A VVA STAFF REPORT

Send your Locator and Reunion notices to Locator, The VVA Veteran, 8719 Colesville Road, Suite 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910. Or email veteranlocator@vva.org or mkeating@vva.org. The Locator and Reunion services are provided without charge.

Trying to locate Kevin Chamberlain, with 1/503^rd, 173^rd Airborne Bde. in 1971 at LZ Uplift. I still have your photos. Contact: Ray Stankus, 610-513-5639; 729 Hemlock Rd., Media, PA 19063; raymansta@comcast.net

Looking for anyone who may have served with my father, Sgt. Kenneth L. Wilson. He was at Ben Het from 1966-68 with the 1^st Special Forces and also assigned to the 46^th SF Co. in Thailand. I’m attempting to have my dad’s VA package finalized but his service records were lost. The VA stated that they can accept another member’s deployment orders, an award roster, or a photo that proves my father was in Vietnam. Contact: Lloyd Hightower, 858-577-6941.

Trying to locate any officers or enlisted men from Construction Battalion Pacific Detachment, Saigon who served from 1970-72. Contact: John M. Wilson, zetamu185@yahoo.com

Looking for anyone who was in The Survey Section, HHB, 4^th Div. Arty at Camp Enari from July 1967-68. Contact: Eric (Rick) Whaley, ericwhaley@att.net

Trying to locate members of Hospital Corps School, Company 41-63, Great Lakes. Contact: D. Suko, dandssuko@msn.com

Looking for anyone who served with MSTSO in Saigon, any rate or rank, any dates. I was an RM striker from May 1966-67. Contact: Carl Cole, carlcole@comcast.net

Trying to locate Jim Smith, a former Army officer who served in Vietnam and then at the U.S. listening post on Monte Toro (Minorca) in 1973-74. Afterward, he got his GI bill and went to UC Berkley. Contact: Siobhán, siobhanmckenna@hotmail.com

Trying to locate anyone who knew my father, Sammy Bayne McCrary, who was in the Seabees between 1965-66 in Mobile Construction Battalion Nine, Ten, or Eleven in Vietnam. I know he was near Danang and Monkey Mountain. I am trying to re-open a VA claim; my father was denied before he died. Contact: Leigh McCrary Engle, glengle@comcast.net

Looking for anyone who witnessed me get kicked in the head by a drill instructor during a Basic Training swimming exercise at the Great Lakes Naval Base sometime between July-Dec. 1965. Also, anyone who remembers a fire on the U.S.S. Fiske (DD842) around June 12, 1967, that I and another crewmen helped put out. I sustained burns and came into direct contact with asbestos insulation and need help with the disability claim. Contact: Harry McPherson, 14353668, Pack I Unit D16-14, 2400 Wallace Pack Rd., Navasota, TX 77868.

Looking for assistance getting a book published, sharing proceeds, helping those in need, and contributing to the outstanding resource VVA is to Vietnam veterans. Contact: Hubert Babb, 217290, Union C.I., 7819 NW 228^th St., Raiford, FL 32026.

Looking for anyone who served with me at Camp Eagle with the 801^st Maint. Bn., 101^st Airborne Div., A Co., from March 1969-70. Contact: Robert E. “Moon” Mullins, 304-732-7172.

Trying to locate anyone who served with me in the 51^st Maint. Bn. in Can Tho from July 1968-69 and quartered in the Melton Hotel with A or B Co. Contact: Dewey Jones, P.O. Box 11338, Columbus, OH 43211; 614-297-0947.

Looking for men I served with at Bien Hoa AB from March 1969-70 with the 3^rd SPS: Willis Holder (Chattanooga, Tenn.), Terry Lawrence (Stockton, Calif.), David Caputo (Penn.), Terry Holt (N.Y.) and Eddie Boaz (Paducah, Ky.). We were assigned to Twinkle III, a mortar position in Charlie Area of the base. “LET THERE BE LIGHT” was the name we chose to represent us and our position. Contact: Gary Whisnant, glwhisnant@aol.com

I’m looking for anyone who served in Dong Ba Tin in 1971 and witnessed on the night of November 3 a disgruntled troop of A/1/22 leave his assigned perimeter guard post and enter the House Of Jacks NCO club of the 18^th Engineer Brigade, where he shot and killed three soldiers: Sp4 Alden Cook, Sp5 Marvin Briesacher of the 192^nd AHC, and Sp4 Errol Lynn Kent of the 183^rd Recon Airplane Co. I have the Army CID investigation report but I’m still missing eyewitnesses. Contact: Mark Mitchell, Unit Historian, 183^rd Recon Airplane Co., 318-422-6871; Marko49@bellsouth.net

Looking for a 4^th Division soldier named Clayton. He was serving in a Montagnard village near Pleiku in June 1969. I pulled guard duty there only one night but the situation made an impression. Any information would be appreciated. Contact: Clayton Rye, 231-250-7571; ryec@ferris.edu

Looking for missing members of the “Fighting Deuce” 272^nd MP Co., a small company that ran convoys, guns, jeeps, and POW camps throughout Vietnam under the 1FFV patch 1965-72. Usually attached to 101^st Airborne and 1^st Cav. units. Reunion planned for Sept. 15-17. Contact: Ron Raccioppi, 828-508-2724; Vietnam272nd @gmail.com; www.vietnam272nd.com

Trying to locate Capt. Spandau, captain of engineers. We went into Cambodia together in January 1970. Contact: Jay Scott, jayscott3@gmail.com

Looking for soldiers who served with me in B Btry., 4/42 Arty, 4^th Inf. Div. between May 1968-69. Contact: Manuel R. Román, Jr., docrjr@sbcglobal.net

Trying to locate Michael Green, who is the author of many military-related books. Contact: Tim Kubica, tmkonmaui@hotmail.com

Looking for information about the bombing or artillery fire that destroyed the Cham religious site at My Son, west of Danang. Reports on how the site was destroyed vary widely. Contact: Thomas Bass, tbass@albany.edu

I’m looking for any soldiers who would like to be interviewed for an article I’m writing about their postwar lives. I worked with a lot of soldiers during the Vietnam War and my father served in the Army. Contact: Brigitte Bonin, brigittebonin@yahoo.fr

Looking for Gary Buckner. We went through Basic and AIT together at Fort Dix and on to Fort Lewis and Cam Ranh Bay, where we were separated. It’s been 45 years and I would like to get together again. Also, looking for anyone who served in Co. B, 1^st Bn., 6^th Inf., 198^th at Chu Lai, LZ Bayonet. Contact: Ron Dobiesz, rdobiesz1050@roadrunner.com

Looking for a Sgt. Buc Ward, a LLRP with the 101^st Abn. Div. His team saved my platoon from a VC ambush in November 1970. I think he was from Indiana. Just want to know if he made it home. Contact: Josh Winkle, 904-731-6444.

Looking for info on a shipmate, C.W. Fortune, G Division, U.S.S. Coral Sea, CVA-43. “Nick” served aboard during the Vietnam cruises about 1964-67. Contact: John Willis, superchief2@att.net with “Veteran Locator” in the subject line.

Looking for any USAF veteran who served at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand, 1968-70. I am a veteran with several presumptive illnesses that I cannot file because I do not have buddy statements. Contact: Andy Dep, helpvetswashingtoncty@gmail.com

Looking for Big Joe or Bertram, who served with me in Vietnam with the 25^th S&T Bn., Cu Chi, from 1968-70. Contact: Gary, garymichael_gary@aol.com

Looking for other Vietnam veterans I served with between 1969-70 who were attached to the 2/52^nd ARVN battalion, particularly Sgt. John Maples and Lt. Mike DeOrlando. The Captain in charge was Cpt. Ron Quale. Contact: Tony O’Dowd, odubhda1946@gmail.com

Looking for Drill Sergeant Williams, D-2-2 BCT, Fort Lewis, January-April 1968. Contact: Jim Doyle, 11bravojim@gmail.com

Trying to find Lt. Donald G. Rhodes, his wife Kathryn, or either of their two daughters. I bought a piano and in the bench seat were photos and military memorabilia belonging to Lt. Rhodes. I would like to return these things. Contact: Richard Andrews, randka@aol.com

Looking for Tony Thrush, Andrew Otto, David Kehler, McKilwayne Bishop, Robert J. DeSilva or anyone who served at the headquarters of the 125^th Air Traffic Controllers Co. near Bien Hoa Air Base from April 1967-68. Contact: John Herrera, 928-472-4722; johnnycamanova45@gmail.com

Trying to locate Air Force Sgt. Ernest Umphlett who served at Tuy Hoa AFB with the 355^th TAC Fighter Squadron in 1969. Contact: Ken Wentworth, 8009 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64114; pwentwo291@aol.com

Trying to locate two former security policemen, Hollis Turnwall of Minn. and Jack Mell of East St. Louis, Ill. Also looking for a G.C.A. operator, Marion Kelly, of Ala., who served with me in the Mekong Delta at Binh Thoy AB from 1969-70. Contact: Gary Franklin Mathers, #3569523, 112 N.R.C. Dr., D1-17, Moundsville, WV 26041.

CW2 George (Lucky) P. Ballman is trying to find Lucky Mustache and other veterans who served before and during Tet ’68 in the 39^th/47^th/60^th/9^th. Contact: Joan Cothern, 22831 SW 119^th St., Dunnellon, FL 34431.

Looking for anyone who knew my grandfather, Sgt. Bill W. “Hoppy” Hopkins, who was in D Co., 27^th Engineers, 1967-68. He was also in the 919^th Armored Engineer Co., 1966-67. He passed away when I was a year old and is still a hero to me. Contact: Jayson Crosby, jaycrosby0831@gmail.com

Trying to find James Woodall (Kentucky), SP/5, 1967-68, 554 Eng.,  Cu Chi. Contact: Gary Kerr, 810-655-3639.

Looking for Dick Foy, Rudy Theodosia, Bob Adams, Dick Walthers, and Mike Norman, as well as other fellow members of the B Co., 815^th Minesweep Team, 1969-70. Contact: Doug Berg, 4037 Dolbil Dr., St. Louis, MO 63125; 314-638-4295.

Trying to find anyone who served with me in the Combined Action Program, 2-1-4, west of Da Nang in a hamlet called Tuy Loan, 1968. Contact: Roland Wood, 770-356-1606; rwood2151@bellsouth.net

Need help for a claim. I was a field medic with Hq. 3^rd Bde., USARU (Med Co., 1^st CSSR, 3^rd Bde.), 1969-71. I was with the 1^st Cav. We were a “mini cap” in the field for one night. Need verification that I got very sick the next night. Contact: William C. Stotler, 3515 Florence Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45211; 513-661-6981 (H); 513-675-8145 ©.

Looking for Jeffery W. Taylor, USMC, whom I served with at Cherry Pt. and in Chu Lai. Holding 50^th reunion for TBS class and would like to see him there. Contact: Dexter Sullivan, 931-993-9542; dlsullivan@fpunet.com

Looking for anyone who was in Cam Ranh Bay between 1966-67 with the 67^th Engineer Detachment. Contact: Ron, ronwhittington@msn.com

Trying to find anyone who served with me in E Co., 4^th Inf. Div., in 1972. Contact: David G. Campbell Murphy, Unit 501, 118 N. Phillips Ave., Sioux Falls, SD 57104; 605-310-2277.

Looking for Ben Brown and Jerry Santell. I was a Fort Benning parachute instructor, 505 A, Division 3, Co. 2, who served from 1964-68 and in Vietnam from 1965-66. Need help verifying service. Contact: Tommy Cooper, 951-736-1714 (H); 951-264-0762 ©; dogresort@sbcglobal.net

I’m trying to locate Airman Michael Graham from Lackland AB 1969-70. Contact: Sheila, shibrgss@gmail.com

I’m looking for anyone who may have trained or served with my father-in-law, Harold Hughes, retired LTC. He served in Vietnam between 1967-70. He was a FAC flying an O-2 after training at Eglin AFB. Dad is in the final stages of cancer and it’s imperative I complete this project in a timely manner. Contact: Anne (Andrews Arens) Hughes, anneemchughes@gmail.com

Trying to find anyone who knew Lawrence Denny, Glenn Eisenhour, Lawrence Grass, John Lankford, Terry Pensoneau, Philip Smith, William Thompson, Allen Gray, Pete Hammond, Thomas Irwin, James Neumeyer, Ronald Roberts, Joseph Wylie III, or Charles Geller. Neil Wegrzyn, a Boy Scout, is raising money for his Eagle Scout project to dedicate a memorial to these local Illinois men who died during the Vietnam War. It will consist of two pieces of black granite, echoing the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington. Contact: Neil Wegrzyn, 618-235-4291; bellevillevm@yahoo.com

Looking for Daniel Ragsdale from Redondo Beach, Calif. He suffered brain damage when a mine exploded. He was a West Point graduate in 1967. He was also a Lt. Contact: Alan Schlukbier, 336-270-6922; 336-437-8949.

I’m trying to locate my brother, Ceastillo Ashmoore. He was born in McKinney, Texas. He served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and changed his last name to Rodriguez. Contact: Rosa Ashmoore, jump4joy226@yahoo.com

Trying to locate Charles Jefferson Miller from Butler, Pa., who served in the Air Force at Udorn, Thailand, in the 14 TRS, July 1970-71. I was an Australian correspondent. Contact: Ron Douglas, 320-290-5841 or 320-255-8851; sdjukebox@charter.net