| 2009 May-Jun |
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
A correction to the last Saber column comes from '67-'68
MEDEVAC Crew Chief Randy BREWER: "Mike, That photo in the
March\April 2009 edition of the SABER is not me. That is
pilot 1st Lt. David FENSTERMACHER. I am the one who took the
photo. Two MEDEVAC aircraft were sent into an LZ, by
ourselves, near Khe Sanh, as the 1st Cav prepared to relieve
the Marines at Khe Sanh. David was shot through both thighs
on Apr. 4, 1968. I was hit in the left side, as we tried for
the second time to rescue a wounded Marine on the side of a
mountain. The other aircraft had been shot up by a .51 cal.
Chicom machine gun. CWO Martin WALKER was able to make a
forced landing at a 105mm firebase. The Medic was SP\5 WORD,
who was able to save Lt. FENSTERMACHER. SP\5 Jim CALIBRO
was the gunner and the one who silenced the enemy, and saved
the aircraft.
"The 15th MED\MEDEVAC Reunion was held here in Biloxi, MS,
Apr. 3-6, 2008. I hosted it, and it was well attended. Jim &
I were able to toast each other Apr. 4, 2008, on being shot
down forty years ago. Five of my former pilots also attended:
Art JACOBS, Clarence E. COOPER, Pete MULFORD, Henry LAND, and
Tom GROVE. Also, two of my best gunners were there; Murray
GIBBS and Jim CALIBRO. I talked to David as late as 2004, but
he had Parkinson's Disease so badly, he had to quit work.
All efforts to contact him since then failed. Last known
address: Capt. David FENSTERMACHER, 9 Bradford Place,
Augusta, GA 30904-6132. Phone (706) 733-5840. I do not know
his status.
"We were sent to that LZ [Pony, I think] totally alone, in
advance of the coming combat assault. There were supposed to
be Marines in the mountains around us. Our ONLY protection
were the M-60's we carried on the aircraft-no ground troops!
That photo of David reading by candle light-all we had-was
taken by me with a 35mm Konica. I still have the original
photo as well as two huge photo albums I took during my tour
with MEDEVAC, Oct. 3, '67- Oct. 3, '68. Those who attended
the 2008 Reunion were able to view all those photos. MY BEST
TO ALL, FIRST TEAM, 'SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE.' MEDEVAC 458 &
578." Randy's e-mail is: <randelljbrowdr@bdllsouth.tidt>.
15th MED Association Webmaster/Database Operator, MEDEVAC
'67-'68 Murray GIBBS <gunnermadmur@neo.rr.com> posts,
"Greetings 15th MED members, The 2009 Reunion was a great
Reunion at Myrtle Beach, SC. The dates were Apr 2-5, 2009.
Our Reunion Coordinator Pete MULFORD arranged three
hospitality rooms on the first level, all
connected together. Each room had some displays in them. One
room had a map where members put a little name tag on to show
where they live. Another room had all the recent documents
retrieved from the archives. The hospitality rooms opened up
early in the morning and usually closed about 11pm or
midnight. We had a lot of members attending, and there
were also new members who attended for their first Reunion.
"Our annual meeting was held in the conference room Saturday
morning, at 9am Apr 4th, 2009. We discussed the old business,
then went on to new business. We elected and appointed or re-
appointed officers. The meeting was a big turn out with wives
also attending the annual meeting.
"Our Saturday Evening Banquet was in another conference room
next to our Annual Meeting room. It was a great buffet. You
could have seconds, or even thirds, if you so desired. We
had our Ladies Aux Coordinator give out rewards to our
members, member wives, and Honorary Guests (members of the
Lance family). Holly CALIBRO was our outgoing Ladies Aux
Coordinator, and Velma SMITH is taking her place. Velma
assisted Holly during this awards ceremony.
"Next, we had Richard 'Tiny' MELLON be the auctioneer. One of
the coveted items auctioned off was an Aircraft Armor Vest
with backplate. Nickname for this item, while we
were in Vietnam, was 'Chicken Plate.' Art JACOBS had the
highest bid on the 'Chicken Plate.' Our highest bid item was
a hand made belt buckle with a 1st Cav patch and a Huey
helicopter on it.
"During the Reunion, Treasurer Bob MCKINLEY asked me about
the map I had made with the Reunion locations on it a couple
years ago. I found it, and added 2008 and 2009.
"Member Bobby BROOKS' wife, Linda, brought her laptop and
scanner equipment to the 2009 Reunion. She made memorial
pictures of members who brought a picture of them, in
Vietnam. I appreciate the memorial picture she made of me. I
hung it over my computer as soon as I got home. You can view
her Digital Beauty Designs by clicking on the icon in the
second index page of the Website. There you will find
information to contact her.
"We lost the MSN Website in Feb. I don't know if I will be
able to create another one, but I am working on that
possibility. When you look at the Status Report you will
notice how incomplete we are when it comes to e-mail
addresses, and next are phone numbers. The members are
divided into four areas of the US. You can see how
many are in each state. It is a big challenge to update this
ongoing information. Hopefully, we will be able to get a few
members to help update our database by regions. This is
currently being worked on.
"One of the important objectives that I wanted to come from
the Reunion was to mentor one of two members to be Assistant
Webmaster. I believe we should have a few who know what
to do with the database, Website, and forums. We don't need
to lose our Website/s again.
"Member David HUSER will be visiting me next week and I will
be setting up his laptop with all the information I have with
our main Website. I will teach him all the things I do, in an
easier manner than I learned them. Being self taught does
have its drawbacks, which is trial and error, along with
time. I will be able to show him the best methods I use.
There are several different computer programs I will teach
him to do that I use. Soon he will also be setting up the
Voice Over Internet Provider that I spoke about at the
Reunion. We will use that to communicate with, over the
Internet. It is called GSC and you can download it by
clicking the bottom of the GSC banner below or on the front
page of the Website. Once installed and having the proper
equipment, one will be able to talk to other members across
the US, and it is FREE.
"The GSC Banner shows who is online in our GSC server. You
can see it on the front page of the Website to see who is
online. If you feel like voice chatting with another member
you can boot the GSC program. All you have to do is download
it and install the program. You will need to search for the
'15th MED Association' channel to enter it. If you have
questions about it please feel free to contact me."
Gilbert "Gil" GATT0 <kbrgil@yahoo.com> of Weatherford, TX,
says, "I was a MEDEVAC pilot CW-2, call sign 'MEDEVAC 20,'
Mar '68-Mar '69. I am grateful to have been a part of
15th MED."
John P. RUNKEL <jrrunkel@hotmail.com> from Lake Havasu City,
AZ, writes, "I am an associate member of the 1st Cav and
served with the 5th Army Reserves from 1966-1974. I have
always felt a sense of guilt because I was married and had a
kid on the way, but wanted very much to serve on a MEDEVAC
team. You guys are real heroes. At age 62, I don't think I
will make it, but who knows."
Corky WALSH <medevac454@aol.com> in Eugene, OR, signed the
Guestbook: "Good job Murray. I miss all of you guys and I
will be at the next Reunion."
Mark "DOC" HOLIDAY <markdoc459@aol.com>, MEDEVAC CE '70-'71,
459 "Cheap Thrills," Llano, CA, notes, "It's good to finally
get the correct address. Sure miss all you guys. Hope all had
a good time at the Reunion. I'll be at the next. Take care."
Jim BRODIE <jbr8519738@aol.com> at Columbus, GA, updates, "I
am getting older and forgetting stuff. Did I see some photos
on this site awhile back? Are there any photos of the 15th?"
Murray GIBBS at Nile, OH, updates, "Hey Jim, If you were
browsing the MSN Website, you saw pictures. We lost all of
them when Groups/msn.com went down and I could not migrate it
to the new one. Refer to Feb. newsletter on the main
Website."
Mike "Face" MAGRANE <mikeanddonna@hotmail.com>, signs,
Amesbury, MA, "Co. A 15th MED Bn. 12-'67 to 12-'68."
Al TANNENBAUM-"Baum"- <altannenbaum@windstream.net> signed,
Charlotte, NC, "Nice to see SNORE's old Web site back in
action. I need to change my e-mail address. Can someone point
me in the right direction?"
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
A correction to the last Saber column comes from '67-'68
MEDEVAC Crew Chief Randy BREWER: "Mike, That photo in the
March\April 2009 edition of the SABER is not me. That is
pilot 1st Lt. David FENSTERMACHER. I am the one who took the
photo. Two MEDEVAC aircraft were sent into an LZ, by
ourselves, near Khe Sanh, as the 1st Cav prepared to relieve
the Marines at Khe Sanh. David was shot through both thighs
on Apr. 4, 1968. I was hit in the left side, as we tried for
the second time to rescue a wounded Marine on the side of a
mountain. The other aircraft had been shot up by a .51 cal.
Chicom machine gun. CWO Martin WALKER was able to make a
forced landing at a 105mm firebase. The Medic was SP\5 WORD,
who was able to save Lt. FENSTERMACHER. SP\5 Jim CALIBRO
was the gunner and the one who silenced the enemy, and saved
the aircraft.
"The 15th MED\MEDEVAC Reunion was held here in Biloxi, MS,
Apr. 3-6, 2008. I hosted it, and it was well attended. Jim &
I were able to toast each other Apr. 4, 2008, on being shot
down forty years ago. Five of my former pilots also attended:
Art JACOBS, Clarence E. COOPER, Pete MULFORD, Henry LAND, and
Tom GROVE. Also, two of my best gunners were there; Murray
GIBBS and Jim CALIBRO. I talked to David as late as 2004, but
he had Parkinson's Disease so badly, he had to quit work.
All efforts to contact him since then failed. Last known
address: Capt. David FENSTERMACHER, 9 Bradford Place,
Augusta, GA 30904-6132. Phone (706) 733-5840. I do not know
his status.
"We were sent to that LZ [Pony, I think] totally alone, in
advance of the coming combat assault. There were supposed to
be Marines in the mountains around us. Our ONLY protection
were the M-60's we carried on the aircraft-no ground troops!
That photo of David reading by candle light-all we had-was
taken by me with a 35mm Konica. I still have the original
photo as well as two huge photo albums I took during my tour
with MEDEVAC, Oct. 3, '67- Oct. 3, '68. Those who attended
the 2008 Reunion were able to view all those photos. MY BEST
TO ALL, FIRST TEAM, 'SO THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE.' MEDEVAC 458 &
578." Randy's e-mail is: <randelljbrowdr@bdllsouth.tidt>.
15th MED Association Webmaster/Database Operator, MEDEVAC
'67-'68 Murray GIBBS <gunnermadmur@neo.rr.com> posts,
"Greetings 15th MED members, The 2009 Reunion was a great
Reunion at Myrtle Beach, SC. The dates were Apr 2-5, 2009.
Our Reunion Coordinator Pete MULFORD arranged three
hospitality rooms on the first level, all
connected together. Each room had some displays in them. One
room had a map where members put a little name tag on to show
where they live. Another room had all the recent documents
retrieved from the archives. The hospitality rooms opened up
early in the morning and usually closed about 11pm or
midnight. We had a lot of members attending, and there
were also new members who attended for their first Reunion.
"Our annual meeting was held in the conference room Saturday
morning, at 9am Apr 4th, 2009. We discussed the old business,
then went on to new business. We elected and appointed or re-
appointed officers. The meeting was a big turn out with wives
also attending the annual meeting.
"Our Saturday Evening Banquet was in another conference room
next to our Annual Meeting room. It was a great buffet. You
could have seconds, or even thirds, if you so desired. We
had our Ladies Aux Coordinator give out rewards to our
members, member wives, and Honorary Guests (members of the
Lance family). Holly CALIBRO was our outgoing Ladies Aux
Coordinator, and Velma SMITH is taking her place. Velma
assisted Holly during this awards ceremony.
"Next, we had Richard 'Tiny' MELLON be the auctioneer. One of
the coveted items auctioned off was an Aircraft Armor Vest
with backplate. Nickname for this item, while we
were in Vietnam, was 'Chicken Plate.' Art JACOBS had the
highest bid on the 'Chicken Plate.' Our highest bid item was
a hand made belt buckle with a 1st Cav patch and a Huey
helicopter on it.
"During the Reunion, Treasurer Bob MCKINLEY asked me about
the map I had made with the Reunion locations on it a couple
years ago. I found it, and added 2008 and 2009.
"Member Bobby BROOKS' wife, Linda, brought her laptop and
scanner equipment to the 2009 Reunion. She made memorial
pictures of members who brought a picture of them, in
Vietnam. I appreciate the memorial picture she made of me. I
hung it over my computer as soon as I got home. You can view
her Digital Beauty Designs by clicking on the icon in the
second index page of the Website. There you will find
information to contact her.
"We lost the MSN Website in Feb. I don't know if I will be
able to create another one, but I am working on that
possibility. When you look at the Status Report you will
notice how incomplete we are when it comes to e-mail
addresses, and next are phone numbers. The members are
divided into four areas of the US. You can see how
many are in each state. It is a big challenge to update this
ongoing information. Hopefully, we will be able to get a few
members to help update our database by regions. This is
currently being worked on.
"One of the important objectives that I wanted to come from
the Reunion was to mentor one of two members to be Assistant
Webmaster. I believe we should have a few who know what
to do with the database, Website, and forums. We don't need
to lose our Website/s again.
"Member David HUSER will be visiting me next week and I will
be setting up his laptop with all the information I have with
our main Website. I will teach him all the things I do, in an
easier manner than I learned them. Being self taught does
have its drawbacks, which is trial and error, along with
time. I will be able to show him the best methods I use.
There are several different computer programs I will teach
him to do that I use. Soon he will also be setting up the
Voice Over Internet Provider that I spoke about at the
Reunion. We will use that to communicate with, over the
Internet. It is called GSC and you can download it by
clicking the bottom of the GSC banner below or on the front
page of the Website. Once installed and having the proper
equipment, one will be able to talk to other members across
the US, and it is FREE.
"The GSC Banner shows who is online in our GSC server. You
can see it on the front page of the Website to see who is
online. If you feel like voice chatting with another member
you can boot the GSC program. All you have to do is download
it and install the program. You will need to search for the
'15th MED Association' channel to enter it. If you have
questions about it please feel free to contact me."
Gilbert "Gil" GATT0 <kbrgil@yahoo.com> of Weatherford, TX,
says, "I was a MEDEVAC pilot CW-2, call sign 'MEDEVAC 20,'
Mar '68-Mar '69. I am grateful to have been a part of
15th MED."
John P. RUNKEL <jrrunkel@hotmail.com> from Lake Havasu City,
AZ, writes, "I am an associate member of the 1st Cav and
served with the 5th Army Reserves from 1966-1974. I have
always felt a sense of guilt because I was married and had a
kid on the way, but wanted very much to serve on a MEDEVAC
team. You guys are real heroes. At age 62, I don't think I
will make it, but who knows."
Corky WALSH <medevac454@aol.com> in Eugene, OR, signed the
Guestbook: "Good job Murray. I miss all of you guys and I
will be at the next Reunion."
Mark "DOC" HOLIDAY <markdoc459@aol.com>, MEDEVAC CE '70-'71,
459 "Cheap Thrills," Llano, CA, notes, "It's good to finally
get the correct address. Sure miss all you guys. Hope all had
a good time at the Reunion. I'll be at the next. Take care."
Jim BRODIE <jbr8519738@aol.com> at Columbus, GA, updates, "I
am getting older and forgetting stuff. Did I see some photos
on this site awhile back? Are there any photos of the 15th?"
Murray GIBBS at Nile, OH, updates, "Hey Jim, If you were
browsing the MSN Website, you saw pictures. We lost all of
them when Groups/msn.com went down and I could not migrate it
to the new one. Refer to Feb. newsletter on the main
Website."
Mike "Face" MAGRANE <mikeanddonna@hotmail.com>, signs,
Amesbury, MA, "Co. A 15th MED Bn. 12-'67 to 12-'68."
Al TANNENBAUM-"Baum"- <altannenbaum@windstream.net> signed,
Charlotte, NC, "Nice to see SNORE's old Web site back in
action. I need to change my e-mail address. Can someone point
me in the right direction?"
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