Update October 10, 2015

1/83rd Unit News	1. Sick Call - The latest from Mike Kolarik (69-70)... "Bill, I thought I would let you know I came through my eye surgery fine. They placed the plaque over the tumor, and now I have to lie around the house in isolation wearing a lead eye patch this week. Friday they remove the plaque, but it will be several weeks before they know if the tumor is dead. Thanks to you and all they guys for the good thoughts, prayers, and encouraging words. They made a real difference. Best regards, Mike" 2. Medals and Awards - Joe Ortiz (67-68) recently asked me the following question. "I'd like to know what patches, ribbons or insignias were awarded to the 83rd that we are allowed to wear or display. I was in Nam from 67-68 and was there during the Tet Offensive." Here is my reply but I am asking you to verify, add or delete to my reply and let me know your thoughts. "That is not an easy question to answer as it depends on who you were with, when you were there and what you (or the unit) did at that time. You were there in 67 and 68 at Nui Dat and then Phu Bai from what you told me previously. That should mean you are at least eligible to wear: The 83rd Unit Crest (we all can wear this one) II Field Force badge (from when you were at Nui Dat) I Field Force badge (from when you were at Phu Bai) IV Corps badge (from when you were at Phu Bai) RVN Gallantry Cross w/Palm (we all can wear this one) Vietnam Campaign Medal (all Vietnam Vets) Vietnam Service Medal (all Vietnam Vets) National Defense Medal (all Vietnam Vets) Good Conduct Medal (maybe, most of us got them) You can view these awards on this page and here. The 1/83rd did get a Presidential Unit Citation but you can only wear it if you were with the 1/83rd when it was awarded and that was not until 69 & 71. See this page for more on Unit History of the 1/83rd. Some guys told me they wore 101st Airborne patches from the time the 1/83rd fired in their support. Some received an Army Commendation medal as well. Obviously, there are valor awards (Bronze Star, Silver Star, etc) and the Purple Heart but you would know if you received one of them. You can also wear an overseas bar for each 6 months you were over there. There are also various marksmanship awards depending on which weapons you qualified on. Have you looked on your DD214 to see if any awards are listed? As I say, no 2 people have the same situation when it comes to these things. I will post this issued in my next update and see if anything else turns up." 3. Towed 8-inch Howitzer- Dan Tvenstrup (66-67) sent these photos of a towed 8-inch howitzer. See the 10/10/15 News Item. 4. Agent Orange, etc. - Danny Sandoval (66-67) sent this story Insecticide Deceit at Nui Dat (An Australian Perspective) 5. The Vietnam War - Bob Billiards one of our Aussie mates from the 131 Divisional Locating Battery of the Royal Australian Artillery sent this 1970 article from the Stars and Stripes that contrasts the differences between the Australian and American approach to the Vietnam War. 6. Challenge Coin - There are still Challenge Coins available if anyone wants one. 7. Reunion News - See this section on the 1/83rd website. 8. Unit Merchandise - See this section on the 1/83rd website. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 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	A towed 8-inch howitzer at the Towns County, Georgia Veterans Memorial Park (Photo courtesy of Dan Tvenstrup (66-67) 1/83rd Artillery)
General News	1. Nothing to report.
Interesting Links and More	1. Ken Gerrald (66-67) sent this tip along on how to save a brown Banana. 2. Don Aird (70-71) sent this pictorial story of the Rockpile on Highway 9.
Did you Know	Snake venom is composed of amino acids and toxic only if it enters the blood stream; if you were to drink venom it would simply be broken down in your digestive system with no ill effect. (Courtesy of How-To Geek Newsletter)
Website Updates	1. My backlog is currently all gone so be sure to check out the latest, see the website Table of Contents. 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. 2. Check out all the latest updates by looking at the website Table of Contents.
Vietnam Veterans of America Update	1. VVA Update for August 28, 2015 2. VVA Update for September 2, 2015 3. VVA Update for September 11, 2015 4. VVA Update for September 18, 2015 5. VVA Update for September 25, 2015 6. VVA Update for October 2, 2015 7. VVA Update for October 8, 2015 8. VVA website
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	If anyone would like an updated copy of the "Rules & Regs" document which has helpful information about the website, 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.