Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Following the passing of Gordy Larson’s dear service dog, Major, I have been bugging him for some pictures of his new best friend, Rodeo. Well, he came through in grand style. Here are some great shots of Rodeo at the Army/Navy Game. Gordy writes:

Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of Rodeo with me, because Rodeo doesn’t do selfies, but here are a couple of photos of Rodeo on his own.

Rodeo at the Army Navy game complaining about the obstruction in his view. He was with me in the press box for the game, and after the game we stopped by to say hello to several Classmates who were at the post game Class dinner in the Sheraton. I didn’t get photos of him there, but perhaps others who were there did. Notice that he is wearing his new collar for the game, along with Major’s old service vest with the class crest. Rodeo calling a timeout at M&T

This was our view from the press box during the singing of the Alma Mater.

Rodeo also had a chance to meet some of the players after the game. He’s not in this photo though. Rodeo working the crowd at a Christmas Party. He’ll endure almost any humility for a treat, but he’s more selective about his food than Major was. He was hoping for a slice of the ham on the table (covered by tin foil), and ended up getting a few of the scraps.

Thank you, Gordy. A perfect way to introduce us to Rodeo!To respond directly use: Gordon Larson glarson65@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this super report from my favorite “recovering lawyer”. Bob is a member of our Leadership Team who helps to keep us on the straight and narrow. He writes:

The tailgate was terrific, put on by the West Point Society of North Texas outside the Cotton Bowl and directly across from our section. The Supe and the First Captain did a great job of getting the “rabble” fired up. I saw Jim Holmes and Tom Cindric there. You’ve already seen those pictures from Tom. Also, ran into Walt Oehrlein. We had a nice chat, catching up with each other but unfortunately, I forgot to get you the picture I promised.

I took my 2 sons and my 3 grandsons to see their first Army game. As you can see, one of them is a big Zeke Elliott fan. What a great game to start them off on. Below is a picture of us outside the Cotton Bowl on the way to the tailgate. I can only hope……maybe Classes of ’27, ’30 & ’31.

When we got to the stadium I was sitting next to Larry Neal (Photo Right) and his brother-in-law from Arkansas. Larry had come down from his home in Charlottesville, VA. It was great seeing him again, although we see each other at Bob Radcliffe’s golf outings from time to time. Finally, in the emotion of the moment, I took my first selfie. Sorry about that but when Army rushed the field at the final gun couldn’t help myself. It was a beautiful day, with great old friends to catch up with and a wonderful Army win. What a season to be proud of…...and TO BUILD ON!!

All the best. Get well soon.

BEAT NAVY……. AGAIN.

Bob

Thanks Bob. Great report.

To respond directly use: Bob Axley rjaxley@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here is Gordy Larson’s review of the Herat of Dallas Bowl. Enjoy.

Monday Morning QB - Heart of Dallas
Special Thursday Edition

As our GBK readers know, we try publish a summary of each game on the same day it is played and then spend some additional time on Sunday reviewing the game and publishing a more analytical version on Mondays, but that presumes that the game is played on Saturday; so this is a special Thursday addition to our MMQ series.

The Significance of Win Number 8

I think all of our readers and most other Army fans can appreciate the significance of Army West Point winning their 8th game of a season when most fans were expecting 6 wins at best. A few years from now, most will have to check back on the 2016 schedule to see where those wins came from, and some may note that the record included two wins over FCS teams. But the fact still remains that this was the first time that Army has won 8 games in 20 years, and we don’t need both complete hands to count the number of 8 win seasons since the glory days of the Red Blaik era. We’ve all seen those hats with the slogan “Make Army Football Great Again” printed in gold letters, and each of us can decide on our own whether Army Football is already there or still on the way, but this team put their stake in the ground with the win over North Texas.

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Steve Harman sent me this nice report a while back but my circumstances and all the Army/Navy stuff I received kept pushing it to the back. Sorry about that, Steve. Anyway, Steve sent me this regarding a dinner he and Anne had with Chuck and Rosemary McCloskey. Steve writes:

Anne and I recently hosted Rosemary and Chuck McCloskey for a visit in New Bern, North Carolina.  The occasion was a visit to a candlelight ceremony at the Colonial Era Tryon Palace in New Bern.  It was a chilly evening but we warmed up over a glass of wine and dinner at our golf club. For those who have not seen us for a while the tall folks are Rosemary and Chuck.

Steve

Thanks Steve, great report and pictures.

To respond directly use:  Steve Harman  steve_harman@suddenlink.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a few more shots and some good comments from George Seaworth. He starts with a good shot of a big group of folks in the seats at the stadium:

Photo Left: Section 132 from top to bottom and L to R. Bob and Mary Frank, Linda Hawkins and Mary Jones. Jill and (daughter) Terry Seaworth. Jane and Bill Lehman. Raymond (their grandson). That sure looks a lot colder than my family room with the fire going but I still wish had been there.

Photo Right: The final play (didn’t have to run it)

The final score!

Note: Bill and Jane also had their daughter Jen; son and his wife, Jon and Kimberly; and grandson Peter with them as well as granddaughter and Cadet Elizabeth (2019). That explains Bill’s parka with the 65 19. He did not have 1965 backwards as I first suspected. Thanks for explaining that, George, it had me confused.

Had a great time at the game and with Classmates and families. Much more fun than our last game, 2013. Thanks to Tom and June Fergusson for all their work.

George Seaworth

Great report, George, thank you. To respond directly use: George Seaworth georgehs@prodigy.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here is the last installment of the great set of pictures David Jones sent me.

Photo Left: Ray and Linda Hawkins on the bus going to the game

Here we have Ray Pollard looking very lost (where’s Linda?). And then Russ Campbell speaking at the dinner at the Sheraton.

Here we have Steve Harman, ready to board the bus for the stadium, Tom Abraham enjoying the hospitality suite, and Tom Ferguson speaking at the post game dinner at the Sheraton.

Photo Right: we have Ray and Peggy Pollard at the game

That’s about it for all the great shots I got from David Jones. Thanks David, well done. Next I would like to throw in a quick note from Chris Needels who didn’t send any pictures but painted a pretty good picture with these few words:

I watched the game at a restaurant bar in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was on the screen, and people seem interested, although not particularly rooting for one side or the other. As appropriate, I was wearing the Army colors and logo that afternoon. People who I never met came up and said that they hoped army won this year. Those who were not interested, became interested. They supported the military no matter what school we went to. Army won. I didn’t buy any drinks that night. God bless America and our service members.

Chris

Thanks Chris, good stuff.

This is not the end of our coverage of the big game. I just received a brief report with a couple more pictures from George Seaworth which I will share soon.

To respond directly use: David Jones djones5753@tampabay.rr.com | To respond directly use: Christopher J. Needels cneedels@verizon.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Once again, here are several pictures from David Jones in no particular order but with captions he provided.

Photo Left: Doug and Sharon Richardson at the after game dinner at the Sheraton

Next we have Jim Thomaswick and Tom Abraham at the after game dinner at the Sheraton. And then Joe Sanchez, also at the after game dinner.

Here we have John Howell on the elevator at the Sheraton and then Jose Gonzalez at the after game dinner at the Sheraton.

Next we have Mary Frank, Linda Hawkins, and Patti Jones (left to right) at the game. And then Mary Frank and Linda Hawkins waiting to depart for the game.

Photo Right: Greg and Nathan Lampshire (Harry Dermody’s son and grandson) at the game

Patti Jones and Ray and Linda Hawkins ready to travel to the game. And then the euphoria following the game. I see an awful lot of unhappy squids in the background. I feel so bad for them – NOT!!!

Thanks David, great pictures.

To respond directly use:  David Jones   djones5753@tampabay.rr.com

I’ll have another instalment for you soon. All these pictures help me get a sense of what it was like to be there. I wish I had been.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

David Jones shared a whole slew of pictures, each with its own caption. I will just share them here and in follow up messages, in random order.

Photo Left: Andy and Ruth Zaleski after the game at the Sheraton

Army offense, first quarter. Barry Zais and Dan Pultz in Hospitality room at the Sheraton

Bob and Mary Frank on the bus from the Sheraton to Raven Stadium. Then Bob Frank at the stadium (Section 132).

Photo Right: Army end zone

Here’s Bob Harter looking very satisfied, so I guess it’s after the game. Next we have Doug and Sharon Richardson about to board the bus for Raven Stadium.

I’m going to let that be it for this message as I don’t want to get too many pictures in one e-mail.

Thank you, David for these great shots. To respond directly use:  David Jones   djones5753@tampabay.rr.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Between Tom Cindric, Larry Neal, and Mike Teeters, we have a pretty good look at what it was like to be in Dallas for the great victory the Black Knights had over North Texas. Tom writes:

Photo Left: the Supt addressing the tailgate attendees

This is me and my better half Janie in the stands at the game. Next is the awards ceremony.

And finally the presentation of the trophy.

Tom
Next, Larry Neal sent this nice picture and commented:
This pic doesn't tell the full story but only the score goes in the record book. Really enjoyed watching Army West Point's season finale.

Finally, we have these comments from Mike Teeters:

Sorry, no pictures, but I did get down to the game yesterday. My preferred location for game watching is the living room, shoes off and refreshment in hand, but because it was essentially a home game for North Texas I thought the boys might need some support.

Photo Right: Bob, Jim Holmes and me at the tailgate

I needn't have bothered. Of the 39,000 in attendance, close to half were Army fans, mostly grads and their families. I've never seen so many West Point t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets. Altogether we provided a nice sea of black, gold, and gray. Some younger grad spotted my parka and informed me I was not the oldest grad there. Egad, I didn't even know I was in the running!

As you saw on the tube, we were rewarded with another great win, with a finish that was pure guts.

Mike Teeters

Thank you, Tom, Larry, and Mike for a really nice look at what it was like to be there.

To respond directly use: Tom Cindric texastom43@yahoo.com | To respond directly use: Larry Neal larryneal@frii.com | To respond directly use: Michael Teeters mbteeters@earthlink.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Wow, no sense making the game any easier than you have to!

Congratulations to the Black Knights for a hard-fought, payback victory.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s another chance to reminisce about that wonderful day. John Bell sent me some wonderful shots of the march-on which I thought was magnificent. His last shot captures his family enjoying the game. John writes:

Photo Left: my family enjoying the game

Thanks to Tom Fergusson for organizing the great get-together for our class at Army-Navy 2016! I could not participate as much as I would have liked since it was a family reunion for us. Here are some pics sent to me by my cousin who came to the game with us. Here we see the corps marching on and then the entire corps on the field. It is always inspiring, especially doing "the rocket".

What a game and weekend!

Next...TWO in a row, BEAT NAVY,

John
Thanks John, good stuff and some great pictures.

To respond directly use: John Bell jaba8bell@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here are a couple more nice pictures from the big game. As I put this Bunnogram together I realize that I just sent one out with pictures provided by Sherry Gill, in which I erroneously spelled Steve Harman’s name incorrectly. My apologies, especially to you Steve. All I can say is – no excuse, sir. Anyway, Steve was kind enough to send along these great shots of his family at the game. He writes:

Photo Left: shows Steve and his brother-in-law Peter Overzat (in the Navy hat), with John Harman (in the Army hat) and Joe Harman, Chris Overzat and Jim Harman (in the Ex2 hat) in the second row. Peter bought the drinks after the game.

Photo Right: shows Steve and sons and Steve’s brother Tom with several of Steve’s nieces and nephews and spouses. Many of these folks traveled from Chicago and St. Louis to enjoy the fun.

Steve

Thanks Steve, great pictures and a great looking family. I’m glad Peter bought the drinks. Your tab must have been pretty high over the past fourteen years.

To respond directly use: Steve Harman steve_harman@suddenlink.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I’m afraid I got pulled away from my magic laptop and drawn into many other activities like, lunch, a nap, a Seahawk football game, etc. However, I am now ready to finish up the great set of picture that Sherry Gill sent me from the hotel as you were all getting ready for the big game.

Photo Left: we have Dave and Patti Jones

Next, we have Barry Zais and Patty Jones

And then a great picture of Tom and June Fergusson.

Here we have a shot of Steve Harmon with his much taller brother Tom on his left and a great looking bunch of loosely connected family members (cousins, siblings, brothers and sisters – I got too tired to try to figure them all out) anyway they are all looking very happy to share this moment with Steve and Tom.

Here are Andy and Ruthie Zaleski. And then, Mary Frank standing behind Bob Frank on her right and Russ Campbell on her left.

Photo Right: Doug Richardson and his wife Sharon

Even though I think these were taken before the big win, they sure look like a bunch of happy campers. Thank you, Sherry for sharing this great gallery of pictures. It’s always fun to see old (sorry about that word) friends, especially when they are having a good time.

To respond directly use: Cheryl A. Gill cherylagill@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I want to take this opportunity to wish each and every one of you a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a WONDERFUL HOLIDAY SEASON!!! And to thank you all for your kind prayers, thoughts, messages, and support as I work through this health issue.

Please do not feel a need to respond to this message as I have already been overwhelmed with your kind support. I have already received my Christmas gift with the fact that I will be home with my family for the big day and I can feel the warm support of my Classmates, wives, and friends. I’m just beginning to realize how fortunate I am to be a member of this amazing extended band of brothers.

I will continue to share information from the Big Game as time and energy permit.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Now to some of the great pictures I received. First, I will go through a batch of photos that Sherry Gill was kind enough to send.

Photo Left: we see Sherry and Clair with a selfie at the time they knew it was a win!

Next is a shot of good friends Tom Abraham and Ray Hawkins enjoying each other’s company. Also, a nice picture of Mary and Bob Harter. This hospitality room seems to be getting some good use.

And , here’s a good shot of Linda and Ray Hawkins.

Photo Right: we have a good picture of Dave Hurley with his beautiful friend Cheryl. (Dave, I like your shirt!)

That’s it for this first look at the activities surrounding the BIG WIN!!! More to come.

To respond directly use: Cheryl A. Gill cherylagill@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

This next visit to the Army/Navy Game includes a note that Tom Fergusson sent to those who participated in the activities he organized. I chose to share this because I like many of his comments regarding the game. This is followed by his report to the Class on the game and those who participated with him.

To those who participated in Class of '65 Activities during Army's Victory Over Navy Weekend in Baltimore:

It was truly a weekend to savor and remember for as long as we live. In retrospect, we were very fortunate to have been there with our classmates, family, and friends! It was wonderful that so many of us were able to join together at the Sheraton BWI Hotel and M&T Bank Stadium.

Because of the incredibly long, painful drought of Army football victories over our arch rival that preceded the 117th meeting of Army and Navy on Saturday, not to mention Navy's national ranking, I would rank it right up near the top as one of the most important and satisfying victories over Navy I have ever witnessed. Of course, we will never forget our own team's thrilling upset victory over Roger Staubach and Navy in 1964 after five straight Navy victories. No matter how we rank this most recent defeat of Navy, we can all be proud of our resourceful, determined, hard fighting Army team and the great spirit shown by the Corps of Cadets and Army fans around the world in cheering them on to victory!

Tomorrow I will send Rick Bunn a short report of the weekend from my vantage point as the Class planner / organizer, but as always what will make the report interesting when Rick sends it out to the Class in finished form are the pictures he will include. This is where we ask for your help.

Special Request: Obviously, many of you took pictures in and around the hotel, including our Class Hospitality Suite on Friday and Saturday and the Victory Dinner Saturday night, at the game itself at M&T Bank Stadium, and no doubt in some other places, too. Please pick out a few of your pictures and send them directly to Rick (with captions if possible, especially the names of those in the pictures), cc to me. Rick is far more adept than I am at inserting them in his report to the entire Class.

Strength & Drive with '65!

Tom Fergusson

And now, his report to all of us:

Army/Navy 2016 -- Final Report
14 December 2016

Early On -- A Certain Feeling About Army's Chances of Beating Navy in 2016:

This past summer, as we began buying our tickets and making plans for the 2016 Army Navy game, there was a certain feeling in the air that 14 straight Navy victories was way more than enough and 15 straight just wasn't going to happen! This was Army's year to beat the Middies and as events proved on Saturday, so it was, thank goodness! Strength & Drive was well represented at M&T Bank Stadium and we did our part in rooting the Army team on to victory with our largest Class of '65 turnout in quite a few years.

A Most Enjoyable Class of '65 Weekend and a Victory Over Navy to Remember:

The Army-Navy game on Saturday, 10 December, was one to savor and remember forever, whether you watched it on TV at home or at an Army-Navy game party somewhere or joined us in Baltimore for the weekend, culminating with our Class of '65 Army Victory Dinner, attended by nearly 80 people, on Saturday night at the Sheraton Baltimore-Washington Airport hotel!

Those members of Strength & Drive and our family members and friends, over 100 strong in all, who journeyed to Baltimore from as far away as southern California, Chicago, St. Louis, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Ontario, New Hampshire, and Florida, felt especially fortunate to have shared this memorable victory with each other and to have been there at M&T Bank Stadium to witness the sheer bedlam that erupted at the end of the game with Army on top 21-17 and the Corps of Cadet pouring onto the field to congratulate the coaches and players who had finally accomplished a feat that we had not seen in a very long time. And how sweet it was to have the honor of singing our Alma Mater last!

Significance of Army's Victory:

Because of the unbearably long and painful drought of Army victories over Navy that preceded Saturday's game, not to mention Navy's national ranking (as high as # 20) during the season, I would rank this win right up near the top as one of the most important and satisfying victories over the Mids I've ever witnessed. Of course, it did not surpass our own team led by Rollie and their thrilling upset victory over Roger Staubach and highly ranked Navy in 1964 after five straight Navy victories. No matter how one ranks this most recent defeat of Navy, we can all be proud of the resourceful, determined Army team that earned a hard fought victory and the great spirit shown by the Corps and Army fans in the stadium and around the world in cheering them on to victory!

Strength & Drive with '65!

Tom Fergusson

Thanks Tom. Great reports.

To respond directly use: Thomas G. Fergusson tferg65@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

As I dig into this pile of great stuff to share about the big game, I have to apologize because I will probably get some of it out of order and may mess up some names to go with some pictures. However, I have so many great shots to share, I want to get started sharing them as soon as I can.

With this Bunnogram I will start covering the big game with Gordy Larson’s amazing coverage of what he saw in the game. The next Bunnogram will have some of the pictures.

Here is Gordy’s report:

Monday Morning QB - Navy
The Streak has Ended
The afterglow of Saturday’s game made that 7 hour drive from Baltimore back to North Carolina a lot easier than many of those trips I’ve made in the past, and I had plenty of time to reflect on the game.

When did you “know” the streak was over?

As has been the case with several Army Navy games in recent years, the game was not decided until well into the 4th quarter, but my question for each of you to answer for yourself, is when did you “know” in your heart of hearts that Army had the win? When did you shed your lingering doubts and begin your own internal celebration?

Click here to for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My dear friends, I don’t know how to express my appreciation for the overwhelming support I have received in the form of messages, prayers, and encouragement from so many. For years, I have been encouraging folks to share their issues with our amazing Class so they can get the support that can be so helpful. Now I know how good that advice was (I’ll try not to hurt my arm as I pat myself on the back). I have heard from so many of you that I’m unable to keep track. And, yes, it is very therapeutic and helpful to know that so many care about you. Please accept this sincere Thank You!!!

I know that Russ and Chuck have been trying to keep you updated on my situation, so I will attempt to expand a little on what they have already shared. On Monday, the 12th of December, I went to Madigan Hospital for a routine visit I had scheduled with my Doctor. My wife/guardian angel suggested that I stop by the internal medicine clinic to have them listen to my breathing because she had heard a raspy noise while I was sleeping. As I walked into the hospital, I had to stop three times to catch my breath and when available lean on a wall. This was only about one hundred yards or so. That made me happy to follow her suggestion. Once they listened to my breathing I went immediately to the emergency room and was soon checked in for a 9-day visit.

Fortunately, they have been able to pretty much rule out cancer or heart problems but they are still not quite sure of the cause. I have many visits scheduled so I’m optimistic that they will find the cause and focus on the cure. In the meantime, I am tethered to an oxygen generator in my home and have to take bottles with me if I leave the house. All my life I have felt like a relatively strong person but this really gets to me. I feel winded if I walk from one room to another in my house and I can’t really do anything to help out with daily chores that need to done. I’m sure that I’m feeling sorry for myself but I just want to get back to normal so I can say, as I hear in many movies, that I “feel strong – like Bull!” So, that’s what I want for Christmas.

With regard to my job and responsibility to all of you. I have been trying to respond to all your messages of encouragement and will continue to do so as quickly as I can. The regular reports will be addressed as quickly as I can get to them. We may actually have a hidden advantage here in that the main thing I have backed up at this time is a bunch of reports regarding our wonderful win over Navy on the 10th. Sharing them as soon as I can get to them will just keep that great feeling alive a little longer than we would have otherwise.

Again, thank you for all your support and prayers. I love this job (and the opportunity to serve this amazing Class) and will be back at it as soon as I can.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Last Monday, I suggested sharing your Holiday Letters with your Classmates. So far, we have received eight letters and Chuck Nichols has posted all of them on our website. I highly recommend looking them over, they are fun to read and help you get caught up on what’s happening with your Classmates. To visit this page of our website, simply follow this link:

http://www.west-point.org/class/usma1965/2016Holiday/

Of course, you can also go to the website by following this link:

http://www.west-point.org/class/usma1965/   

And once you are there, select the 2016 Holiday Greetings from the Navigation Menu you will see.

Finally, please consider sharing your Holiday Letter with all of us. To do this simply send it to:

owner-usma1965@west-point.org

This will automatically go to Chuck Nichols and me and Chuck will post it on our webpage for you.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Mike Lapolla shared this interesting bit regarding the significance of a simple billboard. Mike writes:

I realize that everyone is euphoric over our win yesterday, and many are speculating a cause and effect. Other than the team, the Corps and Palladin our mule, there is one more. It is the large billboard erected in Tulsa along Interstate 244. It was in place a month before the game and sponsored by the Eastern Oklahoma West Point Society. 

All we know is that we didn’t have a billboard the past 14 years and we didn’t win. We had one this year and we did. Isn’t there some West Point Math Department statistical routine of Army-Navy correlation or causation that we can twist to explain the effect? If not - there should be.

We had 60 folks at our watch party yesterday, including some Navy and Air Force grads. We invite all service academy grads.

Pass the word to the class. Every Society ought to get a billboard and we would never lose.

Mike Lapolla
2819 South Cincinnati Avenue
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74114
918-742-3503 (home)
lapolla@swbell.net

Good point Mike, let’s see if the hives can come up with some sort of connection here. I like the idea of encouraging other societies to do the same.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a great opportunity to get a little insight into what went on in the Army locker room after the big game. Our own Rollie Stichweh provided this very interesting report on who was there and what happened after the game. Rollie writes:

Thought the folks would be interested in what transpired in the Army locker room after this huge win over Navy! Two words ... Happy Bedlam! In my view, the excitement and emotion matched the atmosphere over 50 years ago, when our '64 Army team beat Roger's Navy squad after a few losses to the Middies. You can imagine the excitement on this occasion after such a demoralizing streak of losses. Absolutely electric! Coach Monken spoke first. His primary point? He was most proud of the players' reaction when adversity hit in that 3rd quarter. Players have a choice when that happens, and it always does --- either feel sorry for yourself and lose confidence, or suck it up and fight back. This team sucked it up, and fought back! Then, as the Coach emphasized, don't just "get close" --- "finish the deal" with a victory. And - that's what they did!

The Supt Bob Caslen echoed that theme telling the team how proud he was of them. On a football field, as in a battle, we are trained not just to try hard and do our best --- we are committed to "winning"! AD Boo Corrigan addressed the group praising the players and, importantly, congratulating Jeff Monken and his entire coaching staff. They got us "close" to beating Navy the last two years and now "closed the deal" with a "W". Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, General Mark Milley, then praised the team as well, and ... declared total amnesty for the entire Corps of Cadets. All demerits wiped entirely off the slate. That produced quite a cheer!

Finally, super linebacker Andrew King stood up on a bench and spoke to the group with great passion. What a terrific player leader he has been. He dedicated this victory to a fallen teammate - Brandon Jackson - who died in a car accident earlier in the season. It was a wonderful tribute and many tears flowed. By actual count, there were 8,376 hugs exchanged and 14,386 tears of joy shed by those celebrating in that locker room. Army Football is back to its winning ways, something for which we all can be proud. GO ARMY!!

Rollie

Thanks, Rollie, this is great. I’ll have to challenge that “actual count” sometime over a drink.

To respond directly use: Rollie Stichweh stichcr@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a nice report from our own Chuck Nichols along with a great photo. Chuck Writes:

A group of '65 along with family and friends braved the frigid air and wind in the nose-bleed section of M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore to cheer on Army's victory (finally) over Navy. The 21 -17 score doesn't tell the full story of the game in which Army dominated Navy in offense and defense. Having ridden the Tom Fergusson bus to and from the game the group stopped at the Hilton afterward to warm up and do some more celebrating before hitting the road for home. Here is the assembled group from left front clockwise: Chuck Nichols, Nancy Reiley (Alumni Glee Club Director), Terry Ryan (standing), Jim Ferguson, Connor Ryan (Terry's grandson), Doug Jones (Jim's friend, '83 Naval Academy Graduate, a former Marine so he was OK), Karen Ferguson and Nancy Ryan.

To the best of our knowledge no one suffered lasting damage from the cold. We will bask in the glow of this long-awaited victory for at least the next 12 months when we again will Beat Navy!!!

Chuck Nichols | Webmaster | USMA 1965 | cnichols6@verizon.net | 703.346.8611 (M) | http://www.west-point.org/class/usma1965

Wow, with that signature block, I don’t need to put in any contact instructions. Thanks Chuck, for a great report and a terrific picture.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Larry Leskovjan sent this nice report with a couple of good pictures. And he’s correct about me receiving several reports regarding the game. He writes:

You're probably going to get a ton of reports similar to mine, but here it is. The A-N game is always a time when classmates who do not see each other regularly have a chance to meet again. This was true for some Floridians who gathered this afternoon at Duffy's Sport Grill in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, along with a number of other USMA and USNA grads, including Joe McChristian, Larry Leskovjan and Lew Green, USMA Class of 1965. See attached photo of us.

Duffy's has hosted this gathering for a number of years, and having Army and Navy grads together like this is a great experience. Cheers from one side of the room when their team does well, cheers from the other side when theirs does. We all get along though; in fact, the photo of us three was taken by a Navy alum, Class of '65. It's a fun time, but much more fun for us this year than in years past. The Army team did great on both sides of the ball. Hopefully, this is the start of our own 14-year win streak. Go Army! Beat Navy!

Larry Leskovjan

Thanks Larry, great report. While I’m enjoying these reports on Classmates getting together for the game, I must admit there is a part of me that is saddened by the reminder of the several times I drove across Phoenix to enjoy the game with my little bitty buddy, Ron (Chops) Walter. I really miss that boy!

To respond directly use: Larry Leskovjan sancho4all@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I’m combining two reports here because they are both, post big win, and just seem to fit.

First, I got this from Linda Concannon. She writes:

I want to share with you photos from the Gainesville, Virginia Class of '65 contingent getting ready to cheer for Army and the happy faces after the BIG WIN! The table awaiting refreshments.

Photo Right: from L to R seated; Larry Bennett, Bernie Ziegler and wife Ellen, and Jean Bennett. Standing is Dwayne Piepenburg '62, and wife Leslie

With big smiles, Bernie, Larry, Jean, Ellen and Linda Concannon.

We had a great time, made even better by being able to celebrate Army's win!!

Best wishes,
Linda Concannon
Thanks, Linda, for a great report.

Next, here is a quick note from Jon Thompson who writes:

Photo Left: I won this B-robe in 2001 from a 3-star Admiral!

Looking good, my friend!

To respond directly use: Linda Concannon woodbury1950@gmail.com

To respond directly use: Jon Thompson jkt6@comcast.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

COWABUNGA!!!!!  SHAZAM!!!!!  OH YEA!!!!!

THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKIN ABOUT!!!!!

USMA RA, RA    USMA RA, RA

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I just received this nice report from Joe Barkley regarding a visit to San Francisco and a connection with John Swenson.

Diane and I were in San Francisco to visit our kids for Thanksgiving. So, I took advantage of the opportunity to contact John Swenson who lives just south of the city and arranged to have lunch together.

In the photo John and I (that’s John on the left) in front of "The Family Club" where John was kind enough to host lunch for me and my son Chris. We had a great time going back over the past 50 years or so and catching up. Rick, you made a suggestion to all of us last year that as we travel around we ought to get in touch with classmates in the area and reconnect and catch up - while we still have the chance. It is a good idea. And one I find rewarding. It was good to see John and catch up. He is going well, as you see. By the way I am wearing John's jacket as I did not have one with me. "It was a good fit" as the tailors used to say.

All the best and Beat Navy! Joe Barkley

I’m very pleased that Joe reached out to John and enjoyed the visit. When you travel, give some thought to Classmates you might visit along the way. I’m sure you will find, as Joe and I have, that it can be very rewarding. It’s not necessary that you know them, you will find that the bond extends to all Strength and Drivers, not just the ones you knew back in the day.

To respond directly use: Joe joebrkly@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I have just received an update on the services for our fallen brother, Fred Scruggs. As you will see in the following message from our POC, Sonny Ray, we will have a unique opportunity to revisit a place that brings back memories for most of us. I am very pleased to see that the leadership at the Mountain Ranger Camp in Dahlonega, Georgia has opted to cooperate and support the wishes of our fallen brother and his family to scatter his ashes at the camp. I hope that we get a good turnout for the ceremony. Sonny writes:

We received permission for Fred's family to scatter his ashes from the bridge over Eutaw Creek at the Mountain Ranger Camp (MRC) near Dahlonega Georgia. This will take place Jan 15 about 2pm the day following his Memorial Service in Columbus.

The Ranger Camp is 2 ½ hours from Columbus. All friends are invited to join Sandee, Jennifer, Rick and other family members. There will be warm refreshments following before people depart.

Please let me know if you plan to attend the Memorial Service and reception at the Scrugg's house and/or the scattering of Fred's ashes at the MRC.

Sonny Ray
ssray@comcast.net
843-276-6752

Sonny will provide directions and plans to enter the camp in a group as people contact him with their intention to attend. More information on this plan will be shared after the first of the year.

Thank you Sonny for the terrific job you are doing as our POC.

Recall that, in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia or The Green Beret Foundation.

Sandee Scruggs can be reached at: Sandee.scruggs@yahoo.com, by phone at 703-362-6240, or by mail at: 9179 Travelers Way | Midland, Georgia 31820

This is beginning to look like a very unique and special way to say good bye to our dear friend Fred.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

As you may recall, I have, on several occasions, reported on the efforts to provide wreaths for the graves at the West Point Cemetery. Eileen Rountree, widow of our fallen brother, Rance Rountree, sent me this very nice report on the successful mission to put a wreath on every grave there. Eileen writes:

For the second year in a row, enough money was raised to place a wreath on every grave at the USMA Cemetery. Gen Caslen, flanked by dedicated truck drivers, opens the first box.

Trucks arrived at the cemetery at 3 this morning and drivers were active participants in program.

Cadets and volunteers got to work unloading more than 7000 wreaths in a little over 35 minutes. I was honored to be a very small part of this endeavor.

Eileen

Eileen also added this very touching picture of the most important wreath for her.

Thank you, Eileen. Well done!

To respond directly use:  Eileen Rountree   ebmcw@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Gordy Larson outdid himself with this report as we all get focused on the Big Game.

Inside Enemy Lines: Navy
Part 1: A Look at the Records

GBK concludes its previews of Army West Point’s opponents in the 2016 season, with a look at Army’s arch rival and traditional final opponent of the season, the Midshipmen of Navy. In Part 1 we’ll look at the records of each team as well as some observations from past games. 

When: Saturday, December 10 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md

Series Record: In a series that has swung back and forth over its 126 year history, Navy has forged a significant lead in recent years with 14 straight wins and currently leads the series 60 to 49 with 7 ties. Army fans are well aware that Navy’s current winning streak could have been broken earlier but for a few bad breaks, but the 14-0 streak convinces most casual observers that Navy is the dominant team. We are not convinced, and we believe that our coaches and players are not convinced either. 

Last Meeting: Dec 12, 2015, in Philadelphia: Navy came into the game as a huge favorite, led by Heismann candidate Keenan Reynolds; but as has been the case in several games in recent years, the game was not decided until the final minutes. Army West Point took an early lead on a first quarter field goal by Dan Growchowski, but Keenan Reynolds came right back to score on a 56 yard run to give Navy the lead 7-3. Army scored again on their next possession to regain the lead at 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. Reynolds scored again early in the second quarter to regain the lead 14-7, but Edgar Poe scored on one of his 5 catches to give Army a 17-14 lead at the half. Both defenses prevailed to start the second half, but with just under 6 minutes left in the third quarter, Tillman got free on what some Army fans believe was an illegal pick and caught a pass for a 50 yard touchdown to put Navy out in front 21-14. Neither team was able to move the ball after that until late in the fourth quarter when Army mounted a drive that reached the Navy 39 yard line. That’s when Jeff Monken made the most controversial play decision of the game. He had Chris Carter lateral the ball to Deandre Bell in the flats, and the former high school quarterback threw the ball into double coverage for a Navy interception that ended the final Army scoring threat.

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Harry Haines shared this really cool look at the uniforms our Black Knights will wear this Saturday. When you go to the link, be sure to watch the 2-minute video.

http://flip.it/kY8keU

Thank you, Harry.

To respond directly use: Harry Haines   hhaines@cfl.rr.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Tommy Thompson just shared with me that at noon on Tuesday, December 27th, Army will play North Texas in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl in the Cotton Bowl Stadium in Dallas, Texas. It will be on ESPN. This should be a great game as they will by flying high after a thrilling victory over those squids.

He also shared this link so you can see all the bowl games that are scheduled:
http://www.fbschedules.com/ncaa/college-football-bowl-schedule.php

Thank you, Tommy, good stuff.

To respond directly use: Tommy Thompson tompen@hawaiian.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

When we lost our dear friend, Ina Abraham, Jay Stewart quickly stepped up to act as our POC. He did a terrific job of informing us of the details so that many could make plans to attend the funeral. When it came time for a report, Bob Frank stepped up and submitted the following:

Ina Abraham, a beautiful lady and member of the Class of 1965 family, was laid to rest on Thursday, 1 December in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. Her journey with the Class of 1965 started in the 1990s when Tom Abraham wisely started taking her to Army-Navy football games. As Tom, would remark at the reception after the funeral, Ina was immediately and thoroughly accepted into the Class family. She was that loving individual who could put all at ease, young and old alike. In some ways, her gentleness and skills as a kindergarten teacher were put to the test by the rough-around-the-edges of some members of Strength and Drive. Additionally, her ever-present Syrian bread which she would share at the Army-Navy Game gatherings was anticipated by all who frequented the hospitality suite.

Tom remarked that he had met his soulmate in Ina, and she made him whole. He was devoted to her. The viewing took place at St. Michael’s Orthodox Church in Greensburg, the church where they met and were married in 1999, in the company of a number of Classmates and wives. The priest who married them in 1999 also performed the funeral rites for Ina. Tom’s devotion to Ina carried through to the end, with Tom keeping vigil by her casket in the church until next morning, just as he had done at various times when Ina was hospitalized. There was no way he was going to be separated from her. After the church service, we proceeded to the Westmoreland County Memorial Park for burial rites and Ina’s interment.

A large gathering of family, friends, and ’65 Classmates and wives paid respects to Ina and Abe both at the viewings on Wednesday afternoon and evening, and the funeral service on Thursday. This included Marie Lewis, traveling from Ohio, for the afternoon viewing but unable to stay for the funeral. The other members of the Class family were so numerous that we almost did not get everyone in the photo.

left to right: Bob Frank, Bob Harter (hiding) Mary Frank (hidden), Ric Shinseki, Leo Kennedy, Joe DeFrancisco, Mary Harter, Ray Hawkins, Roz Ruby, Linda Hawkins, Tom Cindric, Chuck Boohar, Janie Cindric, Jay Stewart, Tom Abraham, Carol Stewart, Jim Helberg, Lynne Helberg, Linda Sheridan, Barrie Zais, Mark Sheridan, Jim Tomaswick, Carol Tomaswick, Clair Gill, Sherri Gill, Dan Pultz, and Holly Pultz.

During the reception, Classmates got to talk to Abe and express condolences.

Joe DeFrancisco, Ric Shinseki, and Tom Abraham

Tom emcee’d the reception, thanking all for being there for the family and for him. He also told a few stories that showed his deep love for Ina. Her sons spoke next, providing more examples of the generous heart their mother had. But, in a unique twist, Ina's daughter-in-law spoke about Ina’s many wonderful qualities: what a thoughtful, loving grandmother she was; how great she was as a mother-in-law, and how supportive she was to her sons. Her remarks about Ina brought many to tears.

It was a remarkable experience, and Abe was so taken aback by the Class family gathering around him that he mused that he doubted whether this many Classmates and wives would assemble for his sendoff!

Bob Frank

Thank you, Jay and Bob.

Grip hands as we have lost a dear friend. Ina was a very special lady who made being a member of this Class family so much more meaningful.

Please reach out to Tom at: 724-433-6323 or e-mail at: tsabraham@me.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Yesterday, I received a call from Mitch Bonnet, informing me that our Classmate, Jim Conley was in the hospital and in need of our support. We quickly found that Ron Kolzing lives fairly close (an hour and half) to Jim. Ron called Jim and has made arrangements to stop by and visit within the next few days.

This morning I called and spoke with Jim who sounds very weak (a stroke will do that to you) but upbeat. He told me he has been dealing with health issues for over a year and this was just the culmination of the hassle. Fortunately, he is told he will be going home soon where his wife will be taking care of him.

An e-mail or phone call from a Classmate would go a long way toward his recovery. I encourage you to reach out to him if you can.

Jim can be reached by e-mail at: jimconley058@gmail.com or by phone at 313-215-3515.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Our POC, Sonny Ray, has provided some additional information regarding a memorial service for Fred Scruggs. He shared:

Sandee Scruggs has confirmed that Fred's Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, January 14 at 2pm at:

McMullen Funeral Home
3874 Gentian Blvd.
Columbus, Georgia
(706-569-8015).

A reception will follow at their home in Columbus. Fred's ashes will be spread at Etowah Creek at the Mountain Ranger Camp in Dahlonega, Georgia the next day. Depending on Ranger Camp protocol attendance may be limited to immediate family only.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University, Atlanta or The Green Beret Foundation.

Sandee can be reached at Sandee.scruggs@yahoo.com, by phone at 703-362-6240, or by mail at: 9179 Travelers Way | Midland, Georgia 31820.

Please reach out to Sandee and her family during this very difficult time.

Thank you, Sonny and Sherry Ray.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Today I received a very nice story from our old (sorry about the use of that word) Scribe, Denny Coll. The first attachment is the story Denny refers to in his first paragraph. The second attachment is the speech delivered by then SecDef Chuck Hagel, in which he mentions his relationship with Bob Keats. Denny writes:

The "Walter Keats-An Army Story" was written by my long-time Chicago friend and younger brother of our fallen Classmate Bob Keats (walter.keats@asia1on1.com) as a tribute to his older brother, father and other family members who served in the military.

Very interesting perspectives from a Harvard grad, especially given the Ivy League's history with the military during and after Vietnam.

The picture shows Walter and wife Winnie (on the right as you view the picture) with our Classmate Bob & wife Jeanette Scully (on the left) at the 2013 USMA graduation where then-SecDef Chuck Hagel was the speaker.

The second attachment is the Secretary's speech, where he mentions (see page 5) his time in Bob Keat's unit in RVN.
Scully, if memory serves me, was Bob's roomie.

Walter has given permission to pass this along to the Class.

He would also like any Classmates who may know any of the details of Bob's combat death to contact him at the email address above.

Thank you, Denny. This is a great read.

To respond directly use: Denny Coll dc65scribe@comcast.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Sadly, it is, once again, necessary for me to share the news of the passing of one of our dear Classmates. This morning, Sonny Ray contacted me with the news that Fred Scruggs passed this morning after a long fight with lymphoma. Even though he lives over 200 miles away, Sonny was to step up and take on the duties of POC (Point of Contact) for us. Sonny writes:

After three difficult weeks and several long years fighting lymphoma, Fred Scruggs passed away early this morning in Columbus, Georgia as calmly and quietly as he lived. He is survived by his wife Sandee, children, Jennifer and Rick, His daughter-in-law, Nicole and two grandchildren Hugh and Ellie. Arrangements will be forthcoming. 

I will share details regarding the memorial service as soon as I get them.

To respond directly use:  Sherry Ray ssray@comcast.net

Grip hands, my friends as we say good bye to another of our fallen brothers.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Fred Laughlin just sent me this great report on a visit from Terry and Nancy Ryan and their visit to the Veterans Memorial in Anthem, Arizona. I have had the pleasure of visiting this very special monument and shared its uniqueness some time ago. Fred wrote: 

A couple of weeks ago, we spent a few lovely days with Terry and Nancy Ryan at our home in Anthem, AZ. Terry was my I-2 roommate in the lost 50s while Nancy was Maralee’s roommate in Kew Gardens, NY when they were flight attendants for American Airlines. After over 100 combined years of marriage later, Terry and I are still convinced that we “married up.” Enclosed are two photos: one of the Veterans Memorial at the community park in Anthem. The creative design shows five blocks of marble, one each for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, & Coast Guard. At the top portion of each block is a beveled hole, so that on Veterans Day (11/11) at 1100 hrs the sun shines through the holes onto a seal of the United States, which is on the deck surrounding by bricks donated in memory of specific veterans. It’s an impressive and well-attended annual event to see the seal so brightly highlighted by the channeled rays. 

The second photo is of Terry and me supporting (being supported by) the Army monolith, the largest of the five. I needn’t point out that the channeled rays on our ancient heads is a less impressive sight. For those of you who have a memory like mine, that’s Terry on the left and Fred on the right.

Blessings from the Valley of the Sun.
Fred

Thank you, Fred, nice report.
To respond directly use:  Fred Laughlin  flaughlinaz@me.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Never one to let us down when it comes to discussions of football, Gordy Larson has provided the following for your edification:

Since Army is off for a couple of weeks, plotting target intercepts and resting up while Navy slogs it out with SMU and Temple, we have no post-game article. But I still managed to burn up a lot of spare time tracking Army’s bowl chances. So, here’s what I wrote for this week.

Army is Going Bowling

How it happened

Click here to read the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Steve Bliss told me he was doing some housecleaning when he found this article. With the big game only thirteen days away. I thought, what better way to get our minds on what is possible, even against very difficult odds. We had our heroes and now it’s time for the current Black Knights to step up and show us theirs.

I thought it would be appropriate to run this by Rollie before sending it out. He said OK as long as I make it clear that this was not his doing. He added: Very similar situation which our current team faces ---- playing a "favored" team after X number of losses but ... so what? Suck it up and go out there and win it!!!! Beat Navy!! Now that’s what those kids need to hear!

This is obviously old and hard to read but well worth the effort:

Thank you, Steve, for sharing this and thank you Rollie and all the guys who helped you make it happen.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

It is with great sadness that I share the news of the passing of Ina Abraham. This is the dear lady who, along with her husband Tom, took such amazingly good care of our Classmate Jack Terry during his final years. Jay Stewart informed me of her passing and provided the following information to share. Jay Wrote:

It is with great sadness that I inform you that Ina Abraham, wife of Tom Abraham, passed away yesterday. Ina was an amazing woman who was loved and revered by all Classmates and wives who knew her. She will be greatly missed.

Visitation for Ina will be at St. Michael’s Church at 1182 Ashland Street, Greensburg, PA. on Wednesday 30 November from 2-4:30PM and 6-8PM. Her funeral will be at St. Michael’s the following day, 1 December, at 10AM. Lunch will follow the funeral at the church.

Tom requests no flowers, rather donations in memory of Ina Abraham to either the St. Michael’s Building Fund or Operation Support Our Troops, Inc. Wheels for Warriors, PO Box 404, North Kingstown, RI 02852.

I also received the following from Bob Frank who was sharing Tom’s words:

It's over. My love, my life passed today, peacefully and without pain. Ina had a respiratory arrest Monday from either choking on something or by a muscular blockage. She was unconscious since the ambulance drive last Monday. I held her hand when she passed and most of the time in the hospital. The first photo is when she realized that the Army cheerleader pyramid banner asked her to marry me at the Army Navy game in 1998. The second was the happiest day of both of our lives.

I am devastated, having lost my best friend way too soon. She was a great person, loved by many on first meeting, kind to all who needed kindness, and loved by the hundreds of students she taught in kindergarten. Loved by me. Missed by me. We appreciate the many, many prayers and good wishes from all of you. She had little chance for survival but we held out hope for a spiritual intervention. We must continue to march on, but it's easier said than done. The greatest challenge of my life is straight ahead. I already miss her dearly. Sweet, gentle Ina. I will always love you. I don't expect anyone to endure a hardship to attend. Just want you to have the info.

Viewing for Ina is at St Michaels Church in Greensburg at 601 Wirsing St. Wed Nov 30 from 2-4:30 and 6-8 (times estimated). Funeral Thurs Dec 1.

Tom needs our support during this very difficult time. Please reach out by phone (724-433-6323) or by e-mail (tsabraham@me.com), to give him the long-distance hug and support he needs.

I know I say it all too often but, Grip Hands my friends as we say good bye to this angel.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Many of you do not follow the forum where several of our Classmates spend a lot of time discussing almost anything under the sun. One frequent contributor is Step Tyner who, in my opinion, has quite a way with words. When I saw this item, I thought it might be nice for all of us to see his interesting perspective. Step writes:

For the 47th consecutive Thanksgiving, no one is shooting at me.

I hope all of you are enjoying a similar benefit.

Next to the absence of grazing AK-47 fire on my position, I am most thankful for being a member, however undistinguished, of the Class of 1965. A memorable life's journey started for us on 5 July 1961, and as things (and we ourselves) fall apart, that shared experience takes on all the more meaning. We do not know where each of us is going, but we can point with pride to where we have been.

God bless the United States, USMA, and everyone who ever formed up with the Class of 1965!

S.T.

Thanks, Step, well put.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a very nice update from the AOG:

Happy Thanksgiving from your Rockbound Highland Home,

Below are just a few quick notes from Class Services, please be sure to share these with your classes:

Army-Navy: If you are looking for a place for YOUR CLASS to gather on December 10th prior to the Army Navy game, then consider the WPAOG Go Army Beat Navy Tailgate. Deadline to sign up is noon on 6 December. For more information or to register go to: http://www.westpointaog.org/GoArmyBeatNavy

Bricks and Pavers: If your Class is interested in donating memorial bricks or pavers in honor of your fallen classmates, please contact Bricks@wpaog.org. This Brick and Paver program allows graduates and friends of West Point the opportunity to etch a meaningful inscription on a brick or paver that will be placed on the historical grounds surrounding the James K. Herbert Alumni Center. These paths serve as a permanent, elegant, and recognizable remembrance to visitors entering the building from Mills Road and surrounding areas. 

Career Services: The next Service Academy Career Conference (SACC) will be held 23-24 February, 2017 in Savannah, Georgia. Whether you are exploring career opportunities, looking to move up the corporate ladder, or retiring after active duty, SACC is an event where you can network and learn! For more information, visit www.sacc-jobfair.com. Can’t attend this event? Visit www.SACCentralOnline.com to search and apply for jobs and network with fellow Alumni.

WPAOG Job Postings - The latest WPAOG job postings are available online at [westpointaog.org/employment]westpointaog.org/employment.  WPAOG is a great place to work!

Sincerely,
Cathy 
Go Army! Beat Navy!

Cathy Kilner ’90
Associate Director, Class Services

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Ross Wollen shared this cute poem which apparently was posted on Face Book. It appears to have been written by a cadet member of the Skeet and Trap Team.

"Twas the Night Before Branching"

Twas the night before branching, when all through the corps,
not a firstie was stirring, besides CDOs going door to door.
Their preferences were entered to DMI with care,
in hopes that big Army's allocations be fair.
The First Class were nestled all snug in their racks,
except the engineering students with no time to relax.
the Supt with his bivvy, the Comm in her cot,
had just settled in, 4 stars, I have not.
When out on the Plane, there arose such a clatter,
I sprung from the bed to see what was the matter,
away to the window I flew like a flash
moving so fast, I forgot my red sash.
The moon on the breast of the mighty green lawn,
gave light to the trees whose leaves were long gone,
When what to my cadet's eyes could not cope
but a humvee carrying a single yellow envelope.
With a little old driver, so crusty and quick,
I knew in a moment, it was DMI 6.
And there in the humvee, there was not just one,
but a pile of envelopes, as big as the sun.
Engineers, finance, infantry, aviation,
cyber, MI, and transportation.
FA, Med Service, chem corps, AG,
ADA, Armor, signal and MP.
For three long years, the Firsties sure tried,
they bled, they sweat, and even some cried.
There in the stack, futures are bestowed,
answering the question, how tomorrow will bode.
But of more than 1000, just 30 from all,
having earlier this week, from their TAC was a call.
Just straight from their mouth, no room to connive,
their branch allocations are beyond their top five.
But alas tomorrow, no need to isolate,
for with their brothers in arms, instead, they'll celebrate.
'Cause over the years, camaraderie was built,
bond unbelievable tight, not ever to wilt.
Through boxing, combatives, the IOCT.
through mil move, and all other classes of DPE,
and paper, TEES, and Academic rigor.
Accomplishing more, than most of us had figured.
There was beast, and Buckner, and CLDT,
Physical, Academic, and military IADs.
Through thick and thin we went through it together,
through the rain snow, and all the bad weather.
With pride in my chest, I return to my bed,
with images of tomorrow, aglow in my head.
Among my classmates, I will learn forthrightly,
Good luck branching to all, and to all, a good night.
-Aryne

To respond directly use:  Ross Wollen  rossw3@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Once again we have one of Gordy’s amazing reports on Army Football. He points out that while we had an “ugly game versus Notre Dame, we should win handily this weekend”. Gordy writes:

Monday Morning QB- Notre Dame

For those fans who only look at Ws and Ls, the result of this game should come as no surprise, but for those who like to go beyond the final score, this game was a big disappointment.

Special Teams were just Awful

Special teams set the tone for the rest of the game by allowing CJ Sanders to score his second return TD of the season on the opening kickoff. No doubt, that run took the wind out of any optimism Army West Point had before the start of the game, and just when it appeared that the Black Knights might be gaining some traction, Mitchell Howard missed his first attempt at a PAT after sitting out 5 games with an injury. Later in the game, Blake Wilson missed a 33-yard field goal attempt. While neither of those missed kicks had any bearing on the final outcome, they confirmed that this is an area of significant concern. Army’s average on kickoffs was a meager 46 yards, although we suspect that the 36-yard pop up was intentional to keep the ball out of Sanders hands.

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Some time ago Bob Frank took on the responsibility of monitoring and reporting on the changes taking place in the process for gaining access to our Rockbound Highland Home. In the recent past there have been some real horror stories about unreasonable delays and gridlock as people went through the processing to get the necessary passes and access. Bob just sent me three examples of how the process is working now. I, for one, am encouraged by what appears to be some improvements in the system. Below are three examples of the recent experiences (the third is Bob’s own experience) of our Classmates:

Mike Teeters' recent experience:

"I got to the Thayer Sunday night and hit the Visitors Center at about 0900 Monday (I think they open at 0600). They now have a mini-DMV setup with two interview desks w/camera. I got taken care off right away, but it looked like the normal flow of traffic had an average wait time of 15-20 minutes on an "off" day. I asked for an "alumni" designation on my ID card and got it. It's valid for a year. It makes sense to limit contractors, etc. to one year at a time, but I think alumni are going to remain alumni, so hopefully as the system settles in they can make our IDs permanent. Regards, Mike

Joe Barkley reported on his recent (4-6 November) experience:

“Diane and I came up to West Point for the Air Force game and the weekend. We brought our cousins with us and were prepared to go through a bureaucratic process to get on post. When I walked in and asked where I get a number, the security agent asked where we wanted to go. I replied, to Herbert Hall and the West Point Club and the cadet area. He asked if I was an alumnus, probably because I was wearing my 50th reunion hat. I replied "Yes, 1965." He said just go to the gate, show them your driver licenses. So, with some trepidation we went to Thayer Gate. The guard looked at everybody in the van and the licenses and told us to proceed to the next check point. We cleared that in the same way.”

My experience: Just to test the system, I went to the Visitors Center on mid-morning of 4 November. Like Mike Teeters, I entered the trailer and noticed that there are two lines. Line 2 had several people in it. Line 1 (right-hand side) had one person being processed. I ventured forth to the Line 1 security person (a contract civilian) and asked whether Line 1 was the proper line to get an “Alumni” access pass. He responded that I should proceed to Eisenhower Hall, where another station had been set up for “Alumni” badges. He explained that WPAOG had arranged with USMA Security for such a station so that the Class of 1991, which was celebrating their 25th, could be processed more smoothly.”

You can deduce from these three examples that the process changes a bit in accordance with the circumstances. As I advised Mike Teeters, the surest way to gain a badge and access to West Point is to stop at the Visitors Center first. After that, you may get additional guidance.

I am forwarding to WPAOG Mike’s suggestion that Alumni badges be valid for more than one year. In the past, I have been led to understand that security regulations do not permit such as exception. But that explanation may not have come from a knowledgeable source.

Please let me know your experience(s) with gaining access so that I can continue to press the issue and learn more about the process.

STRENGTH AND DRIVE

Thanks, Bob. Great report. Let me add here, the reminder that if you carry a federal identification card with a photo (such as the retired military card many of us carry) none of this process applies. With such a card, you and the folks in your car will be given immediate access at the gate just as you would at any other base.

To respond directly use: Bob Frank bobfrank@atlanticbb.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bob Frank, who maintains some pretty strong ties with our old Alma Mater, picked up on an offer from LTC David Siry, the Director of the Office of Oral History, to have Classmates drop by and sign the guest book. Recall that the Oral History Program was the recipient of our Class gift of over two million dollars at our 50th Reunion. The office is in Thayer Hall, so access is not as easy as it might be in some other location. For this reason, Bob asked Dave to share his phone numbers to make contact a little easier when visiting the Point.

To follow up and make sure I had the correct information, I called Dave this morning and was pleased to learn that, not only would he be glad to have our Classmates sign the guest book but he would like to conduct an interview with anyone visiting. We all have our own story and this would be a chance to share it with future cadets and many others who will have access to the Oral History Program.

Please try to take advantage of this opportunity should you be visiting our old Alma Mater. Dave suggests that you call or e-mail in advance of your visit so he can schedule a meeting and an interview. Below are the best numbers to reach Dave and his e-mail address. Please share your experience with me should follow through on this opportunity.

David Siry: 845 938 6153 (office number), 740 616 4282 (cell number), e-mail: Siry, David R LTC MIL USA USMA David.Siry@usma.edu

Thank, you Bob for facilitating this connection.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Some guys can’t get enough of a good thing. Jack Lowe just sent me several pictures taken during the preparation for the terrific prank pulled off by Alex Alexander and several cadets and the tac of company A-1 during the parade at our 50th Reunion. If any of you have forgotten or never saw the Bunnogram that went out about a year and a half ago I would be happy to share it with you if you ask for it. Here I will just remind you of the fact that Alex managed to get himself into a cadet uniform and with the guidance of several of the cadets, led company A-1 through the parade. Just after passing the reviewing stand he broke ranks to join us. While the prank was pulled off to perfection, it did not endear Alex to the Supe but he found a place in the hearts of his Classmates.

Here we see Alex getting a little help with his uniform (I’m impressed that he could even consider getting into a cadet’s uniform after all these years). Next a shot of Alex and two of his coconspirators.

Here he is checking in with the cooperating company tac. And then final coordination with those who will be guiding him through the parade.

Photo Left: Finally, the salute as they pass in review with none the wiser
Photo Right: And then breaking ranks to join his proud Classmates.

Thank you, Jack, for reminding us of that great prank or “Spirit Mission”, as some prefer to call it. And thanks again to Alex for a mission well performed.

To respond directly use: Jack Lowe jzw8d7@yahoo.com | Alex Alexander alex92240@yahoo.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Clearly, one thing leads to another as Bob Frank’s comments will attest. He has a submitted a very nice report of some great gatherings. He writes:

The Bunnogram based on Joe Barkley’s attendance at the Army-Air Force game opened the door to my reporting on other recent gatherings of Classmates at West Point for Army football.

The first picture was taken in the New Windsor Days Inn, which served as our lager for the Army-North Texas game. Ray and Grace Anne Woodruff came up from Texas with some friends from Denton (where North Texas is situated). The friends extend the Woodruffs frequent invitations to come to Denton for football games, and this was a chance for the Woodruffs to reciprocate. Also pictured are neighbors and golfing buddies of the Hawkins. Pictured l-r: Judy Pinkerton, Ray & Grace Anne Woodruff, Ray & Linda Hawkins, Mary & Bob Frank, Jerry Pinkerton, Barb & Dave McGilvray.

The next photo is of three familiar faces, who were gathered for the Army-Air Force game. If anyone cannot recognize Ray Hawkins, Skip O’Donnell and Bob Frank by now, there is little hope that such recognition will occur in the future.

It sure looks like an excessive amount of booze on that table.

The last shot was taken at the Courtyard Marriott in New Windsor the day after the Army-Air Force game. We were able to assemble the faithful of Army football for one more get together. We only wish we could have gotten together with others (such as the Barkleys and the Scullys) before the Army-Air Force game. From left to right: Bob & Mary Frank, Jim & Carole Tomaswick, Ray Hawkins, Ina Abraham, Linda Hawkins and Tom Abraham.

If you want to see more of these faces, come to Baltimore for the Army- Navy game! Go Army! Beat Navy!

Thanks Bob, great report and pictures.

To respond directly use: Bob Frank bobfrank@atlanticbb.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

It has been brought to my attention that a recent Bunnogram, subject: “Leadership Team Action Items”, was a little confusing in that I was trying to share things to insure transparency while failing to divulge the name of our nominee for DGA (Distinguished Graduate Award). There was no intent to hide anything from the Class. It is a common practice to hold back the name of a nominee to avoid awkwardness should he not be selected. The comments I was sharing were Russ’s notes to the Leadership Team (all of whom knew the identity of the nominee).

All of us on the Leadership Team are very proud of our nomination of Tom Barron to be our next DGA recipient and are very confident that he will be selected for the high honor.

This brings up one more point I would like to share. If ever you have questions regarding anything I send out in my Bunnograms, please don’t hesitate to get back to me right away so that I can clear things up for you and, if necessary, for the Class. My job is to keep you informed and connected. If you see a way that I can do a better job, please share that with me.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I recently received an e-mail from our Class President, Russ Campbell, spelling out the current status of a few of the items we have been considering. While there are many more items on our collective plate, I thought, in the spirit of transparency, sharing these would give you a little insight into what we are doing. Russ writes:

Our recommendation and submission for the DGA was delivered on time and ahead of schedule. It included a 3-page nomination letter and 14 endorsements. The selectees will be announced in February.

At our last conference call I reported two items for which Walter Oehrlein has stepped up to be the POC. One is the Polish Mission exhibit of "Forbidden Art" in memory of the Holocaust, which will take place at the Jefferson Library, Feb. 2017. They intend to dedicate the exhibit to our Class, according to Walt. Please see the attachment.

The final item is a video documentary that is being put together by Brian Kruger, Director and Film maker, on Bob Arvin. He has already been interviewing Classmates and others about Bob. Plus, he made an extended visit to West Point during the Memorial of Tony Clay and the Army Athletic Hall of Fame Induction dinner on Oct. 21st. I had the chance to join Brian at the dinner, and he is very professional and excited about doing this project. He expects the Video to be finished in the Spring of 2017.

I'm sure we will have more to report on both initiatives in the future.

S & D, Russ.

To respond directly use: Russell Campbell rcampbell@camdar.com; Bob Radcliffe bobradcliffe@mindspring.com; Bob Axley rjaxley@glenhurstinvestments.com; Bob Frank bobfrank65@me.com; Mitch Bonnett mitchell.bonnett@lpl.com; Chuck Nichols cnichols6@verizon.net; or Rick Bunn rickbunn@bunn-family.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Thank you for your service. I wish you all a safe and happy Veteran’s Day as we remember the sacrifices of so many of our dear Classmates and the thousands of other veterans who have served this great nation.

Joe Barkley sent me this very nice report on his recent visit to our Rockbound Highland Home. He writes:

I am writing to report on a nice weekend at West Point, except for the football game.

Diane and I went up on Friday, November 4 and brought Diane’s cousins as our guests. The first picture is as we start out on the trip with our cousins, the Shafers, in front of the Army football flag at the house.First, as I mentioned before, when we stopped at the visitor’s center I was told to proceed directly to the Thayer Gate and tell the guard I was an alumnus. He would let us pass. And after we told the guard where we were going, indeed we entered the academy and proceeded to the West Point Club for lunch.After lunch, my cousin and I were standing in the lobby of the dining room waiting for our wives. A LTC came up to me and said, “Mr. Barkley! Can you wait here; I want to talk with you. I will be right back.” My cousin asked who that was. I replied that I had no idea; “I have never seen him before.” A few minutes later the LTC returned and introduced him - self with a large smile. It was LTC Dave Siry, the Director of the Center for Oral History. He said that he recognized me from my interview. I guess after watching it for three hours and thirty minutes he would know what I looked like. Diane came back and I introduced her to Dave. He recognized her from her interview too.

Dave took us over to the Center for Oral History and gave us a tour. I include a picture of Diane and me in front of the Class of 1965 plaque. I signed “the Class of 65 Book” too, just below Joe McChristian. Dave said that he wants to get as many members of the Class to sign the book as possible. Dave remarked that they feel very close to the Class of 1965 and he would like as many members of the Class as possible to stop by when they are on post. The next day, Saturday, as I was walking around the parking lot at Ike Hall, I bumped into Bob Scully. Bob and I were both in C - 2 and have bumped into each other a number of times over the past 51 years.

Up at the stadium we ran in to Bob and Jeanette again. I include here a picture of the four of us; left to right; me; Jeanette Scully; Diane; and Bob Scully.

On Sunday, we went to mass at the Catholic Chapel and spent a little time with the Chaplin, who was from the class of 1996. In our conversation, I mentioned that I did not see a lot of Cadets even though the chapel was full. He replied that cadets were indeed there. Only the Plebes were in uniform. Most of the cadets were in civilian clothes; “Cadet Casual,” he replied.
At that point I told the Chaplin I had heard enough! And we moved on. If the Corps “has not,” then it is at least on its way.Well, Rick, we exited the Post after that. It was a very nice and nostalgic visit (except for the football game). I will avoid commenting on the parade too, except to say that about six or seven of the officers lost their tar buckets due to the wind (and not having the chin strap clamped down tight enough). Again, classmates who are in the area ought to go visit LTC Dave Siry and the Center for Oral history. You will enjoy the experience, and do an interview too.

Strength and Drive, and “Beat Damn navy!”
Joe Barkley
Thank you, Joe, good report.

To respond directly use: Joe Barkley JoeBrkly@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

On Monday of this week I was able to attend the Celebration of the Life of John Seymour. Unfortunately, I have attended many such events but never have I been so surprised at the outpouring of love from so many people. First, I was surprised to see that the schedule called for five hours. I thought, there is no way they are going to fill that much time. I was wrong. They had a huge turnout and once things got going it seemed like a limitless number of folks who wanted overcome the fear of public speaking and share something about this great guy. Here we see our Classmates, Bob Jones, Rollie Stichweh, and Dave Kuhn taking their turns.

Next are a couple of shots that Bob Bradley sent me along with one that was used by the family to remind us all of the face we remember so well.

Dave Kuhn, was quick to step up and volunteer to take on the duties of POC. With some help from my old roomie, Mike Connor, and photos taken by my son, Bob, he was able to give me this very comprehensive report:

On Monday, November 7, 2016, approximately 350 people gathered at Pacific Hills Banquet Hall in Laguna Hills, California, to celebrate the remarkable life of John Seymour. John’s large family was represented by his three brothers and sister, his eleven grandchildren, his four children and the love of his life, his wife of more than fifty years, Donna Link Seymour. There were also numerous in-laws, nephews and nieces. The Class of 1965 was well represented. Present were Tom and Sheila Genoni, Ray and Ginny Paske, Bob Bradley, Tad Ono, Gerry Buckosky, Andy and Ruth Zaleski, Mike Connor, Tom and Marilyn Kovach, Fred Laughlin, Rollie and Carole Stichweh, Bob and Freya Jones (also present was Bob’s son Matt, Class of 1999), Dave and Rosemarie Kuhn, Bill Sherrell, Dave La Rochelle, Jim Olivo and Rick Bunn (Rick’s son, Bob, was also present and took all the photos). Also, representing the class were Denny Lewis’ widow Marie, Denny’s brother Carter and Mark Walsh’s Daughter, Kirstin with her husband Jason. A letter of condolences from Russ Campbell was presented to Donna on behalf of the officers and the entire Class of 1965.

Following an invocation by Pastor Tyler Guy (Colonel and Chaplain, USAFR), lunch was served. Following the meal, a moving slide show of John’s life was shown. Next, an honor guard played TAPS and presented the American flag to Donna. This moving moment was followed by tributes from John’s grandchildren, children and family. Bob Jones, Rollie Stichweh, Dave Kuhn, Ray Paske and Carter Lewis followed with their special memories of John. John’s three living brothers then paid their respects. Finally, friends all the way from high school days to members of John’s golf club shared their “John Seymour stories.” The common themes were John’s love of live, his devotion to Donna and his family and the joy he brought into so many lives.

Of all the stories told, the one that probably best encapsulates John’s special personality and reputation as a prankster and jokester was told by John’s son, Scott. On the day John collapsed and couldn’t be revived, Donna called the EMT’s. John was motionless on the floor with his eyes closed. When one of the EMT’s said to the others, “We’ve got to get this big guy on the gurney,” John opened his eyes and said “Good luck with that!!” He closed his eyes and those were his final words. They will help us remember him for the larger than life character he was. Everyone attending was given a special golf ball with John’s name, the years 1943-2016, his football number 43, and those immortal words. He will be sorely missed.

John’s ashes will be placed at West Point this coming spring with full military honors. As soon as plans are finalized, all members of the class will be notified.

Respectfully submitted,

David Kuhn, Jr.

Photo Left: Just before the long line of speakers, there was the very moving military ceremony with the playing of taps and the folding of the flag for presentation to the widow. That’s Matt, John’s eldest son, with his arm around John’s widow, Donna.

Finally, as I mentioned in an earlier message, I was impressed with the request that attendees wear “cheerful attire”. While I chose to wear a blazer and tie, I kept in the spirit of the directive by wearing the socks I was given by Alex Alexander. Thanks, Alex.

John’s ashes will be laid to rest at West Point sometime in the spring.

Thank you Dave, for an excellent report.

To respond directly use: Dave Kuhn dkuhn@proshotgolf.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

On June 30, 2016 in Southampton, New York, our dear Classmate, Tony Clay passed away due to a respiratory failure. On Monday, July 11th, several Classmates gathered in Long Island to celebrate his exceptional life. This is the cover of the flyer used at that ceremony.

Tony lived long enough to learn that he had been nominated and accepted into the Army Sports Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, he did not live to attend that ceremony which took place on Friday, October 21st.

Buddy Bucha and Jim Harmon were quick to step up and offer their services as POC (Point of Contact) to assist the family and help with arrangements as well as keeping me informed of the details. Interestingly, Bob Stowell stepped up and asked if he could write the report. Clearly, Tony was very special to many of us. Bob wrote:

Soon after Tony passed, I had a very nice conversation with his widow, Calla. I asked her if she could share some fairly recent pictures of Tony and she sent me these two great shots of him on a recent trip to Paris. Here we see him outside the North entrance to Les Invalides which is the resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte. The second shot is shared with one of the guards there.

Two pictures were taken at the Celebration of Tony’s Life. Here we have just the Classmates with the Class Flag. From left to right, they are Bob Scully, Steve Bliss, Paul (Buddy) Bucha, Chris Dorney, Bob Frank, Jim Harmon, Ray Hawkins, and Russ Campbell.

Then we have the Classmates with the wives who were able to attend. From left to right, back row, they are Paul (Buddy) Bucha, Bob Scully, Steve Bliss, Chris Dorney, Ray Hawkins, Jim Harmon, Bob Frank, and Mary Frank. In the front row are Jeanette Scully, Nancy Dorney, Linda Hawkins, Jeanne Harmon, and Russ Campbell.

I found some of Buddy’s comments to be especially poignant. He wrote:

The one thing that all of us in attendance remarked upon is the comradery and brotherhood that is felt, and it matters not that we may not have seen one another for years. When together we are one. Likewise, we are all less because one brother has passed.

Tony's wife Calla was extremely grateful to the Classmates who, on short notice, made it to the service and our loyalty to one another was remarkable in her view.

Bud

Thank you Jim, Buddy, and Bob for a job exceptionally well done.

As is my custom, I like to close out a farewell message with a quick look at the way we knew our friend, back in the day. Grip hands my friends as, on behalf of the entire Class, I offer Calla and the family our very sincere condolences and to Tony, Be Thou at Peace – Well Done!

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

While it was very disappointing that Tony Clay did not live to see his actual induction into the Army Sports Hall of Fame, we can be pleased with the knowledge that he did know he had been nominated and accepted for this great honor. Jim Harmon stepped up to take on the duties of POC for both this event and Tony’s inurnment the day before. Here is his great report. Note that his report includes a link to a brief video. I was not able to extract it from the report for you, so I have duplicated it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02q2s8XwgSU  You may have to wait through an advertisement before it begins but it’s worth the wait.

Here is Jim’s report:

The following was taken from the October 27th edition of the “Pointer View” at the suggestion of Russ Campbell:

Army inducts Hall of Fame Class of 2016

A long-time wrestling coach, A trio of first-team football All-Americans, a four-time swimming All-American, an 11-time swimming All-American, a four-time track heptagonal champion, a three-time NCAA golf qualifier and an intercollegiate boxing champion, are just a few of the many accolades of the Army Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2016 who were inducted Oct. 21.
Wrestling coach Leroy Alitz, football star Tommy Bell, gridiron and men’s basketball extraordinaire Townsend Clarke, men’s and women’s swimming letterwinners Anthony Clay and Colleen Criscillo, men’s cross country and track field star John Hammack, football standout Ken Johnson, golf’s first hall-of-famer Steve Pembrook and boxing great Joe Remus, comprise the Class of 2016.

Click here for the full story

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

On Friday of this week, November 11th, the nation will celebrate “Veteran’s Day”. At Arlington National Cemetery the celebration starts at precisely 11:00 AM (in some places it is actually delayed until 11:11 to make it 11:11 on 11/11). Given that this year is the 50th anniversary of the first service related loss of a Classmate, your Leadership Team decided to put together a special tribute to all our brothers who have fallen in the service of this great nation. Chuck Nichols put together a moving salute to each of them and all of us on the Team contributed suggestions and editorial assistance. 
Finally, Russ Campbell, our Class President, wrote the following letter to introduce these efforts to all of you. I could not be prouder to be a part of this effort.

At the end of Russ’s letter are two links, each of which will take you to a 15-minute video. Simply put your curser over one of them and hit “ctrl” at the same time you click your mouse – this will take you directly to the video. If it does not fill your entire screen click the icon at the lower right to increase its size. Please take the time on Friday to share this with family and friends so all will know just how proud we are of our fallen brothers.

Russell Campbell, President, (917) 763-5434, rcampbell@camdar.com
Robert Radcliffe, Senior Vice President, (910) 579-5105, bobradcliffe@mindspring.com
Robert Axley, Vice President, (972) 991-6634, rjaxley@aol.com
Mitchell Bonnett, Treasurer, (248) 766-6654, mitchell.bonnett@lpl.com
Richard Bunn, Secretary & Scribe, (253) 446-7366, rickbunn@bunn-family.com
Robert Frank, Historian, (410) 745-3387, bobfrank@atlanticbb.net
Charles Nichols, Chairman, Technology Committee, (703) 644-6132, cnichols6@verison.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of the Distinguished West Point Class of 1965,
Fifty years have passed since we lost our first Classmate in Vietnam; Gary Kadetz, killed in action (KIA) May 19th, 1966, 344 short days after graduation.  In commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the Line of Duty, your Leadership Team embarked on an effort to memorialize their passing on this Veterans Day.
Lead by Chuck Nichols and supported by the entire Leadership Team, we produced this testimonial on behalf of the Class.  This is a tribute to those who left us much too early in life, a testament that they are not forgotten.  Let us remember all those who have passed before and especially these brave men who gave the last full measure in service to our Country.
Grip hands as we honor in reverent silence their memory a half century later.
God bless the Distinguished Class of 1965.

Strength and Drive, 
Russ

Watch the Tribute video on either OneDrive or YouTube: YouTube: https://youtu.be/_6FRRYMOK9w | OneDrive: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AkBdjPS6q0uCmBBozqLskloYxYvd

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a nice report from my friend Preston Motes. He and his lovely wife Sandy seem to have had a great visit with Sue and George Ruggles in Kauai. Preston writes:

During my recent vacation to Kauai, I discovered that my old roommate, George Ruggles and his wife Sue were also on the island. We met at the Marriott Kauai Beach Club to catch up on our lives since the 50th Reunion. Attached is the obligatory photo. Sue and George are on the left, Preston and Sandy Motes are on the right. George lives in Redmond, OR and Preston lives in Sandy, UT, a suburb of Salt Lake City.

Classmates are never far away.
Thanks, Preston. Great report.

To respond directly use:  Preston Motes   skamotes@icloud.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Coming to you this evening from beautiful downtown Stockton, California, on my way, with my son, to join those gathering to celebrate the life of our dear friend and brother, John Seymour. I’m afraid this road trip is putting me a little behind on some of my Bunnograms but this message from Mitch Bonnett was very brief and I thought I could get it out while I hold some of the more complex messages for when I have just a little more time.

Mitch attended a Society Luncheon at which he could put together this brief report and a couple of nice photos. Mitch writes:

Adam is a Naval Academy grad and until recently a Navy SEAL. I invited him to the Society luncheon held yesterday. At the luncheon, I introduced Adam to the membership and presented both Adam and Walt with a copy of Dave Mastran’s excellentbook.

Left to right, Adam Weiner, Walt Oehrlein, and Mitch Bonnett. And, of course, here is Dave’s book (which was shared with the Class some time ago).

I also presented Adam and Walt with the caps we are wearing in front of the “Go Army - Beat Navy” sign.

Mitch

Thanks, Mitch, good report, great hats.

To respond directly use: Bonnett, Mitchell mitchell.bonnett@lpl.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Well here I am waiting for the 10th inning of game seven to start again. While we wait, I have something that can keep you busy for just a minute or two. Gordy Larson has chosen to share the full version of his Monday Morning Quarterback article rather than the shortened version he usually shares.

Wow, that was a pretty short rain delay. The game is now over so I will go ahead and share Gordy’s longer than normal report:

Monday Morning QB- Wake Forest

A week after Army West Point played its sloppiest game of the season, they came back to play what was arguably their best. Some of our fans may think that Temple was the better game, but we like this game even more. Wake Forest is a legitimate Power 5 team that came into the game with a 5-2 record and an extra week to prepare

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

On Monday of next week, there will be a celebration of the extraordinary life of our dear friend and Classmate, John Seymour. Dave Kuhn, our POC, has provided the following information to help those who are able to attend. Several Classmates, as well as other graduates, will be flying in from different parts of the country. I plan to drive in from Washington State with my son who has volunteered to serve as the photographer. Please join us if you can, as we celebrate a life so well lived.

As you read through the information provided (both here and in the attached obituary), please note that the family has chosen to support their intent to make this a joyous celebration by suggesting that guests wear “cheerful attire”. This is the first time I’ve seen such a suggestion and I must say, I am very moved by its message and meaning. John would not want sad mourners, only cheerful people saying goodbye. In that spirit, I have gone back in my files to share one of my favorite pictures of John. We had a great time that day.

Dave wrote:

There will be a Celebration of Life for John Seymour on Monday, November 7th starting at 12:00 noon and extending into the afternoon. The celebration will be at:

Pacific Hills Banquet and Catering
23551 Moulton Parkway
Laguna Hills, CA 92653
Phone: (949) 707-1707

Plans for the event are to have lunch after a brief invocation. After lunch, there will be a slide show highlighting John’s life. Then an Honor Guard will fold and present the American flag to Donna and play TAPS. Following that, the family will share remembrances. Next, Rollie Stichweh, Dave Kuhn, and other good friends will offer their thoughts and remembrances.

At Donna’s request, attire will be informal and “cheerful.” In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations, in John’s name, be made to either of the following charities:

Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund 
www.fallenheroesfund.org

St. Joseph Health’s Foundation 
http://www.mission4health.com/Mission-Hospital-Foundation.aspx

People flying in should plan to arrive at John Wayne Airport in Orange County. There are numerous hotels in the airport area. There are also some nice hotels nearer the function:

1. Ayres Hotel Laguna Hills (949) 558-0131. Approximately $150 per night.
2. Ayres Mission Viejo (949) 305-7200. Possibly slightly less.
3. Courtyard Laguna Hills (949) 859-5500. $100-$120 per night.
4. Courtyard Irvine Spectrum (949) 453-1033. $120-$140 per night.
5. Motel 6 (949) 261-1515. Mid 60’s and up per night.
6. Several Residence Inns in area, $150+ per night.

Be sure to ask for all potential discounts, Automobile Club, AARP, military, etc.

There is no need to RSVP. All are welcome.

David Kuhn, Jr.

Thank you, Dave, for a terrific report.

To respond directly use: Dave Kuhn dkuhn@proshotgolf.com

Grip hands, my friends, as we say goodbye to our dear friend.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

A frequent source of great information to share, Bob Wolff, has provided a very interesting read which, I agreed, might be of interest to some. Bob writes:

I thought you and the Class might be interested in this Blog featuring a summary of the Vietnam War taken from the West Point History of War. It was written for the Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) as part of its yearlong focus on Vietnam as part of the national effort to honor Vietnam veterans.

http://sameblog.org/?p=17134

Regards,

Bob

Robert Wolff, PhD, P.E.
(W) 301-983-8646
(C) 703-795-8869

Thanks, Bob, good stuff.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Tom Fergusson seems to be doing a terrific job putting together our Army/Navy Game activities. As promised he has put together another update to help those who may not yet have had a chance to register. Please note that, due to some personal travel plans, Tom has had to move the NLT date for submission of Reservation Forms and checks up by two days to the 16th of November. Should you misplace this reminder, all this information is available on the Class Website. Tom writes:

Army/Navy 2016 -- Update Number 4 (Reservation Form)
1 November 2016

Army vs. Air Force on Saturday! After an impressive 21-13 come-from-behind, upset, road victory over Wake Forest last Saturday, Army is now 5-3 on the season while preparing to whip the Air Force Falcons at Michie Stadium on Saturday. A victory over the Zoomies on 5 November at West Point will mean that Army meets Navy in Baltimore on 10 December with a chance to win the 2016 Commander-in-Chief's Trophy outright for the first time in 20 years! GO ARMY! BEAT AIR FORCE!

FYI, here are links to: (1) an article by John Feinstein about Army's outstanding win at Wake Forest last Saturday and (2) a preview of this Saturday's crucial battle with Air Force at West Point, to be telecast on the CBS Sports Network:

http://www.goarmywestpoint.com/news/2016/10/30/football-feinsteins-findings-adjustments-were-the-difference.aspx
http://www.goarmywestpoint.com/news/2016/10/31/football-game-notes-army-hosts-air-force.aspx

Final Reminder - Reservation Forms and Checks re. Class Activities Due by 16 November: Those of you who've told me you're coming to Baltimore for the Army-Navy weekend (9-11 December) and participate in Class of 65 activities at the Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel and/or ride the round-trip Class buses to the game are doing very well in getting your Reservation Forms and checks to me on time. For those few who've not yet sent me your completed forms and checks, please get them to me ASAP, but NLT Wed, 16 November. (This is a slight change from my earlier deadline of 18 Nov, but you've still got two weeks.) A copy of the Reservation Form is attached once again.

Who's Planning to Come? My current estimate is that at least 87 classmates, wives, Class widows, family, and friends of '65 are coming to the Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel to participate in Class activities during Army-Navy weekend. The following classmates and Class widows have indicated they're coming. The number in parentheses following each name indicates the total number of Classmates, family member & friends who are coming: Tom Abraham (4). John Bell (4), Russ Campbell (2), Kay Dermody (1), Jim Ferguson (8), Tom Fergusson (11), Bob Frank (2), Clair Gill (2), Steve Harman (21), Bob Harter (2), Ray Hawkins (2), John Howell (2), Dave Hurley (2), Patti Jones (1), Bill Lehman (8), Joann Plotkin (1), Doug Richardson (2), Eileen Rountree (1), Terry Ryan (2), Joe Sanchez (2), George Seaworth (3), Jim Tomaswick (2), and Andy Zaleski (2). I've heard from a few who are not yet sure about coming, so our total number could easily rise above 90, a great turnout by Strength & Drive at Army's most important football game in the last 15 years, a game the Brave Old Army Team must win!

Update Number 5 - Early December: I expect to send my final update, Number 5, to you in early December. At that point, I will be as specific as possible about some things I don't yet know for sure like room numbers for our two Class of 65 hospitality suites at the Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel, the time our buses will load and depart the hotel to take us to M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday, 10 December and the time and exact location in the hotel of our Class of 65 dinner that night. Current plan is for our two buses to be at the hotel, ready to load passengers at 1:30 pm, departing for the stadium ca. 1:40 pm. (Kick-off of the 117th Army-Navy game is scheduled for 3 pm.)

Strength & Drive!
GO ARMY!!! BEAT NAVY!!!
Tom Fergusson

Thank you, Tom, it looks like things are coming together nicely for a great time and a BIG WIN! Naturally, I will be looking for a big report to share with the Class, following the game.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Wow, now this is what I call making my job easier. This report from Gene Parker arrived within hours of the game, was all set up as you see it, and had some really nice pictures. However, there was one unforgivable error – Gene left out pictures of the lovely ladies who joined these guys to make the festivities complete. I, for one, would rather see pictures of the lovely ladies than these gray hogs. Anyway, thank you Gene, for the effort, it is appreciated. Gene writes:

Photo Left: Tom Shaw, Jerry Dernar, Bob Radcliffe, Pat Kenny, Gene Parker and Sonny Ray

We had a very nice turnout for the Army-Wake football game (and a most pleasing game outcome). The photos were taken at the tailgate and we were joined by Denny and Karen Sellers and John and Dede Malpass at the game. Also in attendance were Gwen Shaw, Sherry Ray, Faye Radcliffe, and Margaret Parker. We did not take a photo of the ladies because we wanted to hog the limelight!! Here we see three A-1 Classmates: Tom Shaw, Sonny Ray and Gene Parker.

Photo Right: Pat Kenny and Gordy Larson since we missed Gordy in the group photo

Gene

Thanks, Gene, for a great and very timely report. You’re right, the outcome of the game was pretty good too.

To respond directly use: Gene Parker genmarpaul@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Photo Left: the gang in the back yard which gives you a reminder of what a beautiful home they have and the many trees around it that could have spelled disaster

In response to the recent report by Chuck McCloskey on Joe McChristian’s visit, Dean Loftin sent me this very detailed report on the impact of Hurricane Matthew on his home and community. Dean writes:

Hurricane Matthew aftermath up date from Hilton Head Island and Bluffton, South Carolina. Officially, we sustained a level 2 hurricane. Storm surge in places was 10-12 feet. Power out for about 12 hours in most areas, some took a couple of days to get it back on.

Things are slowly getting back to normal here. Although you can still hear the sound of chain saws.

Hilton Head Island took a devastating hit. Many places flooded. Official estimates are over 3,700 of the 19,600 structures on island sustained damage. About 2 percent of those sustained greater than 50% damage. Golf courses on island are beginning to open. Harbor town water front had severe damage.

In our plantation, we had about 80 trees down on one course and over 100 on the other. Over 50 homes (out of 600) had trees which damaged them or had to be removed. In addition to the hurricane we be believe we had a tornado micro burst - one was reported - as very large trees were snapped off like matchsticks.

Diana evacuated with her mother who lives on Hilton Head but I stayed.

When I poked my nose out to check on neighbors the morning after a large tree had uprooted two doors down and blocked the street. I tried the other direction but did not get far that way either.

Photo Right: a nice picture of Dean and his lovely wife Diana

Two neighbors to the left and two right sustained damage due to falling trees. We had wash up from the storm surge but it did not penetrate the golf course. We had three ridge vent shingles blow off the house but that was the extent of our issues other than policing up the blow down. Did have to have a tree which had started to uproot and was leaning against another on the adjacent lot taken down.

Altogether, very thankful.

Thank you, Dean, for a great report. I had the pleasure of visiting Dean and Diana’s beautiful home during the golf outing in the spring so I thought I would share a few pictures to remind you of the area and give you a chance to see the potential for damage that they faced. Here you see the beautiful divided road that brings you in and out of their neighborhood. Note that everything is very flat which makes flooding a real problem.

We are all so happy that they can be classified as “survivors”. To respond directly use: Dean Loftin drloftin65@yahoo.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a nice report from Chuck McCloskey regarding a visit from Joe McChristian. As frequently is the case when Classmates get together, a little time is spent reminiscing and a lot more is spent solving the problems of the world. I have always felt that it is a shame that our world leaders don’t avail themselves of the vast resources of our Class to get the answers they so desperately need. Oh, well, maybe our new President will be wise enough to take advantage of the great solutions that we seem to come up with all the time. But I digress. Chuck writes:

A delightful evening was had by Chuck and Rosemary McCloskey recently when Joe McChristian stopped by their house in Raleigh on his way home to Florida. Joe kept the conversation lively with stories of growing up Army, his distinguished military lineage (both McChristian and Van Fleet), his engrossing and humorous Viet Nam Armor experiences and his visit to the West Point Center for Oral History where Joe saw the new Class of 1965 plaque. Rosemary parried with her adventures in genealogy and duplicate bridge. Chuck was an appreciative listener to both. Thanks, Joe for stopping by! The two smiling Classmates are pictured below. That is Joe on the left and Chuck on the right.

Chuck

To respond directly use: Chuck McCloskey  ccmccloskey@yahoo.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Tommy Thompson sent me this brief note with the hope that it would help some find the television coverage of the Wake Forest Game this Saturday. Please let me know if it was helpful to you. Tommy writes:

This Saturday's game at Wake Forest is on Regional Sports Networks (RSN) at 3:30 PM EDT. These are mostly Fox affiliates. The chart in this Wikipedia article gives the stations by states that would possibly carry the game. For example, Fox Sports West Prime Ticket will have the game in Southern California, Southern Nevada and Hawaii. On Spectrum Time Warner Cable in Hawaii it is on channel 228 or HD Channel 1228.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_sports_network

Tommy Thompson tompen@hawaiian.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Once again Gordy Larson has written so much that there is nothing left to be said about the football team. He sure catches everything there is to be said about our Black Knights. Gordy writes:

Monday Morning QB- North Texas

It doesn’t take much to figure out why Army West Point lost to underdog North Texas this weekend. In a nutshell, it was poor execution in just about every facet of the game.

North Texas came Prepared and made Adjustments

Before we go into the reasons why Army West Point lost, we should first look at why North Texas won. UNT made good use of their week off and came into the game well prepared to defend against the triple option, and the JAAK Attack. UNT made the better adjustments at half time on both offense and defense. They came out of half time with the changes they needed in their offense to beat the defense on a few big plays.

A tip of the hat to their defensive coordinator and to the players who executed the defensive scheme. They played disciplined football and didn’t allow any big plays by the Army offense. The offense wasn’t totally ineffective as it managed to get 302 yards rushing, but it was unable to sustain the long drives needed to put points on the board, and the lack of explosive plays was evident. UNT had 4 or 5 defenders flowing with every play to cover the second and third options.

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I’m glad to report that things seem to be improving with regard to access to our Rockbound Highland Home. Bob Frank (as promised) has stayed on top of the situation and has two reports to share. He writes:

In an effort to get the latest poop out to the Class, I am providing in condensed form the recent experiences of two of our Classmates with regard to getting on post.

"Bob,

Getting on post was painless. We encountered nothing but smiling MPs, waving everybody through Thayer Gate as fast as possible! [This was in conjunction with the Lafayette football game.]

Johnny Wells”

From Bob Stowell [not a direct quote] gaining access for Tony Clay’s inurnment and induction into the Army Sports Hall of Fame:

'I went to the Visitors Center to go through the process of gaining an access card. As an alumnus, I was directed to drive to the South Gate checkpoint, and tell security that I was going to the ACS building [vicinity of the bowling alley] to apply for my access card. Security let me through. The process at the ACS building took less than 5 minutes.’

To elucidate these experiences, I contacted the post security people. I was told by an MP sergeant that the experiences were consistent with current practice. For special events (e.g., reunions, football weekends, Ring Weekend) when a high volume of visitors was anticipated, checking was done in a much more expeditious fashion. If one wanted to determine when “special events” were taking place, a check of the WPAOG calendar (available through the WPAOG homepage) was recommended. All other times, acquiring of an access card (which should say “Alumni”) is done at the Visitors Center on South Post (which we remember as Ladycliffe).

If anyone has a different experience, please let me know.

Bob Frank

Thanks Bob. Good report. I hope this will be helpful to some of our Classmates.

To respond directly use: Bob Frank bobfrank65@me.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

The following information has been made available by Matt Seymour, John’s eldest son. This young man has been doing an amazing job as our main contact within the Seymour family. He was the first person I spoke with following the sad news of John’s passing which I received from Rollie Stichweh. Rollie actually called me on Bob Frank’s cell phone which he borrowed as they were both attending the West Point Sports Hall of Fame induction for Tony Clay. As I mentioned in the initial notice, Rollie and Dave Kuhn will share duties as our POC’s (Dave on the West Coast and Rollie at West Point).

Matt writes:

Good Morning,

The Celebration of Life Service will be held on Monday, November 7 from Noon to 5pm at Pacific Hills Banquet & Catering, located at 23551 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, CA 92653. The phone number is (949) 707-1707. All are welcome.

The information I have right now on the West Point service is that they will not begin to schedule for 90 days. I believe it will be held in the Spring.

Thanks,
Matt

I’m told that they are expecting a large turnout (not surprising, given the popularity of our dear friend and brother John) so make your plans accordingly. We would, naturally, like to see a large contingent of his Classmates in attendance.

Grip Hands my friends as we say goodbye to a giant from within our ranks.

To respond directly use:  stichcr@aol.com | dbkuhn42@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Better late than never, here is a great report, I just received from Johnny Wells regarding his experiences at the Lafayette game back on the 15th of October. He included some great pictures and an offer to help others facing the daunting task of organizing a tailgate party. Johnny writes:

On October 15th, Rose Ann and I attended the Lafayette game at West Point with four of our nine children, their spouses, and three of our eleven grandchildren.

It was a beautiful day in every respect: the company, the weather and even the game -- 38,000 in Michie Stadium and Army winning by 55 points! Unfortunately, my phone battery went dead shortly after arriving and Rose Ann’s was full of videos she didn't want to delete so neither or us took any pictures. Fear not, though, I collected a few of the pictures my kids took so I would have something to include with this report to my Class Scribe. Although I ran into Jim and Carol Thomaswick and John and Mary Kay Salamone after the game, Jose Sanchez was the only classmate who was able to join us at our Daly Field tailgate. Also, here’s a picture of three of the grandkids with their new West Point garb.

Jim and Maria Talbot planned to come but, unfortunately, had to cancel at the last minute. That happened, as my roommate/ranger buddy explained, "Too late to sell my two season tickets on the 45-yard line". Jose and his friend, Mike, graciously agreed to see to it that those prime seats were occupied for the game. Here are a few great pictures of the parade before and the arrival of the Black Nights Parachute Team.

Since this was only the second football game I've attended at West Point since graduation, and because I had a party of 13, I was concerned about getting it right. Although it worked out in the end, I found making arrangements for the tailgate "from afar" to be somewhat confusing. (If any other inexperienced Classmates would like chapter and verse on that, I would be happy to share my tailgating lessons learned directly with them.) With regard to security, it seems that West Point has come up with an innovative solution for home football games: wave every car through the gate as quickly as possible, without checking anything. That was our experience at least.

S&D,
Johnny

Thanks Johnny, great report!

To respond directly use: Johnny Wells jwells1965@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

I’m afraid I have gotten a little behind on my Bunnograms. Sorry about that but as they say, it never rains but it pours. I will start by wrapping up what I have gathered from the big Golf Outing in Southern Pines, North Carolina recently. It looks like all involved had a great time and it appears that the weather cooperated as well. George Bell sent me this brief review along with some pictures and we also have a nice picture from Jim Dyer. George writes:

Overall, about 32 Classmates attended the annual Class golf outing with 8 or so spouses. The weather was absolutely perfect for three days of challenging golf as we played the "Executive" tees. Bob Radcliffe and John Malpass did a superb job of planning and execution. (I know Max Thurman, as a TAC, would have been "real proud" of them. I can even hear his whispering commendations.) The Pine Needles Resort was a charming location and a perfect venue for a fall outing as the leaves were changing. Bob and John also arranged for a cozy gathering room for both spirits and spirited socializing. (Also some late night poker when some nasty Classmates took my retirement savings.) The pictures were taken at the Iron Side Restaurant where we closed the place two nights in a row. Everyone now is looking forward to the spring golf outing planned for next May in Charleston.

Photo Right: L to R. Donna Mastran, Dave Mastran, Steve Ellenbogen, Dede Malpass, John Malpass, Carol Bell, George Bell, & Lynne DeFrancisco.

Photo Left: the left side of the same group but with Joe DeFrancisco back in the shot.

Now the other side of the table and a shot of Clair in a hurryto get somewhere (that’s Jim and Ellen Wood at the table in front of Clair).

I’m not sure if this is a different table at the same restaurant or a different restaurant but here is another group.

Here we have: L to R Ellen Wood, Mitch Bonnet, Russ Campbell & George Bell.

Finally, Jim Dyer’s contribution. A very nice picture of one of the groups looking very much like they are ready to take on any and all challengers. 

They are: George Bell, Joe DeFrancisco, Russ Campbell, and Clair Gill.

Now is that a good looking group of golfers, or what?

Everyone seemed to have had a great time and that’s all that matters. I’ll join you in the Spring guys.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Hank Kelley is clearly one of a kind. This quick report demonstrates that very well. I particularly enjoyed his explanation of the folks in the picture he shared. Hank writes:

Howdy,

I recently participated in a 100k ride to end diabetes.

My brother George, who marched with us at graduation, had the misfortune to be a diabetic (as well as a lawyer). So whenever I can find an event, I hit the road to raise a few bucks for the cause in his memory. Here you see - l to r: lots of people; himself; lots more people.

Even a FOOSHIA shirt wouldn't be out of place at these events.

Cheers,
Hank

Thanks, Hank, for a very nice report and for the reference to my favorite shirt. And, my condolences regarding your brother.

To respond directly use: Hank Kelley hankelley@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

It is once again my sad duty to inform you of the passing of one of our dear friends and Classmate, John Seymour. John collapsed in the kitchen of his home in Laguna Niguel, California today and was immediately taken to Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo, California.

John’s next of kin is his wife Donna. I spoke with his son, Matt, who was very helpful and also granted me permission to share this information. Matt will, no doubt, become our main source of information going forward.

I also spoke with John’s good friend Dave Kuhn (I actually caught him in Italy just getting ready to depart for his return home to California). Dave has offered to serve as our POC (Point of Contact). However, he may also rely on the assistance of another of John’s good friends, Rollie Stichweh to assist in these duties.

Grip hands my friends as once again we face the reality of our ever decreasing number. Information regarding services will be shared as soon as it is made available. Should you wish to express your condolences to the family, please use e-mail and contact his son Matt at: mattseymour@cox.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Once again we have a nice report on a lunch at the Villages. This time it comes from Jack Blau, albeit on Jerry’s phone. Here we see, clockwise around the table starting on the left: Jerry Merges, Jack Blau, Vicki Blau, Marcella Gnau, Peggy Merges, Dave Gnau, and Dan Steinwald. I guess they decided to push all the pretty ladies to rear (what’s the matter with these guys?).

Thanks Jack, it’s always good to hear from you and the Villages gang.

To respond directly use: Jerry Mergesjmerges@hotmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Even though Gordy Larson has been attending the big Golf Outing in North Carolina, and, of course, continues to deal with devastating loss of his dear friend Major, he was able to find time to give us another of his amazing reviews/previews of the Army football team. Gordy writes:

Monday Morning QB- Lafayette

When your team wins a game by a 55-point margin, it’s usually difficult to find much to criticize, but Army West Point exhibited a few flaws that might have proven fatal against a more formidable opponent. On the whole, however, it was a stellar performance by both the offense and the defense that showed us that this team has a good future.

A No Run Zone for Lafayette

The Army defense held Lafayette to a negative 5 yards in the first half and ended up surrendering just 10 rushing games in the game, even with a defensive crew of plebes and yearlings playing most of the 4th quarter. Breaking that down a little further, Lafayette realized that they weren’t going to get much on the ground and had only 17 rushing attempts, including 2 QB sacks for a total of 31 yards gained 21 lost, with18 of those lost yards coming on sacks. Factoring out the sacks, the Leopards gained a net of 13 yards on 15 actual running attempts for an average of 0.9 yards per attempt. Against the reserves in the 4th quarter, Lafayette ran for 8 yards in 4 attempts; so they had only 2 yards in 11 attempts against the starting defense.

Some Difficulties handling the Tall Receivers

Lafayette found much greater success completing short to middle range passes to their taller receivers. Drew Reed was surprisingly accurate in getting the ball where only his receivers could catch it, completing 21 of 36 attempts for 205 yards with no TDs and 2 Interceptions. Both Marcus Hyatt and Elijah Riley provided good coverage but struggled with the physical mismatch. Reed’s longest completion was 29 yards as the Black Knight DBs managed to prevent a lot of explosive plays.

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Well, the big Fall Golf Outing has just wrapped up and so far, I only have these two pictures to share. I guess the focus was more on golf and less on pictures. Oh well, I plan to be there for the next one and I will push for more. I know folks get tired of my pushing for pictures and reports, but most of us want to keep track of what’s going on out there.

Photo Left: starting at the left front and going clockwise, Pat Kenny, Bob Radcliffe, Steve Harman, Sandy Hallenbeck, Gordy Larson, Russ Campbell, Mitch Bonnett’s empty chair (he’s taking the picture) Steve Darrah (consuming some of the aforementioned wine – or is that Mitch’s wine?), and the back of Bob Harter’s head

Anyway, I got these pictures from Mitch Bonnett with a few comments by phone this morning. He pointed out that while he couldn’t recall the name of the very small restaurant in Southern Pines, North Carolina, it wasn’t long before all the other patrons left and they had the place to themselves. The group actually fell together with no leadership (what??? A group of West Pointers with no leadership). I’m sure he was just referring to the fact that they had no specific plan and the group just decided to enjoy each other’s company rather spontaneously. Mitch did point out that once they sat down to dinner they were able to solve most of the world’s problems in a relatively short period of time. I would attribute that accomplishment to the fact that Mitch also told me that a considerable amount of wine was consumed.

Photo Right: the same group from the other direction

As usual, everyone seemed to be having a good time. I wish I had been there. Thanks Mitch, we appreciate you taking the time to get this to us. And, as always, thanks to Bob Radcliffe for putting this outing together.

To respond directly use: Mitchell Bonnett mitchell.bonnett@lpl.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My apologies for some of these next few messages being a little late getting out. I’ve been a little under the weather but feeling fine now. I received this from Terry Throckmorton yesterday. He and Judith Ann sure seem to be enjoying their retirement. He didn’t mention it in his comments, but I recall my last visit to Niagara Falls when Donna and I witnessed the rather surprising process of turning off the falls at night. I assume they still do it but way back, those many years ago, they would reroute the water through the hydroelectric plant and literally turn off the falls for about 6 or 7 hours each night to increase the production of electricity. Pretty weird to look over to where the falls were roaring just hours earlier and see them as just so many wet rocks. Anyway, Terry writes:

Noticed a lot of travel pics lately, so thought I would send this along.

Judith Ann and I just returned from trip to western New York. Leaving for trip to Wales and Scotland in a couple weeks. Love traveling now that we have retired. Going to play the Old Course at St. Andrews. Eat your hearts out, guys. Anybody know the course record?

Best to all,

Terry Throckmorton
D-1

Terry’s question at the end there reminds me of a great t-shirt I saw on a rather brash kid at a golf course once. It said, “Where’s the first tee and what’s the course record?” I was never good enough to even think that way.

Thanks Terry for a very nice report. Please be sure to share a report and pictures from Wales and Scotland. 
To respond directly use:  Terry Throckmorton tthrock@lumos.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Today I received this nice report from my good friend Skip O’Donnell. He writes:

This past weekend there was a Las Vegas book fair downtown. One of the featured authors was former Staff Sergeant Clinton Romesha who wrote “Red Platoon” about his battle at Combat Outpost Keating, Afghanistan on October 3, 2009. He is a Medal of Honor recipient. I had already read his book which is one of the best combat accounts I have ever read. I could not put the book down. Attached is a picture of Ro and me at the book fair.

He was very gracious and humble.

Skip OD

Thanks Skip, good stuff. 
To respond directly use: Skip O'Donnell Skipod3@cox.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bruce Marshall sent me this great report on his efforts to visit the highest point in each of the states. Clearly, this boy gets a high from high points. I could give him a hard time for selecting such flat states to visit on this trip but I have seen pictures of some of the extreme high points he has visited in the past, these just happened to be flat enough that I might have visited them. He starts with four states visited before the visit with Denny Coll that I reported on recently. Bruce writes:

Ohio & Indiana before staying with Denny! Illinois & North Dakota on the way to HighPointers Convention in Red Lodge, Montana.

Then Highest Points in Nebraska, Kansas & Oklahoma on the way home to Maryland.

Lots of other stuff in between (including about a dozen quilt shops, Little Big Horn & other historic areas) - 2 weeks, 5,000 miles. (By the way, 3 of these photos were taken using my iPhone triggered with my Apple Watch - there wasn't anyone else around to take the picture)!

Bruce R. Marshall, CFP
443-286-3163
www.go2bruce.com

Thank you Bruce but shame on you for not mentioning your beautiful traveling mate, Jane. She is clearly a charming lady and a good sport. Not to mention, having a good sense of humor as demonstrated in the Oklahoma high point photo.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Joe Barkley sent me a very nice report on a visit he enjoyed from his good friend Joe McChristian. He writes

Photo Left: “Tanker” and the class. We gave him a Holy Family Tigers cap, but in his favorite color, gray

Here is some recent news. I invited “Tanker” (aka Joe) McChristian to visit and speak with my International Business class at Holy Family University. He stopped this past weekend on his way back to Florida from his place up in Maine.

Diane and I had a wonderful time with Joe sharing the many meals, the “debate” on TV, and many “war stories”. I gave Joe a tour of Washington Crossing Park near here and of the Hessian Barracks in Trenton, sort of recreating the story of Washington crossing the Delaware and attacking Trenton.

He did a great job relating some of his interesting international business ventures and experiences; and interesting stories, and advice for the kids too. He kept them engaged for nearly an hour. They stayed awake, and even asked some questions; which is unusual for college kids today.

Photo Right: Tanker and I in front of the Army football flag hanging in front of our house during football season, as he departed for the next leg of his trip; to Lexington VA. (yes, my eyes are closed)

Had a great time. It was good to spend time with Joe, and the kids in the class enjoyed him too.
All the Best and Beat Lafayette and NAVY!!
Joe Barkley

Thank you Joe. It sounds like you had a great visit.
To respond directly use: Joe Barkley JoeBrkly@aol.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

My good friend, Denny Coll, sent the following:

In September, we were in Minneapolis for a wedding of one of Cathy's twin nieces. I knew Jim & Julie McEliece had moved there (Excelsior, a SW suburb) from Southern California to be near their daughter and her family. Called Jim from the restaurant/bar boat dock where the Friday boat tour of Lake Minnetonka originated and voila, they lived next door (literally) and were not only able to join the party after the boat ride, but also waived us all in to dock from their balcony. Cathy and I are on the left of Jim & Julie.

Earlier, in August, my DC to Pittsburgh bike partner Bruce Marshall and his lady Jane spent the night on their way to conquer some additional "tallest peaks" in a few western states. The picture shows us in our jammies before they departed the next day. Cathy & I on the left with Bruce & Jane on the right.

Thanks Denny, it’s always good to hear from you.

To respond directly use: Denny Colldc65scribe@comcast.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here is a nice report from Jim Dyer:

The picture below is from a brief stop in Virginia's Northern Neck while on our trip for the Class golf outing at Pinehurst. Janet and I enjoyed a fabulous lunch with Arpad and Judy Kovacsy and Jack Lowe at the beautiful Tides Inn, right at the mouth of the Rappahannock River. Though we didn't solve many of the world's political problems, the camaraderie and renewing decades-old friendships surely helped to put aside thoughts of the Hurricane Matthew devastation that we fled in Daytona Beach.

(Left to right: Jim, Arpad, Jack, Judy, Janet)

Jim Dyer

Thanks Jim, great report and nice picture.

To respond directly use: Jim Dyer jimdyer@cfl.rr.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Today, I received an amazing update from my friend John Bell, on the big storm that has been pounding the Southeast Coast of the country. He explains that his power was out for quite some time so I’m sure this report was created under some very trying conditions. I had a little difficulty following all of it (maybe you will do better) but I’m inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt given the circumstances. John writes:

At the risk of occupying too much air time on your channel, hope to e-mail our Class the following update on Hurricane Matthew on South Merritt Island. It is a continuation of your "Classmates helping Classmates" theme. Thanks to Larry Neal for his Classmate assistance sponsorship.

Photo Right: Large part of tree down out front

Would have written sooner but power just went back on yesterday (Monday)

First, we have many problems here in Brevard County Florida; but apparently not near as much compared to Classmates/people in South and North Carolina flooded areas. Our thoughts prayers for you guys.

A little background...

Photo Left: Large part of tree down out back

Hurricanes seem to hit the "Space Coast" about every 10 years or so (data back to 20's). Erin in '95, Frances and "Mean" Jean in 2004 and now Matthew in 2016. Jean created exponential apprehension since Frances had clobbered us just two weeks earlier. I remember watching weather channel with projected track right in to Merritt Island. I commented to Becky that this was wonderful because they never ended up where they were projected. WRONG! Both '04 storms made landfall near Vero Beach which meant the eye wall with the strongest east winds was near Melbourne/Merritt Island due to counter-clockwise rotation. Fortunately, the previous hurricanes were category 1. Between the Jean and Frances, lost covered boathouse, large portions of roof and flooding thru out with loss of all carpets. Since Matthew had much higher projected winds as an estimated be Category 3 and we are situated on river with no protection too east; we elected to not stay.

I received emails from several classmates expressing concern: Dick Williams (Beast and K-1 together), Tom Henneberry (K-1 and roommate), Don Appler (G-1), Bob Doughty (G-1 and roommate) and (Dave Hurley K-1, G-1 and roommate). I sincerely appreciate their good wishes and contact (Kudos to roommates for their success in life despite possibility of being somewhat warped from sharing space with me over 50 years ago). I spoke with Mike Barker whom lives across the Banana River from me in Satellite Beach (on the Barrier Island). He and Carol had rushed back from their summer home in upstate Michigan to fortify their house here. Mike said they set a record driving time for this trip and arrived just before storm. They are going back to Michigan and staying until Nov. when they will winterize their home before returning to Brevard County. Michael said that they fared well without much damage.

Late Fri. around 5 p. m., we drove to Indiana Atlantic to hunker down with friends. They had storm shutters and were on west side of Barrier Island. Stayed up most of night and had electric power. Watched Mathew's progress on TV while enjoyed the air-conditioning. Almost a certainty that would not have had power back at our house. Friday morning, decided to try and get home as hurricane moved up coast to Titusville and Daytona. The video below shows the road about 1/4 mile south of our home on Friday Morning around 9:30 a. m. It occurred just as the southern part of storm passed with highest west winds coming across Indian River.

http://www.clickorlando.com/news/flooding-on-south-tropical-trail

We drove home around 11 a. m. and most of the rain had stopped and wind slightly abated. A boat would have been better than the SUV on South Tropical Trail, as water in parts was above 1.5 feet. Rushed to get home and very uptight about what would find. Since Matthew stayed offshore and paralleled the coast, did not experience the devastating east eyewall winds had it instead made landfall too south or been closer to coast. Large parts of 2 oak trees were down, lying N-S on front and rear of house (thanks to north winds being parallel to house when Mathew directly off shore). We were blessed; If winds had been more too east or west, well.... Can deal with the trees and debris.... dodged the bullet with intact boathouse, roof and no flooding. Calm after the storm, looking across Banana river at Satellite Beach where Mike Barker lives.

John

Thank you John. Amazing stuff! I’m sure all who read this will join me in wishing you and all our other Classmates who have been struck by this storm, a very quick and easy return to normalcy.

To respond directly use: JOHN BELL jaba8bell@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

As most of you know, our good friend and the source of the amazing football reviews we all enjoy, Gordy Larson, had a wonderful service dog, named Major. This dog was well known to many of us and, of course, was very special to Gordy. Major passed away this morning. Here are a few pictures from my files to help you remember this great friend to us all and especially to our friend Gordy.

Photo Right: Here we see him on a bus with Gordy during our 50th Reunion

Next is a gag picture showing the feet of many friends with Major right in the middle.

Next is a gathering of friends with major, who, like most dogs, always looked like he was smiling.

And here is the message I received from Gordy this morning:

My service dog Major passed away early this morning, and I know that a lot of our classmates and wives knew him and loved him nearly as much as I did; so I would like you to pass the word on to the class.

Photo Left: Major joining us on the golf course as he did so many times.

Major was a regular attendee at all our golf outings, and a lot of you had a chance to meet him at our 50th reunion. I liked to think that he was our unofficial class mascot, and I know there are a lot of our classmates that will miss him nearly as much as I will.

Major suffered from epilepsy, most likely genetic, and he had been having seizures about once a month for some time now, but the vet recommended that we not start him on medication until the seizures got closer together. This Monday morning, the day after we got back from the game in Durham he had three seizures in a two-hour period; so. I took him to the vet and they prescribed some anti-seizure medicine, Epilepsy is not supposed to be fatal; so I expected Major to recover, but his seizures got closer and closer together, and by Tuesday evening he was going into seizure 3 times every hour, and finally he passed on about 2AM this morning.

Grip Hands

Gordy

Thank you, Gordy, for sharing this with us. Our hearts go out to you as we are very aware of the tremendous loss this is to you.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Once again, here, for your reading pleasure, is Gordy Larson’s review of the Duke game and a preview of next week’s matchup with Lafayette. Enjoy:

Monday Morning Quarterback- Duke
Upon Further Review

Watching a game from the press box is nice, and in most cases, there are TV monitors which allow the media to watch the broadcast as well as follow the live action in real time down on the field. In this case, there was no monitor for my assigned location, and I missed a few things that I picked up on Sunday while reviewing the recording I made on my home DVR.

In my post-game article, I gave Kenneth Brinson the credit for blocking the Duke punt, and that’s who was listed on the stats sheet they handed out at the game, but it was clearly Jaylon McClinton who made the block and Brinson who pounced on the loose ball. My apologies and kudos to McClinton.

Watching the televised version, it was even more evident how much the weather effected special teams play as both teams missed extra points due to bad snaps and/or holds. The Black Knights were also fortunate that Jermaine Adams was able to catch a high snap to get off a punt in the first quarter. What wasn’t as apparent on TV as it was at the game was the advantage of punting with the wind (left to right on your screen) versus punting against the wind. When the punter had the wind to his back, the return man was looking up into a driving rain in gusty winds which made fielding the punt hazardous to say the least. The best punts of the afternoon were those that were with the wind.

Click here for the full analysis

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bob Johnson has asked me to share his new book with everyone. He writes:

I'd like our Classmates to know about my new full-color book below.

Our guardian "goddess" Athena plays the major role in it.

The book is now available on amazon, and will be available on Kindle in several days.

Robert Bowie Johnson (Bob).

Thanks Bob, I’m always happy to let folks know about those who continue to produce.

To respond directly use: Robert Bowie Johnson rbowiej@comcast.net

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Last year I shared a story that came from Leighton Atteberry’s widow, Janet. I was pleased to explain then that she prefers to be referred to as a Class widow (not just a widow) as it helps reflect the closeness she feels to all of us. She explained how she had become involved with the Wreaths Across America project and shared a few pictures of the effort at West Point. Here are two of the pictures she shared. The first shows the unloading of a truck full of the wreaths to be placed on the graves at the cemetery. The second shows Janet’s cousin and her cousin’s son placing a wreath on Leighton’s grave.

When I shared the story last year I also expained that, with a reminder from Janet, I would run a follow up story this year with the hope that some may choose to support this very worthwhile effort. Unlike my dear friend Harry Dermody, I’m not very good at soliciting donations, so I am just sharing this appeal as an oportunity should it be something any of you are interested in supporting. The report that Janet provided has a phone number and an e-mail address for your use if you are so inclined. Janet writes:

Last year I participated in a very special project called Wreaths Across America, when live wreaths with red ribbons are placed on the graves in our national cemeteries before the holidays.   Some of the class may have seen published pictures and stories from Arlington, and perhaps even from your own local national cemeteries.   It is strictly a volunteer effort, no government sponsorship or financial support at all.  Communities, veterans groups, schools, Scouts and families all raise funds and find volunteers to help decorate as many graves as possible day. 

A small group of private citizens has been organizing the West Point Cemetery project for over five years.   Jackie and Dan McNally, parents of grads, started it and have led it ever since.  I called Jackie, who described how they depend on donations of all amounts to purchase the wreaths, at cost, and volunteers to lay them on each grave. Trucking companies volunteer to transport them from the growers in Maine, and the wreaths are unloaded and put in place on the graves at West Point by cadets and civilian volunteers.  (I was thrilled that some of my NY family could personally lay a wreath on Leighton's grave that day).  In 2015 for the first time every WP grave could be decorated, over 7000 wreaths!   So much has been achieved by this dedicated group of volunteers.

Recently, Jackie McNally told me they have no other contact with "old grad" classes, except for a small group of Class of '51 widows.  Perhaps some of our Class would be interested to hear about this project.  Donations of any size are needed, as are corporate and community sponsors.
Volunteers for wreath-laying day are most welcome.  Please contact Jackie for more information on this year's project. 

Wreaths Across America
c/o Jackie McNally 
914-850-0000
mcnally22@verizon.net

Thanks so much, 
Janet Atteberry

To respond directly to Janet use: Janet Atteberry  lattebe123@aol.com

Thank you Janet.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Back in July, I shared that John Howell, who has been kind enough to organize and coordinate our Army/Navy Game activities for many years, is moving to California. Tom Fergusson has stepped up to take on the project this year. Given how well the team is doing this year and how popular the Army/Navy Game is bound to be again this year, Tom felt it would be a good idea, at this time, to share an update for planning purposes. He provided the following updated information:

Army Football - a Great Start! With the Army football team off to a great start this fall at 3-1, the best start for an Army team since 1996, we have much to look forward to over the months ahead, most of all to getting together at the Sheraton BWI (Baltimore Washington International) Airport Hotel over the weekend of 9-11 December and beating Navy on Saturday, 10 December for the first time since 2001!

Strength & Drive Response So Far: Your response since early August to our plans to gather at the Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel for our 2016 Class of '65 Army-Navy game activities has been outstanding!My current estimate is that at least 75 classmates, wives, widows, family, and friends are coming to the Sheraton Hotel BWI Airport to participate in Class activities there including the Hospitality Suite (9 and 10 Dec), roundtrip bus to and from the game at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, and the Class Dinner Saturday night to celebrate a long overdue Army victory over Navy!

Current Situation on Hotel Rooms at the Sheraton: The number of classmates, families, and friends planning to join us at BWI Airport far exceeds the original estimate John Howell and I came up with for how many rooms might be needed at the hotel, how many would ride the bus, attend the Class dinner, etc. I've asked the Sheraton to increase the number of rooms blocked for us at the group rate ($119 per night plus tax or $134.47 per night total - includes a free breakfast buffet) at least four times. So far, they've been very cooperative, but told me a few days ago that the hotel is nearly sold out for these nights. At the moment, 27 rooms have been reserved by our group for Friday night (9 Dec) and 29 for Saturday night (10 Dec) -- as of Friday, 30 September, only three rooms remain available at the West Point Class of 1965 Group rate.

Who's Planning to Come? The following classmates and class widows have indicated they're coming to Baltimore for the Army-Navy game. The number in parentheses following each name indicates the total number of Classmates, family members, & friends who are coming; Tom Abraham (4), John Bell (4), RussCampbell (2), Kay Dermody (1), Jim Ferguson (8), Tom Fergusson (10), Bob Frank (2), Clair Gill (2), SteveHarman (21), Bob Harter (2), John Howell (2), Dave Hurley (2), Patty Jones (1), Doug Richardson (2), EileenRountree (1), Terry Ryan (2), Joe Sanchez (2), George Seaworth (3), Jim Tomaswick (2), and Andy Zaleski (2). Including 8 more "maybes" I've heard from, our Strength & Drive group could easily top 80, especially on 10 December.

Who's Coming I Don't Know About? If you're sure you're going to participate in some or all of the Class activities at the Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel during the weekend of 9-11 December, but your name (and total number of participants) are not on my list, please let me know via phone call or email so my estimate is as accurate as possible.

Reservation Forms and Checks re. Class Activities: As mentioned in my emails via Rick Bunn back in July-August, I'll need your Reservation Forms and checks to cover the costs of Class of '65 activities at the Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel NLT Friday, 18 November. Hotel reservations may be cancelled up until 8 December.

Strength & Drive!
GO ARMY!!! BEAT NAVY!!!

Tom Fergusson

To respond directly use: Thomas. G. Fergusson tferg65@aol.com

Thank you Tom for all this information and thank you again for stepping up to take on this task.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bob Bradley, one of my left coast friends, sent me this photo (I guess he was showing off). I called him and he explained that he was just walking on the beach when he saw this bevy of cuties and talked them into letting him get a shot with them while wearing the “Mr. San Diego” sash. He actually sent it to several folks at once. One responded by asking, “It takes four young ladies to hold you up?” To which he replied, “Just 3, the two on either side and a REALLY strong one behind me that you can’t see.” He then pointed out that he won the “Mr. San Diego” contest and, “you should have seen the guy who came in second, 94, drooling, babbling, and looked just like you!” (I’m sure he meant the person who asked about the ladies holding him up, otherwise, I might be very offended.)

Thanks Bob, it’s always good to hear from you.

To respond directly use: Bob Bradley bobbradley777@gmail.com

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s a quick note regarding a nice gathering in Marblehead. My friend Don Nowland sent me this along with a great picture.

Last Tuesday, Davita and I had lunch with the Asplund's at the Landing Pub & Restaurant here in Marblehead. This is the local business Davita and I are invested in.

Had a great time...telling war stories and updating Class happenings.

Here's a picture of the four of us overlooking the Marblehead Harbor outside the restaurant. Cheryl & Ralph on the left...me & Davita to the right.

Best, Don

I always enjoy sharing gatherings of the Strength and Drive gang.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Prior to having John Mogan and Fred Laughlin ask me to take on the job of Scribe, I have to admit that I had very little knowledge of what our Class Leadership Team did for us. I am assuming that there are others out there who find themselves in a similar situation. Your Leadership Team has recently been faced with a very difficult situation. Our President, Russ Campbell, did an outstanding job of bringing us all together to address the issue and following much work by him supported by strong support from all of us on the team, we have successfully dealt with it and taken actions that I’m sure we can all be proud of.

Since this is such a good example of the team working together, I suggested that it be shared with all of you to give you some insight into the continuous work that is being done on your behalf by these Classmates.

This issue began for us with the notification from Will Goodwin, the President of our Affiliation Class of 2015. He and his team found themselves dealing with a situation which was new to them but, unfortunately, has become almost routine for us. The loss of a Classmate is always very difficult to deal with. We felt that it was incumbent on us to share some of our experience and assist them in any way we could. Will’s notice to his class follows:

Classmates and Friends of 2015,

While this tragic news has already reached many of you by word-of-mouth and social media, I regret to inform you of the death of one of our own. 2LT Andrew J. Hunt, USMA 2015, passed on September 13, 2016, while assigned to Fort Hood, TX. 1st CAV officials called earlier this evening to both confirm the completion of proper notification to the Hunt family and approve the release of this information.

This is the first time we have dealt with the loss of a classmate since graduation. The final paragraphs of this email outline the roles fulfilled by WPAOG and USMA 2015 in these situations.

First, though, we pause to reflect upon the friendship Andrew showed us during his time as a Cadet and Army Officer. Many of you have already shared emotional tributes recalling happy memories with Andrew, honoring his service, and showing support for the Hunt family I first met Andrew during plebe year and remember his contagious smile, energy, and sense of humor. As a Yearling, Cow, and Firstie, he emerged as a leader of the Academy's Color Guard and proudly represented West Point, the Army, and the Nation with passion and professionalism. These qualities led Andrew to excel as an Armor Officer during his time at BOLC and with 6-9 CAV at Fort Hood. He will be remembered and missed as a great friend and leader.

With this information, Russ drew on the expertise and experience of all on his team to determine how best to address this very difficult issue. Below is Russ’s message to the team following many days and long hours of work to come up with and implement the best possible response.

Gentlemen, I want to bring you up to date on our response as the 2015 Affiliation Class to Andrew's unexpected passing.

First, you were wonderfully responsive and offered some great ideas as to how best to respond. Once again we were dealing with an unprecedented event, there was no SOP, time was of the essence, and we had to be sensitive to the situation.

We agreed that a letter from the Class President in lieu of flowers would be appropriate. A letter was drafted, circulated, and edited. Various letter heads were explored. We decided to go with the dual class crests and mottos prepared by Chuck. But things changed. Will Goodwin, 2015 Class President, really liked our affiliation support. But, he wanted the two class initiatives to be separate to avoid confusion as they conveyed different elements of condolence each with their own message. Therefore, our letter would be with our crest and no names.

However, I could not close this out as we did not know the names or address of next of kin, a very important element, and we could not reach Will. The letter was delayed until we knew where to send it. In the meantime, Joe Sanchez and Bob Frank offered to send and pay for flowers on behalf of '65. They ran this by me. With the prospect of no letter looming on the horizon, I decided that if we could not get a letter to the next of kin, let's at least get flowers to the funeral home. Joe had been doing this for some 20 years on behalf of the Class and was very familiar with the process. I approved. We also contacted Pat Kenny as our Class Affiliation Program POC, briefed him and brought him up to speed. New wrinkle, we learned that the family wanted donations to go to charity in lieu of flowers. in touch with Will, they were sending flowers from 2015 and it would be fitting to have them complimenting each other.

Next, we wanted to see if we could get at least one Classmate to represent our Class at the memorial service. Keyes Hudson lives in the Austin area. He was contacted and signed up right away to attend the memorial service on Saturday.

to the letter, I had held it up pending next of kin name(s) and address. In the end, I addressed it to Family and Friends C/O the funeral home and sent it electronically. It got there. I will send a signed original to both the Family and Will.

This was quite the scramble but it all came together with everyone's help. We learned a few things and we will be better prepared in the future.

Thank you one and all,

Strength and Drive,

Russ.

I, for one, am exceedingly proud of the work that so many did to generate this support for our Affiliation Class. Below is the letter that Russ finally sent after much input from all on the team.

I hope this gives you a little insight into the work that many are doing on behalf of the entire Class. I feel that this is the type of thing that makes our Class unique and very special. I could not be prouder to be a member of this Band of Brothers.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Here’s another get together for Octoberfest. Tim Timmerman sent this great shot of three guys getting together to enjoy some beer. Tim writes:

Another Fest pic! We got Louis Csoka out for Charlotte's Octoberfest. What fun! Three Colonels party down German-style. From left, Tim Timmerman, Louis Csoka, and
Eric Timmerman (91)

Prost!

Tim

Thanks Tim, good stuff and so good to see Louis up and around!

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Terry Ryan sent me this brief message about a gathering of a few Classmates to celebrate Octoberfest. Terry writes:

Last night (September 29) the Class of “Strength and Drive” who are members of the West Point Alumni Glee Club gathered with a few others, who want to be in our Class, for Octoberfest at Euro Bistro in Herndon, VA. From left to right: Denise Goff (Don Goff ’70 took the photo), Mike and Deb Kush ’67, Pete Cahill, Terry Ryan, Chuck Nichols, Nancy Riley (our musical director and her guest, Mary Ellen - holding the flag), Jim Ferguson rear right, Karen Ferguson leaning forward, Pete Linn, Nancy Ryan, Maria Cahill, June and Tom Fergusson. Terry and Sharon Tutchings could not attend.

Ein prosit der Gemutlichkeit! I’m told that this is a toast to cheer and good times, however, der Gemutlichkeit also fosters a feeling of camaraderie and belonging. Regardless, the table looks like it’s full of good food, lots of and wine, and surrounded by many smiling faces. What more could you ask for? I also noticed that Terry Ryan brought a very appropriate mug for his beer.

Thanks Terry, for a very nice report.

Classmates, Wives, and Friends of '65,

Bob Frank sent me this message which he received from Andy Berdy, our Mike Berdy’s brother. If you can attend the ceremony on Oct 17th, please notify Bob or Andy (their contact information is below).

Bob,

I have been meaning to update you on this. They are renaming a street after my brother at the High School we both attended in Brooklyn - - Abraham Lincoln H.S. This was an effort that was pursued by a family friend who was angered by the fact that several years ago his name, which adorned the football field he played on, was taken down and replaced with other names after a donation of money to improve the field. My family (to include Erik and Mike along with Nikki) will be there. Thought you would want to know about it although I realize this is something below your radar screen. Nevertheless, wanted to pass it along on the off chance that you may be able to attend. Also, it would be great to alert some of his other Classmates but not sure how to do that or if they would want to come. Any thoughts?

Below is what I currently have on the ceremony on Oct 17th. Will forward more as it comes in.

Andy

To respond directly use: Bob Frank bobfrank65@me.com | Andy Berdy ABerdy@aol.com

Thank you Bob, for sharing this with me. I see that you plan to attend so please give a story and a few photos to share.