Saber Article Index

2017 Jul-Aug

The 2017 15th Medical Bn Association Reunion was an enormous success! By Terry McCarl: The 15th Medical Bn Association’s 2017 Reunion was held in Branson, MO, April 26-30. Reunion Coordinator Ron Ingram and his wife Marlene do not live what you would call close to Branson (about four hundred miles away), but Branson is a frequent vacation spot for them, and their familiarity with Branson was invaluable in his putting together an incredible Reunion! “The turnout was a record! Forty-seven Veterans attended; along with spouses, Family, and guests, eighty-six persons from twenty-three states were there! For many Veterans, this was their first Reunion, and many had not attended for many years. All had an enjoyable time! Attached is a group photo and identification of the Veterans in attendance

“Westgate Branson Woods Resort is a beautiful reunion/convention facility. Rooms were spacious and luxurious for a daily group rate of only sixty-three dollars a night! Our group had exclusive usage of the ‘Grand Pavilion,’ a magnificent open space building about one fifty by forty feet where all meetings, daily buffet breakfasts, the banquet, and socializing could be accomplished

No visit to Branson would be complete without attending a first rate country music show! Our group saw two great shows, the famous ‘Baldknobbers,’ and ‘Raiding the Country Vault.’ Other group activities consisted of a tour of the Branson Veteran’s Memorial Museum, and a dinner at the Fall Creek Catfish and Steak House, a long-time Branson institution where the servers toss fresh rolls to customers.

The annual Fund-Raising Auction was held after the banquet on Saturday evening. The auction lived up to its tradition of generosity and fun. Auctioneer Mark ‘Doc’ Holiday and his able ‘Assistants’ Randy Burkhart and Jim Victor artfully cajoled and coerced the crowd to bid generously! “Perhaps the most notable donation was by past Association President Leo ‘Short Round’ Williams, who donated three leather-bound original editions of the book, We Were Soldiers Once and Young, by LTG Hal Moore, autographed by the author, plus a photograph of General Moore. Bidding was vigorous on these treasured books! “Joel and Dorothy Chase of Manassas, VA attended the Reunion and expressed deep appreciation for the MEDEVAC rescue and medical treatment. Joel was platoon leader for D Co., 1st of the 5th Cavalry and was severely wounded at LZ David in Cambodia on June 14, 1970. He was MEDEVAC’d to the B Company, 15th Medical Bn treatment facility at LZ Buttons, where Dr. Jon Lundquist (then CPT MC) treated him. Joel would like to find that MEDEVAC crew and thank them. If you were, or know someone who was on that crew, please e-mail me at: <historian@15thmedbnassociation.org> or call (402)457-9807.

Ron ‘Huey’ Huether was recognized for his outstanding work developing and running the Association Web site. He was presented a Lowe’s gift certificate for $100.

The next Reunion will be Number 20-the 20th anniversary of the founding of the 15th MED Bn. Assn. and the first Reunion. That was in 1998 in Franklin, VA. “Dan Toothman, the 2018 Reunion Coordinator reports that the 2018 Reunion will be held at Williamsburg, VA, likely sometime between April 18 and May 6. Dates and facility will be announced on the Web site; 15th MED Bn Assn Saber column; and 15th MED Bn Assn Facebook page as soon as available.

 Terry also wanted to add the following information: How to obtain Personnel Rosters. The 15th Medical Bn Association now has available personnel rosters requested from the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) in St. Louis, MO for 1965- 1970. These rosters were generally prepared only for the months of April and October of each year during the Vietnam War, except during 1965 and 1966, when they were prepared during some additional months as well. Enlisted Personnel Rosters for 1968 are available only for 10/68; only officer rosters for 07/65, 08/65, 10/65, 01/66, 07/66, 07/67, 09/67, 04/69 and 10/70 are available. Rosters must be requested and will be sent by e-mail only, unless special arrangements are made by e-mail.

To request rosters for your time in Vietnam, send an e-mail to: historian@15thmedbnassociation.org . Enter “15th MED Bn Roster Request” on the Subject line. In the message section, enter your full name, unit(s) and dates. See example below: EXAMPLE E-MAIL REQUEST To: historian@15thmedbnassociation.org Subject: 15th Med BN Roster Request SP4 John Q. Scalpel B Co: 03/66- 09/66 HSC: 09/66-03/67 (Include any questions or comments that you have). Upon receipt of your e-mail request, you will be contacted by e-mail regarding what rosters are available.

To receive these rosters, you must be a Life Member of the 15th Medical Bn Assn. and your name and current contact information must be on the Unit Member Search List (UMSL). Anyone who served with the 15th Medical Bn for at least 30 days may become a Life Member simply by completing a short application online; there are no fees or dues. If you are not a Life Member, you will be sent instructions on becoming one.

If you are not a Life Member, but are a Family member of a deceased 15th Medical Battalion Veteran who served in Vietnam (either KIA or Died After Service), we will do our best to find rosters with the name of your Family member and e-mail them to you. In the case of KIA’s, we have all the information needed and all you need do is e-mail us the name of your Family member. In the case of Family members who died after service in Vietnam, please include as much information as you can, including the name, the unit of assignment, dates of tour, and date of death in your request e-mail.

If you do not have access to a computer, the internet, or e-mail, and nor a friend or relative with a computer, we suggest contacting your local County Veterans Service Office (check your local telephone book under County Office listings), your local public library, or possibly even your local VFW or American Legion Post for assistance.

If you absolutely cannot get assistance and need to have paper photocopies made and mailed to you via U.S. Postal Service, please call (402)457-9807, and arrangements will be made to send them to you for a charge to cover the cost of copying, postage, and handling.

Please be aware these rosters were printed from microfilm, and range from highly legible to nearly illegible. In most cases, enlarging areas of them on your computer, or using a magnifying glass may help.

There will be no charge to e-mail the rosters to you, but since the 15th Medical Battalion Association does not charge any membership fees or dues, any donations are welcome. You may make a donation by using a PayPal account, credit card, or debit card by going to the website (www.15thmedbnassociation.org), clicking on “Informational,” then on “Historical Documents,” then on “How to Get Personnel Rosters,” and then on the “ Donate” button.

If you desire to send a check please make it payable to “15th Medical Battalion Association” and send it to Ron Huether, 110 Cedar Hills Dr., Fredericksburg, TX 78624. If you have any questions, please send them by e-mail to historian@15thmedbnassociation.org .

15th Med Bn Assn. Historian Needs Your Help! The VVMF (the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund) is the nonprofit organization, which was authorized by the U.S. Congress in 1980 to build a national memorial dedicated to all who served with the U.S. armed forces in the Vietnam War. This memorial is the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D. C., completed in 1982.

One of the projects by the VVMF is to complete the Wall of Faces. The following quote is from the VVMF Web site (www.vvmf.org).

Wall of Faces The Wall of Faces connects a face and a story to each of the more than 58,300 names on The Wall. Collected photos are displayed online at VVMF’s Wall of Faces, which features a page for each person whose name is on the Memorial.

These pages allow Family and friends to share memories, post pictures and connect with each other. The photos will also be displayed in the future Education Center at The Wall. To see the Wall of Faces, go to: www.vvmf.org/thewall  There are 3 out of 43 15th Medical Battalion KIA’s without photographs on the Wall of Faces. These are: Charles S. Ridout, SP5, Age 28, Washington, DC -July 20, 1968 Gary L. Taylor, SGT, Age 20, Cincinnati, OH -May 24, 1970 Michael R. Wick, SP4, Age 21, College Point, NY -June 9, 1969 Also, there is a photograph of Armand A Sylvestre, CPT, Age 32, Nashua, NH-July 15, 1968 on the Wall of Faces, but it is of very inferior quality, and a replacement is being sought.

If you happen to have a photograph in which any of these Veterans appear, please notify the 15th Medical Battalion Association Historian at historian@15thmedbnassociation.org , or call (402)457-9807. Thank you! Always remembering our 1st Cav Troops on duty around the world; over and out.

Garryowen, Mike Bodnar C 2\7 Cav 1969, MEDEVAC 1-7\1970