Subject : DAYS OF OUR LIVES #47
Date : Mon, 28 Jan 2002 21:17:41 -0600

Newly found VET'S

GALLANT, Edward J., E3-E5, Det 27, 67-68, (Gayle), Spruce Head, ME 207-596-7427, egallant@mint.net

GIBBS, Garland, H., 02, Watch Officer, Det 27, 66-67, (Cheryl), Luray, VA., 540-743-7205, ggibbs@shentel.net

KRAFT, Ken, E4, Det 27, 63-64, Nashville, TN., 615-292-1100, kkraft@kraftcpa.com

LINDGREN, Joe, 04, S2, Det 27, 62-64, Centreville, VA., 703-631-0298, no e-mail

TESCHLER, Chuck, Det 27, (Penelope), Hartland, MI., penelope@mwci.net

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From: Ralph Richter RicRalph@aol.com

Subject: Re: CHET HITCHEW

Top-- I served with Chet Hitchew at Det 27 from 11/66 thru 11/67. He was a Sgt E-6 then. Great man with a real nice family. He was something important on our trick, just can't remember his title (brain cell disintegration over the years). He worked with SSG Petty in the Watch Office. Used to talk about his growing up days near Latrobe PA. God bless his soul... Ralph Richter, Columbus, OH, 05K, Det 27, 11/66-11/67

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From: Walters, William

Subject: RE: Karamursel Command Photo ?1969?

El, Those in the photo, which was taken in early 1968 are, from left to right, Bill Walters, John Holland, Rich Roerig, can't remember and Junior Wascher and as you know the elderly gentle-man who is seated is Ed Cima........Bill Walters

[[I knew it, I knew it. I blew it. I guessed at the names and now eat CROW

again. I had drafted a msg to Bill asking him to ID the people, but deleted it

thinking that I knew them. Of course, I recognized Bill Walters, John Holland and Junior Wascher and Ed Cima. For those who don't know, Bill Walters and

John Holland both retired as Colonels, Rich Roerig and Ed Cima as Majors. I've not heard fm Rich Roerig and can't find Junior Wascher who was the 1st

Personnel Officer at 4-4. Thanks Bill and the ID's w/b in the 2nd Edition. Perhaps John Holland or Rich Roerig or Jim Moore can ID the other Lt- - -gH]]

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From: Edandlynn4@cs.com

Subject: Tim NEAS

Elder, Sorry I missed your phone call on Timmy Neas, sorry to hear about his passing. He was a great person and was the shortest player on our team but gave a 110 percent. I plan on writing his grandson.

After getting the old brain in gear, I realized that it was not Timmy Neas that was on wide world of sports but Tim Nelson. Hope you don't get too many e-mails telling you how mess up I am. But it was forty years ago. Sorry again on missing the call and wrong info on Timmy.

Ed Edwards, Edgewater, MD., C/C, Det 27, 62-63 [[It's human to err. I've done it so many times, and thanks for the up-date.- - -gH]]

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From: Vollmering, Lance MTCH VollmeringL@MeritMtg.com>

Subj: Master Roster

Received the roster and will view the list. Biggest problem is that I don't remember the names but the face. Don [Carpenter] & I had a lot of fun during the 18 mos hunting and playing fast softball. Don was one hell of [a] pitcher. He was good. He & I hunted a lot. Don't mind if you give out my e-mail address or phone number. When I came out of the service, I have been in mortgage banking all my career. Been to the top and to the bottom and still going. Bought a small ranch in south Texas and ran register beef master until 1991. Sold all and out of that business due to my father's illness. All my work has been in Fort Worth and my father took care of the ranch until his illness in 1991 and it took me until June of 1997 to sell all the equipment and land. I miss it. Had a lot of co's trying to get me in OCS and on to helicopter school and come out with hard bars. I really enjoyed the four years while in the service but I didn't come in to make it a career. Enjoyed talking with you.Lance Vollmering, Fort Worth, TX., SP5, 05H, Det 27, 66-68

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From: Kenneth R. Kraft

Subject: Re: DAYS OF OUR LIVES #46

I coached the [Manzarali] softball team in either the summer of 1963 or 1964 and a new guy came on post and said he played a little ball. He said he was a catcher. In those days the guy that caught usually was not very good. After a couple of games on the bench I put him in to pinch hit. Home run over the center field fence. Next up a homer over the left field fence. He could throw a softball on a line drive from center field to home plate. His name was "Rusty" Rhodes and he was all ACC in football at I think Clemson and was offered a baseball contract by the Yankees to play catcher.

KKraft, Nashville, TN., SP4, Det 27, 63-64 [[Thanks Ken. Does anyone know where we can find this Rusty Rhodes? When I first read your email, I mis-read the name as Dusty Rhodes who was a well

known pinch hitter for the NY Giants- - -gJ]]

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From: Edward J. Gallant, Jr.

Subject: New Listing-Tuslog Det. 27

Hello Mr. Green [[Elder is okay and thanks for the email, I presume that Maj Gibbs contacted U.]]

I was stationed at Manzarali from January 1967 to May 1968 and was there for most of the handover to the Turks. Here is my info: Gallant, Edward J.,Jr. E3-E5, Det 27, 67-68 (Gayle) 22 Lobster Cove Rd., PO Box 13, Spruce Head, ME 04859 (207) 596-7427 egallant@mint.net Thank you.

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From: Walt Dubicki, WLMD40@aol.com

To: ercgreen@yourinter.net ; JIMHARBER@juno.com ; wdhartranft1@home.com ; nhostet@michbar.org ; penelope@mwci.net

Subject: Manzareli

Well, Well, Well and Good Golly !!!!! Welcome to my Humble Mailbox................

Soooooooo good to hear from you.. We have an Association just starting to develop of all the personnel that served at Det 27. We had our first Reunion at Fort Devens just a few days after the 9-11 MESS. Unfortunetly, a lot of the guys couldn't get there because of the airport closings ! Plans are now under-way for the second Reunion to be held in Hershey, Pa in Sept. I definently will fill you in on whats going on !!! I have taken the liberty of forwarding our communications on to some other members whom you might remember.. Chuck, don't feel like the Lone Ranger when it comes to using the PC - I'm just barely hanging in myself.........Later-Walt Dubicki, Det.27, 058/059, from Dec./61 to Jun./63.....................

From: Penelope Teschler, penelope@mwci.net

To: WLMD40@aol.com

Subject: Re: Manzareli

Chuck Teschker!!!!!!..........or at least his wife/old army buddy finder!

He is retired from GM, but 3 months of retirement and he got back into the building industry, his hours were cut back after Christmas and finds that working three days a week suits him just fine....allows him to do "stuff". Throughout the years he has mentioned going back to Turkey, last year I was on my computer and for fun I put in the name of the "child" (she is now in her mid-40's) I was governess to in Ankara, and you could have knocked me over with a feather when her web site came up, she is a professor at Bilkent University in Ankara!

Since then I have found the phone numbers of one or two of Chuck's army friends, he probably told you we visited Ted Rosick on the East coast, and went to Dan Nass's wedding in Wisconsin, but that was years ago and we lost touch with both of them. Then this weekend I was busy doing something and Chuck was in the garage when the word TUSLOG came into my mind.... I haven't seen that word in YEARS..so I went to the computer and put it in. Lo and behold....Mark Hamilton was right, every station in Turkey was mentioned except Manzarali until he started that web site, and that's where we found you! Chuck was so excited when I showed him, he only recognised your name and Bob Browns, and it wasn't even the Bob Brown he knew-this one was an MP. So we immediately emailed the only other buddy we have kept in touch with, Butch Murray, who was also very pleased we found the web site, he is encouraging Chuck to put his name on there. This I want to see- getting him to sit down at a computer is like pulling teeth!! If you would like to email Chuck I will print your letter and make sure he sits long enough to read it.

Best wishes from Hartland,Michigan..........Penny... and Chuck

WLMD40@aol.com wrote: There is no doubt in my mind that I am the person you are referring to.............I now live in Louisville, Ky...........Retired from Ford Motor Co. - Louisville Assembly Plant , 12/1/98 And whom shall I say is calling ??????????

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From: Robert Dandridge

Subject: Days of Our Lives

Elder, Although I did not respond to the survey (could not open the attachment), I read each and every "Days of Our Lives" email I receive and even have a Det27 folder, so keep em coming. Sorry bout the survey. Bob Dandridge, Wagener, SC., Det 27, 64-65

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From: JAMES A HARBER <jimharber@juno.com>

To: ercgreen@yourinter.net>

Cc: <k9jpq@hotmail.com>

Subject: VHS Movie

Elder, Last week Daryl Waite (Det-66 -64/65) sent me a VHS movie which he recently created from his 8mm movies made while in Turkey. Not only is Daryl a good ham and produced a terrific tape, but I got to relive some of the familiar scenes I experienced while there (including some real experiences of our Turkish 'moral bus' drivers passing on hills & curves on the "interstate" between Ankara and Çerkezhöyük. I will admit, Daryl travelled to many more Turkish sites than I had the opportunity to do. I was really impressed about quality created from 36 year old 8mm film. I just recently scanned a single frame from some Super 8mm film to produce a JPG image... I wasn't as fortunate as Daryl's production. In fact, Daryl called me tonite just to make sure that the tape was

received ok and see what I thought.... We chatted for a while... I feel like I know Daryl, even though he did not arrive until after I had departed... The tape covers GIs view, Site 23 views, 3 July 64 party, return home, Ankara, Short trips and trip around Turkey. If anyone else would be interested, Daryl said the only cost to others will be the cost to mail it on to the next person. If this works out, he said that he may able to redo in DVD when technology is available. Regards

Jim Harber

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From: Daryl Waite <k9jpq@hotmail.com>

Subject: VHS tape now ready--

Elder: I took a number of movies (reg 8mm) in Turkey and of the family over the past 38 years. Was wanting to transfer to tape for easier showing, but the 8c per ft X 20 reels X 300 ft (ave) did not appeal. So, experimenting with home transfers, came up with an acceptable quality transfer.

Made six copies during past week, of the Turkey travels -- Site 23 including the 3 July 64 party, belly dancer, walking tour of Ankara, farming scenes at the village down the hill, trips to Goreme, Gordium, Hittite ruins, and the trip around Turkey - Mt Ararat, Van, Tigrus River, Antioch, Adana, Alanya, Antalya, Izmir, Troy, Istanbul. The tape (T-160) runs 2hr 40 min apx. The only cost will be

postage to send it to next man on the list. If interested, e-mail and get on the list. An advance copy was sent to Jim Harber, be looking for his comments. Also, if interested in doing your own movie to VHS transfers, send a large SASE to Daryl Waite 33 N Washington, Carthage, Il 62321 for some dos and donts for best results. Daryl Waite

K9JPQ@Hotmail.com

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From: HOWARD C STEPHENS, SR <howardstephenssr@prodigy.net>

Subject: Airport Security!?

Elder, The article below isn't the usual type of Days of Our Lives Material - but it's worth a quick read. Thought it might bring a smile to the mind of any wise old ASA vet. (the dumb one's never live long enough to get old. Have a good laugh (or cry) and a great day! As always."Steve" Stephens

Subject: Airport Security!?!

I like this a lot. Wish I had written it but I didn't....... be sure to take the test at the end.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We've got a gazillion dollar airline industry whose job it is to convey people from one place to another in airplanes. It does (and has done) this with a safety record that's truly remarkable. Recent events, however, have shown us that the world harbors some seriously deranged people who are

willing to climb aboard airplanes and do really nasty things with them. Because of this, we've had to give airport security a hard look.

This turned up several problems. One was that, under harsh scrutiny, "Did you pack your own bag today?" didn't turn out to be the hard-nosed deterrent it was meant to be. A much more serious problem, however, was the finding that airport screeners were not well trained, had a horrendous turnover rate, and were often paid less than janitors working at the same airport.

Enter Congress - a group renowned for the fact that rational thought seldom ripples the serene surface of its collective mind. After looking into the situation, they said we had to improve airport security.

(A good start.)

They said we had to improve the quality of airport screeners, reduce turnover, and increase their pay.

(I was still with them.)

They said that pork, politics, and partisanship would be put aside for the good of the country. Airline safety was going to be the bottom line.

(I had tears in my eyes, my hand over my heart, and was humming " America the Beautiful.")

Then Congress declares, "We're going to turn airline security over to the federal government."

(Do what??)

The federal government, do consider, which is home to: The Helium Reserve (in case our fleet of battle blimps ever runs low on helium); Federal Housing (now, in many places, being dynamited into oblivion); The War on Poverty (motto: "Trillions down the drain and we ain't plugged it yet."); and the Honey Subsidy (those poor bees are still suffering) - to name but a few.

So, Congress federalized airport screeners. Then, in a move guaranteed to make us feel safer, the Transportation Security Administration announced that (I couldn't make this up if I wanted to) AIRPORT SCREENERS WILL NOT BE REQUIRED TO HAVE HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMAS!!!!!!

-------- - - - -ANYONE WANT TO TAKE A GUESS WHY???????- - - - - - - - - --------------------

I wonder what the recruiting posters are going to say? "Didn't finish 9th grade? Have we got a job for you!" What about entrance exams? Are they going to have something to do with Legos(c) and finger-painting? But wait. There's more.

To ensure we never offend anyone - particularly fanatics intent on killing us - airport screeners will not be allowed to profile people.

They will continue random searches of 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, Secret Service agents who are members of the President's security detail and 85 year old Congressmen with metal hips.

Pause a moment and take the following test :

In 1979, the U.S. embassy in Iran was taken over by:

(a) Norwegians from Ballard;

(b) Elvis;

(c) A tour bus full of 80-year-old women; or

(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1983, the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:

(a) A pizza delivery boy;

(b) Crazed feminists screeching that being able to throw a grenade beyond its own burst radius was an unfair and sexist requirement in basic training;

(c) Geraldo Rivera making up for a slow news day; or

(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:

(a) Luca Brazzi, for not being given a part in "Godfather 2;"

(b) The Tooth Fairy;

(c) Butch and Sundance who had a few sticks of dynamite left over from the train thing; or

(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

In 1998, the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:

(a) Mr. Rogers;

(b) Hillary, to distract attention from Wee Willie's women problems;

(c) the WWF, to promote its next villain: "Mustapha the Merciless;" or

(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked and destroyed by:

(a) Bugs Bunny,

(b) the Supreme Court of Florida trying to outdo their attempted hijacking of the 2000 Presidential election;

(c) Mr. Bean; or

(d) Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40.

How'd you do?

Did you detect a pattern that would indicate we'd better take a close look at a certain type of individual who might be boarding an airplane with something on his mind other than "What's the in-flight movie?"

You think so? Horrors! You're nothing more than a closet racist who could never be hired as an official federal airport screener. You probably molest goats too - but that's another column.

So, as it now stands, we have the Transportation Security Administration (letterhead: "No way WE'RE flying.") trying to improve the professionalism of airport screeners by lowering standards and forbidding the use of common sense in screening people. Makes sense, right? Right.

Pardon me while I go bang my head against the wall. Maybe that'll help me understand

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From: MChas41@aol.com>

Subject: Fwd: For history buffs like you

Hi. This is something I received from my retired homicide cop brother, so be careful in what you believe. He has not been peace loving and decent (LOL) like myself. Ok, I had a bad day here and there. Chuck Martin

CANNON BALLS...

In the heyday of sailing ships, all war ships and many freighters carried iron cannons. Those cannon fired round iron cannon balls. It was necessary to keep a good supply near the cannon, but prevent them from rolling about the deck.

The best storage method devised was a square based pyramid with one ball on top, resting on four resting on nine which rested on sixteen. Thus, a supply of thirty cannon balls could be stacked in a small area right next to the cannon.

There was only one problem - how to prevent the bottom layer from sliding/rolling from under the others. The solution was a metal plate called a, "Monkey," with sixteen round indentations.

If this plate was made of iron, the iron balls would quickly rust to it. The solution to the rusting problem was to make "Brass Monkeys." Few landlubbers realize that brass contracts much more and much faster than iron when chilled. Consequently, when the temperature dropped too far, the

brass indentations would shrink so much that the cannon balls would come right off the monkey.

Thus, it was quite literally, "Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey!" (And all this time, you have had dirty thoughts, haven't you?)

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From: Dumbo <lstupid1@starpower.net>

Subject: Media Ignore Fact That Gun Owners Stopped Virginia Law School Shooter

we spread this fact around enough, perhaps it will eventually find its way into the Mainstream Media.

Media Ignore Fact That Gun Owners Stopped School Shooter

Phil Brennan, NewsMax.com Saturday, Jan. 26, 2002

Two of the three Virginia law students who overpowered a gunman in a fatal school shooting were armed and used their weapons to disarm the shooter. Yet of the 280 stories written about the shooting, a mere four mentioned the fact that the heroic students were armed and used their guns to halt the rampage.

That's according to Dr. John Lott, a resident scholar at American Enterprise Institute and the author of the widely acclaimed book "More Guns, Less Crime."

Writing in Friday's edition of the New York Post, Lott reported on last week's shooting at Appalachian School of Law. Nigerian student Peter Odighizuwa is accused of killing the dean, L. Anthony Sutin, 42 ? a former acting assistant U.S. attorney general and campaign worker for Bill Clinton ? professor Thomas Blackwell, 41, and student Angela Denise Dales, 33.

Noting that the rampage was widely covered in the world's media, Lott wrote: "As usual, there were calls for more gun control.

"Yet in this age of 'gun-free school zones,' the vast majority of the news reports ignored the fact that the attack was stopped by two students who had guns in their cars. The quick response by two of the students, Mikael Gross, 34, and Tracy Bridges, 25, undoubtedly saved multiple lives," Lott reported.

According to Lott: Having just returned from lunch, Gross was outside the law school building when Odighizuwa began shooting. Bridges was inside, waiting for class to start.

When the sound of shooting erupted, panic ensued. "People were running everywhere. They were jumping behind cars, running out in front of traffic, trying to get away," Gross said.

Instead of joining in the chaos, Gross and Bridges ran to their cars and got their guns. Joined by an unarmed Ted Besen, an ex-Marine and police officer, the three men approached the shooter from different sides.

"I aimed my gun at him, and Peter tossed his gun down," Bridges recalled. "Ted approached Peter, and Peter hit Ted in the jaw. Ted pushed him back, and we all jumped on."

Wrote Lott: "What is so remarkable is that out of 280 separate news stories (from a computerized Nexis-Lexis search) in the week after the event, just four stories mentioned that the students who stopped the attack had guns.

"Only two local newspapers (the Richmond Times-Dispatch and the Charlotte Observer) mentioned that the students actually pointed their guns at the attacker."

Lott cited the liberal, anti-gun Washington Post, which reported that the heroes had simply "helped subdue" the killer. The leftist, anti-gun New York Times, not surprisingly, noted only that the attacker was "tackled by fellow students."

"Most in the media who discussed how the attack was stopped said: 'students overpowered a gun-man,' 'students ended the rampage by tackling him,' 'the gunman was tackled by four male students before being arrested,' or 'Students ended the rampage by confronting and then tackling the gun- man, who dropped his weapon.'"

Such selective reporting is not unusual, Lott noted. "In the other public school shootings where citizens with guns have stopped attacks, rarely do more than one percent of the news stories mention that citizens with guns stopped the attacks."

Wall of Silence

Lott cited research showing there are 2 million defensive gun uses each year. "After all, if these events were really happening, wouldn't we hear about them on the news? But when was the last time you saw a story on the national evening news (or even the local news) about a citizen using his gun to stop a crime?"

Such "misreporting actually endangers people's lives," Lott concluded. "By selectively reporting the news and turning a defensive gun use story into one where students merely 'overpowered a gun-man' the media gives misleading impressions of what works when people are confronted by

violence.

"Research consistently shows that having a gun is the safest way to respond to any type of criminal attack, especially these multiple victim shootings."

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From: Walters, William

This is a must read. Enjoy.

Subject: Army Vice Chief Lauds Special Ops' Afghan Mission

By Linda D. Kozaryn

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Jan. 24, 2002 -- Talk about a general who's proud of his troops. Just mention the Army Special Forces operation in Afghanistan to the Army's vice chief of staff and he'll glow as he tells you about their mission. Gen. John Keane, a broad-shouldered hulk of a career soldier, attributes America's success in Afghanistan to three things: the military's going in early, without waiting to husband all the resources necessary; relying on friendly Afghan forces to take the fight to the Taliban and Al Qaeda; and using Army Special Forces to guide U.S. air power. "Sometimes, we forget how dramatic it is, what we have done," the general told several hundred officers at the Reserve Officer Association mid-winter conference. Recapping the mission, Keane said U.S. air forces began softening Afghan air defenses Oct. 7 so U.S. and coalition pilots could fly safely on strike and humanitarian missions. "Then we started on strategic and leadership targets ... -- mostly

infrastructure, communication sites, command and control facilities, barracks and the like," he said. Meanwhile, he continued, Afghan groups expressed frustration because airplanes flew over them every day, but few supported their tactical objectives. But concentrating attention on strategic targets was the plan, Keane said. The strikes occurred while U.S. forces were getting resources into place, which required working out staging arrangements. That planning proved challenging

* who would permit overflights, landing and resupply permits, the staging of forces-and who would allow the United States and other coalition members to conduct combat offensive operations from their territory.

Then, the United States began introducing its special operations forces. Keane explained that Army Special Forces is organized in 12-man "A Teams" that are grouped into company-sized "B Teams," which in turn form battalion-sized "C Teams." It's the A Teams, he stressed, that are at the heart of Special Forces. A captain leads and is assisted by a warrant officer, who's usually a former NCO Everyone else on an A Team is a NCO, generally in grades E-6 or E-7, and aged in the late 20s or early 30s. All are specialists-in weapons, communications, medical, or other fields. They all are experts on the region's culture and speak local languages. With the collapse of the Soviet empire, Keane said, Special Forces personnel have been dealing with fragile democracies in several former Soviet republics.

"You'll have an E-7 teaching 50 to 60 (officers) in a classroom about military tactics of a modern army, doing away with the Soviet monolithic model," the general said. "He's teaching them about how fundamental it is that the military must subordinate itself to civilian control and how that's a necessary ingredient in a democracy."

This type of military-to-military experience enabled the Special Forces to do what they did in Afghanistan, the general said, noting that "what they did was pretty remarkable. Just to get them hooked up with the tribal leaders and their armies was a formidable challenge."

Teams went into Afghanistan at night in MH-47 helicopters of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. "They would fly at 17,000 feet at '00 illumination' on some days," Keane said.

"The weather was horrible," he said. "Black Hawk aircraft that were accompanying them ... had to turn around because they couldn't get through the weather. The MH-47s went on and, as they got into the operating area, they would (draw) fire. They'd land their A Teams and then fly back out and get fired upon again." Even so, he remarked, air crews went back in night after night until every team was in place.

Once the A Teams were on the ground, they faced the challenge of first joining an army of 5,000 to 10,000 Afghans and then gaining the trust of its leaders. In some cases, the Special Forces could not speak the language of the tribe they had joined, Keane noted. You had the delicate business of 30-year-old captains advising the local general 15 years his senior on how to fight his war, he said.

The Special Forces did as their host tribes did-ate the same food, wore the same kind of clothes, slept under the same conditions and used any transportation at hand, whether pickup trucks or horses.

The Americans' costuming themselves like their hosts proved the right decision, Keane said, not just to build up trust, but also for protection.

Wandering around in an American getup would have made them easy targets for snipers, he said.

The Special Forces troops told Keane they had developed a great deal of respect for the Afghan fighters they advised. "Tribal leaders knew the Americans were there to help them, and they knew it was an act of bravery on their part simply to have joined them," he said.

One member of the Special Forces did not return from the mission in Afghanistan. Sgt. 1st Class Nathan R. Chapman, 31, was the first U.S. soldier killed by enemy fire in the war against terrorism.

Keane attended Chapman's funeral at Fort Lewis, Wash. He said local authorities closed the interstate used by the funeral procession to reach a national cemetery north of Lewis. "The last time they had closed that highway was for a visiting president,"

Keane noted. "People had come down the exit ramps and stood on the side of the highway with American flags. Some veterans saluted. Nobody said a thing. Every single overpass ... had fire trucks on them and firemen at the railing. All of them saluted.

"In my mind, they were saying, 'Thank you,'" the general said. "Sgt. Chapman didn't die in vain. He was a soldier reflecting the values of the American people. Thank God for our Sgt. Chapmans." NOTE: This is a plain text version of a web page. If your e-mail program did not properly format this information, you may view the story at

http://216.33.148.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=e9a493715dc7bf405e31e52b6a1be0d5&lat=1012288399&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2edefenselink%2emil%2fnews%2fJan2002%2fn01242002_200201245%2ehtml Any photos, graphics or other imagery included in the article may also be viewed at this web page.

Visit the Defense Department's newest Web site for the latest news and info about America's response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war against terrorism: "Defend America" at http://216.33.148.250/cgi-bin/linkrd?_lang=EN&lah=36012f0cfa17dbde9e155ee50d5951fc&lat=1012288399&hm___action=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eDefendAmerica%2emil.

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From: Walters, William

Subject: Deploying troops circle Trade Center site (101st ABN)

For all you 101st Alums (265th) out there, as well as just a great Army story.

by Spc. Eric S. Bartelt

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (Army News Service, Jan. 23, 2002) -- An aircraft filled with 101st Airborne Division soldiers en route to Afghanistan circled the World Trade Center disaster site in lower Manhattan last week to remind the troops of why they were deploying.

It was the first time since Sept. 11 that the Federal Aviation Administration allowed a commercial plane to fly over the site. Capt. Richard Osborne, pilot of MD-11 World Airways, radioed 20 minutes ahead to coordinate the maneuver and the air traffic controllers were notably moved by the request.

"They were happy to do it when we told them the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) was on board," said Osborne. "These people are going over there and are literally risking their lives in response to the terror that occurred at that place; it was very significant that they get an opportunity to see it."

For the soldiers of Task Force 187 making the trip, it was a reminder of what the mission is all about. "It was definitely a sobering moment, (a reminder) of what we're doing here," said Spc. Raymond Ballance, Company D, 311th Military Intelligence, ground surveillance. "It brought it back to the front of my mind, of why we're doing this, by seeing those two barren sites." Ballance is also prepared to make the sacrifice to help eliminate terrorism. "Hopefully I'll find some bad guys and detain them so we can bring them to justice," said Ballance.

Osborne, who was an Army aviator during Vietnam, said he was proud to have the job of flying the "Screaming Eagles" to their destination. "I'm glad we're able to bring them on this leg and what we're really looking forward to is bringing each and every one of them back home," said Osborne.

"I was proud when I served in the military and I'm proud of the quality of people who are on board today." (Editor's note: Spc. Eric Bartelt is a member of the 40th Public Affairs

Detachment now serving in Afghanistan.)

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