Will you be there?

[Randy Smith]

Well the reunion is bearing down on us and I can hardly wait. Toby Milroy and I are coming together, brothers together as always. Hope everyone can make it because I'm looking forward to seeing all my brothers again. I am bringing my portable bar (big cooler on wheels) for the nightly command post and I suppose Jay and I will set up another fine CP. MEMO--Toby and I will also be bringing our golf clubs in case we can talk someone into an excursion to a local course. ATTENTION--Jim, Chuck, Pete and others--did you get the memo on the golf clubs? Health, happiness, and safety in travel to all the brothers and see you there-- are you coming? Randy"DOC"Smith.

[harley hawkins]

Randy

We're trying to get Danny Scott to come . He said he was coming than that he might. I talked to Jim Edwards and he said he was coming to the reunion. I think Bob talked to Gary Miller. Be great to see you buddy . Tim Giger is coming with me.


Mick Hawkins

[pt9243]

Been bothered for several months with a bad shoulder but Marie and I plan on bringing golf clubs. Fore!!

[Randy Smith]

Glad to hear the brothers you mentioned are coming Mick and stay after Scotty to be there. It also sounds like Pete is bringing Marie to beat up on us at the golf course again It sure will be good to see you both again and I hope your shoulder gets better Pete.

[don rainwater]

Gwen and I are planning on being there, I haven't missed one yet. I've got kin stationed there.

[George Borges]

HI Guy's I'll be there at the reuion and I get to also get to see the 1st./50th PGA golf tour. sorry can't play bad back. see you all at Ft. Benning.George

[Randy Smith]

Don, Gwen, and George so good to hear that you are coming again. Don't you wish that others have found out what we have--that it is such a great time for all that come! I am looking forward to seeing you again but don't expect to much from the golf crew although we do have fun. See you there friends.

[Barbara Anne]

I wish I could be there ... but I will be there in Heart and Spirit ! Will be thinking of all of you and hopefully I will be able to meet you guys and gals at the next reunion !!!! You have all become such great friends...

[harley hawkins]

Barbara Anne

Great to hear from you again. It would be great if you could make a reunion a lot of us would like to say thank you in person. The Bill Ferrall story about his son is heart breaking . I was in contact with him for some time and tried to get him hooked up with Bob Gold but he has dropped out of site. I can understand how he wouldn't want to open new wounds.

Thanks for all you do


Harley Mick Hawkins

[Russ Roth]

Good to hear from you Barbara. You are close enough to me I need to make a good attempt to meet you sometime. A reunion would be a good time also. Thanks for all you have done.

RR

[Randy Smith]

Barbara Anne we will miss not seeing you at the reunion and can only hope that you will make one soon. You have been a good friend to all that served in our battalion and those who use this web sight. May your days and nights be filled with hope, happiness, and laughter and may health be yours for the taking. Thanks again for all you do for a bunch of old grunts. GOD bless.

[Jim Sheppard]

Wow! Today we reached 111 attendees for the upcoming reunion! The previous record was 103 and we still have over 3 weeks until the reunion...and there are likely more registrations in the mail and on the way! When you factor in the 30+ who will be attending the memorial services, we will be a formidable number on Thursday!

Highlights for me at this gathering will be some unorganized activities of importance. Tom Kjos will be setting up interviews with anyone who fought in any part of the Battle of Tam Quan for his fantastic book effort. I have already accompanied Tom to the National Archives for several days last year and we plan a return this coming July. I should be able to supply Tom with a list of men who will be in attendance. Please be sure to look for Tom if you were involved in the battle or have any remembrance of the time frame and what transpired...as he would like to organize times for brief interviews.

There will be a meeting (Time and place to be determined) of all from "D" Company who were involved in the firefight at LZ LItts. We will use a large dry-erase board and 3x5 cards (To represent the various APCs) upon which all will arrange the pieces of the battle on March 9th, 1968.

Also, I am particularly looking forward to the Naming Dedications to take place immediately after our Wreathe-Laying ceremony. 3 men from our Battalion in Vietnam will be so honored: "A" Company barracks will be named in honor of 1SG Malcolm Dulac, "B" Company Barracks will be named in honor of SGT Drew Shipley, the Battalion Physical Training Field will be named "Lowe Field" after our "A" Company man killed at An Bao and the "E" Company Barracks will be named after SSG Johnston Dunlap, "E" 50th Infantry (LRP), 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Other buildings will be dedicated to men killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who were once assigned to the 1st of the 50th at Fort Benning.

Tonight I organized all my notes on the Family and Friends who will attend memorial services and dedications on Thursday morning. I mailed out final instructions and two maps to all who have contacted me directly...as well as one who contacted a member and advised them they were coming. The maps give satellite imagery of routes to Kanell Field and the 1/50th Infantry Complex...One map from Interstate 185 and the North...and a second map coming out of Phenix City.

It is hard t0 believe that in just three weeks I will be on the road heading for Georgia! I will be arriving two days early to insure our Archives will be in place for Registration day.

See many of you there!

[Jim Sheppard]

Wow! Today we reached 111 attendees for the upcoming reunion! The previous record was 103 and we still have over 3 weeks until the reunion...and there are likely more registrations in the mail and on the way! When you factor in the 30+ who will be attending the memorial services, we will be a formidable number on Thursday!

Highlights for me at this gathering will be some unorganized activities of importance. Tom Kjos will be setting up interviews with anyone who fought in any part of the Battle of Tam Quan for his fantastic book effort. I have already accompanied Tom to the National Archives for several days last year and we plan a return this coming July. I should be able to supply Tom with a list of men who will be in attendance. Please be sure to look for Tom if you were involved in the battle or have any remembrance of the time frame and what transpired...as he would like to organize times for brief interviews.

There will be a meeting (Time and place to be determined) of all from "D" Company who were involved in the firefight at LZ LItts. We will use a large dry-erase board and 3x5 cards (To represent the various APCs) upon which all will arrange the pieces of the battle on March 9th, 1968.

Also, I am particularly looking forward to the Naming Dedications to take place immediately after our Wreathe-Laying ceremony. 3 men from our Battalion in Vietnam will be so honored: "A" Company barracks will be named in honor of 1SG Malcolm Dulac, "B" Company Barracks will be named in honor of SGT Drew Shipley, the Battalion Physical Training Field will be named "Lowe Field" after our "A" Company man killed at An Bao and the "E" Company Barracks will be named after SSG Johnston Dunlap, "E" 50th Infantry (LRP), 9th Infantry Division in Vietnam. Other buildings will be dedicated to men killed in Iraq and Afghanistan who were once assigned to the 1st of the 50th at Fort Benning.

Tonight I organized all my notes on the Family and Friends who will attend memorial services and dedications on Thursday morning. I mailed out final instructions and two maps to all who have contacted me directly...as well as one who contacted a member and advised them they were coming. The maps give satellite imagery of routes to Kanell Field and the 1/50th Infantry Complex...One map from Interstate 185 and the North...and a second map coming out of Phenix City.

It is hard to believe that in just three weeks I will be on the road heading for Georgia! I will be arriving two days early to insure our Archives will be in place for Registration day.

See many of you there!

[Randy Smith]

Bravo Jim, glad to hear that it will be a banner reunion as the count goes. Thanks for all your hard work and dedication and I will be looking forward to shaking your hand after my initial salute to you my friend.

[harley hawkins]

Well put Randy Jims work is off the scale. It looks like D company will have a very good showing there with the numbers so far and there is five more D company men that I know said they will be there and three more that said they would be there that I didn't think would come. Going to be a good showing for D company.

With Tom Kjos there and Mr Ogle there should be some great talks in our down time and all the KIA friends and family there . Randy and Larry. The boys; my grandsons are out Turkey hunting it is youth season here in Missouri and I,m going to take them fishing when they get in.


Harley Mick Hawkins

[Randy Smith]

Sounds great Mick. I'm always shocked when someone new comes in and refers to something that happened 46 years ago that I had not thought of since and it comes rushing back to the front of my mind and is an actual shock to the system. I hope you take those grandsons to the fishing spots where we went because those were the best tasting fish. Looking forward to the reunion and will be there with Toby Milroy this time. See you soon brother.

[Jim Sheppard]

I know most of you already know the chopper pilot from the downed med-evac bird at LZ Litts is confirmed for a visit to the reunion. I mailed him final information on the memorial services and he responded late yesterday:

From: Chuck Ogle

Apr 7, 2013

"Jim,

Thank you for the information and I am looking forward to meeting everyone there. My wife and I have reservation at the hotel starting the evening of the 30th and will start for Florida either the afternoon of the 2nd or early the morning of the 3rd. I would like to thank everyone there for offering the opportunity for me to meet them under much better conditions than the last!!!

Thank you

Chuck"

[Jim Sheppard]

Two weeks from today I will be setting up the Association Archives Room at the Hampton Inn and Suites. Everything will be in place for reunion attendees when they begin to arrive and register on Tuesday the 30th. Looking forward to another great gathering!

[Jim Sheppard]

For all of you who are not attending...for the million reasons and excuses you offer...PARTICULARLY those who have NEVER attended one of these gatherings at Fort Benning. I have pretty much given up on coaxing all but a very specific few who I genuinely believe will attend "next time". I realize "reunions" are not what many vets want to attend..often for valid reasons.

I just did an internet search trying to nail down the mortality rate for Vietnam Veterans. What I found was worse than I had thought:

“If you’re alive and reading this, how does it feel to be among the last one-third of all the U. S. Vets who served in Vietnam?” Like a ritual salute, this question has passed from one veteran website to another in the past 18 months, accompanied by a drumbeat of numbers: 711,000 Vietnam veterans died between 1995 and 2000, or 142,000 deaths every year, 390 every day; no more than 850,000 Vietnam veterans remain out of 2.7 million, meaning at least 1.8 million have fallen to the swift scythe of the Grim Reaper; and “only the few” will still be around by 2015. “We died in ’Nam,” reckoned one veteran, “just haven’t fallen over yet.”

This information was published in 2011. You will most likely not have a chance to attend another reunion...or, at best, see many of your old combat friends. I can name at least two who will be at this reunion who do not expect to survive their cancer for another year. Think about it.

Last minute attendees are always accepted. We have had guys just "show up". No Problem.

[Jim Sheppard]

For those of you without a facebook account...if you go to the reunions page and click on the link for this coming reunions photos...today I loaded a photo of my new full sized van. The archives barely fit...but that because I manuevered several of the bench seats so I can use the van for "overflow" on Thursday. I will have my full capacity desktop with me this trip so I can more easily facilitate loading some photos each night...time permitting. I will likely be having my busiest reunion ever this time!