Hard Charger News: the Summer Has Been Very Interesting and the RNC Convention Was a Real

Hard Charger News: The summer has been very interesting and the RNC Convention was a real pleasure to watch.

Help needed: After 15 years of writing this column and 93 articles, I’m starting to run out of material and I need your stories. Please contact me if you want to tell your story. Don’t worry about correct grammar or spelling, I’ll work with you to get the words right. But at least 51% of what you tell me must be true! Email me, call me, pony express, carrier pigeons, or write me please.

Condolences: Our condolences go out to the family of the late LTC (R) Bob Tagge from the 1-77th FA. For many years, Bob contributed a tremendous amount of energy and personal volunteerism in support of the 1st Cavalry Division Association. And he helped me years ago in 1994, when I was laying the foundation to form the 30th FA Regiment Association. We know he was welcomed with open arms by all of our fellow Troopers who have gone before us to Fiddlers Green. Our condolences also go out to Hard Charger Dick Sparks upon the loss of the love of his life, his lovely wife Patricia A. Sparks, on 16 August, 2012. Whenever she attended a reunion with Dick, she always brightened the room, and we will miss her. Our prayers of comfort go out to the Tagge and Sparks families.

The Trip:In the last edition I reported on the 19th Annual Hard Charger Reunion held at Ft Sill. After the reunion, Theresa and I went on an extended trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary. After leaving Ft Sill we traveled the back roads north thru the Ogallala Basin into Texas, Kansas (Dodge City, Boot Hill), Nebraska, South Dakota (Black Hills, Mount Rushmore, Chief Crazy Horse Monument), North Dakota (Teddy Roosevelt National Park), Montana, Wyoming (Yellowstone National Park, Tetons National Forest, Jackson Hole), South Dakota (not our favorite place), Oregon, Washington (Yakima is a great city, Mt Rainier National Park is awesome, Wenatchee Forest), Oregon (especially the town of Lincoln on the coast, and several parks), California (Mt Shasta, several State & National Parks, Sacramento had great restaurants), Nevada( Reno is a crazy place), Utah (Salt Lake City is absolutely awesome), Wyoming (again ~ Laramie and Cheyenne are pretty nice) Nebraska (again ~ North Platte was different), Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and finally back to Ohio. It was 7,700 miles in three weeks, and it was well worth the trip. We have now been thru all 48 of the lower states.

20th Annual Hard Charger Reunion [2013): John Dynes, our hard working Hard Charger President, has volunteered to host our next reunion during the first week of June 2013 in Fort Collins, Colorado. Yes they did suffer some damage from the fires, but the city has bounced back and is busy cleaning, painting, and rebuilding where ever it is necessary.

This is Hard Charger 9G, EOM ~ Out! Danny Gillotti