I guess I owe a bunch of you an explanation for not staying in touch: Lazy.
Thats it, just lazy.
I came to Bgaden some time in '71 after my unit the 93rd Float Bridge in Stuttgart couldn't find anything for a OOB30 Salvage Grade Diver (deep sea) to do. So they let me and Edelbrock go TDY to Bgaden and never come back. Okay, that worked fine. So I and Edelbrock worked as life guards at the Hof and Ski Patrol at Skytop until spring of '74. Some memories that stick (some don't you know what I mean)were the '72 Olympics in Munich and the hostage crisis. Being UDT trained we were on alert to help out with the hostage situation. It was solved before we had to go in, but I don't think we would have blown up the copters to get er done. Then Randy Chambers and I made a run to Salzburg one night to drink "a" bier and he dared me to finish smoking the bowl we were doing as we went through the check point, of course we did. Chambers and I also stole an Olympic flag each that the Germans hung along the autobahn one night, damn near got caught. Then there was the 1st annual slush cup. Chip Young dared me into throwing a Mobius off the ramp into the pond. I did, and stuck it. Its on film somewhere. Wojtal just loved my ass, I had him answering to the commanders regularly. But hey, we were young and innocent and I was a good soldier.
There is a special place in the heart that I'm sure we all feel when we see pix of the old haunts over there. I pull my album out several times a year to warm up the spirit and reflect on times that I will always cherish and the people that made such a monumental impact on the rest of my life. Some are gone, but the spirit of them still meanders through my veins and my soul smiles. I'm looking forward to the Reunion in Whitefish this year. Some of the folks I remember: John Gervais, John Edelbrock, Tommy Tice, Brad Richey, Mochescobie, Tim Ibey, Dirty Harry, Langee, Steve Lingnau, Chip Young, Chris Bilyeu, Tex, Tim Coughlin, Dave Oakland, Dancin' Dirksey, Paul Lambres, Gus, Stan Nowakowski, Roberto, Tom Wojtal, Brian Saska, Rich Stahl, Verner, Laura Toomey, Kit, Suzy "Gonads", Tarzan, Eric (last name), Fritz, my ex Becky Arnold, Vic Tobias, Bruce and Anita Williams, Col. Baz, General Goodpastor, that friggin' tree that jumped out in front of me at skytop and busted my ribs, Denny "Dynamic", Fatta Pig, Doug Harvey, Cookie Monster, Gandalf my VW tour bus, the songs about us, the song about the "little grey mouse that stood on the barroom floor, when the bar was closed for the night, and he lapped up the liquor with his little pink tongue, and......well we will finish this endless list at the reunion, seeya all there.