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

Update History (December 31, 2001 to June 30, 2002)

Click to go to Current Update Page
Links will take you to the page(s) where changes were made:
30 June 2002 Updated Billy Mims' Members Email address.
29 June 2002 Posted war story on drug abuse in the field, Alchemy II: Trust on War Stories page.
26-28 June 2002 Updated Taps and Association Honors and Awards pages. Read over fifty submitted jokes, laughed until I cried, and then declared them all unfit for the website. :-) Added Dick Guthrie's excellent article in Assembly (West Point alumni magazine) to News page.
25 June 2002 I added 15 names of battalion KIAs to the Alphabetical and Chronological lists in our In Memoriam section. Not to put too fine a point on it, but as I was doing the computer coding I had a eerie feeling that I was laying them to rest alongside their compatriots.
24 June 2002 Changed graphics on SRAP page to remove skull and beret logo memorialized at right and add Rodin's sculpture "A call to arms". Updated Taps page. Added 4 Jan 70 issue of the IFFV Sunday Wrap-up to the News Page and to Happy Gilbreath's Stand-down Photography page.
23 June 2002 Added COL Hutson, first Battalion CO in Nam, as our first entry on the new Taps page. Added 6 more photos from John Smerdon to the Stand-down Photography page. Updated Email members and Taps pages.
22 June 2002 Added 117 photos from Russ Roth (D CO. and A Co. Medic) on the Stand-down Photography page. Thanks to Bill Moore for scanning and sending them in.
21 June 2002 Converted old "Contacts" section to new 1/50 Association section comprised of Association Officers, Website Contacts, Membership, Member Photos, Association News, Reunions, Taps, Association Awards & Honors, Association Mission, Association Constitution, and Association Application. Some pages are still one-way links to pre-existing pages. Also updated Site Map to reflect new structure.
20 June 2002 Added photos and a joke from John Smerdon. Updated glossary with input from Richard Rongstad, CWO, USN (Ret.) (Republic of Vietnam 1969-1970, Phu Cat to Phu Quoc)
19 June 2002 Added poem "M.I.A." to Poetry page. Received photo of Dan's goat.
17 June 2002 Added John Smerdon to Email members list.
16 June 2002 Added new photographs from Chuck McAleer and Happy Gilbreath in Photo Gallery.
15 June 2002 Updated buttons and header stream on Message Board. Signed up site as Amazon.com Associate site (now working out exactly what that means). Posted soccer World Cup 2002 tribute on Sports page. Added Richard Szczepaniec to Email Members page.
10-14 June 2002 Unable to update due to my own broadband cable problems. Resolved 14 June late.
9 June 2002 Added photo albums for Borr (C Co.), Guthrie and Pike (B Co.) on the Stand-down Photography page and added 18 new photos from Happy Gilbreath (HHC Scouts). Added appropriate symbol to denote new photographs in our Association Photo Gallery. :-)
4 June 2002 Updated Reunion 2003 page. Added interesting story to Irony page.
3 June 2002 Spent two days making up photo albums for photographic contributors on the Stand-down Photography page in our Association Photo Gallery. Talk about heaps of work... but there's a system now. Next priority, empty out Pending Photos and Old Photos onto pages where they fall. After that, the long overdue cleanup of Maps.
3 June 2002 Added three items to Memorabilia page.
2 June 2002 Added right side navigation for Staff/NCO, SRAP, Medics, 4.2" Mortars, Flame pages. Tarted up SRAP page. Updated Wanted page and Members page.
1 June 2002 Added right side navigation for Scouts page as trial for all separate platoon pages. Added new joke.
31May 2002 Revised navigation bars on Photos page and pages for Commanders and Companies HHC, A, B, C,and D.
30 May 2002 Thanks to photos received by MAJ Paul Bertholf, USMC (COL Bertholf's son), added photos of LTC Bertholf & CSM Yamashita to Commander's page and experimented with individual photo gallery on Photographs page.
29 May 2002 Added new poem and adjusted Dick Guthrie's poem "Sticks and Stones..." on Poetry page and added Rigo's map on Vietnam Battles Tam Quan page.
28 May 2002 Added last minute Reunion 2002 announcement to Message Board page and banners on Home Page and above on this page.
27 May 2002 Added Shel Canter's article and tarted up SRAP page. Started work on Quiz 4.
26 May 2002 Added five new Vietnam film reviews. Completed Quizzes 2 (M16) and 3 (Vietnam Statistics) and answers, and posted new categories on Trivia Page
25 May 2002 Added Dave Parker's hard luck story to R&R page. Added webring link on Poetry page and tried to clean up formatting. Added Quiz 2 (M16) and answers on Trivia Page and placed dummy to start Quiz 3 (Stats).
22-23 May 2002 Updated on Chaplain's page. Reformatted and corrected name spelling on In Memoriam pages (thanks Gladys). Added new items on Wanted page. Started writing trivia quiz 2 (M16 rifle).
21 May 2002 Added first content on Chaplain's page from webmaster's personal website (unpublished).
20 May 2002 Added James Stano to Wanted list for his brother Earl Dodd. Added news item. Corrected one black link.
19 May 2002 Just back from a business trip to Sydney, Australia. Oops, updated some bad HTML code in Trivia Quiz No. 1.
18 May 2002 Added first Trivia Quiz on general knowledge. Need submissions on any and all trivia topics, from BCT and AIT to questions on the USS Pope, to the weight of the M16 to combat tactics and lessons learned. Help, please?
17 May 2002 Added link to John Marason's Memorial Page. Photos from old Ichiban website are now operational, even if help is still needed with the captions.
11-16 May 2002 Cleaned up new pages added in Stand-down section; updated Ken Riley's email addresses throughout site.
10 May 2002 Amended Ed Fischer's details on Members page. Added sports history to Sports page.
9 May 2002 Modified Stand-down page and added beer and 173d wallet to Memorabilia page. Added tabs for Sports and Trivia pages to all standown subpages. Updated site map.
8 May 2002 Made numerous minor modifications; continued work on scanning and editing (crop, optimize) pictures for various parts of the site.
7 May 2002 Modified Stand-down page, wrote draft Combat Photography Collections page, and put 2002 Get-together banner at the top of the Reunions page.
7 May 2002 Added temporary banners for 2002 Get-together (for example, see the top of this page).
6 May 2002 Updated Ironies page. Site came back on line after a server changeover and went through the usual process of getting things to work again. Posted and updated the website. Fiddled around in new Stand-down pages.
5 May 2002 The site is still down. While the site's away, the webmaster will play! Added pages for Taking Time Out! R&R!!! (Notes on R&R during the Vietnam War), The Chaplain's Corner (The God Squad. Association Chaplain's page and Chaplains in Nam), and Vietnam Memorabilia. Just a few more pages to fill up before I die. Help, please!
4 May 2002 Advised that site is being serviced as files are changed to a different server. Added new Stand-down pages for Vietnam-era Top 10 Music (and you'll never know how hard that page was to put together), the 1/50 Art Gallery of combat artwork by 1/50 Veterans (hopefully, artwork will flood in soon), and Combat Photography Collections by 1/50 Veterans (where each person contributing photographs will soon have a "home page" showing all photographs supplied whether or not they are placed elsewhere on the site).
3 May 2002 Added reviews of "Hanoi Hilton" and "Return with Honor" to Vietnam Film Review page. One day I'll sort them (probably by date of release). Updated Talmadge Cain's email addy on members and wanted pages. Added two new Poems.
2 May 2002 Updated pages for Co. E, 50th Inf (LRP) and Co. F, 50th Inf (LRP). Optimized photos from Talmadge Cain, Chuck McAleer and Dan Schlecht downloaded 28 April. Downloaded George Fiedler's photos ready for optimization.
1 May 2002 Updated members email list, corrected Shel's email address on SRAP Wanted poster, and updated Reunions, News and Home pages with results of the Member's Poll on the location of the 2003 Reunion.
30 April 2002 Updated members email list, added entries to Wanted posters, and refined entries on Commander's page.
29-30 April 2002 Webmaster's business trip.
28 April 2002 Updated Scouts page amd Srap page, downloaded photos from Talmadge Cain, Chuck McAleer and Dan Schlecht.
25-28 April 2002 Webmaster's holiday in the Australian Outback without a computer in sight. Back to basics.
22-24 April 2002 Webmaster's business trip.
21 April 2002 The first of two war stories on drug abuse was posted, and Ken Riley's photos of the 1999 Reunion were too.
20 April 2002 I took time out to write a war story on "The Running of the Bulls" and to write a poem on something that has been bothering me for years; I just wish I were a poet instead of an engineer and could do it justice. (Ray)
19 April 2002 Added information on 2002 Association Lottery for Ken Riley (accessible from Home Page and Reunions page, and merged Ken's Association email roster into website email Members page.
18 April 2002 Added new jokes and war stories, and added CSM Richardson to the Photos_6 page.
16 April 2002 Added photos and bio for Colonel Dick Hooker and updated staff list with his input.
15 April 2002 Started adding Pathfinder logo for Site Map.
14 April 2002 Added official records to Battle of Song Mao story on War Stories page and the devil made me add a poem by Pvt. Baldrick to Poetry in War (for which I apologize).
13 April 2002 Added Chuck McAleer's photos to Aid Station (Medic's page). Posted Dan Schlecht's, Happy Gilbreath's and Charlie Jameson's photos as well on New_Photos page. Also posted Ken Riley's 1997 Reunion Photos. Many thanks everyone!!!
12 April 2002 Published two Dick Guthrie works on the Poetry in War page. Updated Site map.
11 April 2002 Edited my comments to Dick Guthrie's "war story" on Howie Pontuck. Dick, thank you for a moving tribute. Updated 2001 Reunion Attendees page (sorry Tom, err, Chuck).
6-10 April 2002 Added stories to War Stories page and have been receiving heaps of absolutely brilliant photos from a number of guys, as well as cleaning up bits and pieces here and there. Keep 'em coming, people. Added a page on Poetry in War.
5 April 2002 Added Rigo Ordaz's story on Battle of Tam Quan at War Stories page; will add photos and link to Battles page later. At Chuck McAleer's suggestion, added a page for the Medical crew under Photos_HQ. Hey, guys, I know that the medical platoon was in Delta Company later on (heck, I was D Co. CO), but we gotta stick 'em somewhere!
4 April 2002 Added photo of 1999 Reunion provided by Jim Sheppard and updated Reunions page.
3 April 2002 Edited and fixed up grammar, spelling in new War Stories and added more Pending_Photos.
2 April 2002 Completed the Boom Boom Chronicles on the War Stories page and added strategic lessons (semi-humorous) to the Lessons Learned page.
1 April 2002 Achieved World Peace (just kidding). Added more War Stories and more Pending_Photos. Added new webring.
30-31 March 2002 Researched Battle of Song Mao, 1 April 1970, with 2/1 Cav counterparts. Worked on war stories. Made miscellaneous minor updates. Amended James Earl Wright's birthdate on memorial pages per his widow.
29 March 2002 Added some War Stories and added Charles Calhoun to Members email page.
28 March 2002 Updated Pending_Photos page and added Billy Hayes and Gary Epperson to Members email page.
25 March 2002 Added Pending_Photos page as a temporary storage area to post photos I'm working on (and as an adjunct to the Photos_old page.
23-24 March 2002 Posted partially cleaned-up Photos_old page from the earlier website. Over time, I will clean this up and shift relevant photos over the the main pages. Added Happy Gilbreath and Roger Warren to Members email page. Started adding NCO photos, but my work isn't allowing enough time to move as swiftly as I want (i.e., "done yesterday"). Hopefully, my 6 (the little woman) will let me catch up on everything over Easter.
18-22 March 2002 Major behind-the-scenes dicking around (sorry, organizing). Updating Photos_6 with pictures of CSMs Pierce and Allmendinger and adding numerous pictures from Billy Mims, Herman Allmendinger and George Fiedler as well as photos from the old website. Heaps of clean-up needed to publish. Ditto for the Sky Soldier Magazine for March 1969 (mentioning 1/50) in the news page. Stay tuned.
17 March 2002 Added photos of Battalion CO's LTC Gilbert and MAJ Culpepper from CSM Allmendinger on Photos_6. Added Doc Oliphant to Members email page. Off to Sydney, Australia on a business trip for four days, so don't expect more changes until I return. Sorry. Then I'll start posting CSM and 1SG photos.
16 March 2002 You've just gotta see Dan Schlecht's new photo on Photos_D page! Will anyone put his hand up to be identified??? Also, sorry guys, but I added it to our site preview on the Home page. It's history, dudes.
15 March 2002 Added another war story to War Stories, a joke to Jokebook, Don Rainwater and Dan Missoff to Members email page, updated Photos_D page (thanks Sergeant Major), updated meta tags and other things.
11 March 2002 Added three of Jim Hobb's War Stories, including one that I co-wrote with Jim.
10 March 2002 Updated Vietnam Film page with review of We Were Soldiers. Updated Photos_6 and Staff pages with input from CSM Allmendinger.
9 March 2002 Dick Guthrie's PowerPoint presentation from two reunions ago is now up on our server. I have numerous photos and memorabilia from past reunions from Ken Riley as well. Look for changes soon on Reunion.
9 March 2002 Dissected and transferred photos from original 1/50 website into our new website's photo library. I just haven't figured out exactly how to post them yet. It's a heap of work, so please be patient and keep sending in stuff. Our site has been enlarged from 50 MB (which I must modestly admit we filled) to 150 MB. Let's fill that, too!
8 March 2002 Added several search engines to Links page. Added photos by two of my Charlie Company troopers, Sam Bennett and Billy Mims to Photo_C page. Damn, it brings it back... and I couldn't be prouder of our guys!
6 March 2002 Added Scouts photo from Talmadge Cain to Photos_HQ page. Setting up nine additional Company C photos from Sam Bennett. Thanks, guys.
4 March 2002 Added names staff and NCO names from Jim Woodall to Staff page. Updated Jokebook page and Heavy Mortar page. Developed and posted Website Banner.
3 March 2002 Added John D. (Buck) Smith to Members email page. Added joke from Jim Hobbs to Jokebook page. Added Book Reviews by Gladys Grubb and a friend Jim Hansen (1st Inf Div, Lai Khe, 68-69). Added graphics buttons to "Brothers of Nam" on WebRings page (although they are experiencing a hacker attack).
1 March 2002 Updated sergeants' list on Heavy Mortars page (thanks Bob) and officers and sergeants on SRAP page.
28 February 2002 Updated Heavy Mortars page with email from Bob Gold and some creative writing.
26 February 2002 Added Maurice Gregg, Billy Cornwell and Roger Irvin to Members email page and updated Mick Chisam's email. Added war story by Dave Parker to War Stories page. Thanks Dave.
25 February 2002 Added Rick Tande to Members email page.
24 February 2002 Added new web rings and tidied up Web rings page, updated Home page, updated Wanted page, added 1LT Abernathy (KIA 8/68) to Scouts and Staff pages, and general minor tidy ups.
23 February 2002 Added new Web rings page and updated Home page, Site Map and Links page.
22 February 2002 Damn, now I've done it! Added pages for Scouts, Heavy Mortars, Flame and SRAP. Help! Help! Help!
21 February 2002 I impressed myself by adding names of Battalion Command Sergeants Major, Staff Officers and Senior NCOs: alas, I also impressed myself negatively by making allowance for mini-home pages for Scouts, Heavy Mortars, Flame and SRAPs on the Photos_HQ page. Help!
20 February 2002 Added George Fiedler to Members email page and annotated his role on news article "Armor, Mech Units Take Job Seriously". Removed construction icon from photo pages (but left it on maps).
19 February 2002 Added seven photos from Jim Woodall to the Photos_HQ, Photos_A and Photos_B pages and one photo from Dan Schlecht to the Photos_D page.
17 February 2002 Added three more Shel Canter's photos to the Photos_HQ page and placed his call for help identifying members on the Wanted page. Added Sam Bennett to Members email page. Added the Hobbs Shuffle card game to the Stand-down Page.
17 February 2002 Updated LTC Bertholf's biography page. More to come soon.
14 February 2002 Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! Added joke and special film review on Black Hawk Down (Webmaster's note: Rangers Lead the Way!), both provided by John Topper.
12 February 2002 Added crests on PX page (thanks, Ken), corrections to Lessons Learned page (thanks, Rigo) as well as five new lessons, and names to Wanted page for Rigo Ordaz.
11 February 2002 Added Association application form (thanks, Ken Riley). Added list of names to Wanted page for Jim Woodall.
10 February 2002 Added Association mailing address and details to Association application and Association contacts pages and added bookmark and dynamic link to LTG Tolson's comments on the 1/50(M).
10 February 2002 Added Dan Schlecht and Robert Knightly to Members email page.
9 February 2002 Updated Co. E, 50th Inf. and Co. F, 50th Inf., added brief data on F/50 at DaNang, added tabs for the two new pages on all history pages, and updated site map.
8 February 2002 Added one new Members email page update and modified History page to reflect subpages for Co. E, 50th Inf. and Co. F, 50th Inf. Will place E/50 and F/50 buttons and include data on F/50 at DaNang later.
6 February 2002 Added new Co. CO information from Jim Woodall on Photos 6 page. Added explanatory note on VUA to History page.
5 February 2002 Added James Lambert to Members email page.
3 February 2002 Updated Members email page and removed words "Scouts" from "SRAP" photos on Photos HQ page.
27 January 2002 Tweaked wording of the introduction on the Home Page.
26 January 2002 Added Jim Schueckler's famous "Day it Snowed in Vietnam" story under War Stories because it has a 1/50 connection, and added free member services to Association News page. Corrected news page links.
25 January 2002 Added six Nam-era news articles and tarted up news page, added (free) counters from www.thecounter.com as a trial (looks like it counts site visits not page visits).
25 January 2002 Added John Rhatigan to Members email page.
24 January 2002 Added five book reviews, including two from Mark Hannan.
23 January 2002 Placed queries from Peggy Cannon (Jim Cannon's widow) and "tfb" on Wanted page
23 January 2002 Added Jim Kelliher to Members email page and cleaned up page a bit.
19 January 2002 Added input from Rigo Ordaz (more to come). Includes new photos for Company D page, correction on Company B page, 50th Infantry lineage, news articles on Tam Quan, and a personal history Rigo wrote on Tam Quan. With this input, and input from Shel Canter and others, I will redo the news area as soon as I get time.
17 January 2002 Revised Joe Rinaldi's listing on Members email page and started receiving heaps of pure gold from Rigo Ordaz, Shel Canter, Ken Riley, Richard Kerr, Jim Hobbs, and John Topper. Also got word Bryan Lagimoniere is sending 70 odd photos from Phan Thiet. Way to go guys.
16 January 2002 Shucks and gosh darn, even though this is designed as a content-laden site, I finally added a red, white and blue patriotic page. God bless America!
15 January 2002 Added new joke from Jim Hobbs.
15 January 2002 Revised Rigo Ordaz listing on Members email page and added heaps of links.
14 January 2002 Added new Lessons Learned subpage under history. Updated links and Site Map.
14 January 2002 Added first game entitled "Put the APC back together".
13 January 2002 Miscellaneous tidy-up. Webmasters email has temporarily dropped out (DNS server numbers were changed by carrier); major bummer!!!
11 January 2002 Finally added Dick Guthrie's photos and Bill Moore's corrections to Binh Dinh Trip Report.
11 January 2002 Minor cosmetics on Reunion 2001 Attendees list.
10 January 2002 Added Pete Tovar to Members email page.
9 January 2002 Cosmetic changes made to Stand-down page and added button to Get-together 2002 information.
9 January 2002 Made minor cosmetic changes on News page and PX page.
9 January 2002 Reorganized the Links page and started adding additional links.
8 January 2002 Added combat photos from George Haynes to C Company Photos page. Put one in Homepage slide show.
8 January 2002 Added special room rates from Bob Gold for the 2002 Get Together to Reunion page.
8 January 2002 Updated list of 2001 reunion attendees the Reunion page and made small changes to war story page.
7 January 2002 Added Dave Haag, Dennis Driscoll, Billy Mims to Members email page.
7 January 2002 Per Louis Frisbie (D RTO), added Shroeder as D Co after CPT Braun.
6 January 2002 While waiting to complete the 2001 Reunion photo page, assembled a tactical (1:25,000) topographic map for the 2002 get together and tarted up that section of the Reunion page, and added a list of 2001 attendees.
6 January 2002 Added Reunion 2001 photo album of 121 photos to Reunion page, which was pretty time-consuming but I learned a lot. While I was at it,
5 January 2002 Added Russ Hope of Chase City, Virginia to Members email page.
5 January 2002 Added map and aerial photo to Reunion page. How else could anyone find the secret location?
5 January 2002 Added Captain Donald Blair to In Memoriam pages. Although he was killed on a second tour with the 4th ID, he was with 1/50(M) in 1968.
4 January 2002 Received information on origin of 50th Infantry motto from Tom Blankenship via Ken Riley and updated Regimental Heraldry page.
4 January 2002 Received 120 photos about the 2001Reunion from John Topper. Now scratching head; watch for developments.
4 January 2002 Add six photos from COL Woodall to the site, and update Commanders page and Woodall bio page.
4 January 2002 Updated Contacts page (changed footer, revised format, added mission and constitution blurbs).
3 January 2002 Posted (draft) December 2001 newsletter on Newsletter page.
3 January 2002 Posted updated 2002 Homepage with slide show. Comments????
3 January 2002 After soul-searching about "urban legends", posted Dick Guthrie's war story about Ann Margaret (I saw her in Vegas, does that count?)
3 January 2002 Finally received one of Jim Hobbs' jokes suitable for the Official Jokebook page with extensive editing. At least Jim was persistent. :-)
2 January 2002 Added/fixed a few cartoons onto Reunion page (the pig comes home to roost) and the Standown page. Heaps of work done offline.
2 January 2002 Added seven more of Bill Moore's photos to the general database and stuck two on on C Company Photo page (sorry, Bill, but unlike B/1/50 we C Company folks must've too busy fighting to take pictures).
1 January 2002 In preparation for revising the website home page for 2002, moved the Association Mission Statement to the Association News & Notes page and also placed a link on that page to the Constitution page.
1 January 2002 Added two book reviews by Ken Riley to Book Review page and cleaned up formatting a bit on Film Review page.
1 January 2002 With input from Rigo Ordaz, corrected name of Dam Tra O Lake on HHC Photo page and Official Jokebook page.
1 January 2002 Added links to major eBookstores Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble to Book Review and Film Review pages.
1 January 2002 Developed and added new 1/50(M) Site Map page and linked Site Map to the Home page.
1 January 2002 Created five original new 1/50(M) jokes for the Official Jokebook page. "Original" is in the eye of the beholder.
31 December 2001 Added CIB orders SO62 from Dave Parker to Unit Records page. Added *.pdf daily summaries I transcribed from S3 log sheets for May 69 thru Dec 69 to Unit Records page (talk about heaps of work for smallish benefit, but it was a labor of love).
31 December 2001 Added photos from Dave Parker to B Company Photos page.
31 December 2001 Added combat photos from Bob Page to A Company Photos page.
31 December 2001 Added enlisted and some officer SQI suffix and prefix codes to Vietnam-era MOS page in History section, and added general introductory information about enlisted MOS codes.
31 December 2001 Cleaned up book reviews page and added several book reviews.
31 December 2001
Added movie content and announcement of the film "Lost Patrol" made from Hal Moore's book on the Ia Drang ("We were young once and soldiers") due in March 2002. Movie stars Mel Gibson. Thanks to Bill Moore for the heads up!
31 December 2001
Added SRAP photos from Shel Canter to Photos_HQ page..

31 December 2001
Folks, the whole site is pretty much new. Plus you've never seen this page before, have you? Therefore, I'll just start tracking changes from today onwards and make entries on days when something appreciable happens. Your Webmaster, Ray. P.S.: Have a great New Year!!!
31 December 2001
Added "Site Update History" page per suggestion of Bill Moore. Thanks, Bill!


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