MEDEVAC
15th MED\15th FSB
Mike Bodnar
9192 W Cactus Road
Suite M
Peoria, AZ 85381-5132
(623)979-2201
e-mail: mbodnar27@juno.com
http://ascca.ecorp.net
Http://communities.msn.com/15thMEDASSOCIATION/_whatsnew.msnw
the new site: http://15thmedassociation.org
Mike SMITH, MEDEVAC door gunner '69-'70 and 15th MED Assn.
former president <MVANDCO@AOL.COM>sent out: "REST IN PEACE
We have lost a charter member of 15th MED. Eldon [IDEUS] was
killed in a airplane crash. We all will miss him very much.
He was a great pilot and a greater friend. tater"
The following came dated January 23, 2003, I think from Max
WESTHEIMER of Norman, OK:
"Plane crash victim was decorated veteran"
01/23/03
By Sean MURPHY
"The 61-year-old Texas man killed in a plane crash in east
Norman Tuesday was a decorated veteran of the Vietnam and
Desert Storm wars.
"Retired Col. Eldon IDEUS of Roanoke died Tuesday after his
single-engine plane crashed into a wooded area in far east
Norman. The crash is under investigation by the National
Transportation and Safety Board.
"A Nebraska native, IDEUS was a Medical Services Corps
officer in the U.S. Army who served in the 498th Air
Ambulance Company in Vietnam, said retired Lt. Col. Reuben
PINKSON of Oklahoma City.
"He flew what was basically a helicopter ambulance that would
go to the front lines and pick up injured soldiers, said
PINKSON who served with IDEUS in Vietnam and throughout his
military career. He saved a lot of lives that way.
"PINKSON said IDEUS was well liked by his men and was always
soldier oriented. During Desert Storm, IDEUS was selected to
command a large medical group.
"Because of his experience and his tactical savvy...he was
selected among many to command that organization, PINKSON
said.
"Retired Col. Timothy JACKMAN <TIMJACKMAN@AOL.COM>
who also served with IDEUS in the Army, echoed PINKSON's
sentiments.
"'Eldon was a man for whom I had enormous respect throughout
the 20 years that we knew each other,' JACKMAN said. 'Always
focused on what was most important: his family, his soldiers,
his mission, and his faith. Eldon showed a passion for each.'
"After retiring from the Army, IDEUS served as the director
of the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA) in
Oklahoma City from 1994 to 1997, said EMSA spokesman Paul
O'LEARY.
"O'LEARY said a regularly scheduled EMSA staff meeting
Wednesday quickly turned to discussions about what a capable
and effective leader IDEUS was.
"'He was a tough, tough guy who could really run a show,'
O'LEARY said. 'The guy was just a born leader, and we were
lucky to have him.'
For the last 2 1/2 years IDEUS was a pipeline patroller for
Texas Aerial Inspections in Fort Worth.
"'He's one hell of a nice guy and an excellent pilot, said
company owner Bill HOWDLE.'
"Funeral services for IDEUS will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday
at the Zion Lutheran Church in Pickrell, NB."
Reporter Sean MURPHY can be reached via e-mail at
<SMURPHY@NORMANTRANSCRIPT.COM>.
Tim JACKMAN (COL ret.) <TIMJACKMAN@AOL.COM>replied to my
inquiry for more information about Eldon IDEUS:
"Yes, I knew Eldon pretty well, but regrettably, I don't have
total recall on the units to which he was assigned. I would
suggest you contact his wife Renee and/or his best friend,
Bill KRUSE. Their respective e-mail addresses are:
<EIDEUS@AOL.COM>and <WKRUSE9450@AOL.COM>" I will try to
contact them for the next Saber.
Tim answered some of my other questions about his service in
the 1st Cav and his association membership: "I became a life
member when assigned to the 1st Cav in RVN. Sorry that I
haven't been more attentive to keeping them updated. I will
contact them. I retired as a COL in 1994 after 35 years.
"Also attached is the obit from his hometown newspaper. There
are some military things that they didn't get quite correct."
ROANOKE, Texas - Eldon H. IDEUS, Sr., 61, Roanoke, TX died
early Tuesday afternoon, Jan. 21, 2003, after the single
engine plane he was flying crashed into a wooded area in the
far southeastern part of Norman, OK. He was born Feb. 20,
'41, at Beatrice, NE, attended the Sunny Hill Country School
and graduated from Filley High School, Filley, NE, in '59.
He attended Nebraska Wesleyan University and graduated with a
degree in business administration and later earned a masters
degree in business. During college, he was a member of the
Nebraska National Guard. After graduating, he joined the U.S.
Army and served two tours of duty in Vietnam as a MEDEVAC
pilot and also led the medevac in Desert Storm. He was
distinguished many times for his service, notably two Purple
Hearts, an Air Medal, and retired as a colonel from the
military in '94 after 31 years of service. He then worked as
director of American Medical Response in Oklahoma, Colorado
and Georgia. His passion for flying led him to work for the
Texas Aerial Inspection Company as a pipeline patroller. He
was married to Renee KENT in July, 2002, in Colorado. He was
a life-long member of Zion Lutheran Church, rural Pickrell,
and was active in medical missions in Guyana South America.
His hobbies including flying and remodeling homes.
Survivors: wife, Renee; son, Eldon IDEUS II, of Melbourne,
FL; daughter, Heather IDEUS and fiance Randy MAYFIELD of
Grand Prairie, TX; mother, Margaret IDEUS of Beatrice, NE;
stepchildren, Mary-Alison KENT of Roanoke, TX; Melissa KENT
RYAN MAYFIELD; sister, Norma GODDEN and husband, Dwight of
Don, of Omaha, NE; former wife and the mother of his
children, Phyllis IDEUS of Pawnee City, NE ; aunts, uncles,
nieces, nephews and cousins. He was preceded in death by his
father, George IDEUS (Dec. 20, '99); a sister, Loretta DORN
and a brother, Lawrence IDEUS. Funeral: 1pm Sat., Jan. 25,
Zion Lutheran Church, rural Pickrell. Pastor Paul PETERSEN
officiating. Burial: church cemetery, Military graveside
services will be conducted by the Ft. Riley Honor Guard.
Family prayer services: 12:45pm Sat., basement of the church.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial has been established to the
Guyana Project of the Fellowship Lutheran Church in Tulsa,
OK, with Dan and Mary LENNERS in charge. A register book will
be available for signatures, noon Fri. until 10am Sat. The
family will meet and greet friends and relatives: 6:30pm-8pm
Fri. at Fox Funeral Home, Beatrice.
"In Desert Storm, Eldon commanded the 1st Medical Group, a
unit of the 44th Medical Brigade. His awards and decorations
were more extensive than related in the paper. He had at
least two awards of the Legion of Merit, Air Assault, and
Master Aviator Badges.
"Bill KRUSE can probably give you better information on that
as well as his assignments. You might remind Mrs. IDEUS that
some information that you seek would be on his DD Form 214
discharge certificate, which she would have needed to settle
his fairs. She is interested in gaining contact with folks
with whom Eldon served.
"I spent about seven months (6-'70 to 3-'71)in the 15th
Medical Battalion. Dates were from when I was a volunteer
intertheater transfer from the MACV Advisory Team with the
23rd ARVN Division in II Corps in Ban Me Thout, after
completing an 12 month h tour there. My assignment was to be
the operations officer to replace MAJ John SPERANDIO, but by
the time I got there the XO from HSC, CPT Judd LEACH, was
assigned to that position mid-tour and I got the job as the
XO for the HSC. MAJ (later COL) John LOWE was the XO for the
Battalion. COL (later LTG Quinn BECKER, The Surgeon General)
was the battalion commander. My company commander was a MAJ
Sid BOAZ, a doctor for whom I had immense respect. I was
succeeded by a CPT Art SEVALIUS, MSC, who transferred in from
the 11th ACR Medical Company. Art is another officer who I
held in great respect. My tour with the 15th MED Bn. was a
disappointment and rather unremarkable compared to the
challenges and adventures I had in my other three assignments
in RVN."
Mike SMITH further replied: "Mike, I am forwarding this to
Corky WALSH <MEDEVAC454@AOL.COM>who knew Eldon and flew with
him. Corky is our new president. Corky could give you a hand
ASAP. Thanks, Mike S." That confirms that Eldon IDEUS was a
MEDEVAC pilot probably '67-'68. If anyone else knew, or flew
with Eldon IDEUS, please contact me. I will have more on
Eldon in the next issue after I have contacted more people.
Lary ASH, MEDEVAC door gunner '70, and 15th MED
Webmaster <DOORGUNNER2@YAHOO.COM>e-mailed: "Someone has told
me that SGT John ROSELLI might have passed away. Can you
[anyone] supply some light on this rumor. It would be most
appreciated."
MEDEVAC pilot Henry "CPT Hook" LAND writes: "Mark your
calendars, 3 thru 5 May 2003 will be the dates of the 16th
annual Vietnam Veteran's reunion at beautiful Wickhamm Park
in Melbourne, Fl. There is camping by reservations as well as
live bands, disc jockeys, military displays, vendors, food
concessions; the moving wall will be there all week. It's
outstanding and is the largest reunion of this type in the
U.S. Plan to attend; for more info contact me at
<CAPTHOOK1STCAV@NETSCAPE.NET>."
Don BARTON, MEDEVAC PSG '70 <MUDMEDIC70@HOTMAIL.COM>of
Phoenix, AZ, signed into SNORE's 15th MED Assn. Guestbook:
"Hi, Mike sold my ranch in Tucson, AZ, moved back to
Phoenix (X wife needed my help). You know, 'SO THAT OTHERS
MAY LIVE.' Still have my Cav\MEDEVAC on my red Mustang..Take
care all see you next time DOC."
S. RICHEY <D9DOZER@PACBELL.NET>from Anaheim, CA commented in
the 1st Cav Assn. Guestbook which I thought everyone should
read: "I've taken several hours and read most of the 227
messages..and I think it's a shame, that we don't have more
stories left here...and since there arn't, I'm going to leave
a short one.....One of the bravest men I ever saw...We were
at Bu Dop, up near Cambodia.
"We'd been mortared, shot at with Russian 8" mechanized
howitzers, 90mm recoilless rifles, and all kinds of small
arms weapons. Lots of dead on our side...and lots on theirs,
but most of them got hauled off. Ours had to stay until
things settled down and we ran the bad guys off, so we could
land MEDEVACs.
"We had the dead laid out and the wounded on stretchers,
ready to be MEDEVACed. The choppers began to land and the men
with the worst injuries were taken first. One of our guys, an
E-6 black sargent, looked a lot like Woody STRODE in the
movies, lay calmly waiting his chance to be taken to get
medical care.
"He had three bottles hanging from hooks near his stretcher,
was covered in bandages, was bleeding through most of them,
and lay there patiently waiting his turn. It finally came.
"Two guys came over and picked him up and he told them, 'Put
me down troop!' They did and he bent forward in agony, sweat
popping out on his forehead, he got one leg under him, and
then stood, picking up his bottles as he did so.
"He looked at the two guys who were willing to carry him to
the chopper and said, 'No man carries me! I carry my own
load!' and calmly walked to the chopper and got in.
"I never saw him again. In that moment, he defined all that a
real soldier is: tough, self reliant, proud, and just more
guts than I'd seen about anywhere. I never knew his name."
From: ARMY LINK NEWS LIST "New medevac copters deploy to
Afghanistan" by PVT 2 Terri RORKE
"BAGRAM, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Feb. 24, 2003) -
Earlier this month, a California National Guard pilot flew an
HH-60L helicopter right off a stateside factory's lot on the
first leg of its journey to Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The
two-month-old helicopter, one of just two HH-60Ls now in
Afghanistan, is the latest edition to the line of Black Hawks
and is designed specifically for medical evacuation. There
are only 12 other helicopters like it.
"SGT 1st Class Gary VOLKMAN of the California National
Guard's 126th Medical Company (Air Ambulance), now deployed
to Afghanistan, was the pilot that flew the HH-60L from the
factory. He said his unit is lucky to have two of these rare
Black Hawks. One was only built in November and the other in
January.
"'These are the first two to be deployed,' said VOLKMAN
who is the acting first sergeant of a 24-hour standby all-
paramedic team of 20. Due to the many paramedic-friendly
features the distinguished bubble-nosed helicopter possesses,
it was decided Bagram would be its first deployment location.
"'While the previous model of the Black Hawk the 126th was
using, the UH-60L, allowed crewmembers to carry all the
needed equipment onboard, the HH-60L has many features that
make it easier for the paramedics,' VOLKMAM said. The
stationary medical interior includes an onboard oxygen-
generating system, provisions for medical electronics, a
six-litter patient configuration, room for a medic plus
another essential individual.
"'Other features include the latest infrared and navigational
capabilities, a storm scope and a 290-foot hoist, which
travels 350 feet a minute for quick reaction time. The hoist
may be needed for various rescues,' VOLKMAN explained. 'We
can lower a medic down into a mine field to pick up an
injured person and it is a lot faster than the old internal
hoist.'
These new helicopters are not cheap. 'They are roughly 14
million dollars a piece,' said VOLKMAN. While only being in
Afghanistan a couple of weeks, the medevac helicopter has
already seen a few rescues dealing with land-mine accidents
and a couple incidents of kids playing with explosive
ordnance.
(Editor's note: PVT 2 Terri RORKE is a member of the 11th
Public Affairs Detachment.)
Link to original news item:
<HTTP: www.dtic.mil
/armylink/news/Feb2003/a20030224medevac2.html>
Jim PATTESON, 15th MED '53
<JPATTESON@ALABAMAVETERANSMUSEUM.COM>e-mailed: "15th
Medics,
1st Calvary [sic], 1953-'54; we had ambulances and clearing
platoons-no noisy birds. Anybody out there from that time at
Chitose, Japan? Check us out at:
<WWW.ALABAMAVETERANSMUSEUM.COM>. I need help for the museum
to set up a good medical display. Particularly a medic
bag (can be empty), or other medical items to display."
I found the following sign-in on the 1st Cav Assn. Guestbook
which I thought was worth passing on: "Rocco MOLITERNO
<ROGERWATERS@LIBERO.IT>Milan, Italy comments: 'I had read
the book by Mr. MOORE. I wish to say that the soldiers died
at X-ray and Albany they aren't died for nothing. They have
teach me to love freedom and life and, from now, they say to
me, 'Face your life with the courage of fear. Thanks,
forever. Garry Owen to all.'"
Paul WINKEL <ORANGEL@ADELPHIA.NET>e-mailed me: "Sir:
We of the 229th Aslt Hel Bn, 1st Cav Div (Ambl), ca 14 -17
Nov 65 -- veterans of the Ia Drang Wars of LZ Xray & LZ
Albany -- have been researching that battle period of time
for over 10 years. Can you link us to vets who were at the
Med Facility at Camp Holloway (near Plei Ku) during those
four days of violent battle? We helicopter "mad men of a
special breed" air crews, as Joe GALLOWAY has identified us
in this last issue of Saber, brought to that med facility (or
to the MEDEVAC crews in support) over a hunderd wounded guys
for medical aid. The 15th MED really did wonders during those
days and ought to fit into the book we hope to get wriitten
soon. Sincerely, Paul Patton WINKEL, Jr., COL, USA (Ret)
(703) 406-4646.
I received snail mail from Donald WRIGHT, Jr., P.O. Box 140513,
Toledo, OH, 43614, A 2-5 Cav 10-'68-'69, who sent over an
article from the Vietnam Magazine: "Why does the U.S. Army's
current Air Assault Badge fail to recognize the Vietnam
veterans who pioneered those tactics?"
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
