My apologies, I have become a little overwhelmed with stories and reports and have gotten a little behind. During the past two days, I have received three pictures from Bruce Marshall on the road to Pittsburgh with Ron, Denny and Norm. Anyway, with brief comments and pictures that show that they are doing fine and having a good time, I am able to share these three all at once. The first pictures show that Tommy Abraham was able to join the fearless foursome for dinner at the Italian Oven in Connellsville, PA. The comment with the picture:

Ron, Denny, Tommy, Bruce, and Norm @ the Italian Oven in Connellsville, PA - Lots of great stories! The next shot is called "The Last Breakfast": Ron, Bruce, Norm, and Denny - "Pittsburgh or Bust" - 62 miles left.

Finally, a photo, identified for me only as, "Denny's Great Grand Father" which looks like a page out of a Civil War Book.

That's it for now. it's good to see that the foursome are all back together and things seem to be going fairly well as they approach the finish line. Quite an accomplishment, well done guys. Don't forget to follow a much more detailed account of the adventure on: www.wp65bikeride.info Be sure to click on "News" at the top of the page to read their comments.

Last Sunday evening our Affiliation Class of 2015 passed a very important milestone. They affirmed their commitment to a career in the military and the profession of arms. Our Classmates supported this commitment in many ways and showed up in significant numbers to support them as they did so. Pat Kenny organized and coordinated our support and has provided this terrific report on the event so that all of us can see what it was like for those who were able to attend. Here is his report:

August 18th marked an important milestone for the Class of 2015 as that was the night before members of that class committed themselves to the profession of arms.  On the first day of second class academics cadets incur a military obligation.  For most cadets military service is a foregone conclusion as they came to West Point to serve in the armed forces.  However, that moment of commitment is an important milestone.  We, the Class of 1965, the class affiliated with the Class of 2015 played an important role in the event; we provided each cadet a commemorative coin and perhaps most importantly provided a speaker to comment on the milestone, our own Ric Shinseki, currently the Secretary of Veteran Affairs.  Ric provided thoughtful and moving comments that I'm sure were well received by the Class of 2015.  I know that those members of the Class of 1965 present were extremely proud of that distinguished member of the class; I encourage all to read Ric's remarks. Ric's remarks are attached for your review, view by clicking here.

Here we have a shot of Robinson Auditorium to give you a feel for what things looked like. And a shot of most of our Classmates who were in attendance, here from left to right, front row:  Russ Campbell, Joe Sanchez, Pat Kenny, and Terry Ryan.  Back row:  Gene Manghi, Art Mark, Emery Chase, Clair Gill, Joe DeFrancisco, Jim Ferguson, Chuck Eckart, Jack Koletty, John Howell, and Dave Mastran.

Prior to the ceremony Strength and Drive had dinner at the Hotel Thayer, which warmed us up to the events about to unfold in Robinson Auditorium (we knew it as South Auditorium).   Normally when a group of 15 or more there is normally at least one person present who carries a camera ready to take some snaps.  Unfortunately that was not the case with the 18 Classmates who attended the Affirmation Ceremony (Campbell, Chase. DeFrancisco, Eckart, Ferguson, Gill, Howell, Koletty, Manghi, Mark, Mastran, Ryan, Sanchez, Shinseki, Talbot, Tomaswick, Wollen, and me).  However, there was one camera and several smart phones so we have some pictures which to share. Here we have our speaker, Ric Shinseki with Joe DeFrancisco. The next photo includes Dave Mastran, Jack Koletty, and Chuck Eckart.

Next we have Jim Talbot, Jim Tomaswick, and Carol Tomaswick. And finally our Class President, Clair Gill with John Howell.

It should be noted that in addition to the main ceremony in Robinson Auditorium there were similar events at other locations for those cadets who could not attend the main event.  One of those ceremonies took place on the soccer field where 6 members of the Class of 2015 were engaged with a woman's soccer game against Stony Brook.   Five members of our Class shared the moment: Gill, Howell, Manghi, Mark, and Kenny.  Unfortunately no pictures are available.

Those members of the Class of 2015 currently on exchange at the other academies had separate ceremonies at those locations. The USAFA ceremony was organized by Bill Hecker and described in a notice published last week.  The USCGA ceremony was organized by Bob Selkis and conducted on August 20th.  In addition to Bob that event was attended by Russ Campbell, Jim Ferguson, and Terry Ryan each of whom were at West Point on the 18th.  

Pat

 Thank you Pat for an excellent report. The ceremony Pat mentioned at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy will be covered in a separate report.

 As I wrap up this report I want to leave you with a cute comment that Pat shared separately but it struck me as a totally different way to look at the women at West Point. He said:

As I was leaving Thayer Hall I noticed a group of 6 cadets having their picture taken.  It made me smile and I had to take a picture also.  Looking at the picture I believe that those of us who are part of the Long Gray Line can figure out where they are (which class) in their passage through the Academy.  A thought that hit me is that even though they are cadets they remain college girls - it's a beautiful thing!

A beautiful thing indeed!

As we watch our four stalwarts working their way toward Pittsburgh, the following information and invitation was offered by Ed Winstead:

Some of the Classmate Riders might enjoy this ride.  It is called "The Assault on the Carolinas."   Next year is set for April 12, 2014.
It is the fund raiser for the Pisgah Forest Rotary Club.  Pisgah Forest is just next to Brevard, NC, about forty-five minutes from Asheville.

There are three routes, 40k, 60k, and 100k.  Registration is limited to 1,000 riders.  Next year's registration has not opened yet.

 See   http://wunschreiten.blogspot.com/2013/04/2013-assault-on-carolinas.html
Official Site:   http://www.assaultonthecarolinas.com/  Detailed information for 2014.
 Google Search:  https://www.ixquick.com/do/search
 Good photo of riders:  http://www.rockbrookcamp.com/alumnae/the-assault-on-the-carolinas-race/   Transylvania has more camps than any other county in the States.

 Register early!  It fills up quickly.

If Classmates sign up Pam and I will have a party that evening.  The 40 and 60 k routes go right by our house.

Ed Winstead
hypn3@comporium.net 

Thanks Ed, I included your e-mail address so folks can let you know how many to expect.

As I mentioned earlier, the story of Tom Johnson and his letter to Robert Frost, generated more feedback than any other story I have shared. Even after I shared a supplemental including several of the responses, more came in. One in particular struck me as so cute that you all might enjoy reading it. George Ruggles wrote:

Tom's story reminds me of Faulkner's visit in '62.  Our English class, honchoed by MAJ Joe Fant and CPT "The Stash" Kurtz, prepared for this event diligently.  We even rehearsed the questions we planned to ask the great author when he came to class.  The instructors had primed us with their interpretations of Faulkner's writing, with emphasis on symbolism, this means that and that means this. 

So class begins and guys ask their questions, many of which were variations of "what did this character's actions symbolize", and time after time, Mr. Faulkner replied he was just trying to tell the story of the human heart in conflict with itself, and oh by the way, to make a living.  Toward the end of the session, CPT Kurtz took the floor and confessed that all along he and the MAJ had been stressing what they believed to be the hidden meanings in the works, and come to find out, the author hadn't had that in mind at all.  It was pretty funny, and we admired Kurtz for his honesty.

It wasn't until years later that I understood what the human heart in conflict with itself really meant, examining my feelings when an ex-wife telephoned with a booty call.

Geo

Thank you George, I like your style.

Most of you are probably unaware of the many things Tom Kovach and his wife Marilyn have been doing for us as they co-chair the preparation for our fiftieth reunion. One thing Tom has done is to dig deeply into our records to find and invite those who have become disconnected from the Class for one reason or another. He has been contacting the widows of our fallen brothers and many of our non-graduated Classmates. Tom recently informed me that a guy who was briefly my roommate during Beast Barracks had passed away. Here is his official report of the passing which I will follow with my own recollection of Tony:

Classmates,

I regret to inform you of the passing of one of our non-graduated classmates, Anton W. Ringl, Jr.  Tony died in La Habra Heights, CA on December 3, 2012, after living most of his life in Stickney, IL.

Most of us probably did not know Tony for his stay at West Point was brief - he departed in the summer of 1961 during Beast Barracks.  Tony apparently maintained interest in the Academy as he was one of the very few non-graduated classmates for whom a mailing address is on file at West Point Association of Graduates (of 243 non-graduated classmates, WPAOG has info on only 18).

During the year (1962) following his departure from West Point, Tony was involved in a horrific automobile accident that left him with major brain damage.  He was able to function at a much reduced level for the next 40 years or so.  Subsequently, his mother became his legal guardian until she passed in 2004, and then his brother, Russell, assumed that role.  In 2008, Russell moved Tony from Stickney, IL to an assisted living facility in California where Tony spent his remaining years.

Tony is survived by his son, Raymond, who resides in San Jose, CA and by his brother, Russell, who resides in La Habra Heights, CA.  If anyone has a remembrance of Tony, please send that to me so that I can forward to Raymond (Rick Bunn, please send me yours - I cannot remember the details to do it justice).  I also will work with Raymond and Russell in preparing a Memorial Article.

Grip Hands! Once more,

Tom Kovach

Thank you Tom, for a job you and Marilyn continue to do very well. 

I only have a brief memory of Tony but I recall that he was a unique individual with unusual energy and an amazing dedication to the academy and its mission. Unfortunately, his dedication was seen as somewhat misguided and it didn't take long for him and the Tactical Department to realize that, while his intentions were very good, he just wasn't a good fit for a military career. My memory is not good enough to recall the details of the reason behind the final decision to have him return home, but I do know it was very painful for him and it struck me pretty hard as I witnessed one of my first real friends at the academy packing up to leave. He spent a few days in transient quarters prior to his departure and I was able to find a little time to visit him there before he left. He was very sad but in a strange way, I think he knew it was best for all concerned. He told me on my last visit with him that if I ever got discouraged (and boy did I get discouraged from time to time) that I should remember that for at least the four years at school and probably much beyond he would be setting his clock to get him up at the same time his Classmates got up and that he would always have his shoes shined just like we would. My guess is that he did just that.

Thank you Tom for bringing back this memory.

As mentioned before John Harrington has done an outstanding job as our POC for the family of Gene O'Neill. Here is his report on the Memorial Service held yesterday for Gene:

This morning, August 21, 2013, our friend and Classmate Eugene Darwin O'Neill formally joined The Long Gray Line at Christ Episcopal Church in Spotsylvania, Virginia. The Memorial Service was moving and a great tribute to Gene, who had been a strong member of the congregation. In addition to family close to 100 friends and classmates attended. Representing the class were Larry Neal, Jim Berry, Emery Chase, Jack Lowe, Leo Kennedy, Roger Frydrychowski, and yours truly. Immediately following the service, Gene was interred beside his church. Two Army Sergeants conducted the graveside flag ceremony crisply and professionally, presenting flags to Gene's wife, Judi, and to a grandson. An Honor Guard fired a salute and played Taps. Again, a very moving graveside ceremony. Following the burial, a reception was held in the Parish Hall.

 Judi and the family expressed their sincere gratitude for the support extended by the class and especially Tom Kovach, who had initiated contact before Gene's passing, as he worked to ensure Gene knew of the 50th Reunion. 

In the picture: John Harrington, Larry Neal, Roger Frydrychowski, Emery Chase, Jim Berry, Leo Kennedy, and Jack Lowe. And in the second picture, proof "that our flag was there".

 Respectfully Submitted,

 John Harrington
 Company H-1

Gene's family has identified two charities they would like to support with donations should anyone be so inclined. They are:

Christ Episcopal Church Memorial Fund
8951 Courthouse Rd
Spotsylvania, VA 22553

Or:

The Alzheimer's Association of Greater Richmond
4600 Cox Road, Suite 130
Glen Allen, VA 23060

Additionally, the family will be participating in a run soon as "Gene's Team" in support of the Alzheimer's Association. Our Class will be supporting that organization with our normal donation as well.

As we say goodbye to our dear friend, here is a brief reminder of how we knew him way back when. Chuck Nichols assisted by scanning this picture and write up from our Howitzer:

Grip Hands my friends as we say - Be Though at Peace - Well Done!

As before, I'm not sure what's going on because the reports are somewhat less than wordy. However the subject on the last one I received "Denny has bad bad tire taking train back to Cumberland" left me wondering what the plan will be from there. And the repeated word "bad" (I'm assuming it was meant to read "had bad") leaves me wondering about the extent of the damage and the impact on the rest of the trip. However, the fact that the remaining three musketeers are smiling suggests that things are not too dire. Note also that they remain cogent enough to wear and organize themselves in red, white, and blue order.

Paul Schultz, our PMEE POC (Professional Military Ethic Education Point of Contact) is ready to kick of the new academic year with our Affiliation Class. As he put it, "Everything is back working now at Hogwarts on the Hudson, and we need to round up volunteers for the new semester." He has once again done a terrific job of filling us in on the details of the program for the fall semester and is hoping to get more volunteers from our Class to make it another huge success. Everyone who has been involved in the program in the past have had nothing but wonderful things to say about the experience, how much they felt they were contributing to the development of the cadets, and primarily how good they felt about being a part of this very important part of their training. Please give serious thought to contributing just a little of your time to making this program a continuing success. Here is Paul's report:

We now have specific information regarding our Class of 1965  participation in the 2013 Fall Semester Professional Military Ethic Education (PME2) Program.

First, thanks again to all those who have volunteered and made the PME2 Program for the Class of 1965 a new record setter for our 50 Year Affiliation Program.   Last weekend I was at the West Point Triathlon wearing my Class of 1965 hat.  Many of the team members and event volunteers from the Class of 2015 saw the hat, and stopped what they were doing to talk to me and express gratitude for the many things the class has done to make their time at West Point more special.  It's a great feeling to experience that kind of feedback.

After much deliberation, The Simon Center will again use the "Leader Challenge" instructional model for PME2.

Those that participated in the past two years found this model to be very effective and enjoyable.  It engages the cadets and creates a great opportunity for learning, discussion and interaction.

OUR CLASS ROLE. Each of volunteer will serve as facilitator of a small group of cadets. The Simon Center will provide advance material (videos, handbook, etc.) and a comprehensive prep session the morning of the class. Last year, some graduates were apprehensive about participating if they did not have combat experience or did not have a full military career -neither of these concerns is an issue; in fact their experiences in other areas were just as relevant.

The PME2 Program (Leader Challenge Model) will be implemented as follows:

1. You will receive content two weeks in advance of the class.  I have the Material for Challenge #1 to send as soon as you volunteer.

2. During the morning prep session on the day of the class we will review the video, discuss the scenario, identify key issues and learning points, etc.

DETAILS. The specific days volunteers will be involved during the 2013 Fall Semester are:

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 5th: Leader Challenge #1:  WARNING SHOT - I have these materials for volunteers.  Email me if you want a set.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 3th: Leader Challenge #2

SCHEDULE THE DAY OF EXECUTION. The schedule on the days of discussion will be essentially the same as last year:

0830 hours:  Meet for a rally breakfast at the Park Restaurant in Highland Falls.
1000 hours: Meet with CPT Davidson at the Simon Center (located in the old 1st Division where the First Captain lived during our Cadet days.) Simon Center will provide bus transportation from Buffalo Soldier Field         to Central Area due to the increasing number of volunteers from all 3 classes.
1030-1130 hours: Training- Review Content and discuss. (Location TBD)
1130-1200 hours: Available TACs and faculty/cadet facilitators meet with Class of 50 Year facilitators
1200-1235 hours: Lunch with cadets
1250-1345 hours: Leader-Challenge session; cadet will escort you to meeting room.
1400-1430 hours: Hot Wash; discuss sessions and provide feedback to Captain Davidson.
1430: Free to depart

OTHER NOTES

Dress is coat and tie.

ACTION REQUIRED:

Email Paul Schultz (Paul@dmapsonline.com) to confirm your participation in either or both sessions. Call him  203-205-0763 (day)  or 203-778-9164 (night) if any questions.   

Interesting information on the new Class:

CLASS OF 2017 STATS:

15,407 applications
1,193 New Cadets
188 Women
113 African American (91 men, 22 women)
77 Asian/Pacific Islander (62 men, 15 women)
133 Hispanic (109 men, 25 women)
8 Native American (8 men)
28 Other/Unknown (24 men, 4 women)
198 from US Military Academy Prep School (176 men, 22 women)
29 combat veterans (27 men, 2 women)
17 Foreign National cadets

Sorry for the short notice on the First session.  Please try to make room on your calendars to participate.

Paul Schultz
Class of 65 PMEE POC

Thank you again Paul for all you continue to do to make this program a success.

These guys don't have time to say much, but they sure send nice pictures. Here are Bruce, Norm, Ron, and Denny.

Thus far I don't recall any message to the Class generating more feedback than the story of Tom Johnson and his letter to Robert Frost. Because so much of it is interesting, I decided to share this supplemental report which is a compilation of all the responses I have seen.

Step Tyner wrote:

The story is certainly compatible with everything I know about Tom Johnson, and I knew him quite well, but I cannot confirm the particulars.  Perhaps his widow, Cynthia, could contribute some facts, but I no longer have her contact data.

Gene Parker wrote:

Rick, I had also heard this story and it being attributed to Tom Johnson (who was in A-1 with me).  I asked him about it during one of our reunions prior to his untimely death and he told  me it was an interesting story but it wasn't him.  At the time I believe the story was that the poet was Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982) whom Tom allegedly knew through his poetry interest outside WP.  In any event, it is a good story and if it wasn't Tom, perhaps it was another of our gifted members of the Long Gray Line. 

Gene Parker

Tad Ono wrote:

I was a goat in English so I can't say anything about the story--but I did know Tom and have visited his grave a number of times. He was truly one of the most gifted and accomplished members of our class who died much too young at 46.  See the following: 

http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1965/25511/

Jack Lowe wrote:

I knew Tom Johnson from the time we were 7th and 8th graders together as Army Brats in Heidelberg, Germany. Tom's Father was also a friend of my Father's. It is a true story about one of our most academically brilliant classmates

This is the way I remember Tom telling me the story.  It occurred on a short essay we had to write Yearling Year.  The question was something like, "What is the significance of the word tree in a couplet of the poem." Tom wrote, "The Tree has no significance!" and turned in that and that alone to the English Department. He was not only given a failing grade, he was given a 0.1 on the old 3.0 scale and only got that because the computer would not take a 0.0. The English Department turned the paper over to his Tactical Officer who slugged Tom 8 & 8 for 'Viciousness" .

Tom wrote Robert Frost and said that he thought that the Tree had no significance and that Robert Frost was trying to make the couplet rhyme in the pentameter that Frost was writing in and the word Tree fit perfectly with "Walking in a Woods..." Robert Frost wrote back that Tom was exactly correct and the first person who had identified what was going through Frost's mind when he wrote the poem (I saw the letter from Frost).

So as the story goes Tom went back to the English department and the grade was changed to a 3.0. However, as one of the great object definitions of the differences between the Academic Departments and the Tactical Department (I served in both in the 70's), the TAC refused to rescind the slug because even if Tom was correct, he was still being "Vicious". So Tom walked!

But the story goes on. Frost was so impressed with Tom's understanding of the techniques of poetry, he asked Tom to bring his poetry to Frost's Cape Cod Cottage our Cow and Firstie Years so that Frost could critique it. I read and had read to me the poetry that Tom wrote about our official visit to Berlin at the of AOT which was part of what Tom took to Frost's Cottage our Cow Year. 

In the late 70's Tom would transfer back from the Air Force into the Army. West Point set up a Research Institute for Tom because Tom was one of the foremost experts on the use of lasers as weapons in space. While he was at West Point, he taught simultaneously in the Physics, Chemistry, and English Departments.  His subject in English was Elizabethan Poetry. Tom was one of the great polymaths in the world and I miss our talks together greatly. I was just sitting at the feet of a brilliant man and along for the intellectual ride. Tom and I team taught Sunday School together. I quickly realized that I must have been hiding behind the door when God passed out what Tom got. 

The following people have some great personal stories about Tom Johnson: Sonny Ray (Tom's Firstie Roommate), Pete Cahill, and Rick Osgood. The best story I know of is how Tom rewrote the targeting software for the U.S. ICBM's four months after he graduated from West Point.

Jack Lowe

Cynthia Johnson wrote:

Dear all,

The story is true as far as I know, and repeated to me by more than one classmate (don't ask me to remember who) at some long past reunions.  And I have to say, so like Tom, who never found others' fame and/or fortune to be an obstacle to direct inquiry.

Cynthia Johnson

Mike Applin wrote:

Tom told me the same story in the late 80s when he was editing poetry for the then poet laureate of the US whose name I can't recall at the moment. Quite a guy!

 Mike

Tom Kelly wrote:

Very similar to what happened to me, I was a goat in English and got turned out my 1st semester and spent Christmas in academic confinement even though my folks had driven from WI to see me. The "P" was professor Peterson who took another shot at me senior year. Glad to say he failed! Anyway I was asked to explain what Frost was trying to express in his poem " walking through the woods on a snowy evening". I gave a very literal interpretation and was given a failing grade. I argued that how did anyone know what he meant if someone never asked him and said my interpretation was just as valid as anyone else's. Needless to say got a failing grade. I never wrote to him however. And that's the truth!

TJ Kelly/ H-2 

Kent Brown wrote:

I heard this years ago and as I recall, the "Offending Cadet" was our classmate, Tom Johnson. Only as I recall, Tom didn't write Frost; he asked him when he visited WP as a visiting lecturer while we were cadets.

Kent Brown 

Dave La Rochelle wrote:

The only thing I remember about the English Department was "KISS" or "Keep it simple stupid" when writing. I think Frost was thinking of this when he wrote his poem.

David La Rochelle, MD

Bill Reisner wrote:

I was a very good friend of Tom Johnson and I knew he had a great love of poetry.  I never heard the story reference Robert Frost but I do know he corresponded with the poet Archibald Mcleish (spelling may be inaccurate).

I think Tom was probably one of the most brilliant members of our class but he really never cared about academics.  I think it was our 15th reunion and I had a chance to meet up with Tom.  During our conversation he said he was working with Seymour Cray.  At the time the Cray computer was considered a super computer and Tom was happy to be working with one of the best in the industry.

I'm glad that most of the recipients seem to have enjoyed the original story and I hope I will have more such stories to share in the future. Please keep me busy and remember to share pictures whenever possible.

As I sit here in my campsite in Leavenworth, Washington, having just finished a great cup of coffee and some marvelous French toast, I had the pleasure of reading through a message shared by George Bell of some chatter among some of the members of the class of 1967 (those young kids). Since our Classmates, Tom Johnson and Jim Ferguson, were named, he thought it might be of interest to some of you. I agree and have attempted to share it here in a series of comments about the incident. My memory (which really sucks) is that I have heard this before, many years ago and some of the comments here strongly suggest that it is true. Regardless, it's the type of story that makes us all remember some of the things that happened at our Rockbound Highland Home that made it such a unique place to be. Enjoy:  

On Jul 19, 2013, at 4:03 PM, <everettd.lucas@verizon.net> wrote:

Margaret & I went to West Point yesterday for the retirement of Prof. Bill Krug, Director of the USMAPS English Dept.  Sitting on his desk was a book of select writings by Robert Frost.  That book reminded me of the following tale:

During a final in English we were given a poem written by Robert Frost.  The requirement was to put into our own words what Frost was trying to say in the poem.  One of our classmates (or perhaps another class - Snopes would be no help figuring this out) responded Frost was not trying to say anything - he was just putting words together that went well together for the sake of poetry.  The 'P' promptly gave him a failing grade.  This resulted in the Cadet writing to Frost to get Frost's explanation of the poem.  Frost replied he was not trying to say anything other than putting words together for the enjoyment.  When the 'P' was shown this, the Cadet's grade was changed to passing, but he ended getting a slug for writing to an outside dignitary without prior approval.

 OK, guys, was this a West Point urban legend, or does my memory serve me correct in my recollection?  If so, who was the Cadet? 

 Everett

Well the boys are making progress and shared another great picture. I'm not sure if the "No Vacancy" sign means they had to go elsewhere or they filled up the place. Let's hope for the latter. Here we have Bruce, Ron, Denny, and Norm.

Later I got another message sharing a webpage where you can follow their progress on a map:  www.wp65bikeride.info

Pedal on guys.

One more Classmate getting on my case about my fuchsia shirt. Oh well if it generates some great pictures like these and a little story to go with it, it's worth it. Here Jim McEliece provides a super photo of his birthday ride but, shame on him, he didn't include his, as he put it, gorgeous wife, Julie:

Rick, in the spirit of minimizing fuchsia golf shirt pictures, I am enclosing two alternatives.  I was dismayed at being unable to participate in Denny Coll's PA bike ride this summer, so resolved to prove that I was at least capable of doing so.  After a couple of 50-mile warm-ups, I committed to a 70-mile ride on my 70th birthday (15 Aug).  That's 70 miles in 6 continuous hours. The Minneapolis park system bike trails are absolutely gorgeous and I was joined on part of the trip by my equally gorgeous wife, Julie.

The second photo was inspired by your earlier pictures of our years at the Rock.  This one constitutes a quiz: "Who is that man sitting across from me one night as I looked up from my labors at homework?"  No fair peeking at the name tags. No problem, I covered them up. This was clearly back in the day when our B-robes were still gray. Mine has long ago turned a weird pinkish color. Send your guesses to Jim at: jamesmceliece@gmail.com and I'll ask him to let me know who gets it right.

Jim McEliece

Thank you Jim.

Well I have heard several times over the years from my friend Harley Moore but I always have a tough time talking him into including a picture. It looks like I finally got through to him (or maybe I guilted him into providing this great shot). I got all over his case for not sending me a picture from his recent visit to Hong Kong so here we see what happens when I push: 

All right, Rick, finally a picture, but not of the lone Ranger in Hong Kong.

Myrna and I spent the weekend in Charlotte with Curt and Ann Adams.  Turns out: 1) Ann and I were high school friends and 2) I am one day older than she is. Curt threw a surprise birthday party for Ann on Friday, so we sneaked into Charlotte and enjoyed a great party and weekend with them.  Just as we were about to return to Miami we realized that we had not taken a picture of two old gray S&D guys and their wonderful wives.  So celebrating over ice cream cones we snapped a shot.  Back row: Curt and Ann. Front row: Myrna and me.

Sorry we forgot our bright pink polo shirts. 

Harley

Now that's one great picture - I can almost taste the ice cream. Thank you my friend.

Two great shots to start off our intrepid foursome as they take on their huge adventure. Not much to say, but I'm sure we will get many words as the adventure progresses.

Here we see Ron Williams, Norm Eckstein, Bruce Marshall, and Denny Coll with our ever present Class flag and then again slightly rearranged all ready to hit the road:

We all wish you safe travels.

Wow, what a magnificent trip I just enjoyed when I traveled to Colorado Springs from Seattle where I am on an extended visit with my motor home. I went to visit with Bill and Nancy Hecker and participate in the Affirmation Ceremony at the Air Force Academy for seven members of our Affiliation Class (2015) from West Point who are participating in the academy exchange program for the fall semester. I was afforded the honor of being the first guest to stay in the Hecker's brand new home (they only moved in two weeks ago) and to say they are the perfect host and hostess would be an understatement. Not quite a riddle but talk about living large, they downsized by almost as many square feet as my entire home to end up in a beautiful new home that is still double the size of mine. I arrived around dinner time (I'm no dummy) and enjoyed a wonderful steak dinner as we spent the rest of the evening reminiscing about our service together in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama in the 70's and caught up on the comings and goings since then. In this first picture we see Nancy, Bill, and Mac (named, of course, for one of our favorite graduates, General Douglas MacArthur). Note in the background a portrait of their son Bill who was tragically killed in Iraq in 2006.

On Thursday, August 15, Bill arranged for all our Classmates who would be participating in the ceremony (with the exception of Gordy Long who couldn't join us until the evening) to enjoy lunch together at the country club in the Hecker's new neighborhood. Here we see, at one end of the table, (l to r) Bobbie Simmons, Tim Simmons, Miriam Shambach, Regan Urquhart (Les and Marilyn Hagie's granddaughter), Marilyn Hagie, Les Hagie, Steve Shambach (Class of '74 and President of the local West Point Society), Bill Tredennick, and Susan Tredennick.

At the other end of the table, again (l to r) are Bill Tredennick, Susan Tredennick, Bill Hecker, Nancy Hecker, Bobbie Simmons, Tim Simmons, and Miriam Shambach. In the next picture we see Bill Hecker in the process of teaching us how we can all pass our commemorative coins to our selected cadets by palming the coin and passing it while shaking hands in congratulations.

Here, just to give you an idea of the setting, we see the seven Cadets in the front row with some of the dignitaries, our Classmates in the second row and guests and representatives from nearby Fort Carson in the rear.

In this photo we see LTG (Army Retired) John E. (Jack) Sterling, our guest speaker and member of the USMA Class of '76, administering the Oath of Affirmation to the Cadets.

Next we see the contingent of our Classmates congratulating the Cadets and presenting them with their commemorative coins. Unfortunately some big dude (all right, it's me) got in the way so you can't see all that is going on but at least you get the idea. In this last shot we were able to catch all the Cadets from our Affiliation Class and all our Classmates in attendance as well as share a little bit of our surrounding with the Air Force Academy barracks in the background and the famous chapel behind that. Note that we were joined by Cadet Will Goodwin who is the President of the Class of 2015 and who was traveling in the area and took time to join us for the ceremony. Next to Will and left to right from there we see Cadet St. Amour, Gordy Long, Cadet Corbett, Bill Hecker, Cadet Bean, Moi, Cadet Chapman, Tim Simmons, Cadet Brown, Les Hagie, Cadet Boyd, Bill Tredennick, and Cadet Warner.

All in all a wonderful and very meaningful event beautifully organized and presented by Steve Shambach and Bill and Nancy Hecker. I think the Cadets involved will long remember their visit to the Air Force Academy and the meaning of this very solemn event with so much effort expended by their predecessors to make it special for them. I have found myself, as I'm sure many of you have, worrying from time to time about the direction our country is moving in and how the future will develop. Meeting these fine young men and realizing how many more there are in all our academies and schools around the country has gone a long way in dispelling those worries for me. I believe this country will find itself in good hands as these terrific young men and women move into positions of ever increasing responsibility and authority. God Bless them all!

With a brief trip to Colorado Springs and a great visit with Nancy and Bill Hecker (a full report to follow), my plate has been a little full recently so I will apologize for the delay in getting this brief story out to you. I received this from Bob Frank telling of a small gathering and what sounded like a very enjoyable round of golf. It also included one of the best photos I've received in a long while. Bob writes:

On the way to OBX (that's the Outer Banks for those not in the know), Mary and I had a wonderful visit with Anne and Steve Harman.  John Malpass swung over to New Bern from Pinehurst to round out the foursome.  Then Anne joined us at the club for lunch and to listen to Steve and I go on about how much John's game has improved now that he is playing three times a week at Pinehurst.  Steve's course is friendly and enjoyable.  And the host and hostess were superb!  Mary and I discovered that New Bern has many charms, including the relaxation that one finds!

Here we have standing L - R, Mary Frank, John Malpass, and Steve Harman and sitting L - R, Bob Frank and Anne Harman.

Thanks Bob, judging from all the smiles it looks like a great time.

Last fall while contacting Classmates (some of whom had become very difficult to reach) Tom Kovach and his wife Marilyn made contact with Gene O'Neill's wife Judi. Since then they have maintained contact and provided support to Judi on behalf of our Class during Gene's recent health problems. While not in a position to act as our POC (Point of Contact) Tom has been very helpful and has provided this message to the Class regarding the memorial service for Gene:

Classmates,

Judi O'Neill has provided the following information regarding a memorial service for Gene who passed on Sunday, August 11, 2013 in Fredericksburg, VA (correction from my previously reported Locust Grove, VA):

Date:  Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Time:  11:00am
Location:  Christ Episcopal Church
   8951 Courthouse Rd
   Spotsylvania, VA 22553

Gene's ashes will be interred at the church.

Judi said that she and the O'Neill family would be honored to have West Point classmates at the memorial service.

Judi can be contacted by e-mail at:
geneoneill@verizon.net

Or by regular mail at:
  202 Wakefield Dr.
  Locust Grove, VA 22508

Grip Hands!
Tom Kovach

Additionally, John Harrington, who lives fairly near to the O'Neill family and was a company mate of Gene's, has tentatively stepped up to be the official POC. His only hesitation results from the fact that he was on vacation when I asked him to take of the responsibility and the timing of his return is not fixed.

If you are able to attend the memorial service please let Judi know by e-mail at the address above and also, please cc me and John Harrington (jbharrington2@gmail.com).

The most difficult part of this job is the sad duty to inform you all of the passing of another of our dear friends. Below is the report I just received from Tom Kovach:

Classmates,

With deep regret, I inform you of the passing of one of our brothers, Eugene D. O'Neill.  Gene died on Sunday, August 11, 2013 in Locust Grove, VA after a long battle with illness.

Gene was one of our truly "lost" classmates.  Some years ago, he had marked his contact information at West Point Association of Graduates as "confidential."  In my efforts to contact all classmates in regards to our 50th Reunion, I tracked down Gene and wrote a letter to him last fall.  His wife, Judi, responded by e-mail and informed me of Gene's medical situation and his desire for privacy.  Judi and I continued to correspond occasionally by e-mail - with Judi providing updates on Gene's condition.  Her latest update arrived in my e-mail inbox only a couple days ago.  As I was preparing to respond on Sunday afternoon, I received the following message from Judi:

Dear Friends,

I am sorry to have to write this but Gene passed away earlier today. It was a very peaceful death and I finally felt he was where he should be. It was gentle and the hospice and staff at the facility were angels -- so very caring and supportive. Our son Sean is flying in from New Zealand so funeral plans are up in the air as to time. I will let you know when all is put in place.

Thank you all for your prayers and support.

Judi

Judi is the real angel as she cared for Gene for many years.

Details will be forthcoming.

Grip Hands!
Tom Kovach

Thank you Tom.

A little while back I asked Terry Ryan to provide me with some photos and a report that I could share with you all to show the terrific job that The West Point Alumni Glee Club is doing. Our Classmates, Terry Ryan, Pete Linn, and Jim Ferguson are members and Jim and Terry are officers in the organization. They have been active for six years and have about 55 active singers ranging from the Class of 1949 through 2009 (on occasion). For the past three years we have provided $5000 annually to support the Cadet Glee Club. They have been extremely busy with as many as forty performances per year. He sent me this report:

In 2010, an Act of Congress established the second Sunday in August as the Spirit of '45 Day to recognize the end of World War II and to honor those who served as well as those serving.  We believe yesterday's ceremony was the first of the day, with dozens of others held across the nation and concluding with one at Pearl Harbor at the end of the day.

The West Point Alumni Glee Club and three 65ers (Ferguson, Linn and Ryan) were honored to take part in the event held at the World War II Memorial here in Washington, DC.  It was great to be among those remaining heroes of the Greatest Generation.

I've attached some pictures:  One is of the West Point Alumni Glee Club contingent under the direction of Fred Gray '64.  You'll find Jim Ferguson and Pete Linn in the picture on the right hand side singing tenor.  Jim also soloed during the World War II Medley.  Yours truly is missing from this picture as I did not get to sing, being the "roadie" for this performance and doing the sound system.

Another picture is of Pete Linn with a member of the 442 RCT who served with Senator Inouye, Medal of Honor (predominantly Japanese Americans who insisted on serving despite being declared 4C).  And finally Ferguson, Linn and Ryan in front of the wreath (note the "sound guy" got to wear shorts on a very hot day).

If any of the class would like to see and hear how this merry band of warrior singers does, you can take a look at the following two YouTube links OR search for WPAGC on YouTube for a lot of our outings.

WPAGC Singing the National Anthem at a Nationals Game in July (Nats are 7-1 when we sing):  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HTPq2yw6KSc

Armed Forces Recognition at Lewinsville Presbyterian Church in McLean, VA:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFFSQcBpQM4

Terry and I have become friends recently and he has never failed to come through big time when I have asked for help. This report is a great example of that support. Thank you Terry.

This is fun - while there was no intent here to generate a competition, Tommy Thompson in Kauai, Hawaii, picked up on the opportunity to share a few sunset pictures from Princeville (seems a little like cheating when I think of some of the great sunsets I've seen from there) along with a couple of other photos from his little corner of the world. This first picture is a great shot with an unknown surfer standing on a surfboard (apparently paying homage to the setting sun) in Hanalei Bay. In the background is the other point of the Bay, known by the locals as Bali Hai because when the movie South Pacific was filmed there, it was made to look like the "island". As Tommy points out, the next major stop going west is Japan. The other sunset is from Poipu Beach on another part of the island.

Here are a couple of shots of Tommy with some unknown golfing friends. He is the third from the left in the Tommy Bahama shirt in the first photo. The guy at the far left in that photo is Kimo Garner, a local entertainer there in Princeville (for those of you who may have enjoyed some entertainment while in that area and who have a far better memory than I). Tommy is on the left in the gold shirt in the second shot. Please notice that he, too, obviously enjoys a good looking shirt.

In my opinion, the best looking picture here this next one where Tommy and his beautiful wife enjoy a Birthday Party at CJ's Steak and Seafood Restaurant in Princeville (no way I'm going to divulge which birthday it is). Finally, Tommy shares a picture of he and his beloved 5-0 Pony Convertible at Kalihiwai Beach shortly after they got to the Islands in 1998. He looks real young there, doesn't he? A nice car can do that to you.

Thank you Tommy for sharing this brief look into your island home.

In just over a week, several of our more intrepid (a more appropriate word might be crazy) Classmates will take off on a six day bicycle adventure from Georgetown, DC via the C&O Canal and the Great Allegheny Passage Trail to Pittsburgh, PA. It is my intent to share several reports with photos as they are made available to me so that you can follow their progress. These guys are really doing a bang up job of organizing and communicating (how could it be any other way with their main organizer being our previous Scribe, Denny Coll?). You’d think this was a high level military operation to see all the planning and preparation that has gone into this adventure.

Now I hear that they even have a link to a free App (iOS or Android Phones) whatever that stuff means and a website Bruce Marshall (brucesiphone@yahoo.com) built for the adventure - www.app.cat/wp65bikeride. Check it out and if you have a little time on your hands next week, follow along with them as they share their adventure.

We wish you well, guys, and encourage you to make us proud as you pedal on in the spirit of Strength and Drive.

Step Tyner chose the subject for this story but I’m not sure “Fred Astaire look alike” wouldn’t have been better. While I’m sure it’s just one more feeble attempt to make fun of my fuchsia shirt, I always enjoy running pictures of folks having a good time. Here Fred (I mean Step) shares a few great shots of good times he has enjoyed with his beautiful daughter and some good friends:

Rick,

Acting on the theory that anything is better than photos of a fuchsia shirt (I own one I label "raspberry," but I'll spare you that wretched excess), I attach a shot of yours truly and my daughter Lauren at her recent wedding, as well as one of me pontificating about something at the reception.

As you can see, I am somewhat ambulatory, and still possess attire proper for a 1920s bank manager.  But wait!  As a bonus for publishing in the next five minutes, you also get a shot of John Swensson, Errol Alexander, and me at a Sacramento emporium of Chinese cuisine back in June -- they happened through this vale of tomatoes separately and we all managed to get together for some chopstick-wielding.

Finally, although the picture quality is notably poorer than the others, a shot of me and George Ruggles, same restaurant, earlier date.  I think the waiter coughed just as he pressed the button, but I am the better looking one, while George has longer hair. 

I promise that publication of these poor-quality photos will increase demand for high-resolution shots of you in whimsical clothes!

Step Tyner

Thanks Step, I hope you are right that this will increase demand for my great shots in whimsical (?) clothes.

Some guys just can’t handle a little independent thinking and/or bright colors. Oh well, I still like my fuchsia shirt although I must admit that I felt a little silly while wearing it in Ensenada recently when I discovered that it exactly matched a large pot of flowers on the steps of the capital. Anyway, a couple of guys have gone out of their way to share stories and pictures in a lame attempt to keep me from sharing that type of thing in the future. Message received – I will focus on sharing the stories of others. However, I reserve the right to share more of my stuff if I don’t keep receiving stories from all of you.

Here is the latest effort from Johnny Wells to keep me (and my cool shirt) out of the limelight:

Rick,

I, too, am responding in hopes of avoiding a repeat performance by "the guy in the day-glow fuchsia shirt".  As the enclosed iPhone photos will attest, I have not been indulging in anything nearly as interesting or ambitious as kayaking or mountain climbing.  Lolling around the West Coast of Florida does have its attractions though. Here Johnny caught his granddaughter Eva (in red) walking on Indian Rocks Beach on the West Coast of Florida near Tampa.

Here we have three great shots of some beautiful sunsets,

And finally some Midshipmen frolicking in the surf.

Thanks Johnny, good stuff, and yes I’ll keep cut back on the shots of me and my wild clothes.

Whatever it takes to get the job done. Here I clearly got to Hank Kelley with my, brighter than most, golf shirt. His report:

Hi Rick,

OK, you win; the threat worked.  To forestall the reappearance of the guy in the day-glo fuchsia shirt, I'm submitting the following:

This summer I spent some days kayaking along the sand bars and inlets of the National Seashore on Cape Cod with my daughter April (you'll never guess when she was born). 

Left to right:  himself, daughter (You anticipated confusion?)

All along the coast we came on large gatherings of seals, just lying around in the sun like retired folk.

Left to right:  seals (Well that’s pretty clear!)

Since seals are protected in the National Seashore, their numbers have increased in recent years.  The problem is that great white sharks find seals very tasty, and so there have also been an increasing number of shark sightings and beach closings.

We didn't see any sharks.  But the daughter wasn't worried.  As she explained, "You don't have to paddle faster than the shark, you just have to paddle faster than the old guy you're with."  Sweet kid.  Takes after her mother.

Cheers,

Hank

PS:  you will notice I'm wearing a shirt of the appropriate color. (Boring!)

Thank you Hank, great report. It’s hard to believe you are responsible for that beautiful girl.

Pat Kenny shared this message to give us another opportunity to participate with our Affiliation Class in their Affirmation Ceremony at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy:

Affirmation Ceremony at the US Coast Guard Academy

 Two members of the West Point Class of 2015 (Mason West, of Park City, UT and Joseph Scherer, of Boulder, CO) will attend the United States Coast Guard Academy for the first semester of the academic year, and, therefore, will not be able to attend the August 18th Affirmation Ceremony at West Point.  Those two cadets will, however, have their own very short Affirmation Ceremony on August 20 at 1300 hours in the Henriques Room of Hamilton Hall (main administration building).  Bob Selkis organized the event that will be attended by the USCGA Commandant of Cadets Capt. James McCauley and by the Assistant Superintendent Capt. Jones.   Incidentally, we are the first class to conduct such a ceremony at the Coast Guard Academy.

Bob will represent the Class, but if you happen to be in the New London, CT area during the early afternoon hours of August 20th please take the opportunity to join Bob as two members of the West Point class of 2015 commit themselves to the profession of arms.

Strength and Drive

Thank you Pat for sharing this and thank you to Bob Selkis for organizing this first time event. I’m not sure if it just appears that way, but I think I’m sensing more folks stepping up to organize and coordinate opportunities for us to get together and enjoy each other’s company. Thank you to all of you who have stepped up in any way.

Bob Selkis sent me this great report on a good time had by a dozen of our golfing Classmates. But, wow, this is one tough group. My first reaction when I received this report was to think I’d love to have been there, it sounded like a lot of fun. Then I read farther down to see that poor old Fred was the “rookie” this time and treated like a Plebe. My memories of that summer fifty two years ago are so strong, I think I’m glad I wasn’t the “rookie”. I’m sure it was all in fun and no harm was done (at least none that they wanted me to know about). Here is Bob’s report:

On August 2- 4, twelve Classmates got together for our annual golf outing at Steve Darrah’s “estate” outside of Richmond. Steve put three of us up at his house while the remainder “slumed it” at a beautiful lodge on the golf course which is named after what it used to be, an old Foundry. Golf and poker took up most of the time. The same group of Classmates has been doing this for several years. Occasionally, we have a newcomer (rookie) join the group. This year it was Fred Grates who flew in From the Houston area. You can see by his photo that he was treated like a plebe for a few days.

In this first picture, it looks like a respite after one of the rounds with mostly smiling faces and several almost empty glasses (I don’t miss a thing). Seems like a pretty good time being had by all.

Left to right: Jack Thomasson, Sandy Hallenbeck, Fred Grates, Bob Radcliffe, Bob Selkis, Walt Kulbacki, and Steve Ammon.

In these next two pictures we have the same group from two different directions. Even more smiles and wine glasses galore, maybe it would have been OK to be the “rookie” after all. In the left picture on the left side of the table: Thomasson, Kulbacki, Kenny, Carll, Hallenbeck, Selkis, and on the right side of the table: Ammon, Grates, Darrah, Zais, Needels, Radcliffe.   

The 4th picture is Grates trying to sleep – rookies do not sleep in.

Fred, I’m guessing you had a good time in spite of some memories which may have come back of what we all went through all those years ago. 

Thank you Bob, for a great report.

As often happens, following the release of a story, I got some great feedback regarding the Doug Davis story. Here Jay Vaughn gave me some terrific additional information about this story and added some photos for us to enjoy. Jay shared:

A bit of clarification to this great story.  Judy Jance's book, Second Watch, comes out on September 10th.  I've had the opportunity to read it and she does a great job memorializing our Classmate, Doug Davis.  She also does a good job telling the poignant love story of Doug and Bonnie Abney.  I hope all of our Classmates will buy or at least read the book, especially those who knew Doug. Doug and Judy Jance attended high school in Bisbee, AZ, with Doug being a couple of years ahead of Judy.  Bonnie was raised in Alaska and met Doug met in Florida, where she was training stewardesses.  They had a storybook whirlwind romance before he went to his first assignment in Hawaii and then on to Vietnam with the 25th Division.  They were all set to be married in Japan when Doug was killed.  Bonnie actually had her wedding dress packed for the trip when she learned of his death.  Doug is buried in a Bisbee cemetery and Bonnie was a big help to Doug's mother during the time of his burial. She returns often to visit his grave. Bonnie is a wonderful lady who has become an honorary part of Doug's H-1 Class of 1965 company-mates. Doug was our company commander.

Here are some relevant pictures to accompany this story.  The picture of Doug, which appears in the book, was provided by Tom Barron who took it a few days before Doug was killed.  The picture of Bonnie her Bernese mountain dog, Crackerjack, was taken this summer when she stopped by to visit with Sharon and me during our vacation trip to Yachats, Oregon. Crackerjack is also named in Jance's book.

Jay Vaughn

 

Thanks for sharing, Jay, this is good stuff.

Well here’s a challenge for you, this story is so convoluted, I had to read it several times and even had to get back to George Ruggles for a clarification. Admittedly the clarification had to do with the fact that I don’t text and therefore didn’t know the meaning of the abbreviation MIL (I thought it might mean “My Ideal Lady” or something like that). Anyway, the story definitely has a tragic element to it but the fact that it will be shared in a potentially major book may soften it a little.

George sent this:

Got this note from my MIL (Mother in Law). She lives on Whidbey Island in WA, and is a neighbor and friend of Bonnie, Doug's OAO (One and Only) and intended bride.  Bonnie was on the way to HI (Hawaii) to marry Doug while he was on R & R when word came down that he was KIA in RVN. 

“George, I just learned that "Doug" will be a character in J.A. Jance's latest mystery ‘Second Watch’, to be out in September.  And, by extension, my friend Bonnie Abney, who was about to marry him at the time of his death in Vietnam, will also not only be in the book, but is going to accompany Judy on her nation-wide book tour to promote the book.  Bonnie indicated that their appearance is but a minor segment of the story, but she is an experienced businesswoman and seems to be looking forward to traveling with Judy, whom she has known for many years.  I think Bonnie and Doug were classmates at Mercer HS and Judy was either two years ahead or two behind them.

Thought you might be interested in this bit about a classmate of ours.”

Nancy

Doug's friends may know this tragic story already.  Hard to imagine what Bonnie went through when she got the news about Doug's death.

 George

 

Thank you George, I’m sure there will be many of our Classmates who will get the book just to see how the story is covered.

I’m always looking for new and different ways to share with you the comings and goings of our Classmates. While I often receive materials that might otherwise be of interest, it has been my practice to limit the information shared here to that which is directly connected to our Class. As you will see, the following submission from Tony Gamabo comes very close to that line, but I found it to be an interesting and unique connection with our Class and our Alma Mater - enjoy:

Here is an out of the ordinary and novel submission but one that has to do with a daughter of the Class of 65 and West Point.  My daughter is a Yoga instructor with many years of experience.  She has been asked during the last two years, by the coaching staff, to provide Yoga training to the Academy basketball teams as they can accommodate it.  Recently she gave classes to the men's and woman's basketball teams.  Here are a few pictures of that event ( For more photos, click here).

The short character in the red shirt with the men's team is my grandson a West Point aspirant.  The teams enjoyed the sessions, although some on the men's team had their difficulties with some of the moves.

I thought that this would be an interesting submission.
 Tony Gamboa
 
Thank you Tony for this unique report, it’s good to hear from you. We’ll need some stories and photos when your grandson is a Plebe.

I’m not sure if it was my request for more material or just a way to keep me from sharing more pictures of me in my bright colored golf shirts, but here is a nice set of pictures from a frequent contributor in Alaska, Paul and Neva Renschen. Paul writes:

This was a Monday - Friday trip that we took last week. We are going to Valdez for silver salmon later this month. I most often get good photos from that.

We were gone five days and are home again. Birch Lake was lovely. This is the view from the boat launch.

It was pretty uncrowded. That is our boat and motor home in the next two photos.

And the fishing was good - if you like small fish (which we do). Neva was taking us out this morning in the next photo. Now that’s a picture of concentration – no messin around with that nice boat.

I cleaned the fish as soon as we got to shore, Neva vacuum packed them, and then they went right into the freezer.

This is all of our catch to include two from our son and his wife. We have thirty in all.

It was a nice trip.

Paul

Thank you Paul, the campground reminded me of some of the beautiful campgrounds we enjoyed when I live up there in the early 70’s. We almost always had the campgrounds to ourselves because I’m not a fisherman so I would always follow the reports as to where the fishing was best and then go someplace else. We had a great couple of years up there.

Some of my recent comments brought back memories of Bill Sherrell for Ed Armstrong. While I normally try to avoid stringing comments and responses together (I leave discussions for the “forum”) this story seemed worthy of an exception, enjoy: 

Thanks for all the news. I appreciate your effort especially the recent updates on Bill Sherrell. Every time I see him I get a terrifying flashback. Yearling year Bill lived upstairs from me. I was a 145 pound 150 Pound football player and Bill was a - well huge! - Varsity Football player. One night I was studying with my back to the door in one of those steel chairs with the steel arm rests. Bill sneaked up behind and, in one fluid motion, picked the chair up by the arm rests and planted the legs on the ceiling. I hung on to the arms, curled my legs under the chair and squealed like a girl while starring down at that ear to ear grin of Bill's.  He finally lowered me and explained that he felt a muscle cramp coming on and was just looking for something to lift and I looked about the right size.

 Ed Armstrong

Use lxv@cox.net

I had no idea how fortunate I was not to anger the boy on the golf course yesterday. Thanks Ed, for sharing that great memory.

Now that we have gone through the great bunch of pictures provided by Bob Guy, we seem to have entered a dry spell. I keep asking for input to share with the Class but unfortunately not much has been forthcoming recently. So I continue to try and keep you informed of the comings and goings of our Band of Brothers with not much to share but my own activities. Therefore, the price you pay is that you hear more and see more of my activities than you probably want.

Yesterday, because I am spending the week fairly close to Bill and Susan Sherrell’s home in Spanaway, WA, Bill and I got together for a very enjoyable round of golf at Lipoma Firs Golf Course just south of Puyallup. For those of you not familiar with some of the Indian names of towns in Washington State, there is a story about the folks who went into a fast food place in Puyallup (pronounced as if it were spelled Pyu…) and asked the kid behind the counter, “How do you pronounce the name of this place?” To which he responded, “M-c-D-o-n-a-l-d-’s”. Not very funny but cute.

Anyway, after the round we found a friendly guy who took our picture to share with you. And, yes, real men do wear fuchsia:

That’s Bill, the tall thin one on the right.

This is the final installment of Bob Guy’s large collection of photos taken between 1963 and 1967. I hope you have all enjoyed them as much as I have enjoyed sharing them. As you peruse these last eight pictures and their descriptions, please consider doing the same thing with some of your own old photos. We would all love to see them. If you don’t have the wherewithal to scan your old photos, please consider asking a friend for some assistance or you could send them to me for scanning and I would be sure to return them to you. There have to be hundreds of great shots out there.

Now here are Bob’s last eight:

23. (Left) Class of 1965 First Class Trip at Fort Knox, KY in Summer 1964; Row in center-right of pic—Emery Chase (1st on right), Gil Curl (2nd from right), unknown (with head turned), Slats Letterie (4th from right looking towards camera), Frank Hennessee (5th from right), Bob Radcliffe (6th from right). (You can also see Rocco McGurk between rows, in background, looking towards the camera.)

(Right) 24. Studying in East Barracks room, Keyes Hudson (foreground) and Walt Saxon (behind Keyes), January 1965.

(Left) 25. In Central Area immediately after Class of 1964 Graduation Parade, recognizing class of 1967 Plebes, ’65 members Bill Birdseye (w/ guidon on left), Denny Lewis (2nd from left, D-2009), Bob Guy (3rd from left), Chuck Hemmingway (right side w/ rifle on right shoulder (KIA RVN 1967)

(Left) 26. Home football game at Michie Stadium, Fall 1964, Bernie Kistler (L, KIA RVN 1966) and Johnny McCullough (back to camera).

(Right) 27. East Barracks Nap time, (L to R) unknown USMAPS visitor, Keyes Hudson, Bernie Kistler (KIA Vietnam 1966), Fall 1964.

(Left) 28. Bracing Plebes for the last time, Class of 1967 Recognition following the Graduation Parade for Class of 1964; Frank Prokop’65  is on right w/o FD hat, June 1964.

(Right) 29. First Class Beast Detail for Class of 1968 at Lake Popolopen, Rick Sullivan (L) and Bob Guy (R) just prior to Plebe Hike back in w/ Class of 1968, Aug 1964.

(Left) 30. Tommy Abraham ’65 during Operation Cedar Falls, 173rd Airborne Brigade, RVN, January 1967.

That’s it for Bob Guy’s memories for now. Please consider my request to follow his example with some of your favorite pictures.

Time for one more installment of the great pictures taken back in the day from Bob Guy. 

(Right) 16. Headed down the hill to the Post PX; Bill Birdseye (L) and Bernie Kistler (KIA RVN 1966), taken about December 1963.

 (Left)  17.In Central Area after Class of 1964 Graduation Parade, Ron Floto ’65 in Full Dress, June 1964.

(Right) 18.  Wearing B-robes in the Mess Hall during evening Football Rally, (L to R seated) Ric Shinseki (mouth open), Gene Parker, and Bob Guy (others seated unknown), Fall 1964.

(Left) 19.  Mickey Mantle at the plate, NY Yankees played USMA baseball team, Baseball field USMA, April 1965

 (Right) 20. Rick Sullivan ’65 bracing New Cadets from Class of 1968 during Beast Detail, Central Area, Aug 1964.

(Left) 21.  Roommates hard at work, East Barracks, Jan 1965, Bob Guy (w Kool-Aid), and Barre Bernier.

(Right) 22. Studying in East Barracks, Bill Birdseye (Seated) and Bernie Kistler (standing, KIA RVN 1966), February 1965.

Thanks again Bob, all these pictures are great fun.

Bruce Marshall has done it again. This guy has a habit of making me feel guilty for slowing down a little when I retired. Here he has provided a complete report of his recent climb to the top of Mt. Katahdin along with a great picture of him at the top with a small Class flag to show that he dedicated his climb to all of us. Thank you Bruce.

Summited last Thursday, 18 July for the Third & Last time over the past 20 years!
 I was attending the 27th Annual Convention of the Highpointers Club of America held in Millinocket, ME just outside Baxter State Park. www.highpointers.org - Mt Katahdin is the most challenging State Highpoint East of the Mississippi River!

 I dedicate this climb to all my Classmates:

 It was a real epic this time ascending & descending the Hunt Trail - the precise trail Appalachian Trail hikers take to start or end their through hikes  (5.2 miles each way - with a 4,000 foot elevation gain).  It took me 5 hours 35 minutes to go up, but over 10 hours to get down; believe me I'm not bragging, just grateful I didn't twist an already marginal right ankle which I twisted in a beach volley ball game over 30 years ago - which resulted in a nerve entrapment, some atrophy of the lower right leg, & ultimately release of the entrapment by a very skilled Neurosurgeon over 20 years ago ("your leg won't get better, but it won't get any worse").

 I'm really trying not to "push my luck" too far while trying to be as active as feasible.

I have done 33 State Highpoints, and I do realize that my "climbing career" is rapidly nearing an end. I will not be doing Mt. McKinley in AK (most difficult state Highpoint);

 I've turned back on:

 (1) Mt. Hood, OR (the 5th most challenging state Highpoint) twice (June 2012 & June 2013);

 (2) Borah Peak, ID (the 6th most challenging state Highpoint) - September 2011 - got part way across 'Chicken Out Ridge' before turning back - also caused what ultimately became a Frozen Shoulder from using my climbing poles like canes coming down and driving the shock up into my shoulders for over 5 hours, & finally,

 (3) I turned back about 2 miles from the Summit of Kings Peak in Utah (7th most challenging state highpoint) with my son this past September 2012 because I was being stupid & thought we could do the 28 mile round trip in a single day.

 In conclusion, I'm looking forward to the C&O Canal - Great Allegheny Passage Bike ride in August!

 Bruce Marshall

brucesiphone@yahoo.com

Great stuff, thanks Bruce.

Chuck McCloskey took on a very difficult task as the lead in our Class efforts to remember each of our fallen Classmates with a Memorial Article. He has done a magnificent job and has the vast majority of the Articles either completed or in progress. However, he is in need of a little assistance to make sure we reach our goal. Please consider responding directly to Chuck to volunteer to write or assist with one of the needed articles. Here is Chuck’s request: 

Classmates, 

The Class of 1965 has set a goal of having Memorial Articles written for all deceased members of the class by the 50th reunion. We are well on our way to meeting this goal with many of you writing or assisting in extremely well done articles that we have seen in “TAPS”.  

However, we still need authors/facilitators for two classmates who have gone before us, Lewis (Ed) Maness of D-1 and Bob Bradley of C-2.  Preparing a Memorial Article is a challenging task, but one that has many rewards for families, friends and Classmates—it permits all to remember how the loved one, gone before, enriched their lives. 

Should you be willing to assist in this effort, view the AOG Memorial Article guidelines by clicking here for your assistance. 

Please consider sharing your time and talent to take on this noble task. Our class coordinator for Memorial Articles is Chuck McCloskey (ccmccloskey@yahoo.com) and he stands ready to assist.

Thank you Chuck for your many efforts and to anyone willing to step up and assist.

Last year about this time Bill Sherrell and Jim Wood put together a PNW (Pacific Northwest) Mini Golf Outing. One of the events was a wonderful dinner at the home of Bill and Susan Sherrell in Spanaway, Washington. Bill and Susan decided to do the dinner again this year because they enjoy entertaining and are really good at it. Here are a few pictures from this year’s Bar B Que. Here we have Grant Fredricks and Tad Ono enjoying the back deck while waiting for dinner. As always, Tad brought enough wine to share with everyone. On the other side of the deck were Doug Gentzkow and Ron Butterfield enjoying each other’s company.

We took the opportunity to get the mandatory group picture (back row – Bill Sherrell, Grant Fredricks, Doug Gentzkow, Duncan Brown, and Ron Butterfield – sitting – Susan Sherrell and Anita Fredericks – and, of course, in the middle with the ever-present smile – Tad Ono) taken before dinner and then the host with the most (Bill Sherrell) finished preparing the terrific cedar plank salmon dinner.

Now the happy campers finishing off the great dinner (Ron Butterfield had to leave early) as we continue to solve many of the major problems facing our country.

Finally, I wanted to make sure that all could see the amazing view of Mt. Rainier that the Sherrell’s have right out their back window and, of course, we can never get too much of Tad’s smile:

Thank you Bill and Susan for another great

I just received great report from Gordy Larson regarding the upcoming football season. In his inimitable style he describes what should be a very successful season for our Black Knights. Enjoy:

As we draw closer to the start of the football season, I thought I'd share some insights into the prospects for our affiliation class this coming season.  Although only juniors, the Class of 2015 is taking on an early leadership role on the team, and I've attempted to capture that phenomenon in the following article.  

 With the new Supe spurring them on and the best defensive backfield we've seen in years coming back, I expect to see a real turnaround this year, led by our affiliation class. 

For those who are interested, I'll have a more detailed perspective after the start of pre-season.  I don't expect the incoming plebes to take on a major role in this year's team as they have the past two seasons, but I'm watching closely to see how well some key players have recovered from off season surgery.   I fully expect us to be significantly better than last year, but how much better is still a question.

 Go Army
 Beat Navy (and everyone else while we're at it)
 Gordy

Class of 2015 Ready to Take Charge

As we approach the start of pre-season football practice, the members of our affiliation class appear ready to take on a leadership role for the coming season of Army football. In the 2011 season, Army had more freshmen (plebes) in the lineup than any other team at the FBS level, with 19 earning some playing time and 11 earning a chance to start. That was as much due to the lack of quality upperclassmen on the team as it was with the quality of the plebes. As was to be expected, the plebes struggled a bit while learning that playing at Division 1 level was considerably different than playing in high school, and the outcomes sometimes reflected the lack of experience. A few of the class dropped by the wayside or were sidelined by injuries in 2012, but several more rose to replace them and the Class of 2015 was once again called upon to exceed normal expectations for their level of experience. A total of 24 yearlings saw varsity action in 2012, and 13 earned at least one starting assignment. Ryan Powis was named to the Rimington Award watch list at center, while Geoff Bacon and Steve Shumaker were named to Phil Steele’s All Independent team and Powis and Bacon were two of only three sophomores named to the All Service Academy Team. Entering the 2013 season, several members of our affiliation class are grizzled veterans and are staking a claim to leadership on the field. As Hayden Pierce stated in a recent article, “...we kind of feel that our class is the class that’s going to end up running the defense.” Geoff Bacon echoed his remarks in another article, saying “We know that this is our (Junior Class) team, but at the same time we still want to show respect for the seniors.... it’s a junior dominated team when it comes to players who have played significantly.”

Who to Watch

Just how dominant is the junior class on this defense? Ellerson and staff are encouraging competition for all the starting spots so the starting lineup is still unsettled, but at this point in time it’s quite likely that as many as 6 of the 11 starters will be juniors with another 3-4 sophomores in strong supporting roles. Bacon has been named to the Ronnie Lott Impact Award watch list and he and Pierce are almost a lock to start at the two safety positions, Avery or Johnson-Harris will most likely start at Field Corner, Kelly holds an edge over senior captain Mackey at Whip, Drummond is the likely starter over sophomore Alexander at Bandit Tackle, and Glover is in a head to head

contest with sophomore Altimalala for the starting spot at Nose Tackle. Colin Linkul is unlikely to start, but will likely be inserted as a pass rusher in clear passing situations again this year. Bobby Kough is listed as a football junior, but I don’t know if he affiliates more with the senior or junior class at this point, but clearly he is one of the recognized leaders on the team as well. With Laird, Kime, and Doak Walker candidate Ray Maples returning, the seniors have a

stronger claim to leadership on offense, but they will rely heavily on veterans from the Class of 2015 on that side of the ball as well. With 19 career starts in his young career, Powis is the veteran on offensive line, and will share leadership with the senior Kime (13 starts) and junior classmate Shumaker (12 starts) while Bennett appears ready to step into a starting role at LT. Seniors Laird and Stephens are the veterans at WR, but junior Lawrence returns as the leading pass receiver and a 12 game starter from last season. In the backfield, the senior Maples returns for an attempt at his third 1000 yard season, but Dixon is already one of the acknowledged leaders of the team at FB, and

great things are expected of Baggettt and Turrentine at A back. What we may have here, to paraphrase Minnesota Fats, are the fruits of a couple of misspent seasons. A team that has a lot of experience returning but two more years to take advantage of it.

Go Army

BEAT NAVY

Thank you Gordy, I’m looking forward to a great season and, of course, that, all too illusive, victory over the squids.

As promised, here are the next eight photos in this great trip down memory lane provided by Bob Guy. As I’m sure they do for most of you, these pictures bring back many memories for me. The note about #10 reminded me of a teaching job I took about twenty years ago at a local community college. The gentleman who hired me was actually a classmate from Annapolis who had a very attractive plaque on his wall with a two word engraved plate identifying the mounted item as simply “slide rule” with one of our Keuffel & Esser models proudly mounted like you might find in a museum.

Additionally, for me it was fun to see a picture, from the day, of a new neighbor of mine in Goodyear, AZ, Frank Hennessee.

I hope you are all enjoying these photos as much as I am. Here, then are the next eight shots:

8. Coast Guard Academy Exchange Trip, Fall 1963, Sonny Ray ‘65 (L) and Bob Guy ’65 (back row) on steps of Academic Building at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy.

9. Denny Lewis (D-2009) preparing for PT test, about Jan 1965, East Barracks.

10. Taken in East Barracks in Jan 1965, (L to R) Gordy Kimbrell –Class of 1966 (KIA Vietnam 1970), Johnny Buczaki Class of 1966 and Barre Bernier ’65 (R) in Barre's Room (note slide rule on desk at left).

11. First Class Trip, Ft Knox, KY; Bernie Kistler (w/ sunglasses, KIA RVN 1966), and Denny Lewis (R, wearing hat, D-2009), summer 1964.

12. Football pep Rally (in B-Robes no less) featuring  (L to R) Gene Parker, Ric Shinseki and Johnny DeVitto, Fall 1964 in Central Area.

13. Frank Hennessee (L) and Keyes Hudson (R)  enjoying “Beefaloe” burgers at Fort Sill, OK during First Class Trip, Summer  1964.

14. Gene Parker ‘65 (on stoops), Company Commander of 1st New Cadet Company in Beast Barracks for Class of 1968, addressing New Cadets, Central Area, Aug 1964.

15. Hanging out in East Barracks, (L to R) Clair Gill, Bernie Kistler (KIA RVN 1966), and Denny Lewis (D-2009), taken January 1965.

Thank you again, Bob, for you efforts to share these with us.

I’m pleased to be able to share a very nice treat with you all. Bob Guy has put a lot of work into cleaning up and scanning a bunch of photos that he took back in the day. From what I have seen, I think he did a fantastic job. He points out that you will see several shots of Bill Birdseye, Barre Bernier, and Bernie Kistler because he roomed with them at various times during Cow and Firstie Year.

Bob also pointed out that the photos center around Company C-1 but they give us all a nice reminder of what life was like during our time at the Rock. There are a lot of shots of Bernie Kistler as he and Bob roomed together for half of Cow and Firstie Years. Bob remembers Bernie as an exceptional person who left us too soon and, like all our fallen Classmates, should be remembered always. 

Bob has provided 30 pictures of random times and events with brief descriptions of each. I have chosen to break this large file into four parts which I will be sharing over the next few weeks.

Here then is Part 1:

1.     Taken immediately after Class of 1964 Graduation Parade, June 1964, formation in Central Area, (’65 members L to R) Bill Birdseye (w/ guidon), Bernie Kistler (KIA RVN 1966), and Denny Lewis (D-2009). Plebes from Class of 1967 were being recognized.
2.     Taken in Athens, Georgia on a weekend during our time in Airborne School; Jim Webb (L, eating Georgia Redeye ham biscuit) and Bernie Kistler (KIA RVN 1966) at Bob Guy's House for R&R from Fort Benning, Sep 1965.

3. (Left) Bernie Kistler (KIA Vietnam, 1966) w/ friend from Pennsylvania, in Hotel Thayer Parking lot, March 1965.

4. (Right)Bernie Kistler (L, in rack, KIA RVN 1966) and Bill Birdseye (R), typical weeknight in room in East Barracks, January 1965.
5. (right) Chapel Time! (L to R) Bill Birdseye, Bob Guy, and Bernie Kistler (KIA RVN 1966), near East Barracks, taken on a Sunday in November, 1963.
6. (right) Clair Gill, Spring 1965 (I have no idea why Clair wanted this profile picture!) With a magnificent profile like that, wouldn’t you want a picture?

7. Co C-1 Intramural Football Team; ’65 members in  1st row-- Keyes Hudson (2nd from Left), Jay Stevison (3rd from left), Slats Letterie (5th from left);  ’65 members in back row-- Tim Thames (2nd from L, in front), Bob Guy (6th from left) taken in Central Area before intramural game in October,  1963.

So there is Part 1 of a 4 part visit to Bob Guy’s world back in the day. If there are any others out there who would like to take on a project like Bob has done, I would love to share them. Stay tuned for Parts 2, 3, and 4.

Dick Williams has been very good about keeping us posted with some of the details of his cross country trip with his lovely wife Joan and their two cats, Romeo and Casanova in their nice new motor home. This time we pick them up in North Carolina:

After a ninety-some days trip in their RV and two days at Biltmore House in Asheville, Dick and Joan Williams took a break from their trip home to stop by Ed and Pam Winstead’s house in Transylvania County, NC just west of Brevard. 

True to Ranger fashion they left the main highways and took a cross country ride on one of the prettiest routes from Hendersonville to Brevard.  Their route was on a two-lane road with lots of curves. 

After some discussion, all decided that the best place to park the rig was in the local Wal-Mart parking lot.  Brevard is in a rain forest and after several weeks of everyday rain the ground is too muddy to support the RV.  Ed met them and took them to Giraffe House where Pam had prepared a light lunch.  The timing was just right because the rain held off until after they left. Her we see Dick, Pam, Ed, and Joan on the Winstead’s deck overlooking the French Broad River.

Lots of good conversation and catching up on class news and “retired” work and trips.  One interesting fact came out about how Dick and Joan met.  Where else but a skydiving event?  At the time both had a thousand jumps. 

After lunch there was a tour of the RV where the Winsteads were introduced to the passenger cats, Romeo and Casanova.  They seemed to have enjoyed the trip but were looking forward to home territory. 

After the tour the Williams took off for home—this time on the main highways.

I understand that this report was a result of the joint effort of Dick and Ed. Thank you guys for a great report, you make my job easier.

One of my best sources of information regarding the comings and goings of our Class, Bob Frank, has once again provided a great report on a mini gathering of Classmates. This time he and his lovely wife, Mary, with Dave and Patti Jones visited Ray and Linda Hawkins at their Port Jefferson, Long Island home. The men and women played the Port Jefferson Golf Course two separate days and then went to the U.S. Golf Association’s Women’s Open at Sebonack Golf Course in the Hamptons. As it turned out, Dave was positioned perfectly to see one of the players hit her second shot 160+ yards into the first green and watch it roll into the cup for an eagle. Three minutes later, another player hit a similar distance shot from the 2nd fairway into the cup for another eagle. There were only two eagles that day and this gang was there for each of them.

Here we see the three lovely ladies (L to R) Linda Hawkins, Mary Frank, and Patti Jones at the signs for the event and in the next shot a self-described “suave” looking Mr. Bob Frank with Ray Hawkins at the entrance to Sebonack.

Next we have Linda, Bob, Ray, and Patti also at the entrance to Sebonack (right):

And a great way to finish off the day with some pizza at the Port Jefferson Beach on Long Island Sound (clockwise around the table) Linda, Patti (hidden), Mary, Bob, and Ray. My guess is that Dave took this picture and my advice would be to try to get your lovely wife into the shot a little better in the future. Finally, the whole gang together (Ray Hawkins, Linda Hawkins, Bob Frank, Mary Frank, Patti Jones and Dave Jones) and my thanks to the mystery person taking the picture.

It looks like a good time was had by all. Thank you Bob, for sharing this.

I enjoy sharing with the Class many things that come to me. This will be the first time I have tried sharing a short video. Gordy Larson (our resident sports analysis guru) suggested sharing a great clip from the 1965 NIT basketball game between Army and Western Kentucky and since it’s fun to watch, I thought, what the heck. So here it is, enjoy: http://www.hilltopperhaven.com/wku-vs-army-video-1965-nit/

If you have any trouble opening or running the clip, I would recommend contacting either Gordy (glarson65@aol.com), or Chuck Nichols (cnichols6@verizon.net)

Some time ago, Denny Coll shared some information that may be of interest to many of you. He found that the young lady who holds the position of Secretary/Treasurer for our affiliation class of 2015, Hope Landsem, has written an article for the Op Ed page of the Wall Street Journal entitled “A Gettysburg Hero’s Medal Too Long in the Coming”. We had a little difficulty getting a copy which we could share, but Denny finally made it happen. Here is her very well written article:
 
    The Wall Street Journal

    OPINION
    July 2, 2013, 6:53 p.m. ET

A Gettysburg Hero's Medal Too Long in Coming
Congress's delay in honoring a Union officer reflects a military-awards process that needs reassessment.

    By
    HOPE LANDSEM

On July 3, 1863, First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing, a Union artillery officer, arrayed his unit on Gettysburg's Cemetery Ridge. In the ensuing Confederate infantry assault that came to be known as Pickett's Charge, Cushing was shot twice, the second bullet tearing through his stomach and groin. The wounded officer kept up the fight, clutching his intestines as he commanded the artillery battery. Then Cushing was hit a third time, struck in the mouth by a bullet that exited at the base of his skull. The defenders of Cemetery Ridge eventually repulsed the Confederate advance, a pivotal moment in the Union victory that turned the tide of the Civil War.

One hundred and fifty years later, Alonzo Cushing's heroism at Gettysburg is finally moving closer to being recognized with the posthumous awarding of a Medal of Honor. His story suggests that the United States should reassess how long it can take for the country to honor its war heroes.

In the decades since Gettysburg, historians and others have periodically spearheaded efforts to encourage the nomination of Alonzo Cushing for a Medal of Honor. By law, military commanders must nominate soldiers for the award within two years of the action for which they are nominated. After the two-year period has passed, Congress can nominate potential recipients.

In 2003, Wisconsin Sen. Russ Feingold nominated Cushing—who was born in Wisconsin—and though a lengthy Army investigation finally deemed Cushing worthy of the honor, the attempt died in Congress.

This year, two Wisconsin congressmen, Ron Kind and Jim Sensenbrenner, resumed the quest. On June 14, the House passed an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that included legislation to authorize Cushing's medal. If the Senate passes the NDAA, Cushing will finally receive the Medal of Honor.

The long delay is not an isolated incident. With the help of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber and the state legislature, retired Army Sgt. Leonard DeWitt is still pursuing a Medal of Honor following his original nomination 60 years ago for gallantry in New Guinea during World War II. California Rep. Duncan Hunter has led an effort seeking Medals of Honor for several service members, including Marine Sgt. Rafael Peralta, who reportedly sacrificed his life covering a live grenade during a 2004 clearing mission in Iraq.

As America's highest military award, the Medal of Honor is not just a bit of ribbon, it's a national symbol. Recipients are those Americans in uniform who, in a split-second clouded by the fog of war, risked their lives to save their battle buddies and accomplish their mission. Prompter recognition of these sacrifices seems appropriate, but that may not be so easily accomplished. Military awards generally have come under close scrutiny in recent months.

On Feb. 13, outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta introduced the Distinguished Warfare Medal to recognize service members for their "extraordinary actions that make a true difference in combat operations, even if those actions are physically removed from the fight," as Mr. Panetta said at the time. An example of a potential recipient: an unmanned aerial vehicle operator based in Nevada, using a system in Afghanistan that directly affected combat operations on the ground.

The idea of a drone operator receiving an award with greater prestige than the Purple Heart angered many in the military and outside it. When current Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel took office, he ordered the Joint Chiefs of Staff to review the award. On April 15, Mr. Hagel announced the medal's cancellation, substituting a device that can be added to existing medals to indicate actions performed far from the battlefield.

Critics of the awards process also note an uptick in the number of medals being awarded; the perception is that unwarranted accolades are being handed out.

In the current climate, speeding up the awarding of Medals of Honor may be difficult—even though the number of awards made in the modern era has dropped dramatically. Only four Iraq veterans and seven Afghanistan veterans have received the Medal of Honor. By comparison, there were 1,522 recipients in the Civil War, 464 in World War II and 246 in the Vietnam War.

Why the drop off? America's military members are certainly not becoming any less intrepid. There is something to be said for the fact that troops in today's unconventional conflicts may be less likely to encounter the close-combat situations that have frequently precipitated Medal of Honor-worthy action in America's past wars. But some of the downturn might also be attributable to a military-awards system that is plagued by bureaucratic oversight and sometimes hindered by internal military politics.

If the defense secretary and the Joint Chiefs of Staff can respond quickly to criticism, reviewing and then canceling the Distinguished Warfare Medal in less than two months, maybe it's also time to launch a review investigating ways to streamline the Medal of Honor nomination and awards process. First Lt. Alonzo H. Cushing's heroism helped save the nation. A century and a half later, it's time for the nation to honor his sacrifice.
—Ms. Landsem, a Bartley Fellow at the Journal this summer, is a second class cadet at the U.S. Military Academy. Her views do not reflect those of the academy, the U.S. Army or Defense Department.

A version of this article appeared July 3, 2013, on page A15 in the U.S. edition of The Wall Street Journal, with the headline: A Gettysburg Hero's Medal Too Long in Coming.

Copyright 2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 
It turns out that Hope is interning with the Wall Street Journal this summer. Wow, that’s impressive, seems to me that when I was that age I was spending an inordinate amount of time finding reasons to spend just a few more minutes in the warm embrace of my Brown Boy.
 
We seem to have a lot of talent in our Affiliation Class. It’s fun to watch them and reminisce about what we were doing back in the day.

About a month ago, Tom Fergusson accepted the position of POC for organizing and coordinating our Class support of the induction of Jose Gonzalez into the Army Sports Hall of Fame. He has been doing a bang up job as this this report clearly shows. I’m sure that all of your questions will be answered in the report below along with the attachment (click here to open) which may assist in finding accommodations near West Point. Here is Tom’s report:

1.  Reminder - Jose Gonzalez to be inducted in the Army Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in September -- hope you can come to West Point:  As you know from the information I sent you via Rick Bunn about a month ago, Jose Gonzalez, a three-time All-American on Coach Joe Palone's Army soccer teams that twice advanced to the NCAA final four (1963 and 1964 seasons), was selected for the ASHOF in May.  As suggested by Clair Gill, I am the Class Point of Contact (POC) for the two main ASHOF events to be held on 13 and 14 September. When Jose and nine other Army sports legends are inducted into the ASHOF at West Point on Friday, 13 September, I'm hopeful that we'll have a strong S&D turnout to show our support for Jose and his family, just as we did for Rollie Stichweh and his family when he was inducted into the ASHOF last September.  Many of those who come will want to attend the Army-Stanford football game on the 14th as well. 

2.  Formal dinner on Fri, 13 September in Ike Hall:  Jose and nine other Army sports heroes will officially join the ASHOF on Friday evening, 13 September during a formal black-tie Hall of Fame Induction Banquet in Eisenhower Hall - doors open at 6 pm for the cocktail hour. Here's the link to purchase your tickets for the ASHOF induction dinner on Fri, 13 Sep:

http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetGroupList?prc=HOF&caller=PR&linkID=army&RDAT=&RSRC . 

Please let me know via email at tferg65@aol.com if and when you decide you're going to the dinner and who will be with you so I can work with the Office of the Director of Intercollegiate Athletics (ODIA) / Army A Club POC in arranging S&D tables at the banquet.  Also, please let me know if you have any preferences about who you would like to sit with on your table and I'll do my best. Each table will have a maximum of 10 people, same as last September.

Here is Jose back in the day and more currently with his beautiful wife Ana.

3.  Army vs. Stanford football game on 14 Sep:  The 2013 ASHOF inductees will also be recognized during Army's football game vs. Stanford at Michie Stadium the following day - kickoff is currently scheduled for noon on Sat, 14 September. I've been in touch with the Army football ticket office and the Army A Club re. tickets for the football game for those who are interested in sitting with classmates.  (Note: You do not have to be an Army A Club member to purchase these tickets, but you will have to pay for Michie Stadium parking unless you are an Army A Club member.)  Dawn Georgalas, Special Events Coordinator at the Army A Club, has set aside a block of seats in Section 16 for the Class of '65 at the game.  Here are Dawn's instructions about how to buy your tickets if you want to sit in Section 16 (Rows SS to XX) with the Class. Note that these tickets will be held for the Class until 1 August.

"We have set aside a group of seats in Section 16 at the football game for the class of 1965.  Here is how they can purchase their seats:

·         Go to http://ev12.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventList?groupCode=IHG&linkID=army&shopperContext=&caller=&appCode=&format=grpMenu

·         And enter promo code: 1965 (on this page, do not click anywhere else)

They can also call the ticket office at 1-877-446-4996 and let them know they want to purchase tickets for the Stanford game with the 1965 group.  This block of seats will be on hold until August 1st." 

4.  Lodging near West Point for the weekend of 13-15 September:  You're on your own to arrange your lodging.  Because of the combination of the ASHOF induction dinner on Friday night and the Army-Stanford football game on Saturday afternoon, lodging is expected to be tight in the vicinity of West Point that weekend.  No surprise here!  The Thayer Hotel is already booked and the same is likely for other choice places close to West Point.  Click here to view a list of West Point area hotels and motels including the Five Star Inn next to the West Point Visitors Center in Highland Falls, provided by Dawn Georgalas of the Army A Club.  Dawn's note to me included the following: "I may have rooms available in my room blocks but they are reserved for inductees' families until early August."  I will stay in touch with Dawn and let you know if some of these rooms open up in early August.

5.  FYI - other ASHOF inductees this year:  Several other 2013 ASHOF inductees will be of special interest to many members of S&D, including football All-American Dick Nowak (class of 1964) and track & field coach Carleton Crowell (1954-75).  Others being inducted this year include: football All-Americans Paul Bunker (1903), Al Vanderbush (1961), Charles "Monk" Meyer (1937 -- Heisman Trophy runner-up, also a basketball and lacrosse star), and Gary Steele (1970); lacrosse coach Jack Emmer (1984-2005); soccer and track & field star, as well as the first American to walk in space, Edward White (1952); and women's basketball star, Julie DelGiorno (1996).

ODIA's Official Announcement of 2013 ASHOF Selectees:  Once again, in case you missed it, here's a link to the official announcement of this year's ASHOF selections, posted on the Army Black Knights website in late May:  http://www.goarmysports.com/genrel/052313aab.html 

Don't hesitate to give me a call if you have questions about any of this or something else related to the ASHOF weekend in September.  I look forward to seeing many of you at West Point on Fri, 13 Sep, if not before. 

Strength & Drive!

Tom Fergusson

O: 703-676-5018

H: 703-421-2675

Email: tferg65@aol.com

Is this boy “all over it” or what?

Thank you Tom, I wish I could join you.

I got a pleasant surprise when I sat down to the laptop this evening. While there was a little delay in getting it to me, I’m always happy to receive reports of get-togethers. Andy Zaleski had a pleasant visit with Steve Bliss in Carlsbad, California. I’m sure they feel the way I do that it’s a great pleasure to spend a little time with old friends learning about the ups and downs of careers that can take such different paths. Andy’s report:

I had the opportunity a month or so ago to visit and have lunch with Steve Bliss in Carlsbad, California.  It turned out to be a terrific visit as we got to talk about old times and memories of days in the service (Army & Air Force); our recent marriages to two wonderful women; our upcoming endeavors; the current jobs we both are truly enjoying...the last jobs before we begin the next phase of our lives, retirement.

Here are Andy on the left and Steve on the right.

Many of you may not know that General Steve Bliss is the Headmaster/President (believe these are the right titles) of the Army/Navy Academy in Carlsbad... an elite boarding school (founded in 1910) and is located on the ocean.  The Academy has approximately 330 students.  Their basketball team had the tallest player in the entire San Diego area - over 7 feet tall.  Steve (one of two in our class to go into the Quartermaster) is currently overseeing a $10 million expansion of the school's Sports Complex...quite an undertaking.  He told me he is planning on moving to Savannah, Georgia, when he retires in June 2014.

I was also able to share with him that I have been in San Diego the last 12 years serving as the Dean of the Defense Acquisition University's West Region...a job that has truly been the best of my career.  I will be retiring at the end of June 2013 and plan to reside in La Quinta, California and in San Diego (during the summer). The welcome mat is always out to fellow classmates.

Cheers to all,

Andy Zaleski    

I called Andy before finalizing this message and learned that he has just entered retirement this weekend. Congratulations Andy, welcome to the world of busy days with no pay. Thank you for taking the time to share this with us.

Back in late May, I shared an invitation from Bill Hecker to join him and his lovely wife, Nancy for the Affirmation Ceremony for 7 of the Cadets in our affiliation class of 2015 who are on exchange at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. He went on to point out that the ceremony will be held from 1700 to 2000 hours at the Falcon Athletic Center Reception area on Thursday, August 15. At this ceremony we, the Class of ’65, will present each cadet with a Class of ’65 Challenge Coin. LTG (U.S. Army, ret) Jack Sterling will be the featured speaker. 

Today, I received a reminder to be shared with all with the hope that it will generate some more participation. His first message was so good, I decided to join him. His reminder:

Hi to all,

 I heard back from Bill Tredennick and Les Hagie saying that they are looking forward to coming.  Do hope that they will bring their wives if they are able to come too.

 I would like to hear from the rest of you as well.  Again, wives are included.  It should be a fine day.  I would like to invite everyone to share a Dutch treat lunch together at Flying Horse Club around noon.  We could come back over to our house, not far away, and pass the afternoon catching up with one another until the 1700 Ceremony.  Or, if you would prefer a tour of the Air Force Academy could be arranged too.

 Also, thought everyone would like to know that no one's homes were destroyed in the Black Forest Fire.  Gordon and Henriatte Long's home was missed by 100 yards and spared.  Nancy and I had to evacuate, but we were not that close (within a mile or so from the apartment and 1/2 mile from your new home) to the west of the fire.  A scary time.

 Will send directions when I receive your RSVP for the activities.

 Many Thanks.  Looking forward to seeing everyone.

 Bill

Thank you Bill it sounds like a good time for all. Also very happy to hear that your new home and Gordy’s place was spared.