Society of the Vietnamese Airborne Team 162

Society of the Vietnamese Airborne
Team 162
Quarterly Report
September 30, 2013
Fellow Red Hats, Red Markers and Mu Do,
Family of the Vietnamese Red Beret 33rd Annual Reunion –
The 33rd Annual Family of the Vietnamese Red Beret reunion was a great success. It
began 18 July in Fayetteville, AL, at the Airborne and Special Operations Museum
with the dedication of a paver honoring the five commanders of the Airborne. For the
past two years, John Martin has helped
coordinate this dedication working with the
Mu Do and Paul Galloway at the Museum
Foundation. Your Society contributed
$1,000 toward the cost of the paver. Mick
Cole arranged for lunch following the
ceremony at a culinary school not far from
the Museum. Fifteen Society members
attended the ceremony (including Dan
Moses, who I failed to mention in the earlier
after action report on the reunion.)
The Mu Do reunion continued in Atlanta
through 20 July. The Society recognized
with tokens of appreciation Dr. Tien Quang
Le, M.D., Chairman of the Central
Committee of the Family of the Vietnamese
Red Beret, and Bernard Nguyen who was in
charge of the reunion planning. The events were well done, the entertainment was
wonderful and the parties were outstanding.
The only blot on the festivities was an injury to Bill Block. On Saturday after lunch, he
slipped on a wet spot on the floor of the hotel in Atlanta and broke his left kneecap. He
is now recovering after surgery. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.
2014 Society Reunion –
It is now time to start making your plans for the next Society reunion. We will meet in
Tampa, Florida on 29 May though 1 June 2014. Registration fee is $90.00 for each
attendee plus membership renewal of $20.00. The registration fee covers food and
drink in the hospitality room, the dinner banquet and a meal in conjunction with the
bi-annual meeting.
For lodging arrangements, our man on the ground, Bill Ball, has contracted with the
Doubletree Hilton at the Tampa Airport. Rooms at the Doubletree Hilton are $105.00
a night plus tax. Mike Flynn has already sent an email with detailed hotel reservation
information, and he is sending it along again with this report. It is not too early to
make your reservation to lock in a room. You can always cancel if necessary.
Bill is also working on activities while we are in Tampa. Options he is exploring
include a visit to CENTCOM, a visit to the Armed Forces Military Museum or a trip to
the Liberty Ship and Maritime museum in Tampa harbor. As we home in on choices
we will keep you informed.
Our planned guest speaker for the banquet is Major David M. Anderson, an Air
Liaison Officer who will return from an Afghanistan rotation about 45 days prior to
our Reunion. I expect that he will be able to contrast the type of close air support and
control presently employed with that we experienced in SEA 45 years ago.
For now, we need a ballpark figure of number of attendees. More than 50 people have
already indicated they plan to attend. If you believe you will be attending and have not
yet told Mike, please send an email response to him at [email protected]. This
will help refine requirements for hotel rooms, transportation and other logistic
support.
Vietnam War Commemorative Partners –
We have submitted an application for the Society to become a Vietnam War
Commemorative Partner. The DOD should process the application shortly. Once
approved, our activities to support and honor American and Allied veterans during the
period commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War will be recognized by
DOD and advertised on their website. There is no cost to the Society for becoming a
Partner. Thanks to Tim Thames for bringing this to our attention.
Ft. Benning Initiative Regarding SFC Charles J. Moore The 11th Pathfinders and the 1-507th PIR continue to move forward toward naming
the new Pathfinder Building in honor of former Red Hat SFC Charles J. Moore who
was KIA in Tay Ninh on 14 Sep 1968. Ft. Benning named a building at Lawson Field in
honor of Moore in Dec 1968. Subsequently, the building was demolished, and Ft.
Benning would like to now name another building in his honor. Pat Coleman, Moore’s
commander in Vietnam, reports that MSG Reese at the 507th has submitted a
package for approval, but there is no update on the status of the request.
Airborne and Special Operations Museum Exhibit –
We have little additional information on a project to modify our exhibit featuring
Covan and Mu Do mannequins to add a third figure representing a Red Marker. Paul
Galloway of the Museum Foundation says the Museum will probably not work on their
cost estimate until next year. So it is unknown if they perform the modification during
calendar year 2014. We will continue to stay in touch with Paul.
Vietnamese Soldier and American Advisor Statue in Arlington, TX –
In late June 2013, some of our Vietnamese comrades broke ground for a major new
Vietnam War Memorial at the Veterans Memorial Park in Arlington, TX. The memorial
will feature a ten foot bronze statue of a seated Vietnamese soldier looking at a map of
his country with an American advisor standing behind him. The seated soldier brings
to mind a similar figure that formerly stood at a war cemetery in Saigon.
I am not aware of another memorial anywhere featuring both an American and
Vietnamese soldier. The following digital video clip shows the planned location of the
new statue within the park:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=hEF65WbHBtI&t=0
(if the link does not load, copy it and paste it in you browser window or search on you
tube for Vietnamese Memorial Arlington, TX)
Mu Do Tom Bui, Vice President of the foundation sponsoring the memorial, plans to
include 1) the MACV Patch with Airborne Tab, 2) a US Master Parachutist Badge and
3) the words MACV Advisory Team 162 alongside the Vietnamese Airborne Division
symbols on the wall by the statue in recognition of MACV Advisory Team 162. He
informs me that anyone wishing to contribute to this project can do so by sending a
check to:
Heroes of South Vietnam Memorial Foundation
3020 Matlock Road, # 200
Arlington, TX 76015
(A Non Profit Organization - Tax ID # 452777722)
Death of LTG (Ret) James B. Vaught
We are saddened by the passing of former Division Senior Advisor LTG (Ret) James B.
Vaught on 20 September. General Vaught was a warrior and patriot who served his
country in many ways on and off the battlefield. LTG (Ret) Joe Kinzer represented the
Society and spoke at the memorial service in Conway, SC, on the 28th. Joining Joe at
the service were his wife Bonnie, LTG (Ret) Mike Davison and wife Joyce, and Karen
Sinkovitz. Dr. Hiep Nguyen, Vice President of the Gia Dinh Mu Do, represented the
Vietnamese leadership with a contingent of five troopers and spoke at the service. Our
thoughts and prayers are with Florence Vaught.
Nhay Du,
Gary N. Willis
Gary N. Willis
President