Some day I will have a Harley hopefully, and when I do I would love to make that run with you guys. Until then I just have to wait for the reunion in August. Can't wait to see the guys again.



Dutch

HI ALPHA CO. PHIL DUBOISE AND I ARE DOING THE RUN THIS YEAR. MY FIRST AND PHIL'S SECOND. HE ASKED ME TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT ANYONE WITH A BIKE (harley) AND THE OTHER MAKES ARE WELCOME TO JOIN US. IF YOU NEED INFO YOU CAN LOG INTO rftw.org.. LET PHIL OR MYSELF KNOW IF YOU WANT TO JOIN US TOM PS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE POSTED ANYTHING ON THIS SITE. HOPE IT WORKS!

My nephew has agreed to fix our web site. He does this for a business so we are in good hands. He has been doing this for a long time and I have a lot of confidence in him.

In other news, there is no other news. Things are quite and I hope they stay that way. WOJO should have the letter in referenc to the reunion out pretty soon.

If any of you guys out there watch Justified on TV, notice how much Harry Harrington looks like the Fed boss on that show.

Thats it my Brothers,

Later,

Val

As of today, we are crap out of luck with our site as the guy in Arizona who was doing it is no longer able to. It cost us a couple of hundred dollars to set it up. I am going to investigate re-doing the site so I have access to everything so we can post pictures/information in the appropriate sections of the site. Right now we have control of the blog and the guest book. I will keep you all informed.

Wojo will have a letter out very soon addressing the reunion. It sounds good. Give him your cooperation so we can get this thing nailed down.

"Brothers Forever"

Val

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year!!!

Good evening Alpha Co. Sitting here at 20:30 with my wife babysitting 2 of our grand children. Was thinking about Christmas & New Years in 69 with you guys of Alpha Co. Such a long time ago , and yet I can remember it like yesterday. Anyway, wishing all our Alpha Co. family a very Happy New Years.

Dutch

Today at 1330 hrs. we layed to rest a really good man. Dave was buried in the Veteran's Cemetary in Middletown, CT. Fortunately John Martin lives in New Jersey and was able to make the trip and represent the Company at the service. John told me that Mary Ann really appreciated the jesture.

Dave was a really great young officer and an intrical part of our unit. He was quick to smile and had a can do attitude. I never held him being a Redleg against him.

He did his duty and God will insure he sleeps easy. We will miss you "Yogi".

"Brothers Forever"

Val

On behalf of my family and my self, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year. I hope your holiday is filled with family and love.

Pleas take time out to say a little prayer for our men and women who are away from home this holiday season and especially those in combat zones.

I hope to see you in Ohio next year

Major Val Zapert,
USA Retired

For those of you who knew him, Dave Fortin our Artillery Forward Observer passed away last wek after a losing bout with cancer. Dave was a young 2LT. when he came to us. He shortly became one of our own. His nick name was Yogi Bear, his RTO was Boo Boo.

I spoke with his wife Mary Ann and she told me he was really happy when we found him after all those years. I sent short accent to be read by his brother at the funeral. I will also be sending a flower arangement from the Company. He will be buried in the Veterans Cemetery, in Middletown, CT. @ 0930 hrs. on 30 December, 2011.

He did his duty and I am sure God will insures he sleeps in peace. He is our "Brother Forever".

Val

It hurts me very deeply that Cowboy would disperge my reputation like this. It is true I made him pay caue it was his turn. I bought him a very expensive Italian dinner in the heart of Terrell, Texas a few months ago. He is just fisishing for a steak dinner. I just might buy him one seeing I didn't get him any thing for is birthday. Deep down inside he is just jealous of me because I have more hair than he does. Having said that I am here to tell you I am one cheap S.O.B. where Cowboy is concerned. It's just the way it is. What can I say.

I do enjoy seeing him every once in a while. Now that he is an Athletic Drector and not just a coach, it is hard to pin him down. he makes me call for an appointment three months in advance just to go to lunch.

I hope all of you out there have a safe and happy Christmas. When your all sitting around this Christmas try and remember our troops all around the world and esspecially those in harms way.

I love all of you men, you are my "Brothers Forever".

Val

Hello guys! Hope everyone is doing well! I know the Rat is because I fed him a big dinner at a place called Cole Mountain the other night. Seems like everytime we meet for dinner he finds a way for me to pay for it. But I will give him credit for acting like he was going to pay for it when the waitress brought us the ticket. You should have seen his face when I told him I was ordering a big expensive ribeye steak right after he said said he would pay for the next dinner. I could tell that the wheels were already turning for him to figure out how to trick me into paying the next time too.
But you have to give the Rat his due. He DID send me an excellent book to read! Take care!

My nephew is computer savvy, am trying to hook him up w Rat and the respective web personnel

Good evening Alpha Co. It's hard to believe 70 years ago Pearl Harbor was hit. So many veterans lost. But once again it just proves what our military is made of.

I hope everybody is doing well. I agree with the Rat, and wish our guys would write more on this website. Rat, I also hope somebody has the ability to be the Web Master.

On the lighter side the weather is getting colder up here. The weather people are calling for highs Thursday thru the weekend of only being in the 20s. Brrrr,getting cold.

Our grandaughter is now 2 1/2 months old. Two more coming yet, one in January, and one in March. The wife and I wanted to go to Florida for a couple months this Winter, but the grand kids took care of that for us. Oh well, next Winter is coming. I only hope the arthritis in these old bones can keep up with it.

I hope and pray all of you guys and your families have a Merry Christmas and a very happy New Year.


Dutch

We have lost our web site master. If you have the knowledge and would offer you services it would help a lot. If you know of some one who will do it for a minimum amount, I could pay them out of the company fund. Without help, there will be no pictures or narritives posted as well as up coming events.

Help me out here people. We need to revive this site or lose it., Or just have a blog and Guest book. I am not capable of doing the things we need done. I will see what the other guy has to say. If it is something I can do, I will.

New subject. It would be nice if more of you would get on the blog from time to time. It is nice to hear about what is happing in your lives. We do not get to see each other very often and this is one way to keep in touch. I know a lot of you read the blog because when I talk to you you tell me so.

Another subject: We still need to be looking for other company members. Time will be running out before we know it.

I hope every one has a absolutely great Christmas. I hope you all are granted your wishes for a new year. Stay healthy and attend one of our reunions.

Val

Good afternoon Alpha Co., how is everybody doing? Getting ready to head up north to go deer hunting with my oldest son and my son-in-law. Good time to have a cold one and play some cards.

Hope everybody has a great Thanksgiving next Thursday!

Dutch

Happy Birthday Keith!! What an awesome thing to have your birthday on VETERANS DAY. I would also like to thank you for your service to this Great Land of ours. Thanks again for the shotgun I won at our last reunion. It must have been my weekend winning at the poker table also!! It was awesome.

Anyway Keith, THANK YOU & HAPPY BIRTHDAY.


GOD BLESS THE U.S.A.


Dutch

I need to tell you guys a little story about Keith. Keith is a great supporter of the our Company and the military in general. Keith's brother Larry was in our Company and killed in Nam. We tracked Keith down and invited him to our reunion in Las Vegas. Keith has been an intregal part of the Company ever since.

Keith was born on Veteran's Day so tomorrow every one email him a happy birthday. Keith's parents died when he was small and he was raised by his aunt and uncle. His uncle was a WWII veteran and Keith attended his uncle's reunions as he grew up and took a great interest in the military. Keith was in the Army and I believe he was a SSG when he got out.

Keith is a troop through and through, so Keith Happy Birthday and thanks for all you have done for us, the other Vets and your service to your country.

Val

Members of Alpha Company. This Friday is Veteran's Day. It also happens to be the 50th aniversary of the war in Vietnam. I hope we will all take time to reflect on our good fortune. We who survived our tours and came home to start our lives owe a debt of gratitude to those who did not. I think I can say with out fear of contradiction, that we were all touched by at least one of our brother's deaths. So on this special Veteran's Day take time to say a prayer and say thanks to those who fell on the field of combat.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for service. Because of all of you I got home safely. Your all the best of the best. Have a great day, enjoy your family and I hope to see all of you at Wojo's next year.

Val

A lot of us got Purple Hearts on Easter Hill

1. Hello everyone. I know I have been negligent in keeping all up todate on "A" Company business. I really am working on the pictures from this and last years reunions. Brother Parker is a busy man and trying to get him to send me stuff is sometimes difficult. Spoke with Jim "Stinger" Rogers the other day, he sounded well. Phil "Lobo" DuBois is also good, both riding thier bikes a lot.

2. Wojo and I are working on next years reunion alrteady. Looks to be pretty nice.

3. A good friend of mine, Jim Maish retired from the Phoenix P.D. in April of this year. I think he was there for about 30 years. He is the best Police officer i have ever met. Jim was SWAT or what ever thier calling it these days. I worked with him for about 5 years when I was with the Warrants unit of the Adult probation Dept. I called him the other day figureing he was working at some new job. WRONG! He is out shooting his bow. Always honing those skills. In any case, he reads our BLOG all the time and chewed my ass for not keeping him up todate on all things. Jim, your a good man and I am proud to know you and had the privlidge of working with you.

4. It looks like Lynn and I will be breaking ground on our house very soon. Just ordered the soil test. In texas the ground moves a lot so you have to know what is under neath your foundation. This year because of the drought, there a huge cracks in the ground. When it rains they will close back up. Texas is an unusual place with really many different geological differences throught the state. For those ofyou who like to read I highly recomend Mitchner's "Texas" and a book that Lil Cowboy gave to me, "Not Between Brothers" both really excellent books. If you havn't read any of Stphen Hunter's books your missing out on some good reading.

5. I looked in the mirror this morning and realized that I really was getting better looking. Scary Huh?

6. For those of you who went to the reunion this year, you met a really good friend of mine, Pat Skinner. We went to "Airborne" school together and were both in the 101st at the same time. He was in one of the other lesser unit wwithin the Divison. In any case, we need to say thanks to pat as he paid for a lot of the drinks and snacks we all consumed. Thyanks Pat I love you "Brother"

7. Were working on getting Dutch VanderMolen his Purple Heart. We have been turned once, but we aregoing to give it another shot now that the VA has recognized the shrapnel in his back.

8. Any body who has received a valorus award or a Purple Heart needs to contact me. You are eligible to be in the 101st airborne Division" history book. email or call me ASAP.

9. Before I forget, we all need to thank Keith Kirkland, for it was him who donated both weapons for our raffle these last two years. Keith has supported our efforts and we owe him our thanks.

10. Again thanks to Soul Man, Cathy and his daughter Cami for such a great reunion.

11. If anyone is interested in a AR-15 raffle, let me know. We would need at least 15 participants. And a maxium of 20. If we get the people I will email out the rules.

12. Talked with Tex and Nora Caufield the other day. They are well and Tex is still Tex.

Well thats about it, I'm just rambling any way. Hope this entry finds all well and still ready to "Saddle Up".

"Brothers Forever"

Val

Good afternoon Alpha Co. It's been a long time since anybody has had a message. How is everybody doing?

Rat, how is the house coming? How is SWWOW doing with her migraines? From the news reports we get up here, it sounds like Texas is drying up between the drought and the wild fires going on there.

Me and the wife have had our ups and downs. Our one good upper is we got a new grandaughter last week Wednesday. Her name is Macie Lynn, and she is really gorgeous. We still have 2 more on the way. The down side is this past Thursday we had our sewer back up in our basement. What a shitty and stinky mess!!

Oh well, the weather up here the last 10 days have been absolutely beautiful. So I guess that I can't complain too much.


One more thing, do any of you guys have our orders for the Air Medal that we got in Nam. I know I got one but it's not on my DD214. If anybody has their orders with my name on it, would you give me a call or a e-mail to let me know.

Have a Great Weekend!!!


Dutch

Good afternoon Alpha Co. It's been a while since I've written. A very special thanks to Soulman and family for a wonderful reunion. So glad to see everybody who showed up.

Thanks also to Lil Cowboy for the shotgun. I've never won anything like that in my life. I almost couldn't believe it when Rat called my ticket number. I will put it to good use.

My wife and I also found out a couple of weeks ago that my oldest son and daughter-in-law are expecting. We will have 3 new grand kids in about 6 or 7 months. I'm gonna be broke before I get old.

Lobo, sorry to hear about your house being broke into. Wouldn't you love to get your hands on the creeps. People like that don't have the guts to try that face to face.

Hope everybody has a good Labor Day weekend. Summer sure is getting short.





Dutch

To ensure that everyone gets the word.

Yesterday I sent out an email that informed you that Lobo had his home broken into and lost everything that the hoods could move out in a 30 miniute time frame. Encluded in the items stolen was his computer. Beware of any comunications asking for funds or information. I will get with Lobo and when he gets a new computer I will let you know via email.

Keep goo thoughts.

Brothers Forever,
Val

If your waiting on Tex, forget it. You will die of old age before he comes around.

We had a great time in Carolina. Brother Parker & family did an out standing job. As soon as I get a CD from Soulman I will attempt to get it posted. I will also try and get last years also.

SWWOW was sorry she could not make it, she really looks forward to seeing all the guys, even Jensen.

Start making plans for next year at WOJOs. He is already working on it.

Brother VanderMolen won the buig prize this year, a 12 guage shotgun donated by the infamous Keith "Little Cowboy" Kirkland.

Brother Caufield won the .22 cal semiautomatic rifle donated by ,Guess Who, none other than "Little Cowboy" Keith Kirkland. We owe keith a debt of gratitude for his generosity. Thank you Keith for your generous support.

Hope to have another good turnout next year.

"Brothers Forever"

Rat

On June 12, Tex said he'd come pick me up to head east to the reunion. Sorry I didn't make it. Hope all you guys had a great time. Looking forward to seeing Rat's updates on the site.

Take care bros.

Later, Harry