March 2002

Diamondhead News Letter Index | home

March 2002

“The Monthly Diamondhead”

March 2002

Editor-Reporter-Chief Cook-Web Slave-

Ron Leonard

304-728-7012

E- mail rollayo@earthlink.net

Web Page https://members.tripod.com/ronleonard

Company Stuff:

This month brought several new people to the fold of long lost 25th Aviation Personnel. Newly found personnel for the month. For the Diamondheads Gerald Parsons, Ernest Newton, and Ed Baxley. To the Little Bears we have added Don Burson, Sam Kalagian, and Larry Keys, to HHC Carroll Roach. The contact information for these additions can be found on the proper roster on the web page. I have many more phone numbers and addresses posted to the rosters. If they are in red, they still need contacted, and I have mailed post cards so it should speed it up allot now since they are all sent.. I have supplied the addresses and phone numbers to call, if you have a notion, pick up the phone and call one. If the notation under the name says <card sent> that means I have mailed them a card but they have not responded as of yet. For additional new personnel, their contact information will be added as I find it, and also posted in red

Medical Stuff

Are You, Someone You Know, Eligible for DoD's Medicare Wraparound Coverage?

March 22, 2002

No. 02-08

Since the implementation last year of expanded pharmacy and medical benefits under TRICARE Senior Pharmacy and TRICARE For Life, many Medicare-eligible uniformed services beneficiaries, age 65 and over, are now enjoying the peace of mind that comes with having a robust health care benefit.

They no longer have to pay expensive supplemental insurance premiums, higher co-payments, or entire prescription charges because the TRICARE For Life program acts as second payer to Medicare, and the pharmacy program provides coverage

they don't have from Medicare.

"Beneficiaries have reported savings of $3,000-4,000 on their prescriptions, alone. With most prescriptions available to them for a $3 or $9 co-pay, some can now purchase prescriptions they didn't feel they could afford before. Not only are they saving money, but many are enjoying a better quality of daily living," states Thomas Carrato, Executive Director of TRICARE Management Activity (TMA).

While most of the 1.5 million TRICARE For Life-eligible beneficiaries have been located through extensive outreach communications efforts by TMA, regional lead agents, managed care support contractors, and various beneficiary associations, many still do not know they have this coverage. Their files in the Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System (DEERS) have not been updated, and they

have not renewed their military identification (ID) cards. Continued eligibility for military benefits must be established periodically, because certain events (like divorce from a military retiree, or remarriage of a widow) may cause eligibility to end.

As a result, when Medicare "automatically" sent its first 5 million claims to TRICARE for its newly eligible over-65 beneficiaries, it became evident that some of these claims belonged to beneficiaries whose information had not been updated, and whose ID cards were expired. These claims initially were denied by TRICARE, but agency officials have announced that they will pay these claims

temporarily, without requiring beneficiaries or providers to resubmit them.

"We will use this opportunity to advise people on their Explanations of Benefits that they must update their information and ID cards. Those who fail to do so will have future TRICARE claims denied," explained Mr. Carrato.

After Aug. 1, 2002, all claims for beneficiaries with expired eligibility will be denied until their eligibility information is updated. During March, DEERS will notify many of the people with outdated information and expired ID cards with a letter.

DEERS also sends an "age-in" letter to newly eligible beneficiaries 90 days before their 65th birthdays, explaining how they can remain eligible for TRICARE benefits.

The best way to verify TRICARE eligibility in DEERS and to obtain a current ID card is to go to an ID card issuing facility. Its personnel can provide information about the documentation that is necessary, its address and hours of operation. If it is not possible for a beneficiary to go to an ID card facility, he or she should call the DoD Reverification line, 1-800-361-2620, for guidance. Information about the nearest ID card facility can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.dmdc.osd.mil/rsl or by calling TRICARE's toll-free number, 1-888-DOD-LIFE (1-888-363-5433).

REUTERS NEWS SERVICE VIETNAM:

Story by David Brunnstrom

March 4, 2002

HANOI - A leading expert on the Vietnam War defoliant Agent Orange said last week new tests on people living in a heavily sprayed part of Vietnam had found "startlingly high" levels of cancer-causing dioxin.However, speaking ahead of a key conference on the effects of Agent Orange beginning in Hanoi on Sunday,

Arnold Schecter said tests on Vietnamese food exports to the United States had shown generally lower dioxin levels than in U.S. products, despite claims to the contrary from opponents of Vietnamese imports. Schecter, a professor at the School of Public Health at

the University of Texas, told Reuters blood tests from 43 people living around the former U.S. airbase of Bien Hoa, near Ho Chi Minh City, had found dioxin levels up to 206 times higher than average. He said one person tested, who was born in 1973, two years after U.S. forces stopped spraying Agent Orange in Vietnam, had 413 parts per trillion of TCDD, the dioxin characteristic of Agent Orange. This compared with two parts per trillion on average in Vietnam. The Bien Hoa tests showed an average of 67 parts per trillion -still 33 times higher than average, Schecter said."This means 30-40 years after Agent Orange was sprayed, people are still being contaminated," he said. "This

shows Agent Orange is not just a historic event, but something that is still with us in hotspots like Bien Hoa." "It means dioxin can persist a very long time in the environment and in certain cases contaminate people and in others substantially contaminate people."

MILLIONS OF GALLONS SPRAYED The United States sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange and other defoliants on Vietnam from 1962 to 1971 to deny communist fighters jungle cover. The chemicals included TCDD, the most dangerous form of dioxin, a known carcinogen. It is also blamed for causing immune deficiency, birth defects, reproductive problems, diabetes and nervous system disorders.

Schecter said the most likely form of contamination of those at Bien Hoa was river fish. He said some opponents of Vietnamese seafood exports to the United States had used the Agent Orange issue to try to scare off American consumers from the products. However,

tests for the University of Texas on 20 samples of Vietnamese fish bought in Texas and California found dioxin levels that were generally lower than U.S. food products. For example, he said, one Vietnamese catfish sample showed just 0.01 parts per trillion. "These are very low levels." Schecter said the tests suggested Hanoi's fear that allowing food samples to be taken for testing abroad could damage key exports was misplaced,

given that only five percent of the country was ever sprayed with Agent Orange. "That means that most food is not contaminated with dioxin," he said, while adding that there were an unknown number of Agent Orange "hotspots" like Bien Hoa in Vietnam.

After Agent Orange was found to cause cancer in laboratory rats, the U.S. military suspended its use in 1970 and halted all herbicide spraying in Vietnam the following year. Vietnam's government blames defoliants for causing tens of thousands of birth defects and says the United States should pay compensation. The United States has long argued there is no scientific evidence linking Agent Orange to the birth defects. Sunday's

conference, co- organised by the United States and Vietnam, will review current research on the impact of dioxin on human health and on the environment and discuss research plans.

The complete results of that conference can be found on our web page under Medical Issues located at https://members.tripod.com/ronleonard/id443.htm#press_release for the Press Release. The results of the symposium on Agent Orange in Hanoi is located at https://members.tripod.com/ronleonard/id443.htm#agent_orange_in_the_vietnam_war

There are other things of interest besides the Spina Bifida,and cancers we are aware of. One such item is Vascular Problems. It also is shown that these deformities and other problems are extending beyond just our children. It has reached into the grandchildren now.

Prostate Cancer

Are you in your 50's? Then you need to be getting regular prostate exams. Prostate Cancer is a deadly disease that targets our age group. Early detection is the best defense for preventing a lot of treatments and worry that we just do not need.

Do yourself and your loved ones a favor. Get regular prostate exams starting right now.

The following is an article in the latest Publication from "The Army and Air Force Mutual Aid Association" that some of us may or may not be aware of..

Prostate Cancer and Agent Orange

HERE ARE SEVERAL medical conditions that have been determined to be related to Agent Orange exposure. Congress has declared that any service member who served in Vietnam during the wartime era (28 Feb 1961 through 7 May 1975) was exposed to Agent Orange. It was further ruled that such exposure may have caused several types of cancer. There-fore, diagnosis of any of these conditions will be considered "service connected" by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Veterans and survivors may be entitled to compensation for such diseases as lung cancer, multiple myeloma, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and, as of November 1996, prostate cancer. If a Vietnam veteran is ever diagnosed with prostate cancer, even if it is many years after service, it will be considered a service-connected disability and compensation may be paid.

Survivors of Vietnam veterans who died of prostate cancer may also be entitled to benefits from the VA. An un-remarried surviving spouse may be entitled to a monthly payment of Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC). The current rate is $861. Dependants' Education Assistance may also be available for college attendance. The rate for full-time attendance is $485 per month. Please contact the Association if you have any questions about this or any other VA

benefit.

HEADLINE: Scientists express disappointment over US dioxin stance, THE VIETNAM INVESTMENT REVIEW

March 11, 2002 Monday

THE United States has again disappointed American and Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange and other dioxins it sprayed over the countryduring the war. Despite strong worldwide criticism from scientists, the US has insisted that it needs more time to study the level of impact of the toxic herbicides on both people and Vietnam's environment.The US mood was revealed during the first-ever international conference on the impact of Agent Orange, held last week in Hanoi. Researchers from 19 countries presented the findings of around 100 separate studies on the effects of this and other chemical defoliants.

A statement issued by the conference organizing committee said: "If we can address the important and difficult issue of exposure assessment, the Vietnamese population may offer a special opportunity for studies of exposure/disease relationships that does not exist anywhere else in the world." US ambassador to Vietnam Raymond Burghardt admitted that the US military had sprayed more than 72 million litres of defoliating dioxins on Vietnam between 1961 and 1970. The US stressed that the purpose of the Hanoi meetings should be confined to assessing priorities for research into the effects of dioxins. Asked if his agency was willing to discuss broader issues, US Environmental Protection Agency official William Farland said: "We have said it's about research." The conference heard various discussions on health effects, which generally focused on studies related to cancer, birth defects and effects on the endocrine and reproductive systems. "The US government wants to see evidence that these health problems are the result of dioxins and that Agent Orange is connected to disabilities," said Thomas Corey, national president of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA). Anne Sassaman, director of Extramural Research at the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, said: "It's clear there are long-lasting environmental impacts associated with the spray operation of the US military." After the conference, Chuck Searchy, also of VVA, said: "It's just more talk at high levels. A very expensive conference offering nothing new to help victims." Paul Sutton, head of the VVA Agent Orange/dioxin committee, whose three children were born with birth defects he believes were caused by his exposure to the toxic chemical, said the US government and the makers of the defoliants, Dow Chemical Company and Monsanto Company, had to own up to their responsibility to compensate victims. "This is a very thorny issue that just has to be worked out," he said. "Our organization believes we should see fair and equitable compensation paid to victims and more work done on solving the related health problems of people in this country," he said. "They have been using the same line [that more research is needed] all along," said Sutton. "They are simply worried it might end up costing them millions and millions of dollars to tackle a problem they should have solved 30 years ago." Head of the Vietnam Red Cross Nguyen Trong Nhan told foreign journalists Agent Orange victims could not wait years for more research to be conducted but needed help now. "We feel...we can have answers in less than a few years," said VVA president Tom Corey. "I am talking no more than three years before we see significant answers by joint research." Le Ngoc Trong, Vice Minister of Health and chief of the organizing committee said: "The research results delivered in the conference have shown us comprehensive scientific evidence of the relationship between Agent Orange/dioxin exposure and human health and environmental problems." "The effects of the chemical defoliants on people in Vietnam is a reality which needs to be comprehensively addressed," he said. Christopher Portier Director of the Environment Toxicology program of the US Department of Health and Human Services, replied: "Whilst there are definitely some associations between dioxin exposure and certain diseases, the scientific community rarely agrees on specifics. It takes years and years of research, debate and discussion before you can either confirm or discount particular findings."

VA Disability Rating Criteria: A former 30 year employee of the Veterans Administration wrote the following after his retirement. He is also a disabled vet. It addresses the lack of knowledge many applicants have about what is involved in processing their disability claims. His statements are not to be interpreted in any way as being officially sanctioned by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The information is meant for general understanding only. There are always exceptions and the law is subject to change. We hope this helps alleviate some of the anger and frustration many xperience due to the seemingly endless delay in processing their claim. When a veteran submits a claim to the VA, he/she should understand there are several prerequisites for a successful disability claim. Among them are:

1. The evidence of record must show the claimed condition was incurred in (first occurred or diagnosed) during military service. That means the medical evidence provided by the veteran and/or the service department (usually the Fed. Records Center in St. Louis) must show the claimed disability. If the disability pre-existed service, such as a knee condition, the evidence must show that the condition became worse during military service. That is one reason it is important to insist on a discharge physical examination. It is your last chance to make certain disabilities are in your record. REMEMBER, if the claimed disability is not shown in your service medical records it DIDN'T happen. Exceptions to this rule are conditions, which may not manifest until after military service is complete. For example PTSD. In such cases, the veteran's service record is requested to determine if his/her service was under such conditions,

that the present diagnosis can clearly be associated with military service. The fact that your drill sergeant was mean to you would not qualify.

2. Assuming service medical records show the claimed disability exists, then it must be determined how disabling the condition is at the present time. Usually the claimant is scheduled for an examination at the nearest VA Medical Center. The examining physician completes a report showing his/her diagnoses and clinical findings. Keeping with the knee example. The doctor will check for range of motion, looseness of the joint, pain, etc. For sake of our discussion, we will assume the knee was initially injured during military service.

3. The report is sent to the Regional Office for review. The rating specialist reviews all the medical evidence, with special consideration to the examining physician's report. The rating specialist then consults a rating schedule. The diagnosis tells him/her under which disability to rate the knee. For example, chronic knee strain, torn ACL, traumatic arthritis,

etc. The clinical findings will be compared to descriptions given to various percentages. The percentage, which closest agrees with the physician's findings, will be given as the evaluation of the disability.

4. If the veteran has more than one disability, each of which is considered at least 10% disabling, they will be applied to a combined rating schedule to yield a combined evaluation. The individual disabilities are not added to give a final percentage. For example. Assume our hypothetical veteran has 3 disabilities: knee, heart, and psychological. Each disability is considered 50% disabling. The veteran is not considered 150% disabled. What happens is Each % is applied to the remaining healthy person. With no disabilities the veteran is considered 100% healthy. When the knee condition is considered, the veteran is now 50% disabled and 50% healthy. The 50% evaluation of his heart is applied to the remaining healthy 50% and he/she is considered 75% disabled and 25% healthy. Since evaluations are only in even 10%, the evaluation is rounded off to 80% disabled and 20% healthy. The final 50% psychological condition

is applied to the remaining 25% healthy person. Remember the actual combined evaluation was 75%. It was just rounded to 80%. He/she is now 88% disabled. The evaluation is rounded to 90% disabled and 10% healthy.

5. The veteran would automatically be considered for individual unemployability. The rating specialist would determine that if based on the veteran's education, skills, etc. are his/her disabilities so severe as to render him/her individually unemployable. If the answer is yes, he/she is paid at the 100% rate although his/her disabilities only warrant a 90% evaluation. Although the monetary benefit is the same, there is an important distinction between a combined scheduler 100% and 100% due to individual unemployability. If the 100% is by the schedule, the veteran may, if able, hold a regular job. If the 100% is due to being unemployable, he/she may not engage in anything other than marginal employment. The VA checks annually through the individual states for

veterans, who are considered unemployable and are holding a regular job. It can become very ugly financially for the veteran, if he/she is caught. It could result in anything from a reduced evaluation, to full repayment, to jail time. Contrary to popular belief, the mind set in the VA is to resolve all doubt in favor of the veteran. Consider, if the claimed benefit can be granted, there is a happy veteran and one less file someone must review.

TFL & HMOs: Your membership in an HMO may make it difficult for you to use TFL benefits and may make it impossible to use your preferred Medicare physician. Federal law requires Tricare to be the last payer to all other coverage with the exception of specially written Tricare supplements and Medicaid-like programs. That means you must use your Medicare and HMO coverage before you can use Tricare. HMOs generally require their member to assign their Medicare benefits to the HMO. After Medicare and the HMO have provided their benefits, you may file a claim with Tricare for any out-of-pocket expenses such as your HMO's copayments. By law Tricare cannot pay your Medicare or HMO premiums.

If you do not have an HMO you can use the Medicare provider of your choice. Medicare would process the claim, pay its share to the provider and forward the claim to Tricare. Tricare would pay what Medicare did not, up to the amount of your legal debt as established by the Medicare/Tricare laws. In this situation you would have no, or very limited, out-of-pocket expenses for the vast majority of your health care. [Source: James Hamby article 18 FEB 02 Navy Times]

Veterans Health Deductible Plan: The House Veterans Affairs Committee has killed a Bush administration proposal that would have forced veterans to pay a deductible for health care. The President's plan to charge a new $1,500 annual deductible for some veterans receiving medical care from the VA received stiff opposition from members of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs, national veterans advocacy groups, and the men and women who would have been effected by the plan. Although exact figures are not available the VA projected that the new charges would reduce its number of patients drastically next year. In New Mexico alone the estimate was about 120,000 veterans. The numbers include veterans who use the VA's community outreach clinics, hospitals, and prescription drug programs. The new rules would have applied to Priority 7 veterans, those who lack a disability related to their military service or whose income is higher than the current VA eligibility standard. [Source: Tom Udall (D-NM)

msg. 11 MAR 02]

The President campaigned on a pledge to be a friend to the veteran. This is his second major effort to uphold that pledge. The first was his plan to force disabled retires to choose annually VA or DoD health care but not both. That proposal was also squashed by Congress.

Neoropsychiatric sequelae of cerebral malaria in Vietnam Veterans.

PTSD Conartists or something that went undiagnosed ?:

The "subject line" matter was the subject of a study which was published in the:Journal of Mental Dis 1997 Nov; 185(11):695-703, Varney,NR, et al.

Approximately 250,000 Vietnam veterans suffered cerebral malaria, an illness that often results in the damage to subcortical white matter and fronto-temporal areqas of the neocortex. Studies dating back some 2500 years have demonstrated that survivors of malaria show depression, poor

memory, personality change, and irritability/violence. The study was designed to compare the neurosychiatric status of Vietnam veterans who had suffered malaria or other neurological conditions. Finds under-appreciated neuropsychiatric symptoms in Vietnam veterans, including dichotic listening, "personality change," depression, and, in some cases, partial seizure-like

> > symptoms. Findings strongly suggest that history of malaria should be considered in any medical, psychological, or psychiatric workup of Vietnam War veteran because of the positive response could result in substantial changes in diagnosis and treatment. PMID:93868547[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE at:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=Med&list_uids=9368 547&do...

For those with ptsd who have never been tested for malaria should wake up to the facts of life and have never been told about the factors may want to pay close attention to reading the actual journal article rather than just the summary. Especially those who may have returned with fevers of unknown origin at one time or another.

Do anti-malarials have the tendency to mask such conditions? -- good question to ask the experts at the VA - if you can find one. Or someone who at the very least is Board Certified in Tropical Medicine.

In 1965 a strain of malaria appeared in South Vietnam that was non-endemic in the region. An estimated 30,000 plus CIDG personnel working with Special Forces were affected. Hundreds and perhaps thousands of Marines who served in the Que Song Mountains as well. American troops and SOG personnel and those who had frequent contact with the enemy in designated areas of operation was at risk.

Since receiving several e-mails from those of you concerned about this issue I decided to post the information here rather than send individual e-mails

Reunion Stuff: 12 Days and counting down

For the benefit of the new guys I am going to repost the reunion Informational Letter. It will save answering many questions again, and remind the rest of you who have not responded by now. If you are planning on attending, we need to know NOW so enough rooms can be reserved.

If you are planning on attending please let me know if a Diamondhead. I need to know 1: If you plan on attending, 2: How many people, and 3:If staying at the Holiday Inn

To all Little Bear Reunion Attendees;

The Little Bear Association Reunion will be held on April 12, 13, 14, 2002 in beautiful, historic Charleston, SC. The reunion hotel is the Holiday Inn Mt. Pleasant, 250 Johnnie Dodds Blvd, Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464. The Holiday Inn, Mt. Pleasant is conveniently located three miles from the famed Historic District just across the Cooper River from downtown Charleston and near most of the tourist sites and only five miles from the sun and sand of the Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island. They also offer more in-hotel facilities for the value spent. A tour representative will be present at registration so attendees can sign up for tours as desired.

A special room rate of $99.00 plus 11% tax has been negotiated for those attending the reunion. This room rate includes Continental Breakfast, newspaper and late checkout for those who join the "Priority Club". There is no cost to join the Priority Club, just ask about it and signup when you register. This rate will also be available for those of you who may want to stay longer in the Charleston area. Many other hotels are available in and around Charleston, however most are $125 to $350 per night, plus tax. The Holiday Inn, Mt. Pleasant is currently undergoing a complete remodeling and will be almost brand new for us in April 2002. All rooms have been remodeled and the common use areas will be completed by November 2001.

Reunion costs (banquet, hospitality rooms, and gratuities) will be covered by registration fees and Little Bear Association funds. Therefore, all Little Bears attendees are expected to be a member of the Association. If you are not a member, please send your membership dues ($25) to our Treasurer:$10 for Diamondhead and HHC.

This needs to be taken care of by March 31 so enough of everything is on hand to supply everyone.

Terry Mix

4610-176 Avenue S.E.

Bellevue, WA 98006

Registration for the Little Bear Reunion is as follows:

Little Bears (members and guests) - $45 per person

Other Battalion personnel <Diamondhead, HHC etc>and guests - $45 per person plus $10 for the sponsor only<Diamondhead or HHC etc>

Each attendee will be responsible for their transportation, lodging and other associated costs.

Holiday Inn-Mt. Pleasant reservations can be made from now until March 2002. However, you should make them early to assure your room is available.

Contact: Susie York, Reservations Manager:

Phone 1-800-290-4004 ext. 122

Tell them you will be attending the Little Bear Reunion. The code for our blocked rooms is "COA".You can view the hotel at http://www.holidayinn-mtpleasant.com

A parade and ceremonies is being held at the Citadel at 4:20 PM on Friday April 12, 2002. Reunion attendees are invited to attend as "Honored Guests”. If you would like to attend the Citadel parade and ceremonies, plan accordingly

Below is a list of Diamondheads that are tentatively planning on attending as of today. This list grows constantly, and we are still finding people weekly, so it will grow much more. If you are not on the list and plan on attending let me know ASAP so we have enough rooms blocked and reserved. At this point 95 rooms have been reserved. 30 have been reserved so far so I suggest you take care of that soon. If it over fills the Holiday Inn will make arrangements with other Hotels within a 2-minute walk of the Holiday Inn.

Also do check “The Reunion Bulletin” the link, which is located on the front page of the Web site.

Diamondhead Members attending as I know it as of today

Attendee.............number.............Staying at Holiday Inn

Ron and Carol Leonard-Holiday Inn

Don Cannata-?

Dianne and George Pendleton-?

Danny Driscoll-?

Steve Thorp-?

Bert Rice and wife-Holiday Inn

Ray and Michelle Huntington-?

Bob Seger-Holiday Inn

Phil R. Frager-Dianne-Holiday Inn

Sam Boswell-wife -No

David Stock-wife-Holiday

Charlie Burnett-Wife -Holiday Inn?

Ron White-?-Holiday

George Heneveld- Wife- Holiday Inn

Robert Michaels-son-Holiday Inn

Robert Giaccone-Mary Jo-Holiday Inn

Jerry Boyington-Linn-Holiday Inn

Taylor Combs-GF-Holiday

Gary Tompkins-no-Holiday

Earl Schmuck-?-Holiday

Jay Marion-wife-Holiday Inn

Bo Hayner-alone-Holiday Inn

Attendee…..........number…..........Staying at Holiday Inn

Chuck Gant-wife-Holiday Inn

Ed Schenk-wife-Holiday

Sarah Blum -alone-Holiday Inn

Charlie Edwards-wife-Holiday Inn

Sal Ambrosia-GF-Holiday Inn

Ron Skamanish-Wife-Holiday

Gonzalo Salazar-wife-Holiday Inn

Al Lewis- Holiday

Dave Henard-?-?

Jack Mosely-Wife-?

Troy Thomas and Paula-Holiday Inn

Don Nelson-wife-Holiday Inn

William Connell-Wife Holiday Inn

Richard Eichler-?-?

Don Helmeich?-?

Greg Bucy-wife-holiday inn

Jake Jacobs-alone-Holiday Inn

Chuck Moore-alone-holiday

Hayne Moore-brother-no

Jim Remmel-?-Holiday

Ernie Newton-?-?

Ed Baxley for the day Friday

Notifications:

Dimondhead Patches have been ordered and will be available by the reunion. I will be collecting the money. The cost is 3.95 per patch if picked up at the reunion. If to be mailed add $1 per shipment. If you haven't done this and aren't coming please put the hurry up on it. I would like all the funds there to pay for them.

Mail to

Ron Leonard

109 S. Forrest St #109

Ranson,WV

25438

Little Bear patches will also be available through Harold Dye peapod2926@aol.com costs are $10 plus one dollar for shipping if mailed.

Picture CD's of all of our favorite people and places will be available at the reunion, or through me by mail. Cost is $10 plus 1.50 for shipping if mailed. Proceeds to go to Research fund for the web page.

Care packages To Afghanistan

Many of us have banded together to aid the troops in Afghanistan. They have no PX and they only get to take a bath about twice a month. This makes the requirements for waterless soap, Handi-Wipes, and Clorox type Handi Wipes are very important along with other personal hygiene items. Also cookies, crackers, candy is always good, cigarettes since they are not in c-Rations anymore, and reading materials. Not allowed are explosives, Pork products, canned items, horror books, so I guess Playboy is still safe<G>.

Feedback has been received from the troops and they are more than appreciative of our efforts. There are two Aviation units at the Kandahar Airport where our packages have been going

The Commancheros

4/101 A Co. Aviation

50 Med. Aviation

If you wish to help out below is the mailing address to the units.

CW3 Ralph Ferrell

Operation Enduring Freedom

Task Force Talon

4/101 A Co.

APO, AE 09355

For the 50 Med. Enclose Letter inside box to the same address. Thank Your notes will be replied after shipments are received!!

contact at ralphferrell@hotmail.com

Ron

It costs $4 - $5 to send a GCP (Grunt Care Pack) to an APO depending on weight. It will cost more if it is sent priorty mail (double). I would imagine it would be better to send several small packs than one big one. . I found several web sites with information as to what people have been sending but Aphganistan is a bit different. Feedback from the field would be helpful

Smitty

Travel:

Ron,

I just arrived, two days ago, from my second trip to Viet Nam in the past five months. This time the entire trip was up in I Corps, the DMZ and the A Shau valley. It was another great trip. I'm leaving again, in a couple of hours, on a road trip with my daughter to visit her grandparents and to look at grad schools. After that I'll be off to summer camp with my National Guard unit, so please keep me off the mailing list for a while longer.

Some information you might want to consider about a trip to Viet Nam. You could probably get a trip for about $1700, but it would require a lot of work on your part and would be "risky" in the fact that there are so many variables to consider. I would recommend contracting with Military Historical Tours out of Alexandria, VA. They have over ten years of experience in setting up Viet Nam trips with an emphasis on the Viet Nam vet returning to his AO. The entire cost of about a fifteen day trip would be between $2700 to $3000 per person. This includes airline transportation from Los Angeles, CA, all lodging, primarily in three star hotels, most meals, all in country transportation by either air-conditioned SUVs or vans, English speaking Vietnamese guides, and drivers, and entrance fees to all areas requiring them. The only things that are not included are some meals, and food is extremely inexpensive there, and spending money for items one might want to purchase there, and tips for the Vietnamese drivers and guides, which are completely up to the individual. The trip will need from between eight and ten people to make it go, and it is my experience that many people talk about going, but when it comes right down to it, they can't seem to get it together, for whatever reason, to go. If you are serious, you might want to communicate with Dale Dow, who is active with D Troop, 3/4 Cav (Centaurs). He is kind of a shaker and mover for the Centaurs as you are with the Diamond Heads. His e-mail is daled@kansas.net. A couple of things about our old AO. Spending a week there would be an extremely long time, as it is a very small AO. I would recommend about five days in the AO and the rest of the time touring other areas in Viet Nam, that we didn't see in our tour, such as Hue, Da Nang, and even Ha Noi, which one of my favorite cities. The actual Cu Chi base camp is totally off limits, as it is a current Vietnamese Army base. In October, we were able to completely circumnavigate to base on a perimeter road, but you couldn't see anything recognizable on the base and pictures were not allowed near the base. We were there on a Sunday, and I believe if it would have been midweek, we might have been chased off by the authorities. The Tunnels of Cu Chi are north of the old base camp up near the Saigon River, and are a tourist trap joke. You can fire an AK47 for $1 a bullet and the tunnels have been enlarged for fat Americans. I don't recommend going there as it is very disappointing. The old highway one from Saigon, past Cu Chi, to Cambodia, is being redone and will be a four lane road in very short order. The city of Saigon is expanding in all directions, and there is development along the highway from Saigon almost to Cu Chi. Cu Chi is a small city and not the sleepy little Ville it was when we are there. Tay Ninh is worth seeing with the Cao Dai temple and Nui Ba Den. They are planning on building an amusement park at the foot of Nui Ba Den, and there is a Disney People Mover type tram already installed going up to the old Buddhist Temple on the south side of the mountain. It is a surrealistic experience to go up the tram and see the place so much at peace. The Saigon River has been damned at Dau Tieng, and there is now a great shallow lake that stretches north of the Cau Cui rubber, and reaches from the Razor Backs almost to Nui Ba Den. Many of the border areas along the Cambodian border are restricted so operations in that area must be cleared ahead of time. If guys was to visit specific areas they need to have a pretty good idea of where they are located, including lat/long coordinates, which can be obtained from the topo maps they may still have. Topo maps of the area are still available, and can be ordered through various sources both government and private. It would also be a good idea to have copies of after action reports and unit diaries, which you are much more familiar with than me. In general, it will require a lot of planning and coordinating to get things going on such a trip. The travel season in Viet Nam is from about late March though early October, due to the rainy season, and the summers in III Corps can be almost unbearable with the heat and humidity. A couple of things to remember are that we are all in, or approaching our 50s and we are not 20 years old any more, so it is a more difficult trip that we might anticipate; secondly, it is real culture shock to return after thirty years, as the entire country has changed and doesn't anything like it did while were there. There is no evidence of an American presence in Viet Nam, and all of the old bases and base camps have been completely obliterated and changed. There is nothing left to reference on except the country side, like the sight of Nui Ba Den, in the distant. If a guy is expecting to return to the Viet Nam he left thirty years ago, he will be very sadly disappointed. Ron, I hope this information has helped you, and I will be happy to work with you and Military Historical Tours to set up a tour if you want. If you still want to do it on your own, I can offer insight and advise, and my first advice would be not to attempt it on your own. Let me know. Talk to you in May, and I hope the Little Bear-Diamond Head reunion goes well. Give my regards to the guys and share this e-mail with them if you want to. Say high to Burt Rice for me. You might want to talk to Troy Thomas, who is the son of Roy Thomas, a C-model pilot, who was KIA on 10 May 69. Troy, who is active duty Airforce Officer was able to set up his own trip to his father's crash site on 10 May 99. He can give you a lot of information of how touring on your own in Viet Nam will be. Let me know how things go.

Gary A. Jones

Diamond Head/Centaur

Several people have asked me about organizing a trip back to Vietnam. If you wish to make the trip please let me know. The number is six now without looking. The Airfare prices right now are excellent..

I just received this and for anyone that is contemplating a trip to anywhere in Asia-This is the best deal I have ever seen. To extend it beyond 30 days is cheap and the cities you can go to are fantastic. I realize it is hard to get some of you off the couch to the fridge but thought maybe some might get enthused.;-)))

http://www.angeltravel.com/Airfare/Malaysia%20Airlines/malaysia_airlines_24%20cities_special.htm

News Items:

Black Hawk GPS device turns up in Afghan cave

By Ben Fenton in Washington

(Filed: 21/03/2002)

A GLOBAL positioning satellite device that belonged to one of the American special forces soldiers killed in the "Black Hawk Down" incident in Mogadishu in 1993 has been found in an Afghan cave, the Pentagon said yesterday.

The device, clearly marked with the name of Master Sgt Gary Gordon, was discovered in a cave being cleared by American troops at the end of Operation Anaconda.

The discovery of the GPS device seems to confirm American suspicions that Osama bin Laden's al-Qa'eda network was involved in fomenting trouble in Somalia, undermining international efforts to bring peace to the country.

Sgt Gordon was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honour for his bravery during the incident. Eighteen US Army Rangers were killed when they went on a mission to arrest two of the lieutenants of Mohammed Farar Aidid, the Somali warlord.

Meanwhile, the Pentagon will give details today of the military tribunals that will be used to bring senior al-Qa'eda and Taliban figures to trial if charged.Unlike a normal trial, conviction will

require only a two-thirds majority of the panel, but to impose a death sentence the panel must be unanimous.

All the Comforts of a War Zone For U.S. Troops, Afghan Air Base Is No Place Like Home

By Thomas E. Ricks

Washington Post Staff Writer

Tuesday, March 19, 2002; Page A01

BAGRAM AIR BASE, Afghanistan -- What is probably the most important U.S. Military base in the world at the moment is also one of the most unusual.

Not only are 4,000 U.S. and allied troops encamped here in the middle of a huge dump of ruined aircraft and other debris from 23 years of war, they are ringed by one of the world's largest minefields. Amenities are sparse -- there are none of the coffee bars and pizzerias that cater to U.S. troops at bases in Bosnia and Kosovo. And it is all cloaked in a fine dust, so light that it hangs in the air like insects, so pervasive that troops say floppy disks survive only about 24 hours of exposure before grinding to a halt.

"It's a bombed-out hellhole," said Army Maj. Bryan Hilferty, the U.S. military spokesman here.

On top of that, the atmosphere is the military equivalent of the memorable bar scene in "Star Wars," with a melange of troops and civilians from various countries. There are U.S. troops in a variety of uniforms, some toting automatic weapons, some in jogging clothes carrying nothing more threatening than portable music players. There are all sorts of foreign troops in their own uniforms. And there is a score of reporters, most in T-shirts, scarves and dirty khakis, living on the base, some in a tent that bears the handwritten sign "CNN Gulag." Rivulets of tan dust trickle off the seams of the tent when a truck rumbles by.

And there are other troops, whose identities can't be discussed under the military's ground rules for coverage here. The appearance of some combines aspects of both professions: as slovenly as the reporters but as lethal as the infantry.

Most surprising of all for a U.S. military base, there are locals strolling through it along the main road, some toting automatic weapons, others quietly offering to sell war souvenirs, as if the base were part of the Casbah. "Five dollars," one Afghan man whispered as he opened his jacket to reveal a Soviet bayonet hanging inside.

"There are Afghans walking around with AK-47s," said a shocked Marine Capt. Matt Keeney, a CH-53 helicopter pilot who was one of the reinforcements called in for the recent battle in the Shahikot Valley.

That apparently loose approach to security would be enough to give the typical U.S. general heart palpitations. For the Pentagon, protecting U.S. forces has been the top priority in recent missions in the Balkans and Haiti -- sometimes so much so that critics have argued that the military isn't allowed to take sufficient risks to accomplish its missions.

But Army Maj. Gen. Franklin L. "Buster" Hagenbeck, the commander of land operations in Afghanistan, said there are good reasons for the unusual setup here -- and that security is far tighter than it appears.

Allied Afghan militiamen are conducting a quiet but lethal operation in the area around the base, Hagenbeck said in an interview Friday. "The Afghan security forces . . . have been terribly effective taking people out over the last five months, but we don't advertise it," he said. Since November, he said, "we know that they've killed a number of people" near the base who were believed to be security threats.

Afghans inside the base generally have been screened by Afghan and U.S. security, Hagenbeck said. He conceded that there are some locals who sneak into the base on pathways that thread through the big minefields that surround Bagram, but he also said he is tightening security arrangements daily.

Hagenbeck and others here listed three prime reasons for the unorthodox approach. First, Bagram was originally a base for Special Forces and other unconventional U.S. troops, who tend to follow their own rules -- which aren't divulged to outsiders. Second, almost everything here, from troops to food, until recently had to be flown in, limiting the military's ability to ship in such nonessential items as espresso makers.

But the most important reason is the political message: The United States isn't here to stay. The bare-bones operation, Hagenbeck said, shows that the U.S. military presence is transient.

"We don't in any way, shape or form want to resemble the Soviets, or look like an occupying power," Hagenbeck said. After invading Afghanistan in 1979, the Soviet military occupied and expanded the Bagram base during the decade-long Soviet-Afghan war that ended in a Soviet withdrawal in 1989.

That's one reason that the U.S. troops here can't enjoy pizza and cappuccino, as their comrades do at Camp Bondsteel, the big U.S. base in Kosovo. "I think when you start creating a Bondsteel, there's an impression, rightly or wrongly, that you're going to be there for an extended period of time," Hagenbeck said.

Likewise, no American flag flutters in the Afghan wind. "This isn't going to be Americanized," said Lt. Col. Scott F. Donahue, a military engineer.

Nor it is even going to be very nice, if the Army sticks to its plans. "It stinks," said Spec. James Risinger, a door gunner on a CH-47 Chinook helicopter. He compared the conditions unfavorably to those in a nearby country he wasn't permitted to identify, where his unit has been posted for several months. "Our other place, in another country, was much better. The Air Force gave us air-conditioned tents, a TV tent, even a pool table, Nautilus equipment. This sucks."

Across the base, Staff Sgt. Steven Johnson worked with a crew of 10th Mountain Division infantrymen filling sandbags, part of the effort to boost security. Four days before, his soldiers had been in combat at Shahikot, with the eyes of the world upon them. Now they were just grunts again, shoveling dirt from a house-size mound, beads of sweat leaving dark trails on the dust caking their arms and faces. "This is like entertainment here," Johnson said, resolutely looking at the bright side.

Sgt. 1st Class Vincent Cuevas, a member of the 101st Airborne Division who recently returned from the Shahikot battle, said the conditions here are the worst he has ever seen on a deployment. But, as he sat on a box doing his paperwork, he said these troops can take it: "These infantry guys, they're hard guys."

As he spoke, a mine detonated on the far side of the runway, sending a tower of gray dust into the sky.

Since November, mines have inflicted four casualties on the base, injuring a U.S. soldier, a British soldier and two Afghans. The U.S. military is doing some small-scale clearance but doesn't plan to fully de-mine the area. In the 40 acres cleared so far, military engineers have unearthed more than 500 pieces of unexploded mines, bombs and mortar shells. "You'll never be able to completely clear this without literally decades of work," Donahue said.

If things look bad here now, added his colleague, Maj. Kevin Johnson, you should have seen it in November, when the Army arrived. Back then, he said, the bombed-out hangars were piled 10 feet deep with dirt, wrecked machinery and half-destroyed warplanes. Most of that junk has been bulldozed into bus-size piles that dot the base.

When he arrived in November, Johnson said he was told to plan for the arrival of no more than 500 U.S. troops. Now there are eight times that number. The mine-clearing bulldozers stay one step ahead of the expanding tent city where most of the troops live, he said.

There is one group here that doesn't find the conditions particularly uncomfortable: the Marines. Marine Capt. Brian Fanning, a CH-53 helicopter pilot, said he was surprised to find long-distance telephones, e-mail access, hot breakfasts and dinners, and heaters in his tent to ward off the chilly night air. "The Marines won't do that" on their deployments, he said.

Several Army soldiers said that a little discomfort is worth it if they can help destroy the al Qaeda terrorists who attacked the United States six months ago.

"I lost five people at the Pentagon, including one lieutenant colonel I've known for years," said Lt. Col. Kat Stone, the staff judge advocate, or military lawyer, for the 10th Mountain Division. "If I can help pay back some, I don't mind being a little uncomfortable."

In War, Soldiers Die

By Ralph Peters

To be an effective critic, you must also know when to praise. In the five short months since the beginning of combat action in Afghanistan by U.S. forces, our military has shown a remarkable ability to learn as it fights. The broadcast media, by comparison, has fought the opportunity to learn. As I write, various television and radio networks are trumpeting reports of half a dozen or so American combat deaths in tones reserved for catastrophes. The reportage is naive, irresponsible -- and just plain wrong.

American Losses

I have been a soldier. My most cherished friends still wear Army uniforms. Several are in Afghanistan or Pakistan at this moment, and a man I love as a brother is in an extremely dangerous position. I can assure the reader that my feelings regarding American losses are serious. But let me be blunt: While every American life matters, in war good guys get killed as well as bad guys. Soldiers know this when they volunteer. And nine or 10 -- or a 100 -- U.S. combat deaths do not indicate defeat or even a meaningful tactical setback, depending on the scale of the operation. (By the way, did the hundreds of firefighter deaths in the World Trade Center mean the New York Fire Department had failed?). Combat deaths indicate that we are serious about destroying the enemy, that we are willing to do whatever it takes. I would be far more distrustful of a campaign without casualties.

Consider how far we have come in a very short time. Immediately after Sept. 11, the great majority of commentators and pundits warned that any U.S. military intervention in Afghanistan was doomed. Of course, most of those talking heads had never served in uniform, had never been in the region, and had only the most superficial grasp of history. All they had were opinions -- but their defeatism was delicious to the media. To its enduring credit, the Bush administration ignored the think-tank cranks and soft-bellied columnists, with their taste for mediocre prose and imitation thought.

Our military, admittedly still suffering a residual infection from the cowardice of the Clinton years, moved timidly at first. Then the generals and admirals seem to have gotten the message that our national leadership was serious this time. The lights went on, and they were green ones. Our military embarked on an extraordinarily impressive program of learning-by-doing in wartime. When our Kosovo-style, stand-off bombing cued by strategic sensors didn't work, we quickly put special operations forces on the ground to identify targets. The effectiveness of our airstrikes soared. Despite more "expert" advice and handwringing from the punditocracy, we realized soon enough that the Northern Alliance was the horse to back.

When bombing fixed targets failed to have the desired effect, we turned to bombing the Taliban's frontline troops -- and watched them collapse. The war went even faster than a handful of optimists believed it could. According to our doctrine, our combination of the use of the most sophisticated strategic resources and old-fashioned boots on the ground (with satellite communications) was not the way such a campaign was supposed to work. But it was the way things did work. Given that the military is, above all, a bureaucracy, we were able to adjust to the new rules with astonishing speed.

In the Tora Bora operation, which was a powerful military success by any standard, we did get some things wrong. We expected too much of our Afghan surrogates, and, as a result, more of the Taliban and al Qaeda fighters escaped than we would have liked. But Tora Bora was an important milestone in getting over the no-ground-forces nonsense of the Clinton years -- it proved irrefutably that there are times when our troops must go in and do the job themselves.

That is what we are seeing now. Larger numbers of special operations forces and infantrymen are engaged in the current operations south of Gardez simply because that is what it takes. The Tora Bora operation was staged in haste, amidst the confusion of a fast-moving war and a collapsed state. This time, there has been a careful intelligence build-up, coordination with Pakistani forces on the border and with our allies, a build-up of innovative munitions for our aircraft, training and equipment for at least some of the Afghans fighting alongside of us -- and a detailed plan of operations. We timed the operation carefully, so the enemy would still be obstructed by winter conditions. Even security was better than it had been in the past, despite the scale of the effort. Our enemies were not allowed the time and the means to escape. Many, if not all, of them are surrounded now. Should we be surprised if encircled fanatics fight doggedly?

There likely will be more American casualties. Perhaps many more. We may see some American elements ambushed and even wiped out. That's war, folks. You suck it up and keep on marching. War is, ultimately, a contest of wills. And our war with terrorism is a knife-fight to the bone. When Americans die, the sole correct response is to hit back even harder.

Even the best-planned combat operations by the best-trained, best-equipped troops can go awry. Combat is disorienting, confusing, and indescribably dangerous. Your enemy is intent on killing you and surviving, just as you are intent on destroying him. Our combat losses, though we feel each one, are understandable and, to a painful extent, inevitable. We have done an astonishing and commendable job of limiting our casualties. But soldiers die in war.

My sole fear is that some elements within our government, responding to the broadcast media's alarmist whining, will argue for interrupting the operation. That would be entirely wrong. We cannot afford any more Mogadishus, where U.S. victories convince our leaders to cut and run. The least wavering merely encourages our enemies and costs us far more casualties down the line -- as the last administration's failure to take serious action against terrorism led directly to Sept. 11. I don't think the Bush administration will follow such a course -- but we must not flinch for even an instant. Not even if the casualty figures soar. The best way to honor our dead is to defeat the enemy.

Television Coverage

There are, of course, many factors involved in the hysterical, superficial reporting of military events. And there is a huge gulf between print journalism, which has become vastly more sophisticated and objective in its military reporting, and the gimme-a-screaming-headline atmosphere of much television coverage. Today, we have newspaper and magazine correspondents -- and some broadcast personnel, certainly -- who are as solid, informed and conscientious as any journalists from the past. But the appetite for sensationalism, combined with the lack of military experience or even basic knowledge, on the part of so many in the broadcast media is a disservice to our nation. Just listen to the inane questions Donald Rumsfeld has to suffer in his press briefings. Too many reporters just haven't paid their dues.

Conscripted Service: Good for Young Men and Society

By Patrick Hayes

There's something wrong with a society where a large number of teenagers are no-nothing, uneducated, ignorant, emotionally dead and directionless garbage. Tough words? Maybe, but what words do we tell the families of slain and injured police officers, and other citizens, who have fallen pray to this tide of useless scum, living off society at the expense of us all, knowing there are no consequences for their actions? Recently, there were two handgun attacks on law enforcement officers in New Mexico by youths who thought nothing of shooting a cop. The two officers were

wounded, one suspect was killed (by a veteran cop), the other wounded (by a rookie). Nationally, teen-involved shootings and shootings at police officers are on the rise. The question is, why?

Bottom line - an entire generation of teens (with more to come) are growing up without self-respect, much less respect for anyone else. They have no goals, no direction and certainly no discipline. They learn nothing from their TV shows, their computer and video games, and their Playstation II - nothing, that is, except reckless and needless violence, without consequences. And many parents of these "children" prove there are no consequences. If today's teens and twenty-something's have it so tough, how did our society survive the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, the movement west and the building of a country, the Great Depression, two world wars, not to mention the centuries

upon centuries of all our forefathers who had it even tougher?

Would today's teens have survived those tests of character? Obviously not. So why are we pandering to them now? Why is "discipline" a politically incorrect word to use in the same sentence as "children" or "teens"? Why don't teachers have the support of parents when those parents are told their son or daughter needs a little "guidance" - or in old-fashioned parlance - discipline? Like many other Americans, I am really tired of listening to the whining from the Left: the sociologists, the psychologists and the ever-present liberal

An apologist, telling us that everyone has an excuse for their actions. They didn't receive enough love, their mother didn't read to them, their father was aloof, or absent. So this becomes carte blanche for this societal garbage to do anything for kicks? "They're just kids, so send them to treatment rather than prison," is becoming a worn cliché, especially after these "kids" commit bloody, reckless, needless murder and other acts of violence. We have become not only a teen-violent society, but also a society of "victims"

and "losers." Andrea Yates in Texas murdered her five children in deliberate cold blood and claimed it was "a woman's thing," and received the staunch support of feminists and other left-wing activists. Her children, however, won't have the opportunity to become restless juveniles. Another prime example in this country of the completely left-wing, mindless, useless parenting are the parents of Johnny "bin" Walker, the Taliban fighter from northern California. Rather than neglected, this kid was given everything he wanted - apparently never denied anything - and still ended up in an Afghan prison where an American former Marine and CIA officer was murdered! "But," we hear, "Johnny has problems." BS! Johnny's only problem should be facing down a firing squad!

There is something inherently wrong with a society that protects the maladjusted perpetrators at the expense of the rights and freedoms of law-abiding citizens, while giving little or nothing to the few who volunteer to serve. However, at least since the draft-dodger left the White House, the current administration has moved to improve the lot of the American military - a step in the right direction, but why do these young men and women who protect our country appear

to stand alone? Military obligation as a part of citizenship is as old as the Greeks, who required their young men to serve - and in serving, learned what being a citizen

really meant. Romans, from 17 to 60, considered service in the militia to be a great honor. There are still young men and women in the United States who feel it a privilege to wear their country's uniform.

But there are many others, thanks to the re-emergence of the American Left in the 1960s, who have, certainly since the Vietnam War, denigrated serving their country and fostered the "do your own thing" mentality on the youth that has grown up since the 1970s. The result, as argued previously, is another lost generation.

How many generations can we afford to lose?

Two of the elements that run through our history is that men usually have had to go to war, or at least serve their country at some point in their lives and, war or not, there was always a direction to follow, or objectives to be achieved - and historically, men gained that direction and discipline in their own lives by

serving in the military. Anyone think it a little strange that the mass "problems" with teenagers began soon after the draft ended in 1973 - with the crop of Dr. Spock-guided parents? Yes, there have been extended periods of time when there was no conscription in

the United States. However, there were other societal "norms" that gave

individuals their sense of dignity, discipline and direction - such as family and the extended family, a sense of belonging, a sense of honor, and a sense of personal pride. Today's "family" usually consists of a single parent with children, or a combination of two divorced families uniting - for a while - usually with a collection of confused and rootless offspring without direction, belonging, pride, and dignity and certainly without discipline. The current threat of terrorism is an aberration. The threat of violence from criminals - who are getting younger all the time - is a constant in our society.

The question is, what, as an advanced society with all the rights and privileges of such a society, do we do?

Today, we are engaged in a very violent, civilian-threatening war against worldwide terrorism. Yet, much of the military, and certainly National Guard and Reserve units, are under-strength, under-trained and under prepared for the threats the country faces.

Maybe, just maybe, the answer to both dilemmas facing the country is

reintroducing conscripted service - the draft. No one would argue that the draft would immediately solve societal problems, or that the military wants society's misfits. But it may be a place to start. When you have a society that has grown so soft and ignorant that its young members know nothing of where they came,

depending on a small cadre of ill-trained and ill-equipped volunteers - which continues to get smaller - to hold the line and protect them, then we invite the common threat of victimization, as we witnessed on Sept. 11, 2001. The Left will tell us that there were many reasons why we were attacked on September 11, but there is one primary reason that the attack was so successful. We, as a nation, were unprepared, we were weak and we were ignorant. We as a nation are now led by a Congress with the likes of Tom Daschle, Joe Biden, Ed Kennedy, Pat Leahy, Joe Lieberman, Chuck Shumer, and Hillary Clinton, to name but a few, none of whom has ever served a minute in uniform, who seem to be out

of touch with the majority of Americans. They lack the knowledge, but more importantly, they lack the experience to be able to make, much less comprehend, decisions of life and death made on a battlefield.

Two years of conscripted military service for every male of 18 years of age would, I believe, bring the sense of direction, purpose and discipline back to a

country that is adrift in a violent and threatening sea. Although the skipper and crew are sound, the ship's hull and rudder seems to be spineless and lacking direction. With a reinstated draft, it would no longer be necessary for most recruiters to be scouring the bottom of the barrel for warm bodies. From the Defense

Department's position, it would no longer be necessary to lower the standards to such a level that it becomes a dangerous proposition to field such troops who

are ill-trained, ill-equipped, ill-led, with a total lack of discipline. Two years of conscripted service for every able-bodied male, without college deferments or family-purchased "get out of draft" cards, would change the complexion of crime in this country. Young men would again be given direction and a meaning to their lives, if only to know that they want to do something other than serve in the military following their term. Regardless, that training would remain with them for the rest of their lives and help guide them to be

productive citizens, possibly even elected officials. But at least they would learn to make that decision and have those goals, enhanced by the

self-discipline and self-respect gained in no-holds barred military

environment. Once in uniform, the time-wasting "sensitivity training" and other anti-military nonsense invoked by the Clinton crowd that worked to devoid the services of their raison d'etre - to fight and win wars (or as another former Marine recently reminded me, to close with and kill the enemy) - need to be addressed. The military must get back to basics: bayonet practice and rifle marksmanship, leadership and responsibility. Pregnancy and the military is an oxymoron.

The military is not a social science laboratory. It is what keeps us protected from the barbarians at the gate. Like the Greatest Generation, we need to again produce a generation of men who believe in themselves, but more importantly,

believe in their country, unlike the crop of spineless handwringers currently holding sway in the U.S. Senate.

Patrick Hayes is a contributing editor to Defense Watch. He can be reached at Gyrene65@netscape.net.

A Little Humor

Good rules for aviators to live by.

1. Every takeoff is optional. Every landing is mandatory.

2. If you push the stick forward, the houses get bigger. If you pull the stick back, they get smaller. That is, unless you keep pulling the stick all the way back, then they get bigger again.

3. Flying isn't dangerous. Crashing is what's dangerous.

4. It's always better to be down here wishing you were up there than up there wishing you were down here.

5. The ONLY time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire.

6. The propeller is just a big fan in front of the plane used to keep the pilot cool. When it stops, you can actually watch the pilot start sweating.

7. When in doubt, hold on to your altitude. No one has ever collided with the sky.

8. A "good" landing is one from which you can walk away. A "great" landing is one after which they can use the plane again.

9. Learn from the mistakes of others. You won't live long enough to make all of them yourself.

10. You know you've landed with the wheels up if it takes full power to taxi to the ramp.

11. The probability of survival is inversely proportional to the angle of arrival. Large angle of arrival, small probability of survival and vice versa.

12. Never let an aircraft take you somewhere your brain didn't get to five minutes earlier.

13. Stay out of the clouds. The silver lining everyone keeps talking about might be another airplane going in the opposite direction. Reliable sources also report that mountains have been known to hide out in clouds.

14. Always try to keep the number of landings you make equal to the number of take-offs you've made.

15. There are three simple rules for making a smooth landing.Unfortunately no one knows what they are.

16. You start with a bag full of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before you empty the bag of luck.

17. Helicopters can't fly; they're just so ugly the earth repels them.

18. If all you can see out of the window is ground that's going round and round and all you can hear is commotion coming from the passenger compartment, things are not at all as they should be.

19. In the ongoing battle between objects made of aluminum going hundreds of miles per hour and the ground going zero miles per hour, the ground has yet to lose.

20. Good judgment comes from experience. Unfortunately, the experience usually comes from bad judgment.

21. It's always a good idea to keep the pointy end going forward as much as possible.

22. Keep looking around. There's always something you've missed.

23. Remember, gravity is not just a good idea. It's the law, and it's not subject to repeal.

24. The three most useless things to a pilot are the altitude above you, runway behind you, and the fuel you did not take on.

War Stories:

Nobody Knew His Name

By Colonel John A. G. Klose, USA (Ret.)

His call sign was "Music One Six". His voice was very deep, clear and unforgettable. Everyone there knew who "Music One Six" was, but nobody knew his name. His remains, and those of his copilot First Lieutenant Alan Boffman, came to the United States on 19 July 1990, 19 years, four months and one day after being shot down in Laos, 18 March 1971.

It was during LAM SON 719. "Music One Six" was the leader of an attack helicopter section from "D" Company, 101st Aviation Battalion. He and his section were assisting in the extraction of 1st ARVN Infantry Division's 4/1 Battalion after six weeks of heavy combat in Laos.

The 4/1 Battalion had a strength of 420 when they had been inserted 40 kilometers into Laos by helicopter combat assault. After six weeks of continuous contact with North Vietnamese Regulars, the battalion had been

reduced in strength to 88, 61 of which were wounded. An English-speaking sergeant whose call sign was "Whiskey" was in command and had the only operable radio. They were surrounded in a bomb crater at the base of a 1,500 foot escarpment near the Xe Pon River. The enemy had loudspeakers and was calling for the unit to surrender.

Sixty-eight U.S. Air Force airstrikes were used to keep the enemy forces from overrunning the 4/1 Battalion's final positions. U.S. Army Cobra gunships fired in direct support of the unit. Often, the effects of their

fire were on the perimeter of the bomb crater.

"Music One Six" and his section had refueled, rearmed a number of times, returning to the battle and expended their ammunition throughout the afternoon in support of "Whiskey" and his unit. The last smoke grenade to mark the friendly position has long since been used. "Music One Six" knew exactly where the 4/1 survivors were. It was he who volunteered to lead the troop carrying helicopters into the bomb crater to extract the unit. He said "Spasm Two Two (Operations Officer of the 173 Aviation Company) this is Music One Six, follow me and I will lead you to the friendlies".

On final approach to the bomb crater, "Music One Six's" Cobra came under intense enemy ground fire. He aborted the approach and told the other helicopters to follow him around for another approach. His aircraft was on fire and he had lost his hydraulic controls. He brought his gunship into a slow 360-degree turn back toward the friendly unit. He calmly stated, "My mast is on fire and I've lost my hydraulics. There they are twelve o'clock.

100 meters, I'm going to try to make it to the river."

Smoke and flames could be seen trailing from his gunship as it turned toward the river. His rotor RPM was decaying as the rotors noticeably began to slow down. "I've lost my engine and my transmission is breaking up. Good-bye. Give my love to my wife and family", were "Music One Six's" last words as

his helicopter crashed and became a ball of fire.

Everyone in the air over the bomb crater knew that they had witnessed an unparalleled act of courage and selfless devotion to duty; that one aircrew had given their lives so that 88 other soldiers might live. Everyone there will always remember "Music One Six". But nobody there that day knew his name. The urgency of a situation-involving fellow soldiers on the ground, had everyone together that day.

To paraphrase General MacArthur, "I know not of the dignity of their births, but I can attest to the dignity of their deaths..." No heroes ever died more courageous deaths. I was proud to be with them on the field of battle that

day. I was privileged to be at Travis Air Force Base on 18 July 1990 when "Music One Six" Captain Keith Brandt (age 31 at death) and his copilot 1LT Alan Boffman (age 24 at death) came home. I was proud to salute their caskets on behalf of their many comrades who served with them that day in Laos. None of us will ever forget them.

Colonel Healy's Lonely Hearts Club Band

By SSG George "Sonny" Hoffman

In June of 1968, General Creighton W. Abrams assumed command of all U.S. Forces in Vietnam. The very conventional Abrams was no lover of Special Forces. With orders to begin Vietnamizing the war, he moved quickly to phase out the SF role and send the 5th Special Forces Group home. His early

efforts were thwarted by many high level people that thought SF was an efficient use of American manpower, and that their use should increase as US forces pulled out. The mad rush to turn over the SF camps to the Vietnamese resulted in disaster, and Abrams was forced to slow his plans.

The perception in the Abrams camp was that the Special Forces were digging their heels in and resisting their phase out. The perception throughout SF was that Abrams was out to get them. Both were right.

When I arrived in-country on September 17, '69, the war between the SF and Gen. Abrams was in high gear. In August, Abrams relieved the 5th SF Group commander. MACV jailed him and seven other Green Berets on a charge of killing a Vietnamese double agent. The charges were later dropped, but Abrams replaced our commander with a non-Special Forces colonel, a man that wasn't even jump qualified--what SFers call a "straight leg."

To be led by a "leg" was a tremendous blow to the Green Berets. It was meant to be a slap in the face; the slap stung. SF slapped back by playing to the media. The Green Berets are almost as good as the U.S. Marines when it comes to protecting and projecting their image.

The press came down hard on Abrams and made heroes of the eight Green Berets sitting in Long Binh Jail--the infamous LBJ. Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the new colonel was trying to earn his jump wings by making five jumps in a jump school designed especially for him. He broke his leg and was shipped home in a cast. His replacement was Colonel "Iron Mike" Healy. At that time, he was arguably the finest Special Forces officer anywhere. He was Mr. Green Beret. How he got command was a mystery, but a pleasant surprise. One thing for certain, though, it wasn't Abrams' idea.

"Iron Mike" was loved and respected by every man that soldiered under a green beanie. Colonel Healy was hard core and told it like it was; but more importantly, he took no crap off of anyone, including Abrams and his command staff. He was an officer we would have followed into hell without a map or compass. We all knew that the end of our involvement in the war was near, because the American people were tired of the endless stalemate. We knew we would go, but at least under Mike Healy, leaving would look less like a rout

and more like our own idea.

Leaving Vietnam was difficult for many of the old timers. Some traced their involvement all the way back to 1944 when--as members of the OSS--they trained Ho Chi Minh's rag tag band of guerrillas to fight the Japanese. Special Forces advisory teams were making regular visits to South Vietnam as early as 1957. Our first casualty was recorded that same year, just outside Nha Trang. He was Captain Harry G. Cramer. He died two years before we even started counting Vietnam war dead, so his name is not on The Wall in DC.

Many old timers seemed to be homesteading Vietnam. Encountering men with six, seven, or eight tours was not uncommon in 1969. On my team, A-502, SFC Jim Tolbert had become an icon. He was reputed to have beach front property, a pig farm, and a fleet of pedicabs. Others had gone native and were deeply

involved with the people, especially the Yards. The prospect of leaving was traumatic to contemplate. We all knew the South Vietnamese could not, or would not fight. We feared the worst for the Yards, as they had thrown in their lot with us and we were packing it in.

Closing an A-camp (they were actually turned over to the Vietnamese) was a sad affair. Most of the camps had been in existence since 1961 and were a home away from home to many SFers. When I arrived at camp A-502 around the first of October of '69, we had just been told to plan on closing the camp

by the first of March 1970. I took the news in stride, but the guys that had spent years building the place and training the troops were despondent about turning it over to the Vietnamese.

When the big day finally arrived, we stood in formation with the camp strikers (now called Rangers), the LLDB, and local dignitaries for the change of command. That night, the American team members gathered at one of our old outposts in Nha Trang for a private party. For the party, we hired a Filipino Rock band (they were common in Vietnam, and played the U.S. club circuit) and invited SF support personnel from the Special Forces Operational Base in Nha Trang for a real blow out. The object was to let it all hang out and get curb-crawling, knuckle-dragging, commode-hugging drunk.

The bash was to be the last time many of us would see each other, as we were all slated to be either sent home, or sent out to other A-teams to finish out our tours. Since Sgt. Bemis and I still had six months to go, we were awaiting reassignment. Don Bemis and I had become great friends and we shared a common past as members of Rock and Roll bands in high school. I had been a drummer; he was a singer. Jim Tolbert was a balladier and guitar player who had several records out that were popular in Vietnam. He wrote and sang, Purple Heart and Choi Oi among others. He was well known in the 5th Group and could be counted on to pick up his guitar and keep guys entertained for hours, strumming his war ballads. The guy was damn good.

During the performance, Bemis and I asked to sit in on a few numbers with the band. Later, Jim picked up a guitar and was joined by Dalton Kast, a staff sergeant from Project Delta. Kast was outstanding on guitar, but his real talent was his singing. He sounded more like Johnny Cash than Johnny Cash did. For a group that just fell together out of the blue, we weren't half bad. Maybe it was all the booze, but we were a big hit and stayed on for the rest of the night. When the band's time was up, they left their instruments with us to be picked up in the morning. They knew we wanted to keep playing, and they didn't want to stop our party. Long into the early morning hours, A-502 went down partying hard. It was a close-out party none of us would ever forget, and a most fitting way to end our involvement at camp Trung Dung.

A lieutenant colonel (his name escapes me) from "Iron Mike's" staff attended our party. As we played our hearts out, the seed of a bizarre idea began to germinate in his head. He said nothing to us that night, or for several days following the party, but after the party, strange things began to happen.

The first inkling that something was up came the next morning when Bemis and I went to find out what our new assignments would be. While all the other team members that weren't going home drew assignments and headed for the four corners of the war, we were told that our orders were flagged--put on hold. No explanation was given, we were just told to wait. Waiting is hell when you wait in the dark.

Two days later, we bumped into Jim Tolbert who was supposed to have left for

Cam Ranh Bay to board a freedom bird for home. In his case, they had asked his permission to flag his orders, still saying nothing except that they wouldn't ask if it wasn't important, and that he wasn't in any kind of trouble. Jim wasn't happy about the flagging, but being a good soldier, gave his consent. Jim had good reasons for wanting on that freedom bird and missing home wasn't one of them. Evidently, he had some problems with liquidating some of his unofficial assets and was laying low.

With Tolbert's inclusion, we at least had something to go on--we were the three team members that got on stage at the party. Why that would generate a flag on our orders was beyond our reasoning. The only thing we could figure was that some big wigs wanted us to jam at their private party. If that was the case, we knew Tolbert would go berserk. Out of curiosity, we looked up that staff sergeant from Project Delta, Dalton Kast. He was easy to find, as he had been put on administrative stand down (no combat operations) the

morning after the party.

He was happy to see us, as it gave him a clue as to what was going down. Dalton gave us the only rational explanation for the puzzle: the Filipino band had obviously put a claim against the 5th Group for damages to their instruments, and until it was settled, no one would go anywhere. We knew we hadn't done the instruments any harm, but it would not have been the first time someone tried to scam Uncle Sam.

The idea of being wrongly accused bothered us greatly. The Filipino band was still in the area. We found them at the Air Force NCO Club and cornered the leader between sets. He was very friendly and swore they had made no complaints against us. We were back to square one.

The riddle unfolded the next morning in a briefing at the headquarters building. Present were Jim Tolbert, Dalton Kast, Don Bemis, the lieutenant colonel from the party, a few staff officers and me. We were in a briefing room about to get briefed. We sat around a large oblong table with a huge map of Southeast Asia on the wall. The lieutenant colonel stood at the map end of the table.

He said, "Gentlemen, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, but until last night, I had nothing to put out. I know you all realize that we are in the process of closing out A-camps throughout Vietnam. Your camp, A-502, was one of the first. The pace of camp closings will pick up in the coming months. Within the next six months, most of the camps will be closed. We are slated to be out of Vietnam by the end of the year. The way you guys went out, is the way Colonel Healy wants all A-camps to go out--with a party. Iron Mike said, 'In Special Forces, we fight hard and we party hard. When the fighting's over, it's time to party.'

"The problem is, most of our camps are in the most remote regions and getting a civilian band to them is too risky and would probably cost a small fortune. The men on those border camps haven't seen any form of

entertainment in years: no bands, dancing girls, TV, not even a donut dolly.

"What we need, gentlemen, is a combat band--a band, every bit as good as anything that tours the rear areas, but composed of volunteers from within the ranks. We need a band that can play popular rock and country music to go to the camps and provide the entertainment for their close-out parties. We have no idea how this will go over. You may get blown away the first time you set up out in the open and start playing. Charlie may not like rock or country; we just don't know how he will react.

"The bottom line is this: Colonel Healy wants a first-rate combat band ready to roll out of here within thirty days. He promises all the support that is required. What I need to know is: can it be done, and who wants in?"

Jim wanted in but for personal reasons had to decline. Dalton, Don, and I readily agreed to sign on for the duration. Dalton, being the ranking NCO, took command and we went to work building a combat band.

Our first order of business was to figure out what a combat band was, then decide how to go about building it. We needed to locate instruments. Special Services loaned us drums and guitars and a third rate PA system. The equipment would not serve our purposes, but it would do as a start. Jim Tolbert remained to help get the show going and serve as a scrounge. When it came to scrounging, Jim put me to shame. What ever we thought of, he found, and we acquired.

We needed a lead and a base guitarist. Jim found them both in Nha Trang. Pete Barra was a jazz guitarist from New York. Pete was drafted into the army as a clerk, but his passion was jazz. Pete could make a guitar do anything: jazz, country, rock, blues, and he made it all look easy. When Pete heard something once, he was ready to play.

Red Sirois, from Maine, played base with the group that put out, Bird is the Word. He was a real pro and needed little or no practice. He, too, was a draftee and Nha Trang clerk--the band had two "legs." Getting the two clerks released to us was no problem. Getting them to go out in the jungle to play their guitars was another matter. In the end, the desire to play music for a living won out and a band was formed: Dalton, Don, Pete, Red, and Sonny.

The band needed a name, or so we thought. We learned that there was no place for a band of any kind in the Special Forces organizational structure. The whole project was to be low profile--no promotion. Without promotion, what good is a name? Unofficially, we were referred to as the 5th Special Forces Group Political Warfare Band. We were also called: The 5th Group, The Green Beanies, The Round Eye Band, Iron Mike's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Mostly, we were just, "The Band."

Equipment was a big priority. We needed the right equipment, and fast, so we could begin working with the instruments we would be going out with. The funds to buy this equipment came from a CIA special operations slush fund--or so the story went. I doubt we will ever know where the money came from, but it was unofficial funds to be sure. We were warned not to discuss the band's business with anyone. This was typical of unconventional operations. I doubt that the band appears anywhere in SF documents or unit

structure.

Regardless of how they did it, Dalton and Don were flown to Hong Kong with a blank check and told that Colonel Healy wanted an American band that was to bands what the Harley Davidson was to motor scooters. They returned with the best equipment money could buy. I got a set of Ludwig drums just like Ringo Star's. The guitars were Vox and the amplifiers were Stadium Super Beatles designed for outdoor concerts. Cranked all the way up, they'd blow a tank off the road.

We had echo chambers, fuzz and wa wa effect machines. Our PA sound system was state of the art. When the boys came back from Hong Kong it was like Christmas in March. We went nuts over our neat stuff. We were riding a hog on a highway with no cops and the gas was free.

Our next challenge was to play up to our equipment. We dedicated ourselves to perfecting our craft to the best of our abilities in the shortest amount of time. We wanted to give the guys on the line the very best the instruments and the musicians could offer. Many American performers toured Vietnam rear areas. Most gave their stylistic renditions of popular music. The equipment they brought to Vietnam was little better than the Special Services loaners we started with. These performers were always well-received, but the men wanted to hear the familiar songs that took them home, sung without an accent.

We agreed that authentic recreation was what they wanted--live American music, loud and clear. To that end, we became mimics of the popular bands of both country western and rock. We gathered the recordings and copied them beat for beat, note for note.

Dalton Kast did one hour of the best Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Charlie Pride I'd ever heard. Don Bemis was a dead ringer for Paul McCartney. We put together three hours of music--one hour of country, sandwiched between two hours of rock. We also became familiar with every piece of 50's' and 60's'

music that might be requested. The most popular ones were the sounds that were playing when the guys were back in "The World." They were: Proud Mary, Purple Haze, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Fire, Smoke on the Water, Inna Godda Da Vida, Leaving on a Jet Plane, Yellow Ribbon, House of the Rising Sun, all of

the Beatles and all of the country standards.

We had the use of the base theater for practice sessions; and, as our shows came together, we played before live audiences in the Nha Trang Clubs. Even in the first shows that were more live practice sessions than performances, everyone raved about our music. The GI's thought we were great; we thought we were good. The clubs were packed every night we performed. In all honesty, I was the least talented member of the group, and I wasn't bad,except when I sang Dock of the Bay.

We were asked by the lieutenant colonel to learn two Vietnamese numbers to add to our show. It was thought to be a nice gesture to the Vietnamese in our audiences. Since I spoke some Vietnamese, that job fell to me. My other task was to learn the lengthy drum solo from the Iron Butterfly's Inna Godda Da Vida beat for beat. I managed to do both before we went on the road, but I spent many hours playing records over, and over, and over again. I worked hard, but no harder than anyone else.

We had one week left to practice before our scheduled departure. We played the Officers Club in Nha Trang with Iron Mike in attendance for the first time. He was ecstatic with his combat band. With the "old man" we were a big hit. He was in a good mood anyway, because the siege on camps Dak Pek and

Dak Seang had just been broken. For over one month the two camps north of Kontom near the Laos border were besieged by the NVA 2nd Division. Thousands had died. SF Mobile Strike Forces and B-52s broke the NVA's back. The camps were down but not out. They had survived several human wave assaults, B-52

air strikes, and continuous ground combat for weeks. They hung on tenaciously and survived. Though they weren't due to close in the near future, survival was cause for celebration.

The next morning, we were awakened early and told to get our shit. Half awake, we stumbled as a group into the lieutenant colonel's office. Dalton said, "What the hell's going on? We were supposed to have the morning off. We were playing till past midnight."

The lieutenant colonel smiled and said, "Iron Mike says you're ready, and he wants his band at Dak Seang on the next chopper. Need I say more?"

"Sir," Said Dalton, "From what I hear those camps were leveled. Do they even have generators? Electric guitars are real hard to hear unless you plug them into something."

"We understand. Look, the 2nd NVA is still in the hills licking their wounds. The camps are still standing and still being defended. What better way is there to say, 'up yours' than to bring in a live band and have a

party under their noses. The beer, ice, and generators are already on the way. All they need now is a band. You call yourselves a combat band; here's your chance to prove it."

"Sir, we'll go get our shit!"

At noon, we were in Kontom. At one, we were in a low flying chopper snaking our way towards Dak Seang while F4 Phantom jets dropped napalm on the mountain ridge to our right. As we banked hard to the left to approach the camp's airstrip, 50 caliber machine guns raked the opposite hills. The chopper touched down (slid down, actually). A group of Yards ran out and roughly man-handled our precious gear off the chopper as we scrambled to the ditch alongside the battered runway. The chopper took off and we were left

with a very confused welcoming party. The Yards had never seen band instruments. One unzipped a drum case and peered in at the pearl and chrome tom tom that had rolled to the ditch under the rotor wash. When he looked to me with a puzzled expression, I simply said, "Ludwig."

Dak Seang was everything we'd imagined and worse. Along with aircraft wreckage that littered the area, the scorched and battered earthworks, the B-52 insulted terrain, we were also assaulted with the stench of decaying bodies left for weeks in the sun. Bodies and pieces of bodies littered the jungle surrounding Dak Seang, but there was no time for sight seeing or smelling. We had a show to put on.

The A-team members of Dak Seang were in agreement with Iron Mike--it was party time. We all speculated as to what the enemy would do. With their hillside vantage, they were looking right down our throats. Some thought that just setting up for the show should bring the expected incoming rounds. Others said the enemy would wait until we started playing. Several thought the enemy would settle in and listen along with the camp defenders. Whatever the reaction, we had to set up and start playing to find out. The camp defenders simply looked on with an amused detachment as we worked to set up.

We chose the broad flat top of the medical bunker to set up our instruments. Each of us went about setting up our respective parts under the watchful eyes of friend and foe. As we unpacked drums, amplifiers, mike stands and cords, the Yards and American team members looked on from protected areas.The NVA watched from the hills.

Twenty minutes later, we were ready to start; and so far, no word from Chuck. As we were about to kick in with our lead-in song, Proud Mary, I felt ridiculous sitting in the open beside a twenty-four inch brass cymbal, shining in the afternoon sun. I just knew some enemy gunner had his cross hairs on my cymbals and was waiting for the downbeat to cut loose. The band's "legs" were a bit wobbly to say the least. When all was ready, Don Bemis turned to me and said, "Hell of a way to die, huh?...ONE, TWO, THREE,

FOUR..."

For whatever reason, the hills remained silent throughout the show. Eventually, the Yards and American team members came out of the bunkers and moved in on the stage. They were fascinated with the sounds we were making. The beer started flowing, and the defenders of Dak Seang had a party. Loud music echoed through the valley well into the night.

The next day, we were air lifted to the next valley and camp Dak Pek. Dak Pek was an unusual SF camp in that it sat on seven hills surrounded by mountains. The Americans occupied a hill to themselves, centrally located. The team at Dak Pek was glad to see any friendly face, but they were beat. They had had little sleep for weeks on end as the camp had been breached many times with a significant loss of life. They'd lost several American team members. We set up in the team house for a low key private party.

Afterwards, the band took up positions to relieve the tired defenders. Red and Pete took turns on radio watch. Dalton manned the tactical operations center. Bemis and I alternated on the 4.2 inch mortar, firing illumination rounds every fifteen minutes throughout the night. The team members got some much-needed rest that night, and the band learned what it meant to be a combat band. How many band members have ever had to do a four-hour gig, then man a mortar pit all night?

For five months, the band went from camp to camp. We traveled from the tip of the delta in the south, to the DMZ up north. We brought with us a little respite from war. Even our tired adversary seemed to appreciate the break, for they never interrupted a show with a show of their own. We were fired on coming into a camp, but only once when leaving.

At camp Ba Xoai (Ba Swi) in the delta, our show was interrupted by a B-52 strike. We stopped to watch the awesome display of firepower being vented on the mountains fronting the camp. It felt like a rolling earthquake with the sound of muffled thunder. When we departed the next day, the enemy fired a 51 caliber machine gun at our chopper. The fire came from the area of the bombardment. I suppose if you bomb your audience, you can't expect good reviews.

Visiting so many places over a five month period, the camps began to blend as one in my memory. Typically, we offered our services to the A-team commander to use us as he saw fit. Mostly that meant putting on two shows: one for the camp population, the other for the A-team. The show for the camp was a one hour affair featuring my Vietnamese songs, which were a big hit, mostly because of the novelty of seeing an American singing a popular Vietnamese song. Even the Yards liked it. The Yards liked the music with a strong jungle beat. Yards like "Inna Godda Da Vida."

One team commander asked us to set up in the nearby Montagnard village. He provided a portable generator. The curious villagers quietly watched us set up. We did not tune our instruments, wanting the first sounds they heard to be our opening. Proud Mary sent Yards scrambling for the trees. They slowly emerged and gathered near, wearing big smiles. Yards have a sense of humor as well as good taste in music.

In the team houses afterwards, we put on a more relaxed and informal show that often lasted long into the night. After one of our performances, the enemy could have easily overrun the camp with little difficulty, as the team was usually stone drunk. Being the only ones left standing after an all nighter, manning the important camp defenses fell to the band by index. Fortunately, we were never tested, and the worst that ever befell a team was a group hangover the next morning.

Before we began our tour, we speculated as to how the old-timers, the team sergeants, would take to rock and roll--"hippie music." They are a very conservative group, die-hard country fans. Early in our tour, while playing in a team house bunker, a grizzled old top sergeant stopped us at the beginning of Jumpin' Jack Flash. We thought he wanted us to turn the volume down, but we were as low as the amps would go.

He said, "The night before I left the states, my daughter was playing that song. I yelled upstairs for her to turn that shit down. Do me a favor, will ya? Turn that som bitch up all the way."

On a scale of ten, we were set between one and two. Even outdoors, we usually set the volume at six. Ten could knock birds from the sky. We tried to discourage him. He insisted. We cranked it up and resumed. Sand poured from the steel rafters; bottles and glasses danced across table tops; the other team members covered their ears, but the old sarge stood before us with a big smile. His daughter would have been proud.

When we played the larger, rear-area units, riots broke out from the drunken revelry as men under long periods of stress let off steam. Alcohol,firearms, and loud rock music are not the best of combinations. In themovie, The Blues Brothers, there is a scene where the band plays a country honkie tonk behind a chicken wire screen. That scene brought on a Vietnam flashback for me.

Many of our big base shows degenerated into madness as the men let it all hang out. We played the clubs at just about every big base. These were goodwill gestures by the SF "C" and "B" team commanders. Few knew who we were. We were billed simply as "An American Band." GIs had a hunger for real American band sounds, played loud and strong. They say music soothes the savage breast; ours never did. Brawls were common when men of different units mixed.

The civilian bands never played under these conditions. Females (singers, dancers, Go-Go girls and strippers) were almost a prerequisite for touring bands. The presence of any female tempered the crowd. Civilian bands were treated as special guests and security was high. Fights were rare and would stop a show.

With our band--having no women and being GIs--security was almost non-existent. The GIs, the commanders, and the MPs pretty-much let it all hang out. Fights were common and would not stop one of our shows. We played through fights. We played through riots. We even played through incoming. We stopped when the man in charge told us to stop, which was usually at the point where firearms might be brought into play.

In Can Tho, the SF sergeant major had to end the show which pissed off a drunk Sea Bee. He was then tossed out by the sergeant major. I walked away from my drums and headed for my bunk to get clear of the chaos. A short while later, the Sea Bees were in the room next to mine arguing among themselves. I was about to go find a quiet bunker to sleep in when the sound of a sub-machine gun firing a long burst came from their room. A crying wail followed.

I crawled outside and peered over the sandbag wall into their room. Standing just inside the door was a See Bee with a smoking grease gun still aimed at a writhing figure on a bottom bunk. The man on the bunk was the loud mouth from the club. He had six 45 caliber holes in him, but was still alive. I came up behind the gunman and took hold of the gun. He let it go. I unloaded it as a medic arrived to see about the wounded man. I don't know what happened to either of them. I returned to my bunk, and we left first thing in the morning.

At Kontom, home of CCC recon, a wild brawl and a general club destroying melee highlighted a stellar performance. At the sister base in Ban Me Tuot, home of CCS recon, beer was so deep on the concrete floor it made waves when people walked through it or fell in it. It was there that Red was almost electrocuted before the equipment shorted out from all the beer it had absorbed. CCS was like the bar scene from the "Blues Brothers" movie, except without the protective wire cage. Special Forces likes to party hard.

We lost Dalton in June; his time in-country was up. I was made the NCO in charge for our tour of I Corps. Red proved to be a competent country western singer, though he was no Dalton Kast. By the time we got to I Corps, we were the best combat rock n roll/country band in the world.

In the five months that we toured, we saw a side of the war that few knew. Both sides took a vacation from combat to hear us play music. I saw Americans, Vietnamese, and Montagnards standing shoulder to shoulder, smiling, laughing, and clapping, swinging to the beat of "hippie music." I saw a battle-hardened Green Beret crying like a baby over some silly song that was probably playing in the background at some not-so-silly time in his life. I saw an old Montagnard mouthing the words, "I'm proud to be an Oakie from Muscogie." When you've seen that, you've seen it all.

I've heard it said that war is hell, but that was said by a man who never served in a combat band.

Epilogue

I don't know the details, but Dalton Kast died in 1975. I last contacted Don Bemis in 1972. He was singing professionally. I haven't been able to locate Red or Pete. A reunion is in order. If the Beatles can do it minus one member, so can we.

Don and I returned for another tour with CCC recon at Kontum. We tried to turn in the band equipment, but nobody would receive it. The equipment wasn't on any supply system. No one had responsibility for it, and nobody wanted it in their supply system.

We took it to Kontum and locked it in a shed. It remaind there while we ran recon. When our time was up, we again tried to turn the stuff in. We contacted the supply officer in Nha Trang, a man who knew the band well. He said, "You earned it; take it home. If you don't, it will go to the Vietnamese."

We divided it and sent it home in our hold baggage. I traded my half for a 650 BSA chopper and did the Easy Rider scene for a year. Bemis put his to good use. At least it didn't fall into the hands of the Communist menace. That would have made the Vietnam War a worse tragedy. Thank God that didn't

happen.

Used by permission.

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers,

For he today that sheds his blood with me, Shall be my brother."

-Wm Shakespeare-

Well guys Until next month..keep a smile on your face and your skids out of the TreesJ--Ron