A Few of FR's Finest....Every Day....09-08-03....Military Monday

Billie | Billie

[MEG33]

I was in Santa Barbara when the travelling Vietnam Memorial was there,overlooking the bay.It was a sobering sight in a beautiful setting.I was looking for a classmate's name.It was so crowded I never did but found him by just googling his name when I got a computer.It is good that the Virtual Wall and other sites are available by the internet for all to see and remember.Thanks for the beautiful tribute page.

[JustAmy]

Remember our military and our veterans in your prayers!

[LadyX]

"We are the same age!"

And a great age it is!
You and Nan and I would qualify as Venerable Ones, were we in China..:))

My boys were born 17 April 1954 and 1 July 1955 -
moved seven times between those two dates 14 1/2 months apart!!
(Marine first - Navy then - Air Force third.)

Then within 7 months after that, twice more for a total of 9 in under two years, before I was 22.

To be a military wife requires being Wonder Woman!!
LOL

[LadyX]

Your desert travel description reminds me when we left Fairbanks in June 1966, we drove down the Alaska Highway, through Canada, down the Rockies; across the South and to South Florida to visit relatives - then up to Myrtle Beach, SC for the next duty station.

It was over 5,000 miles of driving, ladtx, from 55 degrees in Fairbanks, jackets down to New Mexico - 105 degree tempertures in Texas and steamy 90's the rest of the way.

I finally thawed out!

[Mama_Bear]

I was in Santa Barbara when the travelling Vietnam Memorial was there,overlooking the bay.It was a sobering sight in a beautiful setting.

Did you live in Santa Barbara, or were you just visiting?

It is one of my favorite places. I lived there during the Vietnam war and witnessed the war protests at the University of California Santa Barbara in Isla Vista. Turbulent times they were. My husband and I were married in a beautiful little Spanish church on Anapamu street, just down the street from the old Santa Barbara Mission....a long, long time ago. Gosh, I am feeling ancient today. LOL

I haven't been to SB in several years, but it has changed a lot since the 60's.

[LadyX]

Also with no a/c in our vehicle!

[Mama_Bear]

Hi Pippin!

I was so happy to see you posting last Saturday. I was sure you must have finally gotten your internet connection problem solved, but then I read that you were working overtime and posting from work. Still no connection at home?

[MeekOneGOP]

hehe ! I love it !! Thanks ...

If that didn't have your name on it, I might be tempted to 'borrow' it for future posting purposes. (Wouldn't wanna confuse folks into thinkin' now my name is Amy, hehe!) ...

[LadyX]

Good afternoon, Pippin.
We missed your being here last month!

{{{{{ Pippin }}}}}

[LadyX]

Love the dancing elephant, Amy...:))

What can the dems do with their jacka$$e$ donkeys other than have them bray loudly???
They are already too good at that.....

[Mama_Bear]

Was Staff Sergeant Fitts on your POW/MIA bracelet? My soldier, Maj. Ayers, is still listed as missing in action. It's nice that you have a picture of your soldier.

The Virtual Wall website is where I recently learned of his status, otherwise I would never have known if he had been found or not.

I am feeling melancholy today, remembering the 60's.

Sistah hugs to you........(((((((((dansy)))))))))

[Dubya]

I agree. LOL Glad they are gone.

[MEG33]

I lived in Goleta for several years and had to pinch myself that I wasn't visiting..I lived there!The pull of family brought me back to Texas and it is my home,after all .I will be grateful forever for the chance to really enjoy the Coast.

[Dubya]

Great post Maggie, thanks.

[Dubya]

AMEN.

[dansangel]

Yes, SSgt. Fitts was on my MIA bracelet 30 years ago (!!!).

I featured him on the Memorial Day thread. I was feeling really badly (and still do!) that the bracelet was lost in one of the 20+ moves that I've made over the past 30 years.

I found his picture on the Internet while doing some research on him last year. I remember it as being the same picture that was distributed with the bracelet when I purchased it for a $5.00 donation back then!

Please don't feel melancholy. :-( I understand where you are coming from, but we can't go backwards. We can only look forward. And *that* we need to do with hope, faith and alot of prayers!

((((((((Mama_Bear))))))))

[Pippin]

I miss not being able to come on in the evenings and the weekends. I hope it won't be another month before I get that modem!

[Pippin]

Nope!

No connection at home yet! :O(

[ladtx]

Dutchess, your post reminded me of a daily post I had been doing before the Iraq war kicked off. Today seems like a good day for one more rememberance.

In memory of my fellow Vietnam helicopter pilots who were killed in that war the following were lost on todays date. God bless them all.

1967 CPT Kurt L. Kuhns -- 15 MED BN 1st CAV, Age 26, married, St. Petersburg, Florida
1967 WO1 Roger C. Rose -- 15 MED BN 1st CAV, Age 23, married, Pasadena, California
1967 WO1 Gaylord L. Westbay -- 2 BDE 4th INF, Age 29, single, Hanford, California
1968 WO1 William P.Harwood -- 155 AHC, Age 24, single, Chicago, Illinois
1968 WO1 Redlick S. Koppel -- 155 AHC, Age 21, single, Nashville, Tennessee
1971 CW2 Robert J. Elliott -- B/1/9 CAV 1st CAV, Age 21, single, Wellington, Kansas

From the history of the 155th Assault Helicopter Company:

At 1100H on 8 SEP 68, on a return flight from Duc Lap the 23d ARVN Division Senior Advisor's aircraft was forced to autorotate into dense jungle two miles north of Duc Lap. The aircraft exploded on impact with only two seriously injured crew members surviving the crash. General An, the 23d ARVN Div Commander, and COL Sage, the Senior Advisor, were listed among the dead, as well as the aircraft commander, WO1 Redlick S. Koppel and the pilot, WO1 William P.Harwood.

A comment about WO1 Harwood from a Vietnam Veteran paratrooper posted to a website honoring those who died in Vietnam.

"Never forgotten !
Wiliam , I do not know if you were one of the pilots who picked me up and dropped us off out in the jungle those many times we did that . We never had the opportunity to talk to the pilots but were so happy to be picked up .I was a grunt .A young paratrooper who was bent on winning that war .Well , William , we were winning when we left country . There are two Harwood names on that wall in D.C.Yours and James Harwood . I have two wonderful sons , named James and William . William is studying to be a college professor , a senior this year in Boston . As a professor , he will see to it . William , I will see you some day ,and we will find out if you flew me around that country in Southeast Asia . Jim
Wednesday, March 22, 2000"

SCOUTS OUT!

[Mama_Bear]

Please don't feel melancholy. :-( I understand where you are coming from, but we can't go backwards. We can only look forward. And *that* we need to do with hope, faith and alot of prayers!

Yes, you are right, of course. Thank you, dansy.

I thought I remembered you saying that you wore a POW/MIA bracelet. I don't think there are many left around after 30 years.

I just now did a google search on my soldier, Major Ayers, and found this...

RICHARD LEE AYERS
Date of Birth: 18 February 1933
Home City of Record: Waterloo IA

"He stands as One man"

COL - O6 - Air Force - Reserve
45 year old Married, Caucasian, Male


Casualty was on Jun 29, 1978
in SOUTH VIETNAM

Hostile, died while missing
FIXED WING - CREW
AIR LOSS, CRASH ON LAND

Body was not recovered
Religion
ROMAN CATHOLIC
Panel 11W - - Line 12

Capt. Robert E. Rausch was the pilot and Major Richard L. Ayers the weapons/Systems officer of an RF4C Phantom from the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron based at Tan Son Nhut Airbase, South Vietnam. On April 16, 1970, Rausch and Ayers were sent on a operational mission over Laos. When the aircraft did not return as scheduled, Rausch and Ayers were declared Missing in Action from the time of estimated fuel exhaustion

In the early 1970's the Pathet Lao stated on a number of occasions that they held "tens of tens" of American prisoners and that those captured in Laos would also be released from Laos. Unfortunately, that release never occurred, because the U.S. did not include Laos in the negotiations which brought American involvement in the war to an end. The country of Laos was bombed by U.S. forces for several months following the Peace Accords in January 1973, and Laos steadfastly refused to talk about releasing our POWs until we discontinued bombing in their country.

Consequently, no American held in Laos was ever returned. By 1989, these"tens of tens" apparently have been forgotten. . Source: Compiled by: Homecoming II Project, 15 March 1991. Using one or more of the following sources: Raw data - from U.S. Government agency sources, correspondence with POW/MIA families, published sources, and interviews. Copyright 1991 Homecoming II Project.