A Special Report:
REUNION 2001
AFTER ACTION REPORT
by Bernie Cobb
* * * * * * *
Sure, "Witchdoctors" were hovering about with tools in hand in case repairs became necessary. And, repairs did seem in order before "Retreat" was sounded.
This was "174th Assault Helicopter Company Association Reunion -- 2001."
It was, by most accounts, the "best ever." Association President Wally Nunn and former 14th CAB commander, "Black Sam" Kalagian, were both overheard commenting about the "great bonding" that seemed to cement the group together like never before.
The event was attended by almost 70 happy souls. There were 45 "combat ready" 174th alumni, 20 spouses and/or "significant others," two special guests and one beautiful 5-year-old daughter. A splash from a couple of walk-ins completed Roll Call.
Lest we forget, tally up another 46 disappointed 174th vets who wanted to attend but couldn't. Yet, they showed their support by responding to "Assembly Call" with dues, donations, and orders for T-shirts and commemorative license plate/holder sets.
"Business Meeting"
Opening the business session Friday evening were personal appearances by Mayor Gloria Glover, City of Fort Walton Beach; and, Dr. Diane Barlar, President, Greater Fort Walton Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Both dynamic civic leaders saluted the group and thanked the former members of the 174th AHC for the personal sacrifices they had made for America. And, quite understandably, they thanked Association members for selecting the FWB area for annual reunions.
Nunn continued the "celebrity parade" by reading a letter of greetings and salutations from Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge. Ridge, who served as an NCO in Vietnam and was personally rescued from the enemy once by 174th AHC action, has been appointed by President Bush to be the Cabinet-level director of the newly established Home Defense Department.
Nunn also produced a hot-off-the-press (Wed, Oct 3rd) edition of the U.S. Congressional Record in which Congressman Curt Weldon, (Rep, PA), paid tribute to members of the 174th AHC. Weldon praised them for their "important role" in Vietnam and wished a good reunion for all. (See full text elsewhere on this Web Site.)
Reporting on old business, which included a "non-reading" of last year's minutes, Secretary/Treasurer Bernie Cobb presented the financial report. Conclusion: The 174th treasury is alive and well. "We are in such a good financial position," Cobb explained, "that we are able to keep our annual dues and registration fees the same as previous years.
"We are also beginning to return some of the money in savings back to the membership in the form of "surprise gift packets" like we are doing this year," Cobb added. Your elected officers feel that it's better to reward our members for their continuing support of the Association rather than just donate money to various charitable organizations. Individual members can support their own favorite charities in their own way. I know that most all of us do that , anyway."
In other items of old business, Mel Lutgring reported on his project to design and produce T-shirts for this year. The shirts were designed to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 174th AHC standdown in 1971. Lutgring was also responsible for producing the "surprise gift packet" which was given on Saturday evening to each member present in recognition for his loyal support of the Association. The packet consisted of a 174th AHC unit patch, a Shark patch, and a Witch Doctor patch. Consistent with the Association goal of returning benefits to supporting members, the popular patch collectibles are also being mailed to each absent alumnus who couldn't attend the reunion but still paid dues.
Bob Jones reported on plans for participating members to join him on Saturday morning for a tour of the Air Armament Museum at Eglin AFB. Over 20 happy campers enjoyed that trip.
Sam Kalagian confirmed plans for several "duffers" and a "few good men" to tee off Saturday morning on the Hurlburt Field golf course. Although participation was low, enthusiasm was high. A good time was enjoyed by all, as witnessed by the broad grins on the happy faces returning to the hotel later in the day.
In the absence of Dick Overhamm, Cobb reported that, based on the interest shown last year, Overhamm had commemorative 174th AHC auto license plates and holder sets designed and manufactured. The plates depict the unit patch and attached support unit designations.
When Nunn directed attention to items of new business, it was time for "making history." Putting to rest the perennial question of where to hold the reunion next year and the next, Nunn entertained a motion on whether to keep the annual reunion at Fort Walton Beach or "move about the country" as the airline TV ad goes.
"Your elected officers feel that this is the best place for our reunion," Nunn stated. "The facilities are excellent and we have established a tradition of coming here. Also, we have heard from others in various associations who report that when their reunions started moving from place to place, attendance began to decline."
The final vote after further discussion was: "Keep it here."
The second major item of business was the creation of an official "174th Assault Helicopter Company Museum." (Note: The name 174th AHC, as mentioned herein, includes attached support units: 409th Maintenance Detachment; 452nd Signal Detachment; 133rd Ordnance Detachment; and, the 756th Medical Detachment.)
It was proposed by Nunn, speaking on behalf of the other elected officers and a host of supporters, that Warren Hewetson's mini-museum in his home near Atlanta be declared the "official" 174th AHC Museum. That museum is already established and is devoted entirely to the collection, preservation, and "affectionate" display of 174th memorabilia and artifacts.
Before a vote was taken on the museum issue, it was proposed from the floor that Hewetson, a staunch fan but one who was never assigned to the 174th AHC in Vietnam, be made an Honorary Member of the Association. The approval of the membership was unanimous. "Goodby, Fan. Hello, Brother."
After discussion, the vote of the general membership on making Hewetson's private museum the official 174th AHC Museum was also unanimous. That action had Hewetson's complete personal support and approval. In a brief verbal acknowledgment to the group for their vote of confidence, Hewetson added his now-familiar and poignant phrase: "Thank you all for being there (Vietnam) for me."
A Proclamation issued by the Association and signed by all elected officers officially establishes the "174th AHC Museum." The original of the proclamation will be prominently posted in the museum. The proclamation also encourages all members of the Association "to support that institution with their personal donations of memorabilia, artifacts, and war souvenirs appropriate to the continued preservation of the 174th Assault Helicopter Company's distinguished history."
"Awards Ceremony"
Saturday evening activities began with a sumptuous seafood buffet following another appetizer of "home grown" clams donated and grilled by Bruce Marshall. The traditional awarding of door prizes saw Fred Thompson and Tom Taggart sharing the honors for coming the longest distance to attend the reunion. Out of over 2,100 miles that each traveled, only 22 miles separated the two -- Fred from Tujunga, California, and Tom from Billings, Montana. Other door prizes went to Al Sarnecki, first to register; and, Red Jones, first to reserve a hotel room.
Special awards were presented to Mel Lutgring, T-shirt and patch project; Sam Kalagian, Golf Tournament; Dick Overhamm, license plate/holder project; and, Ted Saunders, for local area logistical support.
Loyalty Awards were presented in absentia to Dale Spratt and David Lindsey Jr., for continuing exceptional moral and financial support of the Association. That award also went to Wally Nunn for his support over the years. For outstanding support of 174th annual reunions, in her own extraordinary way, an award was also presented to Best Western Hotel representative, Peggy Mahone.
All door prizes and special awards were 25-oz glass beer mugs etched with the 174th unit designation, a Huey helicopter, the year 2001, and name of the recipient.
"Memorial Service"
A brief, but emotion-packed, Memorial Service was conducted by Mel Lutgring, standing before an appropriate screen composed of a UH-1 jump seat on which a helmet bag and flight helmet rested, along with a folded American flag. A poster of a solder at a panel of "The Wall," with the unit, Shark, and Witch Doctor patches at the bottom, was placed on the back of the seat. A list of 174th AHC KIA's was prominent in front of the seat.
Completing the display, a small replica of the three solders at "The Wall" was on one side and a brass mug, made from a 105MM shell, with 2 M60 rounds and a 20 MM round for the handle, on the other. A poncho liner was hung on the wall behind the full display to complete the tribute to our fallen unit members.
Gary Levine was specifically remembered. He is sorely missed. A poignant message received from Gary's widow, Georgine, was read and posted on the reunion bulletin board.
Lutgring closed the ceremony with a reading of his original poem, "Point of View," in remembrance, not only of fallen comrades of years ago, but also of "all our brothers we have lost over the years." And finally, in deep respect, the brass mug was used to toast those missing comrades.
"Annual Auction"
Another "first" went into the record books when this year's perennial auctioneer, Eddie McNeill, barked his final "Sold!" The annual auction was a rapid-fire, rat-a-tat-tat drill, which pitted friend against friend. Ecstatic bidders even raised their own bids in a couple of notable instances, bringing chuckles of delight from some of the "mellowing" onlookers.
The highest bid went for one of the Special Award beer mugs with space for the bidders name to be etched on later. The crowd "went ape" when Rex Schumacher set the record of $180 for that item. Frequent bidder, Sam Davis, got his money's worth at $140 for a beautiful shadow box made and donated by Ron Nobles. A frequent bidder, Sam also had the dubious honor of taking home a worn-out "Shark's Head" rubber beer-holder for a miserly $10.
What fun! And, what a nice, record-breaking gift, for this non-profit organization -- $1,040.00. All funds received from the auction go into the general membership fund.
"Sick Call"
"Sick Call" was a prominent activity of this year's reunion, unfortunately. Marvin Schultz had to take his wife, Philomene, to a local Emergency Room in late afternoon for an undisclosed ailment. The good news is that the situation was apparently not too serious. Philomene returned to the hospitality room in time to retrieve some leftovers from the buffet and take them to the Shultz's room.
Shortly after midnight Sunday morning, as he was preparing for bed, Bernie Cobb tripped and fell in his hotel room. A trip to the Destin Emergency Care Center revealed a broken left fibula. After an ill-advised drive home by himself, Cobb was seen by a bone specialist who will perform surgery to implant a metal brace. "But," Bernie insists, "I sure did have a great time at our reunion this year."
Association President Wally Nunn found out that he wasn't immune to reunion maladies either. Wally had to visit an emergency room to obtain relief for a worsening internal problem. With a "temporary fix," Wally was able to fly home, as scheduled, Monday morning. He then visited his own personal physician for further treatment.
Making his first reunion, Jerry Simmons, one of the 174th AHC "Founding Fathers," made it through the event OK but had some bad news waiting on his return home. Jerry had been seeing a heart specialist before the reunion and tests had been made. The results of those tests revealed that the lower one-third of his heart is "Red X'd" and he has lung complications. "The COPD," Jerry insists, "is from exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam." Update: Jerry plans to return for "Reunion 2002" next year.
Although not attending the reunion, the first 174th AHC commander, Major (Ret.) Robert Stuart, called at the end of the event from his home in Ohio, and expressed his hopes that everyone had a good time. Bob revealed that he couldn't make it, as planned, because of a serious medical condition which causes him to "fuzz out" unexpectedly at times. The good news is that medication is helping.
All of these episodes, though, pale in the light of the loss of our dear comrade, Gary Levine, who died of a heart attack less than one week after returning home from last year's reunion. His widow, Georgine, still communicates "Gary's love for his buddies in the 174th" and she continues to strongly support the Association.
But, just as the American people have rallied after the tragic events of September 11th, so, too, shall we, the attendees of the 174th AHC ASSN Reunion -- 2001, put aside our thoughts of the unexpected trips to emergency rooms, the inconveniences we experienced during our travels to and from the reunion, and all the other minor frustrations and pesky interference's we had to deal with so that we could renew our friendships with our dear comrades.
We shall strive to remember only the grand time had by all; the warmth and heartfelt bonding we experienced; and the resolve we have within our own hearts to return again next year.
See you in October 2002, at Fort Walton Beach.
CLICK below to go to:
Reunion Information
Fact Sheet
Entry in the Congressional Record
After Action Report
Photos Page
Chas Simmons' Photos Page
174th Front Page
E-mail Addresses Page