Fifteenth Infantry Regiment “The Old China Hands”
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October 2016 Fifteenth Infantry Regiment “The Old China Hands” www.15thinfantry.org PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Dear Fellow Old China Hands, I am happy to report the Regimental Dinner on 23 September in Harrisburg was a great success thanks to the hard work of Tad Davis, the attendance of LTC Marks and CSM Dow from 3-15 IN, and the participation of over 50 members and friends. Attendees included guests from France– Mr. Jean-Claude Routard, Mrs. Cecile Falmur, and Mr. Alain Leca. Jean-Claude and Alain are the Association’s newest Life Associate members and I was honored to present them with their Life member pins and certificates at the dinner. Earlier in September, Monika and I had the opportunity to visit 3-15 IN at Fort Stewart and get an advance look at the China Rooms in the Battalion headquarters– they are great! Due to space constraints, the collection is split between two rooms, the Marshall and the Murphy rooms, with pictures and other framed items displayed throughout the headquarters. LTC Marks will host a grand opening ceremony on 18 November 2016 during Marne Week at Fort Stewart. As soon as we receive details we will inform the membership, as the Battalion would very much like to have Association members attend. Also in September, I had the opportunity to brief a very special group of Can Do veterans on the Association’s activities and nd objectives– former junior officers of the 2 Battalion who served in Wildflecken, Germany in the period 1963-1965. 2-15 IN was my first unit and Wildflecken my first duty station, and their stories of their duty there 20 years before I served there pretty much mirrored my experiences– lots of hard training, very rough winter weather, and the opportunity to enjoy great beer at the Kreuzberg monastery! Ten of them have joined the Association and we are very glad they are with us. I hope they will share some of their stories with us over the coming issues of the Dragon. Four of them served as Davy Crockett Mortar Platoon Leaders, which were the Army’s tactical nuclear mortars!!! 3-15 IN is making a concerted push to recruit more Soldiers as members of the Association. This initiative is bearing fruit as we receive a steady stream of applications from the Battalion. These members are the future of our Association and the Regiment! Mrs. Vickie Marks and Mrs. Jessica Dow, the spouses of LTC Marks and CSM Dow, have also signed up as Associate members. Our family members are valuable members of the Regiment and we are thrilled the Command Group’s ladies are leading the way! I would like to ask the membership’s input on the possibility of erecting a Regimental monument on the Walk of Honor at the National Infantry Museum outside of Fort Benning, Georgia. A 25 x 25 foot plot would cost $8000; the Association would need to design, raise the funds, and construct the monument within 18 months of purchasing the site. The Regiment is honored with monuments at Shiloh, TN; Murfreesboro, TN; Chickamauga, GA; Chattanooga, TN; and Kennesaw Mountain, GA (a great project organized by Mike Horn) for its Civil War accomplishments. The Regiment’s China Arch is still on Fort Benning, but few people see it anymore with the increased security at the base. A great regiment such as ours should have a great monument at the National Infantry Museum, so please let me know your thoughts on this. More to follow on the Association website. In August, Monika and I were once again in Southern France for commemorations of Operation Dragoon. We visited the Audie Murphy commemorative tablet at Ramatuelle and participated in the ceremony on Pampelonne Beach where the Regiment landed on 15 August 1944. The French still appreciate our WWII veterans’ service in their liberation. We also attended a first ever liberation ceremony in the village of Tourves, outside of Brignoles, which was liberated by the 15th Infantry. The Mayor plans to honor the Regiment with a commemorative plaque to be dedicated next year! As I do each issue of the Dragon, I ask you to look at the list of open positions within the Association and volunteer to help make our Association one of the best. We cannot do it without your active participation! Can Do! Tim 1 October 2016 Association Officers and Staff President Commander, 3rd Battalion Editor, The Dragon Timothy R. Stoy LTC LaFran D. Marks Andrew G. Lerch 6531 Milva Lane 594 Vanguard Road Ste 3071 15302 Iris Lane Springfield, VA 22150 Ft. Stewart, GA 31314 Montclair, VA 22025 (703) 912-4218 (912) 435-7697 (706) 325-3705 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Vice President CSM, 3rd Battalion Trustee Addison D. (Tad) Davis IV CSM Tom A. Dow Jr. Richard N. McKiddy 78 Spring Pond Lane 594 Vanguard Road Ste 3071 12205 E. 89th Street Spring Lake, NC 28390 Ft. Stewart, GA 31314 Kansas City, MO 64138 (703) 772-4558 (912) 435-7698 (816) 509-7633 [email protected] [email protected] Secretary Chaplain Trustee Sam Aarons Charles C. Trout Leonard L. Lassor 3966 Thompson Lake 10191 Birchwood Drive 690 Salman Fall Road Buford, GA 30519 Huntington Beach, CA 92646 Rochester, NH 03868 (678) 687-9189 (714) 836-4981 (603) 335-3554 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Treasurer China Room Custodian Trustee Bart Viruso CPT Dennis K. Helms Warren E. Sessler 116 Harriet Road 1110 E Victory Drive Apt 2 PO Box 938 North Babylon, NY 11703 Savannah, GA 31404 Ft. Leonard Wood, MO 65473 (631) 587-0587 (706) 559-5535 (626) 617-1185 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Membership Chairman Webmaster Trustee John C. Campbell Michael J. Horn 760 Flatwood Drive 1833 Walker Ridge Drive Clarksville, IN 47129 Marietta GA 30064 (812) 949-2549 (678) 581-0392 [email protected] [email protected] HSGMOR Historian Database Administrator Mark T. Baker Timothy R. Stoy Tom R. Heitzer 5415 Roaring Branch Road 6531 Milva Lane 231 Normandie Drive Columbus, GA 31904 Springfield, VA 22150 Bonne Terre, MO 63628 (706) 566-5165 (703) 912-4218 (314) 650-4692 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] HCOR Public Relations Chairman C & BL Chairman Jerry Bates John C. Campbell John C. Campbell 3017 Margaret Jones Lane 760 Flatwood Drive 760Flatwood Drive Williamsburg VA 23185 Clarksville, IN 47129 Clarksville, IN 47129 (757) 645-4765 (812) 949-2549 (812) 949-2549 [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] The Dragon is the quarterly publication of the 15th Infantry Regiment Association. It is published in January, April, July, and October. Neither its editorial nor article content carries official endorsement of the Association. Input for the Dragon is due the 15th of each month prior to publishing to [email protected]. 2 October 2016 Taps Donald C. Dingee-LM-OPH Loren A. Renz-LM Anthony F. Kovacs-LM-PH, CIB, 4 BSMs Poughkeepsie, NY-Tucson, AZ Superior, NE Fort Pierce, FL PVT2, B CO, 1 BN, KW, Apr 53-Jul 53 SGT, F CO, 2 BN, KW, Oct 50-July 52 PFC, D CO, 1 BN, II DOD 05/01/2016 DOD 10/04/2015 Reported by wife, Mary Reported by his wife, Anita Reported in the Watch on the Rhine Melvin R. Salter-Nonmember Robert M. Hooker-Nonmember Patrick D. Heagerty-CM Wheeling, WV Concord, CA Manlius, NY PFC, K CO, 3 BN, WII CPL, B CO, 1 BN, KW, Jan 53-Jul 53 SGT, I CO, 3 BN, II, Mar 44-Dec 45 DOD 08/11/2016 DOD 05/06/2016 DOD 08/16/2016 Reported by Sonya Frickey Reported by James Hafer Reported by Tom Heitzer Georg R. Pilkington-LM-CM Howard L. Walker Canton, IL Grants Pass, OR CPL, G CO, 2 BN, KW, 52-53 SSGT, K CO, 3 BN, KW, Dec 52-Jun 53 DOD 07/11/2016 DOD 02/15/2015 Reported by Sonya Frickey Reported by Sonya Frickey New Members Albert W. Dodge Russell D. Elliott Paul M. Roach-Reinstated Wenham, MA Lawrence, KS Roanoke, VA 2LT, 1LT, A & B CO, 2 BN, CW, Jan 63-Oct SP/4, HHC, 1 BN, CW, Oct 78-Apr 81 CPT, G CO, 2 BN, KW, Sep 51-Oct 52 64 John H. Wingle-Reinstated Robert C. Warden-LM Andrew G. Lerch-Upgrade to LM Schuylkill Haven, PA Harker Heights, TX Montclair, VA PFC, F CO, 2 BN, II, 44-45 CPT, HHC, 1 BN, CW, Feb 93-Apr 96 CPT, HHC, 1 BN, OIF, Feb 06-Feb 11 Lafran D. Marks-LM Vickie R. Marks-Assoc. Brian A. Montgomery Fort Stewart, GA Fort Stewart, GA Roswell, GA LTC, HHC, 3 BN, RF, May 16- Wife of Lafran Marks, Commander of 3-15 IN MAJ, HHC, 3 BN, RF, Jul 16- Monika Stoy-LM William L. Yarborough-Assoc. LM Travis P. Kyle Springfield, VA Dumfries, VA Richmond Hill, GA CPT, G1, CW, Supported 1-15 IN, 93-96 Grandfather served w/Gen. Marshall in China CPT, HHC, 3 BN, RF, Dec 14- William W. Epley-LM Michael P. Evans Regina DiMarco Gettysburg, PA Richmond Hill, GA Savannah, GA MAJ, HHC, 1 BN, CW, 86-88 1SG, A CO, 3 BN, RF, Jun 16- 1LT, REGT, 3 BN, RF, Apr 15- Christopher T. Lucas-LM Sean T. Minor Patrick W. Taylor Richmond Hill, GA Savannah, GA Hinesville, GA CPT, A CO, 3 BN, RF, May 16- 1LT, D CO & HHC, RF, Feb 14- 2LT, HHC, 3 BN, RF, Jun 16- Diane Kennedy-LM Assoc.