Gathering 13 Newsletter, Vol 7, Issue 2, 18 Jun 2015

Gathering 13
http://www.vietnam-guntrucks.com
Vol: 7
Issue: 2
18 Jun 2015
“Vietnam...
remembered by those who should forget, forgotten by those who should remember”
“I now know why men who have been to war yearn to reunite. Not to tell
stories or look at old pictures. Not to laugh or weep.
Comrades gather because they long to be with the men who once acted
at their best; men who suffered and sacrificed.
I did not pick these men. They were delivered by fate and the military.
But I know them in a way I know no other men. I have never given anyone such
trust. They were willing to guard something more precious than my life.
They would have carried my reputation, the memory of me. It was part of
the bargain we all made, the reason we were so willing to die for one another.
As long as I have memory, I will think of them all, every day.
I am sure that when I leave this world, my last thought will be of my
family and my comrades... Such good men.”
Author unknown
(submitted by MG David Whaley)
GATHERING XIII, 2015 - CHATTANOOGA, TN 18-22 AUG 2015:
We’re getting short!!! Gathering 13 is
coming up soon! We will be hosted by
the BEST WESTERN PLUS Arbour Inn &
Suites , 6710 Ringgold Rd, Chattanooga,
TN 37412.
For reservations, call: 423-893-7979,
be sure to mention you are with The
Gathering for special room rates.
Room types (110 rooms available:
King $64.99, Double $74.99, King Suit
$74.99, Double Suite $84.99, Pool Suite
$89.99
Rates are good from August 17 through
August 25, so you can come early and stay
late if you wish. Cancellations must be made
48 hours prior to arrival.
Included with your room rate is hot
breakfast buffet, complimentary Wi-Fi
connection, free parking, free local calls,
outdoor pool, 24-hour fitness center.
(continued...)
Inside this issue:
Gathering XIII details, Itinerary
Truck News; Reunion Info
New Book; Other News
Gone But Not Forgotten
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GATHERING XIII, 2015 (continued):
Last Day for Hotel Reservations at
the group rate: 15 July 2015. Do not try
to register online or with the 800 number.
Use the direct line: 423-893-7979.
Our block of rooms is almost filled. If
you call for reservations and they do not
have the type of room you are looking for,
there are two alternatives very close by.
Motel 6 is across the street from the
Best Western just off Ringgold Rd. The
address is 2281 Camp Jordan Parkway,
Chattanooga and the number is 423-8941417. Tell them you are with The Gathering
and that Bill Breneman is the hotel contact.
If they have any questions they will direct
them through Bill’s office.
The second hotel is the Holiday Inn
Express, 1441 N Smith St, Chattanooga
and the # is 423-308-0120. Bill is the sales
director there as well. N Smith St is a dead
end side street right off of Ringgold a couple
blocks down from the Motel 6 on the right
side of Ringgold. It’s easy to miss....look for
the McDonalds as a landmark and turn right
there.
For RV’ers: Camping World RV Park
6728 Ringgold Rd, Chattanooga, TN 37412
423-892-8275, Good Sam accepted.
(Seems to be very close!) There is also a
Best Holiday Trav-L-Park nine miles away.
Address: 1623 Mack Smith Road, Rossville,
GA 30741. Phone: 800-693-2877. It
has excellent reviews and is located on a
battlefield.
Easy directions to the hotel: Traveling
north on I-75 take Exit 1A and bear to the
right from the exit and the hotel is on the
right. Traveling south or from I-24 take Exit
1 off I-75 and go to red light and turn left.
Cross over the interstate and the hotel is on
the right.
Make your reservations today! You can
always cancel but you might not be able to
reserve a room later.
REGISTRATION:
Registration for the
Gathering is required for two events we
have planned. As we grow in numbers,
it is harder to plan some events without
an actual head count of those who are
attending. Some veterans are local and
can’t be counted on rooming lists. Others
choose to stay with family or at other hotels
and we have no way to count them.
Kathy Blackstone needs your name and
how many will be coming with you. She
needs an accurate count. We will need to
know how much food to order for Friday
night dinner. The price for dinner will be
$15 per person. There will also be a deposit
required prior to the start of The Gathering.
We also need numbers for reservations
for the Southern Belle riverboat lunch and
cruise. Closing date is 20 May. Call Kathy
or email her ASAP; she might have a space
or two left. The cost will be $30.00 per
person including bus transportation from
the hotel, a deli-style lunch, cruise and bus
transportation back to the hotel. Two weeks
prior to the start of the Gathering she will
have to have the rest of the cash to pay for
this event.
So please fill out the Registration form
and email it back to Kathy Blackstone if
you will attend either of these events. You
can call Kathy if you have any questions at
936-239-3006 (Note: This is a new phone
number for Kathy). You can also call Kathy
with your name and how many will be at
each event and then use PayPal to forward
the money to me. Kathy’s PayPal account
is her email address: kblackstone5272@
yahoo.com. Because PayPal takes fees
out of many transactions, recommend
sending your funds as a “gift” so neither you
nor Kathy have to pay those extra fees.
The basic agenda for events is included
along with the registration form - so keep
reading!!
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REUNION REPORTS:
88th TRANS CO REUNION: Members of
the 88th Trans Co held a reunion 6-8 March
2015 in LaPorte, Indiana. This year they
paid tribute to Captain Dick Roney who
died last year in July 2014. His widow Mary
attended, and the photo shows their ‘salute’
to Dick.
MEMORIAL IN BARRON COUNTY,
WI: (Submitted by Roger Blink, 359th
TC) A memorial was dedicated for Barry
Torgerson (64th TC) and three other KIA
in Barron, Wisconsin on 27 March 2015.
Barry served as NCOIC on the gun truck
Mighty Minny. There was a large group in
attendance including family, friends and
representatives from Veterans Service
of Barron County. The four KIA soldiers’
names are on the four sides of the large
plaque (Torgerson is on the left).
Old Courthouse Auditorium
Barry’s brother, Russ Torgerson,
and his mother after the unveiling.
REUNIONS COMING UP:
458th PBR (Patrol Boat, Riverine), Fort Eustis, VA
Veterans of the 458th PBR will hold their annual reunion at Fort Eustis in September 2015.
For more information, contact Bob Brower at email [email protected]
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TWO MILLION MILES OF BAD ROADS:
Jack Horvath (64th TC) is organizing his
Vietnam information on the internet. It
includes narration, photographs and video
of the 64th Transportation Truck Company
1966-1967, from Fort Bragg, NC to Qui
Nhon, and on to Pleiku. The website
is at https://www.youtube.com/embed/
W50xn1h4Tus or you can type in Two
Million Miles of Bad Roads into Google and
it will take you there.
GATHERING PAVER AT NATIONAL INFANTRY MUSEUM:
The Columbus Visitor & Convention
Bureau purchased a paver in honor of the
Gathering XII which was in Columbus,
GA in 2014. The paver was placed at the
National Infantry Museum, Section 16A and
dedicated in March 2015. A pencil rubbing
of the paver was made and sent to me, so
you all could see it.
DONATIONS TO THE GATHERING:
MG Fred Elam and his wife Judy have
donated $100 toward the fuel fund. You
may remember MG Elam, as he attended
the Gathering at Fort Eustis in 2006. Thank
you both!!
The VVA of Ypsilanti, MI sent a check for
$150 for the fuel fund. I have sent them a
thank you note, but do not know who of our
veterans is responsible for requesting it.
Hazel Miller, widow of Eddie Miller (64th
TC) has donated a box of hats, patches, etc
to the Gathering, including some gun truck
patches. Eddie Miller passed away shortly
after the Branson Gathering in 2005, and
Hazel has attended some reunions since.
Thank you, Hazel!!
Don’t be shy about asking for donations
from your local veteran’s group. We’ve had
some great donations from those groups.
(And also from each of you!) Marty
Robichaud (512th TC) has promised me a
donation from his Lynn, MA VVA group, but
I haven’t gotten it yet. (Never count your
chickens . . .)
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NEW BOOK AT TC MUSEUM GIFT SHOP:
The book was written by Rich Killblane, TC
historian, titled, “Convoy Ambush Case
Studies” Volume 1 - Korea and Vietnam.”
This 154 page book (8-1/2 x 11”) is the
first book dedicated to the study of convoy
ambushes. It chronicles the lessons of
both wars and describes incredible feats
of heroism of truck drivers defending truck
drivers. The Vietnam War was the golden
age of gun trucks with art work and names
to reflect the spirit of the crews. Knowing
that every engagement would always start
on the enemy’s terms and at his chosen
sites, the crews of the gun trucks were the
Army’s version of gunslingers; reacting,
recovering, and fighting while never
faltering. Young men made life and death
decisions to save the lives of other truck
drivers. Three such men received Medals
of Honor for their ultimate sacrifices. The
summation of these case studies will
provide the reader an understanding of this
aspect of two wars and lessons of convoy
security. Cost is $20.00 plus shipping & tax
where it applies.
TRUCK NEWS:
ARMY HERITAGE DAYS, CARLISLE, PA: The gun truck Satan’s Li’l Angel displayed at the
2015 Army Heritage Days 16-17 May at Carlisle Barracks, PA. The photo shows L-R: Rod
Keckler’s nephew Galen, Rod Keckler (815th Eng), Ed Pavlick (669th TC), Wayne Dobos
(444th TC) and two Vietnam re-enactors kneeling in front.
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TRUCK NEWS (continued):
Benton Harbor, MI: Randy Recht (815th
Eng), Dar Sanders (815th Eng), and Jack
Cole (444th TC), took the Wild Thing
guntruck out of storage in Indiana to attend
the Lest We Forget annual event in Benton
Harbor, MI, June 19-21, 2015.
SEEKING VETS FROM VIETNAM: From
Mike McKenna who is not sure what unit
he was in, but would like to connect with
friends and other Vietnam Vets. His email
to me reads: “I drove in convoy a 5 ton
tractor trailer in 1968 Vietnam, from Pleiku,
Kon Tum and Doc To. We supported fuel to
helicopters in Khe Sanh.”
“The Fuel was MO Gas, JP-4 and I was
in several ambushes. I think I was in the
674th or 64th Transportation Co. . (not
sure any more).....Also drove to An Khe,
Camp Holloway, Pleiku, and Camp Enari,
Pleiku.....(worked with the Montagnards).”
“My brother Tom, a Marine, was in
Vietnam 1966 1967. He was with the 1st
and 9th Divisions, with a 92% casualty
rate. Three missions ....only man alive. If
you have a contact group I could contact
him.......Google....’Dead Men Walking”.
Mike McKenna, 14 Chuckanutt Drive,
Oakland, N.J. 07436, mckenna4751@aol.
com, phone: 201-394-1199
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Itinerary for The Gathering Tuesday, August 18, 2015 o Registration 9a.m. -­‐ 11a.m. and 2p.m. -­‐ 5p.m. Wednesday, August 19 o 10a.m. to approx 4p.m. Display of trucks at: Southeast Veterans Museum 2949 Lafayette Rd., Oglethorpe, GA 30742 o Ride through Chickamauga National Military Park with a tour guide in the back of the trucks. Thursday, August 20 o Southern Belle (bus pick up at hotel, lunch and cruise on the river) 10:30 in lobby of the Best Western Depart 11:00a.m. Return approx 4:30p.m. Friday, August 21 o Buffet style dinner 4p.m. -­‐ 6p.m. Remembrance of those no longer with us; announcements o Raffle ticket sales Raffle at 7p.m. Saturday, August 22 o Display of Military Vehicles at the hotel o Trip to wine tasting for anyone interested to: Georgia Winery, 6469 Battlefield Pkwy, Ringgold, GA 30736 Registration Form
Name:_______________________________________________
Spouse:______________________________________________
Phone #:_____________________________________________
Email:_______________________________________________
You will pick up your tickets at registration for either or both events.
Will you be attending the 2015 Gathering in Chattanooga this year?
YES If not, disregard registration
How many people in your party?
#______
Will you be attending the Southern Belle event on Thursday, August 20?
YES How many?____
Event cost: $30.00 per person Amount enclosed:____________________
Will you be attending the Friday, August 21 dinner prior to the raffle?
YES How many?_____ Event cost: $15.00 per person (onsite at the hotel) Amount enclosed:__________________
Make checks payable to:
Kathleen Blackstone
235 Rainbow Dr #13511
Livingston, TX 77399
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
David Helmer (597th TC): David Helmer died 21 February 2015 in
Roanoke, VA. He served in Vietnam with the 597th Trans Co, and later
worked as an executive of Norfolk Southern. He played a key role in
developing and building several community landmarks, including the O.
Winston Link Museum and the Virginia Museum of Transportation. He
always focused intently on preserving the rail heritage of the Roanoke
Valley. He was a well known fundraiser and organizer around Roanoke.
Walter Johnson (359th TC): (submitted by Sam Hovey via Jack Horvath)
Walter John enlisted at age 17 in the US Army and was stationed at Fort
Richardson, Anchorage, Alaska until 1969. He worked for the Anaconda
Copper Company in Montana and later for the Forest Service on Holter
Lake, Montana. He was a member of Steel Soldiers and from this he met
and reconnected with some of his old Army buddies.
SEE YOU SOON IN CHATTANOOGA, TN!
We welcome news, photos and queries from anyone about the newsletters or reunions.
Please contact Barbara Bower, [email protected] . And thanks again to Deb for her fabulous
formatting!!
Hope to see you in August!
see you
Hope to t for
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in Augu XIII
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in
Gather oga,
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Chatta
see!!
Tennes
Penny, Fem, Barbara, Kathy, and Mary
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