Khe Sanh Veterans Association Inc.
Red Clay
Newsletter of the Veterans
who served at Khe Sanh Combat Base,
Hill 950, Hill 881, Hill 861, Hill 861-A, Hill 558
Lang-Vei and Surrounding Area
Issue 50 Summer 2001
Notes from the Editor and Staff
Home
In This Issue
2001 Reunion News
Incoming Short
Rounds
Memoirs Health
Matters In
Memoriam
A Sprinkling of your Poetry
Publisher's Comments
I hope we all have recovered from the reunion. I have just started working on the new KSV membership directory for 2001. I originally thought the 2000 edition would suffice for at least three years. As it is, we have signed up almost 600 new members since the last reunion in San Diego and have almost 500 personnel changes for members. I have the membership cards almost ready, and they should go out with this issue or shortly thereafter. I, Ernie Spencer and Jim Wodecki (our new secretary) are looking at plans for the issuance of past KSV newsletters in a series of ten to be issued in five volumes. With the printing cost of setting up 50 issues we would have to meet a certain quota to make it feasible. So we need input from the membership if there is any interest. Please drop a note, email, phone call, etc., to any one of us.
As I promised in the last edition, I am publishing the names of those members who have contributed additional funds to the organization:
BAILEY Thomas, BAUM Gary, BLESSING Gary, BOLTON
Steven G, COLLINS Rodney D
COX Hugh D, DELANEY Michael B, DIFOOT Roberto, ELMORE
Ernest M.
EUTZY Donald Jr. FERGUSON Daniel R, FESSENDEN Gregory L, FILNA
Jon A.
GUSTAFSON Carl L, JONES Bruce E, KUBLEY Lawrence W, KULL
John F.
LOERSCH Phillip E, MANSON Thomas C, MARTIN David
P, McELROY John W.
McGIFFIN Carey W, MESSNER William J, PILCH Bruce, RAWLS
Stephen P.
SALINAS, Mike, SOERENSEN Thomas K, STOTT Thomas D, TIERNEY
Mark F.
WERESOW Eugene, WHITENACK James H.
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Editors Comments
About the Cover
Dear Ernie:
Read your most sobering book on Khe Sanh. All of the men who served there, both alive and dead, are truly American heroes. I cannot thank you enough for your honest description of Rod's character in your book. At the Providence College Vietnam War Memorial Dedication, they honored three men from his class of 1966 who were killed in Vietnam. Father Cullinane, Rector of Raymond Hall, described Rod as a very gentle person and one of the best-liked students who ever attended Providence College.
I did hear from two persons after Rod's death, regarding his service at Khe Sanh. The first was Lt. Dan McGravey's father. He sent me a picture of five Marines in front of a bunker with his son in the center. I never heard from Lt. McGravey himself. The second was from the wife of Rod's commanding officer, Sue Crawford; I was always puzzled why he never wrote himself.
I have the Khe Sanh pictures of Rod with Larry Brogdan; I will mail that picture along with others which I recived from Rod's mother. Rod is depicted in various stages of his life, including his wedding picture and those of him in his uniform. His wife remarried an Air Force Pilot a year after his death. I am happy that you are honoring him in the Khe Sanh Newsletter, sharing his short life and heroic death. He was an outstanding young man, and a very good athlete, playing baseball in many different leagues until the age of sixteen.
Rocky Alfano
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Ernie:
I have finally made contact with Rocco Alfano. He has sent me the three letters that my dad wrote him when his son, Lt. Rod Alfano, was killed in action. As I now recall, I did mention Rod in my letters home to my father, and sent him the photo of Rod and the other four Marines in front of the bunker. My dad took it upon himself to search out the family and share their grief along with his picture. The following letters speak to that subject. Mr. Alfano is in failing health suffering from colon cancer but did remark that the letters and photos from my dad gave him much comfort during his time of grief.
Dan McGravey
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Feb 24 1968
Dear Rocco:
My Wife and I wish to offer our sincerest sympathy to you and your daughter-in-law for the deep loss you suffered on Feb 02, halfway around the world. I am writing this letter because my son, Lt. Daniel L. McGravey of the USMC, is serving at Khe Sanh and had previously wrote to us of his meeting with your son.
Danny told us of talking to Rod about things at home in Massachusetts. They were together about an hour before a 122 MM rocket made a direct hit on the bunker where Rod and five other Marines were huddled. My son says he was impressed with your boy, whom he described as a real nice guy. He recited a Rosary for him and is as sure as we are "that he has it made where he is now." My purpose in trying to contact you is to put you in communication with my son, if you would like to meet him, when he returns from Vietnam. That is a day all our family is praying for and hope to see very soon. I am also appealing to you to join us in praying that we may be spared the great grief you have suffered.
My son has about eight months to serve before his tour in Nam is over. You can write to him but please understand if he is not able to find time to answer your letter. You can call us by phone here in Lawrence almost any night around supper time if we can tell you anything that may help you know how Rod was and what he most talked about, before he left us forever. Please accept our condolences and believe that your boy will be remembered in our prayers, as we hope you will remember our son when you pray for all the sons and Fathers who are fighting in that far off hellhole of Khe Sanh.
Sincere Sorrow, I am
John P. McGravy
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Feb 26, 1968
Dear Mr. Alfano,
I am sorry as heck, there was a slight delay in sending this, but here it is. Danny's mother said she would like to get the negative back on one of the prints if you get some developed. I am sure the photo can be blown up to a much larger size. Since my Danny is in the center of the group of five, it will be easy for you to remember. That will do until you meet him, which I am sure will be arranged before long. Again, my deepest sympathy to you and all Rod's friends and relatives. Hope this will give you some small measure of comfort.
Sincerely,
John P McGravey
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March 1, 1968
Dear Sir,
My wife and family wish to emphasize how deeply we feel for you and every member of Lt Alfano's family. As I told you in our phone conversation, I feel we are only doing what I would wish would be done for us if our positions were reversed.
Before attempting to contact you, I asked myself if my intentions would be understood and now that I have spoken with you, I am convinced I did the right thing. I am very sincere when I say we, as a family, feel very close to you, as we have such a great common interest in our sons who went halfway across the world to meet, enjoy each other's acquaintance even for a short time, and then be so tragically separated. I read the letter from Danny to you on the phone, but please understand that we want to keep it with all our memories of him. God willing, some day you will be able to talk to our son, and he will recall to you his hours with Rod that terrible day.
Sincerely,
John P. McGravey
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Dear Dan,
Thank you very much for the Red Clay magazines and the history of Delta Company. I know the wonderful feelings one gets when attending these reunions. In WW2, I served on a Signal Center Team which consisted of three officers and 18 enlisted men. We have had reunions since 1946. Our ranks are dwindling rapidly, but we will have this year's reunion in Saratoga, NY. I will mail in my application for the magazine this week. Again, many thanks.
Rocky
Publishers note:
I think this article say it all, and goes to the very heart of why the Khe Sanh
Veterans Association was founded.
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From the Office of the Secretary
Reunion July 3-7 Irvington, Texas
Saddle up partners -- its time for a Texas-style hoedown! We do things a little different down yonder. So dust off that cowboy hat, shine up them spurs and break out the cowboy boots. Wranglers and casual clothes are in order. We're going to be boot-scootin' at the Circle R Ranch for a night of Western Fun: hay rides, horseshoe pitching, calf ropin', quick draw, (horse trail riding extra upon request) Texas-style Bobby-Q and vittles, then some down home Country and Western band music to Texas 2-step to, and even do some line dancing. If you don't know how to line dance, we will have an afternoon of practice by a beautiful cowgirl. Yippie-Ki-O-Ki-A. I may even give some bull whip lessons for the real men and ladies who attend. So bring them youngins with you 'cuz we got swimming and swings and plenty of fun and grub for all. We're also just a few miles from Six Flags over Texas and Water World for the children and grandkids.
Next year's reunion theme will be honoring Corpsman, Medics, Doctors and Aero Medical Evacuation Technicians. If anyone knows of any who served there, please email me their names. [email protected]. There will be a special ceremony thanking them.
There are trips planned to the City of Dallas highlighting Texas Stadium and the Mustangs of Las Colinas. At the sixth floor museum, learn of the life and death of President JFK. Enjoy lunch on your own at the West End Historic District for whomever would like to attend.
There will be a Ladies' Breakfast at the hotel and ~ trip to a Ladies' Spa for those who wish to attend. There will be flee trips to the Grapevine Mills Mall, which is the largest in the world, and for the men a flee trip to the "Outdoor World Pro Bass Shop." Included in next year's raffle will be a $100.00 gift certificate to the ProBass Shop. The Texas State Flag will be flown on Veterans Day 2001 over the capitol in Austin, Texas and presented as a prize at our raffle. There will be some other great surprises this year in our raffle. We will be sending out a complete list of prizes and tickets ("you need not be present to win") but who would want to miss all this Texas fun? So Giddy Up and Get Away to Texas for the West of the story. '-
Jim "Jimbo" Wodecki
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From the Secretary and Membership Committee:
It seems that only a few people in the Association can find hundreds of new members. In fact, there were 600 new members last year. If everyone could find just one new member we could double our roster to 6,000 -- amazing isn't it? So look around at your VFWs, American Legions, Veterans' Centers and of course, the neighborhood bars, and let's get these brothers to bond with us. Ask them for their name, address, telephone number, unit, and time served there. We will send them one of our Red Clay magazines with an application in it. Have them call Tom Eichler at 773-625-2102 or "Jimbo" at 972727-2997, and we will fix them up. We need to find more of our Marine, Army, Navy, and Air Force brothers, as they're out there just waiting for us. So get with it and help us find our lost brothers.
Now to all you members who moved, please let us know where you are at, so we can send the magazine to the right place. If you have a new address, send it to us so the magazine isn't returned.
We will be getting out the Khe Sanh bumper stickers real soon to put on our cars again. It is a great way to find new members.
Jim "Jimbo" Wodecki
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