Retsil final home for former state director of Veterans Affairs

RETSIL — Former Washington Department of Veterans Affairs director and retired Army Col. Alfred "Beau" Bergeron was known to soldiers, coworkers, friends and family as the "Ragin' Cajun" for his proud ties to his home state of Louisiana, his booming voice and towering stature.

He'd often quote the Cajun French expression "laissez les bon temps rouler," which translates to "let the good times roll," and he lived his life by that expression, even as he led men into combat during the Vietnam War and when he became a staunch advocate for veterans after he retired from the Army with almost 25 years of service.  

Bergeron, 74, died from complications from Parkinson's disease at the Retsil Veterans Home in Port Orchard on Sept. 1.

It seemed there was no better place for Bergeron to be cared for and spend his last few years other than among his fellow veterans at Restil, said his daughter, Tara Mowreader. 

"I think that God definitely intended for him to go there, and being around other military people, he really enjoyed that," she said.

And for Bergeron, Retsil was exactly where he wanted to be. 

"Before he was ever sick, and while he still worked for the VA, he said 'If I ever get sick, just drop me off at one of those homes. They're really good,'" said his wife of 50 years, Judy.

During his time working at the VA, Bergeron's penchant for problem-solving became his lasting legacy, said Alfie Alvarado-Ramos, the current director of the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. 

He was a friend and mentor to Alvarado-Ramos, and the one whom she credits as the "primary reason" she currently fills the top post at the state's veterans organization after he helped her secure an early retirement from the Army to fill a vacant associate superintendent position at the Orting Soldiers Home. 

Under his guidance, Alvarado-Ramos said she learned a number of important lessons that still shapes how she runs the department. 

"He taught me to always keep your eye on the ball, and that ball is the veteran," she said. "They are the center of everything they do, and it doesn't matter what the environment is, the fiscal situation, what's going on out in the community, so long as you are providing the services veterans need."

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Bergeron's stay at Retsil was an opportunity for the department to give back to the man who did so much for it when he ran the show, said Alvarado-Ramos.

"We cared for him as he cared for us when he was director," she said.

During Bergeron's time in charge from 1990 to 1997, the department faced a number of challenges. 

Alvarado-Ramos credited Bergeron with keeping the doors open to the Orting Soldiers Home when the facility was in danger of being shut down due to budget cuts.

Instead of closing one of state's two homes open at the time, Bergeron pushed for both facilities to become Medicare and Medicaid certified so they could continue to care for veterans even in the face of a funding shortfall.

"He knew the value of going through this grinder, since it would keep the doors the open," Alvarado-Ramos said. "And the homes stayed open."

He was also instrumental in pushing for modernization efforts at Retsil, including increasing the home's bed capacity and ensuring staff had adequate equipment to provide care.

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Alvarado-Ramos said her fondest memory of working alongside Bergeron came after he managed to secure two tanks from the Army to park outside the homes in Retsil and Orting. When the time came to relocate them on the properties, Bergeron put on his old tanker's uniform and drove the tanks into position on the grounds himself.

"Beau was a caring, swashbuckling, fun and beloved leader in the veterans community," she said.

Bergeron's tenure at the helm of the agency came to an abrupt end in the spring of 1997, after he resigned in the wake of accusations against Retsil's then-superintendent, who reportedly sexually harassed and retaliated against employees at the home. 

At the time, Bergeron said he stepped down to promote healing within the department. He was cleared of any wrongdoing in relation to the scandal, according to interviews with the Kitsap Sun. 

His departure was deeply felt by many who worked with him, including a number of veterans advocacy groups that unsuccessfully petitioned former Gov. Gary Locke to have him reinstated to the post.

"It was very hard," Alvarado-Ramos said. "He was a person of great integrity and he believed deeply that people working with him and for him had the best interests of agency at heart, but sometimes they didn't."

While Bergeron was many things throughout his lifetime, his family was always his pride and joy. 

Bergeron and his wife, Judy, were married 1967, shortly after he returned from his first tour in Vietnam. They have two children, Tara and Joe, and four grandchildren. 

"He showed up for things. He made us laugh," Mowreader said. "He was a loud cheerleader. He'd get kicked out of our soccer games for yelling at our referee." 

That love was something he showed everyone he came to care about, she said. 

"The thing that I'd want to people to know is that he loved well, and he loved us well. He took care of people that he thought were worthy," Mowreader said. "He loved vets, he loved soldiers and he loved openly. If you were in the crew of people loved by Beau Bergeron, you were loved well."

Bergeron joined the Army after he graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in journalism in 1965. The next year, he was sent to Vietnam, where he served as a platoon leader with 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry Regiment. 

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He returned to Vietnam for his second and final tour in 1969, where he served as a troop commander for the 2nd Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment. 

During this tour, Bergeron received the Army Commendation Medal with an oak leaf cluster for heroism after the troop under his command was attacked by well-armed North Vietnamese forces on three fronts on the morning of April 5, 1970.

Bergeron went on to command the 2nd Battalion, 63rd Armored Regiment and the 3rd Battalion, 37th Armored Regiment at Fort Riley in Kansas from 1982 to 1984. Before retirement, he held a number of posts with the 9th Infantry Division at Fort Lewis from 1985 to 1988. He retired as a brigade commander.

As he progressed through his military career, Bergeron took great joy in leading and supporting those under his command, especially when it came to watching their careers grow.

"He was pretty excited about teaching young men and he was very proud that some of the men he worked with became generals in the army," Judy Bergeron said. "He was very, very proud of their efforts and loved the fact that they were successful."