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Battalion Runner Gabe
Coronado, 2717 Gratiot Avenue, Pt. Huron MI, 48060
2/9 REUNION 2010 The 2010 Reunion is being planned for November 9-11 this fall. If you’re thinking about going, register early, the rooms fill up fast. There are no registrations fees or other charges to members who chose to attend. Reunion attendees are responsible for making their own reservations with the hotel, payment of room, and guaranteeing for late arrival. Other costs are covered by your donations. A “donation can” will be set out in the room, or you can send a donation designated for the reunion in advance. Make your check payable to Gabe Coronado and send to the above address. Hope to see you there! Click HERE For REUNION 2010 Information! OTHER REUNIONS CORRECTION Golf 2/9 Reunion to be held May 2-8 2010 at Residence Inn St. Petersburg, Treasure Island, Florida The email address for contact person Ronald Bowen was printed incorrectly in the last Runner. The correct email address for more information is: norobo@comcast.net. West Coast Reunion - John Foster (E2/9, 67-68) writes, “I’m putting a feeler out to see what kind of interest I can generate for a west coast reunion. I know there are many 2/9 brothers that cannot afford the expense of traveling all the way to Arlington to attend the 2/9 reunion and a west coast venue might be just the ticket. I am thinking a company reunion (Echo), however all 2/9ers are welcome. San Diego would be a good location due to local attractions and MCRD of course. Recruits graduate every Friday. Another possibility would be Oceanside or San Clemente due to being close to Camp Pendleton. Last year I acted as liaison for Alpha 1/7. They had their reunion in Palm Springs and all attendees were very happy with the accommodations. The current 1/7 at 29 Palms acted as hosts and provided a bus to transport the guys and spouses up to base for memorial service (Vietnam fallen), a tour of the base, including the Iraqi village where the grunts train, and a free meal at the mess hall. I am thinking that the 4th Marines based at 29 would do the same for 2/9ers. We were on many ops with the 4th Marines in Nam and even though they are with 1st Mar Div now, I would be willing to bet that they would extend the same courtesy for us, that is if they are not deployed. I am also thinking that late May or early June would be a good time to host a reunion but that is open for a vote or further discussion.” Contact John Foster by email at: johnnoel@earthlink.net or phone at: 760-323-9731. NEW PHOTOS ON WEBSITE PHOTO GALLERY I recently received a packet of photos from Jim “Doc” Schmidt (E2/9, 66-67). These, along with many other photos, are available for viewing in the Photo Gallery section of the website. You never know when you may find yourself or a friend in one of these pictures.
NOTES FROM THE MAILBOX Gabe Coronado (E Co, 65-66) wishes to thank all the members of the 2/9 Network who sent condolences on the recent passing of his father on March 31st. It is comforting to have the support of the brotherhood. Gary Griffis (E Co. 67-68) writes, “I ran into Hank Mueller at a fund raiser named in his honor. I have since found out that he served with 2/9 Echo Co from March to April 1967 when he was severely wounded. He lost his right eye completely and the left eye was damaged so badly that after many surgeries they were unable to save it too. He has been blind since he was wounded in Vietnam.” You can email Hank Mueller at hank.mueller@gmail.com. Hoyt “Earl” Luce (F Co. 66-67) writes, “As I looked at the list of donors in the last Runner, I saw Col. Peeler’s name and it brought back a couple of memories. We had just come in from an operation to Camp Carroll, sometime in October of ’66. That night after we had had our first hot meal in several weeks, we were sitting around and Col. Peeler came by and sat down and visited with us. I was in awe. You have to remember I had only been out of Boot Camp a few months and to me a Colonel was just below God so I couldn’t get over him sitting with us. Great gentleman. I called him in San Antonio several years ago after I found out he had retired and moved there. He was very gracious and greeted me in such a sincere manner. The other big memory was that same night someone in the squad snuck in the mess tent and liberated a large can of Spam and a gallon of grape jelly. We made sandwiches with the spam as the bread, and the jelly between two pieces. To this day, 43 years later, I still gag whenever I taste grape jelly. I can eat the Spam but not the jelly.” James Costello (HQHS, 66-69, Scout Interpreter) would like to have information regarding events on 11/15/67, the day he was wounded. Contact James by phone at: 609-387-3194 or email at flubmed@sbcglobal.net.
Marvin Davis (HQHS, 66-67) writes, “Would you please help me find this person’s next of kin? I have been searching for 33 years. His name in Clyde Lynch and we served with the 9th Marines in Vietnam 1966-67.” Cpl. Lynch died from wounds after being seared by napalm when the hose of the flamethrower strapped to his back burst open. If you can help GySgt Davis find this man’s family, email him at: mdavis91@columbus.rr.com or call 614-231-1481. Larkus Smith (H Co. 1965) Operation Harvest Moon, writes, “I am looking for L/Cpl Daniels, L/Cpl Immel (?)who just came off Embassy Duty, and Cpl Samspree (?) out of Birmingham, AL.” You can write to Larkus Smith at PO Box 7355, Spanish Fort, AL 36577. Joseph Long (HQHS, 66-67) writes, “I read with interest the letters from Col Kent and Chaplain Chasteen in the Battalion Runner. Let me take the July 29 story a step further. I was a lance corporal, Maj Murphy’s radioman, when we made that trip into the DMZ. Our command group was situated beween Fox and Golf Companies as we strung out on the road from the Market Place on July 29. I remember receiving word on my PRC 25 that Chaplain Chasteen had been severely wounded. I was also told that his assistant had been killed, which I still believed until reading the Chaplain’s piece. The news was a blow to general morale. I had been active in chapel whenever possible having had some training in religious ministry prior to joining the Marines and considered Chasteen a friend and an outstanding chaplain. When darkness fell the night of the 29th, those who had not made it out of the DMZ were strung out on the road, cut off from each other in groups of various sizes, from about 15 to over a hundred. You who were there will remember that at dark the fighting stopped except for a few overnight incidents. Around 4:00 am a wounded marine, lying on the road just behind us, began thrashing around begging the corpsman not to let him die. I dozed off for about 10 minutes, and when I awoke the corpsman was crying, telling Doctor Brown that he had done all he could to save the Marine, but that he was dead. I remember listening to the doctor as he comforted the corpsman. Until I read Chaplain Chasteen’s letter I did not realize Dr. Brown was doing this after having been wounded himself." NOTES FROM THE WEBSITE RE: NOVEMBER 30, 1967 Doug: According to “Our Men on the Wall” 16 Marines and one Corpsman were KIAs that day – seven from Fox, five from Golf, and five from Hotel. What happened that day…it has been so long ago and I don’t remember. Tom: I was in country a little more than 30 days on November 30. This certainly qualifies me as an FNG. Unfortunately that’s also my perspective of that day all these years later. I’m pretty sure the whole battalion was out on this operation (name?). We were out near the ‘trace’ and dug in for a few days when a chopper bringing supplies also dropped off a guy dressed in cammies and sporting a soft cover. He had no markings on his uniform and the skuttlebutt was that he was CIA. He also carried an M-14. The next day we moved out in a column that stretched out beyond my line of sight. It was hot (no shxx), and I remember my canteen being empty and foolishly filling it up in a paddy. After the usual fits and starts the column moved out of the dry area and in to marshy, wet, low lying terrain. Again, I’m a new guy, I’m just following the guy in front of me and doing what I’m told. The further we moved forward the deeper we sank in the marsh. It was then that the shooting began. I have no idea what order of battle was. Was Fox the lead company? Was it Gulf? I was in third platoon. Was first or second out in front? The order was to move forward. Those ahead of us had already moved through the mud and were moving uphill toward the fighting. It seemed like it took forever to get through that quagmire and up to the higher ground. I don’t remember how many gooks died. I should know because I was detailed to collect the bodies, and, along with several other new guys, toss them into a bomb crater. There were quite a few. I don’t recall any enemy wounded. The medivac chopper arrived when it was almost dark and took our wounded. We dug in and spent the night. My first fire fight was over—I was bug-eyed. Bill Taylor took out an enemy gun with his M-60 after Nelson McKenna was killed trying to do the same and was awarded a Silver Star. Sgt. Peter Delandro, third platoon (the bravest Marine I ever met) was severely wounded and no one thought he would make it—survived and even came back to lead us again. 42 years later I think that the guy in the soft cover knew exactly where the bunkers were and lead us right to them. I think he probably knew what provisions they had. I remember seeing the biggest, deepest bomb craters ever--arc-light aftermath probably. I’m sure I’m not the only one who can shed some light on the events of that day. Hopefully, someone has a better handle on it than me. It was during these early days of my tour that it dawned on me that the term ‘scared shitless’ was a misnomer. Ron: I wasn't there but I had a comm monitor hooked up in my hooch and monitored all the radio traffic of the battalion. The operation began from Camp Carroll where we loaded trucks and drove to a junction south of Cam Lo, from there we moved on foot north. The NVA had a horseshoe shaped ambush that caught the lead company in the open. This particular area was bad-guy country and in 1966 and earlier in 1967 Marine units had been similarly mauled. From my recollection I believe Fox was in the lead; I know Captain Barra in Golf was instrumental in getting casualties and bodies out during the night in a torrential rainstorm. Your supposition about the fellow in the cammies and soft cover who appeared from a helicopter is probably correct; when I became S-3 I tried to check him out but was told that he had authority to be with us, so long as he didn't interfere with the operations. He joined us several times later, and I saw him in September 1968 at a house in Quang Tri with others in civilian clothes. After I returned to the states I saw a Washington Post article reporting that he had been killed north of Saigon during 1969.
NEW MEMBERS The following is a list of new members that have joined since the last Runner. Due to the large number of registrations, and for privacy protection, contact information for new members is not published in the Runner but is available on the website Roster, or by phone at (810) 987-4038, or email at member3107@aol.com. Geron Brown (HQHS Co. 67), Patrick Fuller (H Co. 74-75), Doug Schaefer (Battalion 10-Present.), Mark Hagstrom (HQHS Co. 77-78), Eddie Snodgrass (H Co. 67-68), James Costello (HQHS Co. 66-69), Donald J. Houser (HQHS Co. 67), Bat Masterson (HQHS Co. 69), Terrence J. Doherty (E Co. 65), Mario A. Martinez (F Co. 87-91), Mike Katen (HQHS Co. 67-68), Carl Odom (G Co. 75-76), Burt Barbie (G Co. 92-96), John Timmons (G Co. 67-68), David Preciado (H Co. 66-67), Mike Lennon (F Co. 79-81), Richard D. Green (HQHS 79-86), Moussa Sareini (HQHS Co. 79-83), Arthur A. Pierce (F Co. 67-69), Howard Divebliss (HQHS Co. 69), Raymond Hammond (G Co. 68-74), Jose Ramirez (F Co. 08-09), Stephen Gregory (Wpns Co 87-89), Larry J. Branson (HQHS Co. 75-76), Dennis Fowler (G Co. 68-69), Thomas Rell (G Co. 75-76), Richard Markley (G Co. 78-81), Richard N. Pinkerton ) E Co. 65-66), Patrick Smyth (E Co. 86-88), Eddie Lake (E Co. 67-68), Gary McCarthy (HQHS Co. 84-92), Pat McElveny (HQHS Co. 70-71), Ben Portnov (H Co. 67-69), John R. Robicheaux (HQHS Co. 65-66), Cicillio M. Lucero ( HQHS Co. 67), Rocky B. MacArthur ( HQHS Co. 66-67), Michael J. Zwirn (H Co. 74-75), Charles Osgood (HQHS Cp. 67-68), Robert B. Remington (G Co. 08-Present), Ronald Wood (HQHS Co. 68-69), Steve Vodjansky (E Co. 83-87), James E. Prothro (HQHS Co. 75-76), Earl Sims (H Co. 69-70), Dave Rhodes (E Co. 79-83), Terry A. Benjamin (F Co. 68-69), Reynaldo Acevedo (H Co. 66-68), Gale R. Thames (HQHS CO. 74-75), William Grier (F Co. 67-68), Jesse Bass (E Co. 93-97), Robert K. Smith (E Co. 68-69), Jose L. Presas (F Co. 68-69), Raffaele Minichiello (H Co. 67-69), Calvin Curtis (E Co. 67-68), Bernard Davis (G Co. 65-66), Mike Neely (HQHS Co. 67-68), Lu Vinh (E Co. 89-93), Richard Dieffenderfer ( HQHS Co. 75-76), Jimmy R. Thorne (F Co. 66-67), J.D. O’Neal (HQHS Co. 62-62). DONATIONS OOH-RAH to all the members who keep the Network going with their donations to the cause, including: Gregory D. Hines, Richard Arehart, Filomeno R. Morales, William A. Gay, Gregory J. Howe, Jerry Kilde, John Carson, Gary Brown, James L. Koffend, R. Jay Klumm, Earl H. Luce, Gerald Hornick, John Harley, Salvatore Licitra, Richard H. Centi, Daniel P. Mannix, James Sadler, Geron Brown, George Sachtleben, Robert L Mumper, John P. Kasparian, Scot Whelan, Robert J. Driver, Jr., Ralph C. Martinez, Galen H. Sarvinski, Vaden L. Cobb, Bob Sawyer, Pete Padilla, Frank Southard, Raymond Weisgerber, Joseph D. Henebury. The Network is organized and run by unpaid volunteer members, but there are some costs involved in keeping it going. Money is needed to pay the web host, printing charges and postage for the newsletter, along with costs incurred for the reunion. There are no charges of any kind to members. Everything is paid for strictly through donations. If you feel moved to donate any amount, make your check out to Gabe Coronado and mail to: The 2/9 Network – Gabe Coronado |
