Xmas leave doesn't start for me until I finish this column, but then I will be bound for Los Angeles. By the time you read this, however, I will be in Puerto Rico on spring leave. The peripatetic columnist lives!

Seems as if there is no way I can organize the news this time. So l am going to adopt the expedient used by my students in such a case-just jump in. Here goes.

Bob Harter was asgd to Ft Wainwright last summer, as CO of "Battlin' Bravo," 6/9 Inf . Bill Tredennich is working in Bn HQ of 2/6 Arty in Ger. Skip O'Donnell reports that he is leaving Ger along with many other FA CPTs. Despite expectations, Skip is bound for 2d Inf Div (Korea), and will be settling his family near WP. Last Oct Marilyn delivered their 3d child, Maureen Anne. According to Skip, Lance Hewitt is now CO of Bravo, l/51st Inf, lst AD. Also overseas is Joe Kosciusko. Joe was a TAC at Colo Sprgs for 2 yrs. He is now flying out of Udorn; Ann and the 3 kids are in MA for the year. Also in Asia is Jack Concannon. He is LnO for the 502d MI Bn, Seoul, Korea. Jack invites anyone passing through to drop in.

Our other Concannon, Mike, just fiished the Air U. 's Sqdn O School. Mike and Suzanne are at Richards-Gebaur AFB, MO, where he is Wing legal Officer.

Finally, news from the Navy! Bill Brush writes from Gulfport, MS, where he works with the Seabees. Bill says he now has enough time for family life-the evidence: Damon Garett. A welcomed tour after 2 yrs sea duty on a fleet oiler. Bill says he saw Tim Vogel in Key West in Oct. Tim was just finishing carrier duty; however, there was no new asgmt to report.

Also along the Gulf Coast (New Orleans) are Nancy and Bill Hecker. Born last Aug was John Daniel. Bill is having fun waking up at 2 in the morning, then getting to work on his thesis at 7. At least the thesis will be over with by May. Nancy says that Cathy and Bill Bradburn and 3 Joung'uns are at Scott AFB, IL. Wayne and Sue Marsh are in Joplin, MO, hard at work for the phone co. They want no crank calls from classmates complaining about their ding-a-lings.

On the West Coast-Betsy and Howard Reed. Howard has gone the way of many good Engr officers-Livermore Lab. Every once in a while they take Andy (5) and Debby (2) to Napa Sonoma for a little wine tasting. Don't know if they really do that, but it sounds like a great idea. Stevie and Alex Alexander are in Los Angeles. Alex works for Theodore Barry and Assoc. Alex writes about fellow Harvard classmates. Tom Barron is with the same firm in NY. Bruce Gailey is working for Fisher-Price Toys, who make good products I am told. Steve Ellenbogen is in Phoenix. The Alexanders have a 2 yr old daughter, Kristen (which seems to be a popular name among our classmates).

Other births: Marc Modisett to Judy and LB Lawson in Phoenix on 5 Aug 72. Kristin Howell to John and Shirley, WP, on 19 Dec. John swears he wasn't thinking about the tax advantages of Dec vs. Jan. Also at WP, Frederick Alexander to Bonnie and Bill Ritch. Berch Hollis Abbot to Mike and Carol on 25 Oct 72. Mike should be on his way to Zaire for a 2 yr stint as Asst Attache. Anyone in Kinshasa is offered a guided tour of the downtown area. Mike does not promise a good translating ability after the French refresher he got at DLI, but he says that he sure can handle a U-8.

Steve Morrissey is now in Atlanta as VP of MacFarlane and Co, a consulting firm. Steve got married in Jun to Beverly Gothage. Dan Benton, who is at Tulane, was the best man. Also there were Bill Beinlich and Ed Klink. Bill is at R.P.I. and Ed works in Boston.

Emery Chase writes that the following people are with him at USAFA: Ed Zabka teaching German, Carl Plotkin in Chem, and Tom Genoni in Math.

Carmelito Arkangel was here recently. Sonny is still at Seton Hall in NJ as an ROTC instr. Bruce Marshall was also here during football season. He works in the DC area for the communications div of Fairchild Aircraft.

Watch out for the leprechauns this month!