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05/12/14 10:28 AM #3    

 

Reid Douglas

Terry,

I consider myself very fortunate to have steered clear of Vietnam when I was in the Army. I spent 16 months in Korea and frankly, it was the best kept secret in the US Army. Nothing but an endless party interspersed with moments of concern when something flared up on the DMZ. 

I've been to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC a number of times and have looked for people from our class whose names might sadly be included there, but I never found anyone. So I too would be interested to hear from anyone who served in Vietnam (I know of a couple) and certainly from anyone who knows of a classmate lost in combat. I think both circumstances deserve recognition. 


05/12/14 12:04 PM #4    

 

Jim McCreary

Hi Terry,

Did you ever talk to Robin McElroy? He was in Vietnam during the TET offensive and had a number of near-death experiences from incoming. I was talking to him in Rocky River around 1970 or 1971, and it was at night, with a thunderstorm approaching. There was a flash of lightning, followed by a boom. He immediately fell to the pavement and was shaking. The lightning triggered his Vietnam memories. Some kind of round penetrated the wall of a building he was working in (he was a "Remington Raider"). The round flew over his head inside the building and exited the wall on the other side. Fortunately, it was a dud! 

I also had a friend in Billings, Montana, who had been a point man in an infantry squad in Vietnam. He could no longer walk on  forest trails because he saw ambush points everywhere. He was extremely anxious. He had seen 2nd Lt. officers ignore the advice of the more experienced privates, and these arrogant officers simply died in various ways. He had no sympathy for them at all. They threatened the survival of everyone else.

Combat is the ultimate Darwinian survival-of-the-fittest event!

I get very upset when public figures start talking about how we should get involved in another foreign s***hole (Ukraine?)  that doesn't threaten our survival as a nation!

I hope someone will explain the justification for Iraq!

At least I can understand Afghanistan because we WERE attacked first!


05/12/14 01:53 PM #5    

 

Gar Garland

I was in Nam 3 times. In between I was at the NSA and Pentagon. As the only Khmer linguist with SF training at the time I  was passed around commands like a $2.00 you know what. I served the commanders of the 173rd & 82nd Airborne; as well as the 5th SF and MACV SOG. I also served at the behest of Gen. Westmoreland and staff.

War is never a good experience. We can get through it and compartmentalize it but at times it is the elephant in room of our minds. I lost a lot of good men and have friends to this day who were with me. The logic of Viet Nam as we now know was flawed; the Domino Effect. Also the way we waged that war and for that matter all wars since WWII is too politicized. Hearts and Minds is not a tactic with any long term success; and maybe not even any short term for that matter. I am a dyed in the wool conservative so my views are understandably different than someone who can never see war as justifiable. I talk with WWII vets quite often. No matter their politics they understand the necessity of completely vanquishing a foe and giving no quarter. Beat them so badly they have no other choice but to unilaterlly surrender. No other option has ever worked to my knowledge.

I continue to visit Ft. Bragg on a regular basis because I have a few friends in Delta Force. They get second guessed alot. Just my 2 cents. Don't send them in harms way unless we back them up.

I hope to get to the reunion this year. I am trying to resolve a conflicting commitment. You guys were great to grow up with and I am proud to be your classmate.

Gar


05/12/14 03:07 PM #6    

 

Jim McCreary

Hi Gar. Thanks for your reply! I'm glad this thread is bringing comments from others.  I've always wondered about the military experiences of other RRHS grads. After high school, we seem to have gone in very different directions. I never spent much time there after 1964.  The whole country changed dramatically after 1964.

In 1964, I don't think many of us thought about the "great geo-political struggle" between the West and Communism! We were young and wanted to get laid! 

I majored in Economics at Ohio State. The last quarter, I took a graduate level course in the economy of the Soviet Union. There was not a huge amount of information available, but it was very obvious that the centrally controlled, socialistic/communistic  societies were a complete failure. In 1968, the prediction was that the Soviet system could not last beyond the year 2000. As we know now, it imploded in 1991.

I'm sure the NSA knew much more about the Soviet Union than they would ever tell us ignorant citizens.

My problem with fighting Communism in the 60's was this: why we should fight a system that was already failing in the first place? Why not just wait it out until their fall? We knew that in 1968!

Of course, the answer is obvious. Desperate leaders there would take any kinds of risks with their own citizens to maintain and expand their power.  The was no rule of law or constitutional government. We still needed to keep pressure on them in this great struggle of ideas. I just think it was tragic and sad that so many young men here had to suffer death, dismemberment, and PTSD, like Robin McElroy, and my friend Jeff in Billlings, Montana.

I think Vietnam was a short-term, political gamble by LBJ to ensure his re-election, and to prove that democrats were not soft on communism, as Barry Goldwater kept saying they were. My parents were hard-core Republicans, but they thought Barry Goldwater was a complete screwball and a disgrace to the republican party. They also didn't trust the military either. They thought Truman was right to fire MacArthur when he was about to attack China.

I guess my family is anti-military going way back in time. I still have the draft notice that my great, great Grandfather got to go into the Union Army during the Civil War. Did he serve? No. We think he was one of the people who avoided war by paying a $300 bribe!

I think radical Islam is totally unsuited to the modern world  too. We need to keep those radical elements of Islam in check. After what they did to us on 9/11, I had no problem with attacking  them. What got me about Saddam was that he wasn't religious at all. He was closer to being a socialist than anything. The Baath Party was a secular party.  Why not attack Iran? Why not assassinate the Wahabi fanatics in Saudi Arabia?

What are we going to do in Nigeria? Can we use drones to kill the moslem fanatics holding those 200 or so girls prisoners? How involved should we be there?

 

 


05/12/14 08:50 PM #7    

 

Gar Garland

Hey Jim,

Just so you know I wasn't involved with veterans at all until 2004. I was told to take my uniform off and put on civvies before I landed in the US after I got out of the Army. I was of course a special target of protesters being an SF officer, baby killer and all that. I don't go to American Legion's or VFW's to hoist drinks and listen to war stories. Bores me to tears. I am greatful that the country no longer lumps soldiers and government policy together. People can now thank the soldier for his service while vehemently disagreeing with the policy or conflict we get ourselves into.

Circumstance put me where I am, just like all of us, where the corner of preparation and opportunity meet. I just happened to help a young veteran named Dale Beatty, whom I had never met, get a home when he got out of Walter Reed Hospital after countless surgeries. He lost both his legs in Iraq from a roadside bomb. His community got together to build him a home. I was part of that build. Our charity started a few years after that and I was asked to be on the Board. Helping disabled vets with their housing issues was where I was detined to be at this stage of my life. Half of our builds are for veterans aging who already own homes, many of whom are Viet Nam vets. We install wheel chair ramps, widen doorways and sometimes add whole wings to existing homes at no cost to those veterans. We believe that it is the responsibilty of the local communities adn not the federal government to care for the 1% who served so the other 99% could live free lives. Government can't do what we do. My position takes me all over the country and I meet vets and leaders. My position in PHH made my veteran status come to the fore one again. It is now cool to be an old SF vet.

I speak at length with military leaders about our role in the world today. The topics range from policy to tactics. We sometimes disagree on specific points but we usually agree that war is sometimes inevitable. There are some in the world who will not negotiate in good faith. Some only want us dead. You can't negotiate non-negotiable core beliefs.

 


05/12/14 11:00 PM #8    

 

Jim McCreary

Hi Gar,

I went back and looked at your profile again. I remember you as a pretty quiet kid in Rocky River. I don't remember whether I took any classes with you. Anyway, I was very impressed by reading your profile, and scrolling down to the very BOTTOM to see what you wrote!  Many of the profiles hardly say anything, and I tended to only look at the first part because there was almost nothing further down. 

I think at 18, we thought we were pretty grown-up, but we were still just kids.  Our minds had not really developed yet. We were almost a blank slate mentally at that age. It's been fun reading what happened to everyone after that time.

Thank you for helping our veterans so much. I see from recent news that the VA hospitals are still not doing their job of helping vets. Every few years, there seems to be a scandal about veterans care at VA hospitals. There's a lot of publicity for awhile, problems seem to be addressed,  and then everything quiets down again.

Fort Carson is here at Colorado Springs. I've gone there to thank returning vets from overseas a few times. There are incidents here in town where I think some vets have trouble adjusting to being back, and they have undiagnosed PTSD.  Since I was not a combat veteran myself,  I felt it wasn't my place to say anything to them.  I would try to do something if you could give me an idea of what kind of help they could use. I've given money to help the families a few times.

 


05/13/14 07:21 AM #9    

Terrence Kelly

Jim....

Do you know Robin's whereabouts now?   Is he coming to the reunion?

And thanks for the feedback !

 

Terry

 


05/13/14 07:23 AM #10    

Terrence Kelly

Thanks, Reid....that sounds more appropriate

I got carried away by the RVN thing.....

I remember Ken as a really good guy, however.....sorry he died so young

Terry

 


05/13/14 07:56 AM #11    

 

Gar Garland

Hey Jim,

I don't know your politics but I would venture to say we would get along very well Jim. From what you write I gather that you are engaged, thoughtful, and someone whotries to make a difference in the world. I have close friends who are pretty far left of me but we find a lot of common ground and don't dwell on our differences. I am of the belief that there is too much emphasis now on "Diversity" and being politically correct. It controls the media and colors everything said by public figures. Diversity is an absolute necessity for individuals. That diversity shapes our lives, gives us our uniqueness. Group diversity, or how it is now portrayed, creates dissension. It changes the very fabric of what it is to be an American. We are no longer an Melting Pot but more or a Chunky Stew. Groups no longer want to blend in like groups did up until the 1960's. We can discuss at length all the positive changes that that we fostered during that period, but I for one wanted more individual freedoms, not a society where group dynamics trumps individual worth.

I think it would benefit our great country if we started to focus more on "Commonality" rather than why diversity. Previous generations flocked to this country for the opportunities they didn't have at home. They wanted to assimilate and become Americans. They kept their core beliefs and values but looked for ways to blend in..not be apart. When I have the opportunity to speak at length with someone I love hearing about their lives; what they thought, felt, and experienced. I don't pick up on the one or two things I know we would argue about but rather on what we have in common and how that commonality brings us together instead of the diversity that pushes us apart. We need to celebrate commonality for that is what builds strong relationships and nations.

PTSD and TBI are insidious injuries. There often is nothing there to see. Many people think that it is just a matter of toughing it out to get over it. That simply is not true. Last year I sat down with Pete Chiarelli for a few hours to discuss both issues. Then we played a little golf. He is spearheading the effort to help diagnose, de-stigmatize and find the cures for combat related brain disorders. His organization is cutting edge. Please visit his website for more info. http://www.1mind4research.org/
The best perk of my unpaid job as Vice Chairman is meeting so many veterans who have been injured. Some have attempted suicide several times. Though technically we provide housing we do much more, we provide a new network of friends for them to be a part of. I now have many of them on speed dial and we chat at least once a week. Being there to actually listen and to answer their phone calls appears to be a key ingredient in their recovery. Not someone to pity them or judge them but just to be there like an old friend would be.
There are many veteran organizations that do great works. There are some who don't. I would ask you Jim that you ask at least two questions of the organization. 1. What % of donation goes to their programs. 2. What is the executive team and board compensation? If most of the money goes to vets and the execs are not highly paid then I give them a thumbs up. Fisher House, Special Operations Warrior Foundation, Military Family Lifestyle Charitable Foundation, Green Beret Foundation, One Mind, andPurple Heart Homes are at the top of my list.

Take care Jim.

05/13/14 08:17 AM #12    

 

Gar Garland

A small clip about our 7 Days for the Troops event in Charlotte.

http://charlotte.twcnews.com/content/news/707651/-honor-tower--at-charlotte-motor-speedway-to-raise-money-for-disabled-veterans


05/13/14 09:11 AM #13    

 

Sally Schroder (Kamman)

It's been very interesting to read all the posts from you guys and get a true perspective rather than the BS they feed us on TV. I'm proud to have gone to school with all of you. Thank you for your service and what you've done to help our veterans. What about Wounded Warriors Gar? Are they a good organization?

Sally Schroder


05/13/14 10:08 AM #14    

Jeri Siedel (Audiano)

Thanks Sally for saying what I was thinking...I have t laugh about allof us when we were in school and lliving in oiur bubble of Rocky River...I knew there were classmates that went to war, but it never entered my mind at that time that we might lose some of you....tallk about being small-minded...thank you all for your service to our country and in your belief that you would make a difference...you all did in so many different but really great ways...I am proud to be a memeber of this class...see you all at the reunion.  maybe we did lose someone and maybe not, but there were many who died to keep us free and feeling safe.....my heart goes out to them and their families that suffered that loss...God Bless them all...Jeri


05/13/14 11:10 AM #15    

Nancy Guthery (Golwitzer)

smiley Right on, right on, Sally and Jeri!!   I am so in awe, so appreciative of all the efforts, the intelligence, the convictions, intentions and dedication to personal values, and each guy's description of what that time was for them and how it is today!  I so respect men (and women) who have been in service for our coontry!  My husband was a radio man--he carried the radio--in an Army platoon, deep in the heart and rice paddies of VN.  He doesn't talk about it.  Anyway, I'm looking forward to the reunion!  I think it's going to be amazing!  Who ever thought 50 years ago we'd be having a 50th RRHS'64 reunion!  Thanks to all of you, abd to Reid, Jim, Terry, Gar, Robin, Keith, Sally, and Jeri for touching our hearts with your stories and feelings!

smiley  Nancy Guthery Golwitzer


05/13/14 12:09 PM #16    

John Alhstrom

Nice !  If you want ,  look real hard at

Gar.  Gar and his organization do very good things.  Thanks Gar for doing what you do.  In 66 the Marines were even drafting . I had a knife and gun already so I joined the Air Force and became a jet engine machanic on F-4 c thru e model. I always worked on the flight line with the engine in the aircraft.  Danang 04/67 - 04 68.  Korat and Ubon Royal Thai Air Bases 69 - 72.  Thailand was terrible.  The people were warm and friendly, the woman beautiful and a qt . of Jim Beam cost $ 2.10.  I retired in 86 as a First Sgt after spending my last 4 years in Okinawa Japan.

Kenny Smith: my across the street neighbor since 6 th grade. Not an easy life. He lived with his sister and mother. Was not easy by he was a survivor.  Very few of us wore a varsity letter on their sweater in 10th grade. He did and wrestled 103 class.   He was tough.  He dated Diana Hebert , class of 63 for a long time.  My friend on many adventures in a white 59 ford ! As Reid called it " The Allie Mobile ".


05/13/14 01:11 PM #17    

 

Jim McCreary

The Marines were drafting in '68 too. I was inducted into the Army in Cleveland. We were lined up in rows in the Federal Bldg. in downtown Cleveland.  First, you had to step forward one step to accept being drafted. Those who did not step forward were immediately placed in handcuffs and roughly dragged out of the room.  Then the remainder of us were reformed into new rows without gaps.

They started counting 1 to 10 from the end of the row. The 10th person was drafted into the Marines; the rest went into the Army. I was 1 or 2 people away from a number 10.


05/13/14 05:37 PM #18    

 

Gar Garland

I try not to speak ill of veteran organizations but I am saddened to say the Wounded Warrior Project has lost its way. According to recent 990 tax returns they raised about $70 million and only about $30 million went to programs. There are now more than 20 of their executives makeing mre than $150,000 per year, with their Presiden tmakeing more than $300,000 per year and another $200,000 + to expense account.

My feeling is if you want to make significant pay for your work then enter the private sector. Don't spend donations given by caring people, who have a right to believe their contributions are helping people, not lining exec pockets or used to raise more funds.

I said before, ask 2 things before you give to any charity.

1. What % of donation are going directly to programs? Top marks are 90% - 95%. All charities have overhead, staff, and non- program costs. They should try to keep those fixed costs to a minimum.

2. What are the Executive Team  & Board members earning? Larger charities can pay up to $150,000 for COO and CEO. I don't believe exec team members should make more than $75 k per year. I believe that the Board should get paid very little and reimbursed for expenses related to charity work. 


05/14/14 10:07 AM #19    

Terrence Kelly

Jim....,

Re:   Induction Day.....I was inducted in the Federal Building, downtown Cleveland, and luckily several men volunteered for the Marines, and no one was led away in handcuffs!    I met a person from "Bay" that day who remained a lifelong friend !    So there were ancillary benefits to being drafted.....


05/14/14 03:51 PM #20    

 

Jim McCreary

You can always find something positive alongside horrible events. I have had too much sun exposure, and I have to see a dermatologist every 6 months to get minor skin surgery for cancer. The doc I go to happens to be of Chinese ancestry, whose family was living in South Vietnam in the 60's. He was born just after the fall of Saigon, around 1976. His family left Vietnam by boat in 1979 to escape the horrors of the communists. Well, I think most of you know how the boat people suffered trying to escape. Their boat ended up on a beach in Malaysia, all the women were raped, and then they were towed back out to sea and abandoned  to die. Nobody wanted the boat people. He almost died, but they were rescued by a cargo ship, and eventually he made it to the US. He ended up graduatiing magna cum laude from Harvard medical  school!. I told him I was a draftee and was supposed to go to Vietnam to kill communists, but lucked out by going to Germany instead. Well, he got pretty emotional finding out I had been in the US Army, even though I didn't do anything in Asia. He's a really good surgeon. His results are almost as good as a plastic surgeon. He never would have come here had it not been for that war, and I would not have benefited from his skills! 


05/15/14 01:47 PM #21    

 

Reid Douglas

First, Ahlie, thanks for reminding me about the Ahlie-mobile. Those were good times. I also remember fondly that my mother, who you and Maurer called the Earthmover, once answered the phone when you called by saying "Earthmover speaking.." I thought you were going to die.

I also remember those times playing out on the tracks at the end of Bates Rd. with you, Kenny, Scott Nehoda and others. Seems like a half-century ago. Oh, wait....

I'd also like to echo your sentiments on the work that Gar Garland has been doing for disabled veterans, and it's particularly more important as we continue to learn how horribly the VA has underperformed at their duties to these brave soldiers. It shouldn't surprise to us that when those who have the responsibility to help fail to do so, it is those who served beside them who, through volunteerism, get them the help they so badlly need and richly deserve. I am proud to have served in the military and believe in the soldier's promise that a fellow soldier well never be left behind. It is impressive to see that promise does not end when all have left the battlefield or even the service itself. To people of this level of commitment, never simply means NEVER. Kudos to you, Gar, and thanks.

Terry, thanks for reminding me of induction day. When I was down at the draft board, 25% of those drafted went into the Marines. They were chosen by having everyone line up side by side and this Marine "recruiting" Sergeant going down the whole line going "Army, Army, Army, MARINE!"  I was saved by a draftee who was in the bathroom and ran out to jump in line next to his friend and ahead of me just in time for the Sarge to arrive and say "Marine". After that whole trauma, when a bunch of us were sitting on a bench chilling, I looked up and that big Marine Sergeant was standing right in front of me. He said "Are you Reid Douglas?" and when I said Yes, he said "Congratulations son, you're a United States Marine!"  I was a bit confused and not at all pleased, and then standing well behind him, laughing, I noticed Tom Allen's mother Olive, who volunteered at the draft center. She had seen me there, decided it would funny to scare the bejesus out of me and got Sarge to help. Yeah, wicked funny, Olive!  I'm sure that's where my heart problems started! 

I'm glad we got this conversation going and hope it will continue. It is the only discussion I've ever heard among us about our military experience, and while mine wasn't as impressive as others, I still enjoy sharing those moment and feelings with the seemingly few of us who have served. Thanks to all.

 


05/15/14 05:09 PM #22    

 

Gar Garland

That is pretty funny Reid. Almost made you change your pants I bet!

I am probably like most vets. I compartmentalize my experiences both good and bad. I don't think about them much except when those memories occsionally demand to get out. Memories flood back and overtake you. Sometimes you cry and sometimes you just sit and stare. I am one of the lucky ones. I am able to compartmentalize. Many can't. Those times don't dominate my every waking moment of every day like for many. I have moved on both literally and figuratively.

I never talk about war memories. Well, by never I mean that I only discuss what I feel and remember with younger soldiers, sailers, airmen, and marines who have no one else to talk to about their living nightmares. They need reasurance that there is hope and that they can move on beyond what haunts them now.

Sometimes I gain a new friend who I thnk of as family. I have a few young friends like that right now. Young men and women who have renewed hope and sense of purpose. They are why I do what I do. The homes we rehab and provide are really secondary to the sense of family we give them.  If I see you guys and you want me to, I'll tell you about them.

I will meet the newest Medal of Honor recipient, Kyle White on Saturday evening at the NASCAR race in Charlotte. My buddy Chuck Swannack and I will have dinner with him.  He is probably overhelmed right now. 6 of his closest buddies died out there and he survived. I know he has guilt that he didn't do more to save them. 4 other Mdeal of Honor recipients will be there too. They will help shepard him into their ranks and he will have a special circle of friends he can open up to. I am lucky to spend time in their ranks.

Gar


05/16/14 03:14 AM #23    

Ellen Harriger (Babbitt)

Thank you to my classmates who have served our country.  I will always be grateful for the sacrifices others made that help the USA and I so hope that if I had been born a male I too, would have contributed in some significant way. I was too young and dumb at the time to realize that perhaps I could have actually done something that MATTERS...

I attended RRHS for just a year and a half and then my family had to move to AZ in January of '64 due to my Mother's declining health.  I didn't get to know many of our classmates but that doesn't stop me from feeling nostalgic about the Class of 1964.  That said, the Reunion Committee has always been more than gracious to me and I appreciate that.  Not to mention the fact that my Mom thrived in AZ and lived a healthy life to 88 years of age.

Back to our veterans - reading the recent postings brought back a memory for me.  My Dad and several of my Uncles (capitalized on purpose) served during WWII.  I was the youngest of 5 children and early on figured out how to "disappear" so I could stay up late.  The menfolk usually ended up gathering around the kitchen table and talking about their experiences.  I would curl up under the table and absorb all the stories...the real "war stories."  I don't recommend this for a little girl but it sure made me honor my Uncles and every veteran I have had the honor of knowing since.  

I don't have the words to convey my respect - just know that you are honored and appreciated and while it may be good for you to post about your experiences and where you are today and be able to share it with your classmates --- it is a HUGE lesson for all of your classmates who did not serve but depended on you to do it for us.  There is no font with a large enough THANK YOU.  Ellen


05/16/14 07:57 AM #24    

 

Gar Garland

Thank you Ellen. Much appreciated.

To change to topic, I'd love to hear from everyone about a favorite place they have every traveled to and why.

Gar


05/16/14 11:14 AM #25    

 

Reid Douglas

Gar,

That's a great question. I have been very fortunate in the places that work has taken me and regard that as one of the real blessings in my life. Right off the top of my head, I would list Australia (Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne) and Africa (Dakar, Senegal). I was in charge of a team of people who built a worldide communications system for Interpol, whichis based in Lyons, France. Each member nation of Interpol has to buy a system for their National Central Bureau in order to be able to participate in the new network, so we would go to Interpol's quarterly meetings at various places around the world and set up a system at the meeting so that the Interpol reps from the member nations could check it out.  That's what I was doing in Dakar, Senegal and it was an amazing weekend. Dakar is an amazing city and can be dangerous if you don't know where you're going, so it's helpful to tour it with a couple of hundred cops from all over the world. We did a tour of Ile de Gorée, which is an island right off the coast of Senegal that was a transshipment point for slaves bound for the Western Hemisphere.  It's hard to describe what it was like to experience the House of Slaves, where they were bought, sold and put on ships, but it was even more amazing to experience it with three African policemen representing other African nations. Pretty surreal but probably not for everybody..

If anyone is still making their bucket list, I have two recommendations. First, Tuscany, including Florence, Siena, San Gimignano, Montalcino, etc. etc.  It's just amazing. We rented a villa that was surrounded by vineyards and had a winery in the basement that produced a damn fine Brunello. We used that as our base camp and from there toured the entire region from Montepulciano to the Chianti Hills. Just about the best vacation we've ever had.

Second, if you are a fan of motor racing, do yourself a favor and go to the Formula One Grand Prix of Monaco. It's like spending a weekend in a storybook. Hard to explain, actually. It must just be experienced.

I would still recommend Berlin because it is a city that goes all night and has great entertainment to offer. When I went there for the first time, it was still a divided city and Checkpoint Charlie wasn't where you went to buy Cold War souvenirs like it is today. It was all business with absolutely no sense of humor. I bought a BMW M635CSi there and had to drive it out through East Germany, an incredible experience. We stopped in a little exclave called Steinstücken that was surrounded on three sides by the Berlin Wall, complete with concertine wire along the top and manned guard towers at the corners. We walked through woods along the wall to where the Deutsche Reichsbahn railway went through to East Germany. There were bed springs with spikes welded to them laid down along the rails so people couldn't drive their cars down the tracks to freedom. That was hard to fathom for someone who grew up with all of lifes freedoms in sleepy little Ohio. We stood there and absorbed it all and only then did I look up and notice a guard tower right above us with a guard watching our ever move. I rasied my camera and took his picture. He raised his camera and took our picture, for which we thoughtfully posed. He actually gave us a bit of a smile, and it struck me then how much of a rarity it was to see that. What a way for people to live, particularly people of the same ethnicity and heritage.

So what should I add to my bucket list?

Reid 


05/16/14 11:19 AM #26    

 

Jim McCreary

I found ROBIN McELROY!  I just talked to him today!

His address is 2610 Churchill Rd., Raleigh, NC 27608

He'd been living in NC since 1980. He's still married to Rebecca.

He did go through the TET offensive, and a rocket punched through the building he was in and burried itself only feet from where he was.  It was a defective Russian munition, and he would have probably died if it had detonated.

He was in a good mood when I talked to him, and he's in good health.

He said he didn't mind people contacting him, but he's busy with condos he owns, and is just in the process of closing on one right now. He may not be able to get to you right away, so be patient.

Jim  

   


05/16/14 12:43 PM #27    

Terrence Kelly

THANKS Ellen and Jim !


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