EMPEHI.blogspot.com: Veterans Day

Veterans Day honors people who have served in armed service also known as veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day and Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the end of World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, when the Armistice with Germany went into effect.)

Veterans Day is not to be confused with Memorial Day; Veterans Day celebrates the service of all U.S. military veterans, while Memorial Day is a day of remembering the men and women who died while serving.

We have been collecting the stories and photos of EMPEHI Veterans. If you would like to share your veteran history, story, or photos please send them to morganparkhigh@gmail.com and we will post them.

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Morgan Park High School in Chicago is assembling a list of MPHS Veterans from the Vietnam era as was done for WWI, WWII, and Korea. They will place the names outside of the Principal's Office.

They have asked us to help assemble names. Please send me the year you graduated or attended MPHS, your branch and dates of service, and whether you served in Vietnam. A short description of your experiences would be nice, and pictures are worth a 1,000 words.

Since there are now lots of folks falsely claiming to be Vets (Nice to be fashionable - who would have believed this in 1970?) perhaps you should send me something official proving your service. Preferably send a scan by email, but you can also send it snail mail to 423 High Street, Peoria, IL 61606.

I encourage you to write a long version of your experience with photos and publish it on line. And please send that to me for inclusion in the book / blog that Jim Seamon and I are developing about the experiences of all of us during the 60's - Veteran or not.

We will place the names and stories / photo on the empehiveterans.blogspot.com blog, and provide the information to MPHS.

empehiveterans.blogspot.com

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On May 29, 2010 Carol Macola wrote:

Craig,

The JROTC dept has been trying to do a board for Vietnam MPHS alumni, as done for WWI, WWII, and Korea, outside the Principal's Office.

Jim Seamon referred me to you for this. I am teaching at MPHS (my children

graduated from there 2000 and 2002 and went to the US Naval Academy -- my son, as a Navy Officer, did a 7-month deployment in Iraq with the 101st under the 1st Cav and my daughter's ship was deployed to the Gulf taking in Marines during the same time frame--I was in the Army starting in July '75--post Vietnam).

Do you have any sort of list? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Carol Youngquist Macola

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Craig replies:

Good to hear from you. Very nice of you and MPHS to do this.

I will put the word out that we are looking for MPHS Vietnam / Cold War Veterans. I will keep a record of the information we receive on this blog.

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Morgan Park Graduates Who Died in Vietnam Date is their graduation date from MPHS.

Jim Beck Jun 65 Army "V"

Larry Dart Jun 63 Army "V"

Ricky Green Jun 66 Marines "V"

Sgt Holstein ROTC Instructor Army "V"

Bruce Huff Jun 62 Army "V"

Al McNabb Jun 67 Marines "V"

Mills Miller Jun 65 Marines "V"

Warren Muhr Jun 64 Army "V"

Robert Nawrocki Jun 66 Marines "V"

William Newbold Jun 66 Army "V"

William Lee Owen Jr Jun 62 Army "V"

And thanks to all the ones we don't know about.

More info about our Empehi heroes at:

http://empehiheroes.blogspot.com/

Veteran List

Morgan Park Alumni Veterans

All Veterans served in Cold War

Name, MPHS Date, Branch and Years Served, Vietnam and Cold War "V", Cold War "C"

Rich Anderer Air Force "C"

Allen Carlson Jan 66 Navy "C"

John Bantsolas Jun 66 "C"

Jack Barber Jan 66 Navy "V"

Roger L. Byous Jan 65 Navy "C"

David DeVerdier Jun 67 Marines 67-69 "V"

David Estes Army "V"

Bob Glines Jan 66 Navy "V"

Will Hepburn Jun 66 Army "C"

Charles Horne

Craig Hullinger Jan 66 Marines 66-96 "V"

Charles Kitchen 66 Army "C"

Randy Lam Jan 66 Army "V"

Ron McComb 67 Air Force 67-69 "C"

John Nielsen 66 Army 70-73 "C"

Philip E Nielsen 62 Air Force 66-96 "C"

John E. Pagel 63 Army 63-65 "V"

Carol Youngquist Macola Army "C"

Mike Richardson 64 "C"

Ron Robertson Navy "V"

Andy Sauvage 66 Army "C"

Ken Sauvage Marines "V"

Jim Seamon Jun 66 Navy "V"

Joe Terry Jun 64 Army "V"

Peter Terry Jan 66 Army "C"

Matt Vanek "V"

Charles Van Liere Jan 66 Army "V"

Robert Veenstra Air Force "V"

Ron Veenstra Army "C"

Susan Wiggins Jan 66 Army "C"

Ken Zalga Marines "V"

Chuck Zeman Army "C"

Veteran Stories

My name is Roger L. Byous, graduated from Morgan Park, Jan.1965. Served in the U.S. Navy Aug. 31,1965 to July 30,1969. Did NOT serve in Vietnam. My job title was "Radioman." The duty stations I served at were, Great Lakes, IL. Naval Station, Bainbridge, Md. Naval Station, Keflavik, Iceland NATO Naval Air Station and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba Naval Air Station.

Hope you get a lot of Veteran response for this alumni board.

Thanks,

Roger Byous

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John E. Pagel

My name is John E. Pagel 2nd, graduated January 1963 class. Graduated the 24th of January and entered the ARMY on the 29th. Took basic at Fort Knox KY, Advanced Infantry Training at Fort Jackson SC, and Jump School at Fort Benning GA.

Then assigned to 101st AIRBORNE Division at Fort Campbell KY. Was there from July 22nd 1963 till July of 1965 when I was deployed to Vietnam as a rifleman with the first boat load of 101st which landed there July 29th. 1965. Attaching a scan of my DD-214 and a photo of me taken in September of 1964 before my 14th parachute jump at Campbell. Funny was never on a plane until my first jump in Jump School, didn't land with a plane until after my 7th.

Best regards,

John Pagel

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David Estes

I served as a grunt with the 25th and 101st Airborne divisions in Vietnam in 1971. I live in Normal IL now, but work 3 days a week at a museum founded by my father - The Livingston County War Museum in Pontiac IL. We have exhibits from World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Our blog is:

www.warmuseum.blogspot.com

We have a lot of photos and articles about the museum on it. We also have a Facebook page under "Livingston County War Museum". Please check it out and become a friend of the museum.

Hope you will be able to visit our museum. Please contact me before you visit, and I'll be sure to be there to show you around.

Sincerely,
David Estes
Education Director
Livingston County war Museum
Dal Estes Education Center
Pontiac IL
email: lcwarmuseum@yahoo.com
museum: (815) 842-0301

John Nielsen June 66 Army

I joined Air Force ROTC when I started at IIT in 1966. After a year, the AF gave me a scholarship, and as part of that I had to enlist. Unfortunately after my sophomore year I had to attend a training camp where my temper and big mouth got the better of me and I told a real AF Major to do something impossible. Oops. There went the scholarship, but fortunately they chose to discharge me, rather than keep me as an Airman Basic for the next 8 years. My military career resumed when I was (un)lucky enough to get number 34 in the first draft lottery. I tried for a deferment, but the government seemed to get rid of them as fast I qualified. I was even certified to teach K – 8 in Chicago – there are generations of kids who should be grateful that deferment was removed. I passed the Navy’s OCS test, but when they wouldn’t send me to nuclear power school because of my vision. I turned down the opportunity to spend 6 years installing engines in ships and enlisted in the Army to play trombone in the 5^th Army band at Ft. Sheridan. I went to basic at Ft. Lewis WA in August 1970 and somewhere in there the 5^th Army band was dissolved. I got out of basic late because I came down with pneumonia, and then was sent to the Navy’s music school in Little Creek, VA.

I think music school was a 4 month gig after which my first duty assignment was at Ft. Rucker, AL near Dothan, AL where they have a statue of a boll weevil in the middle of town. Rucker was the Army’s primary helicopter training base and mostly the band played graduation ceremonies. Not that anyone could hear us with a bunch of helicopters flying overhead. The trumpeters also played a lot of funerals since the trainees didn’t always do so well learning to fly in formation at night. Rucker was my least favorite assignment given the weather, bugs, etc.

In January 1972 I was sent to Germany to join the band at the Berlin Brigade stationed in the area called Lichterfeld in Berlin. The assignment there was great, even though our band leader (WO3 Howard W. Vivian) was certifiable. He’d served in Vietnam and was afraid his troops were going to frag him. He spent the majority of his time hiding in his office. I got to see the Berlin Philharmonic several times and attended opera’s in both West and East Berlin. In Berlin we practiced once a month for a Russian invasion. The band’s job was to guard the general’s plane at Templehof so he could escape. Yeah, right.

Around January, 1973 I was transferred to the 8^thInfantry Division band in Bad Kreutznach. That was by far the best duty assignment. We played lots of gigs for the public (beer festivals, military band festivals, the Fasching (Mardi Gras) parade in Mainz). I got out in August 1973, spent a year at Western Illinois University getting a Business degree and have been in California ever since.

Jack Barber Jan 66 Navy

I was on the USS Bradley, DE-1041 from 71 to 74. We deployed in November 1972 and returned in June 1973. We did gunfire support up in I Corps area, did plane guarding with USS Ranger and Enterprise ( I think) on Yankee Station and also did Search and Rescue (SAR) with one of the DLGs off Haiphong. We were actually on the gunline when the ceasefire was declared . We also went over again in April 1974 to act as escort for the ongoing mine sweeping ops in the north gulf, but I got off in May and went to the east coast for my next (last) assignment with the Naval Audit Service. I was Disbursing Officer on the first cruise and was Supply Officer when we did the second.

Bob Glines Jan 66

I went into the Navy in 1967 to Squadron VP-31 anti-submarine hunters. I was stationed in Moffet field Ca.for about 1-1/2 yrs training then deployed to the Philippines, (Subic Bay) from there I went to Vietnam and we flew missions all over taking pictures for the bombers... I was now in VP-46,and was a 3rd class aviation machinist mate who worked on the jet engines,and was aft observer in this 4 engine plane with no glide path at all..... It could fly on 1 engine if it was inboard.... other than that nothing out of the ordinary, fell off the roof during a mortar attack,landed on a guy with a 45 in his hand,he broke the fall nicely.but he almost shot me....I spent the end of my Navy air days in Guam,counting my days to discharge by learning how to ride a uni-cycle,that damn near killed me..... Not real exciting but I made it back to home....all 170 Pd' s of me. Thanks Bob Glines.

Charles Horne

I was in the U. S. Air Force from August, 1966 thru May, 1970. I was stationed in Okinawa, Minot, ND, Nha Trang RVN and last base was DaNang, RVN. My excitement was personnel data systems and in/out processing. I got out of the Air Force as an E-5 (SSgt).

I will try to forward pics and more to you shortly, need to find some for you.

Charles Horne, MBACPM, PCAM, CTC, MCC

Craig Hullinger Jan 66 Marines

I served with the Marine Corps on active duty from 1966 to 1971. Duty stations included Parris Island, SC, 29 Palms, CA, Yuma, AZ, and Quantico, VA. I went to boot camp in 1967 and OCS in 1969. I spent 18 months in Vietnam first with the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing and then with 1st Marine Division. I served 28 more years in the Marine Reserves. I am now in the Retired Reserve. My much longer story at:

http://hullingermarine.blogspot.com /

Gary Underiner MPHS June 66

I was drafted in July, 1968. I spent my first year in the Army stateside, training and attending Non-Commissioned Officers Candidate School at Fort Benning, Georgia. I deployed to Vietnam in July, 1969. I served with A Company, 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry, 199th Light Infantry Brigade as a platoon sergeant for 7 months and later as a platoon leader of a heavy weapons platoon for my remaining five months in country. I returned home in July, 1970.

Charles Van Liere

I graduated from MP in Jan, 1966 and served in Viet Nam 9/68 thru 9/69. I will send more info later. Thanks, Charlie
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My brother who graduated MPHS in 66 told me about this site. My name is Chuck Zeman and I graduated in January 1960. I was the co-Captain of Morgan Park's football team in 1959. Currently live in Sun City, Az. After graduating Univ of Illinois in 1964 I spent a year in law school then got drafted. Got lucky and served in Augsburg and Munich Germany and played football in the Army with the Div/Arty team at Will Kaserne. Made it to E-5 (spec 5) and was in FDIC.....Fire Direction for field artillery, a 155 gun battalion.. Served with the 1/13 Arty 24th Inf Division Headquarters Battalion.......APO 09112. Even remember my serial number as 55818215! Not Vietnam but still a different a memorial experience!

Chuck Zeman

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