volume 12 issue 3 dedicated to all combat infantrymen july ...volume 12 issue 3 dedicated to all...

What’s Inside this Issue?? • Colorado Springs Convention coming up, see the cover story. • Complete listing of National and

local officers and units begin on page 2

• The National Commander speaks to the issues on page 5

• The National XO voices his opinions on page 6

• Backtalk, the readers write begins on page 7

• TAPS is on page 9 • Ode To A Friend, written to an old

classmate begins on page 9 also • The Editor gives His View on page 10 • Korean War Veteran Returns Home

after 57 years on page 11 • The CIA Pacesetters begin on page

12 • Convention Registration Material is

found beginning on page 15.

Volume 12 Issue 3 Dedicated to all Combat Infantrymen July-August-September 2008

Gearing Up for Convention 2008—in Colorado Springs

Have you made your reservation for the very important convention in Colorado Springs yet? Many of your comrades have, but there is still a place for you! This convention will be one of—if not the most—important conventions in the history of the Combat Infantrymen’s Association. You need to be there and participate. As you can tell from the agenda, and as was mentioned last Blue Badge and in the Commander’s Column this is-sue, the convention will be more business than social, but in spite of the many business items to be discussed and the issues that will be decided there will still be time for us to socialize. Oh yes, the ladies are invited too. As we explained once before, the last couple of years activities just for the ladies were scheduled and there never was enough interest and the activities had to be cancelled (causing the re-union manager to lose the deposit). This year there are no activities planned but on a space/time available basis the hotel van will take you to some of the local attractions. Let us make it clear that every member of the Association is welcome and urged to attend the business meetings. All you have to do to attend the meeting is show up and show your current (dues paid up) membership card at the door. After the meetings are over, you are encouraged to remain and participate in the western themed dinner buffet on Friday and the banquet on Saturday. Be advised that meal counts for these two events must be

(Continued on page 8)

NATIONAL CIA OFFICERS; STATE CO’s and XO’s Combat Infantrymen’s Assn, Inc National Headquarters Asheville, NC 28801-2466 National Commander Ray Yamrus 1944 Hilmon Grove Rd Cameron, NC 28326-8733 Phone/Fax: 919-499-4499 (call first for fax availability) Cell: 910 528-9727 (not always reach-able) [email protected] National Executive Officer Jimmy Walker 141 Sandpiper Ave Royal Palm Beach, FL 33411-2917 Phone: 561-791-2476 [email protected] National Adjutant Charles (Chuck) Henry 857 Knollwood Vig Southern Pines, NC 28387-3007 Phone: 910-692-6805 [email protected] National Finance Officer and QM Robert D Saxton 1501 Grant St Marinette, WI 54143-2321 Phone: 715-735-3093 [email protected] Blue Badge Editor/Asst Adjutant Larry Eckard 3330 Springs Rd NE Hickory, NC 28601 Phone: 828-256-6008 Fax: 828-256-6559 [email protected] National Membership Officer Frank Foronda 176 Brown Maultsby Rd Whiteville, NC 28472 Phone: 910-642-8519 [email protected] Medical Officer Dr Ed Zebrowski 100 Cooke St Plainville, CT 06062 Phone (H): 860-793-0728 [email protected] Staff Judge Advocate Ralph Rutledge, Esq 139 Hinton Mill Rd Marysville, OH 43040

CIA UNITS & STAFF Listed below are the Commanders and XO’s of active CIA units as reported to the Blue Badge. When there are changes in names and or positions, it is the responsibility of the unit com-mander to notify the adjutant who will in turn notify the BB. In a change directed by voters at the 2006 business meeting, below the National level, only the Com-manders and Executive Officers will be listed in the Blue Badge. Unit Com-manders, it is your responsibility to review your unit’s officers and let the Adjutant know of any changes. Regiment of Alabama CO Wayne Watts 134 Robin Song Lane Harvest, AL 35749 Home: 256-430-3944 Cell: 205-368-0358 XO Cecil Wooten 5121 Emory Oak Circle #302 Bessemer, AL 35022 Home: 205-424-4286 Fax: 205-424-3703 Cell: 205-999-2789 Adj Ralph Dula 2402 Bower Dr Florence, AL 35630 Phone: 256-766-5242 [email protected] 1st Bn. Alabama CO David A Mays 114 Kathy St. Florence, AL 35633 256-788-2773 XO David Bee


CIA Trustees Lorenzo Ortega 1 year Roy C. Mears 2 years (new) Frank Gutierrez 3 years (new)

__________

Blue Badge/National & State July-Aug-Sept 2008

National Historian Richard Mullins 5345 Denton Way Citrus Heights, CA 95610 Phone: 916-723-4523 [email protected] National Chaplain Father Leo Hetzler 3497 East Ave Rochester, NY 14618 Phone: 585-586-7921 [email protected] National Service Officer William Ware 3314 Hillis Rd Augusta, GA 30906 706-790-8250 [email protected] National Legislative Officer Col James W. Dingeman USA (Ret) 8820 Gateshead Rd Alexandria, VA 22309 703-780-0330 [email protected] Immediate Past Commander Jack Wagner PO Box 150702 Cape Coral, FL 33915-0702 Phone: 239-826-6062 [email protected] Past National Commanders Dr. Robert Towles (2003-2005) 9785 Wolfe Rd Windham, OH 44288 Phone: 330-326-3854 [email protected] Dr. Edward Zebrowski (2001-2003) 100 Cooke St Plainville, CT 06062 Phone (H): 860-793-0728 [email protected] Carl Lombard (1999-2001) 92 Old Pine Lane Rochester, NY 14615 Phone: 716-663-1846 [email protected] Howard R Head (1996-1999) PO Box 735 Walhalla, SC 29691 Phone: 864-638-2505 [email protected]

Robert H Meuser (deceased) 1994-1996 Paul N Baker (deceased)

115 Normandy Dr Florence, AL 35630 Home: 256-764-8476 H 1 1 AL ( Florence) CO J.C. Manning 1307 Burroughs Ave Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 Home: 256-383-1781 Cell: 256-443-0493 XO George O Mack 1405 Huston Dr. Muscle Shoals, AL 35661 256-383-7874 H H 21AL (Birmingham) CO Jim Bradshaw 5166 Trace Crossing Dr. Hoover, AL 35233 205-988-0772 XO Mike Hudson 125 Maacon Ct. Calera, AL 35040 205-621-3019 H 2 1 AL (Birmingham ) CO Ivan Cox 145 the Way Alabaster, AL 35007 205-663-4170 [email protected] XO Bill Coughlin 609 Bienville Cir. Birmingham, AL 35213 205-871-0431 E 2 1 AL (Springville) CO John Trotter 85 Gin St. Springville, AL 35146 295-467-3000 XO Roy Steward 1105 Graylynn Vestavia, AL 35126 205-822-6522 L 2 1 AL ( Tuscaloosa ) CO Grover House P O Box 5221 Peterson, AL 35478-5221 ( No Phone) XO Byron White 6500 Championship Dr. Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 205-556-7603

(Continued from page 2) H 1 1 AZ (Phoenix ) CO Ken Allen 12305 W Cameron Dr. Elmirage, AZ 85335 623-215-8434 [email protected] H 2 1 CA (Whittier) CO Lorenzo G Ortega 11520 Grovedale Dr. Whittier, CA 90604-3634 562-943-9941 [email protected] XO Donald A. Campen 1410 East Mountain St Glendale, CA 91207-1224 818-507-5367 H 1 1 CO ( Evergreen ) CO William Bird Mounsey P O Box 1687 Evergreen, CO 80437-1687 303-674-4695 [email protected] A 11 FL (Ft. Myers ) CO Jack R. Wagner P O Box 150702 Cape Coral, FL 33915-0702 239-826-6062 [email protected] XO Earl W. Kennedy 4521 Bay Beach Lane # 321 Ft Myers Beach, FL 33931 239-463-2210 [email protected] B 1 1FL (West Palm Beach) CO Jimmy Walker 141 Sandpiper Ave. Royal Palm Bch, FL 33411 561-791-2476 [email protected] XO George Fisher 3456 Ocean Blvd #503 Palm Beach ,FL 33480 561-585-7086 H 1 1 GA (Albany) CO Franklin Brown P O BO 583 Shellman, GA 31786-0583 229-679-5021 H 2 1 GA (Augusta) CO Wiliam Ware 3314 Hillis Rd Augusta, GA 30906 706-790-8250

[email protected] XO William T. Johnson 724 Green St, Apt 213 Maya, GA 30901 706-722-2096 A 1 1 GA (Savannah) CO Freddie Thompson 12721 Golf Club Rd Savannah, GA 31419 915-925-4741 H 2 1 GA CO William Ware 3314 Hillis Rd. Augusta, GA 30906 706-790-8250 [email protected] H 1 1 HI ( Pearl City) Co Henry Pascua Sr. 87-297 Hookele St. Waianae, HI 96792 808-668-1972 [email protected] XO Henry K. Ahlo (Pearl City) 86-334 Puhawai Rd. Wainanae , HI 96792 808-696-2110 A 1 1 HI (Hilo) CO Dale Wilson PO Box 71149 Mountain View, HI 96771 808-756-0935 [email protected] XO Michael Leite PO Box 51 Mountain View, HI 96771 H11 IN ( Henryville) CO Lavon T McDonald 650 1st Ave NE Carmel, IN 46032-1324 317-846-3950 [email protected] H 1 1 KS ( Ft. Scott) CO Charles E Klenklen 1012 235th St. Ft Scott, KS 66701 620-223-6921 [email protected] XO Gareth Reed 612 S Judson Ft. Scott, KS 66701 629-223-0246

STATE CO’S AND XO’s A 11 KS ( Topeka ) CO Robert Lee Horton 4032 S.W 34th St Topeka, KS 66614 785-271-8981 [email protected] XO John W. Halliday 2403 Manchester Rd. Lawrence, KS 66049 785-766-1941 [email protected] H 2 2 MI ( Esacanaba ) CO Richard Hines 3515 Windoorwood Dr Wayland, MI 49349 XO Enest R Osen 7030 Haken Rd. Alpena, MI 49707 989-356-3265 Corps of New England CO Dr Ed Zebrowski 100 Cooke St Plainville, CT 06062 860-793-0728 [email protected] XO Ronald F Blanchard H 1 1NE ( New England ) CO John I Hipson 184 Concord Rd. Chelmsford, MA 01824 978-256-6251 [email protected] XO Arthur G Cole 193 Shorline Rd Billerica, MA 01821 978-663-6036 A 11 NE/RI ( Providence) CO Albert Guarnieri 42 Manning St. N Providence, RI 02911 401-231-9258 [email protected] XO James J. D’Agostino 60 Pine Tree Lane W.Greenwich, RI 02817 401-397-4312 H 11 NJ ( Trenton) CO Thomas B Grose 12 Olive St Roebling, NJ 08554-1922 609-499-0564


Blue Badge/State July-Aug-Sept 2008

A 11 NJ (River Vale) CO Frederick M. Gould 203 S. Pleasant Dr. Ridgewood, NJ 07450 201-445-8521 [email protected] H 1 1 NV ( Las Vegas) CO George L Trimble III 2822 Barrel Cactus Drive Henderson, NV 89014 702-897-1506 Corps of New York CO Dom Esposito 1350 Sunny Ridge Rd Mohegan Lake, NY 10547 914-245-5564 H 2 2 NY ( New Rochelle) CO Vincent LoGiudice 8 Boxwood Close Hopewell Junction, NY 12533 A 2 2 NY( New Rochelle) CO James Noland 1300 Midland Ave Yonkers, NY 10704 B 2 2 NY ( New Rochelle) CO David Hall 512 N High St Apt 2 D Mt. Vernon, NY 10552 914-667-4751 C 1 1 NY ( Rochester) CO William Love 38 Ashmoor Dr. Avon, NY 14414 585-226-6534 (h) 585-905-4988 (cell) [email protected] XO Donald M Flood 58 Forest Ave Rochester, NY 14622 585-458-2407 (h) 585-469-8378 (cell) [email protected] H 1 1 NC (Asheville) CO Ray T, Dunn 490 Maounaineer Rd Whittier, NC 28787 828-497-6347 [email protected] A 1 1 NC (Morganton) Acting CO Randy Randolph NC ARNG 1451 Trans Co

(Continued from page 3)

STATE CO’S AND XO’s Lenoir, NC 828-442-3178 [email protected] XO Jerry Parker 131 49th Pl NW Hickory, NC 28601-7320 828-441-0066 [email protected] H 2 1 NC (Fayetteville) CO Raymond J. Yamrus 1944 Hillmon Grove Rd Cameron, NC 28326-8773 919-499-4499 [email protected] XO Thomas Twomey 1923 Wendover Dr Fayetteville, NC 28304 910-484-8885 [email protected] Corps of Ohio CO Ralph R. Rutledge 13970 Hnton Mill Rd. Marysville, OH 43040 937-644-8246 [email protected] H 2 2 OH (Columbus) Co Mike Alllen 2634 Roe Dr. Lewis Center ,OH 43035 740-458-6371 [email protected] XO Thomas P .Eviston 886 Sells Ave. Columbus, OH 43212 614-488-1728 [email protected] H 1 2 OH ( Akron) CO Arnon W. Cool 344 Waterford St. Akron, OH 44314-3650 330-848-3136 [email protected] XO Ralph F. Witt 127 Jefferson Ave Akron, OH 44313 H 3 3 OH (Byesville) CO Harold Black P O Box 146 Byesville, OH 43723-0146 614-685-2597 H 1 1 OK (Ada)

Blue Badge/State & Commentary July-Aug-Sept 2008

CO J.L. Rhodes 206 So. Morrison Dr Ada, OK 74820 580-332-881 [email protected] H 3 3 PA ( Kingston) CO Richard D Evans 42 ½ West Walnut St. Kingston, PA 18704-3820 [email protected] H 1 1 PR (Yauco, PR) CO Julio H. Silva PO Box 2083 Yauco, PR 00698-2083 787-242-1803 [email protected] XO Jose L. Rivera PO Box 1086 Yauco, PR 00698-1086 787-856-2062 H 1 1 SC ( Walhalla) CO Alastaire J. Smith 309 Cheyenne Dr Westminster, SC 29693 864-972-8173 [email protected] XO George A. White Aaron J. Rochester PO Box 714 West Union, SC 29696 864-638-6805 [email protected] A 1 1 SC (Columbia) CO Ernest R. Kirby 7524 Yorkhouse Rd Columbia , SC 29223-1827 803-788-4126 [email protected] XO Stanley E. Thornburgh 425 Kitti Wake Dr. West Columbia, SC 29170-3032 803-957-1469 B 1 1 SC (Greenville) CO Rev Garnet L. Hanley 3450 So Hwy 187 Anderson, SC 29862 864-225-7678 C 1 1 SC (Murrell’s Inlet) CO Gary Ramsey 303 Ashwood Lane Myrtle Beach, SC 29586

843-650-5542 [email protected] XO Robert M Duncan 300 Conchal Ct Murrell’s Inlet, SC 29576 843-357-0392 HQ 2 1 TX CO Bobby Briscoe 7707 IH-35 South # 993 Austin, TX 878744 B 1 1 NGVA (Woodstock) Acting CO Brian T. Fairis 451 Hoover Rd Woodstock, VA 22664 590-869-5158 H 1 1 WV ( Kingwood) CO John R Bartlett P O Box 245 Kingwood, WV 26444-0245 [email protected] H 1 1 WA (Tacoma) No information Available

__________ Take a look at the Unit Commanders and XO’s listed in italics in the pre-ceding columns. Those all represent either newly formed units, or a change in commanders or XOs. Please be aware that it is the Company Com-mander’s responsibility to report changes in his unit. Most of the changes did not get reported to the Blue Badge by the local commanders. Fortunately, Membership Chairman Frank Foronda and former Membership Chairman Dan Sankoff kept a good record of the additions/changes and provided them to the BB. Thanks Guys! To those command-ers who advised us of changes within their units – thank you We need all of you CO’s to help us, send your changes to the BB.

Blue Badge/Commentary/Information July-Aug-Sept 2008

Commander’s Comments

Greetings Fellow Grunts: We have all heard the saying, “One bad apple spoils the whole barrel.” That is all it takes is one bad apple. Every organization I be-long to or have ever belonged to always manages to have at least one bad apple. Most often these individuals are driven by intense jealousy and are consumed with hatred. They then let their vindic-tiveness permeate everything they do as they try to persuade others to join them. Usually in the process of spreading their self-perceived impor-tance and their totally out of focus reasoning, they make fools of them-selves. If they did not cause so many problems, they could and probably should be pitied. But, they are mature people who should know better. That erases my feelings of pity. The only thing a man has is his name, his honor, and his integrity. Why would anyone jeopardize any of those things for any reason? For those who know me, they will tell you that if you don’t want to hear the truth – don’t ask me any questions.

I am not a politician! I will not com-promise my integrity to appease anyone – EVER! The latest rumor being spread across the country by these “bad apples” is that I am going to resign as your National Commander. That is probably the most ridiculous claim they have made yet. I do not and never have intended to resign from this position. I have never resigned from any position I accepted – ever in my life. And, I don’t intend to start now. I believe that I should attempt to clarify the many rumors that have been perpetuated regarding my role in the Association. First and fore-most, I have not unlawfully author-ized the use of funds to defend any individuals. Funds were committed to engage an attorney in the State of Washington to defend our Associa-tion which was named as the defen-dant in a lawsuit that borders on be-ing extremely frivolous. Because of the exigency to engage an attorney approval of the Executive Board was obtained after the fact with the ex-ception of the Executive Officer. Secondly, Jack Wagner did not remove Mr. James Bourgeois from membership. It was the Executive Board members that were present at the Fayetteville Convention that unanimously voted for his removal. Mr. Bourgeois was requested by certified mail to appear before the Executive Board to explain the accu-sations against him. He chose not to. Although our By-laws do not spe-cifically provide for removal from membership; the extreme act of a member allegedly altering a pro-spective member’s service record to accommodate his membership should justify dismissal. Lastly, some individuals want the lawsuit to go away because of the divisiveness and cost to the Asso-ciation. Once again at the risk of being repetitive, the Association is the one being sued. If you fall into this category then you should con-vince Mr. Bourgeois to withdraw the s u i t . There are no paid positions in this organization. We are all volun-

teers. Occasionally we are able to reimburse a member for expenses incurred on behalf of our organiza-tion, but that is very rare. And, most of you are aware that reimbursement does not even begin to cover the actual expenses we absorb as part of our responsibility as a member. We are looking forward to our next convention in Ft. Carson, Colo-rado, Thursday, October 9, through Saturday, October 11, of this year. As you will note, we have expanded the time of the meetings. We can no longer handle a National Organiza-tion one time a year for 3 hours on a Saturday morning. This will be a very, very important Convention/Reunion. We are expecting and hoping for a huge amount of pro-posed amendments to our Constitu-tion and By-Laws. All proposed changes must be to our National Judge Advocate Ralph R. Rutledge, 13970 Hinton Mill Rd., Marysville, OH 43040. A little background on Mr. Rut-lege: Mr. Rutlege volunteered to fill the vacancy as our National Judge Advocate back in February. And, when XO Walker resigned as Consti-tution and By-Laws Revision Chair-man, Mr. Rutlege willingly accepted the position. He is a practicing attor-ney and has vast knowledge and experience when it comes to legal matters. Mr. Rutlege must have all of your proposed changes in his pos-session by August 31, 2008, and no later. He will then consolidate all of these proposed changes and make copies and send them to all the Ex-ecutive Board members and Unit Commanders for their perusal prior to the convention. Last, but not least, start making your reservations for the Convention. If you are not there, you will not have a vote in the decision-making proc-ess. This is a very important year. Let your voice be heard. I want to stress to you that there will not be an alcohol free hospitality room. There will not be any organ-izational hospitality room provided at the convention. We do not need to pay for a room that appeals to only


Blue Badge Commentary/Information July-Aug-Sept 2008

member from our Association. Cen-sorship and punishment states that we can remove an officer from his position for just cause but not one paragraph on actions of removal from membership. It is very hard to explain to some-one that don’t know and think he’s right and refuse to listen and allow the issues come before the member-ship for a vote because of his obvi-ous efforts to maintain and protect his own personal agenda. Wagner and Yamrus both failed to realize that they are violating their duties to the membership of this As-sociation by not maintaining an im-partial bearing as a chairperson. What is this lawsuit is about? It not about protecting the Association as a whole but protecting an individ-ual or individuals that refuses to lis-ten to reasons. And it’s costing the Association thousands of dollars that we don’t have. Who’s suffering? The Association! And the question is: When is this madness going to stop? When the last member is standing? Why are we destroying our self? Let’s end this stupid action now and come to an agreement that all parties can live with, and then we can move forward. And the decision that was made to place a group of members from one particular area (State) in escrow because the Association did not like their elected officers is been outra-geous. Comrades this is the reason we need you to attend the convention in Colorado so that you can vote on the issues that are going to be presented for discussions. If you have never attended a National general mem-bership meeting please-please at-tend this one, I care about this Asso-ciation and its future; I hope I am not alone. See you all in Colorado.

__________ I owe my Mother because: • She taught me logic …. “Because I

said so, that’s why!” • She taught me behavior modification

…. “Stop acting like your father.” • She taught me about hypocrisy …..

“If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, don’t exaggerate.”

XO Speaks Jimmy Walker, National XO

All Concerned Members: The National Commander has unlawfully authorized the use of the Association funds to defend certain individuals. Yamrus and others de-cided that they could makeup rules or laws as they went along with the issues that were presented. We must understand that the by-laws states that a small group does not make decision for the majority of the mem-bership. We as members have a right to defend ourselves as mem-bers with a vote, and no one can or should take that right away and we must understand that the member-ship is the Association. It is understandable the com-mander’s responsibility is to protect the rights of all the members of this association and uphold our constitu-tion and bylaws, he also must be a neutral party on all issues; unless we need to break a tie then he can make a decision with his vote. Our past commander Jack Wagner removed Mr. James Bourgeois from our mem-bership roll without proper authority, including other violations under the rule or law. Wagner refuses to listen to any-one that didn’t agree with his actions. I tried to explain to him as I did to Yamrus; that there is nothing in our bylaws to define the removal of a

From The Membership

Chairman Frank Foronda

It appears that some members have not bee receiving a full 12 month membership. After discuss-ing this matter with the National Commander we have extended membership to a date ending six months after the expiration date indicated on the current member-ship card. New membership cards will not be issued because replacing cards is too expensive. I am preparing a list of new mem-bers in the format required by the Blue Badge and hopefully I will have it completed in time for the next is-sue of Blue Badge.

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Humor out of Uniform

A man was sitting alone a the bat with a drink in front of him. He stays like that for half an hour. Then this great big trouble-making truck driver sitting next to him reaches over and gulps down his drink. The man starts to cry. The trucker, feeling remorseful said, “Hey, I was just kidding, I’ll buy you another drink. “ “No it’s not that the man said. This has been the worst day of my life. I slept thru the alarm, got to work late and my boss fired me. Leaving the building I noticed that my car had been stolen, so I caught a cab home. I started to ge undressed and discovered that I had left my wallet in the cab. When I went into the bedrrom I found my wife in bed with the gardner. So I left home and came here to think about killing my-self. While I am considering it, you came along drank my poison.

_________

The number one reason that guns are better than wives is you can put a silencer on a gun.

Blue Badge/Information &Letters July-Aug-Sept 2008

Back Talk The Readers Write

Special Election Please Note

Ray, I hate to ask a silly question, especially since I've been out of the loop for a few months. I noticed in my recent is-sue of The Blue Badge (May 2008) that there are numer-ous pictures of you and other members wearing different headgear. I was under the impression, per directive in The Blue Badge, there was only one type headgear authorized for wear in the Association. As I indicated, this may sound like a silly or sarcastic question, though not intended as such. Can I get some classification on this issue? I can recall numerous letters written about the now required headgear and some replies that questioned directive on this matter. Has there been another change that I missed in a past issue about head-gear? Sincerely, Bryant E. Middleton CIA Life Member 389875L008 USA Ret. Ed Note: As you will recall from the initial article about au-thorized hats (Blue Badge Dec 2007) there are two type hats that are to be worn by members at functions representing our Association. One of the styles is like the Commander is wearing in his picture above the Commander’s Column and the XO is wearing on page 6 (May 2008 issue). The other is the baseball cap with the CIA logo on it. Those two styles are the only two caps that pictures of CIA members are shown wearing. While you will see some photos of people wearing other type caps, you will note that these people are not CIA members. They repre-sent other organizations that are having joint meetings, func-tions, or ceremonies with the CIA; like the photo with the XO on page 6 – the other fellow is a member of The Battle of the Bulge Association. Same story with some of the other photos. So, in summary, every photo of CIA members in the BB (May 2008) conforms to the guidelines prescribed by the Com-mander. __________

Editor: In the last issue of Blue Badge it was mentioned in an article about the disappointment of the division in the asso-ciation. Unfortunately this self professed leader is the one who is promoting the emasculation of the unity within the organization, To turn a blind eye to illicit acts within the organization, refusing to view the evidence and undermining the organi-zation’s majority rule is the cause of this division. The arti-cle states, “Good leaders lead by example.” The above actions contradict this statement. It is not degrading or belittling to defend false state-


At the October 2007 Convention the members voted unanimously that the position of National Finance Officer become an elected position. The Executive Board approved the suggestion that this election should take place on the "off" years of the election of the National Commander and the Na-tional Executive Officer to help with smooth transi-tions of administrations. Therefore, there will be an election for the National Finance Officer at our next National Convention to be held in Colorado in October of 2008. Anyone inter-ested in holding this position should plan to an-nounce their intentions soon.

__________

Commander’ss

some of our attendees but is a cost to every mem-ber who registers. If an individual or a unit wants to have a hospitality room – that is their choice. It is not fair to provide only for non-drinkers. Everyone stays in the hotel and therefore consumption is not a problem, especially for members of the CIA. Yes, leading this organization at this particular time has not been an entirely pleasant experience. It has called for some very intense and very quick decisions to be made to protect our organization. It has caused me many a sleepless night and a great deal of worry. But the decisions I have made and have made with the Executive Board’s approval are valid and necessary as we struggle through this difficult time. Your fellow grunt, Raymond J. Yamrus National Commander 2007-2009 1944 Hillmon Grove Rd. Cameron, NC 28326-8773 (919) 499-4499 (home phone with answering ma-chine) (910) 528-9727 (cell phone – not always available) [email protected]

__________



provided to the hotel 72 hours before the event—so last minute sign-ups can-not be accommodated. You have plenty of time to decide and pre-register. Don’t wait until the last minute then be POed when you can’t be accommodated. Everyone who participates in the reun-ion activities (lodging, meals, etc) must register through the reunion manager using the Registration Form found in the reunion information section of the Blue Badge. The hotel will not accept your call-in reservation and give you the re-union rate, so if you wish to be part of the reunion, please cooperate by pre-registering using the Registration Form in the Blue Badge.

________


Please Read & Heed AS OF JANUARY 1, 2008 THE NEW NATIONAL MEMBER-SHIP OFFICER IS FRANK FORONDA, ALL NEW APPLICA-TIONS AND RENEWALS ARE TO BE SENT TO ROBERT D. SAXTON, AS IT IS PRINTED ON THE FORMS, DO NOT USE ANY FORMS FROM 2007 AND DO NOT SEND YOUR FORMS TO DANIEL R. SANKOFF AS HE IS NO LONGER THE N M O.

Convention

Back Talk ments made against ones self. The degrading and belittling puts the shoe on the other person’s foot once documentation proves the false-hoods of the statements promoted by this self-professed leader. Lastly, the statement, “not telling others how good they are by writing letters” is like the pot calling the kettle black. Was this not a letter in the July-Aug-Sept 2008 Blue Badge? I and the majority of the Executive Staff members (all but one) support Commander Yamrus and his leader-ship in trying to maintain the honesty and integrity of the Combat Infantry-men’s Association. One last thought, remember, igno-rance is no excuse in the eye of the law. God Bless, Jack Wagner Past National commander

__________

Editor, I am a life member of the Combat Infantrymen’s Association and enjoy reading the Blue Badge when it comes out. We veterans or combat veterans of any war need your help. With the CIA, every member is a combat veteran because we all have the CIB for proof. Sir, the word is that combat veterans get heart disease much more than those who have not seen combat. We are losing members each and every day because our men didn’t know that because they fought in combat they could keel over and die of a heart attack at any moment. With the help of the Blue Badge and our members we can help save a lot of lives. Instead of pages of



CIB Monument at the Ashville VA

I have been in contact with the Director of the VA Hospital in Asheville asking about the status on the upgrade of the positioning of the monument at the hospital. He has informed me that funding “…has dried up.” And he does not foresee anything to be done at the new site for some time in the future. I responded to him stating that I would like to have the monument positioned in one of the original sites selected so that this project will be completed. Of course the pavers will not be placed until a permanent site is selected and completed. Thank you for your continued support for this CIB monument and I am looking forward to re-ceiving more applications for pavers. Inventory of CIB Para-

phrenalia I have been informed by our Fi-nance Officer/Quartermaster that he has a large amount of para-phernalia for the organization in his inventory. He has reduced the prices as you will note else-where in the Blue Badge. It would be a good time to pur-chase anything and everything you may wish since the prices will never be this low again.

__________

Summertime is BBQ Time!!

CO’s Tid-Bits

For the professional or amateur BBQer here are a few simple rules. This is the only kind of household cook-ing a “real” man will do. Routine: The woman buys the food; the woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert; the woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray with all of the neces-sary utensils and sauces and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill with a beer. The Important Part: The man per-forms the secret ancient ritual to the Fire God to light the grill and places the meat upon the grill. Routine: The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery. The woman comes to ask the man how the meat is doing. He says fine and asks if she will bring him another beer. The Second Important Part: The man takes the meat off the grill and hands it to the woman. Routine: The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces and brings them to the table. After eating the woman clears the table and does the dishes. The Most Important Part: Everyone praises the man and thanks him for his

cooking efforts. And Finally: The man asks the woman how she enjoyed her “night off” and upon seeing here annoyed reaction, concludes …. There is no pleasing some women.

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Blue Badge/Commentary July-Aug-Sept 2008

Taps Mike and I decided to share our story not only because it is a story of two young friends whose lives, like so many of our generation, were altered by Vietnam, but it is a story of friendship spanning several decades and how a simple gift sometimes becomes more than a “simple gift.” My Mother had sent me a news-paper about a close friend from my teen years, Mike Tarpley. The article was from a local newspaper in the small Texas town where we grew up. Some forty-one years later, he was now walking across the stage to receive his high school diploma. I had seemed to have forgotten that Mike had not finished high school. He left high school just one credit short of graduation in 1967. It seems he had a disagreement with his Eng-lish teacher and had just simply walked away. That did not surprise me! He would then go to where most young men were going at the time—Vietnam. My young husband, Paul, would soon follow. He never returned. The fact that Mike was now walk-ing across the stage to receive his belated high school diploma, rather than having it mailed to him as he had originally intended, did not sur-prise me either! I thought that such a belated graduation deserved as spe-cial congratulations and a unique gift; but, what? At this point in our lives, most of us have realized that material things aren’t nearly as im-portant as we once thought they were. The answer was really quite simple. The greatest treasures are in your heart, the memory of times past. So I decided that my gift would be that of memories, in honor of my friend. Joan McKinley Williams Ed Note: The newspaper article re-ferred to above, will not be printed be-cause the article—to a large extend– duplicates information contained in this column.


TAPS, maybe we can save some of those lives. Agent Orange is killing so many men now it makes me sick. Cancer, Diabetes, Mellitus Type II, and now Heart Disease are also kill-ing our men. So far the VA has not recognized that Heart Disease as a service connected disability. We can change that! We can get the word out. We can find out how many men have already died of heart attacks/diseases and with VA help can help those of us still alive to stay alive with a service connected disability and a pension. Let’s save some of the lives of the men who otherwise would be in TAPS. If we are to accomplish this, we need facts and hard numbers. Every-one can help gather these statistics. Let’s save lives! Sincerely, Nat Masters Ed Note: This seems like a worthwhile project for everyone to participate in. It appears that there should be a central point of contact. Perhaps this could be a project for our National Service Offi-cer?? Comments Welcome!!!

__________ Editor: I had planned to attend this reun-ion until I read the agenda; meetings, meeting, and more meetings. I go to these events to socialize and meet people. I have been to Colorado Springs three times and there is so much to do and see, The Flying W (great music, food and entertain-ment), Garden of the Gods, Cripple Creek, the Royal Gorge, lunch at Ft Carson and so much more. Also, women don’t like side trips, well just maybe they like their husbands along!! Meeting should be a mini-mum of time, not hours and hours. Someone wants to be in office, vote while there. Sincerely, Jim Bork, Arizona.

(Continued from page 8) The Blue Badge was notified of the following members death since the Taps list was last published. The en-tire association extends our deepest sympathy to the widow and family of the deceased.

Comley, Jospeh S

Milford, OH Corps of Ohio Died 06/12/08

Co G, 2nd Bn, 162 Inf, 41st Div Reported by his daughter Kathy

Foster, Shirley N.

Augusta, ME Died 06/24/08

Reported by Tom Baddeley

Hill, Bernard J Lawrence, KS Died 04/14/08

Reported by his wife

Morse, John W. W. Palm Beach, FL

Date unknown Reported by Tom Baddeley

Orlando, Carlo J.

Madison, OH 1 - 2 OH

Died 03/12/08 Reported by daughter Georgiann

Parks, Edward W. Middleboro, MA NE Regiment Died 11/17/07

Reported by daughter Nancy __________

Backtalk

Tom and Grace were attending a mar-riage seminar. During the first session the instructor advised, “It is essential that husbands and wives know the other’s likes and dislikes. He called on Tom and asked, Can you name your wife’s favorite flower?” The man leaned over and whispered, “It’s Pills-bury isn’t it?”

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Ode To a Friend


ple who know the details the better off we are. Rest assured that once the proceedings have ended, the membership will be given a full ac-counting. We are not suggesting to you that we have a perfect organization; there is no such thing. But we are trying to improve. Every position in the asso-ciation from the National Com-mander to the Company Commander is staffed by a volunteer. In some cases we have professionals filling staff positions (but they are still CIA member volunteers) for example—the Staff Judge Advocate is an attor-ney donating his time; the National Chaplain is a full time priest/teacher; the Reunion Manager and Blue Badge Editor owns a reunion man-agement company and manages 70 plus other reunions and publishes 25 other quarterly newsletters; the Medi-cal Officer is a Physician and so on. The other officers and staff members may or may not have any experience in the job they volunteered to fill but they— each and everyone of them—do a bang-up job and deserve the thanks of the membership; not the treatment they are receiving from a few disgruntled members. Anyone wishing to volunteer for any position within the Association is urged to contact the Commander. On to yet another subject. You will note that some of the photos contained in the BB are not the qual-ity that we would like them to be—but because they are important both to the sender and to the member-ship, we printed them anyway. Let me advise you again, the if you are submitting photos for publication in the Blue Badge, they turn out so much better if you will use film of at least 400 ASA speed, or digital shots of at least 4 mp. Just this issue, pho-tos that accompanied the “One of Ours” story was not of sufficient qual-ity to be printed. We do apologize. Remember also, if you send newspaper clippings, be sure to in-clude permission form the publisher allowing the Blue Badge to use the material other wise we can’t print it.

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If you’ve read the past couple of issues of Blue Badge you know that your friendly ole Blue Badge editor is also the CIA reunion manager, we’ve made that very clear. But the reason for bringing up that subject is simply to say that we were in Chicago with another reunion group the week-end of July 4th (actually July 3-6) and I feel obligated to share this with you. On Saturday morning I noticed that my watch had stopped—and I am one of those people who is abso-lutely lost without a watch, so one of my high priorities was to get a new battery as quickly as possible. While on tour with the group I spied a little business Mecca where I found a shop with a big watch sign/display hanging in the window. I happily walked in and was quite surprised to see a very clean and sterile looking office and not a watch or clock in sight. I asked the receptionist how long it would take to get a new bat-tery in my watch. She sort of giggled and said, “We don’t repair watches. This is a male medical facility where we only do circumcisions.” I was so astounded that I blurted out what I thought was a reasonable question, “Then why do you have a watch sign hanging in the window?” The recep-tionist giggled some more and said, “Just what kind of sign would you have us hang?? Yes, later I got my watch fixed.

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Many of you, in fact I suspect most of you, know something about the controversy emanating out of Washington State. I won’t go into those details here, you can read them—and I strongly recommend you go back and do so— in “Rumor Control” published in the February 2008 issue of Blue Badge; and the Commander’s Column in this issue. To get a different view, read the XO’s columns as well. For those of you who did not keep your copy of the February issue, you can go to

www.mlrsinc.com/cia click on the Newsletter button then select the Feb 2008 issue. When you read and understand the facts you can only reach one conclusion—the Executive Board and past com-mander were correct in the action they took. Once he was presented the evidence the newly elected Com-mander independently reached the same conclusion and stands be-hind that decision. It is interesting to note that some of the strongest critics of the leadership (past and present) and the decisions they made were of-fered the opportunity to review the evidence leading to the decisions that were made, but for reasons of their own declined the opportunity. The really sad thing is some of these same members have contin-ued their campaign to discredit the very people who are working on their behalf. You will note in this issue of BB, in his column the National Execu-tive Officer asks two very good questions; “When is this madness going to stop?” and “Why are we trying to destroy ourselves?” The answer to both questions lies with the association uniting—not divid-ing. The way to unite is to get be-hind and support the Commander, not criticize his and the Executive Board’s every action. I believe it is reasonable to say that everyone would like to see Washington issue resolved in a way favorable to the association; and we can’t do that with a divided house. So before you listen to and believe the nega-tive, once again, please go back and read the facts—then use your own common sense. Once you do that, you’ll understand why we must fight the allegations. You need to be in Colorado Springs and show your support for the As-sociation. This Editor, as well as most members would like to know how the case is progressing, but I hope all of us are smart enough to un-derstand that during litigation the less that is said and the fewer peo-

Our View Larry Eckard, Editor

Blue Badge


Former National CO

The Blue Badge was advised that former National Commander Carl Lombard (1999-2001) is seriously ill at home. Those who know Carl will remember him as a vocal and dy-namic leader, who guided the Asso-ciation through some of our “turn of the century” growing pains. Carl still serves the CIA as Adjutant of C Company, New York, commanded by William Love. If anyone from NY has an update – and we hope good news—please pass the news along to us for publication. Remember Carl in your prayers!

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One of Ours Returns

Submitted by Dave Newman

Special Orders Number 196 issued 14 October 1950, by Hq 32nd Inf Regt, 7th Inf Div states in Item 6, “Under the provisions of AR 600-70, the CIB is awarded to the following named officers and enlisted men of Company A, this regiment for satisfactory performance of duty in ground combat against and armed enemy.” There were 178 names listed in SO # 196 and by the end of the next month 60 had been killed in action. Pfc Elwood D Reynolds from Dan-ville, VA was one of those CIB re-cipients and this is his story. He has just returned home. Like many other young men of his time, Elwood joined the Army just 7 months after he turned 18 years old. He had been raised on a tobacco farm in southern Virginia and wanted to see more of the world. The U.S. Army was supposed to be a ticket to find out what “the other world” was like. He took basic training at Ft Knox, KY and went to Ft Ord, CA for additional training. On July 2y, 1950 he left Camp Stoneman, CA for Ko-rea where he was assigned to Com-

pany A, 1st Bn, 32nd Regt, 7th Inf Div. Unfortunately time and space do not allow a full recount of the ac-tions that led to Elwood’s death, but very briefly here are the highlights. Elwood was attached to the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT) which is now known as Task Force Faith. The 31st RCT was much like a “pick-up” team in that the NCO’s did not know their men and some soldiers who didn’t even know their squad leader. It was a “put together” team fleshed out to give some pro-tection to the First Marine Division that was in position on the west side of the reservoir. By this time, un-known to the US some 200,000 Chi-nese troops had already joined the fight. The 31st RCT had a combine force of 3,000 with assorted units of artillery, tanks, AAA, and only two battalions of infantry. On the night of November 27, 1950 Elwood and his comrades, after a long hard march in freezing night-time weather of 30 degrees below zero took positions in bun-kers and fox holes that had been vacated by Marines the day before. Chinese patrols started probing ac-tions to find soft spots in the 31st already thin lines. Sporadic shots were heard but “A” Company offi-cers thought the Koreans assigned to the 31st were seeing “spooks” again—as they had many times before. Just past midnight, the Chi-nese with their probing actions com-pleted struck the center of “A” Com-pany’s line in force. As it turned out, this was a coordinated attack all along the front that included the marine lines on the west side of the reservoir. The Chinese had already infiltrated the “A” Company CP and when the company commander, Ed Scullion, emerged from his bunker shouting to his men to find out who was firing, he was immediately shot down the enemy. His body was found just a few feet from the CP. The fighting that night was fierce and at times hand-to-hand and con-tinued through until daylight. The main goal of the Chinese was to destroy the CP and the mortar sec-

tion that was set up further back. The men of the 1st Bn, 31st RCT inflicted heavy casualties on the Chi-nese during this all-night attack. Pocket of enemy troops were elimi-nated throughout the next day as Americans counter attacked to re-claim positions and re-establish their lines lost during the previous night of fighting. PFC Elwood Reynolds lost his life that night. As elements of the 31st RCT withdrew, his body was found and he and four others killed that night were buried together in a com-mon grave. One of them was his company commander Ed Scallion, a fellow Virginian. PFC Elwood Reynolds was 19 years old when he was killed. He had married a local girl before entering the service and he left a widow and a daughter who was two weeks old when he left for Korea. The daughter died of cancer in 1988, and his widow who had remarried died in 2005. Search teams found the mass grave in the vicinity of the old CP and aid station where the wounded were taken to be processed. After 57 years of being in enemy territory, our heroes have been re-turned. In Elwood’s case, his almost complete remains were found and his identity confirmed with dental records and DNA testing. Elwood was given full military honors at this funeral held in Dan-ville, VA on Saturday April 8, 2008. People gathered along the funeral route, waving flags and confirming to his large family that the young man had not been forgotten, even after 57 years. Elwood has two sisters and a younger brother still living as well as many nieces, nephews, and cousins. The flag that covered his casket was carefully folded by his color Guard from Ft Lee, VA. It has been placed in a flag case with his ribbons dis-played on the inside lid of the case. On top of his ribbons is the CIB. Just last year, Elwood’s name was engraved on the Memorial Wall of the Virginia War Memorial in Rich-mond. He was left off because El-wood was initially reported as MIA.

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Blue Badge/PaceSetters July-Aug-Sept 2008

PaceSetters Pages

Jimmy Walker National Executive officer making a donation on behalf of the Combat Infantrymen's Asso-ciation. Pictured (l to r are):Mary Phillips, Director ofVoluntary/Recreation Therapy; Jimmy Walker, Na-tional Executive Officer; Charleen R. Szabo, Medical Center Director. Veterans Affairs Medical center is lo-cated West Palm Beach, FL. Donations are to be dis-tributed to the patients Welcoming Kit; all new patients receives this kit they are admitted to the VA Center, and the second donation was for the Birthday Gifts pro-vides gifts for those that are in the extended care units. B 1 1 FL called for the question and it was approved to donate the welcome kit, and Edward Green, B11FL, donates his own in the name of the Association for the Birthday program.

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Tom Baddeley receiving from the National Executive Officer Jimmy Walker an award of appreciation for out-standing performance and loyal dedication as the Company Adjutant of B11FL. Keep up the Good work Tom. The Association and B11FL are much stronger because of your efforts to your position.

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June 19, 2008; Sgt. Allen Woods (87) a proud member of the Combat Infantrymen's Association and a WWll vet-eran was presented a "Bronze Star" ribbon along with a bronze star coin at Fort Lewis Washington by the l Corps Commander LTG. Jacoby. Allen Woods was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division, 508th regiment, and on Decem-ber 22, 1944 he was wounded in his side by shrapnel dur-ing the Battle of the Bulge, after receiving treatment for his wounds; Allen Woods requested permission to be sent back to his unit so that he could fight along side his bud-dies, permission was granted and after 64 years he fi-nally got the recognition he deserved. Congratulation Com-rade Woods. Oh by the way Allen can still wear his WW ll airborne jump suit, this is the uniform he wore for the award ceremony. All the way trooper!

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Immediate Past Commander Jack Wagner was special guest at the All American Sunday Event recently held in. Shown l to r are Bryon Bower, (CIA member) member of the Executive Board, 2nd Inf Div Assoc ; LTG (Ret) Jack D. Woodall, (future CIA member) President, 2nd Inf Div Assoc and Immediate Past Commander, CIA, Jack Wanger.

Blue Badge/PaceSetters July-Aug-Sept 2008

PaceSetters Pages

Members of H 1 1 HI “digging in” sampling the buffet at an Award Ceremony for outstanding cadets.Submitted by Geraldo Gapol.

Welcome to Korea The following photos were taken during a recent visit to Seoul, Korea. The trip was paid for by the Sae Eden Presbyterian Church of Seoul in commemoration of the 58th anniversary of the Korean war. Three mem-bers of the Combat Infantrymen’s Association from Hq 2 1 CA, Commander Lorenzo Ortega, XO Don Campen, and Adjutant Robert Castillo made the trip.

According to Lorenzo Ortega, “We were received like war heroes and given at no cost to us, hotel rooms, food, transportation, tour guides, gifts and a photo al-bum. At every stop we were received and treated with special treatment. They made us understand that they know that they are free because of US military sup-port.” Only five of the 28 Korean War veterans who made the trip wore the CIB. Three were members of the CIA,

Above is the Welcome Sign that greeted the Korean War Veterans upon their arrival in Korea

one from NC and one from AZ. One veteran photographed the CIB holders and explained its signifnance to the Korean hosts.

(Above) Lorenzo Ortega touring the Korean War Memorial

(Above) Korean War Veterans, families, and tour guides at the DMZ, where the negotiations and signing of the Cease Fire Treaty took place Note the taller North Korean building in the background . (Below) Inside the building with Korean Guard

Blue Badge/PaceSetters/Poetry July-Aug-Sept 2008

More PaceSetters

Hq 1 1 HI participated in the 2008 Governor’s Memo-rial Day Ceremony honoring those who made the ulti-mate sacrifice. The ceremony was held Monday May 26 at Memorial Plaza, Hawaii State Veteran’s Ceme-tery. CIA Member Bob Young is shown on the left. Unfortunately, when the information arrived at the Blue Badge, the envelope had been opened and the letter was mostly unreadable. All that could be salvaged was the one photo, first paragraph, and last sentence. Our apologies to H 1 1 HI. Congratulations to these and all CIA Pacesetters!

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Member Contibutes CIA member Jim Waters made a major financial con-tribution to the Blue Badge fund with a generous $250.00 donation. Members like Jim assure the con-tinued funding of the Blue Badge. Many Thanks Jim! Other members wishing to contribute may send their donations directly to Finance Officer Bob Saxton at the address on page 2.

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Ed Note: Included with the actual poem and newspaper article about Mike Tarpley’s belated high school graduation, there was a four page explanation on the circumstances and events lead-ing up to the decision to write and dedicate the poem to Mike. Unfortunately, space does not allow the entire four pages to be printed. We believe that by carefully reading the above intro-duction and the poem, you will understand the message that Joan McKinley Williams intends to convey. Here is the poem written and dedicated to Mike Tarpley. Mike is a CIA member.

Ode To an Old Friend

As George Bernard Shaw once said, “Youth is wasted on the young.” And isn’t it the truth? We always wish that we could reclaim that time once more. We would savor the time of irresponsibility and frivolity; Take ourselves much less seriously, And take time to truly know the ones that we call “friend.” I cannot say that I was one who had many close friends, But those few, I treasure The unique memories of one come floating back—Tarp The thing I remember most about him Were his wonderful smile, his easy laugh, and his carefree spirit Although in contradiction, I seem to remember, At times a quick temper would appear. He was dark and handsome With a slight swagger in his walk –inevitable In the time of John Wayne, I suppose He had unusually dark brown eyes. I chuckle as I think how we described them—”cow eyes”. Of course, we understood it as a compliment. Have you really ever looked at the deeply lashed, Extraordinary brown eyes of a cow? Did Valiants only come in baby blue or is that simple the only color That I can remember? As a teenager, Tarp was always in love! Yes, deeply, seriously in love! First there was Martha; I think I was their required chaperone; Then there was Gayle. For me my first love was Paul. But there were the usual teenage storm, Perhaps therein was our bond. We always shared a sympathetic shoulder. One was always devastated by the break-up Or elated with the make-up. Relationships that were supposed to be forever after. Ah yes, to be young again! And to love the way one loves at sixteen, Giving every fiber of your being, with absolutely no reservation, Before passion is colored by the realities of life.



Ode To a Friend

Blue Badge/Registration July-Aug-Sept 2008

The Combat Infantrymen’s Association 2008 National Convention

October 09-12 Academy Best Western Hotel, Colorado Springs, CO

The 2008 Combat Infantrymen’s Association National Convention will be held in Colorado Springs, CO October 09-12. Host property will be the Academy Best Western Hotel located at 8110 North Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs. Conveniently located just off Interstate 25 north of the city, and resting in the shadow of the Rocky Moun-tains, this is the perfect location for the reunion. The Academy Hotel is just outside the south gate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and minutes from many restaurants, extensive shopping, the Colorado Springs Airport and all local attractions. The Academy Best Western Hotel, is a non smoking establishment, boasting 200 comfortable guest rooms equipped with amenities like an ironing board and iron, clock radio, hair dryer, coffee maker, work desk, free local calls (up to 30 minutes). The in house workout facility features a sauna, hot tub; or you can obtain complimen-tary passes to Bally's Total Fitness. The Garden Terrace Restaurant is a full service restaurant and lounge, open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. A full hot buffet breakfast is included in your room rate. Complimentary airport shuttle service is provided to and from the Colorado Springs airport between 5:00 AM and 10:00 PM. For transporta-tion to the hotel from the airport, use courtesy phones located near the baggage claim area, or call the hotel direct at 719-598-6770. Complimentary shuttle service to local attractions is also available on a time available basis. Because of the pressing business matters that are expected to take up most of the convention time, no off site tours have been scheduled. Additionally, this will be a “no frills” convention. Some people may ask why there are no tours/activities for the ladies. This is because there have been trips/other activities scheduled exclusively for the la-dies for the past three years, and there has been only token interest, so consequently the activities/trips had to be cancelled. There is no evidence to suggest this year would be any different. The hotel shuttle van will transport guests to local area attractions/malls on a space and time available basis. Every Combat Infantrymen’s Association member is encouraged to attend the convention and participate in the business of the Association. Although it is not necessary to participate in the other convention activities to attend the business meetings, you are strongly encouraged to do so. There is of course no charge or fee to attend the business meetings. Be sure to bring your current membership card; it will be required for entrance into the meeting room. Na-tional and State Officers at all levels are expected to attend and encouraged to participate in all activities. Please, Read the following carefully. Your co-operation is needed to make your reservation/registration go as smoothly as possible.

• You may select one of the three Options, or you may create your own limited agenda • All reservations must be made through the reunion manager. Please do not call the hotel and try to make your

own reservation. This will merely delay your registration. Mail the reservation form or you may fax or phone in your reservation. If your reservation is faxed or phoned in, a credit card must be used. American Express, VISA, or MasterCard are accepted.

• Payment Schedule: Initial deposit is due on or before September 8, 2008. Final payment is due before September 19, 2008.

• Cancellations: Cancellations must be made through the ML & RS, Inc office—calling the hotel is not sufficient. Cancellations must be received on or before October 3, 2008. There is a $50.00 cancellation fee plus the cost of any activities that have already been paid for, or for which guaranteed numbers have been provided to the ven-dor. There will be NO REFUNDS – for any reason – for cancellation requests received after October 3, 2008. Trip Cancellation Insurance is highly recommended. See your local insurance agent for details.

• Minimum Room Requirements: Consider this if you are thinking of staying in a hotel other than the host prop-erty. There is a minimum of 40 rooms, peak night, for the quoted reunion rates to apply. Every member who does not stay at the host hotel is hurting all other association members. If we do not reach the minimum room number, the rates for those staying in the Best Western will rise by $10.00 per night. Please cooperate.


Convention Itinerary

Wednesday October 8, 2008

1600 hrs: Early Bird Registration for Executive Board and any other early arrivals. Dinner on your own tonight

Thursday October 9, 2008 0900 hrs: Executive Board Meeting 1200 Noon: Registration for General Membership begins 1700 hrs: Welcome Reception. After a few welcome and administrative remarks a Cash Bar will open and light hors d’oeuvres will be served. Cost for tonight’s reception is included in Option A only. If you do not wish to participate, you may Opt-Out. See the Registration Form, Adjustment Opportunities, Delete Thursday’s Welcome Reception. Dinner is on your own.

Friday October 10, 2008

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant is included in your room rate. Coupons will be provided. Since breakfast is included in your room rate, you may not Opt Out. Please remember the first session of the membership meeting begins at 0900. 0900 hrs: General Membership meeting, break for lunch at 1200 noon, resume at 1300 hrs and end at 1600 hrs. Lunch is on your own. 1800 hrs: Social Hour with Cash Bar. 1900 hrs: Western Themed Dinner buffet featuring BBQ Beef Ribs and BBQ Chicken with salads, baked beans, corn-on-the cob, potatoes, corn bread or rolls, butter, coffee and tea. Cost for tonight’s dinner buffet is included in Options A and B. If you do not wish to participate, you may Opt-Out. See the Registration Form, Adjustment Opportunities, Delete Friday’s dinner buffet.

Saturday October 11, 2008

Breakfast in the hotel restaurant is included in your room rate. Coupons will be provided. Since breakfast is included in your room rate, you may not Opt Out. Please remember the first session of the membership meeting begins at 0900. 0900 hrs: General Membership Meeting continues until all business is transacted. Included on today’s agenda is the election of a new Finance Officer. At the last business meeting in Fayetteville it was decided to make the position of Finance Officer an elected position rather than an appointed position. Candidates are welcome to enter your name into nomination (please notify the National Commander of your candidacy) and nominations will be taken from the floor. Lunch is on your own. 1900 hrs: Pre-Dinner Cocktail Hour 2000 hrs: Combat Infantrymen’s Association Banquet. Gentlemen are requested to wear coat and tie, with corre-sponding dress for the ladies. Retirees, if you can still wear your complete and correct uniform, you are encouraged to do so. There will be open seating, sit with whom you like. We have a commitment from the CG of Ft Carson to at-tend our banquet and be our guest speaker. General Graham’s Command Sergeant Major, the Garrison Commander and his Command Sergeant Major have also been invited but as of this printing they have not responded. The Memo-rial Service honoring our deceased brothers-in-arms will be part of the banquet program. There is absolutely no inter-est in having entertainment after the banquet—so accordingly, there will be none. Cost for tonight’s dinner is included in Options A, B, and C. If you do not wish to participate, you may Opt-Out. See the Registration Form, Adjustment Opportu-nities, Delete Saturday’s Banquet. Please be advised that “Meal only” reservations must be made and paid for at least 72 hours before the meal. Last minute sign-ups cannot be accommodated.

Sunday October 12, 2008 Breakfast in the hotel restaurant is included in your room rate. Coupons will be provided. Since breakfast is included in your room rate, you may not Opt Out. Check-Out begins and see you next year!


Office Use Only: Deposit Received: __________ Payment Method: _________ Date Received: _________

National Combat Infantrymen’s Association Registration Form Academy Best Western Hotel

8110 North Academy Blvd, Colorado Springs, CO 80920 Please complete both sides of this form and return it with your deposit on or before September 8, 2008. Mail or FAX (if

paying by credit card to) Military Locator & Reunion Service, Inc, PO Drawer 11399, Hickory, NC 28603 Phone: 828-256-6008 ~ FAX 828-256-6559 ~ Web: www.mlrsinc.com/cia

Attendee Info Last Name: _____________________________ First Name: _________________________________ MI: ________ Spouse or Guest Name: ___________________________________________ Address: _________________________________________ City: ____________________ St: _____ Zip: ____________ Cell phone or travel phone number where you can be notified of last minute changes: ___________________________ Emergency contact person: _______________________________ Relationship to you: __________________ Emergency contact phone number: _________________________________

Activity Selection Select one of the following options. You may add to or deduct from your selection by using the Adjustment Opportunities Block Option A: Arrive Thursday, depart Sunday ~ Includes three nights lodging (Thur, Fri, Sat); three breakfasts (Fri, Sat, Sun); Thursday evening Welcome Reception; Friday night Western BBQ Dinner; Saturday night banquet; Colorado Springs City Tag. Cost per person based on double occupancy is $272.00. Cost for single occupancy is $415.00. A $100.00 per person deposit must accompany your reservation. Make your selection below: Double occupancy ________; Single occupancy ________ Option B: Arrive Friday, depart Sunday ~ Includes two nights lodging Fri & Sat); two Breakfasts (Sat & Sun); Friday night Western BBQ Dinner; Saturday night banquet; Colorado Springs City Tag. Cost per person based on double occupancy is $210.00. Cost for single occupancy is $305.00 A $75.00 per person deposit must accompany your reservation. Make your selection here: Double occupancy ________; Single occupancy ________ Option C: Arrive Saturday, depart Sunday ~ Includes Saturday Banquet; Saturday night lodging; Sunday Breakfast; and Colorado Springs City Tag. Cost per person based on double occupancy is $111.00. Cost for single occupancy is $156.00. A $50.00 per person deposit must accompany your reservation. Make your selection below: Double Occupancy _________; Single Occupancy ________

Lodging Preference Room Preference (based on availability at check-in): Single _____; Double (two beds) ____; King/Queen _____ # of People __________ Smoking ______ Non-Smoking ______ Special Room Requirements: _____________________________________________________________________________

Adjustment Opportunities (Available only to those subscribing to one of the options)

Add Lodging @ $ 90.00 per night X ______ ( # nights) = $ _________ Which nights _______________________________ Deduct ______ Thursday Reception @ $11.00 per person X ______ (# people) = $ ________ Deduct ______ Friday Western Buffet @ $35.00 per person X ______ ( # people) = $ _______ Deduct ______ Saturday Banquet @ $45.00 per person X ______ (# people) = $ _________


Meal Only” Selections Available only to those NOT subscribing to one of the Options. These prices are higher because they include the cost of the activity plus a registration fee. Prices do not include a city tag.

Thursday’s Welcome Reception @ $20.00 pp X _______ (# number of people) = $ ____________ Friday’s Western Buffet @ $45.00 pp X _________ (# number of people( = $ _________ Saturday’s Banquet @ $55.00 pp X ________ (# number of people) = $ ____________

Full payment must accompany your application for this selection

Name Tag Info If this is your first Combat Infantrymen’s convention, or if you have misplaced the nametag you received at a previous conven-tion, we encourage you to order one now. The nametag is a plastic tag with your name, a CIB, and the years you served. Guest tags have the guest’s name engraved on it. This is a great conversation starter and group member identifier. If you fill in the info below you will be charged for the tags. Cost is $6.00 each. Your Nametag Name: ________________________________ Guest Nametag Name: ________________________ Which years did you serve: ________________________ What was your highest rank?: _______________ Options A, B, and C will include a city tag (Colorado Springs, CO 2008) to hang below your nametag. If you sign up for only selected activities, we encourage you to order a city tag here. Indicate below the number of city tags you wish to order. If you would like to order city tags from previous years, please list the city and year and quantity on an additional sheet of paper. Cost is $3.75 each. Number of Colorado Springs City Tags @ $3.75 ______ Number of previous years’ city tags @ $3.75 _______ (list cities on a separate sheet

Payments and Cancellations Your signature is required below regardless of your payment method

Make Checks Payable to: “ML & RS, Inc”

Personal Check # ________ Money Order _______ American Express _______ MasterCard________ Visa _______

ML&RS Inc is authorized to bill the below listed credit card in the amount of $ ______________

Name as it appears on Credit Card: _______________________________________

Zip Code where you receive your credit card bill (statement): ____________

Account #: _____________________________________________________________ Exp Date: ___________

I understand and agree that if I register for this reunion and do not attend without canceling my reservation as described on page 15 of these guidelines, I am not entitled to any refund.

Signature (Required before registration is accepted)

_____________________________________________________

Complete Both Sides of this form; Be sure your deposit is included

Blue Badge/Information July-Aug-Sept 2008

Blue Badge/Information Page July-Aug-Sept 2008

Blue Badge/Poetry July-Aug-Sept 2008

Ode Remembering Prom night and a double date When we all stayed out ‘til three. Then there was the drag strip and the swinging bridge And, of course, much more than our share of church. Then life would become so complicated. We innocents; no more. Existence would forever lost its calm; A deep dark scar forever etched on both our souls By the tormenting wretchedness of Nam. Then Paul was gone And you were t here again. Therein I find my own poem, much too sad to write. I think these words may be the closest I will choose to come. The overpowering, strange sense of peacefulness That I had felt since Paul’s ret urn, A bizarre serenity almost kindly allowing me a time to say goodbye, Suddenly VANISHED, as they handed me the crisply folded American flag that had, until moments ago, draped the som-ber casket. Reality was back with a deafening crash! How could I escape it? After hesitating at his suggestion, I left the myriad faceless relatives, friends, and strangers to leave with my uniformed, hobbling friend and his wife. Even, if for a week, just take me away. Take me anywhere away. It was his last rescue, the ultimate rescue. Some 39 years later, I am quite surprised at my recall. Does it really serve a purpose? Or has it been held too close for much too long? Will anyone else actually understand? So, here, I bare my soul without reservation. It was a long bus ride home with too much time to think. Should we have made that trip across the border, skipping the bus stop? Would it have been one of regrets? We both may have been dreadful, crying drunks, Leaning on each other as never before. Would we simply have held each other in comforting em-brace? Or maybe we would have found that forbidden closeness; Two fragile young friends, who had just collided full force with life, Needing more comfort than they had ever before sought Or Perhaps would never seek again. Would it have been so wrong? Or may we have impulsively gotten into your Road Runner Not knowing where our journey would end.


East, West, North, or South? Would it even matter? I was never sure, but the e temptation then was great. I am not certain why I was so tempted. Maybe there was an overwhelming sense of the pain That we both yet had to face in life. Paul had been the only love I had ever known, The one with whom I had shared the very core of my existence. I had loved him since I was fifteen. Yet, he was gone. My life was no longer one I knew. Still, there was your wife, your unfaithful wife, And a little son, a Mike in miniature, at home. Quite possibly it is true that the things you don’t do Are the things you most regret. My friend had needed me. Had I been there for him? But then — would the ultimate consolation have changed our friendship? Yes, it was a long bus ride home. I think we both spent many years after, Looking for ourselves. We moved on, but continued searching, ever searching. Those two people would never again would be found, would they? Still, there were thoughts of you, Occasionally a letter, a few short conversations, Sometimes you would even appear in my dreams. But old friends are truly like old shoes, relaxed and worn. You never forget the comfort of wearing them. Yet, with time, they get lost somewhere in the back of your closet. When you’ve almost forgotten that you have them They are found and you enjoy their familiar coziness Even more than you remembered, As they had never been gone. What would life been without Vietnam? I hope that you, like me, have finally found That place of contented happiness in life. Although it is no longer black and white, Who would have though there were so many shades of gray? And who would have known there would have been So many mistakes lefty to be made? I am proud to call you a friend - Mike Tarpley - Even though our contacts have been few, You lie within my heart with neatly tied ribbons of special Memories that I unwrap on occasion. Has it really been so many years? Oh, there have been some chapters; Some I would rewrite. Still, I would not want to have missed the ride, But I would have danced much, much more and ever so much faster; Though we never had the pleasure, I’d save one slow dance for you. Written with love and affection Ever your friend, Joan McKinley Williams

Blue Badge/Brothers in Arms July-Aug-Sept 2008

Have you ever worn this patch? Join the 1st Cavalry Division Association Life membership $10.00 Visit http://1cav.org Call (254)547-6537 for an application

From The Meuse-Argonne in 1918 To Omaha Beach in 1944

To Afghanistan and Iraq in 2005/2006 Soldiers of the 29th Infantry

Division have answered their Country’s Call

Whenever and Wherever

The ads for sister organizations that appear on this and other pages of the Blue Badge are scanned exactly as re-ceived. Members of these organizations should periodi-cally review them for time sensitive matters, address or e-mail changes. The Blue Badge takes no responsibility for the accuracy of the information

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ITEMS FOR

PUBLICATION All items for publication in the Blue Badge must be received on or before the 15th of the month preceding the publication month. The Blue Badge is published quarterly for the periods covering Jan-Feb-Mar; Apr-May-June; July-Aug-Sept; Oct Nov Dec of each year. This means your items must arrive at the Blue Badge on or before the 15th of January, April, July, and Oc-tober. Items received after those dates will be held until the next issue is published.

STATEMENT OF PUBLICATION

The Blue Badge is the official publication of the Combat Infantrymen’s Association. It is published quarterly for the periods covering Jan-Feb-Mar; Apr-May-June; July-Aug-Sept; Oct Nov Dec. All official information pertaining to the Association will be found here. The Blue Badge’s intent is to keep you informed about the activities of the Association, not necessarily the entire veterans’ community. So, even though such items may be of interest to some members, you will not normally find articles pertaining to veterans’ bene-fits or other veterans’ issues in the Blue Badge. Each member is encouraged to communicate with the Blue Badge. Give us your ideas, comments, and complaints. Give us your human interest stories, share personal memories from your days in combat and the aftermath. Tell us what your company is do-ing. Because of the volume of mail received, some-times we cannot print all of the letters. But be assured that every letter is read and considered. Space is also a consideration. The Blue Badge must be printed in multiples of four, i. e. 8 pages, 12 pages, 16, pages, etc. sometimes we have too much for, let’s say 20 pages, but not enough for 24 pages, some things may have to wait. The Blue Badge is not a political tool. Articles por-traying a political position or demeaning to another member will not be printed. We do not accept any type of advertising, and we will not promote commer-cial products. Finally, articles, poems, etc which are not the original work of the sender, must be accompa-nied by the author’s permission before it can be pub-lished in the Blue Badge. Remember there is a cut off date for items to be published.

One of the delays that causes some confusion and ag-gravation among members is sometimes perceived as a lack of response to the member needs. The staff works hard to answer your questions, act on your requests, and in general be responsive to your needs. One of the problems we encounter is members often send their request to the wrong place. For example, change of addresses should not be sent to the Blue Badge, the editor has nothing to do with the data base management. If you do not receive or need additional copies of the Blue Badge, use the address below DO NOT SEND THESE REQUESTS TO THE EDITOR. Articles intended to be published in the Blue Badge should not be sent to the National HQ, the CO, XO, etc. I could go on, but you get the idea. Please use the following guidelines: For articles to be printed in the Blue Badge; letters to the editor; poems, personal stories, etc, and items pertaining to the annual reunion should be sent to: Larry Eckard Editor, Blue Badge 3330 Springs Road NE Hickory, NC 28601 E-mail: [email protected] Also, the BB editor should be made aware of changes in company leadership positions. Address changes, contributions, requests for transfer, fail-ure to receive an issue of Blue Badge, requests for addi-tional copies of the Blue Badge and TAPS notices should be sent to: Bob Saxton 1501 Grant St Marinette, WI 54143-2321 E-Mail: [email protected] All relating to membership should be sent to: National Membership Officer Frank Foronda 176 Brown Maultsby Rd Whiteville, NC 28472 Phone: 910-642-8519 [email protected] In the event that an item is sent to the wrong place, the staff officer who receives it will channel it to the correct party, however, this may cause a delay in receiving your response. Members can help improve our service by reading and heeding the above guidance.

WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT??

Blue Badge/The Rules July-Aug-Sept 2008

If you move or your address changes even though no movement is involved, we need to know it. If you wish to continue receiving the Blue Badge, you really need to do this. Send the Chang of Address to Bob Saxton, 1501 rant St, Marinette, WI 54143-2321 Old Address: Name: _______________________________ Address: _____________________________ City: _____________________________ State: ________ Zip: _______________ New Address: Address: _____________________________ City: _____________________________ State: ________ Zip: _______________

Blue Badge/Admin/Brothers in Arms July-

Change of Address

82ND AIRBORNE DIVISION ASSOCIATION, INC. MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION

New members MUST complete ALL parts of this application

Telephone Number ( ) _______________ Renewal (Active Member within last two+ yrs) Reinstate (member 2+ years ago) New or if you were an Annual Member/Division Enclosed is $15.00, membership dues for the year _____, PARAGLIDE subscription included. Enclosed is $16.00, I have added a #1.00 for the Educational Fund. Enclosed is ________ for a Life Membership: $150 if under 50/$100 if over 50 (DOB:___________) Name________________________________________________ Address: Street/or RFD_________________________________ City ________________________________________ State ________9 Digit Zip Code____________________ Rank________ ASN________________ or SSN_____________________ Present Occupation_______________ Airborne Unit(s) {Be Complete ie:Co,BN & DIV} _____________________________________________________ Date of Airborne Service: From (mo/yr)_________________________ To (mo/yr) _________________________ Single _____ Married _____ Spouse’s Name __________________________ # of Children ________ Chapter Preference* ___________________________ E-mail ______________________________

*For a complete list of Chapters by State & location visit www.82ndAssociation.org **New Members MUST INCLUDE PROOF of Glider/Airborne Qualifications or service with/82d AIRBORNE DIV (DD214, Jump School Certificate, Orders of Assignment, etc) MAIL TO: 82D ABN DIV ASSN. PO BOX 9308 FAYETTEVILLE, NC 28311-9308 (910)822-4534

We apologize to the Americal Division members for the “fuzziness of some of the printing, but the type of font used causes a problem in printing. In hopes of making amends, we will run the ad the remainder of the year the year without reciprocation. Editor

Blue Badge/Admin July-Aug-Sept 2008

Blue Badge/Appreciation July-Aug-Sept 2008

This letter is in response to the feature in the May 2008 Blue Badge on the planned Korean War National Museum and Library

Blue Badge/Membership July-Aug-Sept 2008

Blue Badge/Renewal July-Aug-Sept 2008

Blue Badge/Quartermaster July-Aug-Sept 2008

Revised list—July 2008—, Destroy all other copies

Blue Badge/Quartermaster July-Aug-Sept 2008

Blue Badge/Brothers In Arms July-Aug-Sept 2008

Remember, when submitting photos for publication in Blue Badge, if you are wearing headgear, submit only photos in which members are wearing the prescribed CIA cap.

The SOCIETY OF THE 3RD INFANTRY DIVISION is searching for those who served in the 3rd and at-tached units, in war, the cold war, of during peacetime, to join our society. We support our active duty soldiers, host yearly reunions, have 24 outposts (chapters) who have mini reunions throughout the nation, have a bi-monthly magazine, a Society website, Marne Riders Motorcycle club and much more. Contact Dick Gallmeyer at 1-800-523-4715 or e-mail [email protected] or Jim Tiezzi at 1-239-466-1214 or e-mail at [email protected]. Visit our website at Www.3rdiv.org

THE BLUE BADGE The Combat Infantrymen’s Assn 1501 Grant Street Marinette, WI 54143

REQUEST FOR TRANSFER Mail to:

Bob Saxton @ (the address shown on page 2)

Date:__________

I wish to be transferred from the:__________________________________Company To the:_________________________________________________________Company Name: ____________________________________ C.I.A. #:_____________________ Address: _______________________________________________________________ City: _______________________________ State: ____ Zip: _____________________ Phone#____________________________ E.mail _____________________________ Signature: ______________________________________________________________

Blue Badge /Back Cover July-Aug-Sept 2008

Nonprofit Org

US Postage Paid Marinette, WI 54143

Permit # 104

volume 12 issue 3 dedicated to all combat infantrymen july ...volume 12 issue 3 dedicated to all...

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