Here's hoping that the holidays were pleasant and a wish for a healthy and prosperous year. Reunion 2002 For some years we have been kicking around the idea of having a reunion on our own. Well we finally pulled it off. Mac took it upon himself to scout locations and make the reservations. He secured 3- three bedroom condos on the fifth floor, beach side at the"Summer House Properties" in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Each unit had a master bedroom with a king size bed and private bath, one bedroom with a Queen size bed, one bedroom with twin beds, a separate bathroom, living-room, dining area and a fully stocked kitchen. All we had to provide was food. Each unit had a balcony which overlooked the beach. The corner unit had a huge balcony (30 feet on the beach side and 60 feet along the side). There was an excellent view of the beach and the pool which made it easy to check on the kids. Most of our cooking, eating and socializing were done in the corner unit which worked out very well for all. The gulf breeze kept us cool on those hot August afternoons.

The gulf water was exceptionally warm and clean. The beach was clean and there were plenty of lounge chairs set out for our use. Most of our days were spent down at the pool or beach and up on the balcony. We managed to get a round of golf in at one of the many courses in the area. Those who attended the reunion were: Pat McDavid, Larry & Cindy Lange, Bob Heuman, Gary & Janet Seals, Arturo "Sonny" Castillo, Steve Joyce, Dave "Doc" Rupp and his granddaughter Kyla and Grandson Brennan, Steve & Barbara Taylor and their daughter Stephanie and Bob & Judy Brieske and their daughters Taylor & Teri. And a good time was had by all.

A message from Sgt. Mac

"Attention on deck!

It's time to get serious about planning for this year's reunion. Kaiser Realty has plenty of openings, for now, at "Summer House" which is where we were last year. However, there are many other very nice complexes that they handle, so at this point we don't have any problems. What I need is confirmation of who and how many will attend along with preferred dates and room arrangements (Master Bedrooms, etc.).

The following are points to consider:

1) There are no "Pet Friendly" condo's 2) Peak rates run from June 28th through August 1st; Summer rates (in August) are August 2nd - 8th and August 28th - 31st. Fall Rates are from August 9th - 27th. Both Summer and Peak Seasons are more expensive. Weekly Summer Rates average between $1,736.00 & $1,911.00 and Weekly Fall Rates average between $1,029.00 & $1,134.00 both plus Lodging Tax (whatever that is, probably around 11%). As mentioned, other condo's are available, some a little less expensive, some a little more. I'm all for saving money but I will yield to the popular choice. Either way, I'm in. Let me know what you think, as soon as possible. Deposits will probably range around $75.00 or less. Last year I was just guessing. All for one and one for all, Semper Fi!" The rates that Mac mentioned above are for the whole condo. Some condos have three bedrooms and some may have two. For a three-bedroom condo, he gave me this formula for computing the cost of a bedroom. 40% of the total cost for the Master and 30% each for the other two bedrooms. To contact Mac, call 770-980-4930, or write to

R.P. MacDavid, 1950 Spectrum Circle, Suite A 405

Marietta, GA. 30067. Due to time and cost, only those that contact Mac will receive further info. on the reunion. Once again, let Mac know as soon as possible! We hope to see you there.

1st Marine Division Association 56th annual reunion, 9-13 July 2003, Desert Springs Marriott Resort & Spa, 74855 Country Club Drive, Palm Desert, CA 92260. Room rates: $102.00 per night. Reservations: 1-800-331-3112. Reunion contact: Jerry Brown, 1^st Mar. Div. Chief Admin. Officer 703-803-3195

3rd Bn. 1st Mar. BLT 3/1 4-6 October, 2004, Executive West Hotel, Louisville, KY. Preliminary info indicates room rates will be $39.00 per night. Additional info. to follow as plans firm.

At previous Whiskey reunions we have discussed a return to Vietnam. There are more than a few of us interested in doing this. Some of us, myself included are becoming antsy about making this a reality. We'd like to start planning in the near future. There several agencies that offer group tours and will tailor them to our requests. What we need to know now, is who is interested in going. Understand that by expressing your interest you are not committing to going. The actual trip probably won't take place for a couple of years, but we want to get started on it. It's going to take a lot of planning and preparation. Please try to let us know before the August reunion, as that is when we will be discussing this further. Call or write to:

Bob Brieske

5964 N. Manton Ave.

Chicago, IL 60646, Phone: 773-774-5235. email: bbries19@earthlink.net

At the last reunion we discussed the idea of forming an incorporated organization. We'd like feedback from everyone on this. Any lawyers out there that might be able to help? Anybody involved in an organization (not for profit, charitable, etc.) that knows the ins and outs? Lotsa stuff to go through on this one. Email Addresses:

Due to a computer crash I may not have everyone's correct email address. Please send me an email so I can update.

Please say a prayer for the crew of Space Shuttle Columbia, who gave all, not only for their countries, but for their World. Also, for our deployed troops preparing to go into harm's way.

A couple of years ago Barb and Steve Taylor retired from their respective jobs and bought a motor home. After a few shorter trips Barb and Steve packed up their gear and finally headed out to do what Steve has been talking about for years. Visiting the brothers, he served with in Vietnam. I'll let them give you their account of the trip on the next two pages. I'll recount the "Racoon Story" at a later date.

    We headed North from Houston with 95 degrees and 95% humidity on October 1, 2002 looking for cooler weather. Our first stop was Tulsa, OK with Dale Geniske. We got settled at the RV Park and called Dale. He came over and visited. We went to his house later and met his wife, Karen, and went to dinner.

We stayed two days and said our goodbyes and headed for Kansas looking for Burgess, Tapedo "Chief." We found him at the Haskell Indian College where at the spry age of 70, he is a student counselor for the college. Although he had talked to Bob Brieske on the phone, he was very touched that we had taken the time to look him up. Steve was the first person he had seen from Whiskey Battery. He was very interested in joining us at the next reunion but was about conflicting school obligations.

From there we headed to Nebraska to look for Harry Cockson. He met us after work at the VFW in Columbus. After it was determined that we would all like a beer, Harry ordered "Frostys." Keep in mind that where we come from, "Root Beer Floats" are called frostys. We were glad that we were wrong and that Harry had ordered just what we needed, cold beer in a frosted mug. You can tell we don't get out of Texas much. Ha. Marge joined us later and several hours of sipping on "frostys," Marge and Harry joined us at our R.V. and we had a few toddies. It was a great visit.

We said our goodbyes and headed further North looking for Spence Hildre in Fargo, North Dakota. We spent two days with Spence and wife, Mary. We enjoyed touring the plant he manages and spending time with he and Mary.

From there we turned East and headed for Minnesota. We found Mall of America and I had a great time. I can't say that Steve enjoyed their parking lot though. After some rumbling (which I know you think I'm exaggerating) from Steve we left for Wisconsin to visit with Sgt. "Easy" Osterle. We were invited to his home and we looked at some of his pictures and met his wife, Dorothy. By this time we realized that most of the RV parks in the North shut down for the winter. We had no clue that finding a place to park would be an issue; but, we know now to travel to the North in the summer months. All those suckers shut down the camp grounds and everything else by October 15.

We then went on to the Chicago area to see the Brieske's. The closest R.V. park was 50 miles from Chicago, so we parked the R.V. and took our life in our own hands driving into Chicago to find their house. We found it with little effort and had a great visit and dinner. They invited us to go on the weekend with them to their lake resort in Amboy, Illinois. It was a nice retreat and again we want to thank Bob and Judy for hooking us up with a spot. We hope they don't have anymore run ins with "fat raccoons." You will have to get Bob to tell you this funny story.

Our next mission was to Indiana to tour the plant where our R.V. was built and to find the "Judge." We toured the R.V. plant and went to see the Judge and his wife Julie. We had a nice visit and Larry also expressed interest about our upcoming get together. We then got on the horn trying to get in touch with Packer. We tried for 3 days at all hours of the day and night and never got an answer or an answering machine. Steve was really disappointed that we didn't get the opportunity to visit with him.

From there we took a break and went to upstate New York and saw Niagra Falls. If you have never seen it, it is worth the trip. Then we got brave and headed to Maine and decided to take a car trip into New Brunswick, Canada to see the longest covered bridge in the world. Well, we saw it but it was closed for repairs so we didn't get to drive across it. It was an adventure just the same. When we got up the next morning in Houlton, Maine and the outside water hose was frozen, Steve decided that we had found our colder weather and it was time to head South.

We met up in Boston with Steve's cousin. If you have never been to Boston, take our advice and have a few toddies or brewskies first because those people are from another planet when they hit the roads. I will never complain about Houston, Texas traffic again. We have"No traffic" compared to Boston and they are even digging a big hole for all the traffic to drive underground. Now you know they are nuts.

We left Boston headed to New Jersey to find "Father Ryan." We found him and had a wonderful reunion for he and Steve. I was glad I got to meet him after 24 years of hearing about him. His wife, Sharon promised us that they would be at the reunion in August in Alabama. She was really excited about it. As we were leaving "Father Ryan" did his thing and blessed us, our dog, Penny, and the R.V. for the road ahead. Boy, did that bring back memories for Steve.

After Father Ryan we stopped at an R.V. park in Jackson, New Jersey and called Steve Joyce. He came up the next morning and spent the day with us. It was great to see Steve again. We went from there to Fredericksburg, Virginia. Steve Joyce drove up from Philly and stayed two days with us in the R.V. We toured the Marine Museum at Quantico. The next day we took a road trip in the car to Washington. We took in some of the sights, like, Arlington Cemetery and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We watched the changing of the guard and they had a special ceremony that day for a bunch of Italian dignitaries. Those guys were something to see on the changing of the guard. What precision they have. We went to see the White House and Jefferson's Memorial.

Steve had talked to Lt. Waggoner while we were in VA and he was in Alaska on business. We were supposed to meet up with him in Brookville, Indiana at Gary Seals old stomping grounds. Seals and Joyce were going to meet us there also. On our way to Indiana, he called us and said that he was stuck in Alaska until the 18th and we couldn't wait that long so he promised to come to the reunion also. We got Gary Seals on the horn and said we were coming up to Nashville instead of going on to Indiana. We parked in Nashville next to the Grand Old Opry and headed for a fish fry at Gary's. The next day Gary and his wife, Janet took us to downtown Nashville and we did some bar hopping and toe stomping. That was great. We just happened to be in Nashville for all the bad storms and if you have ever been in an R.V. or mobile home you know to bend over and kiss your butt goodbye if tornadoes were in the area. Thank God we were spared all the really bad stuff and lived to see the morning sun. It was really nerve racking cause the time allotted for commercials was used only for weather warnings and showed nothing but a radar screen telling when the storm would hit Nashville with 70+ winds and tornadoes.

We left Nashville headed for Charleston, South Carolina to find the Cease's. We got to the R.V. Park and got set up and turned on the t.v. and they started talking about the earthquake of yesterday which registered 4.2 on the Richter scale. I thought they were talking about some place in California, but oh, no, it was dear ole Charleston. Can you believe it? I looked at Steve and said "WHAT THE HELL ARE WE DOING HERE?" So we stayed 5 days. Hank's wife, Lynn was very gracious and came and got us and took us on a tour of Charleston while Hank was working. We went out to dinner that night and the following night Hank came and took us out to the Border Patrol Academy and let us observe some training scenarios (drug bust and illegal aliens) That was just too cool. The next day Hank and Steve went to another portion of the academy for some firing situation on a computer simulator. Steve really enjoyed that.

Our last stop was in Atlanta, Georgia to visit Steve's niece and her family and Sgt. Pat MacDavid. He took us to a Japanese restaurant where he and Steve drank Sake and told tales. It was good seeing Pat again as well. We talked about the upcoming reunion being moved up a week earlier in August and from all the people we talked to that would work out a lot better because of the school year.

All in all, we had a great 2 months, 7900 miles and 35 states. We saw a lot of places we had never seen before and it was really great to see the guys we have seen before and especially nice to see the ones that Steve hadn't seen in 34 years. I believe it was a good experience for all. Again we want to thank everyone for their time and hospitality. Now it is our turn, so come on down to Texas anytime.

Semper Fi,

Steve and Barbara Taylor

****************************

Semper Fi,

Bob Brieske bbries19@earthlink.net