President's Message by Barney Barnes

Greetings Marines:

I trust this newsletter finds you all well and in good spirits. First and foremost, this edition of our Golf 2/5 Newsletter, is in Honor and Loving Memory of our fallen brother, DENNIS CLAUDE STUDENNY, who passed away June17, 2004. Stu was to me, as well as most of ya'll, not only my true friend but my Brother in the Corps. I will miss him greatly. Because of our loss, the Golf 2/5 Family has gained a much stronger love, respect and bond for and to each other.

There were eight of us, Stu's Marine brothers, (Chuck Meadows, Mike Ervin, Tony Cartlidge, Don LaJeunesse, Dale Roberts, Mike Copeland, Larry Ortiz, Barney Barnes, Bill Rogers & J B Redus) who were able to come to Tulsa to pay our respects to Terry and his family and then say good bye to our brother.

A few of us got up and spoke at his funeral, myself included. Most of us spoke not from some planned speech or thoughts but simply just from our hearts. I could not even tell you what I said other than I closed my remarks with this poem that was left on my desk at work by a co-worker who knew I was hurting and struggling with the loss of Stu.

 

I DID NOT DIE

Do not stand at my grave and weep

I am not there. I do not sleep

I am a thousand winds that blow

I am the diamond glints in the snow

I am the sunlight on ripened grain

I am the gentle Autumn's rain

When you awaken in the morning hush

I am the swift uplifting rush, of quiet

Birds circled flight

I am the soft stars that shine at night

So do not stand at my grave and cry

I am not there...I did not die.

 

By all means, we need to remember Terry in our thoughts and prayers. She is one of us. What a strong lady. A true trooper if there ever was one.

I would also ask that we remember our brother, Ruben Garza. Write to him if at all possible, this is a chance to reach out and help in the smallest way one of our own who has fallen on hard times.

I had planned to include Ruben's letters to me in this Prez Message, but to be honest, my heart and mind are just not in it. I'm, in my own way, still grieving from the loss of Stu. Ruben's written words are of such magnitude and power, I would not want to slight him by not presenting them so as for each of you to get an insight into who this brother of ours truly is.

Hope you understand.

Take care, my brothers, may God bless each of you and your families. And as always, Love & Respect to all. See you in DC!!

 

Semper Fi,

Barney

 

 

Memories of a Hero by George Haught

On June 6, 2004 a highway was dedicated to a fallen hero. Pfc. Melvin E. Newlin, although Melvin was not with Golf Company he was a fellow two-fiver. Melvin served with Fox 2/5 and was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

His citation will appear later in this article as written by the Medal of Honor Society. It paints a true picture of courage and devotion to Corps.

For me it is a whole lot more personal because Melvin was my cousin and best friend. We grew up together, and played war games with the other kids. We learned a love for this great country and we learned to love the flag and to honor it. We like the generation that we grew up in said the pledge of allegiance and meant it when we said One Nation Under God.

We talked with the veterans of other wars and were not afraid to listen to them. We hung on their every word and we respected them. For us then as teenage kids these were true heroes. We saw the movie versions and like most young people thought that all Heroes were like John Wayne. Tall, indestructible men that could move mountains and never get hurt.

We come to find out that was not so, most of the veterans that we knew were not that big. But we never doubted their bravery or their stories.

Melvin was that way, like most of us he was not tall not athletic, he was 5' 9 tall and weighed in at a robust 140. But what he did on July 3, 4, 1967 was that of a man with the Heart the size of himself. The feat is written here for you to see for yourselves.

The citation only tells about the incident for which he was awarded his Medal of Honor, but it started well before that. I remember the first letter that I received from him when 2/5 was first deployed in March of 1967. The battalion was engaged in firefights on a daily basis and was getting really tested by the VC and the NVA. While I was in boot camp I got a letter from him telling me of a very pitched battle in June of 1967 and how his company CO reacted and acted that day. Melvin told me about how brave he was and how much of a Marine he was; he was killed that day saving the lives of his troops. He would later be given the Medal of Honor also, but Melvin would never know that. He, like I did and like countless others that I have talked to, only would wonder out loud to me in the letter, when the time comes I hope that I am ready.

The CO was named Captain James A. Graham, in looking at the Medal of Honor recipients I happened across his name and citation. In all 2/5 had 3 Medal of Honor recipients, besides Captain Graham and my cousin. The other was one from Golf Co., Gunny Allan Jay Kellogg who received his award on March11, 1970.

I could fill this newsletter with memories that my friend and I shared over his too brief life, but memories sometimes lend to sentimentality and tears.

I will share with you though some thoughts and reflections from doing research on the Medal of Honor, and other medals also. If you are a Marine you are held to a higher standard and the medals do not come cheap. We do not receive bronze stars for meritorious duty, only with V for valor. If you win a Medal of Honor in the Marine Corps you win it at the ultimate sacrifice.

In Viet Nam there were 245 Medal of Honor recipients, of those 57 were Marines 4 corpsman and 1 Chaplain.

There are only 132 living recipients 52% of which earned their medals 50 years ago, WW 2 (50) Korea (18). There has been one Woman awarded the Medal in the Civil War, Dr. Mary E. Walker.

Ronald Rossur (at left) is one of the living Medal Of Honor recipients that I had the pleasure to meet and talk with. He was the key speaker at the dedication ceremony representing the Medal Of Honor Society. He is a Korean War Veteran.

My cousin's Medal of Honor Citation:

 

NEWLIN, MELVIN EARL

Rank and organization: Private First Class, U.S. Marine Corps, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division (Rein), FMF. Place and date: Quang Nam Province, Republic of Vietnam, 4 July 1967. Entered service at: Cleveland, Ohio. Born: 27 September 1948, Wellsville, Ohio. Citation: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a machine gunner attached to the 1st Platoon, Company F, 2d Battalion, on 3 and 4 July 1967. Pfc. Newlin, with 4 other marines, was manning a key position on the perimeter of the Nong Son outpost when the enemy launched a savage and well coordinated mortar and infantry assault, seriously wounding him and killing his 4 comrades. Propping himself against his machine gun, he poured a deadly accurate stream of fire into the charging ranks of the Viet Cong. Though repeatedly hit by small-arms fire, he twice repelled enemy attempts to overrun his position. During the third attempt, a grenade explosion wounded him again and knocked him to the ground unconscious. The Viet Cong guerrillas, believing him dead, bypassed him and continued their assault on the main force. Meanwhile, Pfc. Newlin regained consciousness, crawled back to his weapon, and brought it to bear on the rear of the enemy, causing havoc and confusion among them. Spotting the enemy attempting to bring a captured 106 recoilless weapon to bear on other marine positions, he shifted his fire, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy and preventing them from firing the captured weapon. He then shifted his fire back to the primary enemy force, causing the enemy to stop their assault on the marine bunkers and to once again PFC Melvin Earl Newlin     attack his machine gun position. Valiantly fighting off 2 more enemy assaults, he firmly held his ground until mortally wounded. Pfc. Newlin had single-handedly broken up and disorganized the entire enemy assault force, causing them to lose momentum and delaying them long enough for his fellow marines to organize a defense and beat off their secondary attack. His indomitable courage, fortitude, and unwavering devotion to duty in the face of almost certain death reflect great credit upon himself and the Marine Corps and upheld the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

The citation tells the story of bravery and of being that most rarest of rare, a Marine's Marine. I will always remember with the fondest and most loving memories a TRUE HERO!

 

George Haught

 

Note: As reported in the Columbus, Ohio Morning Journal on 21 May 2004, WELLSVILLE It's been a long time coming for supporters of Melvin Earl Newlin. But at 3 p.m. on June 6 at the 4th Street gazebo, supporters of the Congressional Medal of Honor recipient will get their wish when the 5.3 miles of state Route 7 between East Liverpool and Wellsville (Ohio) is dedicated to Newlin during a formal presentation. Ron Simmons, commander of the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 47, said the formal dedication has been a long time coming, and will finally satisfy those who have been waiting. A lot of people have been asking (about the dedication), Simmons said. It's really been a long time coming. The 5.3 miles of highway, named Melvin E. Newlin Memorial Highway, was officially named in December 2001 after Senate Bill 21, sponsored by Sen. Greg DiDonato, was signed in Columbus. It took a long time to get through that process, he said of the signing of the bill. Owe started this whole thing in 2000, so it's taken quite a long time for everything to get finished. The two roadside signs were recently installed in March nearly two years after the bill was signed. It's been red tape, government, that's held this up, Simmons said of the signs.

 

George, thanks for sharing these very personal recollections about your cousin and friend A TRUE AMERICAN HERO!

. . . the editor

 

Secretary/Treasurers Report by Rick Mack

Greetings Golf 2/5 Marines

The month of June most certainly had its ups and downs for me. On the uphill side I had managed to slip in a ten day vacation at which time I headed to northern Indiana to visit my brother. On the downhill side and while out of the area I had learned of the loss of Brother Dennis Studenny. He will most definitely be sorely missed and my thoughts and prayers are with him always as well as with his family. May he rest in peace until such time we are all together again.

Our treasury is looking well and has stabilized somewhat with only an occasional dues renewal coming in. We have also had a few new members sign on recently and to them I say Welcome Aboard. According to my records our numbers for paid up members is Extremely low at this time with a total count of 97 with this year being more than half gone already. If you have not done so as of yet please submit your 2004 dues and/or any past dues owed as soon as you possibly can as our numbers should be much higher than what they are at this time.

I would also like to bring your attention a simple task that would certainly make things a bit easier on me with regards to keeping our records straight when sending payments. There have been quite a few that have simply submitted a check without the dues notice stub enclosed or a note of any kind. Common sense tells me that your $10 payment would therefore be applied to the current year dues and that is not the problem I have been running in to. Those that send in additional funds over $10 has me confused without a note of some kind explaining what the additional funds are to be applied to as in: Past dues owed, pre-payment for the next year or a donation. Therefore, it would certainly assist me in keeping the records straight if you would kindly slip in a note with an explanation of what the additional funds are for. Your cooperation regarding this matter would most definitely be appreciated.

Thus far it appears as though I will be strapped with a lot of family business to take care of with little Samantha and all and it saddens me that I will not be able to attend the upcoming reunion in September and to all of those that will be there I can assure you that my thoughts will be with you all. I would like to personally thank Mike Ervin for all the work he has been putting into getting this off the ground for us and I am looking forward to reading all about what took place there in the next newsletter. Speaking of newsletters, I would also like to thank Larry Ortiz for all that he has done currently and over the years for making sure that we are informed of what takes place within the association by putting together a great newsletter. Let's not forget our association's information officer Tony (aka, Limey) for all that he has been doing with keeping us up to date on various information through emails. Thanks to all of you for your dedication and sacrifices.

I wish for all of you the very best this summer season and please keep our troops around the world in your thoughts and prayers.

 Semper Fi

   Rick Mack

 

Upcoming Formations

GOLF 2/5 Reunion 2004, by Mike Ervin (Association VP and 2004 Reunion Chairman)

When: 2004 Golf 2/5 Association Reunion is set for 24th, 25th, and 26th of September 2004!

Where: Washington D.C.

Hotel: Crystal Gateway Marriott, 1700 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington VA 22202 (703-271-5226).

Some other hotels close to the Crystal City Marriott are:

*   Courtyard by Marriott Crystal City, 2899 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arl. VA 800-321-2211

   *  Days Inn Crystal City, 2000 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arl. VA 800-329-7466

   *   Embassy Suite Hotel, 1300 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arl. VA 703-979-9799

   *  Hampton Inn & Suite, Reagan Int'l Airport, 2000 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arl VA 703-418-8181

   *  Holiday Inn, 1489 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arl VA 800-465-4329

   *  Holiday Inn National Airport, 2650 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arl. VA 800-465-4329

   *  Hyatt Regency Crystal City, 2799 Jefferson Davis Hwy, Arlington, VA 800-233-1234

Any one with questions can call Mike Ervin @ 703-354-1473 or email pandmervin@cox.net.

Current Status:

Friday Day/Evening 24Sep04 - General Grab-Ass Session, informal introductions, meet and squeal - location will probably be in an adjoining hospitality suite. Specific information will be provided in handouts at check-in.

Saturday 25Sep04 - 10am - 3pm

1. General Membership Meeting (30 minutes) to discuss:

a. Dues.

(1) G 2/5 Assn. can't continue to expect to have bi-annual reunions without benefit of $$. It's either higher dues, those that do attend reunions bear the expense, or reunions go by the wayside.

(2) Increase in annual dues.

(3) Where to hold next reunion.

b. Speaker (30 min. to 1 hr) - currently have one speaker (Bill Buchanan). Will probably try to schedule Bill in the AM (Topic general 2/5 and G 2/5 data 65 era).

c. Break for lunch.

d. Speaker (30 min to 1 hr) From VADC to speak about PTSD then and now

e. General Grab-Ass session

2. Dinner in the Terrace Restaurant - Buffet Style (that's what's currently in the works).

Sunday 26Sep04 - retrograde

Mike Ervin

In Our Thoughts and Prayers

     Dennis Studenny As Barney reported in his Pres. Message, we lost a good friend and fellow Marine, suddenly, unexpectedly and shockingly on Thursday, June 17, 2004. Stu's wife, Terry, called the next day to inform me that Stu, as we all called him, had passed away. I had already left for work and my wife, Melba, received the call. She called me at work to tell me the bad news and it felt like I had just been kicked in the stomach. How could this be? As luck would have it, Stu had called me on Tuesday night, a little over 36 hrs. before he died.

Stu, or Stud which was his real nickname in Nam, was the first Association President. I remember we'd talk and he'd tell me of all the former G 2/5er's he had tracked down or found out other information about them. He remembered which city many of our friends were from and he'd call information in that city and get numbers for as many people with that same last name as he could and he'd start making calls. Sometimes he'd actually end up calling the right person. Other times he might be lucky and reach a relative of the Marine he was looking for and get their number that way. Many times he'd call and he'd tell me he did find out about the Marine he was looking for but that he had died some number of years after he got back from the Nam. It took a lot of time and he ran up many expensive phone bills trying to locate G 2/5er's but that's how important his brother Marines were to him.

When a close family member or close friend dies, you hope you have no regrets. Unfortunately, I do have some regrets at Stu's untimely passing. We spoke occasionally by phone every few months and I have to admit that most of the phone calls were initiated by Stu. The night he called, he had just come from a bar where he had a few drinks with some of his friends. During our conversation, he kinda' chewed my butt a little about not staying in touch more often. At first I was in no mood for a lecture but I listened to him and acknowledged he was right and our conversation turned immediately from his being a little upset with me to a conversation between two good friends and brother Marines. We talked a good long while and it was really good to talk to him. I now regret I did not stay in touch with him as often as I could have.

Stu was also the Golf 2/5 historian. Whenever we got together at reunions and at other times, Stu could relate dates, names, the Operation we were on and all manner of facts whereas most of the rest of us remembered these events but not with the clarity and detail Stu did. I have been thinking about writing a book about my Nam experiences some day, probably when I retire. I've thought about taking a trip to visit many of my vet friends I served with to talk to them and help me piece together some of the details that are slipping away. I envisioned visiting Stu first, having a few, or several drinks, and recording our conversations to get a good recollection of many of the facts and events that he remembered so well. I regret that I no longer have that opportunity.

I learned a very important life-lesson from Stu's untimely death. I learned that I should value daily the presence in my life of my family, friends and loved ones. Life is certainly unpredictable and fleeting and you never know when tragedy might strike. I learned that I need to express to the people I care about and love that I love and care about them now before it's too late and I might not have taken the opportunity to let them know that.

I like all Stu's family and friends miss him terribly. He was a good friend and one HELLUVA Marine! I guess those drinks will have to wait.

Semper Fi, my friend rest in the peace of God's love.

Larry Ortiz

 

The following is reprinted from the Program at Stu's funeral:

 

High Flight

Oh, I have slipped the surly bonds of earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings:

Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,

I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air.

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue

I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or even eagle flew.

And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

By John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

 

In Loving Memory

Dennis Claude Studenny

Born

June 29, 1949

Suffern, New York

Died

June 17, 2004

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

Service

10:00a.m. Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Stanleys Memorial Chapel

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Officiating

Rev. Paul Taylor

Organist

E. Farrell Dixon

Music

Marine Corps Hymn  Into The Mystic

I'm With You  Rondeau

Pall Bearers

Dan Dunn  Bill Stoneley  Mike Gregory

Mark Dupra  George Tooma  Barney Barnes

Interment

Floral haven Memorial Gardens

Broken Arrow, Oklahoma

 

 

     Jerry Ortiz recently underwent quadruple bypass surgery. I'd like to ask the Association members to keep my older brother in your thoughts and prayers for a full and speedy recovery. Jerry accompanied me and three other Golf 2/5er's back to the Nam in 1998 and he and his wife, Terry, have attended a couple reunions with me and my wife Melba. Many of you know him and all your good thoughts and wishes will be greatly appreciated by me and his family the editor

     From Walter Kaczmarek This letter is to let you know that one of H-2-5 passed away recently. He was Alan MacDonald of Jacksonville, Fl. Alan had a silver star and was one of the Marines that raised the flag at Hue city. He had stomach cancer for a few years. I last saw Alan two years ago at the Hue city reunion. He will be missed.

     From James Zak Michael L Trombley (KIA Aug. 1967)

Mike and I enlisted together, and we stayed together through boot camp, but after that he went to the 1st. Mar. Div and I went to the 3rd. We were big fans of the Detroit Red Wings and played a lot of Ball together when we were kids. Even after all these years, I still miss him. But I have honored him by naming my son after him.

My e-mail address is jimjanzak@yahoo.com. So if you knew him or if anyone else out there knew Mike, drop me a line.

 

*Lest We Forget. . .!

*HM3 John C. Blake (Corpsman)   KIA 3/21/70

*Lt. Nicholas P. Huth II                KIA 7/12/69

**LCpl. Thomas R. Moore             KIA 2/22/70

Cpl. Henry Gleaves Crigger            KIA 11/15/67

LCpl. Gary Lee Jenks                     KIA 8/12/70

Cpl. David H. Warner                    KIA 2/17/68

 

Correction: In the April 2004 Newsletter, LCpl. Regis P. Debold was listed as KIA 10/12/68/ the correct date was 10/12/66

*Thanks to Hm2 "Doc Jeff" Lippincott, 3 rd plt corpsman who served with Golf Company, 2/5, 1stMAR DIV, RVN, 6/69-6/70 who provided these two names the editor

**Thanks to Gary Dickerson for the information the editor

 

Let us also not forget our brave Marines, Soldiers, Airmen

 and British and Italian allies who have made the ultimate sacrifice in Afghanistan and on Operation Iraqi Freedom!

 

Roll Call

 

     From Joy Doc Higgins Joy attended the 2002 2/5 Reunion in Branson, with Doc, where all G2/5 vets received a Reunion T-shirt. She and some of the wives felt a little left out and Joy has taken on the self-appointed task of designing T-shirts for all the wives and significant others who are going to attend the forthcoming reunion in September in DC. The T-shirts will have two red hearts intertwined on the front with Vietnam Veterans Partners in a circle around them. On the back, Veterans of Golf 2/5, Proud of their service and sacrifices, with the Golf 2/5 emblem and maybe the Marine emblem, all sizes I hope. They will be 12 dollars each and they will only come in white sorry. Joy needs an accurate count of those who would like to purchase a T-shirt. Please call Joy at: 402-486-1772. Please leave message on answering machine, and it will ring for a long time, sorry. You can also contact Joy at: Jjhiggjo@aol.com.

     The G 2/5 Association would like to welcome three new members, Walter  Wally L. Kubicki, LaGrange Highlands, IL, and Robert Shinkle, Kingsland, GA, and John Royer, Clearwater, FL all dues paying members! Wally, Ed Benavidez, Ted Armijo, Larry Hardaway, and Ron Johnson some of our Chu Lai Veterans have also advised that they are planning on attending the DC reunion. We look forward to seeing them there the editor.

     From Lucia Viti Hello, my name is Lucia Viti and I am the daughter of Dr Tom Viti who served as the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines Surgeon in An Hoa in 1967. I am writing a memoir about his service, as well as those who served with him - if you have any information please feel free to contact me at luciaviti@adelphia.net. Thank you kindly. Kindest regards, Lucia Viti

     I had the opportunity to speak with Lucia and she is very interested in hearing from anyone that may have known her father (who has since passed away) and served with him. Please contact her at the above e-mail address if you knew Doc Viti. . . . the editor

     From Sue Warner-Bean My big brother, David Warner, served in Golf 2/5 from August '67 until he was killed in action in Hue on February 17, 1968. For 35 years I had known very little about Dave's time in Viet Nam.

     Sue is very interested and anxious to hear from any G 2/5 vets who may have known and served with her brother. If any of you out there may have known David, please contact Sue at the following E-mail:

sue.warner-bean@alaskaair.com

Or, you can contact me and I can provide Sue's phone number to contact her directly the editor

 

Missing In Action

We have lost touch with the following G 2/5 vets. Their last known city of residence is also provided below.

 

       Baker, Ferrall L. Laguna Niguel, CA

       Crilly III, Thomas J. Iselin, NJ

       Coltri, Jr., Bruno R. Lyons, IL

       Dillenburg, Clyde St. Joseph, MN

       Dima, G. E. Spokane, WA

       Faircloth, Michael E. Deatsville, AL

       Gates, William L. Gainesville, FL

       Graham, James M. Gibsonia, PA

       Huber, Jim Charleston, MD

       Jasper, N. J. Vinton, CA

       Lippencott, Jeffery Wilmington, DE

       Lucas, Larry Beattyville, KY

       Marsden, Richard W. Camdenton, MO

       McColloch, James H. Charleston, SC

       McGuiness, John C. Anthony, FL

       McNeil, Mike A. Iowa City, IA

       Moore, Dave H. Herndon, VA

       Moore, John H. Payson, AZ

       Robinson, Arthur T. Bronx, NY

       Schaefer, R. A Walkerton, IN

       Sutton Jr., Horace Lumberton, NC

       Woggin, John A. Hilton Head, NC

 

Note: After the last newsletter mailing, I received two returns with no forwarding address. These new MIAs are listed in bold above. If any of you know any of these individuals and have a current address for them, please send along to me. . .the editor

April 2004 Newsletter, by Larry Ortiz

I took over the position of G 2/5 editor about 5 years ago. Our Secretary/Treasurer/Editor, Lance Machamer was having some health problems and could no longer keep up all his duties with the Golf 2/5 Association and asked for a volunteer to take over the position of editor. I took this position for many reasons but primarily because keeping the G 2/5 Association going as a viable organization was very important to me and the newsletter was and is our primary means of communication. Through the Association, I have been able to reconnect with many of my friends and fellow Marines I had the privilege to serve with in Vietnam. My position as editor of the G 2/5 Association has been primarily and foremost, a labor of love for me.

Secondarily, I had several professors in college who believed I had some talent for writing, however modest that might be, and encouraged me to pursue it and it's always been something I have enjoyed doing.

In a recent article submitted by Stewart Brown, he wrote a short but poignant article I included in the Dec. 2003 newsletter. In Stewart's article, he wrote about how, for the most part, he is able to keep the demons at bay but every once in awhile those feelings and emotions about losing friends in the Nam come uncontrollably flooding into his consciousness. He hoped