Fourth Quarterly 2014
Longtrip E-Newsletter
Published: 11 December 2014
HONOR ROLL: (Empty)
FOUND LONG TRIPPERS: (14 November)
Cortland Richmond checked in with this statement, with a promise to provide more information for his roster line. In the meantime, Cortland is a Senior EMC Engineer at Belcan and can be contacted on LinkedIn:
From the 325th Avionics detachment (later Avionics platoon)
Cortland Richmond
SFC, USA,Retired (21 year veteran)
PS: If you know who got my slides and pictures when I went on emergency leave in 1970, ask them to at least POST 'em.
Ronnie McElroy recently joined up with our MailChimp email system and later sent his roster information as well as this photo of one of his less active days with CAC. Welcome aboard, Ronnie!
Don, I was stationed there from November 1970 until November 1971 as crew chief/mechanic with CAC. I flew mostly with CPT Horton and CWO Brigante. My ranking NCO was MSGT Carr. The First Sergeant was [Andrew L.] Hale. My MOS was 67A20 (Grumman Mohawk, I think), but never had any training on the Mohawk or the U21, I guess because I already had an A&P and Pilot license. Most people called me Mac and it stuck.
Fairley Bowens, who served in 1969 and 1970, signed up for MailChimp email service and is now on the roster. Below is a photo sent in by Fairley for the web site:
William Thomas, nicknamed Bear or Eskimo, joined our MailChimp email delivery service and sent in the note seen below:
I was with James Brummitt, Harry Kilgore, Terrance Kowaliski, Geary Rasey, John Scharf, Norman B. Taylor, Ron Walters, Davis Potter and Rodney Richie. Do you any addresses for them? Been looking for some of these guys forever. What is SO 90? [210th CAB Order dated 15 April 1968, which listed numerous USARV Flt Det personnel].
I went over with the 58th Aviation from Fort Campbell and reassigned when we got in country.
William Thomas
DEAR EDITOR: (15 October)
I came across this photo buried deep in my files. I thought maybe you might want it for your archives, or for the Longtrip web site—or something related:
Ed Miler
PS. Did you know that our aircraft identification call sign back in the early days was Love Apple? Honest.
LONGTRIP WEB SITE MAINTENANCE:
Articles for quarterly publication are welcomed until January 2015. At that time I will publish a yearly newsletter of noteworthy content for unit members. Small individual contributions for site maintenance can be sent to the editor at:
Donald M. Ricks
3709 Sabine Court SW
Decatur, AL 35603
Remember: If you want to receive emails and announcements from the editor, you must sign up for the Longtrip MailChimp email list (link is on the lower side bar, under ADMIN).
PHOTOS AND REPORT FROM LONG THANH NORTH REUNION, 18–21 SEPTEMBER 2014: (24 October)
Well troops, Reunion 2014 is over. It was an incredible weekend, and Lee Ayers and his family did a fantastic job. The cake pictured above was amazing as well; Lee’s daughter Alicia did it. Though not everyone is 210th, of course, her Dad was—so that was how she made it for Saturday night's dinner, with steak dinner catered in. Sam Langhoff did his usual great job with the missing man table. We had the conference center to ourselves the whole weekend and that was a terrific place to get together.
We ate well—some of the best seafood ever—some took Dolphin cruises—some took advantage of the beach—some went to see the aircraft carrier, Lexington, anchored in Corpus Christi Harbor. That was an amazing experience for a bunch of Army guys being on an historic ship like that. That baby is huge, though I know it’s nowhere near the size of modern carriers.
ANYONE HAVING PICTURES TO SHARE, SEND THEM TO ME AND I WILL FORWARD.
At any given time, I believe we had a total of 52 in attendance, though not always together. Not as big as some reunions but bigger than some as well. Four made it for the first time this year: Chris Guppy, Ed Jackson, Brooks Legree and for a bit, Barry Sparks. It was good to spent time with them and hope to see them in Tucson next year.
We made a group decision to continue annual reunions as we are not getting any younger, but we also decided to plot out the next TWO reunions. Next year, we will be in Tucson—with Ron Richardson walking point. The following year will be Kansas City, with Mike Meyers running the show. I will continue to be the information conduit.
Once again thanks to Lee Ayers! Everything worked just perfectly.
Terry ‘Pro’ Edmunds
P.S. I have a couple of group pictures that Lee sent me; one of the guys at dinner Saturday night and one of the ladies, but I could not get them to copy so will send out in a separate email.
P.S.S. Lee has a few hats left over so feel free to contact him (yes we know 8 or so are already ordered by some who could not attend).
Ladies at the LTN Reunion:
Back row, L–R: Alicia Brooks, Barbara Myers, Connie Langhofer, Emilee Ayers, Le Six (LTN), Thuy Cooper (LTN), Nhut Nguyen (guest), Thoai Spier (guest), Barbara LaGree (CAC), Marcia Crask (CAC).
Front row: L–R: Donnie Ayers, Margaret Golden, Claude Newton, Sadie Richardson, Paula Hardiman (CAC) Thanh Paul (LTN), NI.
NI=Not Identified)
LONG THANH NORTH—CAC REUNION, 2015, TUCSON, ARIZONA:
Ron Richardson, 2015 Reunion Coordinator, sent this initial information for us to share with anyone who might consider being at the 2015 reunion:
Dates of planned reunion: Thursday, 24 September thru Saturday, 26 September 2015. Sunday will be our departure day.
Gents (and Ladies):
We have booked our hotel for the 2015 Reunion. If you’re wondering why we did it so soon, it’s because, in Tucson, where the sun shines 360 days a year, and the temps are almost always above 70, it’s necessary to book far in advance if you want to guarantee space. Plus, the weekend of the reunion is also the UCLA vs. Arizona weekend. The weekend after that is Family Weekend for incoming University of Arizona freshman. Needless to say, in both weekends, the hotel rooms and dining locations fill up fast.
So here’s the scoop:
La Quinta Inn & Suites Tucson - Reid Park
In May, 2014, this hotel was purchased, totally gutted, and redone from top to bottom. It’s very pretty, the rooms are comfortably large, with refrigerator and microwave, complimentary high speed internet access in guest rooms and public areas, and is pet–friendly. They also provide a free hot breakfast buffet from 6:00 to 9:00 AM. There is a bar, with a separate gathering area for our group, if we choose to have that area reserved. Otherwise, you can sit at the tables near the bar or take them into the conference room, which we will have for all days of the reunion. We have blocked 40 rooms (25 king and 15 double queen). Any rooms not booked by the cutoff date below will be released for the hotel to sell to the public, at a much higher rate, of course.
The management has requested that reservations be made by calling the hotel directly at 520–795–0330 to ensure proper booking. When calling to register, ask for the 210th Combat Aviation Battalion Group Block.
The cutoff date for reservations is 24 August 2015. After that date, if any rooms are available, as stated above, they will be sold at the regular rate or higher because of the game that weekend.
Now the big news: the total nightly rate including taxes (at the time of booking) is $92.76. This rate will be available for three days (pre and post) for early arrivals and later departures. The rate will change only if the tax rate change.
Hopefully, this is all the info you need to make a decision on attending. If you have any questions, please email me atclick here for Coordinator’s email address
SOLDIER’S PLEDGE [YOUTUBE Video]:
One of our 97th Engineer members, Lee Burdette, a great American in his own right, sent a YouTube video, which I had never before seen. In my humble opinion this is a remarkably classic, inspirational and gifted two–part answer to what American is and what American’s are all about.
To be honest here, I personally admire Ronald Reagan and his demonstrated values as an American. When he spoke of the “sloping hills of Arlington National Cemetery,” my heart was in my throat, as I know many of those precious Americans buried there. I also admired the exceptional performance of duty by the Marine Honor Guard. Thank God for them, our honored deceased veterans and for exceptional leaders like President Reagan:
