“Happy Valley” Phan Rang AB, Vietnam keeping the …theseverts.com/Phan Rang News 87.pdfBrothers...

“Happy Valley” Phan Rang AB, Vietnam ...keeping the memories alive

Phan Rang AB News No. 87 “Stories worth telling”

The Phan Rang AB News No. 87

In this issue:

2015 Phan Rang AB Reunion (4th Annual)

The 4th Annual Phan Rang AB Reunion was held 8-11 October at the Crowne Plaza Airport

Hotel, North Charleston, South Carolina.

“Who would have thought 40 to 50 years ago there would be a reunion

celebrating our time at Phan Rang Air Base, which most of us thought

of at the time as one of the worst times in our lives, but turned out to

one of the defining moments in our lives and helped turn us from boys

into the men we are today!” ...Randy Weber




All aboard for JB Charleston and other unknown points.

The group poses for a picture on the ramp of the C-17 Globemaster.




We had a delicious buffet lunch at the Charleston Club.

Posing for a group picture next to the first ‘Globemaster’, the C-124.




...then on to the Charleston City Market.

The City Market, or Centre Market, is a historic market complex in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Established in the 1790s, the market stretches for four city blocks from the architecturally-significant Market Hall, which faces Meeting Street, through a continuous series of one-story market sheds, the last of which terminates at East Bay Street. The Market Hall has been described as a building of the "highest architectural design quality." Since it’s an open building the vendors have to move everything out of there every night. Joyce Severt is shown here looking at and talking to the lady who was weaving the sweetgrass baskets.




Reunion Attendees

Name Organization

Tom & Susie Affricano 35th CES Bob and Marie Agrifoglio 310 TFS David Albright 35th TFW Lisa Amador Jack & Judy Anderson 8th TBS Jack Bachman Ray & Mary Benson 35th TFW Charles & Beverly Berry 435th MMS Barbara Brandt Roger & Ina Burchett 35th FMS Jim & Barbara Burden 1882nd Comm. Sq. Joe & Randi Burkhart 35th TFW




Casey Campbell Dr. Fallon Guyton Campbell Frank Carpenter 8th TBS Donald & Victoria Chatterton II 366th/35th TFW Dispensary Fred Ciesla 315th CAMS Ken and Jessica Creasy 315th CAMS Elizandro & Lillie De Los

Santos 35th Supply Sq.

Edward Downey 35th AMS Patrick & Gwen Ferris 35th AEMS Andy and Susan Gilliland 35th CES Rayanne Ginck Mike Granese 8th TBS Jim & Margaret Greenleaf 35th AMS Ashli Guyton Robert & Billie Guyton David Haeseker 1882nd Comm. Sq. Bill & Nancy Hamilton 310th SOS Larry Hamilton Brice and Barbie Harris 8th TBS George & Kathleen Haskett Dennis Hawley 8th TBS John Hennigar 435th MMS Joe & Nancy Kaupa 35th SPS Bob Kellington 614th TFS Jim & Betsy Kucipeck 435th MMS Sam & Ruth Lewis 35th SPS David Litke 35th TFW Dispensary Bill & Sumire Martin Hq. 35th TFW Larry Martino 35th Supply Sq. Lou & Sue Mathern 35th MMS David & Jeremy McGaughey 435th MMS Henry & Susan Milnark 366th Supply Sq. Kirk & Kathleen Minert 35th FMS Paul Minert 35th Supply Sq. Danny & Linda Navey Tom & Marcia Parsons 35th MMS




Gene Pellon 35th TFW Dispensary Delbert & Sharon Ping 35th FMS Archie & Laurie Pinkley Det. 8, 14th Aerial Port Sq. John & Pat Ploof 35th AEMS Henry & Kathryn Roberson Michangelo Rodrigues 35th FMS Skip & Candy Ruedeman 614th TFS Lou & Annette Ruggiero 35th Supply Sq. John Ryan 315th CAMS Greg and Susie Schmidt 310th TAS Joe Schwarzer 8th TBS Doug & Joyce Severt Det. 8, 14th Aerial Port Sq. John & Linda Shrank Tom and Mary Strait 309th ACS/SOS Bob & Marcia Tucker 35th AMS Eric and Mary Tyler George & Pat Varney 612th TFS Randy & Cindy Weber 35th FMS

It was my first reunion, and man, I’m addicted!! Thanks so

much for the hard work putting this together...I don't know

how you guys (and gals) did it!! Thanks Doug, Lou and Jack.

From the heart, my band of brothers and wives, thank you

so much for the warmth, friendliness, and companionship!!

Like I said it was my first reunion, and this is NOT my last!!

It was great to meet Jim, Joe, Dave and Joe S. I can't forget

Randi and Betsy, Annette and Joyce and all the other

wonderful people there. I was made to feel very

comfortable and close to everyone there. Truthfully, I was

sad to leave. Next time, hopefully me and my wife will be

able to come together to next year’s reunion!! Thank you

Brothers and Sisters, Love you all!!!

...Larry Martino, Sr.




The banquet hall. The opening prayer by Chaplain Mike Maleski was delivered via telephone because he wasn’t able to be there in person.

Posting of the colors by Ed Downey and Barbara Brandt. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house during Ed’s presentation.

Joe Burkhart, the Master of Ceremonies, keeping the program lively with his wit and wisdom.




Some of the beautiful door prizes donated by Kirk Minert, Ray Benson and Christopher Boles for

the large panoramic picture (not shown) of Phan Rang AB.

The incomparable Michelangelo Rodriquez, our featured speaker, delivering his witty

monologue which is presented below with his permission.

Hello!

It’s Great to be here!

Boy oh boy it’s wonderful to see you all Phan Rangers! I understand we have here the East Coast and the West Coast, North and South of our

beautiful USA, presente!!




I’ve always been directionally challenged and boy do I have a story to tell you about my drive here from my home town of Delaware and arriving Thursday at midnight!

BUT FIRST How are you Phan Bangers all tonight? Bet you’re all glad to be

out of the wet weather and be able to have a drinky dinky doo. Me so happy to see you!!

Yes, I am proud to be a Vet, no joke. The benefits of having an AARP and Veteran’s Advantage card!

The discounts at Lowe’s and 10% off for movie tickets! Wow! Could it get any sweeter? I always wear my “viet Nam” cap these days.

Ah Vietnam, such a beautiful country! Who can forget the happy smiling faces? Great food. Cheerful greetings?

Most of the time we were welcomed in pleasant ways.

I remember getting invited to a family’s home to share their dinner, a wonderful Pho soup of fish heads and pork belly.

Ouch. OMG! LOL.WTF. What do we remember?

Come be truthful with yourselves! Phan Rangers! Let’s take another drink and step backwards in time!

Didn’t we muscle up our courage and say, “We will win this one for Uncle Sam!”

There was a draft at that time and many of us went and THE OTHERS RAN off to Canada and grew out their hair!

We loved our country! We did what we were asked to do! No turning our backs on that request. NO SLEEPING IN FANCY HOTEL BEDS and writing

protest songs LIKE JOHN LENNON AND YOKO ONO! So we arrived, young and eager, to Southeast Asia!

No one gave us a handbook that said, “Welcome to Vietnam,” with a listing




of hotels, restaurants, and attractions!

We wrote our own guidebooks in letters we sent back home.

What did I know of ASIA, except Jackie Chan lived there and so did the Kung Fu Panda!

I remember when I got off the plane in Saigon and was sitting waiting for my lift to Phan Rang.

A Vietnamese man came up and asked me, “You look for boom boom?

I thought he meant, “bath room,” and told him I had already relieved myself in my khakis. That’s how fearful I was.

How many of you LEARNED VIETNAM WAR PHRASEOLOGY? . Dinky Dow

. Mamasam no come today

. You like “betal nuts?” . You want Bong Son Bomber

and

. Babysan is not your baby. Real father of baby already go back home!

Now YOU get to tell Your “amplified” war stories of being in Vietnam. You know like those legendary “fish stories” of catching “the big one” but it was actually a minnow you caught!

Yeah, I tell everyone proudly I flew sorties over North Vietnam, Chop Chop, and I was “butterfly with the Boom Boom Girls.”

Me so cheap Charlie at that time, so dinky dau, I went on R&R and returned to Phan Rang, so cherry!

I was there in 1970-71 and I remember there was a SWIMMING POOL!! How many bases had a swimming pool? A library? A chapel and base

theater.




And “donut dollies.” OMG LOL “Donut dollies?” How many of us wanted to

marry a donut dolly and have DONUTS the rest of our lives? I got such a sugar high that I JUMPED INTO AN SR 71 SPY PLANE AND

FLEW IT over North Vietnam and really, really—you’re not going to believe this--took some surveillance photos of Ho Chi Minh with Jane Fonda.

Yes.

Yes! There she was in her pink stretch tights doing aerobics with Ho Chi Minh!

Jane Fonda with Ho Chi Minh doing aerobics! Get a load of that!

God bless America! WE CAN DO AEROBICS WITH OUR ENEMIES! GOTTA LOVE IT!

What’s next, Push Ups with Putin? So I got “dinky dow” WHILE In my SR71 AND , AND pushed the release

button on my Patriot Missile. Goodbye HANOI Jane! I never liked pink tights. Then I kept flying the jet I had stolen and looked down and saw JOHN

KERRY in a hammock drinking from a coconut~

The mixed up stories are endless. My SHRINK at the VA says, “You ought to get it straight. I know was a mess and you’re dealing with Post Traumatic Stress.”

Yes, It’s wonderful to share our stories for our 58thousand brothers and sisters plus who perished! God bless them. I am sure our Great Provider in

the sky has given them all cell phones with Face Time from heaven! Here we are to also celebrate those who did not return

for their youthfulness, bravery, daring, and wanting, back in the day, to serve their beloved United States of America!

And we are also here to celebrate those who still have hair and a full set of teeth!

Yuck! Yuck! Yuck!




I love being a Viet Nam Veteran, just like most of you! As time has it, one of my dear nephews married a Vietnamese woman. I’ll show a photo when we start the slide show.

Well, I’ve always been directional challenged and it took me an extra five

hours to drive down from Delaware! That was the story I wanted to tell you! It just takes a minute!

Driving, we kept getting sidetracked by the “1000 year flood” which was everywhere.

Even I-95 was closed and we went down one road which was blocked and some GIs sent us another way,

then we saw one sign and that was it,

so we were driving around in my Chevy truck in the d a r k n e ss. Ain’t got no highway lights here in South Carolina and the cotton fields don’t

glow at night. And don’t be looking for a GPS Signal cause there ain’t none. Last time I was in the Carolina’s, when I was working for National

Geographic , I got chased out by some people with white sheets over their heads! Ah, now I got your attention! Just kiddin’!

Last night, really, I was stopped by a policeman, or a “po po” as they’re called up north.

He saw me swerving in and out of the puddles. He asked me if I had drunk some of that “corn hotch” or “Mad Dog 20 -20”

they be selling along the road. I said “absolutely not,” but I was so tired the words sounded like

“asssolutely fart.” He yelled at me.

GET OUT OF THE CAR!

He checked to see if I had alcoholic poisoning.




“Now step to the east, step to the west. Slide to the right. Two steps back.

Let me see you do a line dance!” So I did the Puerto Rican two-step, stepping left, right, north, and south. It

was a cha cha cha on steroids!

The cop then said, I LIKE YOUR VIETNAM VETERAN CAP!” “I CAN TELL YOU’RE DINKY DAU.

Here’s your license back. “Seriously, I am lost. I told him. YES, I am a Viet Nam Veteran on the way

to a reunion in Charleston, SOUTH CAROLINA. I’m tired. And please I don’t need any white sheets! I got some at Bed, Bath and

Beyond. “Yes Mr. Veteran, with all due respect then let me GET a police escort to

help you to get to your reunion, that’s the least I can do! LISTEN, he said, I need to apologize. During that war I ran off to Canada,

married a beautiful French Vietnamese woman, you know. I was dinky dau too.

I also listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell, Grateful Dead, the Eagles, the Doors and that screecher, Neal Young.

He said, “ I was always guilty of not being with you guys in ‘Nam.” Is that how you say it, “Nam” as in “Spam? “

As in ‘thank you mam?”

I RAN AWAY FROM MY PATRIOTIC DUTY. I FOLLOWED THE WAR ON TV! I WAS AN ARMCHAIR CRITIC.

I’M SO, SO ASHAMED NOW LIKE A 70 YEAR OLD JANE FONDA IN PINK TIGHTS!

I LOOKED AT MY SMART WATCH, CAUSE I AM SMARTER NOW THAN BEFORE.

“Our escort car is now on the way to take you to Charleston. Thank you very, very much for serving our country!’




So Phan Rangers, if your left brain and right brain are not connecting at this age, it’s really not a problem. A STATE OF DINKY DAU IS NOT A BAD THING.

It’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

Enjoy yourselves and thank you!

“...I know I enjoyed myself because

when I went up to my room after the

banquet I felt a sense of sadness

knowing it was over.” ... Joe Schwarzer

Of course the reunion in Charleston was terrific and the

reason for that was the great planning plus the participants

that attended, the guys and their wives or significant others.

But what was most outstanding to me was at our Saturday

evening dinner when Joe Burkhart asked all the first time

attendees to stand. I was astounded by the number. Also the

wives and significant others need special recognition in

indulging us to tell our war stories and drink beer and laugh

and sometimes cry. Thank you ladies for indulging us in

Charleston! ... Jim Kucipeck




Lou and Annette Ruggiero, Paul Minert and Joyce Severt pause for a picture with the USS Yorktown in the background.

Douglas and Joyce Severt at Patriots Point.

Brown water Navy at the Vietnam Experience that was designed to immerse visitors in what it was like to live and work in a US Navy Advanced Tactical Support Base and a US Marine Corps artillery support base.

Paul Minert and Joyce Severt looking at an exhibit at the Vietnam Experience.




Annette and Lou Ruggiero stroll along Market Street.

David and his son Jeremy McGaughey pose for a picture with the USS Yorktown in the background.

As can be expected at an event like this, we all took hundreds of photos and of course we

went in different directions during our free time, so these are just a few photos that

represent exploring Charleston. If you are a member of the “Happy Valley” Phan Rang AB

Facebook group you can find hundreds of pictures and a few stories as well. If you are not a

member, please join us.

“We are sad about leaving all of you at Charleston. I think that Doug

Severt and Joe Schwarzer mentioned that earlier about the sadness they

felt. I was happy leaving Phan Rang in '68 but in retrospect there was a

part of me that was sad and still sad today in leaving my friends G I's

and VN's alike. However, the Tucson and Charleston reunions have

helped sooth over that sadness. If you are thinking about attending the

Oklahoma City reunion, think hard about going, it will change your life.

You have a long time to make plans.” ... Jim Kucipeck

This newsletter was compiled and published by Douglas Severt.

mailto:[email protected]

“Happy Valley” Phan Rang AB, Vietnam keeping the …theseverts.com/Phan Rang News 87.pdfBrothers...

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