official voice of the 101st airborne division vietnam ...€¦ · clarksville was in the process of...

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www.101namveteran.com Official Voice of the 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans Winter 2019 3003 Beason Ct., Abingdon, MD 21009-2723 INCOMING From the Desk of our President Greetings fellow members of the 101st Airborne Vietnam Veterans Organization, Even before our great reunion at Columbus, Georgia broke up, members were talking about where we should meet in 2019. The consensus of feedback was that many would like to return to Ft. Campbell one more time. I knew that most of the hotels in the Ft. Campbell and Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee area would not have ballrooms and hospitality rooms large enough to accommodate us. Reaching out for help, I con- tacted the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber was excited to hear from us. The City of Clarksville was in the process of planning their “Welcome Home Veterans Celebration” for the week of September 18-22, 2019. The week will include the Mov- ing Wall, a memorial service, a parade and best of all, a FREE concert by Lee Greenwood ("God Bless the USA"). The dates were within our normal reunion times, so it seemed a perfect fit for us to meet during that time pe- riod and take advantage of what the celebration has to offer. Next was finding a hotel. We settled on the Riverview Inn, in Clarksville. The rates were reasonable and we will have exclusive use of their ballroom for the entire time we are there. We will have to change our schedule around a bit to accommodate all of the extra events we may wish to participate in, but the ladies luncheon, pizza party/auction and our banquet will all be in the mix. We are also in the process of plan- ning a day at Ft. Campbell. There you have it! The 2019 reunion will be held at the Riverview Inn, 50 College Street, Clarksville, Ten- nessee, September 18-22, 2019. Secretary/Treasurer Dave Nesbitt will provide more details in this news- letter. I would encourage you to book your rooms early. We expect this event to be a sellout. I hope to see you all in Clarksville in September. Before closing, I would like to thank Earle Prior for volunteering to become the Editor of our newsletter, and also thank Mike Santure for the years he served in that role. Another special thanks goes out to Ed Barbour for picking up the role as Membership Chairman. This organization works well because our members step up when needed. Best Airborne-Air Assault wishes, Bill Ramsey President Bill Ramsey & wife Janet

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Page 1: Official Voice of the 101st Airborne Division Vietnam ...€¦ · Clarksville was in the process of planning their “Welcome Home Veterans Celebration” for the week of September

www.101namveteran.com

Offic ial Voice of the 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans

Winter 2019 3003 Beason Ct., Abingdon, MD 21009-2723

INCOMING

From the Desk of our President

Greetings fellow members of the 101st Airborne Vietnam

Veterans Organization,

Even before our great reunion at Columbus, Georgia

broke up, members were talking about where we should

meet in 2019. The consensus of feedback was that many

would like to return to Ft. Campbell one more time. I

knew that most of the hotels in the Ft. Campbell and

Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee area

would not have ballrooms and hospitality rooms large

enough to accommodate us. Reaching out for help, I con-

tacted the Clarksville Chamber of Commerce. The

Chamber was excited to hear from us. The City of

Clarksville was in the process of planning their

“Welcome Home Veterans Celebration” for the week of

September 18-22, 2019. The week will include the Mov-

ing Wall, a memorial service, a parade and best of all, a

FREE concert by Lee Greenwood ("God Bless the USA").

The dates were within our normal reunion times, so it

seemed a perfect fit for us to meet during that time pe-

riod and take advantage of what the celebration has to offer.

Next was finding a hotel. We settled on the Riverview Inn, in Clarksville. The rates were reasonable and

we will have exclusive use of their ballroom for the entire time we are there. We will have to change our

schedule around a bit to accommodate all of the extra events we may wish to participate in, but the ladies

luncheon, pizza party/auction and our banquet will all be in the mix. We are also in the process of plan-

ning a day at Ft. Campbell.

There you have it! The 2019 reunion will be held at the Riverview Inn, 50 College Street, Clarksville, Ten-

nessee, September 18-22, 2019. Secretary/Treasurer Dave Nesbitt will provide more details in this news-

letter. I would encourage you to book your rooms early. We expect this event to be a sellout. I hope to see

you all in Clarksville in September.

Before closing, I would like to thank Earle Prior for volunteering to become the Editor of our newsletter,

and also thank Mike Santure for the years he served in that role. Another special thanks goes out to Ed

Barbour for picking up the role as Membership Chairman. This organization works well because our

members step up when needed.

Best Airborne-Air Assault wishes,

Bill Ramsey

President Bill Ramsey & wife Janet

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Chaplain, Wally Morrow

Friends and Comrades,

Let me first start by apologizing for missing the last newsletter. There was a communication problem between my-

self and our newsletter editor and as a result I did not get a Chaplain’s Message in on time. I take full responsibil-

ity for this. And let me say that Mike Santure did an excellent job while serving as our newsletter editor. If you

haven't done so already, please thank Mike for his service to the organization.

As I was preparing to write this I found out that Jayme Closs, the Northern Wisconsin 13 year old girl that was

missing since October, has been found. Her parents had been killed and she apparently had been kidnapped. Don't

know all the details yet. Many, many prayers have been answered.

I also posted on Facebook about human trafficking that has been taking place in my state of Wisconsin. When you

think of WI you think of cheese and cows. We are a mostly rural state and don't expect thinks like this to happen

here. But it does. If it can happen here, it can happen anywhere. Learn about the warning signs of human traffick-

ing and be vigilant. If something doesn't seem right, call the police and report. Young people’s lives are at stake.

As most of you are aware by now, we lost one of our own in November. Helen Green, wife and sweetheart of Rod

Green, one of our Past Presidents, passed away after a long battle with cancer. When Rod first got involved with

the organization Helen was there to support him and us. When it came to volunteering to help out the organization

Helen was always there. Her beautiful smile and welcoming personality could light up a room. I know the ladies of

the organization will miss her dearly, as will the rest of us who were always being photographed by her. Please

keep Helen and her family in your prayers.

Because I missed getting my message in for the last newsletter I want to now thank all those who attended our last

reunion. What a wonderful time. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. It was great seeing some new faces and as

always, getting to make new friends. I want to congratulate our new officers for stepping up to take over the reins

of this fine organization. We are in good hands. And to Mike Santure for giving the shirt off his back to make our

annual auction a great event, a huge thank you.

As the holidays have passed and we enter into a new year I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a Blessed

Christmas. I was blessed to be able to spend time with family and friends at both. Although I hate Christmas shop-

ping it is my favorite holiday. I never realized how important it was to me until I missed my first one away from

my family. It was 1968 and I was in Vietnam. I was at LZ Sally, the 2nd Brigade Base Camp, for a short stand

down. Although I had been in country for 8 months, by this time, I didn't give much thought to the upcoming holi-

day. The bad guys kind of kept our attention. Nonetheless, come Christmas Eve I never felt such loneliness. At the

time as a 21 year old I didn't know why I felt so lonely. After all I had plenty of my foxhole buddies around. But

that wasn't the same. Something was missing. I had received letters from family wishing me a Merry Christmas

but something was wrong. Of course I was feeling sorry for myself, not realizing the rest of the guys were in the

same boat I was in. I eventually went to a church service. It was then I felt the true power of loneliness. Although I

was raised Catholic I wasn't the most religious person, far from it. But that night I started to understand the true

meaning of Christmas. Mary and Joseph were all alone in a stable waiting for an event that they didn't truly un-

derstand. Then when God gave the World his only begotten Son, the light truly shown on what a Gift had been be-

stowed on all people. The love that came from that event made me realize I was not alone. My 1st Christmas home

in 1969 was the best ever for me. I was with my first born and the rest of my family. What God has bestowed on us

is truly a gift. As a Christian nation we must not let the forces of evil take Christ out of Christmas.

Before leaving I ask that we all pray for God's healing Grace. Our country is in great turmoil. The political divide is

as abhorrent as I've ever seen. There is evil at work here. We are supposed to be One Nation Under God. But we

have taken God out of Schools, out of our Homes and out of our Hearts. Abraham Lincoln once said: A nation di-

vided against itself, cannot stand. He of course was talking about Slavery. What are we slaves to? We fought a

Civil War over it. Have we lost our Moral Compass? Are we going to fight another Civil War? I hope not. Lets keep

Christ in Christmas and in our hearts and pray for those who have forsaken him.

And finally, pray for our fallen comrades and their families. We ask that God protect us and those who now guard

the gates of freedom. Until next time May God Bless You and God Bless America.

Wally Morrow, Chaplain

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From the Desk of the Secretary Dave Nesbitt

[email protected]

2019 Reunion: As was stated by President Ramsey (Bill) on page 1, we have selected the Riverview Inn of Clarksville, TN as our Re-

union Headquarters this year. The hotel sets within walking distance of the Cumberland River and it’s in the downtown area of Clarks-

ville. McGregor Park and Cumberland Riverwalk are nearby as is Austin Peay State University. There are several restaurants within

walking distance; there’s O’Charley’s, Kelley’s Big Burger, Blackhorse Pub & Brewery, Warehouse Night Club, Tarboosh Mediterra-

nean Cuisine and Loaves and Fishes to name a few. I’m sure we will learn of others with materials to be distributed by the Clarksville

Visitor’s Bureau, who is working with us. Sites of interest are Fort Campbell, which is 14.3 miles from the hotel and the Beachaven

Vineyards and Winery just 7.6 miles away; this will be the site of the outdoor concert with Lee Greenwood on Saturday evening. For

those who might desire to rent an auto, I noticed there is an Enterprise Auto Rental nearby. As Bill suggested on page 1, we urge you to

reserve your hotel rooms early as our planned tour of Fort Campbell and the Lee Greenwood concert will undoubtedly generate a lot of

attention. I’ll have more details about the reunion on page 7 of this newsletter.

Elections: As I reported in the Fall 2018 newsletter, we held elections at the reunion at Columbus, GA last August. Since we only have

elections every other year we won’t have that business to handle this year. I do want to commend all of the officers for working so dili-

gently these past months in taking care of the organization’s business. And, special thanks again to Mike Santure for his years of dedi-

cated service as our newsletter editor. We now have a new editor, Earle Prior, whose introduction appears in this edition of INCOMING.

I know that Earle will do us proud; he and I are in contact frequently. And, don’t let me forget to tell you that Ed Barbour, our immedi-

ate past president, now has in his possession several hundred membership files, a new computer and printer and he is ready to take on

the Membership Chairman’s position. So, when you need to renew or sign up a new member, check out the updated Membership Appli-

cation on page 6.

Melbourne Reunion: Every year since the inception of this organization, we have participated in the annual Vietnam and All Veterans

Reunion held in Melbourne, Florida. This year will mark the 32nd anniversary of the event to be held May 9-12, 2019. While this is not

an official reunion function of this organization, it has special meaning to those who founded the 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Vet-

erans organization in 1994. While encamped there for this annual event, a group of 101st Vietnam Veterans came together and decided,

we needed to have an organization that more accurately represented the men of our war and our 101st Airborne Division. So, the group

was officially started at that location and some of us have been there every year since to renew old acquaintances and make new ones.

The event is held in a Brevard County campground called Wickham Park. All units, branches of service and all eras are welcome. It’s

not unusual to see 40 to 50 thousand people there over the weekend. There is space for campers and RVs and for the hardcore, you can

set up your own tent to sleep in the wild. I will, however, be in the Holiday Inn if they have a room. We are still using the same campsite

for all these years; Campground C, Site #130. It’s in the very back side of the park. If you can’t locate us there, we will have a tent set

up in the main vendor’s area, in what I call the midway. It’s very much like a carnival setup with food vendors and souvenir tents every-

where. They will also have The Moving Wall setup (May 5-12) and static displays of every military vehicle, weapon and other parapher-

nalia you could imagine. A fly-in will occur Saturday morning with the landing of a Cobra gunship and a Huey. In addition, there will

be a massing of the colors at 1100 that morning and our unit has for several years been the only representative of the Division there.

Bring black pants, white polo shirt and white cap if you want to march with us. If you think you might attend, contact me and we’ll try

to meet there. At this time, I expect Ed Barbour, Ted Bridges and John Marlowe will attend.

Lost Soldier Found: In the Fall 2018 edition of INCOMING, under Odds & Ends, I told you about David Mayenschein, who served

with A Co. 1/502 in Vietnam (67-68). He sent me several photos and we published one of him and two of his buddies at Cu Chi in De-

cember 1967. He also sent me a set of orders he received for the Air Medal and as I read over that document, I recognized several names

since I was in the same unit but at a later time. One name caught my attention as I had just seen it on Facebook several days earlier. I

went back online to our Facebook page and looked up Jerry Surveyor. Sure enough he was there. I sent him a brief message telling him

that I had a photo of him and his reply was, “I didn’t think anyone had photos of us.” I told him I would send him a copy and my mes-

sage got lost on my desk in November and I found it again on January 30. It is believed that he was actually in the photo that David

Mayenschein sent me a few months earlier. They were in the same squad. Also on the Air Medal orders, were the names of Randall

Nicholson and Larry Weisbarth. Randall is a current member of our group and Larry Weisbarth, who died May 1, 2015, was our web-

master for years. So, hopefully these men will get together someday soon, perhaps at the reunion in Clarksville. David Mayenschein and

his wife Marilyn said they will attend. (See page 5 under photo)

Cold & More Cold: Everyone loves being home where we feel safe, can be warm and relax. But recently the weatherman showed a

map of where some of you folks live and I’m glad I don’t live that far north. I cannot imagine a minus 40 degree day—that’s colder than

a well digger’s...well, you know. I realize we have to spread out and not all live in the same city or state. But, have you ever heard of

anyone retiring to the north? You should sell that snow blower and come south. Some in the south look upon you folks that endure this

craziness each year and some reason, “well, they don’t have hurricanes like we in the south do and that’s a good thing.” I do sincerely

hope all of you stay warm and safe in those sub-zero temperatures. As for cold, I’ve had the sniffles for weeks and the temp is still in the

50s. I hope it clears up by summer.

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PAGE 4 WWW.101NAMVETERAN.COM

ODDS & ENDS News of Interest to 101st Vietnam Veterans

BOOSTERS

Names of members and non-members who donate to help defray mailing costs, etc. will only appear in one quar-

terly issue of INCOMING. (An * indicates an additional donation in that time frame). Any amount accepted.

Mail to: 101st Abn. Div. Vietnam Vets, 3570 Green View Pkwy, Sumter, SC 29150.

A tax deductible letter will be provided unless indicated it isn’t needed.

*Malcolm Craig, *John Sorge, Gus Vass, Anna Demory, Dan Harelson, George Gardner, Leslie

Carter, Kara Phan-Abbott, Tim Hart and D.W. Rada.

Thanks to all of our supporters!!

SICK CALL Past President Johnnie Lindsey is at home and on the mend from surgery to replace his left hip. He fell and

broke that hip 3 years ago and the first attempt to repair it with a femoral nail implant failed. Now he is resting

up with plans to attend our next reunion. You can contact Johnnie at 903-293-5722.

From the Editor Hi Guys,

Let me introduce myself. I’m Earle Prior, D Co. 1/506th &

HHC, 3rd Bde, Aug 70– Aug 71 and I’m going to be your new

Newsletter Editor. I am new to the Association. I joined this past

summer and attended my first reunion down in Columbus and Ft.

Benning in August. My wife Kathy & I were overwhelmed with

the warm reception we received from everyone. Shortly after the

business meeting I approached our president Bill Ramsey, and

told him I’d be happy to help anyway I could. So when Mike

stepped down as Editor after publishing the Fall newsletter, Bill

called to ask me if I would be willing to take on the job and I

agreed. First I’d like to thank Mike for his hard work and dedica-

tion during the past 5 years as Editor. He has set a high standard

which I will do my best to live up to. Second, I’d like to encourage

everyone to feel free to send me any items of interest you might

like to share with your fellow members. My email address is

[email protected].

Rosemary Nesbitt, wife of Dave Nesbitt, has been experiencing low back pains with nerve involvement down

her legs. Following an MRI and a spinal injection she is still having the same symptoms. Another injection is

forthcoming and it that doesn’t do the trick, surgery may be required. Remember her in your prayers.

Mary Marlowe, wife of John Marlowe (Sgt. at Arms) had a fall May 13, 2018 that resulted in a busted ankle.

She was an inpatient four weeks, had two surgeries, then got an infection and back in the hospital for IV antibi-

otics. Now, 8 months later the problems still persist. Her body rejected some of the metal work necessary to re-

pair her ankle and she’s been hospitalized twice more. She is confined to a wheelchair. Pray for her recovery;

send a card to her at 10430 SW 199 St., Cutler Bay, FL 33157-8511.

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More Odds & Ends

(Continued from page 3) ~ Lost Soldier Found: This photo shows David Mayen-

schein kneeling on left with M-79. He believes the big guy in the back row, middle,

holding the M-16 up, is Jerry Surveyor. All in photo are from A Co. 1/502 Infantry.

BG Willard Pearson, 1st Bde CO with LTC Frank Dietrich,

2/502 BN CO, inspects captured NVA weapons at Tuy Hoa.

Photo from Ray Chandler

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PAGE 6 WWW.101NAMVETERAN.COM

Ed Barbour is our new membership committee chairman and this updated application has his snail mail address,

email address and phone number. He is sitting by his computer now waiting for you to send in your dues if it’s that

time. Ed is the chairman but we all are recruiters so take this application with you and if you meet a 101st Vietnam

Veteran, sign him up. Our current membership is approximately 350 members. We still need a few more great men!!

Let the Marines have the “good men”, we’ll take the best.

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WWW.101NAMVETERAN.COM PAGE 7

101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans 25th ANNUAL REUNION**SEPTEMBER, 2019

Fort Campbell/Clarksville, TN

Our reunion this year will be held in Clarksville, TN during the period of September 18-22, 2019. This site was se-

lected due to it’s proximity to Fort Campbell where many of our members went through Basic and Airborne Training.

Many deployed from there to Vietnam. We plan to arrange a tour of the fort to see the many changes that have oc-

curred since our last visit there in 2012. I know everyone will enjoy touring the Pratt Museum and the new Division

Headquarters. Also of interest are the memorial monuments that have been erected by various units, to include my

unit’s 1/502nd monument that was dedicated in July 2010. Many of these have been relocated due to the construction

of new brigade and regimental headquarters. We don’t have all the details yet for the tour but we should know more

by the time the next newsletter is received in April or May. And, due to some logistics still to be worked out, we don’t

have a reunion registration form ready at this time. That does not prevent you from reserving your hotel room early to

ensure that you have a room for this event. With the events being planned, we will probably have a large crowd attend

so reserve your room early. Please, when you call for reservations, be sure to tell them you are with the 101st Airborne

Vietnam Veterans organization. We need your room to be registered under our block of rooms. By doing that you help

us to receive certain perks from the hotel based on the number of rooms we sell. These perks provide us with free

meeting and banquet rooms that could otherwise cost us thousands.

Our host hotel is the Riverview Inn located at 50 College St., Clarksville, TN 37040. Reservations can be made by call-

ing the front desk at (931) 552-3331, a real person stationed at the hotel should answer. Room rates are $98.00 plus

18.5% tax added per night. Free buffet breakfast is provided for each registered guest. Also provided is on-site park-

ing, wireless internet and an indoor saltwater pool. Each room has a mini-fridge, microwave and Keurig coffee maker.

The one thing this hotel does not have is an in-house restaurant but there are many eateries close by so that shouldn’t

be a problem. We will use Chartwell’s Catering for the ladies luncheon and the banquet. We will have our annual

pizza party and the auction as usual but on Saturday afternoon, not Friday night, when we will have our banquet.

The Nashville Airport is the nearest major airline hub, it is 54 miles from Clarksville. There is a regional airport at

Clarksville but unless you have a small corporate jet, you won’t be coming in there on a 737. We know transportation

is required for the trip to Fort Campbell and to the Beachaven Vineyards and Winery. We are working on the transporta-

tion issue now and hope to have news on that later.

The Clarksville Visitor’s Bureau (CVB) and Chamber of Commerce (CoC) have many things lined up in conjunction

with their “Welcome Home Veterans Celebration.” They extended an invitation for us to join them for the Wednesday

opening ceremony and dinner but the details for this were not available. On Thursday, they are planning a special

Veteran’s Breakfast: our plans call for us to tour Fort Campbell that day so cannot attend their program. They also

have the travel version of The Wall, a memorial service, a parade and best of all, a FREE concert by Lee Greenwood

("God Bless the USA"). As time draws nearer we should have more details on the local activities and if we see that

some of us can attend, we’ll work that out then. The people of Clarksville are doing all they can to accommodate us

and to recognize our service to this great country. (Continued on next page)

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Bill mentioned on page 1 that some of our events will have to be switched around from the usual times we have been

accustomed to for years due to the date and time of the Lee Greenwood concert. Our banquet, usually held on Saturday

evening will have to be moved to Friday evening. The primary reason for the delay in getting a schedule and registra-

tion form ready is that we have to decide mainly about events we will attend, when and how we will transport everyone

from place to place. These issues simply cannot be completed without further investigation. Keep in mind that the con-

tract for this hotel was just signed 7 days ago. Shown below is a tentative schedule that will, in all probability, be

changed several times before we agree to a final schedule.

Mon-Tues 16-17: Board of Governors & Officers begin arriving

Wednesday 18: Set up tables for registration; fill gift bags; Board Members may attend CVB

Opening Ceremony and Dinner (Time unknown)

Thursday 19: Open registration; arrange for buses to tour Fort Campbell (8:00 or 9:00 AM) Tour

may take 4 to 6 hours. It would be nice to come down the rappelling tower. Return to

hotel, possibly attend CVB Memorial Service at Vietnam Wall with Massing of the

Colors (6:30 PM)

Friday 20: Registration; Ladies Brunch (10:30-12:00); Board of Governor’s Meeting (9:00-11:00

AM); Men’s Business Meeting (11:00-12:30); Hospitality Room closes at (4:00 PM) to

allow room to be set up for banquet. Happy Hour begins at 6:00 PM; Banquet Room

opens at 7:00 PM for dinner. Guest speaker TBD.

Saturday 21: CVB Parade begins at 10:00 AM; we are invited but attendance is optional; Pizza

Party and Auction begins at 1:00 PM and will run until about 4:00 PM. Sometime be-

tween 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM we should be transported to the Beachaven Vineyard and

Winery for the Lee Greenwood concert. Presently, we do not have information as to a

start or end time. Return to hotel; hospitality room open. Possible snacks?

During our time at the Riverview Inn, we will use the large Grand Ballroom for our hospitality room, General Member-

ship meeting room, the pizza party, auction and the banquet. We have been told that this room will comfortably seat

over 200 people so space should not be an issue. We will need to close the room for hospitality on Friday afternoon, at

4:00 PM unless we are told differently. As usual we will have a cash bar set up inside or just outside the ballroom door

during Happy Hour.

While we are on the subject of alcoholic beverages, be informed that we cannot bring any alcohol into the hotel ball-

room at any time. We will be required to use the hotel bartender with a setup in the room. The Board of Governors has

voted to approve that the organization will purchase all wine and beer at the reduced price of $2 for either drink. All

mixed drinks will need to be purchased at your own expense at the reduced rates, generally $4 to $6. We know this is

very different from all our previous reunions but the alcohol issue is becoming more and more a factor everywhere we

go. Please try to live with this and let’s see how it works.

Another item we almost forgot to mention is bringing animals into the hotel. Pets are allowed in the rooms but you

must tell the clerk at the time of registration. There is a $10 per day fee and possibly a deposit. All registered Service

Dogs are allowed in free of charge; papers may be required so have that with you.

That about sums it up. We suggest very strongly that you make hotel reservations as soon as possible. And, by the time

the next newsletter arrives we should have all details you will need to have another great reunion. We will have a re-

union registration form ready in a matter of weeks. Right now, our newsletter deadline has come and gone so we need

to get this issue in the mail. If you have questions, concerns or suggestions, feel free to contact any of the officers listed

on page 12. We all stand ready to serve you. We look forward to seeing all in September. Be safe, see you there!!

101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans 25th ANNUAL REUNION**SEPTEMBER, 2019

Fort Campbell/Clarksville, TN

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PAGE 9 WWW.101NAMVETERAN.COM

It is with great sadness that we report the death of

Helen Green, one of our most beloved Associate Mem-

bers. Helen was the wife of Past President Rod Green,

who currently serves as our webmaster. Her obituary

follows:

Helen Joann (Veurink) Green, 71 entered fully into

the presence of her Lord and Savior on Nov. 25, 2018.

Helen was a woman of strong faith. Her belief in the

power and strength of Jesus Christ’s love was evident in

here service to others, her beautiful and timely words of

encouragement and her ever present prayers on behalf

of others. Through three bouts of cancer, her faith in the

Lord grew deeper and she testified to God’s faithfulness,

regardless of the circumstances of her life. In Helen’s

words “looking back on our lives, we can see where God graciously turned the trials into blessings. We

can see where He was directing our path all along. The verses in Jeremiah 29:11 and Romans 8:28

gave me strength, comfort, courage and peace. I carried Hebrews 13:5 with me during my medical tests

and chemo treatments, “I will never leave you or forsake you.”” After Jesus, her greatest joy was being

a wife, mother and grandmother. Helen was born Nov. 28, 1946 to Gradus J. and Margaret (Krediet)

Verink at home on the farm near New Holland, SD. She attended New Holland Christian Grade School

and Dakota Christian High School, graduating in 1964.

Helen obtained her nursing diploma from Sioux Falls School of Nursing in 1967. She was hired as a

registered nurse in a staff nurse position at Sioux Valley Hospital. She later became Head Nurse on

the medical floor. A special patient hospitalized with malaria caught Helen’s eye. That patient, Rod-

ney Green, later became her husband. Rod and Helen were married Feb. 5, 1971 in Sioux Falls where

they made their home. Their family expanded with the births of sons Scott and Brian. In 1989, they

moved to Rapid City where Helen worked for Dr. Elmo Rosario in his pulmonary clinic. Rod and Helen

returned to Sioux Falls in 2003 and Helen resumed employment at Sanford USD Medical Center in the

Pain Clinic. Helen retired in 2006.

Helen is survived by her beloved husband, Rod Green, son Scott Green and wife Karla, their children

Zoe, Phoebe and Cleo; son Brian Green and wife Amy, and their children Elizabeth (Ellie), Grace and

Madelyn (Mady). She is also survived by a brother Gary (Ruth) Veurink, sisters Rosalie (Edgar) Lig-

tenberg and Marlys (Dean) Severson, brothers-in-law Gary (Janet) Green, Ron (Christy) Green and

Bob Green, sister-in-law Connie (Leroy) Geiken and many nieces and nephews. Helen was preceded in

death by her parents, Gradus and Margaret Veurink, parents-in-law Earl and Ethyl Green, brother-in-

law Dick Warner, and sisters-in-law Hazel (Green) Warner, Audrey Green and nieces Julie Dravland

and Lynn Chambers.

Helen knew of and longed for the beauty and peace awaiting her in heaven. Funeral services were held

Saturday, December 1, 2018 at Shalom Christian Reformed Church.

Memorial donations may be made to The Furniture Mission, 209 N. Nesmith Ave., Sioux Falls, SD

57103, where Helen lovingly volunteered in recent years.

Helen always attended the 101st Reunions and volunteered wherever she was needed. We have lost a

very special lady. We will all miss her; may she reside in peace with the Lord until we meet again!

TAPS

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WWW.101NAMVETERAN.COM PAGE 10

TAPS (Continued)

From the Screaming Eagle Magazine

Ron Kuvik (E Co. 1/501; 67-68) Of Massena, NY died April 5, 2018. He was a member in 2004 but had

not been active since them but was involved with the 101st Association.

Rick Lencioni (CO 1/501; 67-68) Entered the US Army in 1965 and trained at Fort Polk and Fort Jackson before be-

ing selected to attend OCS at Fort Benning. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in January 1967 and

completed Parachute School that same year. He then trained with the Special Forces Officer Course at

Fort Bragg before departing for Vietnam. In January 1968 he was assigned as Platoon Leader with /501

Infantry. He was wounded in action in April 1968 and following a period in the hospital, returned to his

platoon in June that year and was subsequently promoted to Company Commander. He retired in

1985. Rick held several offices in the 101st Association and was National President in 2002-03. At the

time of his death on May 10, 2018 Rick was living in Lutz, FL with his wife Lori. Rick was not a current

member of our group at that time but he was a faithful supporter years ago.

Bryan Smothers (HHB 2/11 Arty; 67-68) Of Houston, TX died August 9, 2018. Bryan had not been a

member of this organization since 2011. Regardless, he was a brother from the 101st and will be remem-

bered. May he rest in peace.

CSM Estanislao Torres of Salinas, CA passed away on August 12, 2018. His son Gilbert Torres notified

us of this sad news. CSM Torres served in Vietnam with A Co. 2/327 in 1969-70. His previous tour in Viet-

nam was with HHC 1/16 in 1965-66. The CSM was 90 years old and had been in ill health for several

years and was residing in a nursing home. He is survived by his wife Larissa and son Gilbert. He was a

member of our organization since 2007. May he rest in peace.

Paula J. Billmaier, age 53, of Toledo, passed away January 13, 2019. Paula was born March 6, 1965 in

Monroe, Michigan to Clifford and Rosemary (Rowe) Billmaier. She was a graduate of Mason Senior High

School in Erie, Michigan in 1983.

She is survived by her children: Emily J. (Tim) Goebel, Seth J. Kelley, Erin E. (Adam Golday) Kelley;

mother, Rosemary Billmaier, siblings, Sheila M. (Michael) Santure, Dina L. (Rich) Gossett, Frank J. (Lisa)

Billmaier, Wayne J. Billmaier, granddaughter, Scarlett R. Goebel, grandson, Mark W. Golday, step-

granddaughter, Amelia Deleon, longtime companion and best friend, Aaron Logan and many nieces and

nephews.

Paula was the sister of Sheila Santure, one of our most faithful reunion attendees. We are saddened by her loss.

Mail was returned from David Bishop of Melbourne, FL marked "Deceased". A check with FindAGrave.com found that

David Paul Bishop died on January 9, 2018. He was 73 years old. David served in Vietnam with HQ, 1st Brigade in

1965-66. He joined the organization at the Melbourne Reunion in 2015. He and his friend Mike Myer attended our

reunion in Colorado Springs in 2017 and they left there to tour the west before returning to Florida. We spoke to his

brother Bill in Ann Arbor, MI and he said David was survived by two grown children and a sister. David attended Jim

Mathews' funeral in 2016 as one of our 101st representatives. Now he and Jim are resting together in the Cape Ca-

naveral National Cemetery in Mims, FL. May they rest in peace.

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PAGE 11 WWW.101NAMVETERAN.COM

101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans

Membership Application & Renewal Form

New Member check here __ Renewal card #_______ New Associate check here __ Associate Renew card#________

Name:______________________________________________________ Spouse’s Name:_____________________________

Address:________________________________________________ City:_____________________________ State:________

Zip Code:________________ Phone: ( ) ________________________ Email:________________________________

Highest Rank Held in Vietnam: ________DOB: ____________ Call Sign or Nickname: _________________________

Applicants for new membership please attach documents to establish your service with 101st in Vietnam,

e.g., DD-214, orders, manifests, etc. & forward to address below with $200 for 11 yrs, $60 for 3yrs. or $25 for 1 yr.

Company:________ Battalion:________________Regiment:______________From:____________To:_____________

Company:________ Battalion:________________Regiment:______________From:____________To:_____________

Send with check or money order payable to: 101st Abn. Div. Vietnam Veterans at 9008 Amberhill Loop,

N. Chesterfield, VA 23236. Should you have questions, call Ed Barbour at (804) 745-4065.

I do ____ I do not _____ Authorize the release of my address, phone number or e-mail address to others

from the 101st Airborne Division who may be trying to locate me for the purpose of renewing old friend-

ships.

Date:______________ Signature:_____________________________________ Amount Enclosed: $_________________

Release of Information

Where to Send Correspondence

Membership applications, renewals, and change of address should be forwarded to: 101st Airborne Division Viet-

nam Veterans, 9008 Amberhill Loop, N. Chesterfield, VA 23236 Questions? Contact Ed Barbour at (804) 745-4065 or

by email at: [email protected].

For general correspondence contact Dave Nesbitt, 3570 Green View Pkwy., Sumter SC 29150-7066; or by phone

at (803) 506-3120 or by email at: [email protected].

Check your mailing label on this copy of Incoming. The number next to your name in parentheses is your mem-

bership number. The number next to that is your dues expiration date. It’s time to renew now if your date has ex-

pired. If you detect any discrepancy, email or call Ed Barbour. If your address is different from that shown on the

label, please notify us of any corrections

Quartermaster Sales orders should be sent to: Bruce Roshong, Quartermaster 101st Airborne Division Vietnam

Veterans, 5796 Summit View Dr; Brooksville, FL 34601-6576. You can reach Bruce by email at:

[email protected] or by phone at (352) 397-7440. Sales items are currently listed on the webpage at:

www.101namveteran.com. Due to space limitations we can no longer publish the entire list in the newsletter. Order

forms will soon be available online, in the interim, just give Bruce a call.

Items or inquiries for the website (www.101namveteran.com) should be sent to our webmaster Rod Green at:

[email protected].

Moving? Please don’t forget to send in your change of address so you won’t miss the next issue of the newsletter.

Let us know as soon as possible as the US Postal Service charges us for each newsletter returned. Send address

changes to: 101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans, 9008 Amberhill Loop, N. Chesterfield VA 23236-1252.

Newsletter articles should be sent to Earle Prior. Email him at: [email protected] or call him at (410) 569-6030.

Send snail mail to: Earle Prior, 3003 Beason Ct., Abingdon, MD 21009-2723.

Page 12: Official Voice of the 101st Airborne Division Vietnam ...€¦ · Clarksville was in the process of planning their “Welcome Home Veterans Celebration” for the week of September

3003 Beason Ct.

Abingdon, MD 21009-2723

E-mail: [email protected]

101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION

VIETNAM VETERANS

101st Airborne Division Vietnam Veterans

3570 Green View Pkwy.

Sumter, SC 29150-7066

Address Service Requested

Incoming is the official publication of the 101st Airborne Division Viet-

nam Veterans Organization. It is published quarterly for members, asso-

ciates and supporters of the organization. Any contributions or sugges-

tions for this newsletter should be directed to the address above. We

welcome your comments.

Any information you wish to place in future editions of Incoming should

be forwarded timely as we do have deadlines. Information not published

during the month it is received may appear in a future edition.

Any correspondence addressing matters other than those intended for

the newsletter should be sent directly to the president or the secre-

tary/treasurer for official response.

The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of the writer and

do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the organization or its officers.

2018-2020 Officers

Non-Profit Org

US POSTAGE PAID

Sumter, SC

Permit #3

President

Bill Ramsey

Jarrettsville, MD

(410) 404-7045

[email protected]

Vice President

Ron Long

Torrance, CA

(310) 977-4253

[email protected]

Secretary/Treasurer

Dave Nesbitt

Sumter, SC

(803) 506-3120

[email protected]

4 Year Governor

Ted Bridges

Pensacola, FL

(850) 426-8416

[email protected]

2 Year Governor

James Holmes

Fayetteville, GA

(678) 770-1914

[email protected]

Sgt-At-Arms

John Marlowe

Miami, FL

(305) 394-1241

[email protected]

Chaplain

Wally Morrow

Appleton, WI,

(920) 954-0692

[email protected]

Webmaster

Rodney Green

Sioux Falls, SD

(605) 360-1240

[email protected]

Eagle Chap. Delegate

John Walker

Madison, MS

(601) 856-7830

[email protected]

Quartermaster

Bruce Roshong

Brooksville, FL

(352) 796-1723

[email protected]

Membership Ed Barbour

N. Chesterfield, VA

(804) 745-4065

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor

Earle Prior

Abingdon MD

(410) 569-6030

[email protected]