E Company Rangers,
The attached article saluting our former first sergeant, Roy Nelson, was compiled by Duane “Poncho” Alire and he has submitted it to “Patrolling” magazine where we hope it will be included in a future issue. But as Poncho pointed out, not everyone in E Company belongs to the 75th Ranger Regiment and thus not everyone receives the magazine. If you don’t belong to the 75th you should because our own Roy Barley is serving as 2nd vice president of the organization. And in every issue there are articles from the unit directors. In the most recent issue, Jeff Webb gives some helpful information about our next E Company reunion being put together by Terry Leishman that will take place in Montana next July 15-21. There is also a nice mention of a church group that Tom Koontz and his wife Beverly belong to that makes warming quilts for people who are battling cancer. Another example of Rangers doing good things to help people.
But back to Roy Nelson, a Ranger who helped us perform our missions when we were in Vietnam. If you belong to the 75th, look for “Patrolling” with Poncho’s article which should also have some photos in it. Roy Barley said that he has some memories of Top he would like to share and perhaps he can do so in the vice president’s column he writes for the magazine. In Poncho’s attached article, you will read Howard Munn’s account of a patrol he was on led by our first sergeant that Howard will never forget. Top led that patrol as well as many others and always returned his men safely back to base camp. He was a great leader.
Poncho asked if I would send out the attachment as his computer puts up a fight when he tries to send out mass mailings. Mine also protests which is why I have divided my E Company roster into two groups. Hopefully between the two emails, all of E Company will receive it but please forward if you know someone who did not get it. And maybe I can twist Sal’s arm to see if he will put the article on our web site. Finally, thanks go to Poncho for putting together a final salute to an E Company Ranger who was highly respected by all who knew him. Roy Nelson was a man who “led the way.”
RLTW,
Rick Stetson