3rd/17th --- 1st/9th Air Cavalry Squadron

THE BULLWHIP SQUADRON NEWS ______

The official Newsletter of the Bullwhip Squadron Association

March 2000

TRUE FRIENDS

Many people will walk in and out of your life, But only true friends will leave footprints in your heart. To handle yourself, use your head; To handle others, use your heart. Anger is only one letter short of danger. If someone betrays you once, it is his fault; If he betrays you twice, it is your fault. Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all. Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, But beautiful old people are works of art. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all yourself. Friends, you and me.... You brought another friend.... And then there were 3.... We started our group..... Our circle of friends.... And like that circle... There is no beginning or end.... Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is mystery. Today is a gift.

Arthur unknown.

2

Adjutants Call

Attention to Orders

I feel sure that John B. would be the first to remind us that planning ahead is an important element of any successful CAV operation. Commanders, such as those who held the reins of the 1/9 from the early days at Benning through the trials in Vietnam, knew the importance of a good S-3 shop, S-4, as well as other members of the Bullwhip team in planning and expecting a Calvary action. With this in mind it was good to receive the 4 Jan 2000 letter advising us one and all to not procrastinate with regard to our upcoming 2000 reunion at the Home of Army Aviation, Ft. Rucker. All of us in the Bullwhip Squadron Association owe a great debt to the small cadre of devoted Troopers who work in the trenches planning for this great reunion. Loel Ewart, Al DeFleron and General Dave as well as others do a great deal for us all. We can help by sending in our registration forms and checks as soon as possible, along with our dues, if you are one of the procrastinators. On a personal note, those of you who are AUSA members or have access to Army Magazine should take a moment or two to look over a story in the January 2000 edition which deals with The National Infantry Museum. Those of you who attended the first reunion at Ft. Benning may recall your visit to the museum. You will also see a reprint of a Jan. 1950 article titled “Flying Battalions”. For some of us old Troopers, looks like we are soon to be a part of history.

FOR THE COMMANDER

DICK D GRUBE ------

POST SCRIPT

The articles in this newsletter from our fellow troopers are a reminder to all, of the integrity and honor of those who have served before us, with us and after us. The article by Bob Garrett especially indicates the problems as seen within our society today. While many of us are retired from the Army, and some from a second career, we cannot retire from our responsibilities of Duty, Honor, Country. It is still us, the old, seasoned Troopers that must lead and show the way for our new breed of troopers and for our civilian counterparts and neighbors. The Presidential and congressional elections are this year. Insure you do your duty and vote! Vote your mind, not your heart. Vote for what is best for this great country of ours. We must have a say in who will be our elected officials and voting is the only way we can. We must persevere or our beloved nation will fall. We are who we are: AIR CAV TROOPERS. BWS

3 ------TAPS

John E. Kilgallen May 30. 1998 Ronald L. Chapman October 7. 1999

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FROM THE COMMANDER We have located several pictures of the H- 13 scout helicopter that flew in Vietnam for From all in indications based on the the first few years. These pictures will allow number of hotel reservations we have received the Atlanta based Army Aviation Heritage so far, the October BWS Reunion should be Foundation to paint the restored and flyable our largest ever. For those of you who have helicopter with the distinctive markings of the not sent in your reservations, I encourage you Real Cav, the 1/9th Cav. This aircraft will to do so as the Holiday Inn rooms are almost make its debut at the Armed Forces Day all gone; however, the other 2 local motels still demonstration on 20 May at Ft. Rucker along have plenty of rooms available. with several other foundation aircraft As you are probably aware, the BWS (Caribou, OH6, UH1, Cobra, L4, L19, etc). Association is a private non-profit The H13 will also be at our BWS Reunion in organization. However, because the October – bring your cameras! Association does collect dues and sells The First Lady of the BWS, Rita Stockton, distinctive 9th Cav merchandise, along with is in the initial process of writing another book other money collection activities (the based on numerous pages she had found that Bullwhip horse), we have decided to legally John B. had filed away. One of the chapters protect ourselves from the IRS. Thanks to one will be devoted to the “Hospital” engagement of our members, Doug Ricks of Everett, and the Ia Drang battle. In that chapter will be Washington, who is a lawyer, the BWS a consolidation of first person accounts of Association is now legally chartered and what really took place that lead up to the relief registered in Washington. This action now of Bullwhip 6. She will be assisted in this protects us from paying any taxes to the IRS. effort by Joe Galloway, who along with LTG The BWS Board of Directors (Allen, Hal Moore wrote, “We were Soldiers Once ... DeFleron, and the 2 Ewarts) greatly appreciate and Young”. Several of you have been or will Doug’s expert advice and guidance in this be contacted by Rita to assist in this recreation effort. of what really took place. We have recently learned that LTC® Bert Our BWS historian Col® A.J. Welch has Chole has been selected to join the OCS Hall informed me that the 2005 1st Cav Reunion at of Fame at Ft. Benning, GA. Bert will be Ft. Hood will mark the 40th anniversary of the inducted in April and those of us in the local First Teams deployment to Vietnam in 1965. area will attend. Bert’s selection is most It doesn’t seem possible! Anyway, A.J., along appropriate in that he is truly deserving of this with Col® Pete Booth has asked that we put recognition. He will join another 9th Cav that date on our calendars for another large member, Col® Stan Grett, who was inducted 2 Headhunter attendance. years ago. Congratulations, Bert. While I was in Korea for 3 weeks in January, I located an engraving company that

4 has made memorable coins for many Korean Hong Cong Mountain was invisible at times based military units. I had seen several of his from a hundred feet away. coins when I was in Korea last time and was At about 1630 hours on October 4, all impressed with the quality of his work. I available Medevac helicopters and all solicited several ideas form the BWS staff, available doctors and medics were scrambled A.J. Welch and Bert Chole. Based on their and headed for the top of the Mountain. A input, I finalized the end product and had the CV-2 Caribou, laden with sky troopers, engraver make the initial 500 coins for our including several wounded grunts, had crashed members, to include the original dye cast, for head-on into the side of the mountain. It had future use. I believe you’ll love the end result crashed while trying to land on the main – a collector’s piece. They’ll be in your runway (Golf Course), this despite redundant Reunion packet along with new BWS lapel on-board and ground-based safety guidance pins which we also had redone. systems. Fortunately, the Caribou could fly at the amazingly slow air speed of forty-miles Until the next newsletter. per hour, which made the difference between life and death for several grunts, but not for David J. Allen the crew of the Caribou. Brigadier General The mountainside was too steep for the Cavalry USA (Ret) rescue choppers to land at the crash site. So Commanding scores of rescuers–including medical ------personnel and Medevac crews--tore their way ------slipping and sliding down the very rugged, jungles-covered slope from the artificially Assess the advantages of taking advice, then flattened top of Hong Kong to the crash site. structure your forces accordingly, to There, to everyone’s amazement, more of the supplement extraordinary tactics. Forces crash victims were alive than were dead. are to be structured strategically, based on All the survivors were injured, and many of what is advantageous. them required immediate, operating room- Sun Tzu quality medical attention. So the rescuers formed a human chain and moved the injured up the mountain to the waiting helicopters. From the Chaplain: Exerting superhuman strength, the rescuers defied gravity to keep each casualty-laden Hello, fellow Bullwhip Veterans. stretcher approximately level on the 50 to 80- degrees incline of the mountainside. Though In my previous–and first–contribution to there was nothing funny about the situation, the newsletter, I apologized for not humor appeared, and from an unlikely source. introducing myself as the honorary chaplain of One of the rescuers on the human-chain the 9th Cavalry and Bullwhip Squadron. I will wondered aloud why the doctors had bothered do that in this letter. But before boring you sending up one grunt. An M-16 rifle stuck with those details, I will share with you an straight upward out of the grunt's abdomen. incident that introduced me for the first time to The violence of the crash had driven the barrel a member of the 1st Squadron, 9th Cavalry. of another grunt's M-16 rifle all the way The rainy–rainy monsoon–had arrived in through him. earnest to central and northeast Vietnam, Recalling repeated admonitions by drill bringing the promise of cooler days and sergeants and squad leaders, the wounded seemingly frigid nights in the highlands. trooper looked over at his benefactors and said Continuous torrential rain turned the camp to "They can't accuse me of not taking my muck and low, moisture-laden clouds socked weapon with me, can they?" in the 1st Cavalry Division base camp on I expected him to die, despite his sense of humor. But I learned differently in 1969. A

5 sergeant, who was on a second or third tour Raasch of Berlin, Germany, father of seven with the 1-9 Cav, told me the rest of the story. (three sons, four daughters), the grandfather of "Yeah, that was Sergeant [I forget the name]. 29 and great-grandfather of two. He was wounded earlier that day during a The Good Conduct Medal is one of my 'blue-team' operation . . . He's stationed now at decorations, which seems appropriate for a Fort..." former chaplain, don’t you think (though I got Perhaps Readers Digest had it right, that it as an enlisted man for going three years Laughter is the Best Medicine. And perhaps without getting caught). some of you remember who this Blue trooper was/is. I’d surely like to like to hear from you Sincerely, if you do. And I hasten to add that laughter can be no better than the second-best Claude D. Newby medicine. The best medicine comes from a Chaplain, highly spiritual source, which source I highly Lt. Col. (Ret.) United States Army recommend to each of us. ------Now to the threatened, hopefully not too boring introduction of "yours truly." A native ALL GAVE SOME , of East Tennessee, I joined the Army in 1952 SOME GAVE ALL at the age of 16 years and two days. I trained ------as an infantryman but was made an instant–not even shake-and-bake–medic upon arriving At times we forget that we are all veterans overseas. Nine months later I transferred to regardless of what war we fought and we the military police and for two years I rode forget to listen, and say thank you. with a horse-mounted platoon–at the time, the last of the historic old horse cavalry in the Read and understand. active Army. After five and half years, the BWS last two in Brooklyn, New York, I separated ------from the Army. Over the next few years I did Our Future "time" at Alcatraz, served as a police officer for four years and taught school for a year. In The following story was sent by the author, January 1966 I returned to active duty as an Rob Glazier, a Vietnam Helicopter Pilot just Army chaplain. Two combat tours with the 1st like a lot of us. I hope you find it as poignant Cav highlighted the next 27 years. During my as I did. The story in its entirety follows: first combat tour (Sep to Sep, 1966-67) I spent almost three months with the medics and nine I like to go to the library at lunchtime with the 2-8 Cav. Between March and sometimes, and today was one of those times. September March 1969, I was with the 1-5 While walking amongst the books, I saw a Cav (while also supporting the 2-12 Cav). small bent-over old man, hobbling along with Finally–too late to be a founding member of a cane, ear piece, and assorted other body the Bullwhip Squadron–I served from appendages visible beneath his shirt. September 1969 to March 1970 with the He had on a "World War II Veteran" famous 1-9 Cav (which included the LRRP baseball cap, so I asked him which branch he Rangers and a tracker-dog detachment). After was in. "Army Air Force", was the reply. 27 years as a chaplain, I retired in 1993 with "Were you ever in the service?, he asked" 33 years active duty stretching over 40 years. "Yes, I was a helicopter pilot in Vietnam", I I completed high school via the GED replied. "Where were you stationed?", I program while serving as an enlisted man, and asked. "Europe" he said. subsequently acquired a bachelor degree and "What did you do?" He points to the tie-tac two masters degrees. he was wearing, "Recognize this?" It was a B- I am the great-grandson of four Civil War 24 Liberator. veterans, husband of the former Helga M. A.

6 "Sure, my Dad was in the Pacific. Who down and returned airman might reveal info were with you with?" He pulls a business card about the resistance; of about how he went out of his decrepit old wallet. It says: back to the States, and trained new crewmen John F. Barnacle for the B-29,; and how they refused to let him 450th "COTTONTAILS" Bomb Group, volunteer to be B-29 crewman in the Pacific - 15th A.F they said he had had too much already. He Air Forces Escape and Evasion Society then showed me his beat-up old "Caterpillar Air Forces Gunners Association Club" card, that he received for having his life D.A.V - AM. LEG. - V.F.W. saved by a parachute in March 1944. 2207 Barrywood Rd. He had a gleam in his eyes, and that Huntsville, AL 35810 faraway look that warriors get when 256-852-4126 remembering. I know the look. I asked John, "So, what did you do?" He I was silent, a little dumbstruck. replied, "Ball Turret Gunner. I don't want to He then hooked his cane on his arm, and bore you, but, would you like to hear my took my hand in both of his. He started story?" "I sure would." He then regaled me shaking my hand vigorously, and with tears in with his story, of how he enlisted in the Guard his eyes said, "Thank you for listening to my in '38, and got called to active duty in October. story." '40. He started out in B-25s as a waste gunner. I was getting a little misty eyed too. I He was still in the States, out drinking with a thanked him profusely for sharing it. bunch of guys one night, and one of them got This just happened with in the past hour. I drunk and told him about this special unit that wrote this as memorial to this great, and aged Col. Jimmy Doolittle was forming up down at warrior. They are dying off fast. Eglin. I also wrote it because I saw myself - all of John bummed a flight down to Eglin. He us - a few years down the road, as old men, (I reported to the operations Major, and told him mean really old men) forgotten by everybody. wanted to volunteer for the special unit he I hope somebody wants to hear my story heard about. The Major told him he had to someday. I hope somebody will stop and care. wait for the Col. to come back. Later that I am a little misty eyed again. afternoon Doolittle landed, in his own personal P-40 that he flew. John reported to Rob Glasier Doolittle and told him that he wanted to join Maddog 19 his outfit. Doolittle told him to get the Hell out Greyhound 19 his office. He already had more guys wanting 240th AHC RVN to commit suicide than he needed. That's how ------John missed the Tokyo raid. ------So, John returned back to his base, only to get disciplined with 120 days of KP and guard From The Command Sergeant Major duty for running off to Jimmy. He then volunteered to train as part of the Old Soldiers, just around the corner, just first two Heavy Bomber crews for the 450th. this coming October, will see the Bullwhip He was the small guy, so he got the ball turret. Squadron’s 4th reunion. This reunion will be John then told me; of the day -one of many one to remember and will be the biggest one days - in which he personally shot down 5 yet, with many new members. German fighters, a mixture of Me-109s and We have seen the Army cut down to almost FW-190s; of how he was wounded three nothing is size and now some of our leaders times; of the day his B-24 got shot down over want to hold another round of base closures Yugoslavia, and he spent 30 days in E&E with with a further reduction in force structure. Tito's partisans before he was repatriated to Will this happen? Yes, unless all of us start to the Allies; of how they refused to let him give the good fight to support our active return to combat because of the rule that shot

7 forces. Remember, what rolls downhill "So if you know the place and time of doesn’t stop until it hits the retirees. battle, you can join the fight from a It’s time we had a trooper roll call to battle, thousand miles away ." the battle for the good of our great country. Sun Tzu Each of us can do his part by voting in the upcoming elections. Vote with your mind. Find out what the candidates really will do for From the Sergeant Major: the country. Your vote counts and the man that is the next president will guide this great Well Troopers! country for the next 4 years. Vote carefully!

We are still looking for lost troopers. If The anticipation is over! As the Y2K scare you know of any troopers that have not been has come and gone with little or no effects contacted, give the Squadron Association their falling on us. Very much like the old names and addresses and we will contact “Chicken Little” story of the sky falling, only them. to find that it was an acorn. The only falling Our association continues to grow and around the Bullwhip Squadron Assn. was and all of you troopers who make up the 1st/9th Air is we dropped from approx. 350 paid members CAV Squadron make this old soldier proud. to 205. But that is starting to pick back up. Let no soldier ever forget that it is the Air We have at this writing 90 lifetime members Cav Squadron troopers that is always first in and that too is picking up weekly. We are battle, always first in friendship, always first starting to pick up some of those who dropped for our country. out (failed to pay dues) last year. That along As ever, your points of contact for normal with the new members we’re getting (almost Squadron business remain; daily), brings our membership rolls over the

400 mark. Now if our procrastinating Loel Ewart members will just pay their dues, we would Rt. 2 Box 158 have over 400 active members! Ozark, Al. 36360 After many hours of combining lists and Ph. # 334-774-0328 rosters with A.J. Welch (the swamp fox) e-mail [email protected] we’ve come up with approximately 2000 1/9

troopers names. We have addresses and dates Or on at least 2/3rds of them. Unfortunately

some of our addresses are not good addresses. Al Defleron We have just finished mailing out 785 1145 Holland Rd. invitations to join from this list and are Newton, Al. 36352 starting to get some response. The last huge Ph. # 334-692-5685 mail out (approx 1000) right after the 98

reunion brought us approximately 100 new

members, with a steady growth of new I am looking forward to seeing all my old members. These are the results from you the soldiers this October at the reunion. troopers, getting in touch with other troopers

who served with the Squadron. This is also SGM Kennedy probably one of our best sources of correct Bullwhip 7 and up to date address & locations.

After these huge mail outs the old

anticipation starts. First we get a lot of bad ______address returns along with some that are forwarding changes. Then the beauty comes with those return replies with new members.

8 We also get a lot of phone calls with the response of the mail out. Thanks to our bulk L.A. (D) DeFleron mailing it does not cost near what it used to. SGM We are hoping for better and bigger results Bullwhip Squadron Association with this effort than before. ------But like our reunions, no sooner than it’s ------over we get started on the next mail out!

And now speaking of reunions! October isn’t that far away. The outlook is very Keeper Of The Rock promising and looks to be our biggest to date, Room reservations are strong with most at the We all remember the anti-military near full Holiday Inn and the other motels sentiments prevalent in this country in the ready to pick up the overflow. If you have 1970’s. One indication of how this feeling been lagging on making your reservation I has diminished since then has been the would advise you to do so now. There will dramatic increase in the number of high be some good surprises awaiting you here in school JROTC units in the United States. October. Due to the efforts of Gen. Colin Powell We will have quite a few troopers making and others in the 1990’s, Congress their first Squadron Reunion to see troopers dramatically raised the ceiling on the they haven’t seen in over thirty years or more. I Love It!! (A thing of beauty). numbers of JROTC programs. As a I’ll bring this to a close by once again JROTC instructor myself for the past four asking you all to please keep getting those years, I can attest to the success of the names and addresses to us of those lost program. troopers. Let them know that we are here for The mission of JROTC is not, as some them. I received a call the other evening by a think, to train students for college ROTC trooper who had passed on to a lost trooper my or to prepare them for enlistment in the name address and phone #. The trooper called military, although many of our graduates me about sending him an invite to join. Lo are motivated to take one of these routes. and behold he only lives around 7 miles or less The mission of JROTC, as set forth by from me. We have found 5 troopers here in Congress, to “motivate young Americans the Wiregrass area in the last month who did not know about the Squadron and us being to be better citizens” and additionally to here until their names were passed on to the teach leadership. Association. Thus far 3 have joined and we All JROTC instructors are retired are hoping the other 2 will also. And if not, officers and NCOs. In the classroom, we for whatever reason, at least they’ll know that teach a wide variety of units of study such we are here. as citizenship, leadership, first aid, We still have quite a few shirts, caps, military history, map reading, drill and jackets, Bullwhip stickers, Headhunter bumper ceremony, financial planning, career stickers and statues. Also the shirts and guidance and substance abuse prevention. jackets can be personalized with name on the We engage in such adventure activities as right breast and small Cav patch on the right land navigation, marksmanship, repelling sleeve (can’t put the Cav patch on the jackets). We would really like to sell as much of this and running obstacle courses. JROTC merchandise as possible . It’s paid for and the provides extra-curricular activities for a money would go back into the Squadron fund large segment of the student body that to help defray our October reunion expenses. otherwise would not participate in such I hope to see all of you at the Oct. Reunion. activities. Each summer we take selected cadets As Ever, to a one-week summer camp, generally

9 located on army posts. These camps are Tape #1: “The Making of Decisive an excellent opportunity for the cadets to Weapons” by the BBC. This tape includes a 1 come together for a week of concentrated hour, 30 minute interview with COL Stockton leadership training and adventure and CSM Kennedy about the Bullwhip activities. Squadron and how such traditions as the black hats and saddlebags, were begun. The final 30 As a veteran like all of you, it is very minutes of the tape is the final program, aired rewarding to teach leadership to these by the BBC. This is available for $25.00 (with young people, put them in leadership $15 of this going to the Squadron Fund). positions and mentor them. It is also Tape # 2: BG Dave Allen and LTC Chuck rewarding to teach them patriotism, love Knowlen discuss the ambush in the Ia Drang of country and respect for the flag---ideals Valley (1 hour 10 minutes). This is followed they might not be taught otherwise. In our by a 50 minute, A & E program about the Air mission of molding these young lives, we Cav in Vietnam. The purchase price is $25.00 receive a great deal of support from (with $15 going to Squadron Fund). Tape # 3: LTG Hal Moore talks about the veteran’s organizations like the American th Legion, Retired Officer’s Association, Battle of Ia Drang Valley from the 7 Cav perspective. This is a $20.00 tape (of which Association of the United States Army and $10 goes to the Ia Drang Scholarship Fund). the Military Order of the World Wars. If This is a very worthy cause and is for the any of you are members of these groups, I Squadron troopers to see their past and the can assure you that your support in these honor of seeing true Cav Troopers in action. organizations for JROTC is well-founded. For further information about ordering these and other tapes, please contact: Gene Smith Jerry Schmotolocha Keeper of the Rock 23 Congressional Parkway ------Livingston, NJ 07039 ------Phone: (973) 535-3926 These tapes are a part of our heritage and We continue to have a lot of calls about the Smoky has gone to much effort to compile and videotapes that Jerry has for sale, especially edit them. I feel that as fellow troopers, we by our many new members. So for all of you need to support his efforts. that are interested, the following article is BWS again being reprinted, for all of our new ------Brotherhood members. ------Troopers, I introduce, SMOKY. Legal Advice

SMOKY Legal advice will appear again in our For those of you who do not know Smoky, next newsletter. we, in the Bullwhip Squadron, have a fantastic ------asset in the person of Jerry ‘Smoky’ ------Schmotolocha. Smokey has done an excellent job of compiling and editing tapes about the th Food for Thought. Especially if you have a Bullwhip Squadron, the 7 Cav and the Air Doctor's appointment. Cav in general. In addition to these tapes being of great interest to us, some of the A recent article appeared in the Seattle proceeds from the sales will go toward the Post-Intelligencer concerning accidental Squadron Fund. deaths caused by physicians, from research of The available tapes are; Laura Key USA. This triggered a chain of thought that resulted in the person cruising the

10 web finding some statistics and doing a few GAO report was not focused on the efficacy of calculations. the anthrax vaccine itself. ARMY GUARD AND RESERVES FACE Number of physicians in the US = 700,000 MORE LOSSES Accidental deaths caused per year = 120,000 As a result of manpower cuts contained in Accidental deaths/physician = 0.171 the 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review, the Number of gun owners in the US = Army National Guard and Army Reserves 80,000,000 together will face a loss of some 17,500 Number of accidental gun deaths/year (all age service members, with the Guard losing groups) = 1,500 12,500 and the Reserves 5,000. An additional Accidental deaths/gun owner = 0.00001875 cutback of 7,500 positions is still to be Ratio 0.171 / 0.00001875 = 9,120 scheduled. Military advocates are strongly against these reductions primarily due to the Therefore, Doctors are approximately 9,000 enhanced role these units have played in times more dangerous than gun owners. recent conflicts, and fears that units will be unable to meet future mission demands. The BWS next Quadrennial Defense Review is not ------scheduled until 2001. ------NEW HEALTH PANEL MEETS The Healthcare Quality Initiatives Review Military News Report Panel, a new advisory panel to measure how well the quality of health care provided by Highlights from the Military Report. DoD is improving has been meeting regularly, most recently on November 16, 1999. GI BILL PROPOSAL DIES - AGAIN Objectives being reviewed include: Better A series of improvements to the GI Bill, education and training programs for health already passed by the Senate has been killed care providers; Establishing "centers of as a result of negotiations with the House. This excellence" for complicated surgical marks the third time this year that procedures; Reporting malpractice and improvements to GI benefits have died and credential issues to the National Practitioner strongly suggests that no improvements will Data Bank; Providing comprehensive health come out of this Congress. While academic at care information to beneficiaries; Ensuring this point, the latest bill would have made laboratory standards are met; and Ensuring improvements to GI benefits in areas the accuracy of patient information. The panel including increased payments for those who is expected to meet several more times and have served and for dependents, access to the deliver a report to Defense Secretary Cohen in Montgomery GI Bill, opportunities for extra March or April 2000. benefits, payment for certain pre-college SOCIAL SECURITY RETIREMENT AGE training, and relaxed eligibility for enlisted TO INCREASE who become officers. At this point no one in Those of our readers who will eventually the Congress is predicting when, or even if, a qualify for Social Security benefits may not be GI Bill can be passed. aware that beginning next year, the retirement GAO FAULTS ANTHRAX PROGRAM age to qualify for full benefits will gradually GAO has recently released a report increase from 65 to 67 years old. Following is pointing out certain problems with the anthrax a simple chart to allow you to check what your program. The report pointed out concerns with retirement age under current Social Security supply of the vaccine, record keeping, law will be: monitoring vaccine reactions, education of Year of Birth Full Retirement Age service members, and studying long-term 1937 or earlier 65 effects to the health of those inoculated. The 1938 65 and 2 mos. 1939 65 and 4 mos.

11 1940 65 and 6 mos. (RSO) at the nearest Army installation for 1941 65 and 8 mos. more information. 1942 65 and 10 mos. LEGALLY SPEAKING 1943-1954 66 (General legal discussions for the military 1955 66 and 2 mos. community-by the Law Firm of Shaw, 1956 66 and 4 mos. Bransford, Veilleux & Roth) 1957 66 and 6 mos. Despite the DoD Inspector General’s on- 1958 66 and 8 mos. going climate assessment of the treatment of 1959 66 and 10 mos. homosexuals and perceived homosexuals in 1960 and later 67 the military, the military’s “don’t ask, don’t CENSUS JOBS AVAILABLE tell” homosexual policy has been modified to The Census Bureau is looking to hire “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t harass.” To several hundred thousand people to fill its implement this modification of the policy, the short term, temporary need for staff to conduct services have been tasked to incorporate the 2000 census. Current federal employees, stronger language against harassment in their as well as retired federal employees, are being training. In addition, the services will be encouraged to apply for the positions. directing commanders to take prompt, Typically, federal agencies will allow part- appropriate action against individuals involved time employment with the Census Bureau for in homosexual harassment, without taking an current employees. To get more information adverse action against the complaining about these positions, call toll-free at 1-888- military member. “You cannot take a 325-7733, or check the Census Bureau complaint from a soldier about harassment to website: http://www.census.gov. be evidence of homosexuality. In fact, what WHY OFFICERS ARE LEAVING THE the commander should do is investigate the SERVICE harasser, the person who is harassing the The Pentagon has suggested that the main soldier or making the complaint,” said reason officers leave the service is to pursue Pentagon spokesperson Ken Bacon. In the careers in the private sector that offer higher past, according to the Pentagon, individuals paying jobs. A recent Army survey suggests have complained that if they reported that pay may not be the main reason after all. harassment to a commander, the commander The survey revealed that morale and military then used this report as a “statement” readiness may have more to do with the establishing their homosexuality. In fiscal decision. Factors cited included dissatisfaction 1998, the most recent statistics available, the with peacekeeping missions, such as Bosnia- services discharged 1,145 service members Herzegovina and Kosovo, over management under its homosexual policy, with more than by superiors and not enough time and 85 percent of those discharged being equipment for effective combat training. “statement” cases. If the “don’t harass” RETIREMENT INFORMATION modification to the policy is followed, AVAILABLE complaints of harassment should no longer be As part of the comprehensive changes in used to establish such “statement” cases. this year's military pay bill, changes to PENTAGON TARGETS 3.7% RAISE military retirement were made. To give just FOR 2001 one example, those entering the service after Early indications are that the fiscal 2001 August 1, 1986 will have a decision to make at defense budget will call for a 3.7 percent the 15 year mark concerning their retirement across-the-board pay raise for service path. Army members planning for retirement members to take effect on January 1, 2001. can visit the Army Retirement Services The increase was derived using a formula set website at by Congress last Fall that the raise be 1/2% http://www.odcsper.army.mil/retire/retire1.asp greater than the average salary increase in the . or visit the Retirement Services Officer private sector. According to Labor Department statistics, that increase was 3.2% last year.

12 The recommended raise will be part of the MILITARY RETIREE HEALTH CARE budget that the Pentagon sends to Congress in Currently there are several bills in February and will likely be acceptable to Congress addressing the issue of life time lawmakers. Despite the continuing existence health care benefits for military retirees. The of a wage gap between military and private- first is H.R. 2966, the Keep our Promises to sector wages, only a single pay raise is America's Military Retirees Act, which would expected next year. require the government to provide lifetime LOOK FOR VETERAN BENEFITS TO medical care to military retirees. The bill IMPROVE would attempt to pay for the health care by Under a new law, the Veterans Millennium tapping into the projected federal budget Health Care and Benefit Act, veterans should surplus and is considered unlikely to come to a see improvements in several areas. VA is vote for that reason. In the Senate, a supposed to improve access to long-term care companion bill to H.R. 2966 was introduced in for disabled veterans, along with other health late January and other approaches have also care, educational and burial benefits. VA will been introduced offering different options. also be looking into ways to provide a range of One effort that may get attention is that of the nursing and related care and to help families. Republican leadership's work on a military Some of the specific provisions of the new law health-care bill similar to the bill they passed would extend the housing loan program for in the 1999 session. We will continue to certain reserve members; let veterans to use monitor this issue for future developments their Montgomery GI Bill money for certain TRICARE TO BE A 2000 FOCUS FOR test prep courses; let VA pay emergency care DOD At the recent 2000 TRICARE costs for veterans receiving medical care from Conference held in Washington, Pentagon VA and will have VA look into establishing officials indicated that healthcare will be six new national cemeteries. DoD's next quality-of-life issue. Last year, pay DEFENSE HEALTH CARE and compensation, retirement benefits and IMPROVEMENTS housing were all addressed in the military One of the issues likely to become budget bill. This year healthcare will be politicized in Congress this year is improved addressed. Generally, TRICARE beneficiaries military health care. As part of his $300 are satisfied with their quality of care; Billion plus budget request for DoD, the but complaints revolve around issues dealing President will likely call for improvements to with delivery of that care such as existing programs. It is also expected that appointments, claims and enrollment - usually Republicans in Congress will seek attributable to poor customer relations and bad improvements in health care for both active- business practices. Other issues likely to be duty and retired military personnel. The addressed include differences in benefits Administration's program is expected to be between those overseas and those stateside. A smaller than the FEHB for military retirees plan and a schedule to fix these issues was being considered by Republicans. Both sides presented to the Joint Chiefs in January. want to be seen as working to improve Specific areas of improvement to be focused military life. One problem to be faced will be on are: Full funding and more emphasis on the paying for any benefit increase, particularly in Defense Health Program; Providing a light of the across-the-board budget cut which TRICARE hot line in every installation; must be implemented this year and budget cap Increasing retirees' health benefits including mandates. While it is very early in the budget increased pharmacy benefits and expanded process, the net result of this election year TRICARE Senior Prime; Establishing an political maneuvering may well turn out to a effective easy to use healthcare network for all boost in military health care in the next beneficiaries; and, Making the system budget. customer-focused and easy to use.

13 MORE BASE CLOSINGS TO BE was on the other side of this narrow strip of SOUGHT land. Another expected provision in the During the night, Captain Elliscombe heard Administration's 2001budget proposal will be the moan of a soldier who lay mortally a DoD request of Congress for authority to wounded on the field. Not knowing if it was a close more military bases, starting in 2003. union or confederate soldier, the Captain Three previous attempts by DoD to get decided to risk his life and bring back the authority for more base closings have been stricken man for medical attention. rejected by Congress. No word yet on the Crawling on his stomach through the expected fate of this latest request. gunfire, the Captain reached the soldier and These items were extracted from the began pulling him back toward his Military Report. You may subscribe to the encampment. When the Captain finally Military Report by e-mail at: reached his own lines, he discovered it was [email protected] actually a confederate soldier, but the soldier m Military report is a publication of MR was dead Group, LLC, A Veteran-Owned Small The Captain lit a lantern, suddenly caught Business. Editorial questions: his breath and went numb with shock. In the [email protected] dim light of the lantern he saw the face of the Website: http://www.militaryreport.com soldier.. It was his own son! The young man Do your fellow troopers and friends a favor had been studying music in the south when the by passing them the e-mail addresses above. war broke out, and without telling his father, he had enlisted in the Confederate Army. BWS The following morning, the heart broker ------father asked permission of his supervisors to ------give his son a full military burial, despite the young man’s enemy status. The Captain’s Quote for the Day! request was partially granted. He asked if he could have a group of army "This year will go down in history. For the band members play a dirge for his son at the first time a civilized nation has full gun funeral. His request was refused since the registration. Our streets will be safer, our soldier was confederate. Out of respect for the police more efficient, and the world will Captain, they said they could loan him one follow our lead into the future." musician. He chose the bugler. The Captain asked him to play a series of Adolph Hitler, 1935 musical notes found in the pocket of the dead ------youth’s uniform. This wish was granted. That ------music was the haunting bugle melody we know as “TAPS”.

The following was sent in by Walker Jones, Walker Jones with the question, “Is this the way Taps Harlingen, TX began?” Well Troopers, can any of you shed C-1/9 '70-71 any light on this story? BWS www.RealCav.org "TAPS" ------It all began in 1862, during the Civil War when a union army captain, Robert In battle, confrontation is done directly, Elliscombe, was with his men near Harrison’s victory is gained by surprise. Landing in Virginia. The Confederate Army Sun Tzu

14 ------Please let me know either by E-Mail or ------Snail Mail if you have any information about the above Troopers. The addresses are: From the Swamp A.J. Welch Well the old Swamp Fox has decided to once 1505 Tally Ho Ct. again crawl out of the swamp to ask you Kokomo, IN 46902-4446 Troopers for HELP. As you remember, I have always said that history is made up of stories E-Mail: of people who were in a certain place at a [email protected] certain time. In order to insure we of the 9th Or Cav have access to the complete history of our [email protected] time in Viet Nam, we need to find as many brothers as possible. Looking forward to hearing from you, so now As the Keeper of the 9th Cavalry Trooper it’s back into the swamp to find more lost data base, I need your help in finding Troopers brothers. who are wandering lost and alone in the swamp. Therefore, in each future issue, I A.J. Welch SwampFox intend to publish the names of Troopers I have st in the data base without addresses. If you B 1/9, H/16, F/9 CAV, 1 Cav Div know these troopers and their addresses, I RVN: 71-72 hope you will let me know so that we can ORWAC 70-44 return them to the Bullwhip Base Camp. In some cases, I even have their Social Security Troopers, A.J. needs your help. Numbers. If anyone out there has access to a place to find out addresses based on SSN’s, BWS please contact me and I will give out this ------information. I have not included the SSN ------because of privacy concerns. Following is a partial list. Veterans Sound Off Aberle, James T.; Adkins, Donald V.; Agustin, William; Ahrens, Dennis M; These views are the views of veterans Alexander, Ronald E.; Almojuela, Thomas and may be different than yours. Send in N; Amarante, Jerome J.; Ames, Charles B.; your views or rebuttals and they will be Anderson, Clifford M; Anderson, Ted W.; printed. Armstrong, Donald; Arnold, Lawrence E.; BWS Artimeisy, Arthur; Ashline, Paul; Atkins ------Jr., John W.; Austin, Victor L.; Baker, Jack W.; Ball, Eldon "Keith"; Ball, John February 21, 2000 W.I.; Balmer, Robert P; Barnes, Luther D. One last thing. I know a number of you are VICTIMS packrats like me. If you have any paperwork Hello Loel. relating to the time you were in NAM (orders, rosters, awards, citations, etc.), please copy You and I have had several discussions over them and send them to me. It is my intent to the years about the moral and ethical problems get copies of every piece of paperwork within our society. Who hasn’t? associated with the 9’s time in Nam. This will While the ice and snow of winter have assist in developing our history. encased us here in Illinois, I have decided to write down for you some of my thoughts.

15 Too many people want to be victims. Too We once were among the world’s most many people are unwilling to accept any self-reliant people. Things would go wrong, responsibility for their own actions and most but we could rise to the occasion and are too eager to blame others for their overcome adversity. It made us stronger. problems. Today at the first hint of adversity we Nowhere is this more evident than in the complain, we sue, we go to self-help therapy. courtroom.. Lawyers and a growing number We are substituting therapies for moral values of therapists have attempted to redefine areas and the therapies aren’t working. I think it is of life as medical problems instead of moral absurd to rationalize self-indulgence by having issues. How many cases of moral a therapist tell you it is an illness over which degeneration have been blamed on being you have no power. abused as a child? How many times can Once self-esteem came as a result of laziness or ineptitude be blamed on neurotic accomplishment, of doing something well. compulsion? How often and for how long will Now, many think self-esteem comes first, that the courts allow lawyers to file suits against they can accomplish goals whether they have manufacturers and operators for acts of learned the basic skills or not., Then, when negligence or sheer stupidity on the part of failure occurs, they see themselves as victims their clients? These claims of victimization rather than admitting to personal failings. have been validated over and over again by It is time to restore the old fashioned awards of huge compensation for damages, notions of character, personal responsibility thus creating incentives for even more and accountability. It can be done my friend “victims”. and when we start – society will change for Fortunately, there remain many Americans the better. who value character – that old fashioned That is enough for now, I think. Keep your notion that we are accountable for our powder dry. behavior and responsible for our actions. However, that number seems to be shrinking. Bob Garrett Certainly it is a minority at this point. While Ethnic minorities are true victims in Bob you have stated a position that is not many cases, there is a trend toward so-called popular with the liberal element of our society. “victim groups”, vying with each other for Unfortunately we will continue to have title of “most oppressed”. And further, they victims as long as we have politicians who have shifted from demanding equality of cater to “groups” and promise them anything opportunity, to demanding equality of results. just to get their vote. An article well thought U.S. hiring policies are a good example of out and well written. this. Civil Rights advocates insist that we judge people by the color of their skin. Loel Judging individuals on their own merit is ------considered reactionary. This allows ethnic minorities to cling to their “victim” status. This next article is by LLCHIEF, a retiree But why would we want to cling to victim who teaches ROTC. status? One answer, simply, is that’s where the money is. Another reason – Americans DoD Week in JROTC have decided that we are entitled to happiness. It is something we are owed rather than I spend my retirement days now in a high something to be pursued or sacrificed for. school classroom teaching ROTC. Last week I Then there is the rights revolution. We have had a DoD week. That's where all the demanded every right we possibly could and Services plus the Coast Guard come in to my never tied those rights to personal classroom - one each day. The idea is for them responsibility. to teach high school kids about their branch of the Service and what it might have to offer. I

16 don't mean to start a debate about which people off the bus (you could see the sweat on Service has the best training or "deals", but the faces of the recruits while they stood on here are my observations. I thought you might those little yellow feet), in their face - yelling, find them interesting. running the crap out of them, dogging them The Coast Guard - two Petty Officers. out on confidence courses and in PT. It Showed up late for the first class both wearing showed them the "Crucible" - recruits literally class B uniforms. Their pitch consisted of ran into the ground for 50 some hours straight. about 10 minutes of showing pictures of boats He then showed the ceremony at the end of the and helicopters and a few minutes of a canned crucible where each marine that completed recruiting video - students slept. After that received his or her anchor and globe. These came this is how much money we can give kids were proud and the looks on their faces you -bonuses - college, etc. They struggled to couldn't be faked. The students stayed awake. keep the attention of the students. The students kept this recruiter busy talking The Army - One Staff Sergeant recruiter in about what it meant to be a Marine - not about class B accompanied by two soldiers from the the college fund. The last time I checked, the 101st Aviation in Class A. I thought this Marine Corps was the only Service that met its should be better. The recruiter showed his accession goals - maybe we need to think canned "Be all you can be" video - students about what it is we're trying to sell. slept- and then got into this is how much money I can give you spiel. The two 101st From: [email protected] soldiers then had their opportunity to sell the Army. The first thing out of the Private First AMEN!!!!! Class's mouth was how great it was, that the A good indication why the army cannot Army was paying off his loans, how much meet its recruitment goals. more education he was getting, and how he The BWS Staff wholly agrees with his would retire from the Army almost a comments. What are your views? millionaire because he had been taught about BWS investing his money early - all good things of ------course. The Staff Sergeant had much the same speech. The recruiter did add that basic SUMMARY: The author comments on the training was tough18 years ago when he went Chief of Staff's comments on "quitters." Let's through, but it's easy now. see who these "quitters" are. The Navy - one Petty Officer class B. Ditto. Watch the video -student's slept - here's WE CAME HERE TO BE SOLDIERS, SIR the money deal. The Air Force - stood us up. I read General Reimer's comments about The Marine Corps - One Sergeant in departing mid-grade officers being "quitters" Marine Corps dress blue. His pitch - I know with great interest and concern. As one of all the other recruiters have told you about the those mid-grade officers who has done and money they can offer. Every Service can give continues to do a great deal of soul searching you the same college money deal, and we all about today's Army and the future of "my" get paid from the same bank. An E-5 makes Army, I find it very distressing that those that the same money in every branch of the elect to leave are viewed as "quitters" by the Service. That's all I have to say about that. We Chief of Staff of the Army. That particular want you in the Marine Corps because you choice of words implies an unwillingness to want to be one of us not because you're see something through; to do one's part; or a looking for college money. He talked about breaking of faith on the part of those who elect Marine Corps Values and how proud he was to leave or those of us that wrestle with the to be a Marine. He then showed a "no holds decision. I would contend that those barred" video of Marine Corps Boot Camp. It implications are exactly what many of those showed Marine Corps Drill Instructors chasing

17 departing officers feel the Army has done to The officers who have stayed on are them. diehard soldiers who see the Army as a calling By all accounts, my career opportunities akin to a religious vocation, who love the and future are bright. So, why do I have Army like a wife or sweetheart, and who truly doubts? Who are my peers and I? We are the bleed OD green. However, somewhere during Lieutenants of the late eighties and early this recent draw-down period, things have nineties who elected to join the Army at the begun to change in our beloved Army. With a height of the Reagan defense build-up and 300% increase in OPTEMPO, we didn't notice entered active federal service at the point of it at first because we were too busy shooting time when our nation's military spending was 25 meter targets. Somewhere in the mid- physically entering service army-wide. We nineties, we began to sense a change in our learned our trade from the last of the Vietnam Army. It was something bigger than more veterans who stayed after the administrative missions. That simply gave us focus. It was bloodletting of the mid-seventies, many of something different from lower funding for whom made personal vows to see that another training, maintenance, and soldier care. That Vietnam never happened again. We learned simply challenged us and made us more from Senior Noncommissioned Officers, who efficient, innovative, and determined. It was didn't have a college degree and didn't need something different from the fact that our one to be successful in the Army. We had friends from college and those that left during Captains who had the time, money and the draw-down earned more money. We knew freedom of maneuver to train their units; they coming into this business that we would never led and mentored us. We learned that our word be monetarily rich but would instead be was our bond; that bad news never gets better enriched by our chosen lifestyle and our with age; and that failure to prepare our accomplishments. subordinates and ourselves for war was a What we began to notice was a subtle mortal sin. change in the atmosphere, culture, and Sure, there were always too few soldiers, attitudes in our Army. Command has lost its too little money, and too little time. There luster for many. We've seen whole groups of certainly were a lot of administrative burdens battalion and brigade commanders who aren't that had to be managed. But through it all, having fun in command. These battalion and preparing for war was our first, last, and most brigade commanders were our company-level important focus. We talked the talk and commanders, S-3s and XOs in the Gulf and walked the walk despite our limits and during the early nineties. We see them forced distractions. We carried that sense of mission to choose between training and "adminutia" and ethic from Panama to Kuwait to Somalia and watch them find that it's now more and on to Haiti. dangerous to their careers to choose training. This group of "quitters" were the smaller In talking to them, we learn that they now talk unit leader of Desert Storm and Just Cause; less about war-fighting and more about the platoon leaders, executive officers, tasking. We hear them talk less about company-level commanders and battalion staff guidance and more about directives. We see officers in those crucibles that established the them harried, moving from one event to the reputation of today's Army. We stepped up to next without pause, and without time to digest the plate when called upon and won the game the lessons learned and the time to correct the one hit at a time and one catch at a time. problems. When the brigade and division commanders We perceive a divorce rate in our peer up in the booth called the play, these "quitters" group and in our peer NCOs that seems to be down in the trenches gave everything they had skyrocketing. We talk to our replacements in and made it happen. They kept the faith and company-level command (and those removed the ghost of Vietnam from the minds Lieutenants we mentored) and hear them talk of friends and foes alike. about micro-management at levels we cannot imagine. We see a whole generation of junior

18 officers who are not trained on training and For those who want to light Old Glory on not given the opportunity or command climate fire, stomp all over it, or spit on it to make to learn how to train their units. In sum, we some sort of "statement," I say let them do it. see war-fighting marginalized. But under one condition: they MUST get This shakes us to the core of our being. We permission from three sponsors. know personally the unforgiving nature of war First, you need permission of a war and the price of failure. We made our nation's veteran...perhaps a Marine who fought at Iwo enemies pay that price. We fear that we may Jima? The American flag was raised over one day have to write letters to the mothers Mount Surabachi upon the bodies of and wives of American soldiers who died thousands of dead buddies. Each night spent under our command. We knew years ago that on Iwo Jima meant half of everyone you knew those letters may be required but we were sure would be dead tomorrow, a coin flip away that we had done everything in our power to from a bloody end upon a patch of sand your prepare those soldiers for the conflict they mother couldn't find on a map. died for and found solace in that confidence. Or maybe ask a Vietnam vet who spent We are beginning to lose that confidence and years tortured in a small, filthy cell unfit for a find ourselves unwilling to risk writing those cockroach. Or a Korean War soldier who letters under those conditions. And the helped rescue half a nation from Communism, chances of us having to write those letters or a Desert Storm warrior who repulsed a increases every day. bloody dictator from raping and pillaging an We see the organizational culture of our innocent country. That flag represented your beloved Army subtly changing. We see mother and father, your sister and brother, technology being placed ahead of people. We your friends, neighbors, and everyone at see units and their leaders that are not the home. I wonder what they would say if same tight-knit "bands of brothers" that we someone asked them permission to burn the grew up in. We see leaders focused on American flag? something else and we don't know why. Next, you need a signature from an We have, in short, a crisis in confidence. immigrant. Their brothers and sisters may still This is the reason for the exodus for so many languish in their native land, often under of us. Those that remain wrestle with that tyranny, poverty and misery. Or maybe they decision regularly. We see our Army in crisis died on the way here, never to touch our and fear for its future. We don't want to leave shores. Some have seen friends and family get but we don't see a way to fix it and leaving our tortured and murdered by their own Army the way it currently stands is government for daring to do things we take for unacceptable. Its not pay, its not retirement, granted every day. For those who risked and its not the OPTEMPO. everything simply for the chance to become an To paraphrase President Clinton's 1992 American, what kind of feelings do they have campaign slogan, "It's the command climate, for the flag when they Pledge Allegiance the Sir!" first time? Go to a naturalization ceremony and see for yourself, the tears of pride, the By Major Brooke H. Janney, USA thanks, the love and respect of this nation, as ------they finally embrace the American flag as their own. Ask one of them if it would be OK Just a Symbol to burn the flag or spit on it. Last, you should get the signature of a Does the First Amendment give us the right mother. Not just any mother. You need a to desecrate the American flag? Or is the flag mother of someone who gave their life for a sacred symbol of our nation, deserving America. It doesn't even have to be from a protection by law? war. It could be a cop. Or a firefighter. Maybe Tough call? Well, I propose a solution. a Secret Service or NSA agent. Then again, it could be a common foot soldier as well.

19 When that son or daughter is laid to rest, symposium organized by the Association of their family is given one gift by the American the U. S. Army. people; an American flag. The Army's helicopter forces-a symbol of Go on. I dare you! Ask that mother if you U.S. power to friends and foes from Vietnam can spit on her flag. Away from family, away to Iraq to Kosovo-are suffering from several from the precious shores of home, in the face problems, Riggs said: budget shortfalls that of overwhelming odds and often in the face of are delaying the fielding of new systems, death, the American flag inspires those who aging equipment that is expensive and difficult believe in the American dream, the American to maintain and an inadequately trained promise, the American vision... Americans generation of young officers who lack the who don't appreciate the flag don't appreciate flying experience to grow into leadership this nation. And those who appreciate this roles. nation appreciate the American flag. "If we continue the course we're on now, So if you want to desecrate the American I'm concerned we won't be able to fulfill the flag, before you spit on it or before you burn tactical and strategic vision the Army has for it, I have a simple request. Just ask permission. us," Riggs said, adding that he hopes Army Not from the Constitution. Not from some leaders don't do "too little too late." obscure law. Not from the politicians or the Many of the problems are a function of pundits. Instead, ask those who have defended inadequate resources, said Riggs, but he added our nation so that we may be free today. Ask that some money could be saved if the Army those who struggled to reach our shores so that would more effectively administer its logistics they may join us in the American dream. And and maintenance services to field units. Riggs ask those who clutch a flag in place of their said it is critical to develop a budget plan that sacrificed sons and daughters, given to this will guide the aviation branch into the near nation so that others may be free. For we future: "We don't have an end state in sight." cannot ask permission from those who died The Army is currently working to finalize a wishing they could, just once ... or once again long-awaited aviation modernization plan that ... see, touch or kiss the flag that stands for our it expects to submit to Congress by spring. nation, the United States of America. Issues demanding prompt attention, said Go ahead. Ask. Riggs, include improving aircrew training all the way from flight schools to combat units, Author unknown training young officers in the combat arms ------instead of allowing them to climb through the ranks as staff officers, and modernizing Troopers, you have heard their views, aircraft. now it is time to hear yours. Sound Off! "I am appalled that the nose of the Apache helicopter has not been upgraded," Riggs said, BWS referring to the night-vision system on the ------front of the Army's premier attack helicopter. ------That equipment still relies on first generation FLIR (forward looking infrared) technology,

which is inadequate for ground-hugging Army Aviation Today? maneuvers in rugged terrain such as that in Albania. Army Aviation In 'Crisis', General The Army has spent as much money Riggs Says studying the problem as it would have taken to Army aviation is sick, and a senior general fix it, Riggs said. It is well-known, he added, says he hopes the patient lives long enough for that the risk of accidents jumps every time the cure. "We're in a crisis," Lt. Gen. Johnny helicopter units have to shift on short notice Riggs, commander of the First United States from peace-time operations to war-time Army, said last week at an aviation footing.

20 That was illustrated tragically in Albania policy but none were willing to stand up to when two Apache pilots were killed during a their civilian bosses to defend their series of extra training missions while they professional military judgment-sad. He said prepared to take part in NATO's Yugoslav that it had become known within the Pentagon war. Senior Army aviators have said the that 56 Marine General Officers would 'turn in Apache's inadequate night-vision systems their suits' if mixed-gender training were were the main reason for the training. Apache imposed on the Marine Corps, against their pilots do not routinely fly with the night-vision best military judgment. goggles that were substituted in Albania for The Marines drew a line in the sand, and the unfielded second-generation FLIR the opposition folded. Too bad there are so systems. few at the top with such integrity. During the Q&A session, GEN Krulak also expressed By Ron Laurenzo dismay that not a single member of the Joint BWS Chiefs publicly defended the Constitution over ------the issue of whether or not a prominent ------political figure would 'make his views on homosexuals serving openly in the military' a If your advance is going well, you’re 'litmus test' for the next Chairman of the Joint walking into an ambush. Chiefs. When this kind of stuff starts becoming Murphy’s Military Law public, either by a book, speeches, articles, or ------other means, GEN Krulak's view is going to ------start taking hold with the 'grass roots' and we'll be surprised at how fast he will start picking This came to me as a "forward" from Jerry up steam for his position. Atkinson, I think you will find it to be of Take heart. We are starting to turn the tide. interest. The "I" is Atkinson. Shortly, I will give you a summary of my impression of what I learned from my first Fellow Americans, attendance at the JSCOPE conference on 'military ethics,'-both POSITIVE and I attended the annual Joint Services NEGATIVE. Conference on Professional Ethics (JSCOPE) on 27-28 January. GEN Krulak gave the Best Regards, keynote speech. It was a 'keeper.' He received Jerry Atkinson a full-house standing ovation at the end. The ______text is transcribed below. The Question & Answer session was also superb. You should GEN Krulak and JCOPE have heard him defend his Marine Corps' 'no mixed-gender' basic training policy before a REMARKS AT JSCOPE 2000, JANUARY gaggle of young 'girls,' USMA cadets and 27, 2000 USNA midshipmen, after the Q&A session. The guy is absolutely magnetic. He charmed WE STUDY AND WE DISCUSS them while defending his position with ETHICAL PRINCIPLES BECAUSE IT enthusiasm, reason, and integrity. Even those SERVES TO STRENGTHEN AND who disagreed with him were positively VALIDATE OUR OWN INNER VALUE impressed by his openness, sincerity, and SYSTEM ... IT GIVES DIRECTION TO honesty. WHAT I CALL OUR MORAL COMPASS. During the Q&A, Krulak came out and said IT IS THE UNDERSTANDING OF ETHICS that every one of the Joint Chiefs, in private, THAT BECOMES THE FOUNDATION agreed with a 'no mixed-gender' basic training UPON WHICH WE CAN DELIBERATELY COMMIT TO INVIOLATE PRINCIPLES.

21 IT BECOMES THE BASIS OF WHAT WE COME IN FRONT OF EACH ARE ... OF WHAT WE INCLUDE IN OUR LEGIONNAIRE, THE SOLDIER WOULD CHARACTER. BASED ON IT, WE STRIKE WITH HIS RIGHT FIST THE COMMIT TO DOING WHAT IS RIGHT. ARMOR BREASTPLATE THAT COVERED WE EXPECT SUCH COMMITMENT FROM HIS HEART. THE ARMOR HAD TO BE OUR LEADERS. BUT MOST STRONGEST THERE IN ORDER TO IMPORTANTLY, WE MUST DEMAND IT PROTECT THE HEART FROM THE OF OURSELVES. SWORD THRUSTS AND FROM ARROW SOUND MORALS AND ETHICAL STRIKES. AS THE SOLDIER STRUCK HIS BEHAVIOR CANNOT BE ESTABLISHED ARMOR, HE WOULD SHOUT OR CREATED IN A DAY, A SEMESTER ... "INTEGRITAS",(IN-TEG-RI-TAS) WHICH OR A YEAR. THEY MUST BE IN LATIN MEANS MATERIAL INSTITUTIONALIZED WITHIN OUR WHOLENESS, COMPLETENESS, AND CHARACTER OVER TIME ... THEY MUST ENTIRETY. BECOME A WAY OF LIFE. THEY GO THE INSPECTING CENTURION BEYOND OUR INDIVIDUAL SERVICES WOULD LISTEN CLOSELY FOR THIS AND BEYOND OUR RANKS OR AFFIRMATION AND ALSO FOR THE POSITIONS; THEY CUT TO THE HEART RING THAT WELL KEPT ARMOR AND TO THE SOUL OF WHO WE ARE WOULD GIVE OFF. SATISFIED THAT AND WHAT WE ARE AND WHAT WE THE ARMOR WAS SOUND AND THAT MUST BE….MEN AND WOMEN OF THE SOLDIER BENEATH IT WAS CHARACTER. THEY ARM US FOR THE PROTECTED, HE WOULD THEN MOVE CHALLENGES TO COME AND THEY ON TO THE NEXT MAN. IMPART TO US A SENSE OF AT ABOUT THE SAME TIME, THE WHOLENESS. THEY UNITE US IN THE PRAETORIANS OR IMPERIAL CALLING WE NOW KNOWAS THE BODYGUARD WERE ASCENDING INTO PROFESSION OF ARMS. POWER AND INFLUENCE. DRAWN OF ALL THE MORAL AND ETHICAL FROM THE BEST "POLITICALLY GUIDEPOSTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN CORRECT" SOLDIERS OF THE LEGIONS, BROUGHT UP TO RECOGNIZE, THE ONE THEY RECEIVED THE FINEST THAT, FOR ME, STANDS ABOVE THE EQUIPMENT AND ARMOR. THEY NO REST ... THE ONE THAT I HAVE KEPT IN LONGER HAD TO SHOUT "INTEGRITAS" THE FOREFRONT OF MY MIND ... IS (IN-TEG-RI-TAS) TO SIGNIFY THAT INTEGRITY. IT IS MY ETHICAL AND THEIR ARMOR WAS SOUND. INSTEAD, PERSONAL TOUCHSTONE. INTEGRITY AS THEY STRUCK THEIR AS WE KNOW IT TODAY, STANDS FOR BREASTPLATE, THEY WOULD SOUNDNESS OF MORAL PRINCIPLE SHOUT"HAIL CAESAR", TO SIGNIFY AND CHARACTER - UPRIGHTNESS - THAT THEIR HEART BELONGED TO HONESTY. YET THERE IS MORE. THE IMPERIAL PERSONAGE- NOT TO INTEGRITY IS ALSO AN IDEAL ... A THEIR UNIT - NOT TO AN INSTITUTION GOAL TO STRIVE FOR ... AND FOR A - NOT TO A CODE OF IDEALS. THEY MAN OR WOMAN TO "WALK IN THEIR ARMORED THEMSELVES TO SERVE INTEGRITY" IS TO REQUIRE CONSTANT THE CAUSE OF A SINGLE MAN. DISCIPLINE AND USAGE. THE WORD A CENTURY PASSED AND THE RIFT INTEGRITY ITSELF IS A MARTIAL BETWEEN THE LEGION AND THE WORD THAT COMES TO US FROM AN IMPERIAL BODYGUARD AND ITS ANCIENT ROMAN ARMY TRADITION. EXCESSES GREW LARGER. TO SIGNIFY DURING THE TIME OF THE 12 THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE TWO CAESARS, THE ROMAN ARMY WOULD ORGANIZATIONS, THE LEGIONNAIRE, CONDUCT MORNING INSPECTIONS. AS UPON STRIKING HIS ARMOR WOULD THE INSPECTING CENTURION WOULD NO LONGER SHOUT "INTEGRITAS", (IN-

22 TEG-RI-TAS) BUT INSTEAD WOULD HOLD THE FRONTIERS ...THE SHOUT "INTEGER" (IN-TE-GER). BARBARIANS WERE AT THE GATES. INTEGER (IN-TE-GER) MEANS INTEGRITY ... IT IS A COMBINATION UNDIMINISHED - COMPLETE - OF THE WORDS, "INTEGRITAS" (IN-TEG- PERFECT. IT NOT ONLY INDICATED RI-TAS) AND "INTEGER" (IN-TE-GER). THAT THE ARMOR WAS SOUND, IT IT REFERS TO THE PUTTING ON OF ALSO INDICATED THAT THE SOLDIER ARMOR, OF BUILDING A WEARING THE ARMOR WAS SOUND OF COMPLETENESS ... A WHOLENESS ... A CHARACTER. HE WAS COMPLETE IN WHOLENESS IN CHARACTER. HIS INTEGRITY ... HIS HEART WAS IN HOW APPROPRIATE THAT THE THE RIGHT PLACE ... HIS STANDARDS WORD INTEGRITY IS A DERIVATIVE OF AND MORALS WERE HIGH. HE WAS TWO WORDS DESCRIBING THE NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE IMMORAL CHARACTER OF A MEMBER OF THE CONDUCT THAT WAS RAPIDLY PROFESSION OF ARMS. THE MILITARY BECOMING THE SIGNATURE OF THE HAS A TRADITION OF PRODUCING PRAETORIAN GUARDS. GREAT LEADERS THAT POSSESS THE THE ARMOR OF INTEGRITY HIGHEST ETHICAL STANDARDS AND CONTINUED TO SERVE THE LEGION INTEGRITY. IT PRODUCES MEN AND WELL. FOR OVER FOUR CENTURIES WOMEN OF CHARACTER ...CHARACTER THEY HELD THE LINE AGAINST THE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO DEAL MARAUDING GOTHS AND VANDALS ETHICALLY WITH THE CHALLENGES BUT BY 383 AD, THE SOCIAL DECLINE OF TODAY AND TO MAKE CONSCIOUS THAT INFECTED THE REPUBLIC AND DECISIONS ABOUT HOW THEY WILL THE PRAETORIAN GUARD HAD ITS APPROACH TOMORROW. EFFECTS UPON THE LEGION. AS A 4TH HOWEVER, AS I MENTIONED CENTURY ROMAN GENERAL WROTE, EARLIER, THIS IS NOT DONE "WHEN, BECAUSE OF NEGLIGENCE INSTANTLY. IT REQUIRES THAT AND LAZINESS, PARADE GROUND INTEGRITY BECOMES A WAY OF LIFE ... DRILLS WERE ABANDONED, THE IT MUST BE WOVEN INTO THE VERY CUSTOMARY ARMOR BEGAN TO FEEL FABRIC OF OUR SOUL. JUST AS WAS HEAVY SINCE THE SOLDIERS RARELY, TRUE IN THE DAYS OF IMPERIAL IF EVER, WORE IT. ROME, YOU EITHER WALK IN YOUR THEREFORE, THEY FIRST ASKED INTEGRITY DAILY, OR YOU TAKE OFF THE EMPEROR TO SET ASIDE THE THE ARMOR OF THE "INTEGER" (IN-TE- BREASTPLATES AND MAIL AND THEN GER) AND LEAVE YOUR HEART AND THE HELMETS. SO OUR SOLDIERS SOUL EXPOSED ... OPEN TO ATTACK. FOUGHT THE GOTHS WITHOUT ANY MY CHALLENGE TO YOU IS SIMPLE PROTECTION FOR THE HEART AND BUT OFTEN VERY DIFFICULT ... WEAR HEAD AND WERE OFTEN BEATEN BY YOUR ARMOR OF INTEGRITY ... TAKE ARCHERS. FULL MEASURE OF ITS WEIGHT ... FIND ALTHOUGH THERE WERE MANY COMFORT IN ITS PROTECTION ... DO DISASTERS, WHICH LEAD TO THE LOSS NOT BECOME LAX. AND ALWAYS, OF GREAT CITIES, NO ONE TRIED TO ALWAYS, REMEMBER THAT NO ONE RESTORE THE ARMOR TO THE CAN TAKE YOUR INTEGRITY FROM INFANTRY. THEY TOOK THEIR ARMOR YOU ... YOU AND ONLY YOU CAN GIVE OFF, AND WHEN THE ARMOR CAME IT AWAY! OFF - SO TOO CAME THEIR INTEGRITY" THE BIBLICAL BOOK OF PRACTICAL IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF A FEW ETHICS - BETTER KNOWN AS THE YEARS UNTIL THE LEGION ROTTED BOOK OF PROVERBS - SUMS IT UP FROM WITHIN AND WAS UNABLE TO VERY NICELY: "THE INTEGRITY OF THE UPRIGHT SHALL GUIDE THEM:

23 BUT THE PERVERSENESS OF took the photo of a squad from Bravo troop in TRANSGRESSORS SHALL DESTROY Chu Lai in the spring of 67 Id like to get in THEM". (PR 11:3) touch with him. This photo has been made a stamp by the post office. Just another first for THANK YOU. the 1/9 Cav and a very high honor indeed. GEN. KRULAK This would be a very good sale item for 1/9 ------Cav. ------Thanks, Lionel J. Hebert Letters To The Editor B troop 1/9 1966 978 425-4831 We have several letters for this newsletter and also several e-mails. These are from our Troopers you have his phone number. Can troopers who have a desire to add to the any of you give him help with his request. Association and be a part or our “keeping in touch” philosophy. BWS Our first letter is from Lionel Hebert ------Enjoy. BWS Loel: ------Happy New Year! Hi Loel: Just want to tell you how much I look forward In June 1966 I was assigned to Bravo to October and tell you what a great job you Troop 1/9 as Platoon Sgt. I was told that the and Al do. I know you put in a lot of time. I PSGT I was replacing was KIA a few weeks appreciate it. earlier. The 1/9 was at An Khe at this time. Shortly after my arrival the V.C. sent some See you in Oct, rockets crashing into the golf course and put Bravo Troop out of business for a short time. Bob Thaxton They hit all our choppers and destroyed two. ------We did recon from An Khe for a while and then moved to Bong Song, finally ending at Dear Loel: the Oasis. In my short stay in Bravo Troop I had four I haven’t yet had the pleasure of making platoon leaders, the last one I had was shot in your acquaintance, but I will look forward to it the head, a bullet in the helmet crazed his at a future reunion. To tell you the truth I skull.. Around Dec. 66 I was medevaced from have never attended one basically because of the Oasis with serious spinal disc problem and unfounded apprehension. When I read landed in Quin Nhon. They were expecting an through the association membership I don’t attack on the hospital, so they took the most know a soul so I guess the alone thing serious and flew us to the Philippines and then amongst strangers makes me feel on to the 106th General Hospital in Japan for uncomfortable, even though we are all past surgery and a long rehab. It ended my career cavalry troops. I am working on this though, and I was medically discharged in April 69. so maybe one of these days. Pretty silly given While I was in the hospital in Japan one of the fact that I publish scientific papers and my men was wounded and he visited me and make oral presentations internationally on a told me that the Sgt that replaced me was fairly regular basis concerning concrete killed. If anyone has any photos of this time technology. period I would appreciate a few copies. If I am writing to request your guidance on anyone knows SFC Howard C. Breedlove who how to go about finding out names, date,

24 location, etc. concerning a combat incident members there were six of our Blue Team and just prior to my DEROS in mid-April 1972. It an observer from another unit also on board. has long bothered me that I can’t recall a good Do you have any advice on how I can many of the specific details of this mission. It gather the information I am seeking? Will the was the most traumatic combat event I Army have an action report I could have experienced in my eighteen month tour as access to? Any suggestions you could offer to concerns loss of lives and it gives me a sense help me recover these details would be of loss and guilt because I cannot recall sincerely appreciated. important details. I will look forward to hearing from you and Following is a summary of the incident: thank you in advance for any assistance or In either March or very early April 72, I advice you can provide to help me with this was flying as a gunner in a LOH when we search. received orders to provide immediate Sincerely, assistance to a ranger patrol taking heavy fire. Peter Snow My unit was F Troop, 9th Cavalry and at that 1345 Royal Troon Dr. #30 time we were flying out of Bien Hoa. We Salt Lake City, UT 84124 headed out accompanied by a couple of Cobra Email: [email protected] gunships and a Blue Team in one hell of a hurry to provide covering fire and to extract Peter there are many in the Squadron that the team on the ground. Not long into the will assist you as best as they can. AL flight the Huey carrying the Blues suddenly DeFleron will call you and assist in getting had an on board explosion of some sort and you to the right troopers and to the Unit crashed out of control into a river and Historian. Any other troopers that can help, immediately sank. We quickly turned and you have his address and e-mail. hovered over the river where the ship went down. I started removing my helmet and BWS breast plate to dive in to see if I could help ------anybody, but my pilot was very concerned not knowing if the Huey was shot down or if the Loel explosion was from and on board problem, so he directed me to stay put and on guard. In Here is the money for 2000 dues. Ron my retrospect, his decision was the correct one as son, had an article in the Squadron Paper he would have been defenseless without me on about me being in the bloody one 46 to 49 my M60. Everybody on the ship was dead. which is true but the part of it that said it One of the most disturbing sights I saw was would always be #1 with me is not true. I am one of the door gunners from the downed ship honored to have served with a great outfit like came very slowly floating towards the surface the Big Red One and always have respect for in a strange face down body position directly it but there was no one in any outfit that had below my LOH. I still remember this exact made me more proud than the 1st Cav has. I mental image to this day and imagine I always feel great just to be a honorary member of the will be able to. Evidently the door gunner had Squadron and the lst Cav. I sorta feel like it not yet put on his breastplate so he was light should be #1 for me also although I never enough to rise in the water. Obviously, the served with the outfit. Thank you for Blue Team was loaded with gear and ammo, everything and excuse the bad spelling. Also which kept them weighted down and on the in the magazine Bullwhip Squadron on page bottom. In not too long of a period on station 48 above photo words “Gone but never we were low on fuel so we headed back to forgotten SGT Gary McKiddy”, who are the Bien Hoa. We did not go back out, but I guys in the photo. I would like time out to say subsequently was told that Navy divers had to thanks to them for their time to have a photo be employed to recover the remains the next taken by the memorial. Thank all of you day. I believe besides the ship’s four crew wonderful people from LTC Edwards and

25 down to the last man in C Company and all scouting and got sorta good at it. Bruce the rest of the outfits that were there in Aug Johnson and I were sent to the border North of for the great honor they did for my Son. I will Chu Pong to see what was going on. never forget any of you as long as I live. May Specifically we were told to check the trails God bless all of you and have a Merry between Chu Pong and the river. I guess Christmas and a real peaceful New Year leaves were fewer then as it was 10 Nov & though you may get this too late but here it is Dec. Because as we flew east following the anyway. river and trail I caught a glimpse of a crashed As Ever, aircraft. We were only some 6 or 7 (?) klicks Mr. & Mrs. Edgar McKiddy east of the border. If we had not been on that Miamisburg, OH 4534 particular path no one would have seen the wreck. We couldn’t see it from any other Troopers, we have another request for info. place around. We found a small clearing some Mr. McKiddy would appreciate your help. Al 200 meters south of the place and Willie DeFleron will head up this request. Bruce and Harry Butt kept us clear. Melvis BWS Hall and I landed to see what we could find. ------The aircraft was not Xed as an investigation wreck and we couldn’t tell if it Al: was a slick or a gunship, it was stripped to a shell and smashed to pieces. There were parts I don’t know who to send this to so you get it. of bodies scattered around and over by the trail there were four skulls stuck on stakes for Returning Our Own! the admiration of infiltrating NVA troops. Everything was concealed from the air by an I joined the Squadron in mid-November enormous banyan tree (200 – 300 feet across). 1965. At the time I was told that I was the 1st Melvis and I were not about to leave the skulls replacement pilot the division had received. there and also to help in identification we You didn’t get much. A 35 year old wreck removed them and took them with us. We had with 18 ½ years in service and never heard a no way to cover or carry them so Bruce landed shot fired in anger, 10 ½ years and infantry & Melvis and Harry wrapped them in their MRV, master parachute flocked. So old I got fatigue or flight jackets and we returned. Sure- glider wins with my original parachute badge nuff the aircraft was the one in which Tally (Jan. 1948) while still 17 years old. Qualified and Bayron’s crew had vanished. Several to fly anything the Army had except the crane days later we led Blue to the place. Being and the Caribou. So where did I end up? better prepared. They recovered all the Scouts! When Bullwhip 6 told me at an remains they could find for graves registration, interview that I would fly Oh13’s (900-1000 they gotta have 20 pounds of remains to hours in type from D to H) not HU1’s (60-70 constitute a body. hours in type) it scared the shit (may be deleted) out of me. A single engine 2 place We had returned our own! piece of the contractors salesmanship? Got to kind of like the old girls when I had flown Fred Carll them there for a while, Beaut! Really, old CW3 USAR (Ret) 0460 kept plugging even with 7.62 slugs in a Rare Fixer White jug (ask Jerry Ledabrand). The day before I got to B troop, the troop had lost WO1 Tally Fred, outstanding work! and WO1 Bayron. They had gone missing We Can, We Will ! with their door gunner and crew chief down BWS on the Drang at night. ------In March 66, we were working the Pleiku------west area. By now I was sorta resigned to

26 Sick Call considered a service-connected disability and compensation may be paid. JIM BARRETT; Had open heart surgery on Survivors of Vietnam veterans who died of 14 Feb. At home now and recovering nicely. prostate cancer may also be entitled to benefits Get well fast Jim. Wishing a speedy recovery. from the VA. An un-remarried surviving BWS spouse may be entitled to a monthly payment ------of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation CHARLES COVERT: Is recovering from (DIC). The current rate is $861. Dependants' cancer surgery. Get well fast Charles. With Education Assistance may also be available Gods help, may you have a speedy and full for college attendance. The rate for full-time recovery. attendance is $485 per month. BWS Please contact the Association if you have ------any questions about this or any other VA ------benefit. ------As troopers age, we began to think about our health and what we need to do to stay as Gulf War, Brain Damage Linked healthy as possible. Sometimes our Brain scans of soldiers who believe they occupation is not the most healthy. It always suffer from Gulf War illness indicate their helps to know just what is causing our brains were damaged by chemical exposure problems. during the 1991 conflict, researchers reported BWS today. ------``This is the first time ever we have proof of brain damage in sick Gulf War veterans,'' Health said the lead researcher, Dr. James Fleckenstein, a professor of radiology at the The following is an article in the latest University of Texas Southwestern Medical Publication from "The Army and Air Force Center in Dallas. ``There's hope, now that Mutual Aid Association" that some of us may these guys have a disease,'' he said. ``They can or may not be aware of. be believed -- they're not malingering, they're Prostate cancer and Agent Orange not depressed, they're not stressed. There's a HERE ARE SEVERAL medical conditions hope for treatment and there's hope for being that have been determined to be related to able to monitor the progress of the disease.'' Agent Orange exposure. Congress has As many as 30,000 veterans of the war declared that any service member who served have complained of mysterious maladies, in Vietnam during the wartime era (28 Feb including fatigue, joint pain and memory loss, 1961 through 7 May 1975) was exposed to that they say are related to their service in the Agent Orange. It was further ruled that such Gulf. exposure may have caused several types of A presidential panel looking into Gulf War cancer. There-fore, diagnosis of any of these illnesses said in August that it can't pinpoint conditions will be considered "service causes of the ailments and recommended connected" by the Department of Veterans further study into whether there are potential Affairs. genetic reasons. In the new study, magnetic Veterans and survivors may be entitled to resonance spectroscopy, which uses radio compensation for such diseases as lung cancer, waves to measure body chemistry, found that multiple myeloma, Hodgkin's disease, non- veterans who believe they have the illness Hodgkin's lymphoma and, as of November have up to 25 percent lower levels of a certain 1996, prostate cancer. If a Vietnam veteran is brain chemical than healthy Gulf War ever diagnosed with prostate cancer, even if it veterans. is many years after service, it will be Lower-than-normal levels of the chemical, N-acetyl-aspartate, in the brain stem and basal

27 ganglia suggest a loss of neurons in those ``We haven't seen anything that would say that areas, said the researchers, who were to they found the smoking gun, though.'' present their findings today at the 85th annual The brain scan study was reported on the meeting of the Radiological Society of North same day as the release of a series of America. The brain stem controls some of the Pentagon-ordered reports that said focusing on body's reflexes. The basal ganglia are the danger of traditional weapons could mask switching stations for nerve impulses less-obvious, long-term hazards to troops. controlling movement, memory and emotion. ``Even in the absence of widespread acute The basal ganglia, for example, are where the casualties from battle, war takes its toll on malfunctioning occurs that causes Parkinson's human health and well-being long after the disease. shooting or bombing stops,'' said one of the Fleckenstein said treatments are being reports prepared by the National Academy of explored by his colleague, Dr. Robert Haley, Sciences' Institute of Medicine and the an associate professor of internal medicine and National Research Council. Chief of Epidemiology at UT Southwestern. The reports offered some criticism of past Haley helped define Gulf War syndromes and Pentagon strategies for protecting troops, identify toxic exposures associated with the citing a natural tendency to focus attention on likelihood of having them. He also revealed known hazardous agents and saying that ``too enzyme abnormalities that may be linked to much attention on them may result in other the disease. Fleckenstein said brain scans of hazards being overlooked.'' 22 sick veterans revealed levels of N-acetyl- aspartate 10 percent to 25 percent lower than BRENDA C. COLEMAN those in 18 healthy veterans. The finding held AP Medical Writer, CHICAGO (AP) up in an additional six sick Gulf War veterans ------drawn from a different part of the military. ------The study was blinded, meaning radiologists interpreting the results did not Military Nostalgia know which patients complained of symptoms and which were healthy. Researchers believe Having a weapon that works, the first time, soldiers who became ill were those who had a every time. genetic vulnerability to certain chemicals used A full clip and time to reload. in the war, including nerve gas, the insecticide DEET, pet flea collars some wore to repel BWS pests and the drug pyridostigmine bromide. ------PB was administered to as many as 250,000 ------soldiers in the belief it would protect them Announcements from the toxic effects of nerve gas. Last month, the Pentagon raised the Charlie Troop Reunion Planned for D.C. possibility for the first time of a connection between Gulf War illness and PB. It said more Former C Troopers plan to have another scientific study is needed before it can confirm big reunion this summer in Washington, D.C. or rule out a connection. Lt. Col. Dian Dates are 30 June – 4 July, held this year again Lawhon, a spokeswoman for the Department in conjunction with the Vietnam Helicopter of Defense's office for Gulf War illnesses, Pilots’ Association annual reunion. Last which helped fund Fleckenstein's study, said summer, nearly 40 fellow C Troopers met in her office could not comment on the findings Nashville during the annual VHPA reunion until it sees a complete report. Only an (see photos at www.RealCav.org). Among abstract was available. ``This is part of our those showing up were pilots, doorgunners, continuing effort to find out what might be observers, Cobra CEs, Blues, and families of making Gulf War veterans sick,'' she said. our KIAs. It was mainly attended by guys

28 from the 1969-71eras, but there also were ------former C Troopers present from all eras. ------Smaller C Troop reunions have previously taken place during the Vietnam Helicopter Recipe Corner Crew Members’ Association (VHCMA) meetings, first organized by former Scout To make this dish you’ll need four pork gunner (‘69-70) Dave “Ski” Dzwigalski, and cutlets; lean center-cut pork chops with the thereafter by another former Scout gunner bone and fringe fat removed. (’69-70) Nate Shaffer and wife Tiz (Nate Pork with Apple Wedges in Cider Sauce named his Loach after Tiz, but with the letters reversed!). The Nashville get-together was 4 center-cut pork cutlets or chops super. Many, probably most, of us had never 2 tablespoons bread crumbs been in touch with our old buds from years 1 cup cider or apple juice ago. The tension of remembrance was 1 ½ cups water replaced by the simple pleasure in sharing the 1 tablespoon onion, minced same airspace once again. Older, maybe not 1 tablespoon garlic powder wiser, but certainly comfortable being among salt & pepper to taste each other once more. That comforting spirit generated an Coat cutlets lightly with crumbs. Spray a immediate desire to do it again, and rope our non-stick skillet or dutch over with cooking other old buds into the fold. We expect a spray until slick. Add cutlets in a single layer crowd of former Charlie Troopers and their and brown over moderate heat with no fat families to take a vacation to Washington D.C. added. Add remaining ingredients except this summer. Special slide shows and videos apple. Cover tightly and simmer on low heat made from old Super 8 movies are being until chops are very tender about 1 hour. (Add prepared, too. We also plan a special honor more water if needed.) Uncover and continue for those brothers who sacrificed with their to simmer until nearly all the liquid evaporates lives, and thus once again we are inviting into a thick sauce. Meanwhile, quarter and those family members that have been located core unpeeled apple (Very large or 2 small). so far. Cut each quarter in half to form 8 thick If you did not receive an announcement wedges. Layer the apples on top of the pork; from Bob Tredway (CO ‘69-70), please cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes only until contact one of the following for more apples are barely tender. Arrange pork and information. apple wedges on a serving plate and spoon the General: sauce on top. Makes 4 servings about 285 Randy Zahn: [email protected] calories each. Nate Shaffer: (419) 647-0878; [email protected] ------D.C. Housing (book now!!): Fred "Mother" Joles; (616) 879-4516; Here’s another way of combining pork with [email protected] cider and apples. This quick and easy curry is Reunion Agenda: a great way to recycle leftover pork roast and Bob Tredway; [email protected] is a complete meal.

Walker A. Jones Speedy Curried Pork with Apples 2206 Treasure Hills #2 Harlingen, TX 78550 2 cups cooked pork, diced (956) 412-1545 ¾ cup cider or apple juice [email protected] ¾ cup tomato juice th C-1/9 ‘70-71 2 tablespoons soy sauce www.RealCav.org 1 teaspoon curry powder

29 1 onion, sliced Cream the cheese and margarine; add 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add 1 bell pepper, diced vanilla, nuts & coconut. Spread on cooled 2 tablespoons raisins cake. 2 red apples, unpeeled, cored & diced ------

Use lean, fat trimmed leftover roast or ham Dirt Cake or pork loin. Dice into l inch cubes and set aside. Combine cider, tomato juice, soy sauce, 1 stick butter curry powder in a large non-stick skillet. 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese Simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in onion, 1 (12 ounce) carton Cool Whip bell pepper, celery, and raisins. Simmer, 1 cup sugar uncovered, stirring frequently until vegetables 3 cups milk are tinder-crisp, and nearly all the liquid has 1 large box vanilla pudding mix evaporated into a thick glaze. Stir in pork and 1 teaspoon vanilla apples, cook only until heated through. 1 large bag Oreo cookies Apples should be tender and not mushy. Makes 4 servings 290 calories each. Crush cookies. To be used later. Cream ------butter and cream cheese together. Set aside. Mix sugar and Cool Whip. Mix well. Hummingbird Cake Combine milk, vanilla pudding and vanilla flavoring. Stir into Cool Whip mixture and let 3 cups flour it thicken. When set, add this to the butter 1 teaspoon salt and cream cheese. Place one-half of cookie 1 teaspoon cinnamon mixture (dirt) in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Pour 1 ½ cups vegetable oil filling mixture on top of dirt misture. Top 1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained with remaining cirt. Chill for one hour. Try 2 cups chopped bananas using a flower pot as a serving dish. 2 cups sugar ------1 teaspoon baking soda 3 eggs, beaten Troopers, that is all the recipes for this 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla period. It’s time for you and your spouses to 1 cup chopped nuts send in your recipes for the next newsletter. 1 cup flaked coconut As you can see, most of these are still from the South. Sift flour, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon For the next newsletter, lets have some together. Cream oil and sugar. Add beaten recipes from the northern and western part of eggs. Add flour mixture. Add pineapple, the country. OK spouses, send in your coconut, bananas, nuts and vanilla. Mix well. recipes! Bake in three (9 inch) greased and floured BWS cake pans at 350 for about 20 – 25 minutes. ------Frosting: 1 ( 8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened He is a gentleman on whom I built an 1 stick margarine, softened absolute trust. 1 box confectioners’ sugar William Shakespeare, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla Macbeth, Act 1 Scene 5 1 cup chopped nuts 1 cup flaked coconut The same rationale is used to base trust in an Air Cav Trooper. BWS

30 ------4. All recipients will be verified ------through their DD-214 from St. Louis, MO Center for Personnel. The Ohio Military Hall of Fame Medal Applicants should submit copy of DD-214 along with copy of Medal The purpose of the Ohio Military Hall of and Citation accompanying the Fame is to recognize those Ohio individuals award through the contact listed who served in the U. S. Military, and below, who will submit the distinguished themselves, by displaying documentation to the Board of extraordinary heroism in action against an Directors, OMHF for review and enemy of the United States while engaged in approval. military operations involving combat with an 5. There will be no “Honorary” opposing enemy force or while serving with awards made. One must have friendly foreign forces. received a Medal for Valor in Qualification Guidelines combat – NO EXCEPTIONS 1. Must have entered the armed forces CONTACT; from the State of Ohio or must have Edward I. Arthur, (Ret USA) been born in the State of Ohio, and 1765 Coonpath Rd. NW must be a citizen in good standing. Lancaster, OH 43140 2. Military Medal for Valor qualifying (740) 653-4721 individuals for OMHF or a. Medal of Honor Robert W. White, Sr. (Ret USA) b. Distinguished Service Cross, 1706 Rocky Pine Loop North Navy Cross or Air Force Columbus, OH 43229-3616 Cross (614) 431-2225 c. Silver Star d. Distinguished Flying Cross Troopers for Heroism e. Bronze Star with “V” Device Now is the time to get some long overdue f. Air Medal with “V” Device recognition for past service. If you fit the g. Commendation Medal with requirements for this award, go for it. Army “V” Device, Navy, Two few times in the past, and probably in the USMC, Air Force or Coast future, will the Vietnam era military be given Guard the credit due them. We are still remembered NOTES; as the “Baby Killers” of Vietnam. 1. Receiving a Purple Heart or We know different ! having been a Prisoner of War It is our responsibility to tell the true story (POW) does not necessarily of the Vietnam war and leave a “lessons qualify an individual into the learned” for future troopers and hope they OMHF. They must be a recipient have the courage to study our tactics, of one of the above Medals for procedures and operations. Only by doing Valor. this, can they hope to learn from our mistakes 2. Submitting false support and not make the same mistakes. Lessons documentation about one’s learned are lessons remembered, and fewer achievements can be punishable casualties. by law. May God give them the strength to endure. 3. Political persuasions are not relevant to qualifying for the BWS OMHF. ------

31 The following list of Busch Jr, George * Huff II, William Association members is as Bush, Pat * Hughes, Billy Cameron, Bruce Hulsey, Jim * of 15 March 2000. Carll, Frederick Hundley, Stephen * ------Conner, James Hunter, Jerry Bullwhip Squadron Copson II, Charles James, Jesse * Association members Cornwell, Robert Janes, Ray * Coshey, Donald * Johnson, Bruce * Honored Halls Covert, Charles Johnson, Monte Cox, Leonard Johnson, Ricky * Cox, Robert Jones, Walker * COL J. B. Stockton (Deceased) Crawford, George * Kelbus, Joseph * Glenn Shumake (Deceased) Crispino, Joseph * Kelley, Mike Earl D. Thompson (Deceased) Curtis, Grant Kenerson, Ron (h) John Schlichter (Deceased) Danielson, Ted (h) Kilgallen, Elizabeth (h)* William Gilboy (Deceased) Defleron, Al * Kowalski, Henry * John E. Kilgallen (Deceased) Dehart, Bruce Kilcrease, Jack * Anthony Heinz (Deceased) Dela Rosa, Lionel King, Thomas John Valaer (Deceased) Dettmer, Marion Kink, Julie (h) Les Holland (Deceased) Dillbeck, William Knowles, Patrick * Doslop, Joseph * Krohlow, Kenton Garry Massey (Deceased) Dubois, Adam Kuhnell, Harold Phil Foley (Deceased) Dula, Jones R. * Kuster, Robert * Thomas Beadle (Deceased) Dunning, David La-Bombard, Lloyd *

Dupreast, Samuel * Lackey, Robert * ------Erway, Douglas Laidlaw, William Ewart, Loel * Landor, Jaime Association Members Ferrea, Albert * Lanier, Michael * Fisher, Gordon * Larensen, John * Abernathy, George Flangagan, John Larson, Edward Adams, Bobby * Frank, Patrick La Vigne Sr, Barry * Allen, BG David * Franks, Floyd Leadabrand, Jerry * Amos, Richard Frazier, Charles (h) Lenker, Max * Ashcraft, Al Frederick, Donald Lentino, Michael Ballard, Stephen Gabel, Dennis Lott, Claude Banks, Larry * Galloway, Joe (h) Lucas, Judson Baron, Joseph * Garnhart, Stan (h) Machulsky, Michael Barrett, James * Garrett, Robert Machnic, Jerry Barton, Glenn Gavaria, Lillian (h) MacLeod, Richard * Beckwith, Karen (h) Grett, Stanley Maher, James Bedsole, Ken * Gutsche, Walter Marcum, Eugene Berggren, Gerald * Hara-Eull, Michael Marshall, Dick Blankenburg, Mitch * Harmon, Thomas * Matlock, Milton Blankenship, Nelson Harris III, Lucious * Matthews Jr, Allan Black, Jim Hartin, Thomas * McAllister, Bo * Blouin, David Hartley, Thomas McCloud, Harry Bowen, Joseph Haslitt, James McKee, Orvel Bluestone, Bill (h) Hearron, Aussie * McKiddy, Edgar (h) Boisseau, Mark Henson, Kenneth McLaughlin, Davin * Branard, Thomas Herra, James McMullan, Bob Bray, David * Hewlett, George McNinch, Jerry * Bressem, David Hilton, Mark Moore, Arthur Brown Jr., Albert Hlywa, Nicholas * Moore, Harold (h) Brown, Larry * Hobbs, Earl * Moore, Marion * Bulkley, Morton Holt, Robert Moser, Frank * Burnett, Clark * Hubler, Irwin * Nevins, Robert

32 Niles, Louis Timmons, William * Please check your names Oliver, Jack Titchnell, Wallace * for spelling. If any Olson, Kenneth Tramontano, Joseph corrections are required, call Oshiro, Clyde Trombley, Thomas me (Loel) and I will update Orifici, Tony Treude, Harry as needed. Also check your Park, George Tucker, Douglas * Pettit, Richard Tyrrell, Paul certificates for spelling. Let Poe, Robert * Vanasse, Eugene me know if they are wrong Poos, Robert (h) Volheim, James and we will correct and mail Potts, William * Waldron, Cowles ASAP. Powell, John Walker, John * This list is up to date as of Preacher, William Wallace, John 15 March. Any dues Pressman, James * Wardzala, Daniel received after this date will Pryce, David Weatherspoon, Freddie not show on this list. Pumprey, A.T Weems, Neil And all you members that Quinn, William Wilke, Charles * are not in good standing, stop Racine, Maurice * Wilkins, Donald Rawl, Joe Wilkinson, George * procrastinating and please Reid, Jim * Williams, Franklin * pay your dues. If you Retterer, John * Williams, Billie * believe your dues are paid, Rhoden, Joe * Wingate, Charles * call me for resolution. Ricks, Douglas Wuensch, Marc * Rittenhouse, William Wulff, Richard Rochat III, Louis * Young, Robert * Rose, Harold Young, Terry Bullwhip Squadron Rosher, Galen * Zahn, Randy Web Site Ryan, John Zemke, Phillip * Salmon, Gary Zion, Bob * Our Association has Salyer, James finally come into the modern Schellenberg, Woodrow h - Honorary age! We are in the process Schmotolocha, Jerry * * - Lifetime of building a Bullwhip Sellers, Robert Squadron Web Site. Shalala, Mark Members are what makes Shanklin, David * Our own, Joseph Bowen Silva, Robert the Association. will be the Web Master for Sistek, John Dues paid on time is what the Association’s site and is Sistrunk, Richard keeps the Association responsible for building and Smith, Cecil * running, allows us to print maintaining the site. Smith, Gene the newsletter and manage Joe asks for any ideas Smith, Jim * all Association expenses. from our troopers as to what Snow, Peter The Association has they would like to see on the Steine, Joel * increased it’s membership site. If you have any Stewart, Frank * rolls by 42 new members particulars, give Joe a call at Stewart, Patrick * since January 1. A Very Stockton, Rita (h) (334) 774-1184 and discuss Stockton, Wootsie (h)* Warm “Welcome” to all of your ideas. Stone, Gordon our new members The web site address is Stoverink, Robert You are the www.BullwhipSquadro Sullivan, Dennis (h) professionals who make n.org Swain, Robert * the Bullwhip Squadron Check the address from Tadlock, Robert Association a success! time to time to see how we Tasker, Larry are progressing. We hope to Terry, Michael * Thanks guys for joining our Association! make our web site a Thaxton, Bob showroom for the Air Cav Thomas, John Troopers and the 1st/9th.

33 ------too long or too often, but I enjoyed the trip ------down your site. Thanks.

Lost and Found

Hi, Warren Piwetz Masher 22 I was just visiting one of your websites and C227th AHB, B227th AHB, !st Air Cav reminiscing. I was not 1/9 but was with [email protected] C227th, 1st Cav in Phuoc Vinh in '70. I am a VHPA member and have been trying to locate a couple of stickmates. Mike Powell I was a CW II LOH pilot in Hunter Killer graduated with me in class 70-21. We went Team, and a OH-6 IP for E Troop from it’s over together, were assigned to the 1st Cav start until I was shot down and wounded on together, then parted ways. He was deathly Oct 16, 1970. I would like to know who the afraid of being assigned to the 1/9 and had a Slick pilot was that picked me up, on Oct 16, death apparition. The last I heard was that he 1970, just west of Laikae, VN. I was was a maniacal scout driver and loving it. Do presented a DFC by a General at Laikae in you or any of your colleagues know of or Aug. or Sep. for the first kills of E troop. Is about Mike? He was from Laurel, Mississippi there any way to find out if these photos still and was about 20 or 21 at graduation in July exist? I didn’t think I would live to see the '70. I remember that he bought a Corvette photos, but here I am. when we graduated because he figured he would not make it back. This feeling Richard Amos intensified when we were assigned to the Cav PO Box 5564 and became near-panic when he got orders for So. Lake Tahoe, Nevada the 1/9. If you have any information that you 30747 could share I would appreciate it. ------Another classmate that I have been unable ------to locate was a snake driver with a 1st Cav TROOPERS outfit, but not 1/9. I believe it was D227th or D229th, and their call sign was Blue Remember our next BWS Reunion somethingorother, but I am not sure. His will be 6,7,8 October 2000, at Fort name was/is Lew Truhan. Lew was from New Rucker, AL. Jersey and was of diminutive physical stature So start planning now to attend. This next but was a giant of a friend. He bought a red BWS reunion will be better than the last.!!! TR-6 upon graduation. He took the Cobra You received a special newsletter in transition course stateside before shipping January on the reunion with all reservation over and so came over about 2 months after information. If you have misplaced your Mike and I did. We hit Long Binh in late reservation forms and need another copy, call August, 1970, so Lew arrived around Oct/Nov AL DeFleron and we will send a replacement. '70. I saw him once in Phuoc Vinh and then Now is the time for all of you troopers who lost track of him. Do you or any of your guys have never attended, to attend, and for all of know or know of Lew? the last attendees to re-attend! Any help you or your 1/9 bunch can You will find good fellowship and remaking of provide would be greatly appreciated. Your friendships, along with a very good time for all. website is very good. I try not to look back ATTEND!!!

34 Patriotism means to stand by the country. Many of our troopers have a computer and It does not mean to stand by the President. an e-mail address. I am maintaining a Squadron e-mail address book of Theodore Roosevelt approximately 190 addresses. E-mail is essential for fast notification on actions that From the Comptroller: impact our members. However, many of my e-mail addresses It was very gratifying to see all of the new have been changed. Because of this I am members that became associated with the asking for everyone who has an e-mail, to Bullwhip Squadron during 1999 and 2000. send me an e-mail as confirmation of To date we have seen our membership address. Just put in heading grow to 412 members with 90 of those “Confirmation”, and in the body, your full lifetime members! We have increased by 40 name (and telephone number, optional). members since January 1. We could not This will help me to regain a current listing. have done this without your support. For those of you that are concerned about Thanks to all troopers!!! your addresses getting out into the public Our members are what makes the Squadron. domain, the Association does not sell or give Now for the bad news. Unfortunately 190 away members addresses or phone numbers, members did not renew their membership except to other BWS Association members for 2000. when they call in for a members individual If you are in doubt if you have paid your number. dues, check for your name on the roster. If it is not there, you have procrastinated on paying your dues. We need your support. Prompt dues payment will insure continuation of the STAND TALL BE PROUD newsletter. YOU ARE CAV! We are a non-profit organization. All work performed in the Squadron is strictly voluntary Now for something on the lighter side. The and the money taken into the Squadron by Association has Bullwhip Squadron items for dues and merchandise sold, just is sufficient to sell. All the proceeds go into the Squadron pay for all operating expenses and help defray fund, so as you buy, you help build the the Squadron reunion expenses. Bullwhip Squadron Association fund. Annual dues are still just $15. Lifetime All merchandising items for sale will be Memberships are available and the cost for handled by Squadron member, Al Defleron. a lifetime membership is just $100. This is You can call or write Al Defleron for any equivalent to only 6.5 years of dues. The of the items we have. The items will be Lifetime Membership means never having to shipped to you after receiving the money. pay dues again and the quarterly (almost) When you order, please state size. Also add Squadron Newsletter comes with the Lifetime $5 for shipping. The items we have for sell Membership. are; You can send your Membership dues to; 1. White or black, ball caps with the Squadron Loel Ewart guidon insignia, $10. Rt. 2, Box 158, Ozark, AL. 36360. 2. White or black polo shirts (golf), with My phone number is Squadron guidon insignia, $23 (add $5 for home, (334) 774-0328, personalized with name and 1st Cav patch). office, (334) 983-3828. 3. Wind breaker jackets, lined, in colors, with e-mail, [email protected] Squadron guidon insignia, $30. Membership runs from January through 4. ** Unit Guidon flags for all troops, “A December regardless when dues are paid. through F”. These guidons are exactly like the This is the only way to keep our books straight troop originals, $65 each. with the least work. 5. Headhunter Bumper Stickers, $2.00.

35 6. Original Bullwhip Squadron Bumper Stickers, $1.50. Then he laughed and he said "I thought I'd 7. Bullwhip Squadron Bumper Stickers with get that one in for the Veterans". Crossed Saber, $1.75. DROP A NOTE OF THANKS TO JAY at; [email protected] ------8. Sun Visors with Squadron Guidon, $8.00. ------9. Denim Shirts are available with Squadron guidon and personalized. $38.00. BULLWHIP SQUADRON CHARTER 10. Statues (98 reunion), a few left, $25 each. The Squadron has recently received its The Association has gone all out to find official charter as a nonprofit Military those troopers who do not know of the Fraternal Organization. Association. To date, over 3500 Invitation to Join letters have been sent out to those who Our own BWS, Douglas Ricks, carried on, and sustained, the CAV tradition. attended to all the necessary paperwork for While many letters were returned as incorporation and writing the charter. undeliverable, we have been very pleased with Rick many thanks from all of us. We the turnout of new members and hope to see could not have done it without you. many of you at the 2000 BULLWHIP REUNION in October at Ft. Rucker, Al. The initial charter shows the following Due to the number of troopers that board members. have registered with the Holiday Inn, there are only 13 rooms left out of 90. President – BG David Allen Once the rooms fill up at the Holiday Vice President – Loel Ewart Inn, the reservations will go toward the Secretary – AL DeFleron other two standby motels. Call the Treasurer – Barbara Ewart Holiday Inn, NOW, for your reservations. Phone # (334) 774-7300. A copy of the bylaws is available for Secondly, fill out your Reunion any Squadron Member to view. Registration and send it in. Arrangements can be made to fax copies This reunion has the makings of to a BWS member upon member request. being the largest for the Squadron yet. Final Note

SEE YOU AT THE REUNION You will see in this newsletter, paid advertisements from the local merchants. BWS These merchants are supporting our ------Association by advertising. The funds ------generated by the advertisements help to defray printing expenses and allow us to provide you, For the Vets the members, with a quality newsletter. The Association asks you to support the The other night, Jay Leno announced that merchants that advertise in our newsletter Jane Fonda and Ted Turner were getting when you are in their vicinity or at their divorced. He said the relationship was a long location. Lower Alabama has truly become run but now it "was time for Jane to go back to the home of the Bullwhip Squadron the people who love her... Association. the North Vietnamese"

36 ------DUTY, HONOR, COUNTRY ------

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