Mike & H&S Companies
Third Battalion, Fifth Marines
Veterans of the Vietnam War
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Mike & H&S Companies
Third Battalion, Fifth Marines Veterans of the Vietnam War
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November-December 2000
December 28, 2000 We have an email address for Tom Dunn (with Weapons in 1969), on the Mike Company roster. His address is ted@cvns.net Keith Hansford from H&S has changed his emailed address for the last time (he promises). It is now manofpsalm@aol.com We have added a link to the web site dedicated to the memory of Father Vince Capodanno. On our favorites page. December 1-31, 1967, the 3rd Marine Division continued Operation Scotland, Lancaster, Kentucky, Napoleon, Neosho and Osceola. On December 29, 1968, Camp Carroll was deactivated. Also, Allied troops announced they would not honor any truces. December 24, 2000 It is appropriate on this Christmas Eve that we've posted a picture taken by Jim Pierce (friend of Debbe Reynolds) of the display in honor of Corpsman Armando Leal at Leal Middle School in San Antonio, Texas. Armando was awarded the Navy Cross, posthumously, on Operation Swift, September 6, 1967. On Armando's memorial page. Bearing in mind how fortunate we were to survive, and honoring the memory of those of us who never made it home, we wish you a M E R R Y C H R I S T M A S On this date, 1950: The last elements of the 1st Marine Division departed Hungnam, North Korea. 1941: On Midway, reinforcements, including about 100 officers and men On December 25, 1943: On Bougainville, the first echelon of the Americal Division, USA arrived to relieve the 3rd Marine Division.
December 20, 2000 Jack Fretwell is in Jacksonville, North Carolina and doesn't have a computer.. Should anyone wish to contact him please write Denny Dinota at dinota@earthlink.net We've posted the Silver Star citation for Lt. Byron Hill, May 14, 1967 on Operation Union. Posted A Marine's Night Before Christmas, a poem you'll like, to the rhythm of the poem we all learned as children. Forwarded to us by Randy Pelt. On this date in 1965: Operation Harvest Moon ended for Task force Delta (2/7, 3/3, and
2/1). More than 400 Viet Cong were killed in action. (Permission to use On this Date information kindly provided by Bradley Omanson from the Marine Corps History List at Scuttlebuttandsmallchow. Though all this is public domain information, he's done a bunch of work to break it down by day) December 18, 2000 Please welcome Ricardo Ramirez to the Mike Company roster. Known as Romero in country, he was in 2nd Platoon from July of 68 to June of 69. He remembers Rice, Lopez, Armendariz and Nava. Also a brave corpsman he remembers as Spanky. We've added three names to the Mike Company roster. These guys have not been found but we're looking for them. David Mortenson was the radio operator for Byron Hill, FO, from 67-68. He was originally from Los Angeles. Jack Fretwell was 1st Platoon Commander in 67. We think he's in Jacksonville, Florida. Dennis Flood was a PFC, also with Mike in 67. Originally he was from Chattanooga. On the battalion site, we added a listing on the Silver Star table for Byron Hill, who was awarded one on Operation Union, May 14, 1967, while serving as an FO attached to Mike Company. We also corrected the date of Kilo Company CO Robert Tilley's citation, to May 13, 1967. On this date in 1903, Marines escorted American diplomats to Addis Ababa, Abyssinia. December 15, 2000 Joe Smith, 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon, 1968, is in the hospital with severe lung and heart problems. Please remember him and wife Linda in your thoughts and prayers. His email is tunnelrat68@cs.com December 14, 2000 We've added two more Marines to Our Wall. From H&S Company, Randy Summers from St. Louis, Missouri, was KIA on May 13, 1967, on Operation Union. Randy was with 106s. Raul Vasquez was there, wounded at the same time. On Operation Cochise, Raul remembers Robert Roland Watrous from Coos Bay, Oregon. Woody, with both Mike Company and 106s at different times, was KIA on 16 August 1967. Thank you for remembering Raul. On our favorites we've added a link to First Tanks, Tim Mattye's fine site. Tim just added a request from Mike McFerrin, looking for the tankers who saved his life, in September 1968. Wayne Bannister from H&S in 66-67, has an email address. It is seventh-child@webtv.net On this date in 1941, Wake Island was left with one aircraft surviving Japanese attacks. December 11, 2000 Please welcome Byron Hill to the Mike Company roster. Byron was the Mike Company Forward Observer from March to September 1967 before going to Battalion HQ until January 1968. We have added his guestbook entry to the bios' page. Added November 10, 2000 picture of Jim and Josie Bisesi. Correction on Raul Vasquez' email address. It is squez35@go.com VMF-211 Wildcats sank the Japanese destroyer Kisaragi during the defense of Wake Island, December 11, 1941. Marines participated in the Luzon Operation in the Philippines during World War II, on December 12 in 1944. December 7, 2000 Visiting a friend's web site (Connie Menefee, a hell of a poet... http://users.choice.net/~cmenefee/Vntoc.htm ) and saw a link to a downloadable Wall Database. Went ahead and downloaded it and installed it (it has a self installer, very easy). It is outstanding work! Every name on the Wall can be sorted by Date of Death, Name or Home Town. You can display by list or by individual page and you can tag each record with your own comments. It was designed by Fred Wunderlich and uses the database put together by the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association. It is free for non commercial use. Highly recommended. You can find it at http://www.sogngo.com/vietwar/ (don't bookmark since this is a temporary page). Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on this day, 1941. December 6, 2000 Please welcome Ed Browder and Tom Mahlum to the Mike Company roster. Both were platoon commanders. Tom was 1st Platoon Commander from December 68 to May 69 then became 3/5 S-3 Alpha. Ed transferred from 1st Force Recon and was 3rd Platoon Commander in the summer of 69. Copied their guestbook entries to the bio pages (A-L) and (M-Z). Added a platoon boot camp picture from the 1940s from Jim Bisesi. Old Corps! We have a new email address for Raul Vasquez, who was with both Mike and H&S. It's squez35@aol.com November 30, 2000 Please welcome Chuck Cummings to the Mike Company roster. Chuck found us through Debbe Reynolds message on the virtual wall for Doc Conklin. Chuck was with 3rd platonn from September 1966 through October 1967. We added Doc Conklin to Our Wall. KIA on May 26, 1967, Doc was from South Euclid, Ohio. Estill Fugate, Mike Company, remembers his friends who were killed on Operation Hastings. They've been added to Our Wall and are listed below. PFCs Pete Martinez and Ramon Deschamps, on July 18, 1966. Ramon died while standing next to Estill. Both Pete and Ramon were on the same fireteam with Richard Anasiewicz, already on the Wall and an awardee of the Silver Star. Cpl. Rudolph Lefebvre and LCpl William Bartlow, also on July 18, 1966. PFC Ray Stephen Long, wounded July 18, 1966, subsequently died on July 29, 1966 on the USS Repose. Ray's brother, in the Navy, was on another ship and flew over. Estill remembers talking to him on the deck. Jim Bisesi's email address has changed, it has been posted on the H&S roster and is jbisesi@ec.rr.com November 20, 2000 Please welcome two more Marines to the Mike Company roster. Denis Burgoyne came to Mike from 7th Marines in late 1970 and left with the Company in '71. Steve Lovejoy was platoon, then company radioman and company driver from February 1967 to March 1968. Per the Marine Corps Association Calendar, on November 20, 1943 the 2nd Mar Div landed at Betio Island, Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands November 17, 2000 Please welcome Wayne Bannister to the H&S Roster. Wayne was a field wireman with H&S from Pendleton in '66 all the way to early '67. He transferred to HQ Battery 4/11 and rotated 4/22/67. He tells me that the technological revolution has passed him by but if any of you remember him he would like to talk to you. Please email the webmaster. Please welcome Jim Cravey to the Mike Company roster. Jim was with the Company from Sept. '66 until medevaced Nov. 66. Came back in January 1967 until April, then transferred to a CAC unit. Please see his incountry bio on one of the bio pages. One of our fallen brothers from H&S, Charles Butler, KIA August 1, 1967, is on our Wall. His younger brother, Bryan, found us the other day, and would be most interested in locating anyone who remembers Charles. Bryan was only 5 when Charles died and his family never talked about him. Now both his parents are dead and we are the only ones who remember. Please write. Bryan's email address is bryan.butler@md.usda.gov Posted a tribute to Mike McFerrin from Bernie Rhoades, on the occasion of the Corps' 225th Birthday. Mike was Hamlet Advisory Team leader in late '69 and early '70 and Bernie was on his Team. Tom Keith, H&S in 1970 is looking for three guys from that time, SSgt Forslin, Gunny Woodward, and especially the Company Clerk, Corporal Jamison, maybe from Kansas. Confey Maldonado, H&S in 1970 is still looking for his best friend, Jose Martinez from Chicago. November 12, 2000 Please welcome Larry Searight to the Mike Company roster. Larry was with 3rd platoon in 1968 and was wounded on August 17 of that year. Larry's incountry bio is on one of the bio pages. November 11, 2000 A trip to the Wall and Iwo Jima is an account of my visit on November 10 and 11, 2000 to the Iwo Jima Memorial on the Marine Corps Birthday and to Arlington Cemetery and the Wall on Veteran's Day. It was written as an attempt to give you a feel what it's like to do that and also, selfishly, to forestall the blues I'm afflicted with after all my friends have left. November 9, 2000 HAPPY 225TH BIRTHDAY, MARINES We've posted four more pictures from Roger Nicholson. Another of William Little, Melendez (sp), Craig Sullivan and James Overpeck who was KIA on Operation Swift. Reunion Update The December 1 deadline for the first payment to hold reservations on your cabin for the May, 2001 reunion at the Highland Marina in west Georgia is fast approaching. If you intend to come and you haven't yet sent your $150 we ask that you do. This will be paid over to the Marina to hold the reservations. If you know you will come and simply don't have the money together yet to send, then please let us know that. In order to make the necessary plans for food and lodging we really need to know, approximately, how many folks are going to show. You can really help by letting us know. The total cost for four days and three nights is going to be $300 for food and lodging. That's inexpensive these days for a pristine natural environment, with woods and lake, in decent cabins with showers and kitchenette, not to mention the company of guys just like you. To let us know your intentions please write Curtis Eidson at
jarheadnam@aol.com .For more detailed information on the reunion please visit the reunion info page at
http://www.securenet.net/3rdbn5th/lagrange
2001.htm
. For a recap of last year's reunion at the same location please visit http://www.securent.net/3rdbn5th/reunion.htm
. November 6, 2000 We've posted 6 pictures from Roger "Nick" Nicholson. They are of him, of Sakora, Draper, Bowers, Mercurio (sp), William Little who was KIA on Essex. and others. Thank you Nick. On India's site we've posted four more pictures from Doc Perez. 3 are of the staging area for 3/5 for Operation Union I, receiving casualties. One is of Doc and his interpreter at Lon Phu 1. November 3, 2000 We've posted another story from Mike McFerrin. |