| 2007 Jul-Aug |
MEDEVAC
15th MED\15th FSB
Mike Bodnar
13010 N Lakeforest Drive
Sun City, AZ 85351-3250
(623)972-4395
e-mail: mbodnar27@juno.com
Web site: http://15thmedassociation.com
Forum:
http://communities.msn.com/15thMEDASSOCIATION/_whatsnew.msnw
A correction to the last column should read: "Car (Ed) BRUER
<ebruer@comcast.net> in Colorado Springs, CO." The Saber had
it "Calr (Ed) BRUER," which the editor may have thought it
should be "Carl," and "typoed" the letters. "Car" is the way
he signed in the Guestbook, and unless anyone can confirm
otherwise, that's the way it is. Send e-mail if you know.
Benjamin MITCHELL <photoneeds@yahoo.com>, Suitland, MD,
comments: "Served with Co C, 15 MED Bn. when it was 11th Air
Assault Div., and as 1st Cav Div. Sailed to Vietnam on USNS
UPSHUR 11 as part of the division. Remained with Co. C until
my discharge from USA, June '66."
Keltner "DOC" FARRIS <fishincapt@yahoo.com> of Kingman, AZ\
Kenai, AK, signed in the 1st Cav Assn. Guestbook: "Served
with HHC 15th MEDEVAC '67-'68."
15th MED Association Webmaster\Past President 2003-2006
Murray GIBBS, MEDEVAC gunner '67-'68
<gunnermadmur@embarqmail.com> had written after the last
column was submitted, "On the behalf of the 15th MED
Association and myself, I wish everyone a good Memorial Day.
Let us remember all those who made the greatest sacrifice in
the service of their country. Let us also remember all those
who served with the 15th MED Bn. who made the greatest
sacrifice. The 15th MED Bn. purpose was service to the 1st
Cav Div. (Airmobile), and others in need of medical
attention. Their deaths were not in vain. They died risking
their lives getting the wounded out.
"2007 Reunion was another eventful one. I thank all those who
never attended a Reunion, for coming. We had an opportunity
to meet many more of those of the 15th MED Assn. because of
our Reunions. Our Secretary Corky WALSH was not able to
attend so our Alt. Replacement John CRESPI filled in for him
during the meeting to take the Minutes. I am still waiting
for the Minutes to be sent to me by John.
"FYI, John CRESPI told us before the Reunion that he took a
test for leukemia. When he returned from the Reunion it was
confirmed that he has leukemia. Hopefully he only has to go
thru the first level of therapy for it. John will be on
disability for the next 6 months, then retire. He is in high
spirits that he will be okay down the road. I gave him pilot
Roger BADERSCHNEIDER's phone number to call. Roger had
leukemia and is doing well now. Roger had to have a bone
marrow transplant, that took.
"Here are the results from the 2007 Reunion: 2008 Reunion
will be in Biloxi, MS, or close by. One person designated to
send out Reunion invitations, Norm ROBERGE, will be working
on an association patch.
"Officers for 2007-2008-I hope I have this right; I haven't
got the minutes yet; President - Richard "Tiny" MELLON,
Vice President - John CRESPI, Treasurer - Robert MCKINLEY,
Alt. Replacement - Fred MCKELLER, Secretary - To be announced
(this is an appointment position), Webmaster\Database
Operator - Murray GIBBS, Search Coordinator - John CRESPI
Historians -Paul TROOP, Fred MCKELLER, Jim HALL, Leroy
CAUBARREAUX, Writer - Mike BODNAR, Snail Mail Invitation
Sender - Norm ROBERGE, Women's Auxiliary Coordinator - Holly
CALIBRO.
"FYI, I have been experiencing some trouble on the MSN
Website. I was getting a restriction notice every time I
tried to update a page. After several e-mail exchanges, the
real problem was found. Microsoft did update their Website
about 3 weeks ago. They had the pages to "READ ONLY." Then,
they changed them back. Well, many of the pages became
corrupted in the process. Microsoft sent me a set of
instructions of how to correct this and it worked. Soon I
will be making many updates that I wanted to do several weeks
ago.
"I received many pictures taken at the 2007 Reunion for
members who attended. I also have two camcorder tapes that I
will pull video off of. Mine is most of the Air Force Museum.
Richard 'Tiny' MELLON's is of the meeting and our gatherings
in the hospitality room. I will be putting them together on
DVD like I did the 2006 Reunion. I will let you know when I
have finalized the DVD movie\slideshow."
If NAPOLEON had been in the Vietnam War, these could be his
maxims: "NEVER FORGET! 1. Once you are in the fight, it is
way too late to wonder if this is a good idea. 2. Helicopters
are cool! 3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are
instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While
it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the
time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always
be prevented. It's just what they do. 4. NEVER get into a
fight without more ammunition than the other guy. 5. The
engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the
GREEN. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale
of the crew. 6. A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your
leg and be a real pain in the ass. 7. Cover your buddy, so he
can be around to cover you. 8. Letters from home are not
always great. 9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll.
Please have exact change. 10. Share everything. Even the
Pound Cake. 11. Decisions made by someone over your head will
seldom be in your best interest. 12. The terms 'Protective
Armor' and 'Helicopter' are mutually exclusive. 13. The
further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is
that they can help you when you really need them the most.
14. Sometimes, being good and lucky still was not enough.
There is always payback. 15. 'Chicken Plates' are not
something you order in a restaurant. 16. If everything is as
clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned,
you're about to be surprised. 17. The BSR (Bang Stare Read)
Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the
helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the
gauges. 18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time
it takes them to move from green to red. 19. It does too get
cold in Vietnam. 20. No matter what you do, the bullet with
your name on it will get you. So too can the ones addressed
'To Whom It May Concern.' 21. Gravity: It may not be fair,
but it is the law. 22. If the rear echelon troops are really
happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they
need. 23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will
probably miss that part. 24. It hurts less to die with a
uniform on than to die in a hospital bed. 25. Happiness is a
belt-fed weapon. 26. If something hasn't broken on your
helicopter, it's about to. 27. Eat when you can. Sleep when
you can. Visit the head when you can. The next opportunity
may not come around for a long time. If ever. 28. Combat pay
is a flawed concept. 29. Having all your body parts intact
and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury. 31. If you are allergic
to lead it is best to avoid a war zone. 32. It is a bad thing
to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same
time. 32a. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and
runway behind you. 33. While the rest of the crew may be in
the same predicament, it's almost always the pilot's job to
arrive at the crash site first. 34. When you shoot your gun,
clean it the first chance you get. 35. Loud sudden noises in
a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention. 36. Hot
garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, which, in turn is
better than cold C-rations, which is better than no food at
all. All of these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls
(given to you by guards) even if they do have the little
pieces of fish in them. 37. WHAT is often more important than
WHY. 38. Boxes of cookies from home must be shared. 39.
Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not. 40. Everybody's a
hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink. 41.
There is no such thing as a small firefight. 42. A free-fire
zone has nothing to do with economics. 43. The farther you
fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine noises
become. 44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your
friends in one piece at the end of the day is better. 44a.
The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity
Medal. 45. Being shot hurts. 46. Thousands of Vietnam
Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A few were even
awarded. 48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or
collective are all bad ideas. Any combination of these can be
deadly. 49. Nomex is NOT fire proof. 50. There is only one
rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the Rules. 51.
Living and dying can both hurt a lot. 53. While a Super Bomb
could be considered one of the four essential building blocks
of life, powdered eggs cannot. 54. C-4 can make a dull day
fun. 55. Cocoa Powder is neither. 56. There is no such thing
as a fair fight, only ones where you win or lose. 57. If you
win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose
you don't care. 58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or
what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what
you are doing NOW to solve our problem. 59. If you have
extra, share it quickly. 60. Always make sure someone has a
P-38. 61. A sucking chest wound may be a good way of telling
you it's time to go home. 62. Prayer may not help . . . but
it can't help. 63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is
better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of
these however, are better than extraction by a MEDEVAC, even
if this is technically a form of flying. 64. If everyone does
not come home none of the rest of us can ever fully come home
either. 65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only
take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for
they will steal your HONOR. 66. A grunt is the true reason
for the existence of the helicopter. Every helicopter flying
in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It is
unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity
to fulfill their one true mission in life simply because
someone forgot this fact. 67. 'You have the right to remain
silent' is always EXCELLENT advice. 'Like the book says, we
may be through with the past but the past is not through with
us.'"
Always remembering our 1st Cav troops on duty around the
world; over and out.
FIRST TEAM!
Garryowen,
Mike Bodnar C 2\7 Cav 1969
MEDEVAC 1-7\1970
SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE
15th MED\15th FSB
Mike Bodnar
13010 N Lakeforest Drive
Sun City, AZ 85351-3250
(623)972-4395
e-mail: mbodnar27@juno.com
Web site: http://15thmedassociation.com
Forum:
http://communities.msn.com/15thMEDASSOCIATION/_whatsnew.msnw
A correction to the last column should read: "Car (Ed) BRUER
<ebruer@comcast.net> in Colorado Springs, CO." The Saber had
it "Calr (Ed) BRUER," which the editor may have thought it
should be "Carl," and "typoed" the letters. "Car" is the way
he signed in the Guestbook, and unless anyone can confirm
otherwise, that's the way it is. Send e-mail if you know.
Benjamin MITCHELL <photoneeds@yahoo.com>, Suitland, MD,
comments: "Served with Co C, 15 MED Bn. when it was 11th Air
Assault Div., and as 1st Cav Div. Sailed to Vietnam on USNS
UPSHUR 11 as part of the division. Remained with Co. C until
my discharge from USA, June '66."
Keltner "DOC" FARRIS <fishincapt@yahoo.com> of Kingman, AZ\
Kenai, AK, signed in the 1st Cav Assn. Guestbook: "Served
with HHC 15th MEDEVAC '67-'68."
15th MED Association Webmaster\Past President 2003-2006
Murray GIBBS, MEDEVAC gunner '67-'68
<gunnermadmur@embarqmail.com> had written after the last
column was submitted, "On the behalf of the 15th MED
Association and myself, I wish everyone a good Memorial Day.
Let us remember all those who made the greatest sacrifice in
the service of their country. Let us also remember all those
who served with the 15th MED Bn. who made the greatest
sacrifice. The 15th MED Bn. purpose was service to the 1st
Cav Div. (Airmobile), and others in need of medical
attention. Their deaths were not in vain. They died risking
their lives getting the wounded out.
"2007 Reunion was another eventful one. I thank all those who
never attended a Reunion, for coming. We had an opportunity
to meet many more of those of the 15th MED Assn. because of
our Reunions. Our Secretary Corky WALSH was not able to
attend so our Alt. Replacement John CRESPI filled in for him
during the meeting to take the Minutes. I am still waiting
for the Minutes to be sent to me by John.
"FYI, John CRESPI told us before the Reunion that he took a
test for leukemia. When he returned from the Reunion it was
confirmed that he has leukemia. Hopefully he only has to go
thru the first level of therapy for it. John will be on
disability for the next 6 months, then retire. He is in high
spirits that he will be okay down the road. I gave him pilot
Roger BADERSCHNEIDER's phone number to call. Roger had
leukemia and is doing well now. Roger had to have a bone
marrow transplant, that took.
"Here are the results from the 2007 Reunion: 2008 Reunion
will be in Biloxi, MS, or close by. One person designated to
send out Reunion invitations, Norm ROBERGE, will be working
on an association patch.
"Officers for 2007-2008-I hope I have this right; I haven't
got the minutes yet; President - Richard "Tiny" MELLON,
Vice President - John CRESPI, Treasurer - Robert MCKINLEY,
Alt. Replacement - Fred MCKELLER, Secretary - To be announced
(this is an appointment position), Webmaster\Database
Operator - Murray GIBBS, Search Coordinator - John CRESPI
Historians -Paul TROOP, Fred MCKELLER, Jim HALL, Leroy
CAUBARREAUX, Writer - Mike BODNAR, Snail Mail Invitation
Sender - Norm ROBERGE, Women's Auxiliary Coordinator - Holly
CALIBRO.
"FYI, I have been experiencing some trouble on the MSN
Website. I was getting a restriction notice every time I
tried to update a page. After several e-mail exchanges, the
real problem was found. Microsoft did update their Website
about 3 weeks ago. They had the pages to "READ ONLY." Then,
they changed them back. Well, many of the pages became
corrupted in the process. Microsoft sent me a set of
instructions of how to correct this and it worked. Soon I
will be making many updates that I wanted to do several weeks
ago.
"I received many pictures taken at the 2007 Reunion for
members who attended. I also have two camcorder tapes that I
will pull video off of. Mine is most of the Air Force Museum.
Richard 'Tiny' MELLON's is of the meeting and our gatherings
in the hospitality room. I will be putting them together on
DVD like I did the 2006 Reunion. I will let you know when I
have finalized the DVD movie\slideshow."
If NAPOLEON had been in the Vietnam War, these could be his
maxims: "NEVER FORGET! 1. Once you are in the fight, it is
way too late to wonder if this is a good idea. 2. Helicopters
are cool! 3. It is a fact that helicopter tail rotors are
instinctively drawn toward trees, stumps, rocks, etc. While
it may be possible to ward off this natural event some of the
time, it cannot, despite the best efforts of the crew, always
be prevented. It's just what they do. 4. NEVER get into a
fight without more ammunition than the other guy. 5. The
engine RPM, and the rotor RPM, must BOTH be kept in the
GREEN. Failure to heed this commandment can affect the morale
of the crew. 6. A billfold in your hip pocket can numb your
leg and be a real pain in the ass. 7. Cover your buddy, so he
can be around to cover you. 8. Letters from home are not
always great. 9. The madness of war can extract a heavy toll.
Please have exact change. 10. Share everything. Even the
Pound Cake. 11. Decisions made by someone over your head will
seldom be in your best interest. 12. The terms 'Protective
Armor' and 'Helicopter' are mutually exclusive. 13. The
further away you are from your friends, the less likely it is
that they can help you when you really need them the most.
14. Sometimes, being good and lucky still was not enough.
There is always payback. 15. 'Chicken Plates' are not
something you order in a restaurant. 16. If everything is as
clear as a bell, and everything is going exactly as planned,
you're about to be surprised. 17. The BSR (Bang Stare Read)
Theory states that the louder the sudden bang in the
helicopter, the quicker your eyes will be drawn to the
gauges. 18. The longer you stare at the gauges, the less time
it takes them to move from green to red. 19. It does too get
cold in Vietnam. 20. No matter what you do, the bullet with
your name on it will get you. So too can the ones addressed
'To Whom It May Concern.' 21. Gravity: It may not be fair,
but it is the law. 22. If the rear echelon troops are really
happy, the front line troops probably do not have what they
need. 23. If you are wearing body armor, the incoming will
probably miss that part. 24. It hurts less to die with a
uniform on than to die in a hospital bed. 25. Happiness is a
belt-fed weapon. 26. If something hasn't broken on your
helicopter, it's about to. 27. Eat when you can. Sleep when
you can. Visit the head when you can. The next opportunity
may not come around for a long time. If ever. 28. Combat pay
is a flawed concept. 29. Having all your body parts intact
and functioning at the end of the day beats the alternative.
30. Air superiority is NOT a luxury. 31. If you are allergic
to lead it is best to avoid a war zone. 32. It is a bad thing
to run out of airspeed, altitude, and ideas all at the same
time. 32a. Nothing is as useless as altitude above you and
runway behind you. 33. While the rest of the crew may be in
the same predicament, it's almost always the pilot's job to
arrive at the crash site first. 34. When you shoot your gun,
clean it the first chance you get. 35. Loud sudden noises in
a helicopter WILL get your undivided attention. 36. Hot
garrison chow is better than hot C-rations, which, in turn is
better than cold C-rations, which is better than no food at
all. All of these, however, are preferable to cold rice balls
(given to you by guards) even if they do have the little
pieces of fish in them. 37. WHAT is often more important than
WHY. 38. Boxes of cookies from home must be shared. 39.
Girlfriends are fair game. Wives are not. 40. Everybody's a
hero on the ground in the club after the fourth drink. 41.
There is no such thing as a small firefight. 42. A free-fire
zone has nothing to do with economics. 43. The farther you
fly into the mountains, the louder the strange engine noises
become. 44. Medals are OK, but having your body and all your
friends in one piece at the end of the day is better. 44a.
The only medal you really want to be awarded is the Longevity
Medal. 45. Being shot hurts. 46. Thousands of Vietnam
Veterans earned medals for bravery every day. A few were even
awarded. 48. Running out of pedal, fore or aft cyclic, or
collective are all bad ideas. Any combination of these can be
deadly. 49. Nomex is NOT fire proof. 50. There is only one
rule in war: When you win, you get to make up the Rules. 51.
Living and dying can both hurt a lot. 53. While a Super Bomb
could be considered one of the four essential building blocks
of life, powdered eggs cannot. 54. C-4 can make a dull day
fun. 55. Cocoa Powder is neither. 56. There is no such thing
as a fair fight, only ones where you win or lose. 57. If you
win the battle you are entitled to the spoils. If you lose
you don't care. 58. Nobody cares what you did yesterday or
what you are going to do tomorrow. What is important is what
you are doing NOW to solve our problem. 59. If you have
extra, share it quickly. 60. Always make sure someone has a
P-38. 61. A sucking chest wound may be a good way of telling
you it's time to go home. 62. Prayer may not help . . . but
it can't help. 63. Flying is better than walking. Walking is
better than running. Running is better than crawling. All of
these however, are better than extraction by a MEDEVAC, even
if this is technically a form of flying. 64. If everyone does
not come home none of the rest of us can ever fully come home
either. 65. Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only
take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for
they will steal your HONOR. 66. A grunt is the true reason
for the existence of the helicopter. Every helicopter flying
in Vietnam had one real purpose: To help the grunt. It is
unfortunate that many helicopters never had the opportunity
to fulfill their one true mission in life simply because
someone forgot this fact. 67. 'You have the right to remain
silent' is always EXCELLENT advice. 'Like the book says, we
may be through with the past but the past is not through with
us.'"
Always remembering our 1st Cav troops on duty around the
world; over and out.
FIRST TEAM!
Garryowen,
Mike Bodnar C 2\7 Cav 1969
MEDEVAC 1-7\1970
SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE