FRAG ORDER FRAGO 3-13 http://rangers-army.org 12 July 2013 GATHERING OF WARRIORS 22 – 27 JULY The Worldwide Army Rangers (WAR) first ever “GATHERING OF WARRIORS” is fast approaching. The planning stage is nearing completion and WAR will execute their first ever reunion as we host the Airborne Rangers of the Korean War and the Echo 20th LRP / Charlie Company 75th Infantry (Ranger) at Fort Benning. Our Patrol Base for the “Gathering” is the Wingate Hotel located at 1711 Rollins Way, Columbus, Georgia. The hospitality suite will be in operation daily from Monday, 22 July through Thursday 25 July. Please stop by and reacquaint with old Ranger Buddies and create new friendships with the modern day Rangers. Activities scheduled are as follows. Each morning, Monday through Friday, you may take your four man team to the Bull Creek Golf Course to participate in the four-man “Best Ball” Scramble Golf Tournament. Direction to the golf course and instruction for the tournament will be available upon check-in at the hotel. Simply play your round of golf with your foursome and submit your score card to the tournament director, RGR Thomas Bragg. RGR Bragg will recognize the winners of the scramble and award prizes Friday evening at the banquet. The highlight for Tuesday is the Distinguished Member of the Regiment investiture ceremony conducted in Marshall Auditorium, McGinnis–Wickham Hall (Building 4) Fort Benning. The Ranger Hall of Fame Dinner (by invitation) is that evening in the Ranger Hall of Fame, located at the Ranger Training Brigade Headquarters. Wednesday afternoon is the Hall of Fame induction Ceremony, once again conducted in Marshall Auditorium, McGinnis-Wickham Hall (Building 4). The Ranger Regiment “No-host” Bar-B-Que is that evening at Freedom Hall, which is located at Lawson Army Airfield on Fort Benning. Ranger Brown is also hosting the annual “RANGER PARTY AT THE BROWN FAMILY FARM.” Any Ranger that desires to attend must RSVP to [email protected] or call Kathy at 706-324-3249 no later than 17 July. Thursday morning is the Regimental Change of Command as RGR (COL) Christopher Vanek assumes command of the Ranger Regiment from RGR (COL) Mark Odom at the Infantry Museum. Concurrently the ladies will conduct a guided bus tour of “Midtown Columbus” (The historic district) and the “Springer Opera House.” This is followed by a no host luncheon at Minnie’s Uptown Restaurant followed by desert and souvenir shopping at Brother’s General Store. The ladies will complete their day and return to the Patrol Base (The Wingate Hotel) about 2:30 p.m. Friday morning is the Echo 20th / Charlie Ranger Memorial Service at the Ranger Memorial on Fort Benning followed by a visit to the Fort Benning Main Exchange. Friday evening is the highlight of our week as we host the Airborne Rangers of the Korean War and Echo 20th / Charlie Rangers at the “Gathering of Warriors Banquet” in at the Ranger Training Brigade. The Social hour will be held in the Ranger Hall of Fame and the banquet is in the 4th Battalion Multi-purpose Classroom. Saturday morning WAR will conduct our Annual WAR meeting at the VFW on Victory Drive. Rangers and their guest will then return to base and await the next “Gathering of Warriors!” It is not too late to attend the 2013 GATHERING OF WARRIORS! 1 FRAG ORDER FRAGO 3-13 http://rangers-army.org 12 July 2013 Steve “Bubbles” Franklin By Steve “Bubbles” Franklin John (Gunner) Starnes and I were in the same platoon, and one night at our night defensive position (NDP) there were six guys in camo fatigues with painted faces. Gunner and I looked at each other and asked them who the heck they were. “LURPS,” they said, and we’re doing a stay behind insertion. Right then and there John and I decided we wanted to start the 1049 process to volunteer for that elite unit. After interviewing with CPT Gary Steve and Gunner Bjork and passing the E/51 Recondo School, we were in! Because Gunner and I trained together, went to Viet Nam together, and worked together it Remember that hit song back in the mid -60’s, “The was difficult to be separated and assigned to Ballad of the Green Berets” by SSG Barry Sadler? different teams in different AO’s. Anyway, that was my buddy and my favorite song back in high school in Michigan. We just couldn’t I was first assigned to a team down in Duc Pho wait to graduate and join the Army. Heck with (Team Marlboro) and to other teams in my two college – there was action going on overseas (where years over there. I also worked out of LZ Baldy, was Viet Nam?), so the five of us went to Fort Knox but never been on Mad Mac’s Mountain. on the buddy plan for basic training two weeks after Some of the guys I knew and worked with were graduating. Dick Roth, Larry Mosley, Ben Thomas, Rick Lett, Bruce Davey, Lance Chandler, John Felts, Rick We all went our separate ways in the Army, and I Corkan, John Fritzinger, Lt. Henry, Mike went to Fort Gordon, Georgia for A.I.T. After Lazorchak, Roger Peet, LT Pennington, Ron graduating 11C (mortars), I was assigned to the 4th Ridenhour. Tom Sagan, Pat Scallion, John Schultz, Battalion, 21st Infantry, 11th Brigade over at Schofield Barracks in Hawaii. Our Battalion flew Dave Shjupe, Dave Swires, SGT Slaughter, Udell U.S. Airways to Chu Lai in April 1968, and we Strack, Henry Tablano, Pat Thiele, Baradley Watts pulled patrols in the AMERICAL Division AO. (KIA – it should have been me), Don Scheerer, John Dare (the Brit), and others I can’t recall at this 2 FRAG ORDER FRAGO 3-13 http://rangers-army.org 12 July 2013 time. By the way, I would like to say that the 4th Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 11th Infantry Brigade, AMERICAL Division contributed at four guys to E/51 (LRP): John Starnes, John Dare, and myself from C Company (mortar platoon), and Tom Robinson from E Company (RECON) (read his riveting, excellent book “W.I.A.”). My code name “Bubbles” was given to me because on the approach to insertion I would pop two pieces of “Hubba Bubba” bubble gum in my mouth and chew it for the entire mission (even sleep with it), and when running to the chopper for extraction I G/ 75(RANGER) TOC, Chu Lai, 1969-70 would stick the lump on a tree. I remember chewing it quietly, not popping any bubbles, except I left G Company and ETS’d out of the Army in on one patrol sneaking through elephant grass with June 1970. With money I saved up over there, I Boot Corkan as Team Leader. I will never forget paid cash for a 650cc Triumph Tiger motorcycle that killer stare he gave me! and rode west from Michigan to a small town in Wyoming to begin my G.I. Bill at Northwest The missions I went on can be related by all you Community College in Powell, Wyoming. I guys: some intense, some not so; some lasting received my Associates Degree in 1973, then went minutes on the ground, some lasting hours; some back to Detroit and worked at Chrysler Motors on three days, some five days; radio relay; hunter the assembly line and at other motor jobs. killer. But one thing for sure was the teamwork, concentration, awareness, professionalism, While back in Michigan, I met my (then) future bondage, and brotherhood of the guys I worked wife, Shirley, (we married in 1975), but I couldn’t with. Nothing in my post-LRP life can compare take the auto industry anymore so I decided to go with that. I think and reflect on my LRP back out west to continue college and work on my experiences daily. I’m here today because of my Bachelor of Science Degree in Geology at Montana brothers. State University in Boseman, Montana. I graduated in 1977 and we moved down to Denver, Colorado in 1979 after accepting a job offer with the oil industry. The work involved computer-processing of seismic exploration data, and lasted until 1986 when I got laid off. The oil industry just picked up and left Denver and the Rocky Mountain region and moved down to Texas. We moved to up to Bailey, Colorado in the mountains in 1984, and have been up here ever since. In the immediate years after being laid-off, I worked all sorts of jobs – from security, to spraying chemicals on lawns, to being a chimney sweep 3 FRAG ORDER FRAGO 3-13 http://rangers-army.org 12 July 2013 (Need your chimney swept?) I still have my My wife of almost 40 years has been my life and equipment, including my black top hat! soul-mate to this day. We have two grown sons: Michael, who is working on his PHD, and Jesse, In 1990 I was hired by the National Park Service as a career noncommissioned officer in the Air Force. a survey technician. I was on the road with my Our house is paid off up here in the mountains, and survey crew for over two years traveling to various the deer and elk are so cool to watch out our national parks and monuments across the country window! Even though I had triple by-pass open performing topographical mapping projects for park heart surgery back in 1996, I am fortunate to be engineers who wanted improvements to certain physically active.