Update April 27, 2015

1/83rd Unit News	1. Request for Support - In the past week I have told you about a few of our 1/83rd family who are (and remain) in need of our prayers and support. I want to also ask you to include the following families in your prayers: a. Bob Wesley (70-71) and his wife who are both dealing with serious health issues. b. Stew Stenberg's (68-69) wife has been dealing with health problems but has recently started showing some improvement. 2. ANZAC Day 2015 - In the April 15 Update I reminded you that ANZAC Day was April 25th. What I neglected to mention was that this year is the 100th Anniversary of the Gallipoli Landings. Here are 2 links on this subject that you may find interesting. ANZAC DAY Gallipoli Centenary In addition, Bob Billiards one of our Aussie mates and members, sent this wonderful tribute, Spirit of the ANZACS. 3. Vietnamese Submarines - In the 2015 issue of Vietnam Magazine was a news story about 6 Russian submarines which have been, or soon will be, acquired by Vietnam's Navy. 3 are named after North Vietnam cities and 3 for cities in South Vietnam. Two submarine names caught my interest, the "Da Nang" and the "*Ba Ria - Vung Tau". 4. Challenge Coins Update -* This project is making progress. I expect to know soon whether we can accommodate all 1/83rd locations on the coin. One way you can help is to review the list of Firebases, LZ's and Camps on the website and notify me if any are missing. 5. 1/83rd Locations in Vietnam Update - This website list continues to be developed. There are some conflicts that I am trying to get resolved about when each Battery was at a specific location and when. You can help by reviewing the list of Firebases, LZ's and Camps on the website to see if there are any are errors. 6. 1/83rd HQ and Service Battery Locations in Vietnam - Based on a question I posed on this subject, it seems that there is agreement that after moving North to I Corps in Feb/Mar 1968, HQ and Service Batteries went to Camp Eagle where they remained until Unit Stand-down in May 1971. 7. Health Advisory - Chuck "Smoke" Mattson (70-71) sent this story along about potential health problems at Fort McClellan which should be read by anyone who ever served on that post. 8. Honor to a 1/83rd member - Al Saltzman (66-67) was just asked to be Grand Marshall in this years Memorial Day festivities in Marlboro, New Jersey. Al received a Purple Heart in 1967 while serving with the 1/83rd at Nui Dat. Al called this honor "...a humbling experience, I feel very honored and proud to be selected." We are proud of you as well Al and are looking forward to some photos of the big day. Congratulations! 9. Combat Artillery T-Shirt - Bill Morris passed along the following... "I didn't know if you had seen or heard of this site. I ordered a couple of hats and a couple of T Shirts. They have some good artillery shirts, especially the "combat artillery " shirt." Here is the link to that shirt found at the Medals of America website. 10. 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	Dawn Service in Sydney - ANZAC Day 2015 (Courtesy of Ross Wood 5 RAR)
General News	1. Nothing this time to report.
Interesting Links and More	1. Neal Schwartz (68-69) sent this link to The Unknowns, a story of the troops who guard the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, VA. This place is a must see if you visit this area. 2. A friend sent me this God Bless the USA - The Texas Tenors a song I love to hear and this is very well done. 3. Walt Noechel (69-70) sent me this video of some amazing stupid people, That's a Moron.
Did you Know	The white flag has been used as a sign of surrender since the 2nd century. (Courtesy of How-To Geek Newsletter)
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 April 24, 2015 2. VVA website
1/83rd Merchandise	Unit Merchandise - All the proceeds from Hat, Decal and Patch sales go to the Reunion fund. a. 1/83rd Unit Crest Patch (3.25"h x 2.75"w) - $6 each. Here is a photo. b. 1/83rd Unit Crest Decal (Decal is round 3.5" x 3.5") - $5 each. Here is a photo. c. 1/83rd Hat (Adjustable-Black only) - $20 each. Here is a photo. d. 1/83rd Unit Hat Patch (same patch as is on the 1/83rd hat, 3"h x 6"w - $6 each. Here is a photo. Shipping is included in the above prices. To order these items, contact Bill Taggart at artillery_83rd@yahoo.com or 856-228-5614 (my contact info is also on the Roster). Make sure you supply your mailing address when making your request. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ If you want an 83rd Artillery Unit Crest Pin, you need to buy directly from the vendor. 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.
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.