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
Reunion News
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Notes from the Editor and Board
Incoming Short
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Memoriam
A Sprinkling of your Poetry
Reunion Committee:
Thought I would take this opportunity while continuing to unwind from a very successful reunion to comment on a job well done. Yes, I am a "cherry." The reunion might have been my first but will not be my last. Jack and I were extremely impressed with the professional way in which the program of events had been put together. As a matter of fact, the content and sequence of events at the Khe Sanh 2001 reunion were nothing less than poignant, touching, and stirring at times. Personally, it was unquestionably emotional and moving for me.
The committee had done a tremendous job in orchestrating such a monumental program. The wives, girlfriends, companions, friends, volunteers, and supporters alike who assisted were just as valuable in making the event a memorable occasion. I met old friends, in particular "John Kenny" whom I served with on both Hill 55 and Khe Sanh. I made new friends as well, and shared some unbelievable reflections of our Vietnam experiences. Thank all of you for making my attendance, along with all who attended, a memorable and inclusive one. It was an experience I shall never forget.
The added presentation, which recognized Marine Captain Alex Bodenweiser and Marine Corporal Ronald Hickenbottom for heroism against the NVA for which they received the Silver Star Medal, is a reflection of the professional caliber of men who are members of the Khe Sanh Veterans Association -- an association that anyone would be honored and proud to be associated with. In reference to a stirring moment during the banquet. ..I would be remiss not to mention and acknowledge the children of Khe Sanh Veterans KIA, MIA, WIA, POW, etc., who so eloquently, with pride I might add, casually moved through the audience, gifts in hand, thanking the Khe Sanh Veterans for their Courage and Sacrifice. This unusual task was emotional and certainly remarkable. If you get the opportunity during your busy schedule, please share my thoughts and remarks to your committee members. Again, thanks to all of you for an unbelievable and exciting time.
Jim Collins
A Co 1/26
[email protected]
*****
What a rush this year's (Chicago) reunion has been. First, let me say thank you to all who volunteered and worked long hours to make it all possible. From the folks manning the registration table, to the young men and women who laboriously filled all the sandbags that were strategically located (two steps away in case of incoming) throughout the hotel, and to folks who made sure provisions were never depleted.
Thanks to all the brave men who "volunteered" and stood "fire watch" all night and made sure there were no surprise attacks on the beer coolers, while the rest slept peacefully in their individual bunkers. Many thanks to Tom "Ike" Eichler and his fellow Chicago Police Officers for putting together the BBQ by the pool (even though "Ike" was a bit slow flipping them sausages, ribs, and skirt steaks.) Thanks too, Ike, for the luncheon that you and your fellow Chicago Police Officers put together at the Chicago FOP Hall, to honor Delta Co 1/26 and my friend and Brother, Sgt. Richard Grenat, who passed away Feb 26, 1999. The luncheon was a big surprise to the entire family of Dick Grenat.
Present at the luncheon were 35 members of Delta Co. along with Delta 1/26 officers and Battalion Commander Col. Jim Wilkinson. Col. Wilkinson made this special trip to honor Delta Co and Sgt. Richard Grenat. There were many other representatives from Army, Navy, and Air Force Units. Thanks to the Gold Star Mothers for being there. It was a pleasure to meet those beautiful ladies. Thanks to all the other beautiful ladies who made the reunion more pleasurable to attend. It made looking at all them old Khe Sanh Vets' "mugs" bearable; our eyeballs were clicking every minute.
Thanks to Ms. Sharon Pelon-Babby and the beautiful children of the Khe Sanh Vets who passed out gifts to all the vets at the banquet. A Thank You to the Marines who put up the static display of the world's finest crew-served weapons, from the M-16 to 81MM Mortars and every weapon in between; it made all the grunts salivate.
It was a pleasure to meet all the individuals who regularly post messages on the message board, who for the first time made a reunion. Guys like Joe Amodeo, Wayne "Shu" Shumaker and his lady who made the trip on their bikes all the way from Pennsylvania. But best of all was meeting old friends from Delta Co. who I have not seen since Khe Sanh.
Delta Company was well represented with over 35 members in attendance, by far outnumbering any other group. So to Charlie Fox, the bet still stands for next year's reunion, better get on the phone now and "bribe" your Charlie Co. brothers to show up.
To all who made it possible,
Merci infiniment de tous que vous avez fait
Semper Fi
Fish D 1/26
*****
Wow! It's over, can you believe it? Had a wonderful time and met a lot of "new" guys and gals. Thanks to all who contributed, it was a great time. It was such a great time I could not leave, so I stayed on for Sunday and went down to "Taste of Chicago" fair that was in progress. Tom Eichler was right -we did not belong there in a large group, and it was a madhouse with wall-to-wall people. We (my wife and daughter) fought our way through the crowds and had a wonderful time, only to return to a hotel full of kids. There was some sort of dance contest, and they were all over the place. I was lost. The hospitality room was locked and the ballroom foyer was empty and devoid of any life. It was an eerie kind of quiet! However, there was still life in the bar. Don Lacey, "Casper" and "Turtle" were there when I arrived. So, I settled down to have a nightcap at 2015 hours. But then others began arriving, Frank Cesniseros, Ken Pipes and Joey "O" along with Jim Hebron. Counting the ladies, we now had a reinforced squad, counting the barmaid Linda. We dubbed our little group "Chapter #1 of the Khe Sanh Vets." Had my last nightcap at 0315, what a wonderful time! Again, thanks to all who contributed.
I would be remiss if I did not comment on the wonderful time my wife and daughter had. They both commented, separately, on what a kind, polite, friendly and caring group of men were present. My answer to them, "They are Khe Sanh Vets." The next scheduled meeting of Chapter #1 will be July 08 2002 -- be there or be square.
Tom Ford
BOD KSV
*****
I am new to this fine organization and want to thank all those responsible for its creation. My military nickname while in Vietnam was Spanky. I was the platoon radio operator. Anyone out there from Hotel 2/1 67/68. To "Ski" Sucharski, I think from the Chicago area, where are you! ? I have been searching for you for 20 years. Your name is not on the wall, so I know you are out there somewhere. Please contact me.
Semper Fi
Stephen Coldwell
H Co 2/1
*****
Tom,
Just a quick note to say hello and to tell you that we, the members of Delta Company Association, 1st Battalion 26th Marines, enjoyed the Chicago Khe Sanh reunion very much. We look forward to attending many more Khe Sanh Veterans Association reunions in the years to come. We would like to thank you for inviting us to participate in your reunion functions. We thought the Friday afternoon lunch at the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police Lodge was very nice. Please extend our thanks to all the members of your lodge who made this luncheon possible for us. I especially enjoyed visiting with the members of your lodge who assisted with the lunch.
On a personal note I would like to compliment the Chicago Police Department on their professionalism and helpfulness. When attending the Taste of Chicago event on 05 July, we were terribly lost and disoriented when trying to motor out of the Loop. We asked a police officer for directions and he said, "Follow me, I'll get you on the freeway." We were very appreciative of this officer's assistance.
Semper Fi
Robert "Doc" Whitman
Delta Co 1/26
*****.
I served with Alpha Company, 2ND Platoon, 3RD Anti-Tank Battalion, (Ontos). I was at Khe Sanh from May to Nov 1967. My wife and I attended our first Khe Sanh Veterans reunion in Chicago, July 6-8, 2001. We had a great time. It was a very moving experience, and we met some very fine people. There was seven other Ontos crewman at the reunion. Congratulations to those who worked on the reunion. I cannot think of anything that would have made it better. I wish I had started attending these reunions years ago. I will not miss another one.
Semper Fi
R. Scott Berry
Porto Belle Alpha two four Sitrep all secure.
A Co 3RD Anti-Tank Bn (Ontos)
*****
Reunion Reflections
By Rev Ray W. Stubbe,
Founder KSV
Every little detail was perfect, especially the colored ribbons on the posts in the registration room, and the hundreds of filled sandbags; many commented very favorably on them. The little slotted boxes to hold the plastic name tags, the set-ups for the Awards ceremony, Church outside, the barbecue, the little cherry on the name tags, the grand piano being there for Denis Chericone to play (perhaps that was just accidental, but it was wonderful), the spread-out nature of the rooms, the active duty Marines and their weapons, Sharon's displays and work, the superior Great Lakes band and everything connected with the banquet was great.
The day I arrived, a fruit basket was brought to me in my room! I thoroughly enjoyed the fruit over all the days I was there, but even more impressive was its special consideration and thoughtfulness. Everything the hotel did was superior.
There were a couple of very humorous incidents that members did not hear about. I think it was Friday night about 10, and Denny Chericone was playing the baby grand piano in our hospitality room. There were about 20 others nearby. As always, his playing is so very, very good, accomplished, and refreshing to hear. I was in the process of raising the large wooden lid of the piano to set the upright spoke to hold up the top, when all of a sudden the entire top of the piano slid off onto the floor with a loud crash! Denny was still playing! No one said anything, but I turned to the people and said, "Now isn't this a great, duet?" (The hinges of the top were not screwed in).
Then, on Friday morning, I was sitting in the restaurant eating breakfast and overheard (one couldn't help but overhear!) some loud voice telling stories about Khe Sanh. I looked and saw a table of four of our people. After eating my breakfast, I pulled up a chair and joined them. The one who had been talking very loudly walked away, after ten or fifteen minutes, and one of the others said to me: "He came down here earlier with no shoes or socks. In fact, all he had on was a T-shirt and some very abbreviated bikini shorts. When he walked up to the hostess and, asked, 'Is this open?' She said yes, and he said, 'Well, I'll go up and get dressed."'
I was very impressed with Sharon Pelon-Babby, her care of the children, and the variety of important information she shared with so many. She shared the appropriate spice or herb in menus to add just the right seasoning, and provided little ginkgo pins for the children and helpers. There were sample "care package" lists and even a static display of the items for those currently on active duty. There were packages for those who want to help our children become more patriotic, letters of appreciation from her students to veterans, and interesting displays. She kept children occupied, interested and hadn't left her area even to eat at times, or go outside, because she felt she was needed there.
The active duty Marines and their various weapons impressed me. Many questions were asked of them. While many of us relived memories (in a good sense) of our time in Vietnam, the active duty Marines, on the other hand, were interested in what our veterans might tell them about Khe Sanh and experiences there. It was a mutually beneficial presence.
I was so impressed by the Color Guard, especially the small but very proficient contingent of the Navy Band from NTC Great Lakes. The quality and depth of the prayers and comments of Bill Jayne at the Awards Ceremony and Banquet, in addition to those of Dick Peloquin and the two chaplains present, greatly moved me. Words from Chaplain Tiernan Cash expressing how I was respected in the Chaplain Corps were most healing to me. I always suspected an adversarial view of my time in Vietnam. I had gotten so close to the men that it may have seemed to them, at times, to be to the degree of loss of dignity as a chaplain!
Chaplain Cash even had the Church Pennant that I flew from my bunker in Charlie Med. I had sent it to the Chaplain School in 1969, and was the only item I brought back with me (or sent home) from Khe Sanh which I let go of, feeling it might be an inspiration to those at Chaplain School. There was some initial publicity about the Pennant but never any mention of the chaplains at Khe Sanh. I suspected they had put it in a closet or that it might have even been discarded. When they rededicated the Chaplains' School last summer, I spoke with a junior chaplain at the School whom I asked about the Pennant. He had no information. To see it once again, relive its many memories, and then to hear of its prominent placement were reconciling to me.
When I saw what was happening at our reunion, I became intensely happy that something moved me to originate it. It took our coming together of everyone to have found the great value in reconnecting with those we knew or to meet other comrades who served there. This momentum of mutual interest is what is really responsible for our organization. I began with less than 20 people, yet how grand our organization has become.
I was proud to have passed control of leadership to Earle Breeding, Ken Penn, John Kaheny, and Dick Peloquin, with the magazine to Ernie Husted, Ernie Spencer, Ed Evans, Ray Truelove, and Ernie Spencer again. Withstanding some brief periods when I assisted to ensure continuity, I realized that if an organization was to be strong, I needed to pass it on and let others develop the necessary leadership. We affirm and bring out the gifts in others by needing them. Visiting the active participating board meeting of meaningful discussion and decision-making fills me with privileged pride.
A climate of positive, pleased, and happy people prevailed. I met several people I had not seen since Khe Sanh (Ed Feldman, Paul Lojkovic, Bill Gay, and Hal Johnson, for example), several others who had not been to our reunions for some time (Skip Wells), and many that I had only known through telephone calls and letters (Donna Elliott, Jim Carmichael). I saw Joe Lola again, and felt what a miracle to see him doing well again. I was very happy to see Carl and Jan Oksnee, with their feeling of reconciliation. My interviews with two TV producers were stressfully moving to the point of tears, yet a service to have shared informative knowledge. One of the interviews was to be used for a video to be shown in schools for students to appreciate what we did in Vietnam. Several of our vets were there listening during the interviewing, and also had comments.
There were some very special and significant events that I personally was aware of. (I'm sure there were many others, yet I'd like to mention these in case you hadn't heard about them.) One involved Bob Shippen and Donna Elliott who have been in contact with me for a long time. I knew that Donna (who had been on active duty in the Army in Public Affairs and has had an article published in our Red Clay) lost her brother at Khe Sanh and had returned there twice to see if she could pick up any leads among local people and to see for herself the area in which her brother was lost. I know that Bob Shippen had a photo of a dead American that he photographed in early April, as units began to leave the base to scour the surrounding area. I had seen it at a previous reunion. It is grotesque in some ways, showing teeth and missing torso. But there is also a sense of serenity, of the man sort of "melting into" the earth in peace. His face has been sort of mummified. A few weeks ago, Bob called me to say that he suspected that this might be her missing brother! However, he was ambivalent about sharing that information or showing Donna the photo -- it might not be her brother, she might get very disturbed by it, and so on.
At the barbecue, Donna came up to me to say hello, and I took her right over to Bob Shippen who ~ was sitting with some others from FOB-3. After they left, I had an uneasy feeling, but then felt that all would be well. In fact, all was well, very well. Donna wasn't disturbed, Bob was greatly relieved, and one of our vets with ties to the local Police Forensics Lab immediately forwarded Bob's photo and that of Donna's (she had brought one of her brother, evidently) to the lab for analysis.
Another incident involved Cal Bright and Ken Penn visiting the Chicago Vietnam art museum. As they were departing, Cal said, "That's my picture!" The director of the museum said that it was taken by Bob Ellison (as part of that Newsweek spread in one of their March 1968 issues.) Ken said, "We have a mother at our reunion who is looking for anyone with photos of her son." The director said he, in fact, had some of Bob Ellison's photos and almost immediately located them in his piles of paper. So Miriam Eaton now has photos of her son in Vietnam.
Our worship service went so well on Sunday. The two chaplains who sat on either side of me at the banquet, Chaplain Tierian Cash (in the Marine uniform from Washington, DC) and George Cooper (in the Navy uniform from Great Lakes) along with Chaplain Lasello, who had said Mass for Roman Catholics, assisted me in the service by each reading one of the Bible readings. We had about a hundred attending I think, and the service took about 35 minutes and was very spirited in terms of singing of the hymns and the reciting of the responses. Two of the three Gold Star Mothers (May Littlefield and Lucille Payne) who were there and one of my good friends Bill Messner were in tears at the end and told me that he had bottled up all those tears ever since Vietnam. He had not even done so at the funeral of his good friend, Al Lumpkin, late of last year.
The reunion afforded me the opportunity to spend significant time with Ernie Spencer, Earle Breeding and his wife, Pat (whose marriage service I performed in DC), and many dozens of others. The mother and father of one of our men who died at Khe Sanh drove in from Ohio to be at our banquet (Mr. and Mrs. Healy) at the prompting of Rick
Noyes, my very good friend. I mentioned him in the banquet remarks as the man who dabbed blood off his head in my bunker one night.
At the Awards Ceremony, Miriam Eaton was asked to come up in connection with the unveiling of the plaque for O'Hare Airport. I had spoken with her on several occasions but had not previously met her. Following the ceremony, I went to her, giving each other a big hug, bringing tears. We are in the same metro area and hadn't met each other until the reunion in Chicago!
I had a wonderful time and want to personally thank all of the wonderful people for everything, and for the Lighthouse built by Frank Taggert, the plaques, the Praying Hands and all the other beautiful gifts. I will cherish them and will find a suitable place of honor in my home for each of them. God bless you all.
Reverend Ray W. Stubbe
*****
Dear Khe Sanh Veterans,
The children and I thank you for welcoming us as part of the 2001 reunion. The children and grandchildren of Khe Sanh Veterans who were at the reunion were honored and happy to be able to participate in activities, and give a gift to you to show their appreciation. The children of Lincoln Avenue School Kids Care in Milwaukee will be so pleased that you liked your gift they made. I will certainly share your messages of thank you with them.
Thank you to those who signed up to receive our exhibit, and to those who signed up to receive our letters during this coming school year. I think it is so important for our youth to learn about the work and sacrifices that have been made by veterans, such as all of you. That is what "We honor through learning, We honor through sharing" is all about. Sending good wishes and heartfelt gratitude to you.
Sharon Pelon-Babby
*****