God Bless America!

 God Bless 

our great country

and each one of you!

Guru and Family

 

Memorial Day Thanks

 Memorial Day Remembrance

from Larry ( Guru) and Elaine 

 

...................................

A note and link with a tribute  from Crash

All:

Thank you for your service this Memorial Day weekend.

Crash

Memorial Day tribute

More Pathfinders Showing up

 

You guys have been busy this spring and I need to catch up!    Lets see if I can reconstruct since my last post.    

In April we received an email from Armando Villegas / Pancho.   He found us by searching the internet.  Yay!  This is working!  Here is a bit of what he says...  

 

"Man! What a surprise..Out of the blue, I decided to google Camp Eagle..And up pops the old "Pathfinder" sign..I was shocked..

Not sure if we served at the same time. I was there from Aug 68-Sept. 69, and went by the name of "Pancho"..The CO was Captain Chase. I remember "Pop-Top"..Muleskinner..Frank Muzzio..Hankock..and Guidry. The others I can't quite remember.

Actually, if you're the guy I'm thinking of, you left a few months after, (maybe a few weeks) I got there.

Let me know what's happening, when you get a chance.

Armando Villegas/ Pancho"

 

 Pancho

Great hearing from you. I was in Vietnam from Jan 69 until Feb 70. The site you found me on is the good work of my wife, Elaine.

To my knowledge there have been several events where some of the platoon have met. I live in Dallas, where do you live? Crash (Clark), JP (Nutter), Sweet Thing(Gay), Sugarfoot(Goodner) and I met in Fort Worth last month.

I am sorry to tell you that Pop Top died a couple of years back. He lived in the Dallas area.

I will forward a copy of this to other Pathfinders.

Great hearing from you, keep on touch.

Guru/Larry

To your wife.

Thanks Mrs. Guru,

For setting up and starting this website..great idea..and great job, and I for one...really appreciate it. I hope our old buddies google search and find it too..it would be fun to reconnect after 40 years or so..Bless you

Pancho"

This of course is exactly what we are hoping for....  He used the email that is included on the blog and it sent him to us.... Hoping more find us...  He and Larry have been corresponding and Larry has connected him with some of the others..  Thank you for the note Pancho.   :) 

 

I cannot remember if I posted this or not....so forgive if this is a repost... but we can never do this enough in my opinion.... The below was forwarded to me... 

 

 "Although I was not able to attend the recent reunion of fellow pathfinders this past weekend, I am sure a toast was hoisted for those fallen heroes. I lift my glass now to the memory of Don. Yes, as my memories become more cloudy, partly because of age and partly because of good German beer, I will never forget the true meaning of our hardships. We did what we were asked to do and unfortunately, in my opinion, the politicians did what they were elected to do. We, as a generation of warfighters, were lost in the political gamesmanship of the time. Don will never be lost in the my memory of our endeavors, he is not a forgotten hero. Nor will the others who are remembered along his side and those who served and later passed. Pop Top comes to mind. God bless all fellow Pathfinders.

bob  ( Sleepy) 

 

  Sleepy
Well said. I'll raise a mug with you.
Guru"

 

Did you know....

  That Pop Top started a yearly Mass in honor of the six KIA Pathfinders with the 160th Aviation Group.   He named it The 160th Pathfinder Foundation.  Crash has been really good about making sure this information is distributed each year to as many Pathfinders as he has contact info for.   Hopefully we can also get out Pathfinders News and Events via this blog.  

Crash also sent me a list to identify some of the pictures that have been previously posted.  I will update those as well so you may want to take a look.   

Guru finally found Smoke
After some diligent detective work Guru located Chip Lynch and they had a great conversation and exchanged contact information.  We have sent them the link to this blog.  

Happy Birthday Sugar Foot.   This information via Crash.  :)    We really need a list of names with contact info and birth dates and important info that is available to the group.   I have created a location on this blogsite for it...  

 If you want your name and contact info listed click this link and on the subject line put pathfinder contact list  ... 
 Add me to the contact list

May Remembrance
In May Crash sent out this memo...

All:

May was not a good month for our Pathfinder platoon. Tomorrow, May 8,

2012, marks the forty third anniversary of the death of our friend and

fellow Pathfinder, Ron Reynolds. Ron was KIA May 8, 1969, in Vietnam. I

have attached two photographs of the good looking devil. Please take a

minute and remember Ron and his family in your prayers.

Crash

 And these were responses to the post:
Marty, just wanted to thank you and all the Pathfinders for remembering
Ronnie each year that goes by. Fourty three years and counting, I know what
it means to Ron's family and myself that you great men do this each year. I
have added a photo of Ron at Fort Polk. Love that smile he had and miss him
very much. Thanks and bless you all.
George Brann

 George, JP here. Crash has been a real champ about reminding all the guys of the dates of the KIAs from our platoon. I think of all of the ones that gave the ultimate price for us and our country. It could have been any one of us but for some reason it was them. I never got to meet Ron, as I came in after he went to the LRRPs. April 1st when Poptop and I were getting ready to ship out word came in to Dog House that Ragsdale was KIA, Lujon was WIA and Anderson was MIA. We tried to volunteer for a relief mission but Wrona wouldn't allow it. We left the next day not really what all had happened. Someone wrote Poptop and gave him the later. Pretty sad day for the platoon. We also honor the KIAs from the guys that followed us and hope that they are never forgotten. It was great to spend some time together in east Texas for Poptops memorial. I hope we meet again sometime. JP

Crash also sent a few more  Pathfinder pictures to post... 

 

Pop Top and Larry Dawson

 

Mackenzie ( Smiley )

Cooper ( Watts)

 

Tim ( Sugarfoot)  and Merry Goodner recently came through Dallas and we had a chance to go to dinner with them and catch up a bit more.    Tim and Merry were on their way to Cancun for a bit of scuba diving and wrote the other day....  Sounds like it was a great trip! 

Hello Larry,the diving was great,saw lots of lobster,octopus, turtles,dolphins and fish of all kinds. Water was 87 degrees. The locals are a very friendly people. It really makes a person appreciate living in America when you see the living conditions the majority of the people in Honduras. We are back home now,pulled in last night. Getting ready to go camping with friends over the long weekend. Give Elaine a hug for us and take care .

Tim and Merry.

I think that about catches us up.   Email by clicking on the link on this blog and let us all know what is going on in your part of the world or update more Pathfinder information,pictures and memories and I will post it.  

Blessings to all the Pathfinders and Families from Guru and Ms. Guru

Click below to submit for blog post.  You may also post in the comment section.  

For Blog Posts

We are also on Facebook.   Request Larry Abbott as a friend and we will add you to the Pathfinder group.  ( I will try to figure out how to get a facebook link attached to this blog.  ;)

 

Pictures from Crash

 Sgt. Emmit Cox

Club Bar

Lt. Bill Freeman, 

 

*Waiting on Crash to give more picture info

A Message from Sleepy ( Bob Conway )

Although I was not able to attend the recent reunion of fellow pathfinders this past weekend, I am sure a toast was hoisted for those fallen heroes. I lift my glass now to the memory of Don. Yes, as my memories become more cloudy, partly because of age and partly because of good German beer, I will never forget the true meaning of our hardships. We did what we were asked to do and unfortunately, in my opinion, the politicians did what they were elected to do. We, as a generation of warfighters, were lost in the political gamesmanship of the time. Don will never be lost in the my memory of our endeavors, he is not a forgotten hero. Nor will the others who are remembered along his side and those who served and later passed. Pop Top comes to mind. God bless all fellow Pathfinders.

bob (Conway/Sleepy)

Sleepy,
Well said. I'll raise a mug with you.
Guru ( Larry Abbott)

Pathfinder Palooza update

 Pathfinder Palooza 

Great weekend.    Hope other opportunities come along 

for pathfinders to get together.    Here are the pictures taken.   

Attending were JP, Crash, Guru, Sweet Thing and Sugarfoot.  

 Contact this email address

 for posts or pictures.

101stvietpathfinders@gmail.com 

Check out the PHOTOS GALLERY on side bar for more pics.  

 and the 7 foot bouncer at Billy Bobs said.....

 Coopers South Texas German Czech style BBQ

At Billy Bob's 

JP, Crash, Larry, Sweet Thing & Sugar Foot 

  JP, Guru and Sugarfoot.

Crash is standing up talking... Sweet thing had 

already left to go home... 

JP, Crash, Guru and Sugarfoot at breakfast

uh oh...Pathfinders with smart phones... 

This could be dangerous. 

Pathfinder Palooza

A Texas get together has begun to take shape...  JP is going to be in Texas on business and planned to hook up with Guru so Crash said he wanted to come too....and now McGibbon and others are also planning to be there... Here is the email Crash sent out...

All X Pathfinders:

All of our X's are meeting in Texas for a Pathfinder Palooza!

Friday March 2, 2012 at 1:PM at the

The Country Inn & Suites located at:

2200 Mercado Drive
Fort Worth, TX 76106
817-831-9200
web site http://www.countryinns.com/fort-worth-hotel-tx-76106/txworth

The first round will be on the 160th Foundation in remembrance of our six 160th Pathfinders who were KIA in Vietnam. I would suspect there will be another glass or two raised for Tim Alicoate (Pop Top) who we lost a couple of years ago and Danny Rozier (Bear) who died just last month.

We have a block of rooms starting at around $99.00 a night paid in advance to $130.00 a night for a luxury room far away from my room. They are under Marty Clarke.

The itinerary is pretty simple. We will sit around and tell stories and drink until we are hungry, and then we will eat. Then we will continue to tell stories and drink until we are tired, and then we will go to sleep. If you get tired of telling stories and drinking you may want to turn in your Pathfinder hat and badge at the front desk. There will also be sight seeing available if interested. If you are into country music and can still stay up past 10:30 PM then you might want to consider Brandon Rhyder who will be appearing at Billy Bob's on Friday night the 2nd. Tickets in advanced are $18.00.

Black hat optional.

Please rsvp to calibanrealty@mchsi.com.

For those who stay over and survive the mission there will be an after action breakfast on Saturday morning at a restaurant that has not heard we are in town.

Crash

Texas contact info-  Larry Abbott 972-412-5555
larryabbottrealtors@gmail.com  

We have a Facebook Group page....   
 101st Airborne Pathfinders Vietnam

If you are a member of Facebook....Friend  request  Larry Abbott and a  Group is created under his name.   Anyone already in the group can add someone they want to join....    The idea is to communicate, add pictures...events or whatever....   Along with this blog maybe we can stay in touch better.