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Reunion 2005 Report
Reunion 2005 - Delta Thoughts
~ We had a great time at the reunion. We (Delta Company) blew them away with all the men that we had show up. We had 80 men from Delta Company at the reunion. The previous best for any one company at any of the 31st reunions had been 12.
It was my (and most of the 80 men) first reunion since returning home from Vietnam.
One of our 3rd platoon men (Vin Zike) was voted in as the "head man" of the 31st regiment. He will be running things next year....so let's really give him our support. Looks like next year's reunion will be at Syracuse, NY. The following year will be San Antonio, TX.
~ It was great to see so many new men from the 6/31 attend the reunion this year.. I have not talked to anyone that was a first timer that was disappointed they made the decision to come. It looks like all the hard work that Jerry has done is going to be like an avalanche, it will have a profound effect.. Thanks again to Jerry for all his work and dedication to the mission to find and contact veterans of this unit. Pro Patria ... NEXT YEAR WILL BE EVEN BETTER ......... HOOOAAH
~ the reunion stirred memories for me I am so glad that I got talked into going. No one will need to talk me into going next year. I am going to fulfill my dream by returning to Vietnam in January. I met two people in Boston that live in Michigan a couple of weeks ago and had tears in my eyes when they told me of how we helped them and without us they would not know the freedom they have today without the troops from the US. Charlie Tapp.
Reunion 2005 - An Alpha Perspective
Reunion Alpha Company attendees
‘Top’ James Coppeler
Capt Ron Corson and Viera
Bob Grant and Veronica
Bob Harms and Sharolyn
Dean Hess (Pat was with us in her heart and ours)
Bobby (Van) Johnson and Janice
Chuck McCammon
Mik’s Sis aka Mary Doyon
Capt Alex Nicolini and Doris
Jeff Patten and Lynn
Ken Steed
Robert Stewart and Janice
Jim Tierney and Joann
Carl Waldrop and Linda
Bill Whittington
The Hilton Garden was a nice location for the reunion. A fairly new hotel set in the background of an industrial park, a calm serene atmosphere surrounded the hotel grounds. Regiment Commander, Sam Wetzel and his wife were wonderful hosts for the event.
Due to prior commitments, unfortunately the Tierneys and the Corsons left on Sunday morning. Due to the impending hurricane; the Stewarts also departed on Sunday morning and the Waldrops rearranged their travel plans and departed Sunday afternoon. Despite their early departures, the time we had together was immeasurable.
Friday and Sunday evening chat regulars from Delta; Terry Davis, Harvey Mize, Herman Spoto and our occasional stop ins Pete Kallos and Ron Raymond were all in attendance.
To our chat regulars; Terry and Jan, Doc and Marion, Oly, Joann, Harry Whitmore, Chuck Stradley you were in our hearts and we wished you had been able to attend and share in this amazing event… needless to say VERN we missed you!!!! (I hope I didn't leave anyone out, if I did my humblest apologies, my brain is still spinning)
Reunion attendees numbered in the range of 260, Jerry White and his team efforts proved successful, it was noted that over 80 Delta guys were in attendance… a great job headed up by Jerry. Now we have to make sure that we spend time in the next year to find our Alpha guys for 2006, Jerry has proved with dedication and effort… it can be done!
Reunion 2006 is set for Fort Drum NY although the actual location will be in the Syracuse NY area. Waterford NY (the home of Fort Drum) does not have the hotel facilities to support a reunion of this size. The dates of the reunion were modified to start on Thursday, ending on Saturday allotting Sunday as the travel day; August 17, 18, 19th. So mark your calendars now and start planning to attend. Reunion 2007 will be held in beautiful San Antonio, Texas and will be hosted by Chaplain Bill Burns and his lovely wife.
I would love to be able to give a play by play of all the amazing events I experienced during the weekend, but to be perfectly honest right now so much of it is a blur… never would one believe that there could be such an emotionally charged event… the entire weekend was filled with laughter, tears, hugs, and a sense of being with family. I'll admit I was a little apprehensive about attending, after all I'm the outsider (or so I thought lol)… that feeling disappeared in about 10 seconds while waiting at the Atlanta airport. Meeting Ron Raymond (Delta) and the look on his face as he said, “you're Mary!” Columbus airport had about 15 people standing around waiting for the Hilton shuttle. Meeting Jerry White’s wife, Barbara and hearing her stories from the days when she was 14 years old and first met Jerry.
From the moment I entered the hotel lobby, looking at the name tags and hugging my brother’s brothers for the first time… finally putting the faces to the names, I knew my decision to attend the reunion was the right one! The weekend was far too short to be able to spend the amount of time one would like in order to sit and talk, hearing the amazing stories from the days of Nam… and even more to hear the recounts of the older guys; Bataan, Philippines, Korea, WWII and to be able to welcome and thank the most recent attendees of Iraq, and Afghanistan. To see the pride in each man’s face and the love in their hearts as they met with their brother. And although it was too short a time, I think that any longer than three days would have been too much for anyone to bear… a constant emotional roller coaster ride of memories both old and new.
The love and respect from Captains Corson and Nicolini (and their beautiful wives) for their guys… the absolute pride of Top as he continued to lovingly bark to the guys he watched over. The pomp and circumstance of the Memorial Service and banquet; complete with the Fort Drum color guard, the amazing story of the Shanghai bowl and the history of the punch; each ingredient significant to a campaign. Col Jerry Carlson’s, Gen Sam Wetzel’s, Chaplain Bill Burn’s moving words and who could forget the amazing closing prayer offered by Charlie Tapp. The Alpha guys commanding the dance floor to their theme “We've Got to Get Out of This Place” and the heartfelt emotion as everyone gathered hand in hand on the dance floor to the amazing song by Lee Greenwood “God Bless the USA”.
A weekend I will never forget… to see and feel the love; the compassion, the passion, the brotherhood… and to experience the healing of so many hearts, minds and souls. My beloved brother, Mik, was alive this weekend… I could feel him, sense his presence and I knew at long last through those dark days in Nam… he was surrounded by family, a family that was comprised of all the goodness and greatness that could exist. I told my parents on my return that although one may think the old adage is true that “blood is thicker than water” does not understand that brotherhood of the Vets far surpasses blood being thicker than water… the bonds that were formed so many years ago, in a time of uncertainty, are the strongest one could ever imagine.
I am honored to have been in the presence of such great men and their wives; it indeed was a privilege to be amongst you… and there are not enough words to express the love, gratitude and respect in my heart for each and every one of you. I thank each and every one of you… for your service, for your love and for the memories you created for me this past weekend… you will always be in my heart, in my prayers and I will cherish the moments for my lifetime.
The music selection "He Ain't Heavy", is provided for your listening pleasure, if you would like a copy, please purchase the audio media.
