2014 Update

There seems to be more Pathfinder activity in the last year.  Some of it thanks to Facebook and this blog seems to allow non facebook pathfinders to find us..       PopTop's untimely passing seem to bring to mind the fact that we are not bullet proof nor do we have an expiration date and stirred a desire in some of us to find each other again.   Many of our group are retired or semi retired and that too can account for the "search" for our Vietnam brothers.   Time, availability, great technology, God....all play a role in revisiting a unique time in our lives.   My priest told my wife in years past when I was still recuperating from cancer that it would be a good thing for me to reconnect with the men I served with.  He went on to explain that a bond occurs when you put your life in the hands of another person day after day and when you lay down at night.   That was the catalyst for the creation of this blogsite.  

I am making a new 2014 resolution to try again to regularly update this blog.  Please pass it on to any pathfinders that served with us.   This is not intended to reach the larger pathfinder association group but to allow discussion, memories, shared experiences and photos or information about possible reunions for the group we served with in Vietnam.    I will attempt to fill in a few gaps from my last 2013 post from our Facebook page, conversations, visits and emails or phone calls I have received.  This may take a few posts.    If you have not joined our group please send an email by using this link   Reply and we will add you to the group.  It is closed to anyone other than the ones we served with in Vietnam.

These great video reproductions are from Maverick ( Lawrence Dawson )  He uses You Tube to make them viewable to all of us.  Great job Maverick and many thanks!

 Combat Assault 1969 Opening a Fire Base

 Firebase Cannon Oct. 1969

This one he calls  part 1 of The Tower and features yours truly.  Thanks Maverick. 

 This is Part 2

It is great to see actual footage and that Maverick lends his expertise so we can revisit it.

Here is another he posted called Little Larry.   

Sgt. Sisson, Cement Mason

Last weekend I had the opportunity to spend some hours with Black Magic ( Rick Damon)  and his wife Brenda.     It had been since the early 70's at a pathfinder reunion in Oklahoma since we had a chance to visit.    We both had a little ( well maybe a lot) more grey hair and each had adversities we had overcome but we were able to share some great conversation and lunch at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas and vowed to try to get together again.   The wives hit it off and were already comparing and sharing a German recipe.

Guru & Black Magic

Brenda Damon, Black Magic, Guru and Ms. Guru...Elaine 

A little background on Black Magic... He and Brenda live in Louisville, Kentucky.  They raised six children together and have I think about eight grandchildren...or maybe I think everyone has as many as I do.  Regardless they have a fine sounding family....    I think I recall that he is in insurance or perhaps a financial planner.  Most important is that he is still working and enjoying life.  Brenda told Elaine they were going on another trip next month to Cabos for some R&R.  Probably a bit different than the one we took together in Vung Tau.     Our visit brought up more memories and that is why I decided to make the resolution to update this blog more and encourage you to find more of our group to reconnect here and on our Facebook group.  There is a link posted on the home page of this blog that will take you directly to the Facebook page where you can request to be added to the Pathfinder group.   Also thanks to Crash (Marty Clarke), JP (Tim Nutter) and Attitude (Dan McGibbon) we have been compiling a list of call signs, names, email addresses and contact information.  Please help us with this so we can try to make contact with all our Pathfinders.   You can send them to me by clicking this link.    Contact Info

Looking forward to hearing from and seeing more Pathfinders in the upcoming year.

Guru (Larry Abbott)

A note from Crash:
 All:
 The National Pathfinder Association is hosting a Pathfinder reunion in historic Williamsburg Virginia on Friday October 4, 2013 through Monday October 7, 2013. The following is copied from their web site  www.nationalpathfinderassociation.com

"Our 2012 October Planning Conference in Williamsburg, VA was highly successful and our small RECON force is now ready to host the full NPA membership in October 2013. Our NPA Vice President is extremely knowledgeable of early American history and even serves as one of the reenactment volunteers at Yorktown. His expertise and easy manner makes him the perfect guide for our visit to Colonial Williamsburg's historical area.

 The Holiday Inn Patriot is both economical and spacious with its large sports bar, indoor pool, conference suites, and hospitality and dining rooms. Our fall "Legacy" Reunion in Virginia promises to be very special and memorable for all who attend. More detailed information will be posted during the months to come."You do not have to be a dues paid member of the National Pathfinder Association in order to attend, however, you must be willing to humiliate yourself publicly by admitting to having served as a Pathfinder. You should bring your black hat, wings, and either a letter from your local AA representative or a copy of your DD-214 as proof. Joking, if you are on this list you are in.

 Let me hear from you if you plan to attend and I will try to provide up-dates as I get them.

  Crash

Torch's Orders for Promotion

Submitted by Tim Nutter

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