall of 1969 in the jungles of Vietnam. Gary welcomed me into the squad and mentored me in the ways
necessary to live and survive in the jungle. He was more than a big brother…it’s just hard to explain if you have never been there.
Gary was an incredibly loyal friend with a bond forged in the crucible of a chaotic and unpopular war.
At the time, I had no idea how much he would impact my life.

He never complained about his lot in life, whether it was the atrocious conditions of combat in Vietnam, or battling the relentlessness
of cancer. He always thought of others first no matter how bad things got for him. Gary was a true warrior right to the end.

I am just so grateful to have had him in my life for so many years, not just as a friend, but a friend with this indescribable bond.
I have learned so much from him, especially in the last several months. Such a rare opportunity I had. To see the toughness
of a man in combat…and then over 40 years later…see the tenderness of a doting and loving husband, father and grandfather.
In the end, powerless to change his condition, but yet holding strong to his integrity, love, tenderness, loyalty…
and that amazing way he would smile at you with his eyes. As I said, the impact he made on my life is truly enduring.

"As a member of Gary's gun team, I often humped behind him up and down the hills in the jungles of the Central Highlands.
As a FNG in Nam, I was impressed at the way Gary could breathlessly glide up the hills while humping the M60.
He often would wait for me at the top with a smile on his face, while I'm lagging behind about to pass out.
He schooled me in many ways, and made my experiences in the jungle bearable...not to mention the friendship.
Little did I know at the time that it would be a life long friendship.

Decades later Gary and I would get together for cycling...one of Gary's real passions. I soon found out that he was still able
to breathlessly stay in front of me!! While I dread the long hill climbs, Gary ate them up with a vengeance!
I'm grateful for all the memories over these 40 plus years, and I will miss him deeply."

Dan Martus

Gary Hurl changed my life. In Vietnam we were members of Third Platoon, Delta Company of the Fourth Infantry Division.
We were Infantry Grunts and often spent 30 to 40 days at a time in the jungle doing search and destroy operations.
Men were constantly rotating in and out but there was a group of us that got there about the same time and started
going home about the same time. We became very close and took care of each other the best we could. We really were
a Band Of Brothers. One by one the 365 day tour came to an end and it was time to go home. While it was a fantastic feeling
for us that survived the year in Vietnam and glad to be going home, it was equally sad to be leaving your buddies behind.
We all said that we would contact each other back in the world but we were scattered all over the country and a combination
of wanting to put the war behind you, working 40 hours a week, getting married and having children, made that hard to do.

But I never forgot the men I served with in Vietnam and through the years wondered how they were doing. Then one Sunday night
in 1994 my phone rang and a voice on the other end said, this is Gary Hurl. I said, Gary Hurl that I served with in Vietnam?
He said, yes, and that he and Dan Martus were trying to contact some of the other guys that were with us. In April of 1994
we had a reunion for Burke Washington’s birthday in Canton, Ohio. Gary, Dan, Burke, Bob Paleczny, Roger Grim, Dave Henkels,
Robert Thacker and I were there. It was so good to see these guys again and we had a fantastic time. Through the years we,
but mostly Gary, was able to find more of our brothers and we have had several really good reunions. It was good to know
that all the guys turned out to be good citizens, husbands and fathers. A big part of my life would have been missing
if Gary had not brought us all together again. The last time I saw Gary in the hospital, I thanked him for making the effort
to contact as many of us as he did. He said, someone had to do it!

But no one else would have done it, only Gary, and I will be forever grateful.

Harold Hall

Gary Hurl was truly an outstanding human being. As can be seen by the testaments above, he was a Soldier
revered by those who served alongside him. As a veteran, he brought together brothers-in-arms of D Company,
and worked hard to insure their memories and stories were shared, collected and preserved for posterity.

I was fortunate to have Gary working with me for many years, to present the history of D 1/22 Infantry
in Vietnam on this website. He was talented and diligent, and strove constantly to make the best possible
presentation of the photos and memories of his fellow veterans. His graphic work is evident throughout
this 1st Battalion website, though he never sought recognition for it. I had hoped Gary would take over
the management of this website one day, but his cancer prevented him from doing so.

Gary had a great heart and soul. He was the kind of person who would do something for someone without being asked,
showing a generosity that few of us possess. I could fill a page with the admiration I had for this man.

As we all get older, we expect to lose friends, but losing Gary hits especially hard.
He was one of the best, and deserved to live a long and happy life. He will be missed.