Angels

Gone But Not Forgotten

Archibald "Arch"
Heckler

Benjamin "Biff"
Morgan

Blaine
Chapman

Warren
Breedlove

Doug
Chatlos

Lenny
Gladue

Denny
Hill

J.J.
Smith

John
Larrabee

Lucious "T"
Lunsford

Conrado
Rico

Frank
Tomanio

Ray "Willy"
Wilcox

Jim Bourdeau

F. Stuart "Mo"
Mozeleski

A Poem Worth Reading
He was getting old and paunchy
And his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion,
Telling stories of the past.

Of a war that he once fought in
And the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies;
They were heroes, every one.

And 'tho sometimes to his neighbors
His tales became a joke,
All his buddies listened quietly
For they knew where of he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer,
For ol' Bob has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer
For a Soldier died today.

He won't be mourned by many,
Just his children and his wife.
For he lived an ordinary,
Very quiet sort of life.
He held a job and raised a family,
Going quietly on his way;
And the world won't note his passing,
'Tho a Soldier died today.

When politicians leave this earth,
Their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing,
And proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell of their life stories
From the time that they were young
But the passing of a Soldier
Goes unnoticed, and unsung.

Is the greatest contribution
To the welfare of our land,
Some jerk who breaks his promise
And cons his fellow man?

Or the ordinary fellow
Who in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his country
And offers up his life?

The politician's stipend
And the style in which he lives,
Are often disproportionate,
To the service that he gives.

While the ordinary Soldier,
Who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal
And perhaps a pension, small.
It's so easy to forget them,
For it is so many times
That our Bobs and Jims and Johnnys,
Went to battle, but we know,

It is not the politicians
With their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom
That our country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger,
With your enemies at hand,
Would you really want some cop-out,
With his ever waffling stand?

Or would you want a Soldier--
His home, his country, his kin,
Just a common Soldier,
Who would fight until the end.

He was just a common Soldier,
And his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us
We may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict,
We find the Soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles
That the politicians start.

If we cannot do him honor
While he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage
At the ending of his days.

Perhaps just a simply headline
In the paper that might say:

"OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURNING,
A SOLDIER DIED TODAY."

"A Soldier Died Today"

Thanks Rudy "Iggy"
Schiethauer (Deseased)

Doug
Shaw

Ralph E.
Draper

Al
Sambold

Lou
Basile

Flight Crew

Warren "Obie"
O'Byrne

OMS

Jim Barcus

FMS

Vinny Trovato

Darrel
Rook

Joe
Plourde

Larry "Ort"
Graves

Last Updated: 1/13/12

SNOOPY WATCHES OVER THEM

Lavon
Sharp

George Ringhoffer

Meaning of Flag Draped Coffin
Thanks Bob Parmenter

Don Keefe

Lee Royal

Robert Fiebig

Ssgt. Palmore

Hayden Holshouser

Louis Gobron TSGT

A note from The Virtual Wall
The venerable C-121 Super Constellation was used in a variety of transport and air surveillance
missions during the Vietnam war. One version, the EC-121R "Bat Cat" modification, was equipped to
monitor the electronic sensors emplaced along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and within North and
South Vietnam. Thirty EC-121K and EC-121P aircraft were modified to the EC-121R configuration. The
553rd Reconnaissance Wing was activated at Otis AFB, Massachusetts, in February 1967 and deployed
with 27 aircraft to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base in October 1967.
On 25 April 1969, an EC-121R (tail number 67-21493) of the 554th Recon Sqdn launched on an
operational mission. The weather was poor, with thunderstorms around the field. Shortly after getting
airborne the EC-121R encountered a severe wind sheer which forced the heavily-laden aircraft into the
ground about 4 miles southwest of the airfield, where it exploded and burned. Although rescue crews
arrived at the crash site within minutes, none of the 18 aircrewmen aboard survived the crash:

LtCol Emerson E. Heller, Spring City, PA
LtCol William C. McCormick, Williamsport, PA
Major Thomas M. Brandom, Liberty, MO
Major Paul R. Lunsford, Cleveland, OH
Capt George R. Kidd, Punta Gorda, FL
1stLt John A. Marsh, Altoona, PA
TSgt James H. Belflower, Atlanta, GA
TSgt Albert N. Booker, Waco, TX
TSgt Warren C. Delaney, Coolidge, GA
TSgt Kenneth W. Fowler, Petersburg, IN
SSgt Jerald C. Davis, Chicago, IL
SSgt Paul Faulk, New York, NY
SSgt James D. Moore, Marlin, TX
Sgt Mitchel Messing, Oceanside, CA
Sgt Mark M. Steeley, St Paul Park, MN
Sgt William D. Stepp, Jackson, MO
A1C Michael J. Cotterill, Rochester, NY
A1C Ronald C. DeForrest, Salem, ME