Second Quarterly 97th Engineer Newsletter, 2014:
Updated: 30 June 2014
MEMORIAL DAY 2014
God bless our fallen and their families and friends.
HONOR ROLL: (28 May)
Lloyd Mullins sent an obituary information for his former boss in France. That document for CSM (retired) Benedict Balthazar of Hawaii, who died in late 2009, is now entered on the obituary page, along with a statement by Lloyd.
LOST AND FOUND ENGINEERS AND FRIENDS: (30 May)
Randy Vandever, Company C, 97th EBC, Pirmasens, Germany, 1967–68, checked in with us following an ad placed in the VFW Magazine by Larry Castleman. Randy is now a welcomed member on our roster.
Colonel William Downey, Jr., veteran of the Philippines (with 97thEBC), Korean Conflict, and Vietnam.
PRE–REUNION NOTES:
YOU MAY SEND IN YOUR REUNION REGISTRATION FORM (see 2014 Reunion Brief on side bar)
REMEMBER WHEN?
Just about all the information we have so far regarding the 2014 Reunion in October, INCLUDING A NEW REGISTRATION FORM, is at the left side bar link found under REUNIONS (2014 Reunion Brief). Please take a look often as that file is where most of the consolidated information will be from now to October.
2014 REUNION ATTENDEE LIST:
NAME: (please let us know when you have reserved your room; registration instructions form now available in the 2014 Reunion Brief)
DONATIONS REQUESTED FOR THE 97TH ENGINEER BATTALION PLAQUE (19 January):
This is a follow–up request for (tax deductible for most filers) contributions from our group that would be specifically for the production of the Engineer plaque being considered by the Engineer Plaque Committee. Please consider a less than 25 dollar contribution and mail it to Lloyd Mullins. How to address the contribution and Lloyd’s mailing address are shown above at the “Plaque Committee Announcement” (1st Quarterly Newsletter).
97TH ENGR BN WEB SITE MODIFICATIONS:
A few days ago I discovered an anomaly in the way our engineer history files responded when anyone clicked on a file for viewing, so I began to experiment and discovered the solution was a separate page for housing the 97th Engineer Battalion History Index. You will now find all our history files rearranged into and easily accessed listing. Just click on the link under HISTORY and select the file you desire to view. ALL entries contain a file (I also discovered few visitors clicked on the section titles). Here is the direct link to the new page:
ENGINEER NEWSLETTER ENDING 31 DECEMBER 2014:
The 97th Engineer E–Newsletter will continue until 31 December 2014, unless we have a volunteer to continue the work. Henceforth, bulk emails will only be delivered via MailChimp Email Service through the end of December 2014, and then the service will be terminated.
The 97th Engineer Battalion web site will remain posted online, archived yearly and available for those searching/researching, as long as funds remain available. As the web site continues, there will be a yearly 97th EBC Continuous Notifications Newsletter for special announcements and newly found engineers, only, and history will continue to be published but at a slower pace, as I am able. Don Ricks, Editor.
USAREUR WEB SITE NOW CONTAINS HISTORY OF 97TH EBC, LINKS TO OUR SITE:
Several months ago I sent an email message to the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) web site webmaster, Walter Elkins, and asked that the 97th EBC be appropriately listed under the 24th Engineer Group’s list of units that served under that command and USAREUR. Mister Elkins added the unit in much better fashion than I anticipated and even went beyond our expectation to do a professional job that will please everyone. I have sent a thank you note to Walter for his exceptional work. Don Ricks
510TH ENGINEER COMPANY (HEAVY EQUIPMENT) LINEAGE AND HISTORY:
The U. S. Army Center of Military History has available a Lineage And Honors Information page for the The 510th Engineer Company. This unit frequently worked with the 97th Engineer Battalion (Const) during major construction projects.
The unit also served with distinction during the Vietnam War at Cam Ranh Bay.
CASTLE COURIER, A Publication of the U.S. Army Engineer Museum:
Here attached is the latest Castle Courier from Fort Leonard Wood. Thanks to Troy Morgan, Director:
A WITTY ENGINEER WRITER THAT SHOULD HAVE AN AUDIENCE, DENVER!
Many of us have talents we seldom consider worthy to share in a broad sense and mostly relegate them to hobby status or just self–satisfaction interests. Harry Puncec has shared with me over the years his photography and writing skills. Fortunately, some of his input to editors in Denver finds its way into local newspapers, and his wit and insight certainly enhances the reading pleasure of locals in his home town. In my opinion, Harry should have a dedicated column—but until he does here is a sample of his humorous slant on life in the High Plains Desert region of Colorado (a State that recently legalized marijuana):
Hash Oil
Quiet down, students, and get out you iPad to take notes. Ready? Today’s lesson is about hash oil.
But first some history. Smoking pot was something your parents—family and government—warned you against. Like all forbidden fruits it therefore became one of the first things you were expected to try after you left home and the drones were down for maintenance. You became ‘cool’ and accepted, and even though your grades suffered the system worked fine. But being cool wasn’t enough and in time your folks decided to corrupt the system by making it legal. Through a process too painful and convoluted to discuss here, Colorado became the first state in the nation to permit weed debauchery.
Now that smoking the wacky weed is legal what have we learned? (I know, I know, using the substance reduces your cognitive resources so you learn less but just go along with me here.) We see the emergence of an old but seldom used way to consume THC, the “active” ingredient in marijuana. Edibles! Why smoke up the house when you can down candy or pastries loaded with the magic ingredient? You can get your high and calories at the same time.
And it’s here that hash oil enters the scene and your vocabulary. You can’t just throw in a handful of marijuana buds into a stew pot and hope to get a kick out of the final product, you have to enhance the THC. That is done by a (I’m not going to tell YOU how) process involving heat and lots of grass. But a funny thing happens when you mix pot enthusiasts and butane, sometimes you get hash oil and sometimes you get explosions.
And that, dear students, is why we are beginning to see a series of fires and explosions here in Colorado. It’s not just meth producers endangering life and limb any longer. No sir! Now we’re in the hash oil explosion – if you’ll excuse my expression.
The Four W’s
If no good deed goes unpunished, it can also be said to no public policy goes without a downside. Such is it with marijuana in Colorado. Because grass sales are cash only (lots and lots of cash) it is a natural for money laundering. Today four pot stores in the area are being raided for the crime. Who saw that coming?
The pot interests are meeting with government types to discuss the problem of edibles. Once removed from their packaging pot edibles are indistinguishable from unloaded gummy bears and cookies. In fact, so far this year 9 children have been admitted to Children’s Hospital for consuming the loaded verity while there were only 8 all last year.
There is much discussion over reserving/creating special colors or markings to identify the THC loaded product. I don’t know??? Green Ham & Eggs never took off except in book form.
Had another house blow up last night from Hash oil. It hardly made the papers so you’ve got to think we’re getting awfully blasé about the whole thing.
So you’re now caught up on the Wonderful World of the Wacky Weed. Tune in tomorrow.
Harry Puncec, Denver, Colorado, © 2014, All Rights Reserved
A MEMORIAL DAY MESSAGE BY HARRY PUNCEC!
Amen!
I would observe that the time in service was the most intense three years of my life. I have more day-to-day memories from that period than from any other equally long stretch in my life, I grew so much that the guy who was discharged on 23 April 1962 resembled not at all that sad sack who reported for induction in March of ’59, and I remember the names of more guys from then than I do from my high school class because, frankly, they were more important.
I have people come up to me and thank my for my service when I’m wearing one of my Vet hats, and I always feel a bit guilty for accepting it. Yes, it was three years out of my life, but in reality it proved essential to creating the adult me. It was an education superior to college and the lessons taught still help me today.
Finally, I feel a thief to accept the gratitude of civilians for credit earned by those who really paid. Just about every vet I’ve met points to the other guy as having done more. I accept the thanks offered but only in the name of those who didn’t live to hear it or who suffered terrible wounds. They’re the real heroes.
Harry
97TH ENGINEER BATTALION PLAQUE FINAL COST FIGURE: (30 May)
Lloyd Mullins, Chairman of the Plaque Committee, received a message from the Army Engineer Association. The design plans shared by their office shows an outstanding plaque production design that all should be proud to hang in the Regimental Room during our reunion. We expect AEA to deliver a final design representation once we submit the final amount due, and we will share that with everyone here at the newsletter once received.
Our costs were held down because we submitted complete design plans, graphics and drawings. The final cost is $2,500, and since we have $2,400 that leaves only a $100 to raise. If you wish to help by donating that plus a few dollars more than what is needed to pay for the plaque and take part in a few incidentals that the committee will have during the reunion and dinner, please send any amount to the following address, with the check made out to Lloyd Mullins (he is sending a check for the additional $500 today in order to get the plaque production under way). Send the check to Lloyd at:
- 1329 Dale Drive
- Lexington KY 40517
- or call Lloyd at (859) 948-1434 and speak with him
WHAT IS GOING ON REGARDING HISTORY AND THE WEB SITE: (12 June)
Being informed is a good thing, always. This discussion (and we are open to questions and dialog) seeks to let you know about recent historically interesting developments:Donald M. Ricks
- Larry Castleman submitted a notice for our 97th Engineer Battalion reunion in the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) Magazine. To his surprise and delight he received a phone call from a 97th Engineer veteran who served in the Philippines and during the time our unit inactivated in 1948. Not only did Colonel (then enlisted) William R. Downey, Jr., serve there during World War II, but also he returned to serve in the Korean Conflict and during the Vietnam War. Larry and I spoke with Colonel Downey via phone and discovered that this young–at–heart man is an avid historian and remains active in many organizations. I spoke with Mr. Troy Morgan from the Engineer Museum this morning and informed him that Colonel Downey has material he would like to share with us, including photographs, lists and history. Troy was agreeable to take such material, scan it, and to follow the instructions of Colonel Downey as to the disposition of any material shared.
- 1LT Morgan Morris III (HHC97thEngr67) served during the last years in France under LTC Harold Myron and then moved with the unit to Pirmasens, Germany, to serve under LTC Albert Dupont. Morgan recently began to share photographs and other history documents (he even assumed command of the battalion temporarily in 1967, just after LTC Dupont took command).View the bottom of page 3, this link] As I viewed the photos being received via email messages, it became clear that Morgan had a significant collection of material, including orders and lists of individuals. My first thought regarding how we might archive these items was to seriously consider the Engineer Museum and the services they offer to scan and store historical material. Mr. Troy Morgan also agreed this morning to accept this material, so we now have five major history additions, some that we have not yet published but which will certainly continue the welcomed increase within our own archives. I look forward to posting these materials on n our web site in coming months.
- Colonel David Theisen, Deputy Commandant, U. S Army Engineer Regiment, Fort Wood, accepted our invitation to be our reunion guest speaker. Invitations to attend also went out to two
- We have invited Colonel William Downey, Jr., to come to Fort Leonard Wood to help dedicate the 97th Engineer Battalion plaque currently in production through the Army Engineer Association.
- There is a new web page in the history index regarding the photo album presented to: LTC William Gardiner This is an example of the excellent work being done by the Engineer Museum.
- There will be a raffle conducted at the reunion, and for a mere few dollars you can purchase a ticket at the registration desk for the raffle of items you would be happy to own (included, to name a few, are: army watches, army binoculars, army flashlights, hat and other valuable surprises, etc.). Proceeds will go to help pay for incidentals at the reunion. We will announce the time and place for the raffle nearer the reunion start date, probably at the end of activities on Saturday evening.
- A deposit check for our bus transportation during the reunion tour is being sent to USA Tours.
Reunion Coordinator
97TH ENGINEER BATTALION UNIT CREST AVAILABILITY:
For any engineer who wish to have a set of our battalion crests this is your opportunity:
I still have a number of newly manufactured 97th Engr Crests, for sale. If I can attend the reunion, after hip replacement surgery at the Wichita, Kansas, Dole Hospital, I will bring what I have left, or contact me for single or a pair of crest. Email: Neil Jednoralski
Neil J
