A few months a ago a virus wiped out our Blog Site.  After many emails back and forth with Google the host of the Blog Site it was determined by the host that the site was not restorable. To that end, we have created a new Blog Site and are in the process of rebuilding the information that was lost.

Be sure to visit the site, http://usmcvthf.blogspot.com and add you comments, thoughts and suggestions.  To avoid SPAMERS I have instituted a need to approve all postings and have added one of those aggravating word passwords to ensure that spamming robots are not able to flood our Blog Site.

Semper Fidelis,

Dick Carey
VietnamTankers@gmail.com

P.S. Thanks for your tireless effort.

Looking for Capt Ruhlman/Thanks Foundation

Ray,

I received the report that LtCol Sylvester may be deceased. I have not received any useful information as to whereabouts of Capt Ruhlman. Got no good info from Hq USMC. I am therefore suspending any further efforts to locate him. I want to express my sincere thanks to you and your organization  for your assistance in the matter. My best wishes to you all.

Semper Fi,

Jerry (Shirley)

Note:

 

The Foundation is also equipped to take your oral history over the phone. Call me at 253-517-5696 to arrange a time we can record an interview.

 

Semper Fi and Tanks a Lot,

 

Ray

(Right) Yawl is on the far left with the retriever crew.    Kneeling is Mike Tabor of Oklahoma, who was the crew chief at that time.  The strangely clean person (bending) is a machinist, who obviously had not been in the field with them.  Kuhn is standing on the far right.  You can see transmission fluid above the track all the way onto the boom and all over the ground behind the retriever.
 

The "Sweet Swede" was the only heavy tank retriever operating in Northern I-Corps at the time. 

August's 1965 to 1970 - Marine Tanks & Ontos Action

 

     This is the fifth of what is intended to be a monthly feature of abstracted Tank and Anti-Tank Command Chronologies. This Breech Block - August 2013 - will give you a brief overview of the action that the 1st, 3rd, and 5th Tanks and Anti-Tanks were involved in during each August that they were in-country. For the complete command chronologies, please visit our Foundation website where Pappy Reynolds has posted the Tank and Antitank CCs. Most of the CCs are 100-300 pages in length with material that is not usually of great interest to most. I will attempt to feature that which is of prime interest. If we've omitted areas that you would like to see included in these monthly overviews, please let me know. If you served in any of these units during a month of August and recall some experiences that you would like others to read, jot them down and send them to us. Pictures with captions are of particular interest. Nearly all of the material you send us will find its way into one of our publications and ultimately our book.

     Please note that, the Command Chronologies routinely list all the battalions' principle staff officers. However, I will provide just the Bn. C.O.'s, X.O.'s, Operations, and Logistics Officers of the battalions. Also, you will see the names of the C.O.s of H&S and the Letter Companies. I hope our readers, who knew the names of their Platoon Leaders and Platoon Sergeants, will send us their names - as well as others they served with. Those Marines are a part of our history which needs to be made known. We serve our Brothers well by recording their names in history.

     Also, you are encouraged to access the Foundation's Map Chronology that Pappy has created on our web site. There you may find out exactly where your unit - battalion, company, often platoon, and occasionally section - was located at any given time. If you do not find your unit on one of Pappy's several maps, let Pappy know.

     And finally, you will note that the abstract looks a bit "ragged" with the cut and paste of the original Command Chronologies into the abstract format. Aside from the fact that we do not have the time and available talent to re-type the CC's reports, with the original CCs posted as written removes any typing errors or areas of omission the transferring of data may introduce. The cut/paste gives you exactly how the CC was typed up at the battalion headquarters some 44-48 years ago.

     The file is in two parts due to the size of the content.

  

Part I ~ Part II

 

Semper Fidelis,

 

Ray

usmcvthf@comcast.net

There were a total of 13 bidders for the Challenge Coin. The following are the bidders listed in alphabetical order; Rick Armstrong, Claudio Calvo, Thomas Ciryak, Dennis Fresch, Brian Jefferies, Wes "Tiny" Kilgore, Bill Lochridge, David Nicodemus, Larry Parshall, Joe Vernon, Jerry Wahl, Martha Zaragoza and Ken Zebal.

 

We wish to thank all of the participants for their enthusiastic support of the Historical Foundation.

The Department of Veterans Affairs is studying changes to disability ratings for obstructive sleep apnea, particularly the 50-percent rating being awarded when VA physicians prescribe use of a CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure machine, for sleep-deprived veterans. The good news for more than 114,000 veterans already drawing compensation for sleep apnea is their ratings would not be reduced with broad change to the rating schedule. 

 

Read the full article on Military.com  

  

The Foundation is proud to announce that there has been quite a positive response to our e-mail asking for your help; financial  assistance, submission of your personal stories, and recollections of your "Vietnam Days," adding to the Foundation Library, and volunteering to carry some of the day-to-day work load. The level of financial contributions are recognized with an Award Certificate as follows:

Federal Way, WA 98023

                                                                                 Thank you!

 

IRS Approved Tax EIN 91-2111544 

 

  We have contracted with the Crowne Plaza Hotel on the River Walk for a $99 per night room rate.

 

Free daily self-parking.

 

  We will also get a 20% discount on food and drinks (not alcoholic drinks) in the hotel restaurants and bars.

   This same room rate for three days prior and three days after the reunion if you want to spend more time in the city.

   Call the hotel at 1-888-623-2800 after 10/1/12 but before 10/1/13 to make room reservations.

   Our hospitality room (that we call "The Slop Shute") will be the same size as the one that we had in San Diego in 2011.

   There will be lots to do while we are visiting this San Antonio. We are formulating activity plans that will be announce as they are completed.

  Please mark your calendars and start saving your money to meet and  greet with your brothers in arms.

  You are encouraged you to bring your wives or your girl friends and as many of your family members as you want to attend.

 

Marine Corps Mustang web site

Please take the time to go to the bottom of this newsletter and click on "Update Profile/Email Address."

With each issue of the Breech Block and other important emails sent to you there is a wording at the top of each email that states: "Having trouble viewing this email? Click here." If you are having an issue such as this be sure to click on the aforementioned link. This should resolve any problem,  if not let us know.