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This one also gets me teary eyed. If anyone hasn’t heard it……http://rattler-firebird.org/misc/man-in-the-doorway.php
Listened to the Lunatics recording. It pulls a bit on the old heartstrings yessiree, but was really glad to hear it. Thanks Larry
Phil has alot of body guards to protect him. If anyone tried to harm him they would probably hang him on gobblers knob on groundhog day. But I have gotten rid of some of his relatives. Peta tried to make them use robotic groundhog and the the told where to put there robot.
I was amazed to see that Punxsutawney Phil was still alive to tell us how much winter we have left. Wally Searight was out here and he really got into the prairie dog hunting. Phil and prairie dogs are from the same fury rodent ground digging family. Wally doesn’t live far from where that ceremony is held. Heck, was the guy in the big top hat?
That’s a very good possibily Larry. We were working for S-4 and what ever company went to the field, we were attached to them. Our job was to call in supply helicopters and help get them unloaded.
There is a new audio button above that is new. The audio on it is called “God’s own lunatics. It was in video form, the video didn’t add much to the audio part. This is where I got it:
Brother Larry, All “grunts” will relate to the attached video. Even now, the sound of helicopter blades turning gets my attention!! Do hope you can forward to the “Brothers” and/or put on the website. Si Nerone
Larry McKnight: I probably made an incorrect assumption that all in the HHC section for 2/1 was medics. I know the arty guys was HHC and not Company C. Anyway, I still believe that all the HHC kia’s were with company C when they were killed.
Larry, Salvatore Cammarata was not a medic. Sam worked in the ammo dump. He was KIA when he replaced me in the field as a radio op. after I had to come to base camp to have a tooth pulled. Sam and I were friends since Ft Devens. Met his wife for the first time at the reunion in Buffalo this summer.
Larry,
Am I a big dummy! Three were KIA durung my tour & did not know they were medics.
walt–in my pics–somewhere-is a pic of jim clement poking butch in his noticeable belly. i thought butch went in due to heat problems, then re-upped. could have planned it, who knows. think it was when we were in hiep duc in early may.
larry–i can`t believe alpha co. , if no other, didn`t lose a medic. doc whitebird should know more. yes, doc grunge was wounded on 16 march 70. at 1 time johnnie pearson was in touch with doc. sometime in the late 80s i had contact with him. he didn`t want to get involved with vet issues at the time. he was practicing psychiatry, as if he stayed sane after being with us. if only his patients knew what we know about doc, not that i`d start a rumor or 2.
I don’t remember a Medic being killed while with us on 1/5/71.
Are you sure what you’re reading as Charlie Company wasn’t Charlie Med, the medical company assigned to the Brigade?
Doc Grunge did not die on the booby trap night of March 16, 1970 but was badly wounded I believe. Hector Sandoval was on the Chinook shot down at LZ Judy on Aug 26, 1970. Looks like Chicago was overly represented. Berry and Kirby were killed by the same booby trap and Rimmer was killed at Hiep Duc when Lt Emery got killed along with his RTO.
I remember one for sure, and possibly two. One in 1st Plt and we called him Grunge, or Grungie Medic. Hit a booby trap. I can’t remember his name. He’s in one of Shortrounds pictures.
Here is the list and dates of all medics from the 196th killed for the entire time the 196th was in Nam and every one of them was with Charlie Company when they were killed:
11/5/66 Carlson David PFC GEORGETOWN CT
2/4/67 Cammarata Salvatore SP4 BUFFALO NY
4/19/67 Sierchio Alfonso SP4 NEWARK NJ
8/17/67 Taylor Randy PFC WASHINGTON DC
2/7/68 Bennett Charles SGT TERRELL TX
2/7/68 Martinez Angel CPL BANDERA TX
2/7/68 Mc Quay Roger CPL OGALLALA NE
5/12/68 Bowers Richard SGT LONG BEACH CA
5/12/68 Sisk Harry SSGT HUNTSVILLE AL
7/25/68 Gonzalez Hector SP5 MIAMI FL
7/25/68 Lang David CPL CHICAGO IL
12/20/68 Neubia William PFC NEW YORK NY
5/24/69 Gillen John SP4 CHICAGO IL
6/12/69 Pierce Leo SP4 CHICAGO IL
12/12/69 Bast Albert SP4 MILTONA MN
2/2/70 Berry Alan CPL PALMER MA
2/2/70 Kirkby James CPL GLEN RIDGE NJ
5/4/70 Rimmer James CPL OREGON IL
8/22/70 Campbell David PFC WILMINGTON OH
8/26/70 Sandoval Hector SP4 CHICAGO IL
9/18/70 Ottman Todd PFC VICTOR NY
1/5/71 Butler Dennis CPL MENDON MI
4/30/72 Epstine Larry SP4 PHILADELPHIA PA
Larry,
I do not remember losing any medics between 11/68-11/69.
Larry and Wally,
Would not want to come between you two. Ops! wrong choice of words. Would not want to break you two up after this many years.
Larry, it sounds like you said you thought we had 23 medics kill in the year we were there. To be honest, I don’t remember many medics getting wounded or killed. Your thoughts?
Larry, I was there when Robert Daugherty was killed. We also had two wounded. Side of a hill, tall trees, Medivac had to drop the cable for the wounded and also took fire and wouldn’t come back for Heavy (he was a big dude). Some Col. heard about us and sent his chopper. I put the wounded on the lift and also helped poncho up and hook Heavy to the cable. I’ll never forget watching him fly off on the end of that cable. Just in time too as it was getting dark.
Bill
Sounds like you might be a little jealous, but your always welcome to join us
Bill: You are a little late being concerned about me and Wally wanting to be close. He was out to see me during pheasant hunting and stayed a week at my house. I have told the news to Judy and she is fine with it as it gives her a break. Wally is a good man to be close to and his son-in-law Terry is not bad also.
Today, Short Round sent me a listing of the KIA’s for the 196. I have a list I rounded up myself that I compared it to and I wanted share my findings and ask for help in getting the list to match what the 196 says is Company C’s list. First thing is that they listed the medics as being HHC. We had 23 medics killed with our company and the HHC only had 23 killed for the entire time we were in Nam. Company C’s medic’s kia’s matched exactly with the 196 list. We were the only company in 2/1 that had a medic killed. This blew my mind when I saw that!
I didn’t have anyone on my list of kia’s that was not on the 196th list. I had two that was not on the 196 list. The first one that is not on the 196th company C list is Leo Rose and he is listed as unknown company. Gary Capshaw has told me about “Pop’s†being killed. The other name on my list was Robert Daugherty that is not on the 196th list anywhere. Robert was killed on Feb 26, 1972 and he was from Abilene, TX. Does anyone remember him?
Gary,
Found a place on site at the VA. Thanks for the information. Going for increase in PTSD and new claim for heart disease.
Larry,
Concerned about you & Wally wanting to be close. Does Judy know?
Russ
That was my nickname. I don’t remember Butch, if Isaw a picture I might recognize him. I talked to Vic once but not Pudge.
I made my reservations for Wabasha today. Hope everyone can make it.
Wally Searight, Ed Davis and I are planning on having a fishing and just hanging out get together the week before the reunion there in Wabasha, MN. We would love to have anyone else that wants to do this join us. Wally and I will get to Wabash on September 12. Wally will be staying in the hotel at the rv park instead of the hotel of the reunion so that we will be close. Hopefully with this much advance notice more of you guys can plan on being there early. If you don’t have to have most of the week, join us for a day or two before the reunion.
Wally Gator…..wasn’t it.? Do you remember Butch..? He humped the pig later for us ………til the re-up NCO got his ear back at HH after a bad op. As I recall, he took a burst of 6; went home for a (30) leave thinking he was done with Nam, but was sent back with a new MOS. Slim (Tom Goehagen) also carried the pig in our squad until he got hit…..March 70? I don’t remember Butch or Slim having 60 problems, but I know there were more besides Danny’s.
Wally, I found some pictures with you, Pudge and Vic. I’ll get’em up on the site soon. are you in touch with them at all..? I have a very memorable story about Pudge, Shortround and me, when back in Chu Lai on standdown….offline.
Gary Able was the “Hog Man” in the 2nd platoon and he loved it. He used to fire it from the sholder.
on 4 feb of 70, hillbilly–dan roberts was kia. he was our pigman at the time. that evening tony cikovic and i cleaned the pig and it would fire 1 shot at a time. we tried to get another receiver part from a slick door gunner, but no luck. since that day i have had nothing good to say about the 60.
Bill:
Yes, I did. I had 50%, then they just upped it to 70% on their own, so I applied for IU. Didn’t get that, but I DID get 100% permanent and total for PTSD. Go figure.
Anyhow, shoot me an e-mail if you need specific advice.
I carried the pig for a long time and never had any problems that I can remember, other than the extra weight. Wish I could shoot one again.