THE GHOSTRIDER NEWS
189th
Assault Helicopter Company
(Vietnam)
Association
Greetings: GhostRiders,
Avengers, Caretakers, friends and family members.
Can
you believe spring is almost here? Well
I guess some of you up in the deep freeze cannot.
It has been warm and sunny in Arizona already up in the low 90’s.
Yea I am rubbing it in. You
just have to retire and come join us here in the Southwest.
VHPA Reunion:
The 2008 VHPA reunion will be held at the San Antonio
Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, TX
52d CAB Reunion:
The 52d CAB reunion will be held in conjunction with
the 170th AHC reunion August 7-10, 2008 in St. Louis, MO at the
Crowne Plaza-St. Louis Airport.
Hotel. You can
make your reservations on line by going to www.52dcab.org
and clicking on 52d CAB/170th reunion.
Or you may call 1-314-291-6700. The
group code is J51 for the special rate of $81.00 per night.
A documentary film will be shown during the reunion.
For more information contact Vern Gano at 636-441-3590 or email ganoshome@sbcglobal.net.
CAMP
HOLLOWAY MEMORIAL WALL DEDICATION:
The dedication for The Camp Holloway
Memorial Wall will be November 8, 2008 at 11:00 AM on the grounds of The
National Vietnam War Museum in Mineral Wells, Texas. This dedication will be rain or shine. In the past few years the Veterans Day Weekend has been dry.
However please plan accordingly for the weather.
The CWO Charles Holloway family will be attending this dedication from
whom Camp Holloway was named. Motel
accommodations are limited in Mineral Wells.
I have placed a list on the web at http://52dcab.org/memorial_wall_dedication.html. Just
click on the Hotel Information link. Weatherford
is a nearby town and has more to select from.
Plan to make this special event. It
will not be a reunion as stated in the October newsletter due to the hotel
situation. Please let me know if
you plan to attend. Check out the
latest photos, as the construction is just about finished.
We still need funds to complete the project.
We need lights, flagpoles, and signage.
We had a local man volunteer his weekend of March 15-16 to finish laying
the block. Steve Schmidt also came
out and worked hard. Thanks James
and Steve.
–
12 March08 – Steve Schmidt
Spring
is coming! This is the time for
renewal and looking forward to the blossoms and colorful beauty of nature.
Butterflies and humming birds will be here soon (later, in some places)
but we know they are coming.
When
was the last time you hugged your spouse, or your child or your grandchild, or
one of your parents? Those are
precious moments that we men need to cherish while we can and save in our
memories for the rest of our lives. God
knows we have enough other memories that we will never forget!
Yes,
these words are for us all, especially for my friend Boyd Clines who has lost
his wife Diedre to cancer. She was
a friend to us all, especially to Beth and me.
NOTICE: 2008
VHPA Reunion at the San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, San Antonio, Texas, 2 - 6
July 2008.
Anybody going to San Antonio in July?
Plan now to attend the VHPA annual reunion and the 189th
AHC mini-reunion scheduled there on Saturday, July 5th
at 1:00 PM. That is the same day as
the VHPA dinner banquet so come to the mini-reunion and stay for dinner.
The www.vhpa.org
website will lead you pilots to the
Regards to all, Steve
VNAF PILOTS: I
have been contact by former VNAF pilots who trained with the 189th.
One of them has contacted Jim Riovo who trained him to fly the UH-1.
They want to join us in our reunions.
They are about 10-12 of them in the US.
I told them to come on.
PLEIKU: Pat Leary stopped by Pleiku on his way back from China recently. He wrote a very interesting article on his visit. I will place it on the 189th AHC web site.
Address
Changes:
Please
remember to send me your change of address when you move.
Also if you change your email address, please send this to me also.
Speaking of email. Please update your address book for my new email address gerry.sandlin@gmail.com.
Bobbye’s is bobbyej49@gmail.com.
Computer Glitch: Have
you ever had a computer glitch? Well
I did a couple of months ago. So I
got it fixed and thought everything was put back on my computer.
Two programs were missing. A
photo program that I used, and loved and the mailing list program that I used to
print the label for mailing the newsletter.
So this newsletter you are getting generic labels without membership
dates and your spouses name is missing. I
have found a membership program that I am toying with to purchase that will have
all the information in one place and I can back it up on my external hard drive.
I will have it worked out by next newsletter.
Gerry’s travels:
Our
travels have been limited this winter although we did make a trip to Laughlin,
NV for a few days for a motor home rally. If fuel prices stay as they are now
our travels will be limited this summer. Can
you believe almost $4.00 a gallon? Now
when you fill your car up you put in 15-19 gallon.
We put in 65-90 gallon. OMG. Oh
well, its just money. Our plans do
call for us to be back in Mineral Wells, TX by mid June.
Then up to Ohio to see our son who is coming back in April from Iraq and
then up to Chicago to check out locations for the 189th 2009 reunion,
back to Alabama to get our stuff out of storage and ship to Yuma.
Then back to Yuma. Then in
late October back to Mineral Wells for the dedication. Now you figure the mileage.
Uh, I hope we get a tail wind and get 9 mpg or better.
I would like to thank all you who thought I needed to be influenced in
one political party or another or which candidate is the dirtiest during this
long-long campaign. I just quickly
delete your email and add it to my trash. Boy
have I had a lot of trash. I enjoy
your emails and I do read a lot of the jokes.
Most days I get over 100 emails. I
like to stay in touch with you. One
of the fulfilling things that have happened in the last few weeks is getting in
touch with the CWO Charles Holloway’s family.
Camp Holloway was named after him. Chuck,
Mr. Holloway’s son is a retired Command Sergeant Major and lives in El Paso.
We plan on having dinner with him when we go that way in June.
I have contacted the Chicago area checking on locations for our 2009
reunion. Room rates are going to be
a bit more than we have been paying. We
will take this into consideration before locking us in.
We also plan to check the Atlanta area for a second location.
We hope to see you in St. Louis at the 52d CAB reunion.
Clear on the right…Clear on the left.
Gerry
