Eagle Creek resident, Alfred L Foust, passed away on November 29, 2022. He was 100 years old. Al was born on August 8, 1922, to Everett and Hazel (Barrows) Foust, in Portland, Oregon, where he was raised. He joined the Army in the Corps of Engineers, as a young man and fought in WWII. Al served in the First Allied Airborne Army, The 82nd Airborne Division and The XVIII Airborne Corps. After the war, he was soon hired as a Civil Engineer and began a career with a few companies such as Brown and USAID, before landing his ultimate position with Louis Berger International, that spanned the remainder of his career. His assignments took him to exotic and war-torn places around the globe, such as: Liberia, Ethiopia, the Sudan, Bolivia, former East Pakistan, Indonesia and ended his career in Bangladesh to name a few. He traveled the globe with his family and it is known that it was easier to list where he had not been as opposed to where he had visited. After all his various Army Corps of Engineers projects, Al was assigned to Fort Eustis as an Instructor. While an Instructor, Al’s records were reviewed and the results had him enrolled in the Army's STP at Purdue to become an Officer. The needs of the war disbanded the program and only the Senior Class was allowed to continue all others reverted to their previous MOS and went to a Replacement Depot in England. After several weeks of watching personnel come and go individually by MOS, Al was placed in a Group assigned to a Unit. A train ride later they arrived at the transfer site within a train station. Upon arrival at the platform the Group learned that the Unit of Assignment was Disbanded. An Airborne Unit Staffing Officer was at the station and the Unit was allowed by MTOE to be over strength. The catch is anyone who signs on will need to change their MOS and receive the required training. Not wanting to return to the Replacement Depot all volunteered for the training. Al's MOS changed to Infantry with Gliderborne as an Additional Skill Identifier. Al was undergoing Glider Training on D-Day and arrived in France by LST several days later.
Al was a very generous and caring man who will be remembered for his great love and service to God, his family and his Country. He will be remembered by his kindness, his graciousness, and his humility. He touched many veterans and others hearts with thousands of volunteering hours at eh VA hospital, well into his 90s. In his free time, Al enjoyed fishing, hunting, going to church, and teaching gun safety. He is survived by his children, Sarah Foust, Ralph Foust, Patricia (Raymond) Trujilio, Raymond Foust, and Kay Foust; grandchildren Michael and Bjorn Trujilio; great grandchildren Destiny and Urija; nephews Charles Foust and Kenneth Holtzinger; nieces Paula Donofrio and Karen Holtzinger; and cousin Donna Rae Wickstrom. He was preceded in death by his wife, Birdie, of 58 years; his parents Everett and Hazel Foust; his brother Charles; and his sister Sarah.
