Update February 10, 2015

1/83rd Unit News	1. Health Issue - Dave Sides (69-70) has some serious health problems that he is facing and has decided to share this with all of us in case it benefits any of our group. Keep Dave in your prayers as he tackles this battle. "My prior initial diagnosis of Parkinson's Disease has proven not to be the case O.K., then what's wrong with me? 4 Neurologist assessments later they send me to an ALS Neurology specialist research unit at Mass General Hospital in Boston. 5 diagnostic appointments later = Conclusion - 98% certainty I have Lou Gehrig's Disease (ALS). I am at peace with this diagnosis. Lots to do with the rest of my life. By the way Bill, ALS is 100% VA Disability compensable (not sure why). My doc tells me the VA never even yanks you around when you are diagnosed with ALS. There is currently no cure for ALS. However, they do have an FDA approved drug that can slow its progress a bit. Lots of new drugs in trial right now. Who knows, I may get lucky and have one available sooner than later. In the meantime, they want me to keep my current 5 days/week regimen at the gym and keep my weight at the current 180 lbs. One of the main things going for me right now is my physical shape. The docs at Mass General tell me they have seldom seen a 70 year old in as good shape as I am. As far as sharing this, nothing here I need to keep private. The info about ALS vs Parkinsons might be helpful. Certainly the 100% disability rating for ALS even if you have been in one of the armed services for only a day should be shared. Exposure to Agent Orange is not a prerequisite. The unit guys and their family should feel free to call me if they wish. I am o.k. with this. My only remorse is that I finally have to quit playing hockey. May still skate a bit, but no more banging heads! Feel free to share this if you think it might help others. Dave Sides '69 -'70 (603) 490-7378" 2. I spoke with Wally Wallace (66-67) on Sunday, He sounded great and is doing very well as he recovers from his heart surgery. Here is what he wanted me to tell you... "I just wanted to take a minute and THANK everyone for your support during my recent illness. It means a lot to have a family like the 1st 83rd!!! All of your prayers, emails, phone calls and get well messages are greatly appreciated! I am getting better each and every day, it's hard to keep them 1st 83rd brothers down!" 3. Over a year ago, I had asked you to keep my wife Ronnie in your prayers as she has had some serious heart problems. As you know she is doing very well now thanks to your many prayers and the fact that she is now under the care now of a wonderful Cardiologist, Dr Reggie Ho. We recently found out something very interesting about Dr. Ho. You would have to know him to fully appreciate our surprise when we found out that he is a former Notre Dame football hero who was their place kicker on the Fighting Irish last National Championship team in 1988. Here is brief video we just received with his story. He is the most caring Doctor we have ever known, along with being a terrific man. 4. Unit Merchandise - See section below. ____________________________________________________________________________ Be sure to let me know what is going on in your life so we can share it with everyone in this section. See the latest 1/83rd News by clicking here.
Photo of the Week	The Edwin D. Patrick docked at Oakland Terminal - October 1966 (Courtesy of Bernie Dugan 1/83rd "A Battery 1966-67)
General News	1. Dan O'Brien has sent along some information on C-123's from the Vietnam War that were used for spraying Agent Orange and later were still being used. It ties in with this material started by an update from Ernie Newbold one of our Aussie mates. Here is that news story. Here is more on this subject.
Interesting Links and More	1. A friend sent this video which I call Clueless in Chicago. It runs 2 minutes but make sure you watch to the end. 2. To sign a Consumers Union petition to help stop the annoying robocalls we all get, click here. Robocalls are hard to stop. Despite the Do Not Call registry, the robocalls keep coming because they are cheap to set up. You may now get most robocalls on your landline phone, but some companies want to launch new kinds of robocalls to your cell phone. The problem could get a lot worse! But there is a way to stop these annoying and harmful calls. Last year, people began to pressure the phone companies and the FCC to implement blocking technologies that will stop the calls before they reach your home. More than 130,000 people have already taken action.
Website Updates	1. If you come across anything that you think may be a good addition to our website let me know. Also, if you have any questions or suggestions regarding the website, let me know. 2. Check out all the latest updates by looking at the website Table of Contents.
Vietnam Veterans of America Update	1. VVA Update for January 30, 2015 2. VVA Update for February 6, 2015 3. VVA website
1/83rd Merchandise	Unit Merchandise - The proceeds from Cap, Decal and Patch sales will go to the Reunion fund. a. Unit Crest Patches (same patch as has been available 3.25"h x 2.75"w - $6 each. Here is a photo. b. Unit Crest Decals (Decal is round 3.5" x 3.5") - $5 each. Here is a photo. c. 1/83rd Caps (Adjustable) - $20 each. Here is a photo. If you are interested in any of these items, send me a check. Make sure you supply your mailing address. If you want an 83rd Artillery Unit Crest Pin, I have a link on the website where you can order them from one of the 3 vendors listed. I have bought from all 3 of them and they are identical in quality, all are very good. Please note that Uniform Accessories will ship 2 for one price where the other 2 only ship 1 for almost the same price.
1/83rd Roster	Review your entry on the website Roster and let me know if any changes are necessary. If your email stops working, I cannot reach you if you have incomplete contact details on the roster.
Missing members of the 1/83rd	Help us find those former 83rd members who haven't found us yet!! I am sure that each of us has someone they would really like to reconnect with. If we all pitch in, we may find many more of our old buddies. Here are some ways to do that: 1. If you are in contact or have contact info for any 1/83rd guys please contact them and tell them about our group or at least tell me and I will contact them. 2. Look through the roster on the website and if you know of others who are not listed, let me know who they are. Also, if you see any incorrect or missing info (including your own entry) let me know. 3. If you have copies of old orders tucked away someplace, send me a copy so I can make sure those names are on the roster. 4. Sometimes all it takes is a name and location and we can find someone but the more details we know the better our chances.
Rules & Regs	I recently updated the "Rules & Regs" document, if anyone would like an updated copy, let me know. Go to Contact Us and submit your request or email me directly.
Advisory	If you get an email from and it has a website link included anywhere within the email, most times you should be able to just click on the link and you will be taken to the website. Sometimes however, the link will not work because, in sending you the email, the link is deactivated although it is still usable. If this should happen, another way to use the link is to copy and paste it into the address line on your browser. Please be sure to let me know if you have any questions on this. Please make sure that your email system allows emails to be received from both of my email addresses, bill_t_08012@yahoo.com and artillery_83rd@yahoo.com Please note that there are no blank spaces in email addresses. What you see in mine between words/characters is the underscore (_) character.