Wednesday, December 24, 2008

December 25th, 1968

I've decided to move this little Christmas story over to the Sit-Rep posting forum so y'all don't have to do so much scrolling through here.

CLICK HERE

Monday, December 22, 2008

Seasons Greetings



Custom card created By Barry

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Incoming!

The best thing about having this web site on the net is the surprises that come my way.

Yesterday I got a call from Harold "Smokey" Smith and we had a nice talk. Smokey joined the 3rd platoon as a replacement on Dec 5th, 68 which unfortunately was not a very good day for a baptismal of fire. No one hurt on our side but 6 kia and 1 wia for the bad guys. The visual trauma alone was enough for a freak out but thank god we didn't have many of those days.

Smokey served in the third squad, third platoon until being wounded on June 9th, 69 during operation Lamar Plain. Smokey is new here so if you knew him and have any stories, pics whatever let's get him hooked up.

thnx, Joynt


Another surprise yesterday came in my email. A guy named Michael explained to me that he was named after Michael W. O'Leary, Alpha vet KIA on June 7th '69. His mother was a cousin or something like that.
This guy Michael is an active duty vet and would like to know more about his namesake. If you have any pics, stories etc regarding O'Leary please contact me.

later, Joynt

The Screaming Eagles are back!

If you haven't already seen it on the news two brigades of the 101st Abn Div are now back home at Fort Campbell Kentucky. This is good news of course and maybe we will have a for real "Week Of The Eagles" celebration sometime this spring. I'm asking all of you to prepare for that possibility most likely in early june. Once we have the actual dates we will be pushing for a major A 1/501 namvets reunion at Fort Campbell with "WOTE" as the main attraction.

Check out parts 1 & 2 of President Bush's welcome home speech recently at Fort Campbell.

part 1, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqI-kljNsWg

part 2, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7edKruwhFXM&feature=related

Bush cracks me up sometimes LOL!!!


I got my fingers crossed as this could be the biggest gathering of Alpha 1/501 vets since Nam.

Stay tuned, Joynt

Thursday, November 27, 2008

HAPPY THANKGIVING!!!

Wishing everyone a great holiday weekend. Have fun and be safe.

from Sit-Rep bloggers Gary Joyner and Barry Gregorich

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Reunion Reminder



Reunion graphic provided by Barry Gregorich

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Kokomo Update

I've just about recouperated from a weekend of goodtimes so I'll share a few pics with you. I have been playing around with the Flashbacks Forums again and decided to host them there.
Just CLICK HERE

Joynt

Saturday, September 06, 2008

Sarah Palin

Forget about politics for the time being and just tell me how you can not like this gal.
Click to enlarge photo

Sunday, August 24, 2008

Alpha vet Johnny Conroy in Alaska

John recently had a chance to visit Alaska and took that opportunity to visit todays active duty A 1/501 Geronimo's at Ft. Richardson Alaska. Here is his short account of what took place along with a photo.


I arrived at Fort Richardson on 30 July and made it to the battalion at about 1000 hours. No one home. The whole battalion was out for a run "up the mountain" according to the exec for HHC. I looked at the surrounding mountains and was quite awed. I agreed to come back in an hour and went to the PX to browse.
I arrived at the Company A barracks at 1105 hours. I entered and asked the SP4 on Charge of Quarters to see the first sergeant. Not there. I asked for the CO, XO, or any officer. Not there. All Officers and senior NCO's in the battalion were off training or seminaring or something. So I asked the CQ to get me the senior NCO present. He did. Staff Sergeant Schenk arrived and took me into the CO's office. I told him I was there to present a flag, signed by 31 combat veterans of Company A in Nam, to the current company as a show of respect and support for all of their efforts. SSG Schenk asked me to write contact data on the Captain's eraser board. I wrote my email address, and Cpt Zapert's email address and his message to the C O. I did, while SGT Schenk went out in the hall and gave a few orders. He returned and I told him that Val Zapert wished to be the liason between the company and us old-timers in order to coordinate equipping the troops with anything they need and can't get through channels for their next deployment.
He then took me back outside the barracks where he stated, sounding disappointed, that he could only get about a platoon of men together. All 20 men available were formed into ranks, wondering what was up.
I was plannning on addressing the troops and telling them how much we honor them and their service, but SSG Schenk began by introducing me to the men and going into detail about how I was one of the guys who went before them and made the battalion what it was, etc, etc. I was very humbled.
When I addressed the formation I did tell them that we appreciate their service and sacrifices, and pointed out that, although the flag was a 101st flag and they belonged to the 25th Infantry Division now, only Company A combat vets of the Viet Nam War signed the flag, it was their martial heritage, and I was proud to present it to them. It was quite an emotional moment for me. SSG Schenk and I opened the flag up and held it up for them, and he addressed them again, telling them more of the same about guys from our era.
I spoke a few final words and the formation was dissolved. Every man who left formation spontaneously got into a line and shook my hand, thanking me for what I had done in Nam. I was shocked and unable to speak. When SP4 Velez (I hope the name is right) reached out to shake my hand he gave me the subdued plastic CIB he had removed from his uniform, and thanked me. What an honor! I am not going to part with that.
Anyway, a few of the guys had asked questions as we shook hands, or afterward. At least half a dozen asked me if I was in the A Shau. I couldn't believe they even knew of the place. I learned that when they arrive for duty in the battalion they are given a pretty thorough history lesson on the battalion's past. It is to instill pride in them, I suppose.
I went to the Colonel's office, inspected the gladius there, had my photo taken with the regimental flag of our day, and received a command challenge coin from the colonel's clerk.
Those guys just all treated me like gold. I tried constantly to turn the tables and thank them, but I think they knew that we appreciate them and they were more interested in me as a Geronimo soldier of old.
I decided to hit the road since I have been known to say the wrong thing and screw up a perfect time. In doing so, I left in good standing.
I could not make it back to watch the battalion parachute jump later in the week as invited, but will never forget the time I spent there.
I was really inpressed with these guys. They are always positive, professional, courteous, and respectful. Twenty of America's finest paratroopers, how could I not be overawed? The brigade will deploy (probably to Afghanistan) before year's end. Most of the men in the formation have at least one prior combat deployment because they are wearing (besides jump wings and CIB's) 25th ID patches and AIRBORNE tabs on their right shoulder (One guy wore a USMC patch on his right, but he had seen the light). SSG Schenk has been in the company for 9 years, and has no desire to transfer. That's what these guys think of their unit.
It wasn't such a short report after all, nor was the visit that will last a lifetime for me.
Click photo to enlarge.




Thanks John, a really classy move on your part.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Where's Barry?

If there is anything going on related to Namvets anywhere near Barry Gregorich's home turf in Pennsylvania you can be sure to find him there. Last weekend "The Moving Wall" was nearby. Here's a few pics. (click to enlarge)




Barry and his lovely wife Jill strike a pose. That's a great T-shirt Barry!


Joynt





Friday, August 15, 2008

What's Going On Here?

Well... for starters I decided to try a new color scheme. I was getting tired of the light blue/dark blue look and these old eyes of mine were finding it harder to read the text. So now we have a light tan background with a clean red, blue and black for text and links. I've already got some positive feedback (mainly about better readability) and have begun changing over pages at the website. It will take a while for the change-over to be completed but I hope you will all think it a change for the better.

***************************

About a year ago I thought it would be cool to put jukeboxes on the Flashbacks pages. I've been watching the stats for those pages and it seems I was wrong. While the Flashbacks pages are still popular they are getting nowhere near the hits that the database with the individual clickable/downloadable music links were stored. I think a big reason for this is that you can't download the songs from the jukebox to save on your own PC.

Ok, I learned my lesson and the database links are going back up and the jukeboxes are coming down. The database links were visited by over 60 counties around the world with hundreds of clicks per day so I'm gonna go with the majority on this call.

A little about the music: All music files at Flashbacks will be in Windows Media Audio format (.wma - streaming audio). When a link is clicked your default media player should open and begin streaming the file. Depending on your settings you may be prompted to download the file first. Make sure your default player is set to accept and play streaming audio files. If you would rather save the file to your PC for play later just "right click/save target as" and it's yours. All Flashbacks music files have been optimized for play on your personal computer and in thier current form will not play on standard home or auto CD players. However you can save and burn them to a disk that will play on any PC.

I going to start by loading up 25 songs in each year from 1965 to 1975 which will be quite a bit more songs than are currently in the Jukes. So that you can all get an idea how this will turn out I have already made the changes to the 1968 page at the website. http://geronimo-vietnam.com/1A/1968.html The rest will follow as soon as I can get them coded.

*****************************

Have you ever asked yourself "what's with the google ads here at the blog and around the website?" Well the answer is "I put them there." A little over a year ago I applied to be a member of the Google AdSense program. They checked the site out for about a week and it was accepted. The idea was to see if I could earn enough money to offset my web hosting fee which is about $10.25 a month. This is not a high volume website. It's primarily a site aimed at Vietnam veterans of a specific military unit and there ain't a whole lot of us out there. A nice thing about the AdSense program is that it creates ads based on the content of the pages they are on and that's why you see a lot of military oriented stuff advertised here.

The first day ads were displayed here was April 1st, 2007 almost exactly 16.5 months ago. Here are the actual stats for that time period as of today. Page impressions (how many times a page with ads was viewed) 31,082, how many times an ad was clicked 838, Total earnings $102.61 (about 20 cents a day - $6.22 a month) This is not a get rich quick scheme but it's putting a nice dent in my webhosting fees.

Please don't get me wrong on this. I'm in no way suggesting visitors here start randomly clicking on ads. Google is not stupid and will notice any radical changes. I do not want to be kicked out of this program so please be cool. My intent is just to make you aware of the fact that when an ad is clicked the Geronimo website will benefit. If an ad does catch your eye keep that in mind.

Now you know!

later, Joynt

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Co A Reunion "2009"

Brothers of Co A "Mark your Calendar" Just received word from the Co A 1/501 Vietnam 70 to 72 Reunion Committee that the date for the 2009 Reunion for all Brothers of Co A will be June 4, 5, 6, 2009 at the Quality Inn (former Holiday Inn) in Clarksville, Tn. More information about the 2009 Reunion will be forth coming in the near future.

submitted by Barry Gregorich

Saturday, July 19, 2008

FYI

I got this in an email yesterday.

House Honors "Screaming Eagles"

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Ed Whitfield (KY-01) ushered through
Congress today a resolution recognizing the 101st Airborne Division,
known as the Screaming Eagles, as one of the great divisions in American
military history.

"As our nation continues to face a dangerous and relentless enemy on the
ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is the service men and women of the
U.S. military who carry the heavy burden of war on their backs,"
Whitfield said. "The brave soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division are
among these service members who have never hesitated to answer their
nation's call to duty and it is my great privilege to honor them."

The House of Representatives passed H.R.1080, a resolution authored by
Whitfield to honor the extraordinary service and exceptional sacrifice
of the 101st Airborne Division and their families. Whitfield took to the
floor of the House today to praise the Screaming Eagles and seek passage
of his resolution.

The 101st Airborne Division, based out of Fort Campbell, is the only air
assault division in the world. Since activation on August 15, 1942, the
Screaming Eagles have been serving on the front lines of battle during
many of the nation's darkest hours. They have served the United States
in five wars, with 19 of its members being awarded the highest military
decoration offered by the United States government - the Medal of Honor.


Since Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom began, tens
of thousands of members of the 101st Airborne Division have been
deployed no less than three times, performing dangerous
counter-insurgency operations and working to secure liberty in nations
that once served as safe-havens for terrorists. Despite the strains
these tours have on soldiers and their loved ones, 65% of those who
reenlist request to remain at Fort Campbell with full knowledge of
pending deployments. The Congressman believes this is both a testament
to the deep sense of duty these soldiers have and their true love for
Fort Campbell.

Tragically, over 6,000 Screaming Eagles have made the ultimate sacrifice
and countless others have been injured in service to the nation. Nearly
200 members of the 101st Division have lost their lives fighting the
Global War on Terrorism.

"Far too many soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division have made the
ultimate sacrifice in the name of freedom," Whitfield said.
"While we owe these soldiers a debt we can never fully repay, it is our duty to honor them."

Whitfield's resolution garnered 56 co-sponsors, including the entire
Kentucky and Tennessee Congressional Delegations.

***********************

While double checking the correct spelling for Thua Thien Province in Vietnam I found this nugget of info at wikipedia - Prior to 1975, the province was known simply as Thua Thien.
The province is known as an area of heavy fighting during the Vietnam War. More U.S. soldiers died in this province than in any other province in Vietnam (2,893). It can be compared to Baghdad Province or Anbar Province in the Iraq War.

I must admit that blew my mind. Over 6,000 Screaming Eagles have died in five different conflicts starting with WWII and obviously a large percentage of them died in Thua Thien province. We all know it was a tough AO but I personally had no clue that historically speaking it was that bad.

***********************

Today July 19th, 2008 marks another milestone for me. On this date in 1968 I landed at Bien Hoa airport in South Vietnam. Exactly one year later I x'd out my short timer calendar and landed at SEA-TAC airport in Washington state. Hmmm... certainly doesn't seem that long ago.

Joynt

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Heads Up!

Those of you planning on camping at the annual vets reunion in Kokomo, IN this september 18-21 need to pay for your campsite by August 1st to confirm your reservation. If you haven't paid yet this coming week would be a good time to do so. We have a pretty nice basecamp at Kokomo and I'd hate to see us lose any of that ground.

I'm trying something new on the left side under my profile. It's a "Poll" feature where members of the fire team here will be asking questions. Stuff like "what time of year is best for a reunion?"
a] winter
b] spring
c] summer
d] fall

You don't have to register or anything just cast your vote.

The Poll will always be at the upper left of the page so give a look once in a while - thnx

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Co A Veteran "In The News"
Geronimo "Webmaster"
Gary Joyner (Joynt)

All Brothers Of Co A
Want to
Wish You
A
Happy Birthday


submitted by Barry Gregorich

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Co A Veteran "In The News"

Ernest Mathews (Tex)
Texas City, Texas

Co A Veteran "Ernest Mathews" was asked by Texas City, Texas mayor Matt Doyle to be Parade Marshall for this years Fourth of July parade. Ernest served with Co A in 70 and 71 with the 3rd and 4th plts. If you would like to congratulate Ernest for this honor you can email him here





submitted by Barry Gregorich

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

The Wall That Heals

The Wall That Heals
Altoona, Pennsylvania

The Wall That Heals is an exact replica of the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, DC, only smaller. A few years ago, the traveling version of the wall came to central Pennsylvania. So many people came to visit the wall that local organizations decided to raise enough money so that it could become a permanent attraction in the Altoona area.

On June 30, 2008 my wife and I visited "The Wall That Heals" in Altoona and we would like to share a few pictures with all of you.

Brothers Forever
Barry & Jill















Sunday, June 29, 2008

Where's Joynt?

Happy to say I'm alive and kicking but occassionally the demands of my job make it seem like all I do is work, eat and sleep and it can go on for months at a time. When you add in the daily demands of owning a home, family and friends there just isn't much time left over for the computer.
A couple of those friends have offered to give me a hand when times are tough. Barry Gregorich and Ted Koepke now have the keys to this blog so don't be surprised if you see a post here by either of them in the future. They are both hard working guys as well but I think between the three of us the blog will be more up to date and interesting. For example those "of the week" links I have on the left side of the page may actually change every week. :)

Summer is here and people are out doing thier thing so website-wise there is not alot to report on right now. The 2nd Brigade's 40th Anniversary party at Ft Campbell, KY June 12-14 went off without a hitch but I don't have any details as I wasn't able to make it there. Jon Quick sent me a few photos so I do know that at least a half-dozen Vets of the original A 1/501 to arrive in Nam Dec.67 were on hand.
The 14th annual reunion/convention of the 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans Org took place at Ft Campbell this weekend June 26-28. Too early to get any news on this yet but I'm assuming all went well.
Thanks to Barry and Ted for volunteering to pull slack for me and I wish you all a happy and safe 4th of July weekend.

God bless our troops in harms way right now.

Later, Joynt

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

I Was There Last Night

I got this in my email from my buddy Dave Reinheimer B 2/501 the other night. It's been around before so maybe you've seen it but it's worth another read. If you haven't read it before this guy is right on the mark.

I Was There Last Night
By Robert Clark

A couple of years ago someone asked me if I still thought about
Vietnam. I nearly laughed in their face. How do you stop thinking
about it? Every day for the last (now nearly 40) years, I wake up with
it, and go to bed with it. But this is what I said. "Yea, I think
about it. I can't quit thinking about it. I never will. But, I've also
learned to live with it. I'm comfortable with the memories. I've
learned to stop trying to forget and learned instead to embrace it. It
just doesn't scare me anymore." A psychologist once told me that NOT
being affected by the experience over there would be abnormal. When he
told me that, it was like he'd just given me a pardon. It was as if he
said, "Go ahead and feel something about the place, Bob. It ain't
going nowhere. You're gonna wear it for the rest of your life. Might
as well get to know it."

A lot of my "brothers" haven't been so lucky. For them the memories
are too painful, their sense of loss too great. My sister told me of a
friend she has whose husband was in the Nam. She asks this guy when he
was there. Here's what he said, "Just last night." It took my sister a
while to figure out what he was talking about. JUST LAST NIGHT. Yeah I
was in the Nam. When? JUST LAST NIGHT. During sex with my wife. And on
my way to work this morning. Over my lunch hour. Yeah, I was there.

My sister says I'm not the same brother that went to Vietnam. My wife
says I won't let people get close to me, not even her. They are
probably both right.

Ask a vet about making friends in Nam. It was risky. Why? Because we
were in the business of death, and death was with us all the time. It
wasn't the death of, "If I die before I wake." This was the real
thing. The kind where boys scream for their mothers. The kind that
lingers in your mind and becomes more real each time you cheat it. You
don't want to make a lot of friends when the possibility of dying is
that real, that close. When you do,they're a liability.

A guy named Bob Flanigan was my friend. Bob Flanigan is dead. I put
him in a body bag one sunny day, April 29, 1969. We'd been talking,
only a few minutes before he was shot, about what we were going to do
when we got back in the world. Now, this was a guy who had come in
country the same time as myself. A guy who was loveable and generous.
He had blue eyes and sandy blond hair. When he talked, it was with a
soft drawl. Flanigan was a hick and he knew it. That was part of his
charm. He didn't care. Man, I loved this guy like the brother I never
had. But, I screwed up. I got too close to him. Maybe I didn't know
any better. But I broke one of the unwritten rules of war.

DON'T GET CLOSE TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO DIE. Sometimes you can't
help it. You hear vets use the term "buddy" when they refer to a guy
they spent the war with. "Me and this buddy a mine . "

In war you learn to keep people at that distance my wife talks about.
You become so good at it, that twenty years after the war, you still
do it without thinking. You won't allow yourself to be vulnerable
again. My wife knows two people who can get into the soft spots inside
me. My daughters. I know it probably bothers her that they can do
this. It's not that I don't love my wife, I do. She's put up with a
lot from me. She'll tell you that when she signed on for better or
worse she had no idea there was going to be so much of the latter. But
with my daughters it's different.

My girls are mine. They'll always be my kids. Not marriage, not
distance, not even death can change that. They are something on this
earth that can never be taken away from me. I belong to them. Nothing
can change that. I can have an ex-wife; but my girls can never have an
ex-father. There's the difference.

I can still see the faces, though they all seem to have the same eyes.
When I think of us I always see a line of "dirty grunts" sitting on a
paddy dike. We're caught in the first gray silver between darkness and
light. That first moment when we know we've survived another night,
and the business of staying alive for one more day is about to begin.
There was so much hope in that brief space of time. It's what we used
to pray for. "One more day, God. One more day."And I can hear our
conversations as if they'd only just been spoken. I still hear the way
we sounded, the hard cynical jokes, our morbid senses of humor. We
were scared to death of dying, and trying our best not to show it. I
recall the smells, too. Like the way cordite hangs on the air after a
fire-fight. Or the pungent odor of rice paddy mud. So different from
the black dirt of Iowa. The mud of Nam smells ancient, somehow. Like
it's always been there. And I'll never forget the way blood smells,
stick and drying on my hands. I spent a long night that way once. That
memory isn't going anywhere.

I remember how the night jungle appears almost dream like as the pilot
of a Cessna buzzes overhead, dropping parachute flares until morning.
That artificial sun would flicker and make shadows run through the
jungle. It was worse than not being able to see what was out there
sometimes. I remember once looking at the man next to me as a flare
floated overhead. The shadows around his eyes were so deep that it
looked like his eyes were gone. I reached over and touched him on the
arm; without looking at me he touched my hand. "I know man. I know."
That's what he said. It was a human moment. Two guys a long way from
home and scared sh"tless. "I know man." And at that moment he did.

God I loved those guys. I hurt every time one of them died. We all
did. Despite our posturing. Despite our desire to stay disconnected,
we couldn't help ourselves. I know why Tim O'Brien writes his stories.
I know what gives Bruce Weigle the words to create poems so honest I
cry at their horrible beauty. It's love. Love for those guys we shared
the experience with.

We did our jobs like good soldiers, and we tried our best not to
become as hard as our surroundings. We touched each other and said, "I
know." Like a mother holding a child in the middle of a nightmare,
"It's going to be all right." We tried not to lose touch with our
humanity. We tried to walk that line. To be the good boys our parents
had raised and not to give into that unnamed thing we knew was inside
us all.

You want to know what frightening is? It's a nineteen-year-old-boy
who's had a sip of that power over life and death that war gives you.
It's a boy who, despite all the things he's been taught, knows that he
likes it. It's a nineteen-year-old who's just lost a friend, and is
angry and scared and, determined that, "Some *@#*s gonna pay." To this
day, the thought of that boy can wake me from a sound sleep and leave
me staring at the ceiling. As I write this, I have a picture in from
of me. It's of two young men. On their laps are tablets. One is
smoking a cigarette. Both stare without expression at the camera.
They're writing letters. Staying in touch with places they would
rather be. Places and people they hope to see again. The picture
shares space in a frame with one of my wife. She doesn't mind. She
knows she's been included in special company. She knows I'll always
love those guys who shared that part of my life, a part she never can.
And she understands how I feel about the ones I know are out there
yet. The ones who still answer the question, "When were you in
Vietnam?"

"Hey, man. I was there just last night."

Catching Up

CAMPING AT KOKOMO

Just a heads up for those planning to camp during the 26th annual all services Vietnam Veterans reunion in Kokomo Indiana this September 18-21. Members of HCVVO (Howard County Vietnam Veterans Org) should have already received camping reservation forms and can mail them in prior to August 1st along with your payment of $10 per night with a 2 night minimum. Lots not paid for by August 1st will be released to the general public. As usual I will be pestering the other six members holding our seven lot basecamp to "gitter done" ASAP. We have a good location so lets not lose it.
As of June 1st non-members/general public can make camping resevations and those must also be paid for by August 1st. HCVVO has purchased 10 acres of adjoining land the past few years so there is no waiting list for camping lots. Anyone wanting to camp can be accomodated so bring some friends. To make reservations go to the HCVVO website "Events" page by clicking the camping link. CAMPING
This HCVVO reunion in September is the oldest and largest event of this kind in the country. Join 40,000 plus people for a weekend of good times September 18-21.

Seeya there, Joynt

________________________________________________


2nd BRIGADE REUNION

I apologize for being slow in getting this info out but in the early going there was some confusion about the actual dates of this event. In February I got an email from Al Golden stating the correct info for the 40th anniversary remembrance of the 2nd Brigades first full year in Vietnam. I would like to stress that while this focuses on 1968 ALL 2nd Brigade Namvets are welcome and encouraged to come as there are many more anniversaries yet to come. Alpha company will have a good turnout as usual and hope to see you there. Here's a basic itinerary and all the contact info you'll need.

40th ANNIVERSARY - 2d Brigade Reunion, June 12-15, 2008!!

Troopers of the 2d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, 1967-68

(1/501 Inf, 2/501 Inf, 1/502 Inf, and Bde HHC)

Although the 101st Abn Div (Air Assault) will be in Afghanistan and Iraq,

we are organizing a (40 years later) reunion of our Vietnam 2d Brigade,

on 12-15 June, 2008.

Contact Jim Hallums; 931-572-9527; hallumsfarm@charter.net. Let him

know you are coming, and if you will be at the bar-b-q or the bde dinner.

Schedule

Thursday, 12 June

1100-1600 Registration at the hotel; 1500-2300 Hospitality room open

Friday, 13 June

0900-1500 Visit Ft Campbell; lunch, barracks, activities as the Post can provide.

1500-1800 Hospitality room open;1800-2100 Bar-be-que.

Saturday, 14 June

0900-1600 Activities as desired (golfing, tour of Nashville, local trips as desired)

1200-1600 Hospitality room open;1800-2100 Reunion dinner.

2100-0100 Hospitality room reopen.

Sunday, 15 June

0900-1200 Reunion guests depart.

Register at Reunion Hqs, Holiday Inn Express, 4 mi N of Fort Campbell on

Hwy 41A. Phone 270-439-0022; ask for special 2d Bde rate. Best wishes,

Or REPLY TO: JOHN H. CUSHMAN, Cdr 2d Bde/101st, '67-‘68

6200 Oregon Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20015; 202-541-0435; JackCushSr@aol.com


___________________________________________________


ALPHA COMPANY VIETNAM SERVICE LIST

If you haven't been to that page of the website lately check it out.

Thanks to contributions from John Burris, Val Zappert and Barry Gregorich that page has jumped from a little over 500 names to 661. A few new names have been added to the "We Remember" page as well. Special thanks to those three guys and all of you that contribute to our A 1/501 website.
That was a lot of typing for me so I probably made a boo-boo somewhere. If you see a mistake of any kind anywhere on the website or have a suggestion please let me know. Every little bit helps to keep our website worth a visit.

TIA, Joynt

Friday, February 15, 2008

Rooster

Listening to the radio on my way to work today I heard the DJ say something about Vietnam and the 101st when introducing the next cut he was playing. The song was "Rooster" by Alice in Chains. I'm sure many of you have heard it before but maybe you haven't heard the story behind it. The title comes from guitarist/songwriter Jerry Cantrell's father. "Rooster" was his nickname in Vietnam, where he fought in the war. The song is about some of his feelings and experiences, told from his perspective. Jerry's father was in the 101st and toted an M-60 and he appears in the songs video which I found on good ol' YouTube and it's worth a looksee. Rooster
Here's a website that has some interesting comments about the song Comments and just for the hell of it here are the lyrics.

Rooster - Alice in Chains

Ain't found a way to kill me yet,
Eyes burn with stinging sweat,
Seems every path leads me to nowhere.
Wife and kids, household pet,
Army green was no safe bet.
The bullets scream to me from somewhere.
Here they come to snuff the rooster, oh yeah.
Yeah, here comes the rooster,
You know he ain't gonna die.
No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die.
Walking tall, machine gun man,
They spit on me in my homeland,
Gloria sent me pictures of my boy.
Got my pills 'gainst mosquito death,
My buddy's breathing his dying breath,
Oh god please, won't you help me make it through?
Here they come to snuff the rooster, oh yeah.
Yeah, here comes the rooster,
You know he ain't gonna die.
No, no, no, you know he ain't gonna die.


If you look real close at the video you'll see a 1st Cav patch show up. The producers weren't paying attention. Should have been some screaming eagle patches in there :)

alpha 3-6 kilo out

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

What's Up For 2008?

Michael "Mad Monk" Bradshaw sent me a heads up on the 1st annual West Coast 101st Airborne Namvets reunion in February. If you want to party with fellow namvets out there in lalaland it's time to saddle up. Here's a link West Coast Reunion

In April it's the all services namvet reunion in Melbourne Florida. This is a big one second only to Kokomo Indiana. If you want to take a spring break do it in Melbourne

and in June a special gathering of 2nd Brigade namvets will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the brigades first full year in nam, 1968 at Ft. Campbell Kentucky.
I'll post the details on that later.