Letter From George Bradley

Text Box: Wives and family members were included in all of the activities. Did I have fun? Yes! Did you have fun? I hope so. I would like to think the members for allowing me to be the "Host". I’d like to thank John Osborne, Joe Edwards, Gary Harrington, Dave McCarty, Father Verbeck and a large group of other members that took part in making the reunion a success. It took a lot of people to pull this off. Actually, it took each of you, that attended, to make it happen. I know there were a several people with cameras and I would encourage you to upload your pictures to the email address listed on the web page. I did not have a camera with me and I would like for you to share your pictures with me and all of the other members. Some of you are interested in searching for members listed on the web page members roster and I encourage this, send the data to me when you make contact with someone.

 Text Box: The Reunion! What can I say. Except... "It was great for me". I’m not sure what I expected when we started planning for this. I had high hopes that we would have a large number of members attend. Considering that this was the first for the Unit, I think we did well. Everything was planned pretty quickly and the members had little time to react. The tour of Ft. Sill was well done. The PAO office out did themselves. The escort officers did an outstanding job. I was well pleased with the tour of the training area and enjoyed having lunch with the trainees. The afternoon tour was straight out of "The Twilight Zone". The hospitality room was well used, although the "Bar" did pretty good, too. Both served their purpose. Old acquaintances were renewed. New acquaintances were made. War stories were told.

 

                                                                                   

 


 

Text Box: Continued from Page 1 just send the data to me when you make contact with someone. Carl Johnson and I are working on a clean up of the data to remove duplicates and to insure we have everyone we should. If, by chance, you would like to send a "Thank You" note (letter) to the people on post that did such an outstanding job, I’ve listed the names and addresses below. Jolene M. Guffy Public Affairs Office 7305 NW McNair Ave, Ste. 216 Fr. Sill, OK 73503-9016   Our escort officers were: 2LT James King 2LT Forrest Moore Address letters to:   Commander C Battery, 3-13th Field Artillery Regiment Ft. Sill, OK 73505   The Btry Cmdr at the training unit was: CPT Lennel Absher You may write to him at:   Commander C Btry 1/40th FA, 434 FAB 5611 NE Rothwell St. Ft. Sill, OK 73503   Or you may contact his commanding officer LTC Dennis Pastore at:   Commander HHB, 1/40th FA,434 FAB 5611 NE Rothwell St. Ft. Sill, OK 73503   It’s only two (2) years until the next reunion and some will say "that’s a long way off", but really it’s not. Within the next 6 months CVB contacts will be made, hotels contacted, and tours visited or researched. In fact, I’ve been looking at material on possible sites for the reunion in 2011.     Text Box: Laughable, yes, but the next reunion committee will need a head start. Some of the members I’ve had contact with since the reunion have expressed the desire to have regional reunions in the "off years". If there is enough interest, we can post (on the web site) members names and email addresses by state. Someone in each region will have to take the lead on setting up a get together. As you may have noticed, I’m already looking forward to the next time we all get the opportunity to be together. Redleg! George Bradley  

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the American Soldier.

 

One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.  

 

 

Text Box: And remember only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you; Jesus Christ   And the American Soldier.   One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.      

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


                                                                                          

                                                                                  

 

 

 

Text Box: Note From The Editor   WOW wasn’t that a wonderful experience?  I saw so many old friends in Lawton during reunion week that I am still trying to get them straight in my head.  I know that none of us can remember every one that we served with while we were in the 7th/8th after all some of us served in different Battery’s and a different times, but it is good to reunite with friends that you haven’t seen for forty years.  In fact it is very good to see old friends that you haven’t met before.  After this reunion it seems like we have just come home from a big family reunion with a whole bunch of new relatives and what a gas they are.  I suppose what I am trying to say is that I needed that gathering more than I knew.  I know that some of us needed the homecoming and the healing that it brought with it.   I know that this was well worth the time and expense and I look forward to seeing every one in Killeen / Fort Hood in 2009. As my old Grand Father use to say “May your hand always be offered in friendship and never in want for a hand offered to you”.  

 

 


 

  

Text Box: Some people are like Slinky’s    not really good for anything…But they sure make you smile when you push them down the stairs.   Text Box: Dear Ms. Reed;   I am glad to hear from you and find out that my new 7th Battalion 8th Field Artillery news e-mail address works.   No I am not related to Lt Bill McCarty, all tho we called each other cousin.  Bill was from New York and I was from Salt Lake, Utah.  I served with Bill in A Battery at Ben Luc before we changed places with C Battery in the fall of 1967.   I did not know your husband but we were brothers in spirit.  I am sorry to hear of his passing.   Sincerely Yours David McCarty   My Friends   I hope that this note finds you all recovered from your trip to Lawton.  I had a great time at the reunion and meeting all of those old friends it made for some special memories.  You may remember that when I accepted the job of the 7/8th association newsletter editor I said that it was our newsletter by us.  Well now is the time to be us.   If you would write a short article or letter on any subject of your choice I will place it in the next newsletter.  The article should be between 150 to 200 words.  I would like to encourage you to keep it to about that length, but if you run over that is no problem I will publish your article in its entire length.   Automatic Sir Dave Mac McCarty     Text Box: For those of you that may be interested, here is a listing of the Decorations, Awards, and Honors that the 7th 8th earned while in Viet Nam.   Department of the Army Pamphlet 672–3 Decorations, Awards, and Honors Unit Citation and Campaign Participation Credit Register     8th Artillery   7th Battalion Meritorious Unit Commendation—1 Jul 67–1 May 68, DAGO 17, 69; 2 May 68–1 May 69, DAGO 39, 70 RVN Gallantry Cross w/Palm—15 Jan–30 Aug 71, DAGO 54, 74 RVN Civil Actions Honor Medal, FC—2 May 68–15 Jan 71, DAGO   This is copied directly from the DA Pam 672-3  

 Text Box: Getting Ready for Deployment  By, John Osborne The months of March and April 1967 were busy ones.  The battalion was preparing to move to RVN  and part of the pre-deployment training was battery tests.  Each battery to include HHB and Service batteries had to pass a test conducted by the 1st Artillery Brigade, a headquarters handling deploying units from Fort Sill.  HHB and Service were tested first and the test consisted of moving to the field for couple of days of doing business as normal – mostly, moving and communicating for these batteries.  Next came the firing batteries' tests and the other two batteries mainly supported them except for Service Battery which was tapped to provide an aggressor force to make the tests more realistic.  Class X fatigues were obtained from the post laundry, dyed black by a couple of our wives and liberal use of camouflage paint found a quasi-VC force that more closely resembled the James Gang.  The firing batteries all passed their tests and the battalion was given the green light to deploy.  The battalion scheduled leave and loading for the last two weeks of May.  It took over 100 conexes to move the unit because we had to take all of our TO&E gear, to include mountain sleeping bags and cold-weather parkas.  We shipped our vehicles and conexes to the port by truck and then in early to mid-June we left Fort Sill either by boat or plane headed to Viet Nam.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Text Box: Help Us Call Our Members Home   Hey Guys, There has been a good response from you about finding info on the members listed on the web page Members Roster. When you make contact give them the web address www.7th8th-arty.com And ask them to contact me at: automatic8@hotmail.com Please get the following info and forward to me. Just in case they don’t contact me.   Last Name: First Name: Middle Name: Street: City: Zip: Home Phone: Cell: E-mail:   Thanks for all of your help in this.   George Bradley 2200 1st Street Brownwood, TX 76801 325-646-5066    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Text Box: Dave, I saw your letter in the newsletter of the 7th of the 8th. I am the widow of one of those members.  He was Sp/4 Thomas  "T.J. Reed ”.    Anyway, I noticed your last name.  Were you related to a Lt. McCarty?  If so, please contact me. My husband was there the day he was killed.   Thank you. Sincerely, Eileen Reed   Text Box: Earl and Bubba, two good ol boys from Dixie, are quietly sittin in a boat fishin, chewin and drinkin sweet tea  when suddenly Bubba says, "I think I'm gonna divorce my wife - she ain't  spoke to me in over 2 months.   " Earl spits, sips his tea and says, "You better think it over. - Women like that are hard to find."   Text Box: Letters To The Editor Dave, I saw your letter in the newsletter of the 7th of the 8th. I am the widow of one of those members.  He was Sp/4 Thomas  "T.J. Reed ”.    Anyway, I noticed your last name.  Were you related to a Lt. McCarty?  If so, please contact me. My husband was there the day he was killed.   Thank you. Sincerely, Eileen Reed