Huh?! Can You Hear Me Now?

For quite a while now I have been noticing that when my beautiful wife Karin talks to me from across the room, I have been asking her to repeat at least part of what she just said.  After this had been going on for a pretty long time (like months and months and months!) I decided to avail myself of the VA’s hearing testing program.  Let me tell you that several years ago I had my hearing checked at the main audiology clinic for our health care provider and I was told that I was not a candidate for hearing aids.

Well, to continue my story, after we moved to Lacey I decided to phone the VA near Joint Base Lewis McChord to see if I could get an appointment to be rechecked.  To make a long story longer, in August I went to the VA American Lake campus about a half hour north on I-5.  Turns out that my hearing had deteriorated enough that I qualified for VA-provided hearing aids.  In September I went in for an appointment to have my ears cleaned and then have molds taken so the hearing aids could properly be fitted.  I was told it would be about four to six weeks when they would call me to come back and get them.  I was amazed how easy the process was!

I was surprised to get a phone call about two weeks later to let me know that my new hearing aids had arrive and could I come in on Sunday, September 29th to have them fitted and adjusted.  I was delighted!  The aids were fitted and also adjusted to optimize their how they performed.  I was shown how to clean and generally take care of them.  And, maybe the best part of this is because I’m a veteran, there was No cost to me!

So now when someone asks me if I can hear them now, I can tell them “I CAN hear YOU now!”

1st Aviation Brigade Encounters 50+ Years Later

In May of this year we moved into a brand new house in an active-55 community called Ovation at Oak Tree in Lacey, Washington.  Lacey is about 60 miles south of Seattle just north of the state capitol of Olympia, and just south of Joint Base Lewis-McChord (JBLM).  As you would expect there are lot of military families living in the area (JBLM is the fourth largest military installation by population in the world) and we encounter them everyday at Costco and the other shopping venues in the Olympia area.

This summer I spent a lot of time at our local Home Depot buying this and that as I put in our back yard.  One of the great selling points for moving to this new house (we had been in our “starter” house in Kirkland for nearly 43 years) was that the front yard was mowed weekly and generally taken care of through our home owner’s association dues.  The back yard is small but totally unimproved except for the fence surrounding it.  I’ve put hardware cloth on the bottom of the fence to prevent our two dogs, Mr. Puggles and Penny, from digging out and exploring the neighborhood; we designed and built a low 10’ by 20’ deck; added a raised flower bed with a small manufactured pond and fountain; and finished this summer’s and fall’s exterior projects with spreading nearly ten tons of washed gravel on a path.  I’ve done most of the work myself just to stay in shape.

On my many trips to our neighborhood Home Depot I usually wear a t-shirt with an Army logo of some kind plus the great 1st Aviation Brigade hat that our friend Miguel (Mike) Anza gave me a couple of years ago.  One day a young man stopped me and said “I know that logo!”  (I was wearing a shirt with a large 1st Aviation Brigade patch on it.)  I asked him why he knew it and he told me that he was in a training unit at Fort Rucker; click on this highlighted link for further info on today’s Brigade.

And another time when I was getting ready to check out of Safeway, another man (this time about my age) stopped me and greeted me like a brother because he had been in a helicopter company in the highlands.  We chatted a little while, trading a couple of stories and welcomed each other home!

I frequently hear the unmistakeable throb of rotors and see Blackhawks or Chinooks overhead.  Occasionally we hear the distant booming of artillery or rapid fire of machine guns as troops are practicing at JBLM.  Since we moved to Lacey it’s been fun to be peripherally part of a military community again!

Happy Thanksgiving!

First, let me wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!  The picture above is of the front of the menu of our 1968 feast at Phu Hiep fifty-one years ago.  As I remember it, we had turkey and all the fixings.  And, in the tradition of the military, it was very good too!

Second, I apologize for the hiatus I’ve taken since the end of June, but here I am again, still well and taking nourishment and the occasional dark beer or really pretty red vino.  It’s been a very busy summer and early fall.  I’ll add some more thoughts/stories in the next weeks.

By the time most of you get this you will probably have eaten way tooooooo much, and are watching a football game!  Have fun with your family and friends!

Reunion In Norfolk!

It’s not too late to register for the annual OV-1 Mohawk Association Reunion being held in Norfolk, VA, October 10-12.  This year’s event(s) promise to be outstanding because in addition to the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner activities, our Reunion Guru, John Bosch, just announced “We have some very exciting news to share with you. Dr. Joe Masessa’s Mohawk Airshow will be coming to our reunion! On Friday, Oct 4 we have made a change to the tour offering. Instead of going to the Norfolk Naval Base, we will go to the Hampton Roads Regional Airport to see Dr. Masessa’s airshow and then have time to see the aircraft up close and personal.”

Be sure to go to the Association website to see the schedule of activities and to actually register online.  There is a list on the website of those who have already registered.  And be sure to ask any of our buddies who were in the 225th if they are attending. 

Vietnam's Valley's Of Darkness

Our friend and comrade Jim Thomas sent me a note around the time we were getting ready to move this spring, hence my tardiness in posting this on the Observer.  Here’s his note to me….

Gordy, hope all is well in the far west. We had two hurricanes last year and it is still wet around here.

I wanted to touch base to see if you could give a shout-out for a book that I've been working on for 10 years. It’s about a 225th pilot that has to leave the unit to fly helicopters for a special mission that involves the 5th Special Forces and his trials, hardships and misgivings along the way. It's not a porno book but you won’t find it in a religious store either—it's about life in the Army in Vietnam. There's a link below and any help and or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanking you in advance.  H J Thomas.

https://tinyurl.com/valleysofdarkness

Ed. note:  I’ve ordered Jim’s book…take a look at the link because right off the bat you’ll see a map of RVN with Phu Hiep prominently labelled, and the 225th is acknowledged on the first page.  I would have my copy in a few days; I’ll write a review and publish it after I finish it.

Heavyhearted News From Minnesota

I recently received some very troubling and sad news from my Cost Guard (and Vietnam Veteran) friend Dave Pitkin in Washington State.  His sources in the Midwest sent him the below obituary notice.  Many of us older folks are sure to be heart-broken, distressed, grief-stricken, down-in-the-dumps and, indeed, despondent after reading the disturbing news below….

A Garage Is Really For Cars?

     Karin and I have gotten moved to our brand new digs in Lacey, Washington.  It’s been an amazing six-plus months since we first decided to leave our “starter” house after 43 years and being anew in this suburb of the state’s capital Olympia.  Perhaps the most difficult was deciding where to start, which room to clean first, what to save and what to give away or throw away.  That process began after Christmas 2017. 

     It was fun discovering things that we stored away and had forgotten about.  Like the box of dishes I had put in the attic (fortunately there wasn’t very much that was up there!).  I found this little box that when I opened it was amazed to find a partial set of dishes that I had bought through the Pacific Area Exchange (PACEX) before I came home from Phabulous Phu Hiep By The Sea in June 1970.  The rest of the set is still being used by my son Tim and his wife!

     We had to figure out where to temporarily store the boxes we began to pack with the stuff we wanted to keep and move to Lacey.  We had to find a realtor who could help us with eventually staging the house to elicit the most interest in buying our split level.  We had to do some minor repairs and one not-so-minor remodeling.  The bedroom that had been used as an office for the past several years needed to be changed back into a space that could be a bedroom once again.  The laundry room that I had built using space on the garage needed to be torn down and room be made for a car (a car had not been parked in the garage for Lord knows how many years).

     During all this we needed to make periodic trips 60 miles to south to check on the house we would be moving into.  The trip to the Olympia area usually takes about an hour when traffic is good, but this is the Puget Sound area where traffic is generally incredibly congested at many times of the day or night.  So the trip from Kirkland to Lacey down I-5 took anywhere from an hour to three hours!  Ugh!   I’m so glad we don’t have to make that trip any longer!

     But we finally were ready to put the house on the market, and, praise the Lord, it sold in about   20 days for more than we were asking for it!  In fact, we were able to pay cash for the new house (no mortgage!) with a little bit left over.  God has been so good to us!

     However, we may have problems with our cars….they have not been in a garage in many years, and in the new house they both fit in the room made for them.  I don’t know if they will start as they may be too traumatized!  

Beanie Weenies

Fifty years ago, when I was taking my all-expense-paid-adventure in Southeast Asia, our friend Doug Clark would be working the overnight in the Photo Lab.  He sent me the following article that he wrote for a church publication.  I had forgotten all about this delectable gastronomical delight until Doug reminded me of it!

I was stationed at a place called Phu Hiep Army Airfield in Vietnam 1969-1970.  I worked nights 7pm-7am.  Me and the guy I worked nights with would take turns every few weeks (9-12pm) & go to the unit’s Enlisted Men’s Club (EM Club).  On my nights I’d go to the EM Club to relax and socialize.  They served exotic beer there such as Schlitz, Fallstaff, and Black Label.  Beer was 11 cents a can and it was before aluminum cans or pop tops.  Almost every time I was there, Aretha Franklin was on the jukebox, and this guy, Mike Worley (one of unit’s cooks), would enlist 10/12 people to help prepare and eat beanie weenies.  We would all go to the Mess Hall and take orders from Mike Worley. We would prepare the beanie weenies using all huge Army grade food stuff:

• #10 can of pork & beans (13 cups)
• Chopped onions (probably 3)
• Part of a slab of industrial size butter (probably over 2 sticks)
• Pack of industrial size hotdogs 
• Massive amounts of Mustard & Ketchup

Those beanie weenies were heavenly. They were creamy and smooth.  They were a silver lining in a dark cloud and they took me far away.  I enjoy Phu Hiep Bennie Weenies today, except I prepare and eat them in Decatur, GA.

Some Wonderful Videos to Share

I have a few minutes of free time, after all the little “honey-do” jobs that have been finally completed as a result of preparing our home of nearly 43 years for sale, so I thought I’d better catch up on the ole blog.  

Barb Michieli, MAJ US Army retired, is a friend of mine from our days working at Seattle Children’s Hospital who sends me interesting items periodically.  Below is a link to an article on the Military Officers of American Association website she sent me about “100 Veterans - 100 Years”  that is a great anthology of significant veterans over the past century.  http://www.moaa.org/Content/Publications-and-Media/100-Vets/100-Veterans---100-Years.aspx.

Our friend George Drago has been a continuous contributor to the 225th Observer.  One item he sent me recently is about one of Rembrandt’s famous painting “Night Watch” that has come to life in a very surprising location. This is what he sent me…”The Rijksmuseum in Holland had an idea: Let's bring the art to the people and then, hopefully, they will come to see more - at the museum. They took one Rembrandt painting from 1642, Night Watch, brought to life the characters in it, placed them in a busy mall, and the rest you can see for yourself!”

BEFORE YOU CLICK on the link below.....take a good look at the painting above. Then click to enjoy the video.  https://goo.gl/wYkxBj

Barb sent me another great video about some 4-Legged Patriots that are very important to all our Services!  Click and you will see what I mean.  https://www.circa.com/story/2019/03/18/for-pets-sake/caisson-horses-the-4-legged-patriots-who-honor-our-american-heroes

Have a great weekend everybody!

Where Have I Been????

I would like to apologize for for my overwhelming silence since my last posting of PH-13 flying with the Christmas lights attached.  Karin and I have begun a new Adventure....a very positive one this time!  After living in our "starter house" for nearly 43 years we have decided to move south.  My preference would probably be to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, because of the weather (especially after this unusually frigid winter we have had in the Great Northwest.)

But we're not going that far south; we bought a brand new house in Lacey, Washington, about 60 miles south of Seattle, near our state capitol of Olympia.  We will be in an over-55 community situated on an oak tree preserve.  Our community in Kirkland has changed gradually over the years, so much so that we really don't have a lot in common here any more; I am almost 72 and Karin is, well, let's just say that she is "mature."  And our Kirkland community is trending much younger.

Anyway, I haven't been on the blog because we have been very busy getting our house ready to go on the real estate market, cleaning stuff, finding things we forgot we had lost, putting a fresh coat of paint on room walls and doors, using the "Veterans Park Here" parking spaces at Home Depot a lot.

However, in the meantime our friend George Drago has been faithful in sending some great material for the blog.  Here is a link to "an oldie but goodie" that happened at Marble Mountain over 50 years ago.  Take a look and enjoy!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bvK6enoQDg