Ladies and Gentlemen-
I'd like to renew (or say AMEN !!) to the request made recently to have everyone tell us more about
yourselves-
I read the profiles every day, and the postings several times per day (IF my 'puter is workin'-
I don't want to miss a lick-
OK, I know this is redundant, and a little dry, but- bear with me...
***
Here's to the Honored Memory of Our Fallen Brothers
Tom Lumpkin, (Lumpy), asgd 119th o/a 22Jan70, arrived by 'hook from Nha
Trang with a dink pup, Kilo, in my AWOL Bag. (Needless to say, Kilo apparently
didn't appreciate the finer points of Army Aviation, and I had to throw that bag
away.) I think Skid (rest his kinky soul) was gonna EAT him, (or ????... and I think
Kilo thought so, too !!)
35Mike (Nav Radio Repairman) (didn't get to do that at Holloway) was "knighted"
as Production Control NCO (ta-da !) at Avionics. Worked for CW3 Charlie
Mullins, CW2 (CRS) Cosgriff (cause-grief), SSG Campbell, SSG Kruse, SSG
Billingsley, and with the Avionics cats listed below...
Filled out DA 2407s on broken, burnt-out, shot-up avionics gear, issued refurbed
stuff to the guys who installed 'em in your birds. Repaired lots of mike cords,
repaired all kinds of helmet problems (except those 'WAY cool paint jobs). That
was my duty day, except for a coupla trips to the Avionics hut at AnKhe to pick up
radios and such for repair, and a couple of trips to the Depot near Arty Hill. I was
RON at AnKhe the night we got hit, the chowhall burned, and got to sit in a guard
tower facing Hong Con all night. (I still have dreams about the stories I heard
about the Orangutans, 'tho now, I wonder about the veracity of same...)
My real fun was the Brotherhood of the Bunkerline.
Rostered for what seemed like (and probably was)
about three times per week, and spent most of my other "free time" runnin' with
the likes of:
Mike Reber, Ron Everhart, Larry Blanton, (CRS) Churchill, (CRS)Parks, Larry
Bowling, Ross Reed, Mike Lauriola, Mike Lanctot, Art Michaels, Dane Juarez,
Danny Melton, Bobby Graham, Larry Sparks and the ever-present Geno and
Rebeldew, and several of the 52nd Security searchlight and mortar gang, Duster
guys, and all the others of that ilk. Fine Bros, all of 'em. Buku dinkydau.
Departed Holloway with a "drop", o/a 12 Dec'70.
(Sat at CamRanh for FOUR days and nites waitin' standby- TINS--slept FIFTEEN
minutes there !!
After 'Nam, hit the street after 9 months, had NO idea what I wanted to do, met
and married this fine gal, Linda, still my wife, and started a family.
Went back into the green Machine as an E2 (??!!?)
after 38 months, as a Vulcan Crewman (had my own BIG BORE minigun) (again,
ta-da !!) (funny thing, my job was to shoot down any wayward Warsaw Pact
choppers) and ended up making a career of it.
after 9 more years, my banged-up knees made me
reclassify into Admin, JAG, and eventually - Special Security Group,INSCOM, and
then War Plans at JCS.Retired in 3/94, and living, for now, about 25 miles south
of the Pentagon. Worked almost five years on the road with Wells Fargo Armored
Service, and now with Kohls Department Stores as a Loss Prevention Supervisor
(read: underpaid auditor, part-time flatfoot.Lookin' for satisfyin' GAINFUL
employment. I will work 'til I'm 75 or so..)
Two fine grown "kids", Mike, a Firefighter Lieutenant (Hand Salute!!) and the
other, Melissa, a brand-new Momma. First Grandbaby, Jacob (Jake) born on
12/27/01. Bein' a Grampa's SO COOL.
'Nuff 'bout me, folks - (I think we ALL should post something on these pages..)
Enjoying (more than I can say) the immense Brotherhood and Sisterhood of this
new Family. It is truly GREAT.
Hope to meet everyone at THE PARTY in August.
***
OK, I missed the party. but NEVER AGAIN.
I love you people.
TomL/Lumpy/T4