What a great year we
have had. I can not tell you how heartening it is to see
the enthusiasm and brotherhood we share as Charlie
Troopers, whether we served together or not. Reunions in
Las Vegas and Fort Rucker as well as many impromptu
meetings have brought us face to face again.
I experienced my first reunion in Las Vegas last summer.
I am still in awe at the emotions it engendered in me.
Happiness in the good fortune of being able to be
together, sadness in the memory of those we lost. What
amazed me the most was the feeling of still being
connected after all these years. Thirty-five or forty
years without seeing each other? "Don't mean nothin' ". I
am not alone in this. When I mentioned it to some folks
Randy Zahn told me that after his first reunion a few
years back his wife Kim said "If I didn't know any better
I'd figure you guys got together like this every
weekend." It's true and it's worth the effort. Come to a
mini-reunion, if you travel try to connect with folks
where you're going or just call an old buddy.
The web site has doubled in
size over the past year. Thanks to all those who dug in
we were able to move from a "free" server complete with
popup ads and space limitations to a dedicated server
where we have room to grow. Because of the folks who sent
pictures and other content we are going to need even more
space soon.
I encourage all of you to make an effort to dig through
your old stuff and send in anything that might be of
interest. Photos, copies of old orders or war stories.
Something as small as identifying people in pictures help
add to the history we are preserving.
So as this year draws to a
close let me say thank you to all who keep this site
dynamic with your contributions, knowlege and
encouragement. It's an honor now as it was then to be
connected with the likes of you.
Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year
We Can, We
Will
