Newsletter of the 3 Recon Association
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rd Newsletter of the 3 Recon Association Volume XVII Issue 1 http://www.3rdrecon.org/index2.htm April 2009 Presidents Message Treasurer’s Report Reconnaissance gunnery sergeant awarded Greetings to my Fellow Recon Marines and My Brothers of the 3rd Recon Association, nations third highest medal for actions in Al Corpsmen… My fellow Vietnam Veterans. I read Jazeera Desert, Iraq an article recently that said there are less than a I hope this finds all of you and your families in Lance Cpl. Stefanie C. Pupkiewicz million Vietnam Veterans left, but almost twice that good health. To all the former/retired Marines and number who claim to be. We few band of brothers. Corpsmen of the Association, I have to tell you how We know who we are, what we are, what we have proud I am of all of you who contributed to the seen, and what we have done. We celebrate each recent donation request, as it was a huge success. So other, and all of those who were with us in-country. far over $20,000 has been added to the treasury, this coming from over 320 members. This brings our I am awed by the response to our fund drive this bank balance to well over $29,000 and it came at a past February. At last count there were over three time when we are getting ready to honor the hundred contributions totaling over twenty thousand students with our Medal Of Honor recipient awards dollars received. You guys are great. Thanks! and other programs that the Association contributes to. This amount is minus the expenses to mail out the donation requests including editing, return Of all the many programs the association funds the envelopes, postage and Recon stickers. All I spoken CAMP SCHWAB, Okinawa (January 16, 2009) -- Harborsite is our biggest expense. We are currently with state their joy that so many have contributed so There are few awards earned by United States mailing it to over 1,750 addresses we have listed on much, not only with this donation request, but all service members that are more prestigious and carry our mailing roster. To help lower its cost we are the time and product donations over the years. more solemn honor than the Silver Star. This honor using non-profit postal rates and are going to three was bestowed upon Gunnery Sgt. Robert Blanton, issues a year versus four, expanding the size from This goes to show that the members want the the platoon sergeant of 1st Platoon, Company A, 3rd 12 to 16 pages. Our others expenses promote the Association to remain strong and be able to continue Reconnaissance Battalion, by Lt. Gen. Richard history of the battalion and honor our brothers Zilmer, the commanding general of III Marine rd our Harborsite mailings and other programs in the which I hope to expand to include a 3 Recon name of 3rd Recon Association, which recently Expeditionary Unit, Jan. 8, during a ceremony on Scholarship Fund in 2010. included a donation to the Wounded Warriors Camp Schwab. Project and to the Navy - Marine Corps Relief We are among a small group of Associations who Society in honor of our Recon Brothers who The events that led to the award occurred Aug. 10 all served in combat. Remember your brothers in have recently passed away. Thank you Brothers as when Blanton's platoon was assaulted by 13 this Association. Call or mail your Association the legacy of the 3rd Recon Battalion Vietnam will insurgents in Al Jazeera Desert, Iraq. brother today. We are not getting any younger. continue to be served because of you. "Things got heated pretty quickly," said Capt. Luke There are Company Reunions planned for this I received many letters from the members with Lazzo, the platoon commander for 1st platoon. summer. Delta Company is getting together in their donations and they were very touching to me "Blanton's element was on the scene within a couple Louisville. Steve Shircliff is hosting us, and I plan as members were telling me how proud they are to minutes of the start of the attack, and they on attending. I also went on Patrol with Alpha have been Recon Marines and Corpsmen who immediately became as heavily engaged as Company. They are planning their Company served their nation when called upon to do so. We everyone else." Reunion in Deluth, MN in August and plan to honor can all hold our heads high and be proud of what we our brothers from Team Striker. Jeff “Striker” have done and always remembering our Brothers Savelkoul is the chair for the event. who made the ultimate sacrifice and our Brothers Blanton was looking for ways to gain an advantage who have left us since their service in the Republic over the insurgents, Lazzo said. "Getting his Alpha Company is planning a reunion in Deadwood of Vietnam. Remember the line on the mailing vehicle to ram the building to create another breach concurrent with the Association Reunion in 2010. page, "Poor is the nation that has no Heroes, point was one way he did it," he said. We are posting the details on our website. I don’t Shameful is the one that having them, forgets" think the overlap is best, but I urge them all to After ramming the outer wall of the building, register for both events. I am looking forward to Now that the Association has a message site, I shall Blanton and Lazzo each led a team into the building Deadwood. Hollis and his team will host us to a be posting my treasurer report at the site for all to to recover a wounded Marine inside, according to great time I’m sure. It’s a lot of work, and I thank see every month and a much deserved Thank You Blanton's Silver Star citation. Hollis and is team for taking it on. goes to Jim Hunter for all he has done to get this up Continued on page # 10 Continued on page # 10 and running. Continued on Page # 10 After Action Patrol Reports “Pop A Smoke” http://www.vietnam.ttu.edu/virtualarchive/index.htm http://www.popasmoke.com/ 3Charlie 1 - Team Marble Champ The Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Khe Sanh Veterans Home Page http://www.3charlie1.org/ http://www.thewall-usa.com/ http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/4867/ 1 The Shufly Marine Who Fought Remembering US, Japan sign pact to move Muhammad Ali Team Flight Time Marines to Guam By David H. Hugel th 40 Anniversary TOKYO – Hoping to give new momentum to a by Stan Kozlowski MacArthur Foster, Charlie Company 1963 plan to rework the deployment of U.S. troops in June 4, 2009, marks the 40th anniversary of the the Pacific, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham loss of 3D3, Team “Flight Time”. Delta Clinton signed an agreement Tuesday with Japan Company’s Flight Time was the last full team to that will move 8,000 Marines off the southern be lost by the 3rd Recon Battalion during the Japanese island of Okinawa to the U.S. territory Vietnam War. 3D3 was my Recon Team. of Guam. Through chance and capricious fate, I had been assigned elsewhere on that fateful morning in The framework of the transfer had already been early June 1969, when my comrades fought their agreed on in 2006, but several major points final battle in the Khe Sahn Valley. On that final remain to be worked out, including the location mission were my six Recon Brothers: LCpl. of a base to replace Okinawa's Futenma Air Douglas Barnitz, Lt. Michael O’Connor, PFC Station, a major hub for the Marines there. Robert Pearcy, PFC Arnold A. Skaggs, Cpl. William Buck, Jr and Cpl. William Wellman. Officials on both sides have agreed to relocate the operations of the base to another, less crowded Flight Time had been sent to investigate part of Okinawa, but local opposition has stalled increased NVA activity near the village of Khe progress. Sahn, along Route 9, in the western part of South Vietnam’s Quang Tri Province. This strategic "This agreement reflects the commitment we route between Laos to the west and the have to modernize our military posture in the Vietnamese coast to the east, which had for Pacific," Clinton said. "It reinforces the core of centuries been a primary path through the our alliance — the mission to defend Japan mountains, east through the Ailao Gap, into the against attack and to deter any attack by all populated areas of Vietnam. Days earlier, on necessary means." June 1, an A Company Recon team sighted more than one-hundred NVA in the region, and had Japan's Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone also When 1st MAW helicopter squadron HMM-362 been extracted after it was determined that a team hailed the agreement. "We believe this Guam was first deployed to Soc Trang in April 1962 to of NVA was maneuvering toward their position. agreement shows the strength of our alliance," he provide support to Vietnam’s Armed Forces as The next day Flight Time was sent to conduct said. "We agreed to work toward the part of Operation Shufly, base security was further reconnaissance in the area. implementation of the 2006 pact in a manner that provided by a combination of helicopter crewmen does not compromise readiness or capability." and base support personnel. As the months Flight Time was inserted 200 meters south of Hill passed, it was determined that the burden of 471, and within minutes the men found cooking There are currently about 13,000 Marines standing guard duty adversely impacted the gear, still hot, as well as a variety of foodstuffs, stationed on Okinawa, and 23,000 U.S.