MEDEVAC
15th MED\15th FSB
Mike Bodnar
26748 N 187th Avenue
Wittmann, AZ 85361-9413
(623)388-9150
e-mail: mbodnar27@juno.com
Web site: http://15thmedassociation.org
Forum:
http://communities.msn.com/15thMEDASSOCIATION/_whatsnew.msnw
Ken ARCHAMBAULT <kenarch@capcod.net> in Brewster, MA writes:
"Pilot Jun '67-Jun '68. I have a lot of pictures (slides).
How do I send them to the association? Great Web site. ARCH"
Jerry L. RHODES <rhodesjerry@comcast.net> Augusta/USA (GA?)
commented in the Guestbook: "I was a MEDEVAC pilot in the
15th MED in '69-'70. My call sign was MEDEVAC9."
SNORE's 70's Roster shows CPT RHODES as having been
"evacuated Jan. '70." There was no response to my e-mail to
him.
James (Clay) KEYS Jr. <jkeys3@woh.rr.com> of Moraine, OH
wrote, "Been awhile; just want all to have a great
Thanksgiving. Crew chief 183 '70-'71."
(PFC ret.) Harold LASITER <LLPAVING@AOL.COM> from Oklahoma
City, OK, says he was in the 1st Cav, 1st MED Sqd., at Camp
Drake, Japan '46-'47, and worked in the motor pool.
Charles L. COPELLO <Chcopello@nc.rr.com>, Raleigh, NC 27612:
"I want to announce the passing of a member of the First
Team. Richard SWAIN passed away this morning-12/11/05. He was
a good soldier and a proud member of the 1st Cav."
Dick was in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, then joined
the Army afterwards. He was in the 7th Cav in postwar Korea.
As an 11Bravo he was in the 12th Cav in Vietnam. I often
heard him mention "Bad Bet," so he must have been in B 2-12
Cav. I believe all of that is correct.
Dick later did a tour as an advisor. He had given a tape to
me of an audio letter, home to his brother, which I still
have. It was taped while he was in a TOC somewhere in S.
Vietnam on duty. It is revealing to listen to as he calls for
a "Stinger" on an enemy position, etc.
Dick was on the 1st Cav Div. Assn. Board of Directors, and
active in the So. CA Chapter of the 1st Cav Assn., serving as
president successively. We had often met at his home in Long
Beach, CA, and had a lot of fun, especially thanks to his
late wife Sharon, who was the life of the party. She also
died unexpectedly, several years ago. R.I.P. Dick, and FIRST
TEAM! GARRYOWEN!
Jimmy ODUM <jimmy_9330@yahoo.com> in Hubert, NC reminds,
"I was a crew chief with 15th MEDEVAC '69 & '70 in Phouc
Vinh. My bird was the 'King Roach."
Pete MULFORD <plm8410@aol. com> of Marion, SC signed the
Guestbook with: "Returned to site after reading last issue of
SABER, and catching up on 15th MED news. Interesting to see
note of WO-1 Tom GROVE...I remember him well as I was also
there in '68-'69, and considered him to be one of 'those
young, fearless' WOC's who probably flew better than most of
us. Will send him e-mail of hello.
"I still have a picture of Tom and many of us in front of one
of our surgical tents at LZ Sharon?? with the red cross on
top. May try to scan it in to you. Most of my pictures and
personal things never followed me out of RVN...picked out I'm
sure by some of the supply/mail guys back in the depots, etc.
What a slam that was on so many of us.
"I particularly missed the scarves that one of our Medic's
mother or grandmother made and sent to all of us. We were
colorful and dashing, but we (I) usually tucked them under
our chest protector, as they made a great target.
"Great memories of the 15th MED team as we were in I Corps,
and then down in An Loc, Phouc Vinh, and Tay Ninh area.
Anyone have a story of the rubber plantation in An Loc...I
remember that well. Different 'world' between day and night.
"Wonder how many of us still tell of flying our veterinarian
down to Da Nang to the O-club to 'inspect' the steaks...
returning with a confiscated case or two which we cooked up
in short time on half of a 55 gallon drum. Sure beat the LRRP
rations which we got every now and then. My best to any of
the MEDEVAC team that read this...contact me at
<plm8410@aol.com>"
'69 PSG Gordon RUSSELL <GrdnRussell@aol.com> e-mailed me
with an 11th Air Assault Div. (Test) patch .jpg attached;
"Mike, someone was asking about this shoulder patch. This
patch was worn on the left shoulder during the test phase of
the 11th Air Assault Division, 15 July '65; we became the
First Cav Airmobile Div. Lots of fun back then, when we
finished a 75 day FTX in and around Ft. Jackson, SC. We had
all types of aircraft, some we kept, others did not fit what
they were after and planning for."
Lee KOMICH <copterpilotlck@verizon.net> wrote, "Mike, Hank
LLEWELLYN suggested that I contact you for an answer to my
question. Paul WINKEL is writing a book about the 1st Cav,
first years, and I am assisting in the research. Do you have
any idea where to locate former members of the 15th MED Air
Ambulance Platoon?"
This is the best way that I know of. Everyone reading this
associated, please contact Lee.
15th MED Assn. president Murray GIBBS <GunnerMadmur@aol.com>
sends out: "Hey Guys, Recently I got an e-mail from an
individual who is looking for information about Johnny Glen
GREGG. He is trying to get it for GREGG's family. I looked
through all the helicopter incidents but could not find the
incident where he and the rest of his crew were lost on 26
Nov 68. If any one of you members have information that I can
forward to Larry MUSE, a friend of Johnny GREGG and GREGG's
family, please send it to me in an e-mail. Larry MUSE had
contacted the DUST OFF organization and he was referred to
the 15th MED Assn. Thanks."
John MCCULLOCH <johnkeye@sbcglobal.net> sent this memo:
"Having obtained your e-mail address from the Saber, I
thought you might shed some light on my first home in
the military. I was a member of Troop 'A' 1st MED Sq.,
1st Cav Div, at Ft Bliss, TX, from June 20, 1940 until
Dec. 07, 1941 (Pearl Harbor Day). At that time I
shipped out to Aviation Cadets, and spent the rest of
the war in the Air Corps. I was the company clerk and
did the payrolls etc.
"Our mission was to set up a field hospital and
evacuate casualties from the battle front. I made
many close friends in the 18 months we were together.
I never see any reference to the old lst MED in the
Saber. I was wondering if the 1st MED was part of the 15th
MED?
"In the summer of 1940 I had my pre-med college
requirements finished and no money to go to med
school. A recruiting sergeant said that I could go to
med school in the Army and draw $21.00/mth to boot. I
enlisted for three years, and woke up at Ft Bliss in
the 1st MED. Everything worked out for the best.
"After being discharged in Sept '46 I entered Baylor
Dental School. Any info you might have would be greatly
appreciated. John H. MCCULLOCH, DDS, 1224 Timberline Dr. S,
Fort Worth, TX 76126."
I e-mailed John that 15th MED Bn. was indeed originally the
1st MED Sq., and that I had written of another veteran
previously. I had requested that unit to also be in the title
of this column, but apparently there are not enough veterans
to warrant that, although they keep writing to me.
John MCCLUN "Motorcycle-Jack" <john@mcclun.com> as a new
member introduces himself: "I was at Hq. 15th MED Bn. as a
Biomedical Equipment Repairman. My tour was from Feb '68 to
Sep '68, then was transferred to the medical depot in Tay
Ninh. Traveled to all the companies: A, B, & C, during my
tour, so got to ride on many of the MEDEVACs, or by Caribou,
from one to the other."
Ken HEIN, B 2-7 Cav '69-'70 <khein@wideopenwest.com>
e-mailed: "Hello Mike. I see you're writing the 15th Medical
column in the Saber now and have moved to Arizona. I haven't
touched base with you since Buffalo [1st Cav Reunion '98].
Hope all is well with you and you are enjoying the warmer
weather. I'm planning to retire in Sept. I'll have 40 years
in with Detroit Edison and it's time to make room for some
younger bodies.
"I was wondering if you could put out a note in your column
to see what is going on with a couple of Medics we had with B
2-7. The first one is Doc YANES who was the 3rd platoon Medic
when I joined the unit. I believe he was from TX and he was
succeeded by Doc Allen MATSUDA from HI. I was going through
some old pictures recently and started to wonder where some
of these people went and what they are doing. The problem
with that is often you find out they are in a cemetery
someplace."
I received snail mail from Randy CARSON, 9484 N Hwy. 99 SPC
38, Stockton, CA 95212. Randy says that he was in MEDEVAC
'67-'68 out of An Khe. They called him, "Baby San," and
another crew member, Pat SWAIN, who died in an auto accident
six months after returning from Nam, was called "Papa San."
Randy says that he will try to make the 2006 15th MED Assn.
Reunion in Reno, NV, which is close to where he lives. He
says that he always wanted a Cav Stetson with a 1st Cav patch
on it and wanted to know where to get one. Randy gave no e-
mail address so if anyone is in contact with him tell him
that the <crossedsabers-chapter-giftshop.com>, has those.
Randy also says that he would like to make a return visit to
Vietnam, and to TX, the home of the 1st Cav. The next 1st Cav
Assn. Reunion there, in 2007, should be a good opportunity
for that. Try to encourage Randy when you correspond.
Randy mentions that the only job in his life that he ever
took pride in was as a door gunner on a Huey. That, it would
be nice to go back in time.
I intercepted a 1st Cav Assn. Guestbook sign in by Charles
"Recon Doc" SMITH <chasmith1946@yahoo.com>, from Austin, TX,
who was in the 28th Infantry, "Black Lions," Big Red One '67-
'68. He inquires, "Looking for a Medic, Carl HARRIS, who
served at Ia Drang '65. I was assigned to 2-28th 'Black
Lions,' 1st Inf. Div., and served with 'the Medic who always
wore the BIG YELLOW HORSE patch on his right shoulder.'
HARRIS and I joined the 28th Black Lions in Oct of 1967. He
is not a member of the First Infantry Association nor the
28th Regimental Association. 'Carl, if you are out there in
CAV LAND I would like to hear from you...'Doc Smith'"
If anyone knew Carl HARRIS, let us know. Charles thinks that
Carl was in the 7th Cav in '65.
The specific reason why I had contacted Charles is because I
noticed his dates in the "Black Lions." I had just seen a
very moving PBS American Experience documentary called: "Two
Days In October," about two different events in October of
1967. Happening about the same time, one was an ambush of A
and D Companies of 2-28 Inf., "Black Lions," and the other
was the student protest of Dow Chemical recruiting at U of WI
at Madison.
I had clipped a photo of one student in vicious reaction to
the police in 1967, when I was still in high school, but I
really knew nothing more specific about those protests,
except that they seemed to be the general student reaction to
the Vietnam War and the military industrial complex, as
President Dwight D. EISENHOWER had warned the nation
about in his retirement speech.
The war in Vietnam also took on a new light with these
incidents, which slightly preceded the coup de grace of Tet
'68. I was on my way to Nam after graduating from high school
in Jun. of '68, so for me patriotism overruled current
events.
That is also the main theme of this documentary-who is
patriotic. They interview everyone imaginable-who is still
alive. The viewer gets to really see "what were they
thinking?" back then. It is very surprising to see the
reactions from those who participated everywhere. There are
some jolting statements from those of whom you would not
think that possible.
There is profound respect for the military servicemen who
fought, something I did not see much of then. Perhaps when an
individual is also traumatized they then know how the other
guy feels. Much of this same sentiment remains today, but can
be expected in a democracy. My thinking is serve first, do
the best you can with it, and ask questions later.
As an American, this was one of the deepest segments of
American Experience that I have seen. I have watched them for
many years. For any American, I think it is a must see. It
was just reaired, probably will continue to be, and is also
available on DVD/VHS from PBS. This is also researchable on
its own PBS Web site. The transcript is downloadable.
I happened to catch it on PBS HDTV on the Oct. 17th, the
anniversary to the day in 1967 that 2-28 Inf. were so badly
mauled-for specific reasons. That was just before it's normal
PBS broadcast. Seeing that in the elite time slot made it all
the more eerie. I was in a complete state of shock as it was
just watching it at all. I ended up watching it just as
intently the rest of the week, as well as taped it.
When I mentioned it to Charles SMITH he confirmed my
suspicions about how close he was to it, "Mike:
The ambush of 17 Oct was the reason I was reassigned to the
28th. They had lost several Medics and of course needed
replacements ASAP. The CAV guy (Carl HARRIS) and I were two
of many Medics who joined the 28th in Oct. HARRIS had been at
Ia Drang in '65 and more-or-less was my mentor as a combat
Medic.
"Most of the guys mentioned in the book [They Marched Into
Sunlight, by David MARANISS] I am still in contact with; but
would like to have contact with HARRIS. Is there a Carl
HARRIS (Medic) on the CAV Association roster? If so could you
pass along my message to him. [There is a Carl HARRIS but his
listed times and units are close but doubtful.]
"I didn't get a chance to see the PBS show but Tom HINGER
and Dave BERRY told me about it...HINGER is the Medic that
was interviewed in the PBS airing and BERRY is mentioned in
the book. I got an e-mail from my regimental association
(28th) that Tom HANKS has bought the rights to the book and
is going to make a feature film.
"Attached is a photo of HARRIS and me on my last day with the
28th before DEROS to US. He is the one wearing the HORSE
PATCH. Boy, was he proud of his tenure with the CAV."
Further online research produced maps and told me that this
was historically in the Vietnam War called Operation
Shenandoah II, dates: 29 Sep-19 Nov 67. The map coordinates
of 17 Oct 67 were roughly XT679585. This is just off, and
adjacent to the maps of the 2-7 Cav A.O. where I was in '69,
which made it all the more personal to me.
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
