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The Hourglasss

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The Hourglasss s The Hourglasss The Semi-Annual Newsletter of the 7th Infantry Division Association Winter 2007 s 7th Infantry Division Association Comments from your 8048 Rose Terrace Largo, FL 33777-3020 President www.7id.us Greetings to my friends and veterans of In this issue... the 7th Infantry Division Association. With great pride and honor I have been 2. We Get Letters 11. The Quartermaster’s Store re-elected to be your President once again 13. Seekers Page for years 2007 - 2011 13. Bayonet Unit Builds Time Capsule 14. Membership Reports It was indeed a pleasure to see so many 14. Rowell’s Rowdies? in attendance for our reunion at Ft. Mitchell, Kentucky 15. Streamer Fund 15. No Food or Ammunition at Yalu Drawbridge Inn. Wow what a honor it is to have members like 16. Leroy Sikorski Remembers Doug Halbert our Treasurer and Roster Manager, and our 17. 7th IDA Honors Its WWII Vets Executive Secretary, John Stengel. Our reunion would not 17. Farewell 7th ID - Welcome Division West 18. Treasurer’s Report have been such a success without them for they worked many 18. Doug’s Report hours at the reunion. 19. Oh, The Joy of Patrolling 19. Pheasants Under the Influence Also, thank you Doug and John for all the work you did 21. 2007 Reunion Pictures individually in the hospitality room, the Sunday memorial and at 28. Reunion Attendance Roster 29. Recruiting Honor Roll the farewell breakfast we had. I have not heard any complaints 29. The 7th IDA Booster Club from anyone that did not have a good time. 30. Chicken Soup for the Veterans Soul 30. Pork Chop Hill Combat Patrol Some Association By-Laws were changed and you will find 31. New Member List the complete updated set in the center of this issue. I suggest 32. Baptist To Be Soldiers’ Top Chaplain 33. Four Days Short of Rotation you remove and save them in your Association file. One of the 34. Frostbitten on Patrol changes made was the decision for the next reunion which was 35. Excerpts From “Life on a Troop Ship” put in the hands of the Governing Council which decided that 35. Editor’s Perspective 36. Easter Sunday ‘46 Recalled our 2009 Reunion will be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At this 36. 7th IDA Officers & Governors date it looks like it will be held at the Holiday Inn Select. A 37. Definition Of A Veteran decision still has to be made on the hotel contract, and tours 38. Richard L. Doak Dies in Missouri 39. Final Taps decided upon. All information will be in the Winter ‘08 issue of 39. Membership Application Form The Hourglass. 40. The Hourglass Staff s Thanks again. Your President, Published by GARP Custom Newsletter Service www.garponline.com u [email protected] Gene Peeples u s The Hourglass s Winter 2007 We Get Letters Dear Charles: The guys in the Division who were Here is another of my memories of Korea awarded the badge (I was one of in 1945. I guess I remember the humorous them) originally referred to the incidents, and forget the rain, the badge as the “Combat Bayonet mud, the poor sanitary conditions, Badge.” the plight of the peasants, the “honey bucket carts”, the K-rations By way of information a chap by and the (always present) longing to get the name of Kevin Quinn of Queenstown, home to the States. Maryland, is writing a book about Triangle Hill. It should be a classic. This goes along with my “stuff” sent to He’s been at it since 2001. He’s you in February. Again, I doubt that interviewed nearly everybody, including any of this is worthy of publication in the Chinese military high command in “The Hourglass”! It has been fun writing Peking. it, and I plan to include it in my book Bob Love “Things Remembered” that I made for my 135 Ranglewood kids and grandchildren (over 260 pages). Morganville,N.J. 07751 o O o O o O o O o O o Best to you, and to all the 7th Division Assn. members, aye... Dear Editor: Congrats on a beautiful Hourglass. The Bert Skaggs Reunion was great, as was the hotel and Lt. Col. 184th Inf. Regt. the food and the tour. eMail: <[email protected]> I met Leroy Sikorski there and he showed Editor’s Note: Commendations to you, Bert for the me an article that he had written about articles and for the book you are writing for your children himself. I found it very interesting and grandchildren. Your article appears on Page 19. and he gave me a copy. My intention was o O o O o O o O o O o to edit it somewhat and then send it to you. I haven’t been able to concentrate Charlie: very well (full blown Alzheimer’s) so The summer edition of The Hourglass I’m sending the article to you as is. contained considerable discussion concerning the origin of the Order of Hope you don’t have to do too much the Bayonet. The badge was designed in editing for this, but it needs more the fall of 1952 and was awarded to all work. members of the 7th Division who Bill Gentry participated in Operation Showdown — Phone:407/658-4953 the Battle for the Triangle Hill. It actually included the following hills: Editor’s Note: Leroy Sikorski’s article can be seen Five Niner Eight, Jane Russell, Pike’s on Page 16. Hope you approve of the editing, Bill! Peak and the Big Sandy Ridgeline during the 14 Oct ‘51 to 25 Oct ‘52 time period. o O o O o O o O o O o Page 2 u s We Get Letters (cont.) The Hourglass s Winter 2007 Dear Mr. Richardson, dated July 10, 2007. The “Then” picture I’m currently doing research for a is a composite showing each of us when project I’m doing on my grandfather’s we were in Korea in 1954. The other is involvement in World War II. He served from our recent reunion. in the 7th Infantry, 17th Infantry Regiment. I’ve contacted some members of the 7th through the WWII Memorial website message board trying to find someone who knew him, and it was recommended to me that I place an ad in The Hourglass. I was wondering if that would be possible. Also, I was wondering what information the 7th Infantry Association has on the men who served with it. My grandfather died before I was born, and he didn’t tell my father a whole lot about his experiences so I’m trying to find everything I can get a hold of. If you have any record of my grandfather, I’d really appreciate it if you could send it my way. His name was Roy Stough Watson, born 12/19/19 and his ID number was 34136845. He served from December 1941 until September or October of 1945, training in California and then going to the Aleutians, the Marshall Islands, the It was a great reunion. I contacted Philippines, and Okinawa. I believe he them and got them to come down to my worked with communications and stringing sister’s place in Valera. We had a great telephone wires. time. I did not contact any veterans organizations, we just got together. Thank you for your help with this. I look forward to hearing from you. It would be good if you could print Best Wishes, this in the next Hourglass. If you need Katie Watson hard copies or can’t read the story, eMail:<[email protected]> please contact me. Phone:914/623-2439 o O o O o O o O o O o Ed Nance Yuma, AZ 85365 Dear Editor, 7th Signal Company, A story about five of us from 7th Signal 7th Infantry Division Company, 7th ID, getting together at my 1954-55 sister’s place in Valera, TX was printed eMail:<[email protected]> in the Coleman (TX) Chronicle and DV, o O o O o O o O o O o u Page 3 s We Get Letters (cont.) The Hourglass s Winter 2007 Dear Doug, much. I was with a great bunch of guys Read with interest the latest issue of in that Tank Co. Reading your paper The Hourglass, (Summer 2007), and brings back a lot of wonderful memories. especially the comments about The Order Harry A. Thambounaris Of The Bayonet pin. As a member of the 320 Sprague Ave. 7th I.D. in Korea, Apr - Jul 1953, I Staten Island, NY 10307-2203 must comment on the issuance of The Order Of The Bayonet pin. The first Editor’s Note: Harry sent a copy of the 7th Infantry thing I was handed upon assignment to Division “Order of the Bayonet” certificate, citing “faithful the 7th was The Order Of The Bayonet and honorable service.” Unfortunately the commander’s pin and was told that it is displayed signature is not legible. on the right breast pocket flap, or o O o O o O o O o O o above it. Can’t remember which. Therefore it first appeared pre 1954. Dear Sir: I served in Korea in 1951-1952. I entered Unfortunately I no longer have it as it the service in April 1951. Took my basic was left behind on my field jacket when at Fort Ord, CA. I was evacuated. If there is a member that retrieved it and still has it, I I was sent to Korea, stopping in Japan would love to have it back! for about a week, then on to Korea.
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