Chapter One Veterans in Uniform

USMC Cpl. Mike Boston, 1967
Ray Reynolds died in November 2002
Michael Snow brother of Faie Shepard in basic training in 1960s now deceased
John Bergeron and brother, Chucky, in 1968, leaving for Germany
Jack Crowther 2nd Bn. 2nd Inf. at Lai Khe late 1965 or early 1966
Cliff Adams, 2nd Bn 3rd Marines near Cam Lo December 1968 or January 1969
Chapter 1 Vice President Dave Mathis and Director Dick Doyle each found their experiences reflected in books written about Vietnam. Dick served with Ken Kays, whose heroism and tragic suicide is recounted in Troubled Hero, by Randy Mills. Kays was a medic in Dick's unit who won the Medal of Honor for his bravery under fire on May 7, 1970, only to commit suicide later in life. Mathis found himself in the book The Two Dollar Bill, an account by his platoon leader, Lt. Roger Soiset, of a year (1969-70) in Vietnam. Although Soiset changes the names of the soldiers in the account, Dave appears in the picture on the front cover and is identifiable in the text as "Matson."
Bill Whitney at LZ Center 196th LIB July 1968
Andy Moschetto served on the USS Kitty Hawk
"Bub" Crosby served with Air Force in Thailand
CPT Roberto Eaton Co B/4/12 INF 199 LIB May 68(right on radio)
CPT Roberto Eaton Co B/4/12 INF 199 LIB May 68 (far right w/cigarette) Roberto lives in Paraguay
Doug Bailey at Can Tho Army Airfield
Capt. John Gilligan, NKP Thailand, with 56th sow, USAF somewhere near Mekong and Nakon Phanom Village, 1969.
SMG (Retired) Lloyd J Rahlf, then MSG Rahlf in Camp Evans Feb 70 w/101st ABN
Sp4 Mike Gilligan, Bam Me Thout Vietnam with 131st VT Engineers National Guard taken early 1969.
SGM (Retired Lloyd J Rahlf, then SFC Rahlf in Dau Tieng, Apr 66

LTC Mark Truhan in Iraq 2005

LTC Truhan on M-4 Tank
LTC Truhan(far left) with training team
LTC Truhan(far left) with Special Forces team
LTC Truhan(far right) at FOB Warhorse
LTC Truhan(right) on tank at FOB Warhorse
LTC Truhan with goodies from home

"We arrived in Iraq on 23 November, 2004 and finally wound up on a bare patch of ground called Forward Operating Base (FOB same-same fire base WarHorse). It’s essentially a mud fort, about a mile long by a half-mile wide, surrounded by a dirt berm, concertina wire, guard towers, and when it rains, a moat. Warhorse is located just outside of Baqubah, Iraq, about 40 miles north/northeast of Baghdad. The ground is owned by the 3rd Brigade Combat Team (3 BCT of the 3rd Infantry Division (3 ID) and we’re loosely attached to them. The 3 ID has just recently replaced the 1 ID. A lot of good friends from the 1 ID have gone home, and we’ll miss them. But they’re home, and for that we’re glad. We live in two person metal trailers called CHU’s (containerized housing units, 8’ x 20’) and currently with sandbagged walls, barbed wire and machine-guns within the confines of the larger base. Our mission is to train the staff officers of an Iraqi Army Brigade and it’s four battalions.

During the recent elections, there were very few terrorist incidents in this region because the Iraqi Army provided some very good security for the polling places, and we helped train some of these guys. Like to think that we may be making a difference. Recently, though, we’ve been given the task to develop a training regimen for would-be American advisors that are going to be embedded with these same Iraqi units.

When I was in Vietnam, 1971-1972, I was an advisor to Montagnard border ranger battalion in the highlands." - LTC Mark Truhan