Update May 26, 2014

1/83rd Unit News	1. Memorial Day 2014 - As we all know, this day is about more than going to picnics or trips to the beach. Let's all do our best to remind our families, friends and neighbors of what this day really means. a. My VFW post sent out the following... "This morning on Fox News a retired Army Colonel who's name I don't know corrected the anchor that "Happy Memorial Day" was an improper greeting for the weekends event. He suggested "Honor Memorial Day" or "Thank You for Honoring Memorial Day" as more appropriate. I could not agree more. As we all encounter family members, public officials & the public at large, this weekend please use these greetings, and tactfully correct anyone who use's the "Happy Memorial Day" phrase. It is our job to guide everyone of the importance & purpose of this weekend. Honor Memorial Day!" Good advice. b. Neal Schwartz (68-69) sent this along regarding Memorial Day as well. "WHEN YOU DROP A DONATION IN A POPPY CANISTER…… You have contributed to the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Home for children of deceased or disabled Veterans at Eaton Rapids, Michigan, to the National VFW Rehabilitation Service in Washington D.C., to the VFW Rehabilitation Service in your own State.. and to direct assistance programs for needy and disabled Veterans and active service members and their families in YOUR own community. The services made possible through your donations are available to ALL needy Veterans, active service members and their families—not just those who are members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Hundreds of thousands of non-members are assisted with disability claims and served in hospitals each year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thank You from The Veterans of Foreign Wars Lake Washington Post 2995 for Your Donations" c. Paul Dickson the editor of the Aussie Eyes & Ears Newsletter (which I post each month on the 1/83rd site) which is the official newsletter of the 131 Locators Association Inc. sent me the following request... "Bill, I hope this isn't too late, but what are the chances of photos from yourself plus other blokes who may attend memorial services/parades on Monday? I'd like to get the bloke/s in the photo/s as well - name/s, where, etc etc. I'd like to put them in this month's E&Es. Paul" Send me your photos right away and I will forward them to Paul. d. I received the following sentiment from Warwick Brooker one of our Aussie mates. "Dear Bill Very best wishes to you and the team this weekend as you remember fellow warriors who died while serving in your nation’s Armed Forces. Lest we forget. Warwick" e. Rex Hon (66-67) sent this Memorial Day video, "The Path of the Warrior". f. Ken Blank (69-70) sent this Memorial Day video, "God Bless the USA". (please note that at the bottom right of this page there may be a commercial that starts talking over the video. Just go down there and pause it to keep it from interfering.) Ken also sent these comments..."While I'm sending this with a tear in my eye, we must not never forget the ones we love who died for us." g. Rich Webekind (66-67) sent this moving tribute. Click here. 2. Request for Information - More on last week's photo from John Yore that I posted looking for names (first and last) and Battery assignments. I received this captioned photo back from Harold Whitten (67-68). If you can fill in any missing first names and Batteries of these men let me know. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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	Paul Dickson (editor of the Aussie Eyes & Ears Newsletter) suggested I add this as a regular feature of the weekly update. For now I will pick a photo from what has been sent me in the past but if you have any that you think would be a good choice, just me know. 1st Reunion of the 1/83rd - Savannah, GA 2012
General News	1. I just received this... Looking for Vietnam Era Home Movies Dear friends- I am a producer with Lou Reda Productions, the documentary film production company behind National Geographic's Vietnam special "BROTHERS IN WAR" and the History Channel mini-series "VIETNAM IN HD". www.redafilms.com We are currently beginning work on another Vietnam program and I am looking for home movie film collections to use in it. If you have color films that you shot at home or in Vietnam and you are interested in sharing them for a very worthwhile project, please write me back at this email address vietnam@louredaproductions.com . In exchange for granting Lou Reda Productions permission to use your home movies, we will transfer your films (8mm, super8 or 16mm) for free. We will clean your original film, put it through a high-resolution film scanner, and then return your original films and a DVD copy to you to keep. If you do not have any films, but know someone who does, please pass along my contact information to anyone within your group. Also, if you are willing to put a post on your website to help get the word out, I would appreciate that as well. Thank you for your help. Liz Reph email- vietnam@louredaproductions.com Lou Reda Productions 219 Spring Garden Street Easton, PA 18042 ph- 610-258-2957 www.redafilms.com 2. Neal Schwartz (68-69) sent this along regarding the ongoing problems at the VA. "We all should add our comments to this video. I did, and she even happens to me my Senator. (Now I’ll probably get a tax audit.)" Click here. 3. Roger Koopman (68-69) sent this... "An airborne ranger friend of mine who served between wars (Korea-Vietnam period but was ready) went to his WWI vet father's grave today...this what he found...very cool I think and he did also...just letting him know his dad was resting in peace?"
Interesting Links and More	1. Don Eikenberry (66-67) sent this short but very powerful video "Thank You for Your Service". 2. Dan O'Brien (69-70) sent this story of the history of the C-130 on display at the front date of Little Rock AFB Arkansas. Click here. 3. Al Saltzman (66-67) sent this... "Have you seen this interesting article in The Week? TheAtlantic.com Irene Triplett receives a $73.13 pension payment from the U.S. government each month for her father’s military service—in the Civil War. The 84-year-old is the last child of any Civil War veteran on the benefits rolls. There are still 16 widows and children of veterans of the 1898 Spanish-American War receiving military pensions, and 4,038 widows, sons, and daughters of World War I vets."
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 May 22 2. VVA website
2014 Reunion News	1. As you know, Roger and Kathy Hatcher volunteered to organize an optional dinner show excursion during the reunion in Branson. Roger sent me a couple of links to the Hughes Bros show which is reported to be one of Branson's best. If you are on the fence about attending the dinner show, maybe this will help convince you. Show promo. Hughes Bros website ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2. Please check the list on the website of those who have said they will attend the 2014 Reunion and make sure you are listed and that you are listed correctly. 3. Unless you are extending your stay longer, please make sure your hotel reservation covers at least 3 nights (October 12, 13 and 14). You will need to stay through Tuesday night Oct 14 (Check out on Oct 15) if you plan on going to the Farewell Dinner on Tuesday evening. Please double check the confirmation you receive from the hotel to make sure the dates are correct. 4. If you have any questions on the reunion, please let me know.
1/83rd Unit Crest Patches and Pins	If anyone is interested in buying an 83rd Artillery Unit Crest Patch let me know. Price is based on how many you order. If you are interested, send me an email with your mailing address and how many you want. Don't send any money until you receive the patches. When you receive them, you will see the cost for the number you ordered plus my mailing address for payment. 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	For a current copy of Rules and Regs, go to Contact Us and submit your request.
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.