to all the Brothers and Sisters with whom I have not yet made "direct" contact..

HAND SALUTE Welcome Home.

for Mary Beth and Mark- you have my deepest sympathies and prayers in the loss of your loved ones, Don and Marty. They will never be forgotten by our Family.

Welcome, Mary Beth. (I'm almost as much a newbie to the group as you are.. and I've already found this wonderful place very healing and rewarding, and I hope it is doubly good for you.

Mark - unending praise and thanks for your initiatives with this great forum, your Military service, and your continuing service to your community. Break a leg, as they say !

I deeply regret that I didn't have the honor of knowing your Brothers, although I was assigned to the 119th. Marty served while I was in boot camp; Don was there at the same time I was, and I remember hearing about the crash and terrible loss of life. It deeply saddened hundreds and hundreds
of Soldiers, and affected dozens of Families.We are one and the same.

I lost a great friend, Daniel Paul Colgan, PFC, USMC, BSwV, KIA 7Oct68 in Operation Maui Peak, while I was in boot camp. The best and briefest descriptions I ever heard of him are these:

good. fearless.

We lost 'way too many good people. We must let their sacrifices serve to reinforce our resolve to be good, ourselves, and never sacrifice our principles and resolve.

I'm off the soapbox now... Ihope to make it to the reunion.

Tom Lumpkin
(Lumpy)