June 2007
E Company reunions are always special occasions for the former members of the 9th Infantry Division Long Range Patrol and this year’s gathering in Orlando was no exception. It takes great teamwork to pull off a successful reunion and we were fortunate to once again have Ken Mellick and Shirley Parrish take the point and help arrange for the excellent food, accommodations, and hospitality.
It is always dangerous to start naming names as I am bound to leave folks out, but among those providing support to Ken and Shirley were Ken’s family. Yvonne Smith, Shirley’s daughters, Karen Mathis and Cyndi Pletcher (our faithful raffle ticket sellers), Szabo for providing a continuous supply of spirits, Tess for his always-excellent artwork and t-shirt designs, Rip for his non stop photography and to everyone who donated items for the silent auction.
A special “thank” you to all who traveled to Orlando to attend our reunion. Our thoughts and prayers were with several who planned to attend but were sidelined by unexpected medical circumstances. To the Greg’s (Foreman and Nizialek), we hope by the time you read this, you are out of the hospital and well on down the road to full recovery. Jonesy has put a write-up of the reunion on the website listing all the attendees, including those who made their first E Company reunion, so I won’t repeat all the names here, but be sure to check the website which also has some excellent photos taken in Orlando. Jonesy has even added a link with information about our next reunion to be held in Colorado Springs in 2008 (more about that as time goes on.)
The memorial service is one of the more important aspects of any E Company reunion and this year’s service may never be duplicated thanks to a color guard made up by members of the Sons of the American Revolution who just happened to be holding a convention at our hotel. Dressed in authentic looking uniforms, they could have represented the style worn by our original Rangers. Houston Ledbetter did an outstanding job of conducting his first memorial service and he had able back up in Tyrone Muse, a veteran memorial service organizer. Roy Barley read the history of E Company and Joe Eachus performed like a First Sergeant in lining up all the participants in the proper sequence. After the last candle was lit, a moment of silence was observed and then the service was concluded with the playing of Taps by Ed Chaffin.
A business session was next on the agenda during which this writer elected to succeed Bob Copeland as unit director. Prior to the reunion, Bob was informed that we wanted to create a position of "Permanent Unit Director" and that he was our choice to serve in that capacity. We would have it like the Supreme Court where he would be our unit director for life. Copeland, a Canadian, replied with, "no way, eh" and politely but firmly turned down our desire to see him continue as unit director for s fifth consecutive term, saying he felt it was time for new leadership. Bob Copeland has done a magnificent job of "leading the way" for the past eight years and we are delighted he will remain active in a leadership role by continuing to submit deserving candidates for membership in the Ranger Hall of Fame. We all owe Bob our sincere thanks for a job well done and his leadership was recognized during both the business session and at our banquet.
We were privileged to have as our guest speaker at the banquet, Col (Ret) Bob Carroll who had served in Vietnam as a commander of the 173d Airborne Brigade Long Range Patrol. Clancy Matsuda arranged for our speaker as He and Carroll go way back to their days together as West Point cadets. Clancy did a masterful job of introducing our speaker and the respect the two former long range patrol commanders held for each other was obvious.
Bob Carroll's remarks were right on target. After serving in Nam, he taught in the Leadership Department at West Point so he was well-qualified to speak on the topic of leadership. He pointed out the importance of leadership competencies such as bravery, teamwork and trust-values that all long range patrol members could identify with.
Roy Barley served as master of ceremonies for the banquet and a number of individuals were recognized for their contributions to the reunion's success. Roy Nelson, who is held in the highest regard by all who served with him when he was the E Company first sergeant, received a special award as did Erik Spink, a high school senior from the Bronx, New York who spent the entire reunion filming interviews with Rangers for a documentary he is making on Vietnam. Special thanks to those who took time to share some of their patrol experiences with Erik and contribute to an oral history of our unit.
E Company has always demonstrated that we have veterans who won't forget the sacrifices being made by today's Rangers as they fight in far-off corners of the world. One example is the generous support the unit gives to the annual Ranger Christmas Children's Fund. Another example took place during the reunion when Bob Copeland, Roy Barley, Marshall Larsen, and Greg and Carla Jo Whitson traveled to a VA hospital in Tampa to visit three Rangers and a crewman from the Night Stalkers who were injured when their helicopter crashed in Afghanistan. The four young sergeants and their families were pleased when som of our "old timers" dropped by to offer their encouragement, Even though seriously injured, (several will have rods placed in their backs to stabilize spines while another is in and out of a coma), the soldiers all exhibited positive outlooks and were anxious to return to their units. It is hard to keep a Ranger down and it is encouraging to see that we have such courageous individuals serving our country.
Looking ahead, all Rangers past and present are invited to attend the 75th Ranger Regiment Reunion this summer in Columbus, Georgia from August 6-12. The reunion headquarters will be in the Holiday Inn, I-I85 N at Manchester expressway. All the rooms at the motel are booked but as of this writing, there were still some rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn, 2500 Bradley Lakes BLVD, where Bob Copeland and others from E Company will stay. More information concerning the reunion should be found in this issue of patrolling as well as on the 75th website. http:www.75thrra.com
Finally, all E Company Rangers need to mark their calendars for May i4-i8, 2008. Those are the dates for our next reunion to be held in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Doug "Mac" MacCallum is taking the lead on the planning for this reunion and is in the process of booking a motel and making other arrangements. Mac will do a recon mission to the area this fall and will report back with complete details. He is already familiar with the area and says there are some great attractions such as Pike's Peak, Fort Carson, Seven Falls, and the Air Force Academy along with an abundance of beautiful scenery. The unit website will be updated as information about our next reunion is finalized so be sure to check in from time to time at http://www.9thdivisionlrrp.com
I look forward to seeing you at our future reunions. Until then always remember RANGERS LEAD THE WAY