03/19/09
SWANSEA — A graveside service for CW4 John T. Rast, Sr. (Ret.), 83, of Swansea, will be held at 3 p.m. Friday, March 20, 2009, in Melrose Cemetery in Swansea with full military honors. Officiating will be Rev. Terry Wilder. The family will receive friends from 7-9 Thursday evening at Thompson Funeral Home of Lexington. Memorials may be made to the American Diabetes Association, PO Box 11454, Alexandria, VA 22312.CW4(R) John T. Rast died Monday, March 16, 2009. Born February 27, 1926, in Swansea, SC, he was the son of the late George Frederick and Carrie Yon Rast. CW4(R) Rast served 41 years in the United States Armed Forces. He served in the Army during World War II for three years and was awarded numerous campaign medals and awards for his performance. CW4(R) Rast enlisted in the South Carolina Army National Guard in 1947 and was appointed a warrant officer in 1958. He advanced through the ranks of the Warrant Officer Corps and was promoted to CW4 on February 16, 1973. CW4(R) served the Warrant Officer Corps with distinction and was an outstanding officer. He served as the armament supervisor for the Combined Support Maintenance Shop (CSMS) for many years and then later became CSMS shop foreman where he was instrumental in managing the direct and general support (DS/GS) maintenance on all types of equipment for the South Carolina Army National Guard. CW4 Rast displayed outstanding leadership abilities and he touched the lives of many young soldiers. CW4(R) Rast retired from the South Carolina Army National Guard on February 26, 1986. CW4(R) Rast’s military awards include: Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Philippine Liberation Ribbon w/1Bronze Star, World War II Victory Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Service Medal w/1Bronze Star, Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/2 Hour Glasses, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal w/3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Service Ribbons, and Active State Service Medal w/3 Silver Stars.Surviving are his wife of 57 years, Mary Emma Rast of Swansea, and their two children, John T. Rast, Jr. and Ernest Frederick Rast, and daughter-in-law, Rhonda, all of Swansea; two grandchildren, Meredith Stroman and her husband, Tommy, of Swansea, and Miranda Rast of Swansea; two great-grandchildren, Tripp and Haley Emma Stroman; sister, Dorothy Epps of Lake City; and brother, Fred Rast of Charleston.www.thompsonsfuneral.com«Obituary posted: March 19, 2009»
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