Dear Fellow Banshee's,
If you have already read the rest of the Gazette before you read my column, you have noticed that we are getting ready for Reunion 2000. Since we decided to cut the publishing of the Gazette to three issues per year we only be enough time for one more issue prior to the reunion. That is why we are including the reunion information in this issue.
The 2000 Reunion of B Troop 2/17th Cavalry Association will be held at Ft. Rucker, Alabama, or "Mother Rucker", as it was affectionately referred to, by people who were stationed there during their military careers. Reunion 2000 coordinator Max Roberts (crewchief '69) has promised us an event that we will all remember.
As you can see, we are only giving you the basic information about the reunion and you will be sent more detailed information after you send in the registration form. If you have had an opportunity to attend any of our previous reunions, you know you will not be disappointed. Remember that you do not have to be a member of the association to attend, but you must register so we can plan on your attendance.
You may have already noticed a new feature we have started with this Gazette, is selected advertising, which will help us offset some of the costs of publishing the Gazette. We are offering to advertise your business in our widely distributed Gazette in a business card size advertisement for ($100.00). The advertisement will run for a year or three issues.
Sorry people, we asked all of you to contribute stories and articles for publication, but you never came through with anything. Now we have to fill in the wasted open spots with advertisements instead of having blank spaces. Seriously if you own your own business and are interested in advertising in our newsletter please contact Dave Martin, Editor.
Finally, I would like to address a pressing matter to all of you that served with the "Bush Gangsters." It has been brought to our attention that many of you that served in B Troop and had an infantry MOS, were denied being awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge because of a "glitch" in policy. Joe Campbell (infantry '68) is working very hard to rectify this situation. If you fall into this group of B Troopers and are interested in receiving this prestigious award that you were denied or can assist Joe in any way, please contact me and I will put you in touch with Joe.
"Out Front"
Jim Matthews
The time is nearing for our next Reunion. This years Reunion will be held at Ft. Rucker, Alabama from September 29 through October 1.
Maxie Roberts is our Reunion Coordinator and assures us it will be another Reunion to remember! The official Hotel for the Reunion is the Holiday Inn, Ozark, Alabama. Once you send in your registration fee you will receive a packet that will have information on booking your room at special rates.
Ft. Rucker has an excellent Museum that you will all want to visit. They have one of the world's largest collections of helicopters.
If you cannot make the Reunion, their website URL is: http://www.aviationmuseum.org/. We hope to see you all at Ft. Rucker in September for another great Reunion.
by David Martin
The Vietnam Archive at Texas Tech University is dedicated to preserving the records of the Vietnam War. The archive accepts donations of all kinds and sizes and currently has a wide range of sources available for students, scholars, and the general public. All of their holdings are preserved in keeping with modern archival conservation practices and procedures to ensure they remain available for future generations.
The Oral History Project is designed to add to these holdings by preserving, through the recorded interview, the recollections and experiences of the men and women who participated in the Vietnam War.
I have just completed my oral history with Steven Maxner and I must say it was quite harmless. Since our reunion in Las Vegas, Steven has completed the oral histories of Jim Matthews, David Martin, Randy Kunkleman, Fred Pierce, T Cook, Roman Martinez, Steve Carper, and Quinton Johnson. These oral histories will build upon the archival holdings of B Troop and provide an excellent resource for researchers.
If you are interested in providing an oral history you can contact Steven through their website http://www.lib.ttu.edu/vietnam/index.htm, write or call him at;
The Vietnam Archive
Special Collections Library Room 108
Lubbock, Texas 79401-1041
Attention: Steve Maxner
(806) 742-9010
The Archive believes that all of the sacrifices made during the Vietnam War were significant. The individual collections and recollections of the men and women who served during the Vietnam War are equally important. We welcome all donations to the Vietnam Archive and consider no individual collection or donation to be too small.
Submitted by Dave Larcomb
A Marine Recon Platoon was on patrol when their LT. noticed a lone Cavalry Trooper from B TROOP 2/17 101st Airborne Division standing on a hill top in their area. The LT. told two of his marines to go take out that man. They promptly ran as fast as they could toward the "B" Trooper. Just before they got to the top, the "B" Trooper ran over the other side of the hill. The two marines followed. For the next few minutes there were bloody screams and dust flying in the air.
Then as quick as it had started, it stopped and the "B" Trooper returned to the hilltop. He brushed off his BDU's, straightened his Stetson, crossed his arms and stood there looking at the marines. The LT., pissed, called for a squad to go get that "B" Trooper. They promptly ran as fast as they could toward the "B" Trooper. Just before they got to the top, the "B" Trooper ran over the other side of the hill. The marine squad followed. For the next few minutes there were bloody screams and dust flying in the air.
Then as quick as it had started, it stopped and the "B" Trooper once again returned to the hilltop. He brushed off his BDU's, straightened his Stetson, crossed his arms and stood there looking at the marines. The LT. was really hot now. He ordered the rest of his platoon to attack the "B" Trooper. Determined that the Recon was far superior to the one "B" Trooper they had blood in their eyes as they ran up the hill. Just before they got to the top, the "B" Trooper ran over the other side of the hill. The marine's followed.
For many minutes there were bloody screams and dust flying in the air. It continued and continued. Finally there was one lone marine crawling back to the LT., all bloody and beat about the head and shoulders. His BDU's were torn; cuts were all over his body. The LT. asked for a sit. rep. The lone marine, bloody and beaten replied in a forceful and fearful voice "Sir, run it's a trick. There are TWO of them!!"
Here's a chance to tell us about that great out of the way (sometimes) restaurant you love. Send that little known secret to Dave Martin and share it with your fellow Banshees.
You have to want to be here…you don't just stumble across the Cornudus Café! Sixty miles east of El Paso, Texas and 103 miles west of Carlsbad, New Mexico is the home of the "World Famous Cornudus Burger.
On a recent trip to El Paso, Jinger and I had to stop on the way home at the Cornudus Cafe to see if it was as good as we remembered.
We had just passed the Border Patrol checkpoint and I told her, "there it is". I knew because I could see all the trucks pulled along side the road! You'll usually see a couple of Wal-Mart trucks for sure; the drivers couldn't keep this secret.
We ordered our burgers and marveled at the unique signs posted… "If you want it your way…then go to Burger King!" Numerous signs adorn the interior to let you know in Cornudus they do it their way and I admit that it has kept me coming back.
We got our burgers and bags of chips, the first bite told me the burgers were just as great as the first time I had visited in 1987.
Jinger and I look forward to our next visit because there is no place to get a burger like this except in Cornudus, Texas.
When you stop by remember that they do require a purchase to use their restroom facilities! I'll buy even if I don't need to go to the restroom.
So, when you are traveling in the Western part of Texas I suggest you stop by this one in the world restaurant and indulge in a burger…There Great!, as Tony would say.
by David Martin
This will be a series of articles that you will hopefully find interesting. This is a work in progress so additional research may provide additional information. When this series is completed I will be happy to provide anyone with a completed copy upon request.
Early History
Although the helicopter is often considered a rather recent invention, the rotating-wing concept of flight was pursued for hundreds of years in man's attempts to fly. Much of that time the helicopter was considered a more likely contender for successful flight than the fixed-wing concept. I had always thought the beginning of helicopters must have begun with Wilbur and Orville Wright…in North Carolina because certainly helicopters fly. I have since learned that the development of helicopter began with the Chinese. I have seen conflicting reports on the actual century that this occurred but I can safely say it was between the 4th and 11th centuries (My best source John Fay refers to the 4th century). It was here that the thought of a rotary wing aircraft was born. Since the Chinese, many extraordinary models have been developed by an ever-increasing number of great thinkers. It seems that the first pioneers of rotary wing aircraft were missing two essentials: a true understanding of the nature of lift and an adequate engine.
In 1483, Leonardo da Vinci designed drawings of an aerial screw he called the Helical AirScrew, that was to take off and land straight up or down. da Vinci's spiral design has often been considered the first serious attempt to produce a working helicopter. Da Vinci himself quoted on the device: "...I have discovered that a screw-shaped device such as this, if it is well made from starched linen, will rise in the air if turned quickly...". Da Vinci's design was only an experimental design and was never put into practical use. The name helicopter derived from two Greek words, heliko (helical or helix) and pteron (wing)probably stems from da Vinci's description of his sketch. In the next 400 years many ingenious small-scale models were designed.
In 1754, Mikhail Lomonosov best known as The Father of Russian Poetry and the father of Russian Science suggested a coaxial rotor machine to elevate meteorological instruments.
By 1784 two Frenchmen Launoy and Bienvenu designed a feather model helicopter. It was a toy helicopter, using rotors made out of the feathers of birds. In 1784 they presented it to the French Academy of Science. This toy lead to a more successful model created in 1870 by Alphonse Pénaud in France.
An unusual and heavy steam-driven helicopter called a converti-plane was built by Sir George Cayley in 1843. Helicopters at this time lacked suitable power to achieve flight. They were also bulky and heavy. Cayley is also regarded by many as the father of fixed-wing flight.
In 1845 a Frenchman named Cossus developed a steam machine, that used a main rotor.
Thomas Edison attempted a helicopter in 1880 using an electric engine. His machine proved to be underpowered. The great breakthrough for helicopters came at the end of the nineteenth century. The invention of the internal combustion engine made it possible to develop full-sized models with an adequate power source. This created a new problem torque.
In the beginning of the 20th century inventors were experimenting and resolving many of the problems that appeared with advancement Many historic moments in rotary-wing aviation came about in the early 20th century. It was not until 1903 when the Wright Brothers had flown their airplane that helicopters that could lift a man were built. In 1906 an Italian named Crocco suggested using a cyclic control.
Brothers Louis and Jacques Breget rose some two inches off the ground in their 45-horsepowered engine helicopter Gyroplane No. 1, on August 24, 1907. Later, in November another Frenchman named Paul Cornu also achieved free flight of a twin- rotored helicopter for about 20 seconds. He acquired an altitude of thirty centimeters, which was a landmark development in helicopter evolution.
In 1911 a Russian named Boris Yuriev Publish his abtomat perekosa (collective - automatic over-skewing device) which described the modern helicopter with a main and tail rotors.
In 1912 the Danish inventor Jacob Ellehammer made his model used a 36 hp air-cooled radial pistol-engine. He was able to make short hops in a helicopter that featured contrarotating rotors and. The cyclic pitch control was an important development into the problem of controlling helicopters.
Substantial progress was made in helicopter history in 1916. Two Austrians, Lieutenant Stefan Petroczy and Professor Theodore von Karman developed a helicopter that remained in the air for about one hour at a 600-foot altitude. Juan de la Cierva built the first autogiro in Spain during 1923. Autogiros could neither hover nor descend vertically like the modern helicopter. The technology of the rotor head and rotor blade was developed for the autogiro. This technology contributed to the development of the first successful helicopter, which in time made the autogiro obsolete. Records would be made and broken with additional technological development of helicopters. In France on May 4, 1924, Étienne Oehmichen established a distance record for helicopters by flying a helicopter a kilometer in a closed circuit. This was a historic flight taking 7 minutes and 40 seconds.
In 1924, an Argentinean named Pescara built a coaxial helo with a gross weight of 850 kg and a speed of 13 km/h that was the first flyable with collective and cyclic controls.
Emile Berliner successfully demonstrated his helicopter design to the US Army in 1924, with several free flights at College Park, Md. Emile was the inventor of the flat phonograph record and founder of the Victor Company that later to become known as RCA.
Another record was set in August 1930, when the ZAGI 1A lifted off. It had a fuselage made of welded tubes, a main rotor with four blades and powered by two engines of 120 HP installed with a vertical axis. The ZAGI 1A was the first twin-engine helicopter to fly.
A Philadelphian, Gerald P. Herrick built a "convertaplane" in 1931. His invention was an airplane that had rotors. The rotors were started up and the airplane was able to land at a steep angle.
On September 11, 1936 another record is broken by Louis Breguet of France when he reaches 108 kilometers per hour with his new coaxial gyroplane which had a 420hp Wright engine.
By 1936, many of the technical problems encountered had solutions. The German Focke Achgelis Fa 61was introduction and the first practical helicopter was a reality. The Fa 61 was the first helicopter design that had solved the control problems, and could be flown precisely. The Fa 61 set numerous records, including, in 1938, an altitude flight of 11,243 feet and a cross-country flight of 143 miles. Vertical flight was no longer a dream anymore.
Success in the field of rotary-wing aviation was due almost entirely to a man living in America named Igor Sikorsky. Sikorsky was a Russian who had fled from the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 and moved to the United States in 1919. He was able to encourage the United States Government to agree to a considerable budget of two million dollars for rotary-wing research in 1938. This project evolved into the VS-300 model helicopter. This helicopter was quite different from earlier models and was an incredible advancement in helicopters. VS 300 was the first useful single-rotor helicopter. The VS 300 had features that are characteristic of most modern helicopters: a single main rotor, with collective pitch, and a tail rotor. In 1938 it remained at an 11,000-foot altitude for about 80 minutes. The first practical flight of a helicopter in the United States took place in 1939, when Sikorsky flew his VS-300.
The first helicopter to fly across the English Channel was in May 1945.
During the 1950s Sikorsky crafted the world's first certified commercial transport helicopter, the S-55 Chickasaw. With the creation of the turbine engine helicopter's capabilities advanced further. The world's first turbine gas-powered engine was the Kaman K-225.
To be continued…
The Association by-laws governs the nominations and election of Association officers. Elected officers for the Association are President, Vice-President, Secretary/Treasurer, and Chaplain.
The by-laws state that two months prior to the general membership meeting, anyone wishing to nominate a member for office shall notify the secretary/treasurer of such nominations so the nominee can be notified to accept or refuse.
If you wish to nominate anyone please advise
Randy Kunkleman.
DUES and Reunion Registration (any monies)
Randy Kunkleman
2395 N. Conant Road
Elida, OH 45807
ADDRESS CHANGES
Jim Matthews
6743 Madison Avenue
West Mifflin, PA 15122
BANSHEE GAZETTE
David Martin
6602 Huron Avenue
Lubbock, Texas 79424
We are enclosing inspirational writings that members have submitted in this issue.
Many of you have read Steve Jones writings but we have other great minds out there. Jim Ritchey submitted his writing about his first visit to The Wall.
I have included my "Doc's Silence"' which I wrote for an English class at Texas Tech University. We also have an anonymous submission "My dear Viet Nam Veteran."
Hopefully this will encourage members to submit their own writings for publication in the Banshee Gazette. Send them to David Martin.
Doc's Silence
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We hope you will consider coming to this years Reunion.
It should be another great time for gathering and sharing what has gone on in our lives since Vietnam.
Dr. Ronald Frankum the Head Archivist from The Vietnam Archives at Texas Tech will be joining us again this year. Remember…as always your family is welcome and we encourage you to bring those significant others!
The Banshee Gazette is the OFFICIAL PUBLICATION for B Troop 2nd 17th Cavalry Association.