SFC Lawrence Steinke

[Stick]

Uncle Larry, a.k.a. Sergeant First Class Lawrence C. Steinke (pronounced Stine-key), First Air Calvary Division, Camp Evans, Democratic Republic of South Vietnam, 1967/68. Joanne’s Uncle that I first met face to face In AnKhe, RSVN after arriving in country in August, ’67.
Larry was a NCOIC of a rifle platoon with the 1st Cav. and you could tell after speaking with any one of the troops that he lead that he was highly respected by any one of them. I flew in several H-13s that Sgt. Steinke got for me and when flying to and fro carrying this or that to this or that forward troop with the Cav., every pilot that flew me spoke nothing but praises of SFC Steinke. He made me proud of being with him and he carried me through several stirring moments in my tour. We shared many a laugh together.
Joanne and I have kept in close touch with him over the years and today after coming home from Church I went to Joanne’s room and she told me that she had some “very disturbing news” about Uncle Larry and Aunt Linda, Larry’s wife. Larry and Linda live in a small town in southern Illinois, Cisne, Illinois and we’ve often had calls from him to us and his big sister, my Mother-in-law who lives here too, but we hadn’t heard from him for quite a while so Jo called him this morning. Joanne found out that Larry has a severe case of Parkinson’s disease and can’t even touch-tone a telephone any more because he can’t control his hands or fingers any more. Linda has severe, inoperable of lung-cancer, has less hair than I do, is bed-ridden and in agony.
Larry “covered my six” over there and many others too. He’s a good and great man and I’m going to hold him up to Him for His mercy, love and comfort and my Lord knows that Linda has put up with Larry all of these years and deserves His blessings too.
O.B.T.W. Happy Birthday Jesus.