1/83 Artillery Update
July 5, 2018

1/83rd Unit News

and

General News

June 25th was the 47th Anniversary of the death of our Wayne Murphy, a Veteran of HQ Battery (1970-71). More on Wayne can be found on our website.

Lest we Forget.

(Rubbing from the Vietnam Memorial)

Lest we Forget.

2. 2018 Reunion - The next Reunion will be in San Antonio, Texas from September 23-25 with an optional post-Reunion daytrip to Fredericksburg, Texas on September 26. The Reunion will be at the Wyndham San Antonio Riverwalk Hotel. More details can be found at this link on this website including details on how to make hotel reservations at our group rate.

There is also a list of those who expect to attend the Reunion available on this page. Please review it and make sure you are listed correctly if you are attending.

4. VA Benefit Payment Schedule - VA education, compensation, pension, and survivor’s benefits are paid on a monthly basis. Normally, benefits for a particular month are paid the first business day of the following month. When the first business day of the month falls on a non-business day or a holiday, VA benefits will be paid on the last business day prior to the first of the month. You can check your latest VA benefit payments online using eBenefits. If you’re not receiving benefit payments from VA, but know someone who is, please share this information with them.

5. Robert Wilkie Nominated as VA Secretary - Robert is the son of the late Robert Wilkie who was the CO of Service Battery and later went to A Battery in 1966-67. Here is more on his son.

6. Vietnam Helicopter Monument at Arlington - Read here for details.

7. 1/83rd Website - 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 With so much content, it is inevitable that links go out of date so let me know if you find one that does not work.

8. 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.

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.

8. 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.

Interesting Links and More

1. Rex Hon (66-67) sent this letter he received from the 54th Artillery Group when he arrived in Vietnam. I don't recall ever getting one, must have been for Officer's only.

2. Don Aird (70-71) sent this link, Atomic Cannon..

3. Les Spohr (68-69) sent this link. His Granddaughter Nicole was involved with this Honor Flight with the Veterans. They went from Kansas in March or April.  Her Veteran's were Steve Harvey and Clayton Hobble. This is the video they put together from Nicole's honor flight, it's 45 minutes long, she's in the beginning and also around the 35 minute mark with her veterans

4. National Poppy Day - The tradition of wearing a poppy dates back to 1920, when it became the memorial flower of The American Legion Family.

The red poppy came to symbolize the blood shed by those who fought and those who continue to fight for our country following World War I. It was popularized by the publication of the wartime poem In Flanders Fields. Written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, M.D. while serving on the front lines in World War I, the poem honors soldiers killed in battle.

The American Legion led the charge of having Congress designate the Friday before Memorial Day as National Poppy Day^®, a tradition found in many countries around the world. National Poppy Day^® encourages all Americans to wear a red poppy to honor the fallen and support the living heroes who have worn our nation’s uniform.

Learn more about National Poppy Day.

5. I got this link from Bob Billiards one of our Aussie Members. It tells the remarkable story of the Boatlift of 9/11. You may have seen it before but worth another look.

6. Greg Sachnewycz  (70-71) sent this link where you can see World Airport distances and flight paths. Just put in the airport codes, or use the search button to get codes.

Did you Know

Only eight people have been made honorary U.S. citizens and among them, the only living honorees were Winston Churchill and Mother Teresa. Honorary citizenship is a gesture and does not infer upon the recipient the privileges of actual citizenship.

(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

1/83rd Roster

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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