6918th Security Squadron
August 2010 Newsletter
It
is again an honor to communicate with a group of world known guys and gals, the
6918th Security Squadron. We
have no set format, just, when news is news, we publish it.
The news scoop this time is the
upcoming 2011
6918th Security Squadron
Reunion:
Dates: Arrive Sept. 22, 2011 &
Depart Sept. 25, 2011.
(That’s one year + from now)
Location:
Lodging: Holiday Inn Riverwalk!
Room Costs: $99 per night ($116 with
tax)
Reunion Registration Fees:
$100 per person
(Details on both public and member web
sites)
Who is invited:
YOU and your significant other!
(And family members if you desire)
As
we speak, Bill Mink and his crew are working hard on last minute details
about the lodging and meeting spaces.
As always, our negotiations work to get the best bang for our buck.
To do this effectively, it is critical to have an idea how many of you
are planning to attend. We
understand that it is still one year away, and things can change in a year, but
to get an idea of the number of sleeping rooms, size of meeting room, number of
meals, etc., it is important to have a good estimate on the number of attendees.
Some
of you may have already given us your intent, but please update us again, so
that we have the most current information. Please!
Within the next thirty days, let Bill
Mink know:
1.
If
you are attending, and how many people will be with you. (For banquet meal
count)
2.
How
many sleeping rooms you will need. (For hotel blocking and planning)
3.
If
you will not be attending. (to take the guess work out of the process)
4.
If
you can not commit at this time. (The “maybe list”)
5.
If
you can not attend but you would like to contribute to reunion organizing fund,
see “souvenirs” below. (this is, of course, optional)
Bill Mink
(Dawg Flt 1965 to 1967)
10
Cross
(732)
477-3761 or (201) 838-0881
Dave
Bethard is also diligently working on fund raising items and souvenirs for the
reunion. He is our expert at putting
together DVD and video presentations that capture past memories and put them at
finger-tip availability for anytime enjoyment.
He has a two disc set consisting of many, many old pictures of the past
(disc one) and clips of the 2007, Las Vegas Reunion (disc two).
He has another of old (newly acquired) pictures of the past (disc one)
and clips of the 2009, St Louis Reunion (disc two).
The discs also include “taps” of our deceased brothers,
“ballads”, “then and now’s” and many other items of interest to fill
several hours of enjoyment. He has
baseball caps, black with the red Torii above the bill, very similar the
original 6918th cap, as well as other colors: white, chamois and
blue. He has white 6918th
shirts and a few Dawg Flight colored shirts in select sizes.
He is presently working on a “you don’t have the need to know yet”
completely different group of souvenirs that will be introduced between now and
the 2011 Reunion. If you have an
interest in the above, you can see most of them on the public web site at www.6918thhakata.com,
the 6918th Roll Call site, or contact Dave for pictures and prices.
One hundred percent of the profit on the fund raisers goes to the reunion
organizing fund. The organizing
expenses are ongoing but not limited to: website
expense for the two sites, cost of souvenirs, and cost of material for “home
made” (discs) souvenirs, office supplies and postage for newsletters, to name
a few. All of the organizers
hours, of course, are donated.
Why
do we have reunions? Those of you
who have attended previous gatherings know:
A bond of camaraderie and friendship formed forty to fifty years ago when
a small band of “still wet behind the ears guys” were sent thousands of
miles from home, family and friends, during a time of national turmoil, because
we heard our country call. That bond
has not only been sustained, it has grown for most.
A fact of life: We are growing older and our numbers are declining.
Just since the 2009, St. Louis Reunion, two of the attendees have passed
away. “Howie”, Howard Floyd and
Marshall Gregory both attended the fried rice and egg roll “reunion warm up”
party at our home the night before the official beginning of the reunion, and
then, of course, the reunion. They
are both (now) in the land of “perfect Morse code”.
We know Howie had no family, but we think of him often.
The thoughts and prayers from our entire group go to Marshall’s lovely
wife, Vickie, and to their children. Marshall
and Vickie knew at the reunion that Marshall’s time was probably limited and I
believe that enhanced their appreciation of the gathering.
I KNOW the rest of us
were honored that they took the time and made the effort to attend. We are so
thankful to have been able to visit with our dear friend for the last time.
This, my friends, is one reason we have reunions!
Ladies
and families of fallen 6918th members:
Please consider attending the 2011 Reunion.
In taking a chance that I may leave someone out, which is not
intentional, your attending would mean so much to so many of us.
Mrs. Harold Perry (Marcy), Mrs. Andy Migas (Pat), Mrs. Fred Brelsfoard
(Lee), Mrs. Al Amburn (Carol), the family of Wilfred Jackson, Mrs. Marshall
Gregory (Vickie), Mrs. John Fallon (Keiko), and any other 6918th
member that I left out that may get this newsletter, we know that we can never
replace the loss of your family member, but we would love to share our memories
of your loved one with you. So many
times at our reunions, your loved ones are talked about.
They may not have taken the time to tell you, but we think they loved us
as we loved them. Your loved one
will be honored and remembered as part of our ceremonies.
I just cannot tell you how fortunate we, as a group, are to have found
the mates and life partners that join us at the reunions.
It is obvious that they choose us because of our personalities and
beliefs rather than our looks. The
6918th Ladies will more than make you feel welcome if you are
concerned about gathering with just a bunch of old Air Force dudes.
Ask Vickie! We would love to
visit with you.
So,
you have never attended a 6918th reunion?
We have learned that some cannot attend because of financial reasons,
some because of health reasons, some had other commitments and some ‘just
didn’t want to’. We understand
and accept all of the above. Let me
share a story from an unnamed 6918th member.
“I’m not interested in the past.
The past wasn’t all that great. I
live for the future. I see the
people now that I want to see.” That
person has now attended the last Squadron Reunion, organized a mini reunion and
has attended ALL of the mini reunions that have been in his geographical area.
He will be in San Antonio in 2011. Why!?
He has found that most of us have similar beliefs, similar principles,
and similar ethics and, of course, all had similar backgrounds.
And those that differ, we now are men enough to discuss them reasonably.
Mini
reunions: Because of the above
mentioned reasons, many of us have not waited for the two year cycle of the
Squadron Reunions. Several
mini-reunions are documented below, with photos and a brief description of the
events and participants, all since the 2009, St. Louis gathering.
I’m sure there were more, and if you would like to share them in the
next newsletter, let me know. We’re
always looking for news.
1.
(2/1/10) Cleve (CG) and Marci Green
stopped by Titusville, Florida today during their travels between St. Augustine
and Lake Okeechobee. Takeko and Dave Bethard joined them for lunch at
Cracker Barrel, and a nice meal and a good (if short) visit. Of course, we
talked about the weather (darned global warming has it really cold in some
places), our kids & grandkids (Dave & Takeko, at least), the St. Louis
reunion, future gatherings, etc. It was a quick couple of hours, and all
too soon they left headed south.
2.
(4/9/10) below is a photo taken during our mini-reunion today
with Nancy (Ulrich) Peterson, and Lois and Cooper Wood.
Nancy was the Dawg Flight commander at Hakata between 1970 and 1971, and
Lois and Cooper also served at Hakata--Lois as a DOD teacher at the Hakata
elementary school, and Cooper as one of our Navy brothers at Hakata, both during
the 1970-1972 era. A wonderful day
was had by all, which included food, lively conversation and memories
throughout. It was a joy to
reconnect and to meet new friends....our only regret was that more from Hakata
couldn't attend today. We enjoyed
watching some old 35mm slides of Japan, and viewing parts of the 2 DVD sets,
viewing family and Hakata related photos on the computer, as well as looking
through some old photo albums.
3.
(5/16/10) Jill
Thorn, Troy Powell and Ed Stallings stopped in Titusville to spend time with
Dave & Takeko Bethard. Ed
wasn’t able to stay long, but the rest shared a couple of meals together—all
enjoyed their short mini-reunion.
4. (5/21/10) a mini reunion was held in Titusville with Jim
and Holly Kaub, who stopped by during their Florida vacation. A few hours
could not fill in all of the blanks since our last person-to-person contact, in
1969 when Jim left Hakata.
A fine (short) day was
had by all, and Takeko did her usually fabulous job of hosting a wonderful and
plentiful meal in our home. I do, however, have a few beers left, in case
any of you are in the vicinity and are interested….
5. (6/18/10) a
bigger-than-average sized ‘mini’ reunion was held at the Bennett Springs
camp ground at Lebanon, Missouri on 6/11 through 6/13, hosted by Stan and Linda
Freymuth. This gathering proves
once-and-for-all that ‘doing nothing’ can be a fun and constructive
activity, as all who attended had a great time and took away some wonderful
memories.
Shown
here are Marty and Jim Howard, Rich Caraway and Sharon Partain, Evelyn and Frank
Shemek, and Carol and Bob Farr.
In
this one are Stan and Linda’s daughter Tammy and her friend Matt, Takeko and
Dave Bethard, Linda and Stan Freymuth, and Marci and Cleve Green.
In
addition to Missouri, the states of Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama and Florida were
represented at this fun event.
6. (6/28/10) Another mini-reunion was held in Omaha, where
Troy Powell, Jill Thorn, Frank and Evelyn Shemek, and Bill and Nancy James got
together for a bit of memory jogging. Troy
and Jill joined Sheik and Evelyn for a trip to the College World Series.
7. (7/11/10) Tom and Connie Thaxter and Ed and Mary Stallings enjoyed each
others’ company on the hottest day (at that time) of the
year in Orlando, Florida, at Downtown Disney’s Rainforest Café.
Disregard the date on this
photo…
Our
rosters of found and deceased friends are ever changing and evolving.
Since the last newsletter was sent out in December of 2009, we have added
3 names to our deceased list—John Fallon, Howard Floyd, and Marshall Gregory.
But, we’ve added the following names to our list, at a minimum: Jack
Clarence, Rich Taylor, Bill Floyd, Jim Duvall, Mike Michaelis, Glenn Birdwell,
Bill James, Ken Sellers, Tim Bott, Paul Cherry, Ron Adaro, Steve Paroby, Daryl
Dempsey, and Dennis Fowler.
At
the 2009 reunion, we had a short “business meeting” with the entire
attendance to discuss future reunions. The
short of a long story is; we agreed to continue to have reunions, but the group
is growing to a size that is becoming hard for just a few to manage.
Bill Mink started it in 2005 with a few phone calls and it has
snow-balled to what it is today. Bill
and Dave Bethard are responsible for finding a vast majority of the 6918th
members that are now on our roster. They
have done a fantastic job, with some help, and a respectable salary of $00.00.
Locating more members is a very essential effort that requires more hours
than there are in a day for these two guys.
So, we asked for help in the business meeting.
Troy Powell and I agreed to continue to cheer Bill and Dave on while they
continued to work on Dawg Flight. Four
of your brothers agreed to be coordinators for each of your segments.
Able Flight Roster (now 40)
Baker Flight Roster (now 35)
Coordinator:
Coordinator:
Doug
MacDonald 68-71
Dan Bormann 66-68
36
Montgomery Street
Hamilton,
NY 13346
Medford, WI 54451
(315)
228-2008
(715) 748-6706
dmacdonald@mail.colgate.edu
dbormann@charter.net
Charlie Flight Roster (now 74)
Daze Roster (now 35)
Coordinator:
Coordinator:
Wayne
Graczyk Fred
Barnes 65-67
Tokyo,
Japan
794 Chestnut Drive
wsgraczyk@yahoo.com
(707)
422-1794
Dawg Flight Roster (now 113)
Dawg Flight
Coordinator:
Coordinator:
Bill
Mink 65-67
Dave Bethard 67-71
10
Cross Trees Road
1220 Sharon Drive
Brick,
NJ 08723
(732)
477-3761
(321) 267-4844
will.mink@gmail.com
dbethard@cfl.rr.com
Dawg Flight
Dawg
Flight
Co-coordinator/world
traveler
Scribe
Consultant/email guru/etc.
Troy
Powell 66-68
Stan Freymuth 66-68
PO
Box 12965
8 Steiert
Tallahassee,
FL 32317-2965
(850)
386-7267
(636) 379-8725
msgttop@hotmail.com
sfreymuth@charter.net
Guys,
these gentlemen could use your help in finding more of your buddies.
Quick math shows we now have nearly 300 on our roster but I am sure that
there many more out there waiting for a welcome call.
More members found means learning the status of, or finding our friends,
so more members can attend reunions. Old
friendships are rekindled and new friendships are formed and THAT is what
reunions are about. All of the
coordinators encourage all of their comrades to attend.
I
received an email the other day of a Douglas County, Georgia Tea Party.
In it a former Marine, identified only as Lewis, sang what he called the
second verse of the Star Spangled Banner. It
caused me to do a bit of research. I
found that he probably mixed some of the second with the fourth verse, but it
gave me goose bumps. It needs to be
shared. I’ve found:
We all know the first verse of the Star Spangled Banner that we hear at
the beginning of a ball game, but there are four verses.
Look up the other two on Wikipedia.
Verse
four:
“Oh!
Thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand
between their loved homes and the war's desolation!
Blest with victory and peace, may the heaven-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, for our cause it is just,
and this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
And the Star - Spangled Banner forever shall wave
o’er the
land of
the free
and the
home of
the brave!”
The Defense of Fort McHenry
by Sir Francis Scott Key,
And
Edgar Guest writes about our flag:
“So
as long as we shall serve the truth,
so
long as honor stamps us fair,
each
age shall pass unto its youth,
Old
Glory proudly flying there.
But
if we fail our splendid past,
if
we prove faithless, weak and base,
that
age shall be our banner’s last:
A
fairer flag shall take its place.
This
flag we fling unto the skies
is
but an emblem of our hearts,
and
when our love of freedom dies,
our
banner with our race departs.
Full
many a flag the breezes kiss,
full
many a flag the sun has known.
But
none quite so bright and fair as this:
None quite so splendid as
our own!
This
tells the world that we are men
who
cling to manhood’s ways and truth;
it
is our soul’s great voice and pen,
the
strength of age, the guide of youth.
And
it shall ever hold the sky
so
long as we shall keep our trust;
but
if our love of right shall die;
our Flag shall sink into the
dust.
And an email of a bumper
sticker:
"Some
people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the
world. But the U.S. ARMED FORCES don't have that problem." .....Ronald
Reagan
We
do what we do because we heard the call.
Some gave a little, but some gave it all.
In
closing, we are all so looking forward to seeing all of you in about one year.
Do what you can to attend, but more importantly, keep in touch!
We are all blessed to be member of this unique band.
I, personally, am proud and honored to be a part of you.
I salute you for what you have done for your country.
Plan on making the trip to San Antonio in September, 2011.
Until then, my friends, take care and be safe!
Stan