1/83 Artillery Update
June 3, 2019

1/83rd Unit News

and

General News

May 18th will be the 50th Anniversary of the death of our Fred (Doc) Paddleford, a Veteran of HQ, A and C Batteries (1968-69).

(Rubbing from the Vietnam Memorial)

More on Doc can be found on our website.

2. 1/83rd Health Updates -

a. Larry Laser - I just heard from Larry's wife Pat and she said that Larry is progressing and is grateful for the good wishes he has received from the group.

b. Danny Sandoval - Danny said he is doing much better and also wanted me to pass along his thanks for all the good wishes he received.

If I have missed anyone, please let me know.

3. 2020 Reunion - While nothing is definite yet, the initial response when we asked if there was interest in a 2020 Reunion in Colorado Springs, CO has been positive. Be sure to let Don Eikenberry or myself know if you are interested and have not yet told us. Don needs to gauge interest before any contracts are entered into. So far we have received "yes" from 33 guys.

4. 1/83rd Unit Merchandise - I recently passed along information that I received from Jim Braun (70-71) who found 1/83rd unit merchandise on Amazon. After Jim told me about this I have had several discussions with the Manufacturer of the merchandise. I was interested in finding out just what else they have to offer. They have been adding several new items over the past few days with more to come. There are some nice designs that I had not seen before.

Currently there are 309 items spread over 20 pages. I will warn you that it is bit tedious going through it the way it is set up. When I asked about this, they told me that the way it is shown is due to Amazon rules. They hope this will change in the future. Although you will not see them now, they have told me that hats and mugs will also be available.

Also, ordering is done through Amazon and the 1/83rd has no financial relationship with either the Manufacturer, Amazon or anyone else. In other words, Our Reunion fund does not benefit from any of the sales.

Here is a link to the latest merchandise.

Please Note: when reviewing their merchandise I noticed a few things that needed to be fixed. Because of that, not all of the merchandise I mentioned above is currently available. I plan on speaking directly with my contact in the next day or two at which time we will be discussing the items that need to be fixed. They are aware of this and have temporarily removed the items that had flaws until the new designs can be posted. Because of this, you will not see everything that soon will be available.

In addition, if anyone has already purchased any item where the design was  Vietnam Service ribbons over our crest there was a flaw. After the 175mm text it showed as "SP)". It should have been "(SP)". I had purchase done myself and that was when I noticed it. I have been assured that they will supply me a new one when the issue is corrected. If anyone has had the same experience, let me know so I can tell the Mfr. They want a picture of the item so take a photo and send it to me with the exact item detail you ordered. This would have been in the email you received when you placed your order. Any questions, let me know.

5. 24th Corps Merchandise - Jim Braun (70-71) also found this site with 24th Corps Merchandise.

Here is a link to the latest merchandise.

6. Memorial  Day- A Memorial Day message from VA Secretary Robert Wilkie

7. Honor Flight - Winfred Langley (66-67) went on an Honor Flight trip to Washington DC on May 18. Win has promised to send me pictures. If you have not yet heard of this program, it is a wonderful thing. My cousin's husband is a WWII Vet and went on one from Philadelphia a couple of years ago and was absolutely thrilled. More on this can be found on this program at this link.

8. In Memory Program - This program began in 1993 and it  honors those who returned home but later died of causes related to their service. So far more than 3,600 names have been added to the In Memory Honor Roll and there is an annual ceremony at the Wall. Click here to read more on this program from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF).

9. Dogs of the 1/83rd - Joe Sessock (67) asked if "anyone knows what became of  "PROJO"  and "PONCHO", dogs from 1967. If you know, let me know and I will pass it along to Joe. Here is a "Pets of the 83rd" Photoshow.

10. Health and Elder Care - Berkley Fogelsonger (70-72) sent links on these subjects.

There is common cause to be found for not privatizing VA health care with rural health care’s problems.  VA privatization may make rural problems more likely. We're Heading Toward a Rural Health Care Emergency

What is the state of elder care in your State?  What is the state of veteran’s homes in your State?  Veteran Homes are a State, Department of Veterans Affairs, run entity. The homes are frequently built with a partial federal grant and state funded.  These are very important to rural veterans in that they not be too removed from their communities and loved ones.  What happens to Veteran Homes if and as VA health care is privatized?  Broken System: The Crisis of Elder Abuse in Minnesota

11. Standing for the Flag - Danny Sandoval (66-67) sent  this link. I believe you will like this.

12. Support - Please let me know if anyone of you or your family have health situations so we can let everyone know of the need for our support.

13. News - if you have any good news that you want to share send it along. Having good news to share would be a real pleasure, as it seems like we are constantly only talking about sad news. Here is the latest 1/83rd News.

Interesting Links and More

1. Rex Hon (66-67) sent this, The Last Fighter Pilot of WWII.  It was done on the WWII battle site of Iwo Jima in 2015, one of the bloodiest battles in WWII. Sadly, or perhaps not so, the Captain passed away in 2017. Listen carefully to what he says and how he says it. You won't regret a second of it. Ask yourself, how many of the few surviving WWII veterans kept themselves and their uniform in such good condition for over 70 years and can still proudly wear it? Notice his superb delivery, no teleprompter, no script Just a 91-year-old fighter pilot representing the greatest generation at home and abroad who won WWII. He has some surprises and a great take on the philosophy of life.

2. From the American Veterans Center, a story about Lt. Col. Richard E. Cole, the last of the Doolittle Raiders who recently. passed away at the age of 103. Quite a story about a remarkable group of brave men.

3. Bob Billiards, one of our Aussies, sent this,  A 1985 car add in Paris without any computer graphics (maybe).

4. Dennis Blalock (67-68) sent this, Gun Trucks of Vietnam.

Did you Know

LEGO bricks are incredibly sturdy. You would have to build a single column tower at least 2.17 miles high in order to exert enough pressure on the bottom brick to lead to structural failure.

(Courtesy of How-To Geek Newsletter)

1/83rd Website

1. Please let me know if you come across any links in my website that are broken. With so much content, it is inevitable that links go out of date so let me know if you find one that does not work.

2. 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.

3. Check out all the latest updates by looking at the website Table of Contents.

Vietnam Veterans of America

1/83rd Roster

Full Roster on Website - Check your entry on the Full Roster to make sure all your information is up to date. Notify me if any changes are necessary. If your email stops working, I cannot reach you if you have incomplete or incorrect contact details on the roster.

I have recently become aware of several changes to contact info. It is important that you keep your contact information up to date on the Roster, it is the only that your buddies can find you! Let me know when things change.

Please remember that all contact info that we have for our group can be found on the Full Roster. This is the best spot to start if you need to contact one of the group.

There is a long-standing page on our website where I list men that are either missing, inactive or trying to be located by someone in our group. I am asking everyone to review that page and let me know if you have updates you would like me to make.

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.

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

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