Obituary for Master Sergeant Herbert Walter Denmark US Army
Master Sergeant Herbert Walter Denmark, U.S. Army (Retired).

Married to Mrs. Delores Denmark.

Children: Herbert Walter Denmark, Jr., Sandra E. Denmark, Janice L. Denmark, Deborah D. Terry and Beverly M. Johnson.

Grandchildren: Jessica Terry, Roosevelt Terry, Carlos Buggs, Lance Terry and Imani Johnson.
Great-Grandchildren: Akel, Ania’Lynne, and Savannah
Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Richard Denmark, Sr., (Gladys), Savannah, Ga. (both deceased)
Siblings: Mrs. Ruby Mae Jones, Sarah Alvis Denmark, Savannah; Robert R. Denmark, Jr., Sacramento, Ca; and Mrs. Isabelle King, St. Albans, NY.

Herbert was a church-going, family man who cared about his community and country. Herbert was born and raised in Savannah, Georgia where he graduated from Beach High School in 1954. He was a member of St. John Baptist Church. He joined the Army and served in several elite units which include the 11th Airborne Division, 3rd Infantry (Old Guard) at Arlington, Virginia; and the 1st Cavalry Division in Vietnam. His awards and decorations The Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Ranger Arc Tab, and Parachute Badge. Other honors include Noncommissioned Officer of the Year (1972) U.S. Army Aviation Center and Fort Rucker, Alabama and U.S. Army Air Traffic Controller of the Year (1974). He is a graduate of the U.S. Army Sergeant Majors Academy (Class #9); Airborne School, Ranger School, U.S. Air Force Air Traffic Control School, U.S. Navy GCA-C School and 2nd Infantry Division NCO Academy. His education includes a Bachelor’s Degree (Cum Laude) from Troy State University, Alabama and a Master’s from the University of Northern Colorado.

Herbert was a writer whose poetry, articles and editorials were published in books, magazines, newspapers and anthologies. His writing awards include First Place 1979 Technical Writing Award, Air Traffic Control Association; Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge (1977); Clark Atlanta University Writing Awards for fiction and poetry (1989); and Reporter of the Year (1983) Exchange Post Newspaper.

Herbert was active in the Atlanta area arts and literature community. He was president of Pen and Pica Writers (20 years), president of the Georgia Poetry Society (1999-2001), on the advisory boards of Georgia Writers Association (2003) and Georgia Center for the Book (1998-2017), a Literary Panelist for the Georgia Council for the Arts (2002), Arts Clayton Board of Creative Advisors (1990), and Arts Clayton, Inc. (1991-2017).

Herbert’s poetry, fiction, and articles have been published in newspapers, journals, books, and anthologies including the Savannah Literary Journal, Atlanta Voice, Atlanta Daily World, Sentinel, Parnassus Literary Journal, Summer Shade, Reach of Song, Shout Them from The Mountain Top, and DeKalb Community Journal. His chapbooks include “In Metaphysical Splendor,” “Second Finger, Left Hand,” and “High Heels and Jeans: Poetry for the Foxy Teen.” He is the editor of “The Night the Animals Screamed.” He was the co-author of “If it’s Monday, it’s Mayretta,” a play that was performed by the Knight’s Players in 2001.

Some of the actions Herbert is exceptionally proud of are reading his poetry for the audience at Kingfest (1984 & 1985) at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Center in Atlanta, having his poem “A Cleansing of the System” selected by a panel to be photo-etched onto a plaque for inclusion in the City of Atlanta Detention Center Plaza on Peachtree Street (1995), participation in the Georgia Poetry Society’s Poetry in the Schools Program where poets visit schools in Georgia to read to students and encourage them to write, and contributing an article to “The New Georgia Encyclopedia Companion to Georgia Literature.” He also read his poetry at several libraries in the Atlanta area. His film “Poetry Alive in Georgia” a one-hour program about the Georgia Poetry Society was played on Cable DeKalb, Inc. television on April 12, 1981. Herbert hosted, filmed and edited. He was proud to serve with CONTACT ATLANTA, a crisis-intervention ministry of people helping people 24-hours-a-day by telephone. He spent many hours on the telephone helping people in distress. Herbert was especially pleased to participate in the “Together on Hogback Mountain” project. The purpose of the project was to restore the old Dickey Cemetery on Hogback Mountain in Fannin County. The cemetery dates back to 1842 and holds the remains of George and Hannah Dickey, plus 26 or 27 slaves belonging to them. A ceremony of racial respect and reconciliation would be held. Herbert’s job was to find living descendants of the slaves buried in the cemetery. It was a hard job, but he was successful. The celebration was held on Sunday, June 13, 1999 at Mineral Bluff Baptist Church and at the cemetery with descendants of both races attending. Dr. Fred Craddock, Professor-emeritus, Candler School of Theology, Emory University and U.S. Representative Cynthia McKinney were the speakers.

Herbert’s love of poetry began when he was a pre-teen and had to learn Easter speeches to perform in church. In high school he learned about the poetry of Langston Hughes and James Weldon Johnson. He was hooked on poets and their splendid use of words about so many subjects. He smiled when he showed poems he wrote about Lena Horne, Eartha Kitt, Cicely Tyson, and Herschel Walker that have been autographed by them. He had a larger smile when he showed the poem that was written about him.