12th Cavalry News - Saber Column
January - February, 2010
Ken Howser
0001 -
Journal Opened. Hey Sailor, new in town? “When soldiers have been baptized in
the fire of a battlefield, they have all one rank in my eyes.” - Napoleon
Bonaparte. I looked on the calendar and it is 2010 already! The First Team Horse
Detachment must have already passed in review in the Rose Parade and enjoyed the
adulation of millions. 'Splain this to me; why is the Horse Detachment a
detachment, while it is still a part of the Division...? Where did the time and
our youth go, and how did we make it to 2000, much less 2010? Did you ever
figure you would make it this far and this fast? It wasn't on my bucket list.
0412
- “Warmest greetings and Happy New Year to ALL. Thank you all for your service
and your efforts for our 12th CAV and our active duty troopers. Keep well and
let us make this New Year, 2010, one for the books.
All good things and positive actions always. Keep the faith and take
care. Regards” from Col Jim Dingeman, HCOR 12th Cavalry Regiment Association
0512 -
“I am trying to find eyewitnesses from A Co, 2-12 Cav. In the first part of June
1970 the company discovered an underground cache site southwest of FSB Speer in
Cambodia, named Warehouse Hill. Captain Charles D. McKenna was A Company's CO. I
was part of a four-man Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Team from the 99th
Ordnance Detachment (EOD) from Phuoc Vinh that helped destroy the caches. I want
to write an article about the incident for Vietnam Magazine. If you were there
any information would be helpful. I have an official report of the destruction.”
Mike R. Vining, SGM USA (Retired), South Fork, CO.
0612 -
Troopers with 1-12 Cav returned to Fort Hood after a year-long deployment to the
northern Iraq city of Mosul. Homecoming ceremonies were held Nov. 25, 27 and 28.
1st BN, 12 Cav. conducted economic, reconstruction and tactical operations
throughout their deployment. – Army Mil. “As far as the BN, we have everyone but
a couple of soldiers, who are due back on the trail in a few days, back at Hood.
They are busy doing reverse SRP right now and a few minor tasks to complete.
They will start block leave on the 18th of December and are due back by the 17th
of January. So we have nothing going on except the uncasing of the colors on the
15th.” - 12-9-09, Kyong Carter. Photo is SPC Leo Leroy & Regina Leroy - E
Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry.
0712 -
The dates have been changed for both the Branson Reunion and the Charlie Company
Reunion. The Branson Reunion for ALL the 12th Cavalry Regiment is September
8-12, 2010 in Branson, MO. The Charlie Company, 1/12 (Airborne) Reunion in
Myrtle Beach, SC is now September 15 - 17 2010. This is changed to let those who
want to attend both reunions to do so. Terry Combs is the point man for the
Branson reunion and Cliff Pena is the point man for the Myrtle Beach Reunion. On
a like note, point man Jim Abrams asks for your prayers for the well being and
safety of his grandson and his unit, who deploy to Iraq in April.
0812 -
An ongoing saga, 'Missing in the Ozone' – You have gone missing in our directory
and website locators, please check in and notify us of your emailing and other
particulars. (Anyone knowing these details, please also update us.) A partial
list includes: Donald L. Adams 68-69, Bobby Adkin, Brian R. "Doc" Akers, Gerald
L. Alldredge 68, Ashby L. Allen Jr. 70-71, Terry L. Carter 66-67, Glenn A.
Gustafson 69-70, James E. Landrum 69-70, Wayne "Sgt. Rock" Little 66-66, Jeffrey
E. Spenzer 68-69, Jerry Wirlo 68-69, and Jim Wright, 70-71. If your name has not
yet been listed, please ensure that we have your data in our records; please
send an email update to both myself and the: <WebMaster@12thCav.US>.
0912
- <https://www.benning.army.mil/monographs/content/vietnam/> Personal experience
monographs and student papers of some Vietnam combat operations, actions and
campaigns, all involving the 12th Cav; "Operations in a Search and Destroy
Mission from 23 October - 25 November 1965, in Pleiku-Plei Me Area"> "Operations
of Company B, 1st Battalion, Airborne, 12th Cavalry on a Search and Destroy
Operation on 12 and 13 February 1966 in Binh Dinh Province"> "Operations of
Company A, 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry, in Offensive Search Operations for a
Specific Enemy Unit, in the IA Drang Valley, 10 August 1966". - Titles edited
and available online or by contacting me.
1012 -
Tracey M. Jones, 2-12 Cav Family Readiness Support Assistant has resigned her
position effective 8 Jan 2010. Her husband is retiring and they are settling in
New York, where she has accepted a like position as a FRSA with 4-31 IN at Fort
Drum. We of the 12th , active and retired, will greatly miss her as she takes
that next big step in her life. I cannot address her worth to the active
families but I can for her help to me. A great deal of what appears here is due
to her help and influence, and by her providence. Whenever I needed contact or
interface with 2-12 she was a kind and friendly voice on the phone,
Tracey-on-the-spot to grease the skids and make my life a great deal easier. We
wish Trooper Tracey well and only the best, she is sorely missed already.
1112
- Rick Ball has provided a picture of his uncle, Lt Col Ivan Boon, commander of
2-12 Battalion in Vietnam in 1969. Again, anyone knowing the late Col and who
can provide Rick and the Boon family with pictures or personal anecdotes please
respond to him or through me. Rick's contact information is in previous Sabers,
however as always, personal info is expunged on the website.
1212
- <http://www.12thcav.us/In_memory_viet_mia.htm> Troopers Al Freeland, Doug
Warden, David Dentinger have been instrumental in getting the memorial stone of
1st Lt James M. Stone, C 2-12, (MIA) updated to show the DSC awarded
him. This took place in Barrancas National Cemetery, Naval Air Station,
Pensacola, FL on 11-20-09 and Al was present for the ceremony. Lt Stone's
daughter, Renee Stone Javines, lives in Utah and has attended several MIA
conferences over the past years. She was very appreciative of having her Dad's
stone updated. She is planning on attending the 1st CAV reunion in Jun 2010. If
she attends, Renee will be our Special Guest at the 12th Cav luncheon in June.
“I knew Lt James Stone during the fall of 1967. He was on the BN staff at LZ
Ross. Lt Stone was there until he was made Charlie Company Co, I think in Jan
1968. I took the attached picture at LZ Ross in Dec 1967 of Lt Stone & Sgt Major
Fredland as I wanted a memory of them both. Lt Stone was an outstanding Officer
and a decent man.” - Stephen B. Cooper, Wild Card 26.
1312
- 12-17-09 “On a frigid Wednesday morning, 35 soldiers on motorcycles wheeled
into the Reeces Creek Elementary School parking lot to deliver sacks of toys.
Rows of screaming children greeted soldiers from Reeces Creek's Adopt-A-School
unit when they arrived with 150 toys to give to homeless students. The 2-12
battalion offered to donate the gifts after they heard about Communities in
Schools' Angel Tree toy drive. The toys – including board games, dolls and
electronics – will be given to 40 homeless students at Reeces Creek. "Seeing the
smiles on the kids faces is the best part," said Lt. Col. Joe Holland, battalion
commander of the 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry.” - Killeen Daily Herald.
1512
- “Lt.Col. Daniel Rouse presented a program at the VFW in Emmetsburg, IA Dec.
17, 2009. Rouse is assigned to the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command as the J3
Operations Director. In 2006 he was
assisted to 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry as the Battalion S3 and later as the
Executive Officer, deploying to Iraq. Returning from Iraq, he was responsible
for resetting the battalion for follow on deployments.” - Emmetsburg
Reporter/Democrat.
1612
- 11-24-09 “The current 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry completed their first-ever,
“Spur Ride.” The Thunderhorse Battalion put more than 60 troopers through the
grueling, two-day event. By the end of the second day, only 28 troopers donned
the spurs. The Spur Ride, derived from cavalry traditions, is a cavalry unit’s
test of scout-related skills. Through the years, some tasks and skills have been
changed. Horsemanship has been replaced by more modern skills. But the honor
associated with earning cavalry spurs has remained the same, said Lt. Col. Joe
Holland, Thunderhorse’s battalion commander. One of the toughest hurdles the
candidates faced was the unit history portion. The history test sent many of the
candidates home without their spurs. “It represents the sacrifice of those men
who forged this invisible line with their blood, sweat and tears,” Holland told
the new spur holders. “It represents the families forced to rebuild and redirect
their lives due to the ultimate sacrifice paid by their loved ones. This line
that we stand on symbolizes a nation that will stand up, protect and defend
those morals and beliefs that hold true in God’s eyes and here on Earth: life,
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Holland continued his speech by telling
stories of 12th Cav. Regt. soldiers and reminded all his troopers they must
always hold true to their responsibilities, duties and dedication as
cavalrymen.” Many Troopers had earlier earned their gold 'combat spurs' but some
preferred their newly earned 'silver spurs'. “For one, being in a unit where we
constantly deploy, just about everyone has combat spurs. But not too many people
go through (a spur ride) – this is unit specific.” - Ft Hood Sentinel.
1812
- I was sent a link by trooper Wilganoski that discussed 'Project 100,000'.
Google it up yourself but have a wastepaper basket handy; it will turn your
stomach. I will not pontificate or give my opinions but I offer two samples from
the net. The Cav's Joe Galloway has also written at least two scathing
treatments of 'Project 100,000' and its author, Robert S. McNamara. “By 1966,
President Johnson was fearful that calling up the reserves or abolishing student
deferments would further inflame war protesters and signal all-out war. An
alternative army was systematically recruited from the ranks of those who had
previously been rejected for failing to meet the armed services' physical and
mental requirements. Under McNamara's Project 100,000, those who scored as low
as 10 were taken if they lived in a designated "poverty area." In all, 354,000
men were rolled up by Project 100,000, 40 percent of Project 100,000 recruits
were trained for combat, compared with 25 percent for the services generally.” -
Myra MacPherson. “Project 100,000, abandoned in 1971, was a blind experiment run
on the military amid the escalation of hostilities in Southeast Asia. The first
Project 100,000 men began entering service in October 1966. By the time of the
Tet offensive in 1968, approximately 150,000 had been inducted.” - Kelly M.
Greenhill. I personally knew of one such Trooper in my unit, who in my naiveté I
thought had fallen through the cracks of the Army. The Trooper should never have
in your wildest dream been inducted, to boot camp, taken infantry training, sent
to Vietnam or be present in a combat zone. My astute company commander ordered
him from the field for his own safety. Our scuttlebutt back was that he was
killed in a mortar attack on the base camp, I know nothing for sure. For this
past forty years I have thought of him often; taken from the community that
treasured and valued him, and from the arms of the family that knew and loved
him, and tried to safeguard him.
2012
- H.R.3319 will designate the facility of the United States Postal Service
located in Portola, CA, as the “Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery Post
Office Building.” Spc. McCleery was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry
Regiment, and was deployed to Iraq. On May 2, 2009, McCleery was shot and killed
at a combat outpost in Hammam Alil, Iraq. “The naming of the post office in
Portola as the Army Specialist Jeremiah Paul McCleery Post Office Building will
memorialize his service and sacrifice for all Americans and the people of
Portola.” The measure was cosponsored by every member of California’s
congressional delegation. The bill now goes to the U.S. Senate. - Representative
Tom McClintock.
2212
- As to that bucket list. Tops would be to sign, seal and deliver your carcass
to Bloomington, MN, 2-6 June for the 63rd annual reunion in the barn.
Plan carefully and fill out all forms and return them – also send money!
Reunions are a time to greet old friends and comrades and to meet and greet new
friends. If you never go you will never know what you have been missing these
past 100 years. I cannot say enough about the character of those Troopers who
attend reunions and so honor their fellows and our esteemed active duty
Troopers. The same is also said in regards to their wives, friends and families.
Each reunion is better than the last and worse than the next - be there or be
square.