October 9, 2007
|
Doug "Mac" MacCallum recently sent me an excellent SITREP
after returning from his one-man patrol to
Colorado Springs where he scouted out the
accommodations for our next reunion. Doug spent four nights
at the Clarion Downtown which will serve as out reunion
headquarters and reports that instead of sleeping on the
ground, he was provided with a "good mattress and down
pillows." He has arranged for special reunion rates of
$75.00 per night and the price includes a breakfast buffet
each morning.
During his recon of the area, Doug found numerous local attractions that should be of interest when we are not catching up on what has happened since our last reunion. History buffs should enjoy Old Colorado City which was established in 1861 as the first capital of the Colorado Territory and is presently a great place for shopping with its numerous boutiques and art galleries. Then there is the Pikes Peak Cog Railway, the world’s highest cog railway and a scenic way to reach the top of the mountain. The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is the only mountain zoo in the United States and it sits near the Will Rogers Shrine to the Sun. Mac said the chapel at the Air Force Academy is "spectacular" and he also recommended the Garden of the Gods as a good place to visit. It sounds as if there will be a lot to do in Colorado Springs, not to mention checking out some of the fine local eating establishments, so be sure to circle May 14-18 on your calendars as the dates for our next reunion. You can click the 2008 reunion link on our web site for an updated roster of those planning to attend. If your name is not on the list and you plan to be there, be sure to let Jonesy know so your name can be added. And don’t forget to mention E Company when making your reservations at the Clarion Hotel Downtown Colorado Springs (1-800-477-8610.) Erik Spink has been busy editing the interviews he filmed at our Orlando reunion and hopes to have a DVD ready for showing when we meet in Colorado. Erik plans to bring his camera to our next reunion so if you were not interviewed in Orlando, be sure to put your name on the sign-up list when you arrive at the motel in Colorado Springs. Erik can still use photos taken in Nam of E Company lurps, especially photos showing us with camouflage on our faces. Erik’s documentary will be titled, "Painted Faces," and if you have a photo scanned in your computer, you can email it to Erik at: ESPROFILMS@AOL.COM or mail it to: Erik Spink, 3233 Fairmount Ave, Bronx, NY 10465. After watching Ken Burns’ excellent documentary on WWII the past couple of weeks, I’m grateful for what Erik is doing to help preserve our E Company history. One day when we are no longer here to share our stories, the filmed interviews will remain for future generations to look at and gain an appreciation of how five-man patrols from the 9th Infantry Division were able to operate in the jungles and rice paddies of Vietnam. The Associated Press ran an interesting story the other day about the expense of outfitting soldiers for battle. Adjusting for inflation, it cost $170 to provide a WWII infantryman with a uniform, weapon, helmet, bedroll and canteen. When we were in Vietnam, the government spent $1,100 to equip us for battle by providing with such items as flack vests and jungle boots. Lurps were probably less expensive as we never wore flack vests or helmets while on patrol although the CAR-15’s we carried might have been more expensive than the standard issue M-16 rifle. Today, it costs $17,500 to equip a soldier fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan as each will carry items such as thermal weapons sights, anti-ballistic eyewear, disposable handcuffs and even strap cutters for slashing open a seat belt if a soldier has to flee a burning vehicle. The article went on to project that by the middle of the next decade it will take between $28,000 and $60,000 to equip each soldier, depending upon the position he holds. The weapons will include rifles that can shoot around corners and helmets equipped with 1.5 inch computer screens that will show maps of the battlefield. Makes you wonder if land navigation will still be taught in basic when our soldiers will all have GPS positioning devices and computer screens in their helmets. I never did learn how to program my VCR so I doubt I’d be able to keep up with our rapidly changing high tech Army. But today’s soldiers have grown up playing video games and are not intimidated by the new technology. Fortunately, we have Jonesy in E Company who has kept up with the times and mastered the art of designing computer web pages. If you are not checking our E Company web site (www.9thdivisionlrrp.com) on a regular basis, I urge you to do so as the site is an excellent source of information. Jonesy is continually updating it with news and photos making it one of the best unit web sites that I have seen. We all owe Jonesy a debt of gratitude for serving as a modern day "radio relay," and providing us with the means for us to stay in communication with each other. Until next time, stay well and remember that Rangers Lead the Way.
Rick Stetson
|