Archive for the Bulletin Category

From: Bob & Danielle Koury
Re: Vietnam / Cambodia Trip September 2016

We have reached lift off on our September 2016 trip to Vietnam and Cambodia. The essential information is:

We have retained Insider Journeys, an area specialist travel agency, who will be handling almost all of the room reservations and the Mekong River cruise for us. Their web site is http://www.insider-journeys.com/

The trip is divided into 2 portions: Vietnam and Cambodia.

Vietnam:

• You provide your personal air to Danang, and air back out of Danang if you are not doing the Cambodia portion.
• IJ has reserved all but one of the hotels for the Vietnam leg.
• I will book one small hotel, the bus, driver and guide separately.
• Our trip will consist of touring throughout northern I Corps, primarily by private bus and driver. We have enough flexibility to pretty much go wherever we want that the government permits.
• The hotels are all surprisingly excellent, with the exception of the Khe Sahn hotel and the Dakrong Valley guesthouse. Those are more than acceptable considering what we will be able to see by staying overnight there.
• Please note that most of the military tours offered for this area do not provide anywhere near the flexibility that we will have, especially in the western sector, which they do on a single day trip.
• We will end the Vietnam segment in Danang at the airport. From there, you will book your personal travel home, if not going to Cambodia

Cambodia:

• If continuing to Cambodia from the Vietnam segment, you will book is Silk Air MI 636 to depart Danang at 1620, arrive Siem Reap at 1740. The cost today was $149 / person.
• If starting with us in Cambodia, you will book air to be in Siem Reap mid-day and meet us at the hotel.
• The Cambodia segment includes two full days visiting the Angkor Wat area of Cambodia from a luxury hotel.
• From there, we depart on a seven-day cruise down the Mekong River to Saigon (see web site on itinerary).
• The cruise ends in the Mekong delta south of Saigon at My Tho. The cruise line transports passengers to a Saigon hotel and then to the airport (or stay in Saigon).
• Danielle and I plan to spend a couple of days in My Tho touring the delta- info in the itinerary.
• You book your personal flight home from Saigon.

Our cost for the land / cruise portion of the trip is:

• Vietnam segment booked by IJ is $1,807 / couple
• Vietnam segment arranged by us (agent not able to book) is approximately $500 / couple for one guesthouse, the bus and our guide in Vietnam. We will settle up for this while in Vietnam and when we know exactly how many people will be traveling.
• Cambodia hotel and cruise by IJ is $4,150 / couple
• Our estimated cost for Silk Air from Danang to Siem Reap is presently $300 / couple

Hard to believe, but we are already in a bit of a time bind to reserve rooms and cabins for the trip. In order to join us, you will have to do the following:

(1). Email Bob Packard ( bob.packard@gmail.com ) and advise him that you will be in our group.

(2). Go to the Insider Journeys pre-trip registration web page and provide them all of the information necessary for your room bookings. ( http://www.insider-journeys.com/global/pre-tour-registration ). Use Trip Reference Number 5485 if doing both segments; 5485V if just Vietnam; 5485C if just Cambodia. Please do this soon.

(3). IJ requires a deposit (soon) to book and hold the rooms and cruise.

– The Vietnam only deposit is $1,200 / couple

– Cambodia only deposit is $1,100 / couple

– Both segments deposit is $2,300 / couple

You can do the deposit(s) three ways:

– By check made to Insider Journeys (trip reference 5485, 5485V or 5485C) and mailed to

Nicole Serisier
Insider Journeys
3051 W 105th Ave, #350051
Westminster CO 80035

– By calling Nicole with your credit card information at 310-414-2204 between 1200 and 1600 EST weekdays.

– By emailing the attached credit card form to nicole.serisier@insider-journeys.com

(4). The balance of the amounts due must be paid to Insider Journeys before July 6, 2016.

Note:
All hotels except the guest houses include breakfast. All additional meals are on you.

You will note that the pricing for this trip is SPECTACULAR. Thank you Danielle.

The itinerary is attached. It has slight price differences if you total the costs, but will give you an idea of the cost at each hotel.

Visas are required for both Vietnam and Cambodia. More on that later for those who are going.

A small sales pitch- Danielle and I have done both trips recently, excluding the cruise. We recommend both highly. Very highly, in fact. We hope you can join us.

S/F
Bob

 

From: Bob & Danielle Koury
Re: Vietnam / Cambodia Trip September 2016

We have reached lift off on our September 2016 trip to Vietnam and Cambodia.  The essential information is:

We have retained Insider Journeys (�IJ�), an area specialist travel agency, who will be handling almost all of the room reservations and the Mekong River cruise for us.  Their web site is http://www.insider-journeys.com/

The trip is divided into 2 portions: Vietnam and Cambodia.

Vietnam:

• You provide your personal air to Danang, and air back out of Danang if you are not doing the Cambodia portion.
• IJ has reserved all but one of the hotels for the Vietnam leg.
• I will book one small hotel, the bus, driver and guide separately.
• Our trip will consist of touring throughout northern I Corps, primarily by private bus and driver.  We have enough flexibility to pretty much go wherever we want that the government permits.
• The hotels are all surprisingly excellent, with the exception of the Khe Sahn hotel and the Dakrong Valley guesthouse.  Those are more than acceptable considering what we will be able to see by staying overnight there.
• Please note that most of the military tours offered for this area do not provide anywhere near the flexibility that we will have, especially in the western sector, which they do on a single day trip.
• We will end the Vietnam segment in Danang at the airport.  From there, you will book your personal travel home, if not going to Cambodia

Cambodia:

• If continuing to Cambodia from the Vietnam segment, you will book is Silk Air MI 636 to depart Danang at 1620, arrive Siem Reap at 1740.  The cost today was $149 / person.
• If starting with us in Cambodia, you will book air to be in Siem Reap mid-day and meet us at the hotel.
• The Cambodia segment includes two full days visiting the Angkor Wat area of Cambodia from a luxury hotel.
• From there, we depart on a seven-day cruise down the Mekong River to Saigon (see  web site on itinerary).
• The cruise ends in the Mekong delta south of Saigon at My Tho.  The cruise line transports passengers to a Saigon hotel and then to the airport (or stay in Saigon).
• Danielle and I plan to spend a couple of days in My Tho touring the delta- info in the itinerary.
• You book your personal flight home from Saigon.

Our cost for the land / cruise portion of the trip is:

• Vietnam segment booked by IJ is $1,807 / couple
• Vietnam segment arranged by us (agent not able to book) is approximately $500 / couple for one guesthouse, the bus and our guide in Vietnam.  We will settle up for this while in Vietnam and when we know exactly how many people will be traveling.
• Cambodia hotel and cruise by IJ is $4,150 / couple
• Our estimated cost for Silk Air from Danang to Siem Reap is presently $300 / couple

Hard to believe, but we are already in a bit of a time bind to reserve rooms and cabins for the trip.

In order to join us, you will have to do the following:

(1). Email Bob Packard ( bob.packard@gmail.com ) and advise him that you will be in our group.

(2). Go to the Insider Journeys pre-trip registration web page and provide them all of the information necessary for your room bookings. ( http://www.insider-journeys.com/global/pre-tour-registration ).  Use Trip Reference Number 5485 if doing both segments; 5485V if just Vietnam; 5485C if just Cambodia.  Please do this soon.

(3). IJ requires a deposit (soon) to book and hold the rooms and cruise.

– The Vietnam only deposit is $1,200 / couple

– Cambodia only deposit is $1,100 / couple

– Both segments deposit is $2,300 / couple

You can do the deposit(s) three ways:

– By check made to Insider Journeys (trip reference 5485, 5485V or 5485C) and mailed to

Nicole Serisier
Insider Journeys
3051 W 105th Ave, #350051
Westminster CO 80035

– By calling Nicole with your credit card information at 310-414-2204 between 1200 and 1600 EST weekdays.

– By emailing the attached credit card form to nicole.serisier@insider-journeys.com

(4). The balance of the amounts due must be paid to Insider Journeys before July 6, 2016.

Note:
All hotels except the guest houses include breakfast.  All additional meals are on you.

You will note that the pricing for this trip is SPECTACULAR.  Thank you Danielle.

The itinerary is attached.  It has slight price differences if you total the costs, but will give you an idea of the cost at each hotel.

Visas are required for both Vietnam and Cambodia.  More on that later for those who are going.

A small sales pitch- Danielle and I have done both trips recently, excluding the cruise.  We recommend both highly.  Very highly, in fact.  We hope you can join us.

S/F
Bob

Marines and TBS 1-68 Family-

Birthday Greetings: First order of business: Happy 240th Birthday! There hardly seems to be any area of our planet where a strong military presence would not improve the lives of its citizens. And the primary troubles today arise from yet another Caliphate. Thomas Jefferson made the agonizing decision to expand the new US Navy and Marine Corps presence beyond their defense of our continent to eliminate the Barbary Pirate Caliphate threat in Tripoli. Unfortunately, that cycle of religious intolerance threatens. yet again.

Personal Message: I want to bring you up to speed on a number of issues. Primary among them is my personal desire to find a way for us to enjoy each other’s company more frequently. I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with those of you at the reunion, and missed catching up with those who could not be there. I wish we could find a way to do something like that more often. Maybe not as full-blown reunions or anything, but just frequent gatherings of old friends with common interests. Any and all thoughts on this subject, along with action steps, would be greatly appreciated.

Class Gift: Our stalwart treasurer, Ray Norton, has completed a gift from our class to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund. Several of us collaborated with him on choosing a charity which closely fit with our collective sentiments. Ray pulled it all together and the donation has been made. It came from the excess funds in our reunion account which were earmarked for charitable contribution. I am proud to say that we were able to contribute $10,000 to this incredibly worthwhile organization. Please see the attached thank you letters and personal notes.

Vietnam / Cambodia Trip: Things are rounding into shape for a Vietnam tour in September, 2016. It would include most of the areas in northern I Corps where we served. We will be using a Vietnamese friend of mine (not a former NVA) who is a travel guide there, and a private bus, so our itinerary can be very flexible. We are thinking we would visit from Hoi An, north to Khe Sanh, down the Dakrong Valley (spectacular), over to Hue and then back to Danang. If you have not seen Angkor Wat, it should be on your bucket list. We found a spectacular cruise ship which runs from Angkor Watt in Cambodia down to Saigon on the Mekong River. About a one-week jaunt as an add on to the two weeks in Vietnam. I personally have been wanting to do this Mekong float for years, and the boat is just spectacular. Bob Packard (Bob@Seagoer.net) has all of the information for both legs of the trip. Any of you that have an interest and have not already expressed it, please contact him by email. I have done most of this trip recently and thoroughly recommend it. Best of all, we can do and see whatever we want.

West Coast Get Together: Our very own Jim Williams (jimgwilliams@msn.com), along with other class members, are planning for a “shaky side” event in 2017. More details from Jim shortly.

Class Communications: If we don’t communicate, we fail. Most exciting to us gearheads is the work being done by our own Dave “Data” Peters. We are using some of the remaining reunion funds to consolidate and upgrade our two class web sites (Data’s and mine). The goal is to make it easy for us to share information going forward.
Additionally, we are trying to add a component, or portal, that will allow all of our Vietnam era TBS classes to share information about events and issues. Guessing that this will impact maybe 15 +/- TBS classes who have been operating pretty much independently.
To remind, the two web sites are: USMC TBS A-1-68 REUNION and TBS A1-68
Dave (now with the handle for life “Data”) continues to amaze with his contributions to our class. You will also recall his interactive map of where we are located. That is also on his website. It is a great way to know who is where as you scan the map of the country. Thanks, Dave.
Please be sure to send us your contact info changes so we can stay up to date on your whereabouts.

Your Help: Obviously, this effort is all by volunteers. And we are limited only by the number and imagination of volunteers to add new segments to our activities. Please, do something.

Other Stuff: I have come across a number of interesting articles and general reading that I would like to share with you.

• Crane Davis has written a piece called “Curiosity”. It contains some of his personal in-country experiences and reflections on the unwritten law of becoming a Marine officer: there are times when you simply have to stand up and lead, regardless of the consequences. It reminded me of the actions of our own Jim Muir. I have read it maybe ten times. I know you will enjoy it.
• Someone sent me a letter written to the Mayor of Atlanta by Gen. William T. Sherman during the Civil War prior to the invasion of that city. It pretty much contains the best description of what war has to be, once it is undertaken. Right or wrong, he was committed to the preservation of the Union of America.
• I was recently involved in designing and dedicating a memorial to those 567 Marines and Corpsmen who served with 1/1 in Vietnam, and perished at their posts. I have attached a schematic drawing of the memorial which is at the national Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico. I have also attached my dedication speech. We had maybe 300 people at the dedication, including the mother of Medal of Honor awardee Sgt. Alfredo Gonzales. Even among hardened combat veterans, there was not a dry eye in the house.
• Adrian Gordon passed along the following: On Saturday, April 16, 2016, the Norman Lane Jr. Memorial Project will host a one-day public lecture/discussion conference at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) in Lexington, Virginia. LtCol Dan Moore , USMCR, Retired, who graduated along with Norman Lane and the 500-plus other members of The Basic School Class 3-67, have organized what they hope will be an event of great interest to civilians, military veterans, students of history…and Vietnam veterans. Register at Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
• And the final cartoon that I could not resist adding.

Hoping our trails cross, soon.

S/F
Bob

TBS 1-68 Update Fall 2015

Marines-
I want to bring you up to speed on a number of issues.  Primary among them is my personal desire to find a way for us to enjoy each other’s company more frequently.  I thoroughly enjoyed hanging out with those of you at the reunion, and just wish we could find a way to do something like that more often.  Not as a full-blown reunion or anything, but just a gathering of old friends with common interests.  Any and all thoughts on this subject would be greatly appreciated.

Our stalwart treasurer, Ray Norton, has completed a gift from our class to the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund.  Several of us collaborated with him on choosing a charity which closely fit with our collective sentiments.  Ray pulled it all together and the donation has been made.  It came from the excess funds in our reunion account which were earmarked for charitable contribution.  I am proud to say that we were able to contribute $10,000 to this incredibly worthwhile organization.  Please see the attached thank you letters and personal notes.

Things are rounding into shape for a Vietnam tour in September, 2016.  It would include most of the areas in northern I Corps where we served.    We will be using a Vietnamese friend of mine (not a former NVA) who is a travel guide there, so our itinerary can be very flexible.  We are thinking we would visit from Hoi An, north to Khe Sanh, down the Dakrong Valley (spectacular), over to Hue and then back to Danang.    If you have not seen Angkor Wat, it should be on your bucket list.  We found a spectacular cruise ship which runs from Angkor Watt in Cambodia down to Saigon on the Mekong River.  About a one-week jaunt as an add on to the two weeks in Vietnam.  I personally have been wanting to do this Mekong float for years and the boat is just spectacular.  Bob Packard (Bob@Seagoer.net) has all of the information for both legs of the trip.  Any of you that have an interest and have not already expressed it, please contact him at ABC.  I have done most of this trip recently and thoroughly recommend it.

I would like to commend to your attention the Class website done by Dave Peters.  It is far superior to the amateur effort that I put forth for the reunion.  It includes many details of our class members in a database which is displayed as a website.  Dave and I are trying to find a way to integrate the information on my Bento database into his, and to make that the permanent solution for the class.  Any one with the technical know how to contribute would be welcomed.  I am truly impressed with what he has done.  I recommend you check it out at USMC TBS A-1-68 REUNION.    Dave continues to amaze with his contributions to our class.    You will also recall his interactive map of where we are located.  That is also on his website.  It is a great way to know who is where as you scan the map of the country (TBS A1-68).  Thanks, Dave.

I have come across a number of interesting articles and general reading that I would like to share with you.

                – Dave Crane has written a piece called “Curiosity”.  It contains some of his personal in-country experiences and reflections on the unwritten law of becoming a Marine officer: there are times when you simply have to stand up and lead, regardless of the consequences.  It reminded me of the actions of our own Jim Muir.  I know you will enjoy it.

                – Someone sent me a letter written by Gen. Sherman during the Civil War prior to the invasion of Atlanta.  It pretty much contains the best description of what war has to be once it is undertaken.  Right or wrong, he was committed to the Union of America.

                – I was recently involved in designing and dedicating a memorial to those 567 Marines and Corpsmen who served with 1/1 in Vietnam and perished at their posts.  I have attached a schematic drawing of the memorial which is at the national Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico.  I have also attached my dedication speech.  We had maybe 300 people at the dedication, including the mother of medal of honor awardee Sgt. Gonzales.  Even among hardened combat veterans, there was not a dry eye in the house.

Hoping our trails cross, soon.

S/F
Bob

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — “The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it should never forget what our honored did,” said Robert Koury, who served with 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, in Vietnam. Quoting Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address, Koury and the Marines from 1st Battalion, 1st Marines took the next step in their war journey.

Together with family members and friends, the combat veterans from the storied battalion brought their scattered brothers home by dedicating a new memorial at the National Museum of the Marine Corps, and starting the longest part of their war journey: healing.

The dedication ceremony was held in the United States Marine Memorial Chapel aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico and was attended by approximately 75 combat veterans, several dozen who wear the Purple Heart.

Punctuated by bugle calls, Koury recalled the experience of the Vietnam infantry Marine. From going through basic training, deploying to Vietnam and the stark emotional realities of being or befriending the, “New Guy,” Koury spoke about the stages of change for a Marine serving in Vietnam.

“You have survived your journey to war, and are ready to begin your journey from war…However, it is a very different you who are leaving. You are absolutely not the same person who started your journey to war months earlier,” continued Koury. “You have returned from war with aching scars from your sores and wounds, haunted, edgy, angry, moody, pissed off, and still hostile — damned hostile.”

Koury then turn turned to Marines who did not survive their war journey — the “scattered,” as they were known. “During the six-year period of its deployment in Vietnam, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines lost 567 Marines and corpsmen killed in action,” said Koury.

Recalling the long journey back to their place of burial, Koury said, “Their mourners simply did not have a clue who they had become during their journey to war — the new him. They were mourning a stranger. And sadly, we, the only ones who now truly knew them, could not be at their final destination to be with them, comfort them, and mourn their passing.

“But today, we are going to begin a new chapter in the war journey for both us and our fallen. And this new chapter is named, ‘Welcome Home, Brother.’”

Following the dedication of the new memorial, each of the names of the 567 Marines and corpsmen killed in action from the years 1965-1971 from 1/1 were read aloud. The readers were Marines, and family members of the fallen, including Dolia Gonzalez, mother of Medal of Honor recipient Sgt. Alfredo Gonzalez. After each name was read, a bell was rung in their honor.

Following the dedication ceremony, a wreath was placed at the memorial.

“You hear the names of all the people and today meant a lot. You can’t put things at rest really, but it just does your heart some good,” said Lee Edgar who served in Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines.

Greetings:

More last minute skinny on the reunion and needing your help.

                – Dress code for all events is “business casual”.  I am the worst choice in the world to interpret this, but slacks and shirt with collar is how I am going.

                – My cell phone (703) 906-5255 for last minute  urgent matters

                – Those who have not sent your biographies and photos to Mike Morrow (mkitchensmorrow@gmail.com), please do so.  It would be a shame to have a blank page where you should be.  The biography booklet will be shared with all class members.  Please participate.

                – We have a wonderful formal opening ceremony planned at the hotel on Wednesday thanks to Joel Brummel and Russ Johnson.  Color guard, flag raising, field music, the works- Welcome Home.  It takes place at 1900 hours, shortly after we return from the O-Club Happy Hour.  Be sure to block out this time.

                – Dave Peters, assisted by Dick Kurth, has done a heroic job tracking down biographical information on our 49 Fallen class members.  This data will be shared among class members and families.  We need your input for any information and photos you may possess on our Fallen.  I have attached a pdf file with the current information we have.  Because there is a lot of info, you should best view it on a large screen computer for best reading.  Please take a moment to review your files and memories for anything that would help in this effort.  Send all to me (rckoury@mac.com) while Dave is on the road here. 

                – As you will see in the attachment, we have been unable to even find photos for those listed below.  Your help is greatly appreciated to fill this gap.

Joe Belser
Jimmy Brinson
Chip Chafey
Owen Chambers
Bob Chisea
C. Richard Cooper
Mike Evans
Mike Fergusen
Bill Ganter
Dave Moran
Larry StJohn
Dave Wilbur

                – It is not too late to change your mind and join this Welcome Home celebration.  We now have over 125 folks who will be attending, and room for more.

S/F
Bob

TBS 1-68 Greetings & Newsletter

Classmates-
Forty-seven years ago we were on the threshold of life-changing experiences.  We infantry brothers had our port-calls in hand and would board flights for Okinawa and onward to Vietnam in a matter of days.  Those in the other arms were at schools at Camps Pendleton and Lejeune and Fort Sill. Others were at Quantico and Pensacola.  Although well-trained (or under worthy instruction), we faced apprehensions about the forthcoming tests.

In this Holy season let us remember our classmates (below) who died for their country and their fellow Marines.  Let us be grateful for the medical care that made some of us whole again.  Let us be joyful that we live in the greatest country on the globe and reflect on our small contributions to the defense of freedom.

Best wishes to you and your families for Hanukkah and Christmas, and for a happy and healthy 2015!

Enjoy our latest Newsletter attached below.  Lots of good scoop.

Semper Fidelis,
Bob
_________________________________________                                              

Remembering our KIA:
Joseph E. Allen (Joe)
Robert C. Barnes (Rob)
Herbert T. Cross (Terry)
Alan C. DeCraene (Al)
David J. Eckenrode (Dave)
Albert H. Gates (Al)
Carl R. Gibson (Carl)
John R. Hagan (Bob)
Joseph T. Laslie  (Joe)
James Muir (Jim)
Thomas R. Pearson (Tom)
James T. Ranstead (Terry)
William G. Ross (Gray)
John G. Spindler (John)
Henry A. Wright (Hank)

Remembering those who were KIFA (Killed in Flight Accident) – Stateside
David L. Baker (Dave)
Robert B. Casey (Brian)
C. Richard Cooper (Coop)

Greetings-
I hope you are considering joining us at our upcoming reunion.
All the details and more are included in the attached Newsletter.
S/F
Bob