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Association of the 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry (Mechanized) Site Updates - 2014

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This page is designed to be a "quick reference" page of work done on our Web Site. Visit this page often to check on the latest additions and corrections to the site. Please visit the Members Email page and check your email and unit  affiliation information. If changes, additions or deletions are warranted, please use the links provided there to request updates. Historian Jim Sheppard is handling updates.  Feel free to contact him with comments and/or suggestions.

December 31, 2014

I spent the night making the usual "updates" that come at the end of each year... those being creating a new site update page for 2015 as well as editing the website Site Map page to reflect another year's updates being archived. I have little to add in the way of a "recap" for the year. It does seem that as we get older, there is less attention paid to the website. I assume many people don't even avail themselves of these "site update" pages...as I constantly see posts on the message board which reinforce this assumption. I will admit there are not as many updates as in previous years...and as such, people may tend to forget to check from time to time. Future plans will call for a "scaling back" of some of the content of the site. Many areas are dated....and there are even some pages that are simply no longer relevant. There seems to be no one else among our number with website authoring skills...so I am concerned about what will happen to the site if something happens to me. I do know that Randy Smith's son RJ has mentioned he expects to take over one day...but this expectation is for the distant future when most of us are gone. He would be responsible for drastically reducing the content to show only the most pertinent pages that best explain our legacy. RJ has been my "go to" guy for help with hypertext and code issues over the years since Ray Sarlin was webmaster. Sadly, Ray has chosen to abandon us even though I continue to reach out to him to reconsider. I must say, in Ray's defense, I had been somewhat "short" with him in the past...and, sadly, he misinterpreted my reasons. At a time when Ray's personal life caused him to more or less abandon the site, we felt betrayed...and I was upset that I was forced to take over the site...since there was literally  no one else who could do so. I know there are some who have had there own "web pages" on various sites, but these people should understand that there is a big difference between a page where you simply enter text and content as opposed to building pages completely from scratch using hypertext symbols and codes. I had acquired some of these skills by selling on eBay...back in the days when they did not offer a simpler method. So I began with some knowledge of "Code". Unfortunately, we were never able to afford the advanced website applications since they were extremely expensive...regardless I did not have the time to immerse myself into learning a vast amount of subject matter. I had to go step by step... as a problem came up I could not "figure out"...I would consult RJ...who would patiently tutor me or simply make the corrections himself. To this day, I do not do much with the Message board (A separate "application") and rely on RJ to update IP address "banning of a considerable amount of hackers who occasionally make it onto our board.

My ability to move forward in research on our time in Vietnam has suffered for the time needed to maintain the website, but I have managed to persevere. In the next month or so, I will be contacting the family and friends of the men who will be added to our Memorial this coming April 30th. Most of these names are of men killed in action while associated with "E" and "F" Company designations of the 50th Infantry. I am also hoping to visit the National Archive before the reunion to investigate records from the Evac Hospitals at Qui Nhon. I am hoping there may be substantial General Orders that might be had...particularly from the period from late summer of 1968 and for the following year until the battalion moved to Phan Thiet. Since the 173rd Airborne General Orders for that period never made it back to the National Archives... we have been unable to verify many awards for valor...particularly for our men killed in action during this period. Although these Evac Hospitals will not have complete General Order Coverage...I suspect they will have an abundance of Purple Heart orders previously unfound.

In closing, I want to thank you all for your support and for giving me the opportunity to "give back" by helping many of you obtain valuable documentation for various needs. Without your financial support over the years, much of the thousands of pages of our units history would be unavailable to us without engaging expensive research companies. I am looking forward to seeing many of you again at our reunion this coming April! Until Then, "PLAY THE GAME".

Jim Sheppard, Your Historian.

December 17, 2014

Added December Newsletter to the Newsletters page.

December 16, 2014

Added obituary for Wally Wroblewski on the "Taps" page. Wally was an original member of Charlie Company in 1967 and member of the Mortar (4th) Platoon.

December 15, 2014

Added Reunion Registration form on the "Reunions" page. Believe it or not we already have our 1st registration! Bob Odendahl got his form in ASAP!

November 13, 2014

Added William Groebler, Robert Elkowitz, Jesse Michael, Francis Lynch, Al Smith, Richard Wilson and Steve Seid to the Life Members List on the "Honors and Awards" page. Also updated a half dozen email addresses on the E-mail Directory page.

October 27, 2014

Updated Memorial Page Information for Raymond Crull and Danny Hoskins (Added photos) on the In Memoriam pages.

Sept. 20, 2014

Added photo album for Allan VanKeuren (KIA 14 Dec 1967), ("C" Company) on the Photo Album page. The images were submitted by SSG VanKeuren's Niece.

Sept. 16, 2014

Added photo albums for Duane Quello, ("B" Company) and Pat Willson (Scouts) on the Photo Album page.

August 20, 2014

Updated Memorial Page Information for James Earl Wright (Added photos received from his widow) on the In Memoriam pages.

August 15, 2014

Added obituary for Edwardo Arispe on the "Taps" page. Edwardo was a member of Headquarters Company in 1967 and an original member of the newly formed "Delta" company in the fall of 1967 in Vietnam.

July 28, 2014

Added August Newsletter to the Newsletters page.

July 15, 2014

Added email address for Pat "Willie" Willson, HHC-Scouts, July 1969 to March 20 1970 (Wounded in action where Stormy Connell was KIA) on the E-mail Directory page.

July 4, 2014

Added Obituary for George Fiedler on the "Taps" page. Added description and photos of the recent Change of Command at Fort Benning on the Reunion page. Also added new e-mail addresses for John Ricker and James Fitzgerald on the E-mail Directory page.

June 25, 2014

Changed the Association Mailing Address on several key forms and pages on the website.

May 22, 2014

Added obituary for Denis Castelli on the "Taps" page. Denis was a member of Bravo Company in 1967 and 1968....and reached the rank of Sergeant E5.

May 5, 2014

Added obituary for Robert T. Taylor on the "Taps" page. Robert was a member of Bravo Company, severely wounded on December 10, 1967.

May 4, 2014

Added book review for the book "The Boys of "67", by Andrew Wiest, to the Vietnam Books Review page.

April 22, 2014

Completed overhaul of photo album for Chuck McAleer on the Photo Album page. Many Identifications needed.

April 15, 2014

Added April Newsletter to the Newsletters page.

April 9, 2014

Added photo album for Harry Wilson, "C" Company, 1968-69, on the Photo Album page.

March 31, 2014

Updated Memorial Page Information for Gary Johnson (Added poor quality photo, Platoon and Squad Information) on the In Memoriam pages.

March 8, 2014

Added information on the Vietnamese phrase "Tu Dia" at the end of Scotty Stamper's War Story on the War Stories Page.

March 3, 2014

Added book review for: "Those Who Have Borne The Battle", by James Wright on the Vietnam Books Review page.

February 26, 2014

Added new man (PFC Benjamin F. Whittington) to the SRAP roster on the SRAP page.

February 23, 2014

Added links to 10 men Killed in action on the Company E (LRP), 50th Infantry page.

February 22, 2014

Added links to 10 men Killed in action on the Company F (LRP), 50th Infantry page.

February 21, 2014

Added 2 book reviews: "Fire Base Illingworth", by Philip Keith, and "Centaurs in Vietnam", by Carl Burns, on the Vietnam Books Review page.

February 20, 2014

Added a link to download a brief history of the 50th Infantry Regiment as compiled by Historian Jim Sheppard in 2012 to the Unit History (Lineage) page.

January 18, 2014

Added book review for the book "Inside the World of Mirrors", by former Special Intelligence Operative J. Max Taylor, on the Vietnam Books Review page.

January 9, 2014

Added book review for the book "Misplaced", by Angelina Wentz Memon, on the Vietnam Books Review page.

January 7, 2014

Added book review for the book "The Angel From Vietnam", by former MP Jim Stewart, on the Vietnam Books Review page.

January 1, 2014

Happy New Year to all! I have loaded this new "site updates" page for 2014 and archived the 2013 updates to the "Site Map" page. Today marks the beginning of my 9th year maintaining our website... and I am into my 15th year as Association Historian.

2013 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2013

2012 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2012

2011 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2011

2010 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2010

2009 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2009

2008 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2008

2007 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2007

2006 Archive

Archive of the "Site Updates" from the year 2006