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Time Remaining Until Next Reunion in Shreveport, LA.

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Hey Cav med guy...where ya been? If you haven't been visiting this site often you may have missed some of the articles. Not to worry - gotcha covered. Visit our
 Old Front Page News and you'll be able to catch up with past articles.

January/february saber article posted

Saber Newspaper

The latest article about the 15th Medical Battalion in Vietnam is now available on this Web site under Informational/Historical Documents/Saber Articles. Mike Bodnar faithfully pens this article each month for the 1st Cavalry Division's Saber newspaper. We have back articles all the way to 1999. So if you're stuck indoors for a while, why not browse through the old articles - it's interesting reading.

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lost and missing members

It's been a few years since the Historian, and I asked for help finding lost members of the 15th Med Bn. We'd appreciate it if you'd go to our Missing Members page and see if you know the contact information for any listed. If you know the whereabouts of a missing member, please complete the update form by clicking the link above the table.

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2024 Reunion registration open

Thanks for being patient guys and guyettes, but I finally got the registration form to work properly, at least I'm positive, I think. If you've got way too much money and want to gamble it away, this year's reunion is just whatcha looking for - Shreveport, LA the Cajun Riviera. But the "real" game of chance will be the second annual Corn Hole Toss championship! In the spirit of being an honest guy (ya right, they made me Treasurer), I've already started my daily workouts of practicing each morning for 30 minutes and every afternoon (after Susan and I finish our Gin and Tonic) for an hour as I try to cage my eyeballs. Fair warning. I was an RLO so I cheat every chance I get, especially with GIBs.

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first SPC 5 Fujii Award

SSG. Janai Thomas, training management noncommissioned officer at 1-13th Aviation, received the award for embodying the traits of selfless service and dedication to fellow Soldiers that was exemplified on the battlefield by Specialist 5 Dennis M. Fujii, a Medal of Honor recipient and his distinguished service as a crew chief aboard a helicopter ambulance during rescue operations in Laos and the Republic of Vietnam in February of 1971. It's nice that our air ambulance heroics are kept alive through awards such as this and the medic, crew chief, and crew awards that presented by the DUSTOFF Association. If you're unfamiliar with the heroics of Fujii, please read more here.

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2024 Reunion Location

Holiday InnThe dates will be 3-7 April 2024. Our host hotel for the 2024 reunion will be the Holiday Inn Downtown Shreveport at 102 Lake Street, Shreveport, LA 71101, Phone: 318-222-7717. Reservation Group Code: MBA So, check the reunion page periodically for updates on our next reunion. [Read More]

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Army links helicopters, boats and AI for casualty evacuation

Medevac from shipCasualty evacuations during recent wars faced their own challenges — enemy fire, dust storms and austere pickup points. But battlefields of the future look far more daunting, especially if U.S. forces face a well-armed peer adversary and must cover farther distances to bring wounded troops to critical medical care.

Soldiers and aviators with the 25th Combat Aviation Brigade are developing a new way to move casualties around the battle space using helicopters, Army watercraft, Navy vessels, advanced communications and data. Capt. Mahdi Al-Husseini, a 25th CAB Black Hawk pilot, teamed up with Army Combat Capabilities Development Command, the Army Research Lab and Stanford University to develop the concept.

The soldiers were able to conduct an exercise in which one Black Hawk crew picked up a medical dummy patient near Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, and dropped off the patient on an LSV 10 miles south of Honolulu, moving at 5 knots. A different medical Black Hawk then picked up the “patient” as the vessel continued moving and delivered the dummy to Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. [Read More]

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army aviator Michael novosel sr. honored with military base

Army Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Joseph Novosel Sr. is a highly decorated and respected military aviator. Born in Pennsylvania in 1922, Novosel joined the Army Air Corps in 1941 to further his education and give back to the United States. He initially wanted to work on aircraft but was convinced by his fellow soldiers to apply for the Air Corps cadet program. Novosel was accepted despite being slightly under the required height.

Read a nice synopsis of his fantastic career by clicking here.

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we weren't the only crazy air crews

Larry TaylorPresident Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor on to CPT Larry Taylor, a Vietnam War pilot who flew his attack helicopter into heavy enemy gunfire until he ran out of ammunition, then led a daring rescue of a small team of soldiers who had been left for dead.

During the fighting in 1968, Taylor served with D-Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry, 1st Infantry Division. The soldiers on the ground fired a flare, showing then-1st Lt. Taylor exactly where they were to avoid friendly fire. But doing so also showed the Vietnamese forces their location, inviting more intense, and precise, attacks. The enemy was so close, the helicopters were firing directly in front of the recon team. The soldiers were directed to open ground, where the Cobra could land.

In a typical situation, as the troops on the ground broke away from the enemy, they would be covered by another friendly force -- in this case, attack helicopters -- to rain down fire to keep the enemy pinned down and distracted. But after some final minigun bursts, the Cobras were out of ammunition.

Taylor then flew dangerously close to the enemy and did all the maneuvers of an attack run to draw their fire. Not knowing the helicopter was out of ammo and no longer a threat, the Vietnamese fighters targeted Taylor, giving the recon team time to escape. "He drew the enemy fire himself, tricking the enemy into thinking he still had ammo," Biden said. Taylor, with his helicopter painted with bullet holes, landed to retrieve the recon team.

But a Cobra has no cargo room for passengers; it has space only for the pilots. So the reconnaissance team held onto the skids and rocket pods outside of the helicopter. Soaked in mud, those would likely have frozen on a flight all the way back to base, so Taylor landed in a safe location, from which they made their way back on foot.

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2023 Reunion pictures

Because of the ubiquitous use of cell phones, we have a whole slew of reunion pictures being sent for inclusion on this year's reunion photo gallery. Keep'em coming or just check out the 2023 reunion gallery by clicking here.

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association Member Discounts

The Association has partnered with dozens of businesses and has arranged discounts from 5%-20% on everything from car rentals to Office Depot products. To check out the discounts, click on the Association button, then Member Discounts. Save on the car rental when you come to the reunion.

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new photos from 67-68 added

Taking a dumpI received a CD of pictures, thanks to Ken Archambault, from his time with 15th Med Bn back in the 67-68 timeframe. There are quite a few pictures of "young warriors" that are unlabeled on Photo page 6. I know I'm asking the nearly impossible, but if any of you old farts still have memory cells from only moderate drinking, I sure would appreciate an e-mail or text with a name for one (or more) of Ken's pictures. Oh, wait, if I'm asking for help from the 67-68 year group, you probably don't have a smartphone so texts are out of the question. God, I can't believe we still have folks alive that were around way, way back in 67!! Love ya guys.

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lost and missing members

Lost and Missing MembersWe've got over two hundred names of soldiers that served with the 15th Medical Battalion but we have no way to contact them - no address and no e-mail address. We'd appreciate you taking the time to scan the Lost and Missing Members List and seeing if you know how to contact any of them. If you do find someone you are in contact with, please ask them to visit this site and fill out the Contact Us form or you complete the form for them.

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Webmeister Needs Your Help

need help sign.The database making up the Unit Member Search has been scrubbed to make it as accurate as we can at this time. All e-mail addresses were checked for currency and "dead" e-mail addresses deleted. This leaves many members without an operating e-mail address associated with their data. I need your help in filling in the blanks. Please search for friends you served with and if you notice an individual's name doesn't have an e-mail address, but you known what the e-mail address is, then please e-mail me. Thanks.

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15th Medical Battalion Association EIN: 82-1517632

Texas Taxpayer Number: 32064960969

NTEE W30

The 15th Medical Battalion Association is registered as a non-profit tax-exempt private foundation
with tax-exempt status granted under IRS rules section 501(C)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

Footer information for 15th Med Bn Assn site.