All recognizable at the 60th, including widows, they look thusly now.

Dick Allen w/Karin

Ted Atkeson The Diplomat

Lou Bretzke The Bomber

Betsy DeRamus w/Barnett nd

John Lewis w/Frances

Update on Dick On graduation Dick went in the Armor Corps. After the normal Basic Officers Course he went in the 100th Heavy Tank Battalion until 1952. He then was assigned to the 245th Tank Battalion of the 45th Division in Korea where he served until 1953. He was decorated with the Bronze Star Medal and two Purple Hearts during this tour of duty. On return to stateside Dick was assigned as Company Commander in a Tank Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas. He resigned his regular commission in 1954 although he retained his reserve status. In 1963, Dick earned an MBA degree from the University of Chicago and became Director of Manufacturing with the Hydrill Company. He also served in the United States Army Reserve with the rank of Major.

Update on Ted Ted's last Army assignment was as National Intelligence Officer for General Purpose Forces, United States Army Element, Office of the Director, Central Intelligence for the Intelligence Community, Washington, D. C. Ted retired as a Major General in 1984, but he continues to serve as a consultant. As recently as November 19, 1996 the Los Angeles Times quoted Ted, regarding the Nicholson court case, as saying, "What they (Russians) are after is sources and methods of our intelligence activities. They really want to know how we are pursuing them. The old hands from the KGB and the GRU, especially, still suffer from a degree of paranoia, that the United States is out to do them in. They really feel that they have to root out any weakness in their own system." Ted and his wife Sally made their home in Alexandria, Virginia.

The July 1991 Assembly noted, "Ted Atkeson's article in Army magazine, `Iraq's Arsenal: Tool of Ambition,' was very well received by numerous classmates.

On 12-13-10 Ted writes, "Good job on the class. I would add two points: My first wife, Sally, died in March 2006. She and I appear in the last picture of the class reunion. She and I are at the right end of the 6th (last) row. I would also mention that on 7 April, 2000, I received a PhD at the University of Luton, UK, for my book (one of six) "The Final Argument of Kings," with a subtitle, "Reflections on the Art of War". I have since married the former Eve McClure, an Army brat whom I had frequently dated when I was a cadet." (Ted and Eve will be at the 60th)

Ted's lecture on "THE NEW LEGIONS AMERICAN STRATEGY AND THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POWER" Good evening, everybody – (fellow denizens of THE FAIRFAX, and assumed concerned citizens for our foreign policies) – I will not be talking this evening just about the Middle East, where we have been so closely focused, ever since the Nine- Eleven catastrophe. I will touch on that, but instead, we will be looking ahead to the next few decades with rather greater hopes for the evolution of some sort of broader international stability than we have had in recent memory. And I don't mean just in one place or another, but in the whole world. The new book is entitled “The New Legions”, and, as usual with me, is about politico- military affairs. That has been my trade for the last 30 years, ever since a fascinating three year assignment as a military attache to Helsinki and subsequent assignment to a little excitement to Vietnam. That has been followed by postings to the Pentagon, and the Department of State in Washington, to both Syracuse and Harvard Universities, to the Army War College faculty, and to the CIA. That has been followed in retirement from the Army with no less stimulating assignments by think-tank details to the Middle East, which have permitted me to develop a little insight and some opinions about what goes on over there. But not especially just about the Middle East, where we have been so closely focused, ever since the Nine-Eleven catastrophe (now going on toward 11 years ago). I will touch on that, but I basically, I think we should be looking ahead into the next few decades with rather greater hopes for the evolution of some sort of broader international stability. And maybe you will see why I, personally, preferred the first title, “American Strategy and the Responsibility of Power.” But publishers make their choices for titles which they believe - 2 - will sell books, so “The New Legions” is it for today. That, I think, touches on our real problem. Rather clearly, we have become the masters of responsibility on the globe today. We have grown from being a distant colony of a great 19th century naval power, centered in London, to the highest position of international political- military seniority. Paris, Berlin, Moscow and Peking may have all had their crack at the headlines. But now, even with a few hick-ups in Korea and Vietnam, Washington stands first among the many. In recent years our commitments to the Middle East have been so dominant that we have lost a bit of our capability for meeting problems in other regions, of no less importance. Besides the Far East, we had a problem in Southeast Europe (the old Yugoslavia), where we had a real fracas going on in the mid-1900s. But, for the most part, we came out of World War II and that little one with a degree of respect by friend and foe alike. I had a fascinating opportunity in 1996 to visit an armored troop center in Bosnia where we had U.S., Soviet, Turkish, Polish and Nordic troops concentrated, side-by-side. Now, I think, we have to understand what the potential problems are, where they are, and why they should be of concern to us. We have been at war in Iraq and Afghanistan for the last decade. It began with the terrible crashing of airplanes into New York city sky-scrapers and into the Pentagon – what we came to call “Nine-Eleven.” Certainly, abundant enough provocation! We were not quite sure who was behind the crimes, but chose to declare war on “Terrorism” and anybody who seemed likely to have had anything to do with it. We didn't like the leader of Iraq, so he had to be our first target. We used “shock and awe” - 3 - tactics to announce our arrival and to undermine his base. Some people thought he might have nuclear weapons, so we had to explore large areas of the country. There were no nukes, but we were more interested in the destruction of his regime than we were of other aspects of the case. You may have read in the New York Times, earlier this month, of the CIA analyst who had a break down months after the war began. He had participated in the post - invasion hunt there, after the war began, that found the weapons did not exist. He felt enormous guilt that he had gotten us into a war. And it was a little awkward when the Directors of Central Intelligence, Defense Intelligence, and the Secretary of State all told us that Saddam Hussein had already been de-fanged by his defeat in Kuwait ten years earlier, But we thought he was a “bad guy” politically, so he had to go. We had stirred up the Iraqi populace and the remaining government to hang him. It cost us $95 billion and a bit of blood, but allowed us to sail the US Aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln home with the ridiculous banner at its masthead, “MISSION ACCOMPLISHED”. Today the war goes on in different forms, even as we meet here. It is not quite clear where we stand in Iraq today. We officially pulled out last December 18th, but we have little good news to run on. That same month terrorists killed 91 university lecturers, political leaders and other innocent people in the streets of Baghdad, Kirkuk and Baquba, east of the Tigris River. A total of 91 people were murdered in just three days. Last June had been the deadliest month for U.S. Troops in more than two years. It seems good to have most of our troops out of there considering the way things have been going - 4 - The book points out that there we had a significant number of officers in both the Army and the Navy who deplored the whole business from the beginning. Prominent in the “Revolt of the Generals” were Major Generals Charles Swannack and John Batiste who had commanded two top flight units in the 2003 offensive: the 82nd Airborne and the 1st Infantry Divisions. They joined others in retirement, sacrificing their careers to vent their disdain, most especially for the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, whom they said was “not a competent leader”. They said he “dismissed honest dissent” and “did not tell the American people the truth for fear of losing support for the war.” Perhaps the officer with greatest impact was Lieutenant General William Odom, former Director of the National Security Agency. He told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the so-called “surge” of troops in Iraq was nothing more than a tactic which did not merit a change of mind regarding the ultimate outcome of the war. He argued that “the surge” was prolonging instability, not creating the conditions for unity, as President Bush (the younger) had claimed. As it was, some Iraqi leaders appeared friendly, but many elements in the countryside hated their local governments and began to launch attacks on their leaders. If one group was Shiia, the next group was Sunni, or some other faction, and our intervention in Iraq seemed to give license to all kinds of other issues. The war spread on into Afghanistan, and now we are talking about perhaps wrapping it all up in another two or three years. We still have 80,000 troops working the regional problem. With that kind of a set–up, one might have to look back to the Indian Wars of the seventeenth and - 5 - eighteenth centuries here in North America, to find such extended opposition. The Soviet Union threat lasted for a number of years, but our relationship never came to blows. We may officially be out of Iraq today, but we don't yet see a regional settlement there. Now we have to worry about Iran getting nuclear weapons. One may conclude that we really don't yet have a sensible strategy. We are just plugging the gaps as they come up. The point may be clear enough, but we ought to be aware of another matter, best expressed in a book by Dr. Thomas Barnett, of the US Naval War College, about eight years ago. It was entitled, “The Pentagon's New Map”. In his work Barnett identified the regions of the world that he saw as effectively excluded from the global “Functioning Core” of modern civilization – what we tend to think of as the more mature, sensible, regions of the world: North America, Europe, the sophisticated Orient, and the stable areas in South America and Australia. This leaves what he calls “The Non-Integrating Gap”, the regions most given to serious political problems. [You should be able to find those places on the map hand – out.] Currently we see that clearly in the Middle East, but certainly it is not limited to that. Non- integration is to be found in various degrees in our own hemisphere, infecting the western and northwest coast of South America, much of Central America, including most of the islands. Then the infection appears to swing eastward over to the “dark continent” - Africa - where it illuminates some bone-chilling practices and events, such as the wars between the Tutsis and the Hutus, but almost all over the continent, with the notable exception of South Africa. From there it flows up to Southeast Europe with its terrible record of recent crimes between - 6 - the Slavs and the Croats in the former Yugoslavia and among other peoples who have found themselves trapped in the midst of such things. Then, of course, we have the Middle East, so much in our face today, and Southeast Asia, beginning with Burma – or Myanmar, as some know it. Myanmar has had a wretched record of mismanagement and blood shedding by a military government in the last decade. (But here we have just received some astonishing good news. I am sure many of you have been as surprised and pleased as I have been with developments in Burma. The valiant lady, Nobel Peace Prize winner, Aung San Suuki, isolated for years, has led her party to victory over a medieval military dictatorship. I am sorry that these developments post-date the publication of my book, but that is life. In no way does that weaken the suitability of a “New l Legion” for the country. On the contrary, I would argue that it may greatly simplify the case, and facilitate the emergence of a vigorous military establishment with US assistance and support. That will certainly bear watching. From there Dr. Barnett stretches his “Non-Integration” cloak across Thailand, the Southeast Asian peninsula, and many of the islands, as far as Indonesia, New Guinea, and the southern territories of the Philippines, as you may seen on your copy of his map. Earlier last month the Washington Post featured a map of the Indian Ocean, together with the territories to the east, virtually the same as that which you hold now. History and geography figure prominently here. One of Barnett's main points is that we had better get to know more about these places if, as seems likely, we may be called upon to fulfill the responsibilities of our own interests as the senior democratic power of the globe. - 7 - We don't want to leave that to the Joseph Stalins, or the Adolph Hitlers of the world. Or the Fidel Castros, for that matter. These are situations calling for the building of indigenous units to serve the needs of their own peoples in a responsible way, under the guidance of the most powerful country in the world. If that doesn't get your attention, you might want to go look up a notable article on the front page of The Washington Post late last month reporting that we were developing plans for deployment of new forces to Australia, Singapore and the Philippines. Now, if that is not an attention-getter, I don't know what is. The potential problem, of course, as the Post points out, is that the Chinese and some other states get antsy about sizable US forces being deployed into their great regions of interest. The New Legion avoids that - it focuses on the formation and training of forces primarily for domestic benefit and stabilization of the land to which they belong. And it does it primarily with defensively trained forces under U.S. control. That could even play into a form of reassurance to the countries' neighbors - that they are not likely to strike out on their own. A prominent feature of U.S.- controlled foreign units would be that they would better organized, trained and equipped primarily for the security of the host nation – not for offensive operations. I won't bother you with the details of these areas, except to say that the reader gets a rather fulsome exposure of the launching pad for the principal arguments of the book. The next most important point is the world's experience throughout history with legions composed of troops recruited largely in the areas most closely involved in local or regional wars. These include, of course, the Romans all over central Europe, from Great Britain - 8 - in the west, to the Holy Land in the east. Then, in more modern times, the British Gurkhas with their fearsome Kukri, curved bladed swords (now, to this day, incidentally, the only foreign troops fully accredited for the protection of the person of the British Queen). The Brigade of Gurkhas today runs about 3,600 troops in two battalions, plus engineers and demonstration companies at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst and the Infantry Battle School in Wales at Brecon. There are also the Foreign Legions of France, and of Spain, and the less well remembered American Legion that fought against the fascists in Spain before World War II. Today we still have the traditional employment of Swiss troops to guard the Vatican, and especially the Pope. These troops receive their basic training at home, in Switzerland, and are then posted on volunteer status to Rome where they continue their advanced training for their specialized service in the city, and wherever they may be needed. An interesting point about the French Legion is that we keep one French Legionnaire, a lieutenant colonel, stationed at our Infantry School at Ft. Benning on the instructional staff. The concept of the legion has some interesting aspects that merit study. I had the benefit of an extended conversation with the Legionnaire for the better part of a day here in Washington. Some of the bad guys who need watching today, Dr. Barnett points out, are like Hugo Chavez, in Venezuela, who has his own militia which he uses to seize private companies for his personal enrichment, and who cozied up to the Soviet Union to protect himself from what he called the “terrorist empire” based in Washington D.C.. He purchased more than $4 billion worth of arms before the Soviets went out of business. In Peru they killed off 70,000 dispatched troops down there to knock the commies out. These areas don't get a lot of - 9 - attention these days since we are so wrapped up in the Middle East. In Nicaragua, General Anastasio Garcia installed a dictatorship which would last until 1998 when it was overthrown by communists. In 2002 they brought charges against an apparently honest president and threw him in jail for 20 years. He may still be there. Other problems persist in Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Columbia and Venezuela, and on up the isthmus to Honduras. Not all the governments are grossly corrupt, but there are enough loose agents, ready to roust their presidents out of bed in the middle of the night, in order to “liberate” their peoples. In Honduras the military hit President Zelaya just as he was innocently replacing the democracy with a Venezuelan-style dictatorship. It is a wonderful place to bet on who may be interested in grasping the government next. Cuba, of course, is a special case. There is some basis for hope there that the passing of Fidel Castro could bring some competent managers to power who could gradually shed the communist trappings and let the country rejoin the rest of the world. The book devotes a a full chapter to Cuba to describe opportunities there which might allow the country to break out of its self-inflicted problems and mature into an idyllic seasonal retreat for North Americans and Europeans alike. They have some lovely beach hotels and boat docks just waiting for sun lovers to come down there. Chapter nine takes us over to Africa, The “dark continent”. Dr. Barnett argues that the only country there worth it's salt is South Africa. The early squabbles among European countries set the scene for problems that have carried on to the present day. And we didn't help the problem with our early lust for slaves. We took some nine million people out of the - 10 - jungles and brought them here. Another million died enroute. Ever since, it has been one war after another. The Europeans imposed boundaries that cut through some 190 different culture groups with 250 different languages. European officials sent to the Belgian Congo eventually identified six thousand chiefdoms down there. Even Cuba got into the game in the post- World War II period with 30,000 troops to Angola, to support a far left group there battling for control of the government. The United States got involved in a conflict in Somalia in the early 1990s with rangers and special air and naval forces, but the operation was a mess. Our defense secretary resigned after a disastrous “Blackhawk Down” episode, and President Reagan ordered our modest forces out. We had not just lost aircraft – but soldiers, and reputation as well. Our defense secretary quietly resigned. The problems went on, with fighting between Hutu and Tutsi tribesmen the following year, killing some 800,000 people. But that was not a lot for Africa. Fighting in the Congo killed off four million others. The Economist magazine referred to that as “the biggest single bloodletting since the Second World War.” (Presumably including the body counts at Nagasaki and Hiroshima.) I think we need to recognize Dr. Barnett's point that we have more potential problems today with the Non-Integrative regions, like Africa, than we may have realized the past. The book takes us into all of them - from our involved southern neighbors to the most distant reaches of the South-West Pacific. Now, let me wind up with just a few points about how the legions might be organized. - 11 - Obviously, they would be individually tailored to deal with the situation in each country, according to its needs, the dimensions of threat, and the sophistication of the protected society. While the development of the units and the U.S. control mechanisms would be an exclusive American responsibility, contracts might vary considerably between different threat areas and different homeland defenses. Vigorous public information programs would be necessary in most cases for both the local population and neighboring states. The objective would be broad acceptance by as many regional players as possible. Ladies and gentlemen, I recognize that I have given the topic a very broad brush, considering our traditions and the depth of our involvement in the Middle East. The problems, all together, are monumental. The implications of my critique are enormous. No family that has suffered the loss of a member in this struggle wants to hear that it may have been a terrible mistake. Let us say that the jury will be out for at least another decade. The best that we can probably do in that respect is to gather the facts for following generations. But we must also move on to the development of a new strategy for our nation which can maximize our strengths and skills and avoid further disappointment. We have the national assets. We must come to a better recognition of responsibilities that stem from our power. I will be happy to attempt to answer any questions you may have. Eve and I have lived with the makings of this book for the last five years. We hope that you will find it worthwhile for all of us. - End -

Update on Lou Lou retired in 1979 as a Colonel. He and his wife Mildred make their home in Mesa, Arizona.

On 3-06-10 Lou reports as follows: "Birthdays seem to be coming up faster each year. Not much has changed, a year older but not much wiser. Last week the Phoenix lunch group got a little larger as John Hemler moved to the west side of town and was able to join Arlie Sherman, Dick Wells, Harry Baird and myself for our weekley Tuesday get together. If you come by this way, give one of us a call and you are invited. On the health side Millie and I have the usual aches and pains but are still able to get around fairly well. We still have a motor home and spend the summers in Montana and the winters here in Arizona, where I still manage a few holes of golf. Our boys decided three years ago that one of them would accopmany us each way on the road and I have to admit it's nice to have the help. Made our reservations for the 60th but who knows what a year will bring. Grip Hands."

On Sat, 3/5/11, Lou Bretzke wrote: 'Can't believe the years are passing so fast. Millie & I are doing fairly well for a couple of old f--ts. AFTER ALL WHO DOESN'T HAVE quite a few aches and pains at our age. I had a stroke last June. It knocked me down but not out and in July the doctors cleaned out my crated artery and I have been improving ever since. Play a little golf once a week; will never make the senior circuit, but enjoy trying. I still meet with Arlie Sherman, Dick Wells and Harry Baird every Tuesday for lunch. We like to think were solving the world problems but I don't think we're doing a very good job Looking forward to the reunion, we're bringing our four sons and wives for the experience. Believe they'll enjoy it as much as (we) will. See you the last of April I hope." Lou Bretzke

Update from Betsy Here is George Meighen's report on Barnett DeRamus' funeral: "I cherish the many exchanges and visits I had with Betsy and Barnett leading up to Barnett's death on August 3, 2009. I was always uplifted by Barnett's positive attitude tempered with his delightful humor. "The 'Celebration of the Life' of Barnett DeRamus was held at Christ Episcopal Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama on August 7, 2009. "Classmates in attendance were John Lewis (Houston, TX), Bill Quinn (Montgomery, AL), John Ritchie (Chelsea, AL), George Meighen (Birmingham, AL), Marcie & Harry Lombard (Gadsden, AL) , BJ & Bill Crouch (Panama City, FL), and Jean & Don Sheridan (Braselton, AL). "All of us were quite moved by the simplicity and grace associated with the service. Succinctly, Processional Hymn, Reading of Psalm 121, Reading from The Gospel, The Apostle's Creed, The Lord's Prayer, Reading of the Cadet Prayer, Choir sang The Alma Mater, Benediction, and Barnett's Casket exited the Church through a Guard of Honor of present and former Service Members. No eulogies. No one to recall that Barnett had served close to seventeen years overseas during his nearly thirty years in the U.S. Army. No mention of the fact that Barnett was fluent in three foreign languages. No lauding Barnett for attaining a private pilot instrument rating at age 71. Etc. Etc. "Interment was at Riverside Cemetery in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." (Betsy will be at the 60th with 7 members of her family.)

Update on Red Red retired in 1979 with rank of Colonel. Among his decorations are; the Defense Superior Service Medal, four Legion of Merit awards, the Bronze Star Medal for valor, and the VNAF Distinguished Service Medal. On retirement, he took a position as Director, Project Development with the BDM Corporation in 1979. He was named Assistant to the Vice President in 1981 and remained as a Consultant from 1985 to 1990. John has been active in politics and served as Chairman, Bernalillo County Republican Party from 1985 to 1987. Red and his wife Marjorie made their home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Marjorie passed away and Red has moved closer to the children and Red has moved closer to his five grandchildren live in Phoenix, AZ.

On July 18, 2010 Red writes, "Hello to All--I imagine that many of you thought I had dropped off the map(and hoped!!). It has been a very busy year! Last summer, I visited Sister Mary and family in California--traveling by car with Brother Chuckand his wife, Carole, from Texas. Then, in September, Son, Russ, and I traveled to Washington, D.C. and then to West Point. Stayed with Teddy and Eve Atkeson(delightful), attended the monthly luncheon with old comrades, and visited with June Foster and Otto/Martha Doerflinger in their very nice retirement community apartments in Virginia. Then visited West Point for the main purpose of my trip,--to sprinkle some of Margie's ashes at Fort Putnam, where I asked her to marry me , April 25, 1948. Returning to Albuquerque, in October I visited Grandson, Michael, at The Ai Force Academy, where he just completed his second year. Also, made the hardest decision of my life--to leave our "casa encantada" and move to the Phoenix area to be with Kathie and Russ and their families, which we had resisted for over 30 years because of the heat and traffic!! Got the names of 5 retirement communities and visited them with Russ over Thanksgiving visit with family. Selected "The Forum", a 9.5-acre site on a man-made lake in Peoria, a suburb of Phoenix. It has separate complexes for independent living, assisted living, and hospice, and most inportantly, theyaccepted Sunny Boy, our 80 lb 8 year old collie!! From November until mid-February, life was H---,Packing(always Margie-28 moves), downsizing(always Margie--2800 sq. ft. homet0 an 1100 sq.ft 2 bedroom apartment) and renovating the house to sell. Think I will write a book "How to age 10 years ---Move".Any way, we are here, boxes unpacked( I said "unpacked--not placed)) Sunny and I walk at 5:30 a.m. and 9:p.m. every day when it is "cool". Hey--just got a phone call from Grandson Matt-- Great Granddaughter Lucille Catherine Mason was born approximately 1 1/2 hours ago!! Got to go! will continue tomorrow in another Email. Grip Hands! John Hemler" (Red will be at the 60th)

And on 7-19-10 Red says, "Back again--Lucille Catherine Mason, Our great granddaughter, born 5:30 p.m., July 17, 2010, 7 lbs, 14 ounces.. Lucy and Mother doing well--returning home today!! I live 10 minute drive from son, Russ, and family and 45 minutes (across town) from Kathie and from Matt and his now enlarged family(Jack is almost 3). From Ocotber-May, meet for luncheon every Tuesday with WP classmates Lou Bretske, Arlie Sherman, Dick Wells,. former classmate Harry Baird(B-1) and others. My sister, Mary Nettie passed away on July 7th after a long bout with Alszeimers --both a hurt and a blessing!! My Mother used to say " when one soul goes to heaven, another joins us on earth". How true. Despite the overwhelming heat(it "cools" to 85-95 degrees at night), Sunny and I are doing fine and looking forward to 60th WP reunion in April. New Address:13840 N. Desert Harbor Drive, Apt. 164, Peoria, Arizona, 85381- Come see us(in the winter, of course!!) Grip Hands!!" John

On 9-26-10 Russ Hemler (Red's son) wrote, "About 9:00 AM, on Wednesday morning, I called him and asked if he was OK. He said yes but that "something had happened to me last night after we hung up" and he had to tell me about it. I asked him what happened but he said that he didn't want to tell me on the phone that he HAD to tell me face to face. I said OK, I would come over after my appointment (I had a job interview at 9:30 AM) and he said OK. When I got done with my appointment it was about noon and I called Dad and told him I was heading over. I got there and after a few minutes of him asking about my job interview and me asking if he was sure he was OK he told me to sit down and told me this... DAD: "Tiger (his name for me since I was 6), I am so sorry for waking you up last night....but I swear I heard a buzzer and the phone ring." ME: "No problem at all Dad, I went right back to sleep after we talked...but what is it that you had to tell me face to face?" DAD: "Well, after we talked, I called the nurses station here at the Forum (the retirement community where he lived) to see if maybe they had called me. They said no and asked if I was OK or if they should send someone to my apartment. I said no need to do that I'm fine and so we hung up. I sat on the edge of the bed for a bit to try and make sense of it all. I figured that I must have just dreamt that the phone rang and that buzzer or alarm or whatever was going off, so I reached over and turned off the light and laid back down on the bed. I think that I was just about to go back to sleep when I heard a voice say something to me." ME: "A voice? Out loud? What did it say?" DAD: "Well it kind of scared me...well not really scared me but I just wasn't expecting it at all...so it was kind of scary but soothing and wonderful all at the same time...and I didn't hear it with my ears...it was a voice inside my head, and I don't know how to say this, but even though it was inside my head it was as crystal clear as a voice that you would hear with your ears...as clear as your voice is to me right now!" ME: "Wow...what did it say?" DAD: "Word for word..."COME ON UP, THE WATER'S WARM!" At that we both smiled and teared up a bit at the same time...For those of you who don't know...my Mom, whom he was married to for 56 years and knew for almost 60 (and who passed away 3 & 1/2 years ago) was the swimmer in the family and just loved the water. Neither me or my Dad had any question at all about who's voice it was inviting him to where he has wanted to be since she left us. I know this story is long...but I also knew in my heart that I was REQUIRED to share it. I will pass along details of services after we meet with Heritage on Monday morning. May we all, one day, get to enjoy the warm water with John & Margie! Blessings, Russ (Dad's Tiger)

Update on John John and his wife Fran make their home in Houston, Texas. They had three children and they now have six grandchildren. Their eldest son John retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel and now works for Westar in Huntsville, Alabama. Their daughter Arba lives in Palm Bay, Florida where her husband works for GE-Harris; and their youngest son Bruce is Regional Sales Manager for Simpson Strong Tire based in San Leandro. The May 1991 Assembly noted, "In 1990 John and Fran Lewis each took turns in the hospital; John for rotator cuff surgery in August which put his hunting and golf on hold for at least 6 months; and earlier in the year Fran had a benign growth removed from her vocal cords. The Lewises are looking forward to a possible visit to Germany and oldest son (Major, USA) and family in Heidelberg."


On 11-10-12 John writes, "Classmates; Since November 10th is my birthday, this is "My Day". Fran and I continue to be blessed with reasonably good health and a wonderful family. In addition to our three children and their spouses, we now have eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren. We still live in Jersey Village, TX (here since 1973) and we will welcome visits by any classmates coming through the Houston area. I still play golf twice a week and Fran enjoys several bridge groups. Our Sunday School group is very active, so we enjoy plenty of social activities. The Japanese-pow Listserv which Dian Welle "ordered" me to start back in 2001 is going strong and now has over 300 members that share information about POWs of the Japanese. Dian also got me started with a web site dedicated to helping descendants of POWs of the Japanese. Recently, I expanded that to include Guerrillas that operated in the Philippines to support resistance to the Japanese and feed information back to MacArthur's headquarters in Australia. In case any of you are not aware of it, Dian missed her calling. She should have been a "Drill Sergeant". If she rebuts this comment, do not believe her - I know whereof I speak! Best regards to all, " John B. Lewis

George Ritter

Ernie Rose

Howie Snyder

Stormy Wiles

Update on George George retired in 1993 but still puts in a few hours each week performing consulting work for Performance Development Corporation and East Tennessee Materials and Energy Corporation. Participates in Oak Ridge and Roane County civic activities. Was a member of East Tennessee Economic Council Board of Directors. Works on the IRS Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program. Secretary of Gene Research Access Corporation (GENRAC), a 501(c)(3) corporation assisting Oak Ridge National Laboratory Biology Division in establishing a public/private partnership. Membership Director of the Oak Ridge Amateur Radio Club. George lives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. He has survived two by-pass operations but nevertheless plays a lot of golf and still makes a couple of western US backpacking trips each year. His three children and seven grand children are scattered around Tennessee and Alabama. (George and guest will be at the 60th)


On October 14, 2012 George reports, "Hi Classmates, My birthday this year (last Wednesday) included an interesting chain of events that ended with me getting a new pacemaker implanted Friday, this time with a defibrillator. We have a group of golfers here in Oak Ridge that tees off each Wednesday around noon. Normally between ten and sixteen of us meet, throw golf balls in the air and then arrange teams according to the balls’ proximity when they fall. Each team bets each other team at $1.00 per hole, max loss of $5.00 plus $1.00 per birdie. When a team has only three players, we draw a fourth member after the round. If your team has a really bad day you could lose, maybe $20.00. Such bets are higher than I normally go for, but this group includes several Doctors, who have trouble getting excited about dimes and quarters. I was in the first team, a threesome. I hit a great (for me) drive and drove down the cart path to my ball and waited for my partners who were walking. (Several years ago I had to give up walking because I lack the necessary stamina.) After we hit our second shots I got into the cart and suddenly the world was spinning. I managed to drive to the green but then angina pain started. I fumbled out my key chain and stuck a nitro pill under my tongue; then got out and lay on the grass. While I lay there it occurred to me that shuffling off the mortal coil on my birthday was a really dumb idea. A Gynecologist in the foursome behind us ran up to me, checked my pulse and raised my knees, then started hollering for someone to call 911. When a couple more guys arrived he said, “Guys, he’s breathing so we don’t need to do CPR, thank goodness.” Someone else said “Thank God, I sure wouldn’t want to do that!” By that time the angina had stopped so I laughed along with them. Shortly the Pro arrived with a defibrillator but the Doc said, “We don’t need that, we need aspirin.” Well, no one had any aspirin, so they loaded me in a cart with my feet propped up on the windshield and took me back to the parking lot to wait for the ambulance. At the parking lot there was no grass nearby so I just sat on the pavement. One of the guys said, "George it seems like you should be lying down when the ambulance gets here." So I lay down. It happens that the Oak Ridge firemen take pride in their first responder status and are usually the first on the scene. So the next thing I see is a fireman in full fire-fighting regalia bearing down on me. (He was dragging no hose, however.) Since first aid wasn’t needed the firemen just waited around until the ambulance showed up. The firemen didn’t have any aspirin either. When the ambulance arrived and the EMTs were handling me, one of the other golfers, a pharmacist, said, “Folks, if he were unconscious we should probably stick around here but, since he is conscious we need to go and tee off.” That they did. This pharmacist has a great sense of humor. A prescription from him might say something like “Take 3 times daily and don’t hit the ball in the woods.” The one he dispensed on Saturday says “Take 4 times daily for 5 days. Go Navy beat Army.” At the hospital, because of the angina and my previous history they first did an angiogram. This showed no blockage requiring a stent or bypass, and the blood tests showed no heart damage. So then the evidence suggested my episode had been caused by low blood pressure. I take a small multitude of medications because of my heart history and those pills cause low blood pressure. Because that will need to continue it appeared that, to avoid future such events I would need to wear full length compression stockings. The Doc explained that those are easily kept in place because they come in one piece with briefs attached. So, for the next 12 to 24 hours I was trying to get used to that idea. They would certainly be nice and warm in winter but pretty hot in the summer. But, modern medicine is pretty impressive, especially as practiced by my Oak Ridge Docs. The cardiologist requested a readout from my pacemaker so they brought in a pacemaker technician. He linked a machine to my pacemaker, and then printed out a graph of my heartbeat for the past 24 hours or so. He asked me what time my episode had occurred the day before and when I told him he said, “Your heart was certainly racing at that time. We’ll see what the Doctor says.” Well, the Doc said it was ventricular tachycardia and I needed a defibrillator pacemaker. They installed one of those on Friday evening and sent me home Saturday noon. Now, the bad news is no golf for six weeks. 8-)But the good news is (1) There had been no heart attack or heart damage, (2) I escaped from the pantyhose brigade and (3) I’m still above ground! 8-) And my golfing buddies are glad because, with me gone, someone else would have to be the oldest guy in the group. My primary care Doc normally plays in the group but was absent this time. Unfortunate, because he could have saved me from the embarrassment of having been aided by a Gynecologist. I may never live that down. 8-) Best regards to all, Go Army beat Navy!" George Ritter

Update on Ernie In 1969 Ernie was assigned to the 8th Tactical Bomber Squadron, Republic of Vietnam. On completion of this tour Ernie was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for distinguished heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight, the Meritorious Service Medal for conspicuously meritorious performance of duty in a non-combat situation, 9 Air Medals, and 4 Commendations Medals. Ernie's last military duty was to the Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters, United States Air Force where he served from 1970 to 1974. Ernie retired from the Air Force in 1974 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Ernie and his wife Pat make their home in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Update on Howie On 10-24-2004 Howard reported as follows: After my second retirement Gloria and I moved to Collegeville, PA to be close to my mother and my family. All of my family live in Pennsylvania except one daughter who works in the Pentagon. We enjoy seeing our grandchildren each week and they certainly provides an added blessed dimension to our life. Gloria and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary this past January and our children gave us a wonderful banquet celebration which we will never forget. We had a snow storm during the banquet just like we had when we were married 50 years ago. However, both events went on without a problem. We still enjoy traveling and look forward to our next trip. Beginning of this month we traveled to Spearfish, SD to visit a friend who I worked with these past twelve years and had retired this past summer. We virtually lived in his pickup truck for five days as he drove us through the Black Hills, Nebraska and Wyoming. He is into geology, medal detecting and gold mining. It was a different, but very interesting trip. Next spring we plan to travel to Sacramento, California and visit relatives. My main interest (after my family) is teaching which I had enjoyed throughout my years in the Army. For the last twelve years I have been teaching inmates at the state maximum security prison at Graterford which is three miles from Collegeville. I teach basically mathematics and sometimes other subjects to prepare them for their general equivalency development (GED) exams. Graterford has 3675 inmates with 46 waiting execution, 788 serving life sentences. The average sentence length is 201.24 years. Most of my students have good intelligence and are generally easy to teach. The down side is their moral compass points more south than north. After talking with many of them I have concluded their main problem is they have been raised on the street by gangs and their families were virtually non existence. They have learned the wrong instead of the right and to do the easier wrong. Where are the strong, positive, male, role models? Not on the streets or TV sitcoms. What really concerns me is the failure of our families to imbue the moral attributes needed to succeed in life. I do not have the silver bullet for this problem, but I do not hear our leaders addressing this problem. Most days that I go to teach I will see a new bus load of prisoners arriving at Graterford and the problem continues. I will now get off my soap box and tell you how much I had enjoyed hearing what you all are doing with your retirement years. See you at our 55th. Howie

Update on Stormy Stormy became the Contract Officer for Allied Forces Baltic Approaches and served in that capacity until 1965. Then he was assigned to the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, Livermore, California as a Research Associate and served until 1967. Stormy then returned to a flying assignment with Tactical Air Command Squadron in Okinawa where he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, and 5 Air Medals. On return to stateside Stormy was assigned to the Division of Military Application with the Atomic Energy Commission at Germantown, Maryland where he served with the writer in the early 1970s until 1973 until he retired from the United States Air Force after more than twenty two years of distinguished military service in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. On retirement Stormy returned to Lexington, Kentucky and took up farming, he also served as a Director of the Federal Savings and Loan Bank of Lexington for several years.

On Fri, 5/14/10, howard wiles wrote: No excuse sir, I was detained. I have been detained a lot during the years, and I find it comes in useful at times. Actually, I enjoyed my birthday so much I forgot all about reporting. Fortunately, the doctors are holding me together with duct tape and bailing wire , I have no complaints at all, and I appreciate every moment. I very seldom see any classmates as I live in the boondocks on a farm in KY. Farming is an expensive hobby nowadays but I have a great farm manager, on this 600 acres, who has been with me for 17 years. We are partners in a cow/calf operation. Last week he told me one of our cows had twins. I said "Great". He said "But yours died". PETA had a big meeting to deal with our coyote problem. They proposed castrating the coyotes. My farm manager stood up and said " They aren't screwing our calves--they're killing them." I did have some great talks with roommates Ernie Rose and George Ritter the other day. I belong to the local chapter of the WPPA (West Point Protective Association) and enjoy the guys from other classes. I just got back from a fishing trip with my girl friend and am going on another to the Everglades for snook and tarpon in two weeks. Since I retired as a director of the bank, I am totally unproductive and I'm having a ball. I do still fly with friends who have airplanes. Did I tell you I flew a Russian Antonov in Venezuela on a fishing trip?. The airspeed indicator was in kilometers per hour and I couldn't tell how fast I was going. I took my girl friend Joanne (She's blonde) to Disney World. When we were in Orlando, she saw a sign saying "Disney World Left" and she burst out crying. Naw, she really didn't, but she is Polish and Catholic, which gives me lots of material. I go to church with her. I am always out of phase, they are up and I am down, they are down and I'm still up, they are kneeling, etc. (Remember: "Mr Carrabetta, you are bouncing"? Well, it is something like that). It was hot and I took out my handkerchief, wiped my brow and spread it on my lap. Joanne leaned over and said " Is your fly open ?" I said " No, should it be?" Enough frivolity. I am reminded every day, how fortunate I was to be included in the Long Grey Line. It is an honor to be associated with you all. Grip hands, my band of brothers. Howard Wiles