The reunion was great beyond any of our expectations. I think that everyone had a remarkable
time. Men who had not seen one another since departing the battlefields of Vietnam so many years
ago finally got the chance to find out how their old buddies are doing. Lots of hugging... lots of
laughing... and more than a few tears were seen in the eyes of rugged men... as well as wives and
friends. The email and notes that I have received since returning home from the reunion have been
overwhelming. Several of the men have said that it was one of the greatest events of their lives.
Wives have written that this reunion had a wonderful, positive effect on their husbands. It connected
dots and in some cases provided closure. If you weren't there, you missed a great time. Please plan
on attending the next reunion.
In addition to all the "catching up" that took place in the hospitality rooms, I believe we had three
major reunion events:
1. An exceptional morning was our visit to the 3rd Battalion 2nd Marines to see the display of
weapons, meet the young Marines, and lunch with their NCOs. These young Marines knew their
stuff. Remarks to us by the battalion commander, LtCol Paul B. Dunahoe, said it all. Today's
Marines look up to US. They draw their strength from US and our great record of combat
performance in Vietnam. Long gone are the days when some in this country look down on our
service there. Not only do these fine young Marines appreciate our service in Vietnam, but they use
our performance there as a standard by which they strive to attain combat excellence. They tell us
this often because it is true. We were the best of all times and to think otherwise would be a
distortion of historical fact.
2. The Memorial Service at the Camp Lejeune Chapel. I still shiver when I think of that
service. It was sad. It was joyful. It was beautiful. It embodied a full range of emotion.
The colors were posted by a color guard from the 2nd Marine Division. Father Richard Mendez
(machine guns 66/67) did the invocation, scripture reading, and few remarks. Father Richard, a
Western Shoshone, is an Episcopalian priest who ministers to the Ute Indians in Utah. Dan
McEvily, former platoon commander, 3rd platoon(67) read Why We Fought, by Lionel
Chetwynd. George Olsen, former platoon commander, 3rd platoon (68) read the names of all the
Kilo Company Marines and Corpsmen who were killed in action during the company's 6 years of
service in RVN. Thompson Flute, Jr, squad leader, 1st platoon(66/67) sang 3 songs in the Apache
language which "honor the fallen warriors." Thompson is an Oklahoma Apache in the construction
business in Oklahoma City.
The bagpiper, a retired Marine, was magnificent. He played The Flowers of the Forest, Amazing
Grace, and ended the service with The Marines Hymn. Words of Memoriam by Chris
Giordano... forceful... charged with emotion... from the heart...perfect for the occasion. Chris, a
rifleman in the 2nd Platoon (67/68), was severely wounded in the Cua Viet on 25 Jan 68. He later
graduated from Penn State and received a masters degree from Northeastern University in Boston. Bryan
Lash, platoon commander, 2nd platoon, (67/68), guided the Individual Memoriam. Many of our
guys stood and spoke of their close buddies who were killed in action. Certainly an emotional and
dynamic part of the service. One of our special guests was Gaynell Zirnheld and her husband,
Lenny. Gaynell is the sister of Cpl Charles A. Smith, squad leader in the 2nd platoon who was
killed in action on 28 Feb 68. They attended the service with her son, Cpl Aaron Humphrey,
USMC. Bill Michel, platoon commander, 2nd platoon (67) and later company executive officer
(67/68), gave the benediction. Taps played by Sgt Guerro, 2nd Marine Division Band. As the
service closed, we all sang The Marines Hymn to the music of the bagpipes.
3. The banquet at the Camp Lejeune Officers Club. Certainly a great and appropriate way to
close the reunion. The last count was 200 attendees including family members and guests. Although
it was an informal program, Haywood Riley, platoon sergeant/platoon commander, 2nd platoon
(67/68), (now retired sergeant major), served as master of ceremonies. The first order of business
was to recognize all our great Corpsmen. Had it not been for the remarkable and heroic
performance of our combat docs, many of our guys would not be alive today. There is simply
nothing we Marines and families can do or say that can adequately express our profound gratitude
to these great men.
Our 6 retired sergeants major and master gunnery sergeants in attendance were recognized, as well
as all the other retired (many medically) Marines and Corpsmen from the company.
Mal Wolfe was a Marine photojournalist who was with Kilo Company on Operation Badger Tooth
(27 Dec 67) and later on several other major combat operations in the Cua Viet area. He was with
the company on 1-2 Feb 68 at the Battle of Lam Xuan. Mal and wife, Kathy, own Lobo Media
Productions. His company has filmed in 46 countries and he has produced 17 Imax films. Mal was
a featured speaker and spoke of his experiences with Kilo Company and how the Marine Corps
impacted his professional career.
Former company first sergeant (66/67) (now retired sergeant major) Warner Samson read "A
Message from the Commandant of the Marine Corps." A copy of CMC's letter to the company was
provided to each attendee.
Former company first sergeants, John Coulter (67/68) and Jim Crockett (68/69), both retired
sergeants major, offered appropriate remarks.
Former platoon sergeant/platoon commander/company gunny(67) (now retired sergeant major)
George Earley read a letter to the 1st platoon from former platoon commander (67/68) Judd
Kinne. Judd lives in Singapore and could not attend the reunion.
Several presentations were made. On behalf of the company, Bryan Lash presented me with a
beautifully framed Band of Brothers verse from Shakespeare's Henry V... signed by all the reunion
attendees. Mark O'Reilly, machine guns (67/68), presented me with a famous photograph of
Rocky Marciano, signed by Rocky's brother Peter. The photo was in honor of our knock out blow
of the 803rd NVA regiment on 1-2 Feb 68. I accepted this beautiful momento in behalf of all those
who fought in that action. Thompson Flute, Jr. presented George Earley and me with an Apache
Warrior feather. Connie Riley made a beautiful afghan and presented it to my wife Emily... probably
for putting up with me all these years. Emily joins me in saying "Thank You" from the bottom of our
hearts. You guys really have a way of making us feel special when, in fact, it is each of you who is
special to us. Thanks...we will do this again.
ADMINISTRATIVE REMARKS:
1. Shirts. I spoke to Marianne Becklund, owner of Bodytoppers T-shirts. She is aware that our
Kilo logo, on some of the shirts, was not satisfactory. This is especially true of the top part which
reads, "3rd Battalion 1st Marines." If your shirt(s) is flawed and not acceptable to you, she asked
that you call her toll-free at (800)507-9796. She will replace the one you have at no cost and you
will not return the one you now have. For those of you are interested, you may order additional
Kilo shirts and/or BLT 3/1 shirts.
2.Kilo Company Coins. We ran out. I will reorder soon. Let me know ASAP if you want any of
these coins. You can have as many as you want. I just need to know. Email or call me at (806
655-1421.
3. Video Tape of Reunion. As most of you know, parts of the memorial service and banquet was
video taped by off duty Public Affairs Office Marines. I do not know what is on the tape. The
sergeant who is in charge of the project has taken some time off to be with his wife who is having a
baby.(New Corps! Who among us was even present when our kids were born and none I bet
were allowed in the delivery room) Anyway, as soon as I get the tape, I will get copies made and
let you know the cost. I want this to be a "break even' deal with just enough $$ added to pay the
Marines. I promised them a total of $300 for doing this project on their off-duty time.
4Kilo Company Roster. I will email this roster to anyone who can open a microsoft excel
attachment. Since it is 8 pages long, it is getting a bit too expensive for me to mail to everyone.
However, I will still do this upon request.
5. Reunion Roster.I have almost completed a reunion roster with the names and addresses of all
reunion attendees. I will put this roster in the body of an email so there will be no attachment to
open.
6. The Next Reunion. A couple of months ago, India Company had a reunion in Indianapolis, IN.
Two former members of India Company who live there and hosted that reunion, want to host a
Battalion reunion in a couple of years. Apparently, Indianapolis has a new Medal of Honor facility
that is perfect for veterans reunions. This is an option for us. Let me know if you have any ideas on
this or any other future Kilo reunions. I think that future reunions should include Kilo Marines and
Corpsmen from all 6 years of Vietnam service....1966-1971.
7. Photos. I will send my photos to Oliver Jackson and he has agreed to post them on his unofficial
3/1 web site. If you haven't checked out that web site, you should do so at
http://www.3onevet.com.

WARMEST REGARDS, HAPPY MARINE CORPS BIRTHDAY, AND SEMPER FIDELIS,

KILO 6(67/68) SENDS