Honoring The Late Skip Daley, Vietnam War Hero From Brewster

 “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.”
— Benjamin Franklin

BREWSTER – There is a lot to learn from the late Skip Daley, and a lot to remember.

Born and raised in Brewster in one of the town’s most respected families, Skip Daley was killed in action in Vietnam in 1967 on a search and destroy mission near Bong Son in the heat of the Vietnam War. In a night ambush, the Viet Cong launched a savage attack against his platoon. First Lt. Daley, who had been a three-sport all-star in high school and a star athlete at Springfield College, crawled below a hail of fire tracer bullets to each of the men in his platoon, rallying them to repel the attackers. 

When an enemy grenade landed next to him and his radio operator, Skip instinctively picked up the deadly projectile and hurled it, in a Hail Mary pass, back at his attackers, saving the lives of soldiers in his platoon.

He died instantly when the grenade exploded before him, one of the first Cape Codders to be killed in the conflict, bringing the war home to this fragile spit of sand. For his bravery, he received the Silver Star, the third highest honor in this country. 

In a front-page story on Feb. 12, 1967, the Boston Sunday Herald wrote, “Everyone in town knew Skip Daley…Then, suddenly, he was dead — killed by the Viet Cong. Now the war no longer was a battle fought 9,000 miles away. It’s as close as the nearest mailbox, as terrible as a mine disaster.” 

Daley still embodies Brewster. It is indeed possible for a single individual to define a small town. A memorial to Daley is located at Brewster Town Hall.

To honor his heroism and his sacrifice, the Brewster Memorial Scholarship Fund, called the Walter “Skip” Daley fund, was established in 1971 for Brewster students who have completed one year or more of post-high school education. The fund was established by the Daley family and others in town. The fund, which over the years has raised thousands of scholarship dollars for hundreds of Brewster students, is now managed by the Brewster Historical Society. The union of the scholarship fund and the historical society serves to define the town of Brewster, settled in the 1600s, incorporated in 1803, and named after Elder William Brewster, a Mayflower passenger and the spiritual leader of the Plymouth Colony.

 “Both symbolize the town in extraordinary ways; it’s a natural union,” says Skip’s brother Paul, who oversees the scholarship fundraising.

The Brewster Historical Society incorporates the historic Cobb House Museum and workshop, along with the nearby Brewster Historical Society Windmill Village. 

The Cobb House, notes the Brewster Historical Society, was constructed in 1799 by Captain Elijah Cobb, who sailed the world. It is an eloquent example of a Cape Cod sea captain's home. The Cobb family moved in on New Year's Day in 1800, and family members lived there until the 1940s before the house was purchased and restored by the Brewster Historical Society 10 years ago. It now serves as the town's museum, exhibiting Brewster's maritime history and artifacts. In the 1800s, Brewster was home to so many sea captains that it earned the moniker “the Sea Captains’ Town.”

There’s also a military exhibit on display at the Cobb House that highlights Brewster residents (including Daley) who served in the military from the Revolutionary War through Vietnam. 

 “It's so gratifying for all of us at the Brewster Historical Society to be able to serve as sponsors for the Brewster Memorial Scholarship Fund,” says the society’s president, noted author Sally Gunning. “The historical connection with one of Brewster's most beloved war heroes, Skip Daley, brother of board member Paul Daley, brings everything close to home. As for the mission of the scholarship fund, it only gets harder and harder for our college students to carve out funding for their continuing education. That the Brewster Historical Society could help in this small way makes us proud.” 

Adds Scholarship Fund board member Faythe Ellis, “I think our new relationship to the Brewster Historical Society will be mutually beneficial. For the scholarship committee, the BHS connection allows for greater visibility to reach potential applicants using the platforms/resources of the BHS and for future fundraising opportunities. To me, the scholarship, with its poignant history still fresh in many of our minds, represents a bridge between past and future. It remembers Skip, our many veterans, the Daley family, and the tightly woven social fabric of 1967 Brewster, while supporting the educational goals of the young people of 21st century Brewster.” 

Scholarship applications can be downloaded on the Brewster Historical Society website (brewsterhistoricalsociety.org/). Donations to the scholarship fund can be made in care of The Brewster Historical Society, P.O. Box 1146, Brewster, Ma. 02631. Inquires and questions can be emailed to brewsterscholarship@gmail.com. 

The funds are deposited at the Cape Cod Five; the scholarship fund is a nonprofit organization and donations are tax deductible.

Just days before Skip Daley died, he sent a letter his alma mater Springfield College observing, “The war is not easy — the battlefield is a testing ground…I hope and pray I pass the test.”

Daley did with flying colors!

There is a lot to learn from Skip Daley, and a lot to remember.