ATTENTION TO
ORDERS
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
The Grand
Ole Order of the 48th Assault Helicopter Company and Their
Successors, A Co/3-158 AVN
APO
OFRC-48-OPS
16 May 2008
Orders: 00048
Period: July 2 through July 6, 2008
Report To: Marriott Rivercenter,
Attached To: NA (unless too much CL-VI is consumed)
Purpose: The Grand Ole Order of the 48th Assault
Helicopter Company and their successors, A Co/3-158 AVN will hold muster
formation at the designated TOC in the Marriott Rivercenter in
Additional Instructions: Failure to comply with this order means the rest of us
will make fun of you in your absence and tell war stories of how we saved
you’re a-- during a brawl in a Nha Trang bar and how you will be forever
grateful. Any soldier able to pass the
APFT and meet height and weight standards upon reporting will pick up the bar
tab. Commuting distance is within CONUS
so no waivers will be granted. Flight
pay is authorized but no funding is available.
This is a CL-I and CL-VI training
exercise: All members will show up
with empty stomachs, operationally sound livers and with reasonable brain
function. Alcohol consumption will not
be required for those picking up the bar tab.
Those with recent organ transplants are urged to consume in moderation
and provide the rest of us with all the gory surgical details. All those
missing or unaccounted for will become “Cheap Entertainment” for those who make
the formation.
Spouses
and uniforms are optional, significant others are also allowed as long as they
bring at lease two friends, of the female persuasion, for the IG and Ops
officer to inspect. Mistresses are a
“no-no” and any soldier caught with a mistress or a significant other, other
than his/her own, will be relieved of their toys by the Ops officer. For those of you into same sex activities,
the 48th’s official policy is “We won’t ask, but if you want to
tell, that’s OK.” The IG and the Ops
officer reserve the right to start vicious rumors about anyone and everyone in
attendance that they deem to be of particular or peculiar interest. They will also hear complaints and take
requests form any unit member. However,
members with “units” in trouble are on their own unless the Flight Surgeon
attends this function. In that case, the
appropriate antibiotic, supplied by a Mexican pharmacy, will be administered in
the TOC while the rest of us take notes and pictures. Anyone caught demonstrating “How Aviators
Pull Up Their Socks” will be required to perform 2 laps around the parking lot
wearing nothing but a belt buckle and two postage stamps, unless said
individual is so well endowed as to make this impractical. In that event, he will be allowed one
additional clothing item – one cushion sole Army-green boot sock appropriately
applied. All 06’s in attendance will be
authorized two each cushioned sole socks (whether they need them or not).
Upon
successful completion of the mission, you will be released to the custody of
your spouses or significant others.
Travel to and from your HOR is authorized but not reimbursable. Funding
for bail bonds is authorized but funds have been diverted to the CL-VI
activities.
Now the Rest of the Story…….
Here
we are again; mid May and the annual reunion approaching at warp speed. I’d like to say I was clever enough to
compose the above little spiel, but I have to give credit to Bill Bridges for
sending me something similar years ago.
As noted above,
As in
the past, we have used the annual reunion of the VHPA to facilitate the Blue
Star reunion. This has provided us with
several advantages, the least of which being that with such a large number of
reunion attendees, we benefit from some great negotiated hotel prices at 1st
class hotels. The VHPA also provides us
with our reunion facility and amenities at no cost to us. But I think the greatest benefit is the
electric atmosphere it generates. We
have the opportunity to gather with warriors who shared the same experiences as
we did, and believe me, it does generate an atmosphere that you must experience
to appreciate. As many of us know, the
VHPA stands for the Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association. Membership in the VHPA is limited to those
who served in RVN as a helicopter pilot. Over the years, I have seen the
participation of more and more crew members in the various reunion activities. The Blue Stars have historically enjoyed one
of the largest unit gatherings of the VHPA reunion, pilots and crew members. So many units expressed wonderment at the
numbers who attend our reunion that they are imitating us in their efforts. I
guess the greatest source of flattery is imitation. Without your support and attendance, we
wouldn’t be where we are today. This
gathering is for everyone, VHPA aside.
As far as we’re concerned, there is no distinction between a pilot and a
crew member. We are all Blue Stars and
that’s what it’s about, the Blue Stars - PERIOD!
And the Activities…..
Once
again we’re attempting to set up a TOC; a central meeting place where we can
gather, sit back and relax, chew the fat while enjoying the CL-VI
activities. This year the rates for a
TOC facility are about the same as last year.
The Marriott has made available 3 types of rooms that can be utilized as
a TOC. The price to us ranges from $350
to $575 per night. This is a great
discount from the regular rack rates of $865 to $1500 for the same room. Last year’s TOC was a great space and well
suited to our needs – even had a bar in it!
I am currently working on getting some more information to determine
which one would best be suited for our needs this year. As many of us know, we can get a pretty good
crowd going and we want to make sure we can accommodate everyone. As in the past, we count on you to contribute
to the TOC fund to cover our expenses.
Once again, I’m asking for your support and appreciate any contribution
you can send to help out. Our TOC
remains free to everyone and is only supported by your contributions. Help us make it a success once again. The location of the TOC will be posted in the
VHPA registration area. The VHPA reunion
event runs from July 2nd through July 6th (the 5th
is banquet night).
Accordingly, our TOC will be open for the same period, with the
exception 1300 to 1700 on July 4th – during our “formal” get-
together.
Again, this year we are going
to rely on the generosity of those attending to bring a case or two of beer,
some wine, soft drinks, etc. to donate to the TOC. Additionally, we’ll put a “donation” jar for
drinks for say $1 a beer, to help ensure we don’t lose our shirts and to build
a war chest for future reunion activities. Remember, any funds raised above our
expenses will remain in our Association Treasury and will be used in future
reunion activities. If you cannot attend
this year’s festivities, but wish to make a contribution or if you are
attending and would like to send your contribution now, you can send your
contribution to:
Bobby Schulze
Please
be sure to indicate on your check that it is for the “TOC contribution”.
Our “formal” get together is
scheduled for July 4th from 1300 to 1700 (and beyond). The location of this event will also be
posted in the VHPA registration area. As
always, it doesn’t cost a cent to attend our reunion. Our reunion is independent of the VHPA
activities. As I’ve said, they provide
us with the reunion facilities at no cost.
We will also have a slide projector & screen available along with a
TV/VCR combo. If you have slides, movies, or VHS tapes you’d like to share,
please bring them.
Other
The VHPA has scaled down the
number of planned reunion events this year.
If you are interested, these events can be viewed on the VHPA website at
www.vhpa.org and click on Reunion
Information. In order to attend any of
these events, you must register with the VHPA, pay the registration fee and pay
for the event ticket. If you are not a
VHPA member, you must be sponsored by a VHPA member to do this. We have many Blue Star’s who are willing to
sponsor you if you need a sponsor.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you wish to attend any other
event and need a sponsor.
An Important Point…..
Not to be confused with the
above comment about “VHPA registration”; our (the 48th’s) reunion
activities are FREE, no dinero required.
If you WANT to participate in a VHPA sponsored activity, you have to
register. Otherwise, you don’t, and many
folks don’t. You still have full access
to the HQ hotel, our TOC, the VHPA vendor area and anything that is not a
“ticketed” event. The exception to this
is the banquet on July 5th. More on that below.
Banquet….
Another significant major
event of our reunion is the banquet.
This year the banquet will be held on July 5th. The banquet is the largest event of the VHPA
reunion. You can typically expect over 2,000 attendees. The food is usually pretty good for banquet
food and the entertainment is terrific. The VHPA has recognized that many folks
would like to attend the banquet but didn’t feel that it should be necessary to
register and pay the registration fee to do so.
Once again this year you can purchase a ticket for the banquet without having to register or pay the
registration fee. This year a banquet
ticket for a non-registered guest is once again $95. You may be able to purchase a banquet ticket
at the reunion but I strongly suggest that you purchase one now. Again, please contact me for further
information if you wish to attend the banquet.
We are working on ensuring that all who want to sit in a group as the
Blue Stars will be able to do so. We
hope to get enough tables set aside for us.
Website….
Visit us at www.48ahc.org.
Once again, many thanks to Logan Weiler for keeping it up-to-date. We have plenty of space and if you’d like to
post some pictures, a story or something else, you can forward it to
Our website also has a link
to subscribe to our Reflector List. You
have several options for receiving email when you join the list. I know the volume of email can be
overwhelming, but you can control the volume by receiving email as Daily Digest
(1 email daily or 1 for every 25 individual emails posted).
Raffle….
Once again we will have a
raffle this year to help raise funds for the Association. The raffle will be held during the mini reunion. If anyone would like to donate an item or
items for the raffle, please bring them with you to the mini reunion. We desperately need raffle items!!!! Again, the proceeds of the raffle go to
support our reunion activities and our Association, so please support us by
buying raffle tickets.
Blue Stars Once Again Deployed to the Mid East….
The current Blue Stars, 3-158
AVN, are once again deployed to the
Blue Star Aviation Association….
Our Association continues to
grow and remain strong and solvent. The
efforts of many make this possible. We will
conduct our annual elections during our Association business meeting that will
be held during our reunion. Up for grabs
will be the post of Junior Member-at-Large and Vice President. I’m pleased to announce that John-Al was
elected as Vice President last year and will be the incoming President. If anyone is interested in running for
office, please let me know ASAP.
Many thanks to Logan Weiler,
the outgoing Association President, for all of his hard work and support
through the years.
If you aren’t a member of the
Blue Star Aviation Association, please take the time to consider joining. You’re supporting a worthy cause – the Blue
Stars! Please visit our website for an application. It’s only $25 a year to support such a great
group of guys! …..And, if you’re already a member, it’s time to send your
annual dues in. Please remit them to
Bobby Schulze (
Fall Reunion Being Planned in
A
fall reunion is being planned in
Tony
Terrana (H) 724-339-3543 (C) 724-448-0678
(E) CE48AVN@aol.com
Cliff
Whiting (C) 703-444-6640 (E) ccwhiting@aol.com
Return to
We’re
still working on the planned trip to
Taps….
Another
Blue Star pulled pitch recently. With
great sadness we announce the passing of “Ernie” Terrell Peterman. Ernie passed on March 23rd in
In Closing….
Time
marches on and will spare no man. I know
many of us keep putting off attending a reunion for one reason or another. Whether it be because we were too busy with
work, the reunion is too far away, the reunion city sucks, “I’ll wait until I’m
retired and have more time”, “now that I’m retired, I can’t afford it” and the
list goes on – as does time. Please take
time and consider renewing an old friendship.
Come to one of our reunions; whether it be in
Next
year we’ll be gathering in Philly over the 4th of July. It’s never too early to start planning!!!!
Please
feel free to contact me if you have any questions. Remember, we depend on your generosity to
keep out TOC going and our Association strong and healthy.
As
Always,
Carl
Cortez
Blue
Star 237 and Joker 90
(H)
909-338-5935 (C) 562-305-8461 (E) ccortez@scseng.com
And a PostScript….
I promise that this will the last year of this boring Newsletter format. I’m working on a new look and hope to get it going soon J.