#1
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Memorial Day
Several towns around here, near Memorial Day, put out a cross with the name of a soldier from the town who was killed during a war along with what war he was killed in. Made a turn coming home tonight and drove a mile with crosses on both sides of the road.Most from WWII, some from Korea and Vietnam.Did OK till I came to a stop next to a cross from Desert Storm.Lost it big time. I remember every day ,just reminded more around this day.Welcome Home ,Thank all for their service .
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#2
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Thank you for the post Lt, remembering them all...Sis
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Thomas Jefferson, Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: "In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." |
#3
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LT and all others
I will be thinking of you all during the Memorial Day events. Wish we could all be together to have a cold one or two. It's a day I look forward to as it alllows me to reflect on all the folks I've known during my service days - my lost Bud's and school friends who for some reason can't attend. But I know in spirit they are always here - always with me - and always pushing me along. I salute all of them and can't wait until the day I can be with them and give them all a big hug.
Yes I'm a hugger - Memorial its a day that means so much and has cost so much to so many. They are never to be forgotten. Each time I put up my flags or see one I reflect on duty and service rendered. I really miss them. Thanks to you folks on this site - I can be enlightned by your high spirits and find that you too have souls and scars that have suffered much. I saw last night a VN special on the Church channel. About a Priest (Father Cappadonna (not sure on the spelling). This Priest was on the "front" line for two tours. Was killed protecting a wounded soldier. What machine gunned in the back -shot 27 times nearly blew his arm off - he threw his body infront of a wounded soldier. The interviews were chilling and the Love they had for that Priest was overwhelming. It proves again how much we as humans will shed our lives for others during great times of stress. My respects for those who've suffered these torments. I try not to reflect on those days of terror and fear. I've gotten through those visions - but will not forget many who didn't make it back. This is why Memorial Day means so much to me. Sorry if I brought up any sad days for any of you. But we can't forget - really - I can't. Love to my Brothers & Sisters - everywhere.
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Boats O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. "IN GOD WE TRUST" |
#4
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LT I found the Priest Name "Father Capodanno"
http://www.catchingthespirit.net/capodanno.htm
He got the MOH. He touched my heart and many in the field Love'd this Priest. I will never forget him and what he did and how he died. The Church may make him a Saint the process has begun.
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Boats O Almighty Lord God, who neither slumberest nor sleepest; Protect and assist, we beseech thee, all those who at home or abroad, by land, by sea, or in the air, are serving this country, that they, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore in all perils; and being filled with wisdom and girded with strength, may do their duty to thy honour and glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. "IN GOD WE TRUST" |
#5
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Wow ,Thanks Boats
I Hope they make him a Saint. Been wearing a St.Joan since a week before I got to Vietnam,never been off my neck since. Grunt Padre was quite a man.Only time I saw a chaplain was at Dong Ha after Lam Son 719 doing a memorial service for guys he never knew.I wanted to shoot him. We fought for each other.
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#6
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“Once each May, amid the quiet hills and rolling lanes and breeze-brushed trees of Arlington National Cemetery, far above the majestic Potomac and the monuments and memorials of our Nation’s Capital just beyond, the graves of America’s military dead are decorated with the beautiful flag that in life these brave souls followed and loved. This scene is repeated across our land and around the world, wherever our defenders rest. Let us hold it our sacred duty and our inestimable privilege on this day to decorate these graves ourselves—with a fervent prayer and a pledge of true allegiance to the cause of liberty, peace, and country for which America’s own have ever served and sacrificed... Our pledge and our prayer this day are those of free men and free women who know that all we hold dear must constantly be built up, fostered, revered and guarded vigilantly from those in every age who seek its destruction. We know, as have our Nation’s defenders down through the years, that there can never be peace without its essential elements of liberty, justice and independence. Those true and only building blocks of peace were the lone and lasting cause and hope and prayer that lighted the way of those whom we honor and remember this Memorial Day. To keep faith with our hallowed dead, let us be sure, and very sure, today and every day of our lives, that we keep their cause, their hope, their prayer, forever our country’s own.” —Ronald Reagan
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#7
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Boats thank you for your service
Have always appreciated your wise input on the site. Thank you for always showing so much concern for all of us. God Bless you and yours this Memorial Day. Angels on your six. Arrow
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Thomas Jefferson, Kentucky Resolutions of 1798: "In questions of power then, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." |
#8
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Fallen Eagles
IN REMEMBERANCE OF MY FALLEN BROTHERS OF C COMPANY, 2ND BATTALLION, 502ND PARACHUTE INFANTRY REGIMENT, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION. I AM PROUD TO HAVE FOUGHT BESIDE YOU, AND TO HAVE CALLED SOME OF YOU "MY FRIEND."
1. PFC WILLIAM LEON New York, NY KIA: 12JUL66- Dak To Age: 22 2. PFC TOMMY MORALES Los Angeles, CA KIA: 8SEP66- Tuy Hoa Age: 20 3. PFC ALFRED STONEHOUSE New York, NY KIA: 10SEP66- Tuy Hoa Age: 21 4. SGT. CHARLES BLANCO Philadelphia, PA KIA: 20SEP66- Tuy Hoa Age: 25 5. SP/4 HORTON S. COKER, JR. Seattle, WA KIA: 17OCT66- Tuy Hoa Age: 20 6. PFC WILLIAM L. CYR Missoula, MT KIA: 8NOV66- Tuy Hoa Age: 20 7. PFC CARL L. FALCK, JR. Alder, WA KIA: 13NOV66- Tuy Hoa Age: 19 8. PFC JAREL W. AYERS Lamar, MO KIA: 31DEC66- Kontum Age: 21 9. 1ST LT. LARRY D. EARLS Murfreesboro, TN KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 28 10. PFC WALTER L. GOSHORN Mifflintown, PA KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 19 11. PFC ELMER L. JUCKETT III West Palm Beach, FL KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 19 12. PFC WILBUR L. KOHR Fredricksburg, PA KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 19 13. PFC DENNIS G. NICOLA Champaign, Il KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 19 14. SP/4 JOHN H. O'BRIEN Butte Falls, OR KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 21 15. PFC NORMAN W. VINCENT Duluth, MN KIA: 2JAN67- Kontum Age: 19 16. PFC REINALDO DELGADO New York, NY KIA: 5JAN67- Kontum Age: 18 17. PFC ROBERT W. BARTON Unadilla, NY KIA: 9JAN67- Kontum Age: 19 18. PFC CARL KONOPA Phoenix, AZ KIA: 13MAY67- Duc Pho Age: 18 19. SP/4 JOHN C. SILVER Wadena, MN KIA: 16MAY67- Duc Pho Age: 20 20. SP/4 STANLEY M. JAMROZY Louisville, KY KIA: 18MAY67- Duc Pho Age: 20 21. SSGT CRAIG A. McDANIEL Lake Arrowhead, CA KIA: 22SEP67- Chu Lai Age: 21 22. SP/4 GEORGE H. ULRICH Merrick, NY KIA: 22SEP67- Chu Lai Age: 19 23. SFC JAMES B. FIELDS Tulsa, OK KIA: 29SEP67- Chu Lai Age: 29 24. SP/4 GEORGE E. OVERSHINE Lufkin, TX KIA: 29SEP67- Chu Lai Age: 20 25. SGT. WILLIAM E. WILSON Euclid, OH KIA: 29SEP67- Chu Lai Age: 27
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Tom |
#9
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Carpenter's Crispy Critters
9JUN66
NW of Dak To was a Special Forces camp at a place called Toumorong. It was being besieged by the 24th NVA Regiment. Two battalions [1/327 & 2/502] of the 101st Airborne Division were sent to support them. This was Operation Hawthorne. C company of the 2/502, commanded by Captain William Carpenter, was inserted on the morning of 9JUN66 to be a blocking force for the 327, which was sweeping in their direction. As Charlie Company was moving up a small hill, the forward platoon radioed Carpenter telling him that they could hear voices down in a small streambed. The platoon leader asked Carpenter if he wanted them to set up the blocking force or go get Charlie. He decided to engage Charlie. Well, it turned to shit for them real quick. They had bit the tail of the 24th NVA Regiment. C company was immediately swarmed and almost overrun. They were spread out and had Charlie right on top of them. They were taking quite a few casualties. At the height of the battle, Carpenter made the decision to call in an airstrike on their position. The nearest planes to them were carrying napalm. The airstrike made the NVA disengage and bought Charlie Company some time. They were able to gather the wounded and setup a better defense perimeter. They kept the NVA at bay until part of the 327 and B company of the 502nd could come re-enforce them. This battle made the tv news and newspapers back in the States. I remember hearing about it and thinking to myself "Watch me wind up in THAT unit." I landed in Nam on 30JUN66 and sent to the 101st the next day. After processing in and going through P-Training at Phan Rang, I was sent to Dak To to join my new company,......Charlie Company of the 2/502! That was 10JUL66. Two days later I saw my first KIA in my company. On the 15JUL66 we were pulling out of The Highlands headed for Tuy Hoa over on the coast. The survivors of Toumorong would forever be known as "Carpenter's Crispy Critters." You gotta love grunt humor. As I began to settle into the company and hear the stories from the Crispy Critters, there were alot of mixed feelings about Carpenter's decision. Some of them thought he over reacted [there were troopers killed by the napalm], while others believed that he saved their lives. Like in most battles, it depended on where you were standing and where you were looking. Everybody's experience and perception can be widely different. Our battalion commander, Hank 'Gunfighter" Emerson, put Carpenter in for the MOH, but was downgraded to a DSC. Our First Sergeant, Walter Sabalouski, was also awarded a DSC and a Silver Star for his actions that day. I stood at attention while General Westmoreland pinned them on both men. The 2006 Oh Deuce reunion was held in Atlanta, GA. Bill Carpenter couldn't attend. This letter was read by Hank "Gunfighter" Emerson, to the men of Charlie Comapny, at the Atlanta 2/502 Reunion, especially those who served under Bill Carpenter in 1966. "To the gallant men of Charlie Company, 2nd Battalion 502d Infantry 1st Brigade, 101st Airborne Division. I regret that family commitments preclude my joining you for what I know will be a great reunion event. Please extend to those with whom I served in Charlie Company my thanks and appreciation for their unsurpassed performance of duty as members of the Strike Force. While the Battalion Commander saw fit to move me from Charlie Company before I had time to know many of you personally, I'd like each of you to know that there is seldom a day when you are not in my thoughts. After 40 years, I am still in awe of your commitment to each other and your unit, your selflessness, and your stoic professionalism. Your fortitude, perseverance and courage remain unmatched in my experience. For a short period of time, it was my great privilege and honor to serve with you and for that opportunity, I thank you and General Emerson. The respect, admiration and affection I have for each of you has not been dimmed by the years. Finally, I remind you that history is replete with examples of soldiers achieving extra-ordinary results in the absence of officers, but I know of no example where an officer achieved anything without soldiers !! Have a great reunion and hopefully take a few minutes to remember Lt. Baker, PSgt. Hanna, PFC's Murphy and Fordsham, Ellman, Shuyler, Williams and Garcia, who made it possible for the rest of us to return from Tou Morang. And express some gratitude for having had the opportunity to serve with one of the great soldiers in our Army's history, 1st Sgt. Walter J. Sabalauski." William "Bill" Carpenter. One of the paratroopers mentioned in the letter that died that day was 21yr. old PFC Joe Ellman. He was from Spokane, WA, and Kath grew up with him. In fact, they dated off and on for years; even after he entered the army. They wrote each other often after he got to VN. She still talks fondly of him. He sounds like a real nice guy. I know I would have liked him. Another paratrooper to die that day was 19yr. old PFC Bill Barton of Bravo company. They were engaged in the same battle, trying to come to Charlie company's aid. Bill was also from Spokane, WA. He and Joe had joined the Army together along with Kath's brother, Bob. Bob fell behind Joe and Bill in training by a couple of weeks due to an illness. By the time Bob got to the 101st, they were both already dead. Bob was assigned to 2/327. He's never quite recovered from the loss. I have visited both of their gravesites a couple of times with Kath over the years. We never know what Fate has in store for us. R.I.P. Brother Eagles Kath and I visited Joe Ellman's and Bill Barton's gravesites today leaving flowers, prayers, and our respect.
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Tom |
#10
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Today we not only visited the graves of my 2 friends that Tom had mentioned but we also visited the grave of my friend William Dowd. He was a casualty of friendly fire in 1968. Last year while at his grave site I ran into his sister Sue. I hadn't seen her in 45 years and it was a very emotional reunion. This year I ran into her again at the same spot. She is the only one of her family members remaining. As we parted company today we said that we would meet there again on Memorial Day at 1:00. I wanted her to know that even though her brother is gone he is never forgotten.
Raggedy Ann |
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