The gray haired geezer in the middle.  The one that went to the rifle range with Jeff Wenum to shoot the M1a / M14.  The one on the left is Brigadier General Frederick Padilla and the one on the right is Sgt Major Andrew Yagle.

Thank you for the welcome, Claudia. I was inspired to join your org because of an article I read about my uncle, Bob Kramer. I have always known about his harrowing experiences during captivity but had never seen them in print until now. I am very proud of Uncle Bob and hope his story is an example of grace under duress to others, especially young people.

I am sorry about your BIL. Although I did not know him personally, I did have occasion to meet him some time ago in Lancaster. He was a squared away guy. I am from Perry Co. and my brother and his wife were the owners of Pirom's Inc in Lancaster. Paul is already gone but his wife still runs the company.

Claudia: I am sorry about the blog about someone that did not understand the term of R&R program. Well I am well familiary with this program I was Petty Officer in Charge of the R&R program in I Corps in Viet Nam. I had a staff of three people plus one I had over at the airport, which took me 4 mos. to find out and I got his butt back to Tien Sha was I need working people. First of all first I had a couple of obstacles that we had over come. First no desks, chairs, no typewriters, well be an old comshaw expert I had everything in hand plus a jeep assigned to my office. My boss was a Col. down and Saigon however that is another story. Well we got the office running and about three weeks into operation and I saw the door to the tent open because I did not have a regular office because the OIC of Tien Sha I didn't belong to him so no office. Well anyhow as I look up and said "could I help you because he was wearing civilian clothes. After my second look I S    what the hell are doing here. It was Mr. Logan of NIS Office and he handed me bunch of papers and I took a look at them and they was receipts for all the office equipment that they took and ship them back to San Francisco.I really understand what the story was about and then he proceeded to tell me the PO in Charge that was running the himself made over $50,000.00 by selling R&R to our sailors in I Corps. I just about had a heart attack. I have Logan prior to this time because first time I met him in NATTC Mfs and GTMO.

Now back to the RR program this gentlemen did not understand. As you can figure it we had to start from scratch so rolled up our sleeves and I inform them we was going to send at least 8,000 sailors on RR before I left, because I set as my go.So I started riding boats up and down all those small rivers talking to sailors and have them fill out requests for RR. We had RR sites in Thailand, Japan, Phillipines, Hawaii (which majorty of the married people requesed for) Kula Lumpur, Australia,I sent my second class E-5 to visist all these sits to see they were adquate and he really enjoyed. I saw in him two weeks. We had review all request and this when the problems started. As you know you cannot keep everone happy, I did know this at time so I was talking to the Col. if I could request more civilian planes so I could get everyone happy. Thanks to the Col. who to me they had money to burn. I said good, give me a least ten planes, I broken them down to the different sites.

So that was the out of country sites. We also had a in-countryRR sites along the beaches on Viet Nam and they was for 3 days every 5 months. I never had a assignment like this in my life but my satisfaction was seeing those sailors standing out side the office to pick up the RR orders. No I did take an RR because I did have time.

Jack Butler

YN1,USN RETR

Thank you....

Not yet, just getting started with this wonderful addition to my life.

Thank you, I received your card at Mott's Military Museum in Groveport Ohio

During Vietnam a great number of Canadians did service in the United States military.

At a time when it was illegal in Canada to do service in the USA.

Lance Corporal Randall Kenneth Campbell USMC was from Montreal Canada. 

Here where he buried; 

Woodlawn National Cemetery
Elmira Chemung County New York, USA

In 1965, we were both in the same Recon Platoon.

At K-Bay Hawaii and our recon platoon commander.

Was 1st Lt. Frank Stanley Reasoner USMC Medal of Honor posthumously. 

On the night of April 25, 1965, besides Randy being killed.

Private First Class Carl Richard Wenzel UMC was also killed.

Both were members of recon team.

I'm feeling sad that Randy couldn't be buried in the land of his birth.

To James Sergent of the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Sir, I can't begin to picture, how difficult a duty it was picking up the bodies.

Of other Canadians, but there's a DVD out titled 'Taking Chance'.

It's about a US Marine Corps causality assistance officer.

Some families might request a buddy or friend to bring the body home.

In this case that Marine officer decided that he would escort the body.

Of Marine from  his hometown.

Let back a bit, in that DVD, there's part of Dover and what they do to prepare the body.

For presentation, sometimes a member of the military might have to wait.

Among those waiting was an Army soldier, who task was to escort his own brother. 

Now I will relate of a story, my dear mother told me after I had came back from Vietnam the second time.

One day, my step-father and my mother were washing windows. 

She was upstairs, when a Marine car pull up and two Marines in Dress Blues.

Exit that car, she started scream, because she thought they were coming to tell her that I had been killed in Vietnam.

They went next door to inform that family that their son had be wounded in Vietnam.

After she told me that story, I never had the heart to tell how close I had came to getting killed in 1965.

If that bullet that cracked by my ear had been a few inches closer...

Your duty was a difficult one and some might not know how much it's hurting you.

Semper Fidelis

Ricardo