Newsletter

Congratulations to this year's winners: Mike Elam our Fragee, Chandler Goodnow - Shit Burner recipient and Joe Fonda - King of the Ant Dance...way to go guys!

A job well done goes out to our hosts Ray and Peggy Landon as well as John and Janice Squire for all their time and efforts that made this year's Gathering a success.

Randy Harris

Treasurer's Report

As things stand, we maintain the "in the green" status for our bank account, but...! Things are not as good as they could, and should be! Our Gatherings continue to be more expensive for the Society in spite of every effort to limit the costs. For the past few years, the Society has contributed more and more for our members. There is no "extra" charge for the canteen in the bunker area, and our people can have just about their hearts desire for refreshments - at no extra cost. We make every effort to get local people involved with donations (such as this years' picnic type lunch donated by the American Legion Post 951, and another by Tom Casti at Alley Park). We also got transportation at an extremely discounted price - as well as one of our own (Ginny Lynch) donating her driving services. Even with all the wheeling and dealing that transpires prior to a Gathering, the costs are high, and as can be expected, they are getting higher.

There are other costs the Society has as an overhead to keep operating as we should be. Just to name a few things; printing, and mailing costs for "The Track" can cost us more than a couple hundred dollars a year; operating the web site costs us nothing to date, because I have been donating that time and effort (having it done by someone in the business can cost as much as $150 and more a month). We still have to pay for the service provider and that cost is around $150 per year; we are incorporated (initial cost was $75 and $20 per year to maintain the status); fruit baskets, cards, etc., for our members in distress can cost around $100 per occurance; paper and ink (and postage) for making the membership cards can add another $100 a year. To make an even longer story short, I just want to reiterate that it costs money to keep this wonderful thing we call the "Bobcat Society" running.

For Income we have member dues ~ very reasonable, but we established a Life Member status ~ this could come back to haunt us because once someone pays for life we will not receive any more annual dues from them ~ at this point in time we have around half our membership at life status. We received the occassional donation of 5 or 10 dollars (mostly because somebody messed up adding). At the Gatherings, we have charged a "Registration Fee" ~ this helps cover the costs of the bunker supplies (Note: I said Helps) and at times, someone will buy stuff and ot ask for reimbursement. We also have the "Auction" which helps us temendously (without the funds from this function, we'd have been broke long ago ~ and a special thanks to Auctioneer George Smith). We've also attempted other forms for making a buck by selling clothing (hats and shirts - we make nothing on the jackets), can wraps ($1) and cups ($5). If you have other suggestions for making us some more money, please present it to one of the Council members so that it can be discussed and voted on.

That should do it for my Treasury Report this time, but I want to leave you with another reminder ~ 2004 is another election year. Please step forward and throw your name in the hat for taking one of the positions of responsiblity. All positions are open for all regular members.

In Brotherhood,

Ray Landon

The Bobcat Society

1st Bn (M) 5th Infanrty Aociety of

Vietnam Combat Veteran, Inc.

The Official Publication of the 1st Battalion (Mech) 5th Infantry Society of Vietnam Combat Veterans, Inc.

'The Track' is published for the sole benefit and use of the members of the 1st Battalion (Mech) 5th Infantry Society of Vietnam Combat Veterans, Inc. The Society reserves the right to edit any submitted article as necessary for space. Any article, original or reprinted with permission, may not necessarily reflect the views or opinion of the Society. Please send all inquiries, articles and related information to:

Editor - 'The Track' (use the "Feedback" form from this web site.)

No method of reproduction, mechanical or electronic, may be used to duplicate, copy, reproduce or store any article or item which appears in 'The Track' without the express written consent of the author or the editor of 'The Track'. Copyright 2003 - 1st Battalion (M) 5th Infantry Society of Vietnam Combat Veterans, Inc.

Director's Report

Another successful gathering this year in Delaware with our Society family. We had a total of 84 Bobcats and Bobbycats attend this year and I can honestly say that we all had a fantastic time! Ray and Peggy did an outstanding job putting it together and we thank them for all their hard work.

A warm Bobcat Society welcome to those members attending for their first gathering as well as the new members. I'm sure we will be seeing them again in gatherings to come.

I would also like to mention that on Wednesday night, our first night, American Legion Post 951 donated a scrumptious Barbeque for the Bobcats and Bobbycats. Plenty of sticky fingers in the crowd. The ladies auxiliary of the post prepared and served all of us the traditional barbeque foods including Philly steak sandwiches, ribs, burgers and all the fixings, not to mention the dessert table. Incredible!! We thank all the members of the American Legion Post for their outstanding hospitality.

Congratulations to our 2003 award winners in Delaware: Mike Elam - Fragee, Chandler Goodnow - Shit Burner, Joe Fonda - King of the Ant Dance.

Another exceptional job by our Fragmaster Oleh Babski and Auctioneer George Smith. Just love that headgear Oleh. George, remember to bring your costume to Indianapolis in 2004.

I do want to mention that our Bobbycats held another profitable Chinese auction. Thanks ladies.

In closing, I want to remind everyone that next year 2004 is an election year. It's not too early for everyone to start thinking about how they can contribute to the ongoing success of our Bobcat Society Family.

John Squire

Memorial Chairman's Report

John Squire, our Director, opened the 2003 gathering with s dedication to our fallen Society brothers. This was held on Thursday afternoon in the bunker. Father O led us in prayer and I read the names of each Society member who have gone before us.

We held this year's memorial ceremony at the Delaware Memorial Bridge Veterans Park. A canopy and chairs were provided for us in the center of the memorials from WWII, Korea ad Vietnam. The Honor Guard and bugler were provided by VFW post 475.

Our honored guests were Delaware's Senator Carper, Pat Alley, the widow of Douglas Dwight Alley, KIA February 1966. Mg. General Andy Anderson ret. preside over the ceremony.

Following the ceremony and Father O's benediction, we were invited to a luncheon served by the friends and neighbors of Pat Alley at the Douglas D. Alley Memorial Park.

Mike Elam

Membership Chairman

Wel, I'm back from one of the best times ever, the Gathering. I am very happy that I attended and you can be sure that I will be at many more of them. It was great to see my "Bobcat" Brothers and sisters and jsut sit around and talk about old times and experiences. It has been a long time since I have been able to relate to anyone about the experiences of Vietnam. It felt good to unload some of the excess baggage that I have been carrying around for many years. It truly has helped me put my "Vietnam" life in perspective. I Truly wish that I has started attending these Society Gatherings from the beginning.

I can't wait to se what next year's "Ant Dance" will bring! That certainly wa sa lot of fun and my wife Charlene, is having a red cape made for me to wear at least one night a week! I will let you know how it works....

Charlene had her doubts about attending the Gathering, but said that she would attend to give me moral support. She said that she was glad she went and met lots of caring and sharing people that made both is us feel very welcome. We were immediately accepted into the "Bobcat Family" and that was great. She thinks it did us both a lot of good. She now knows that she is not the only wife with a troubled husband who flies off the handle in a split second, who forgets his medications, who cannot sleep at night, who really is anti-social except when he is with fellow "Bobcats". who is a couch potato who watches war movies way too much and who really is trying to be a "normal" guy but just cannot forget his past experiences. This gathering made her realize a lot of things and she says that it will make her a better wife to her "Vietnam Veteran".

WELCOME NEW BOBCAT MEMBERS: Robert Bache, Johnny Owens, Hershel Barber and Tomas G. Dowell.

WELCOME NEW BOBCAT ASSOCIATE MEMBERS: Bill Allison, Preston Brandt, and John Liss.

Memberships are due January 1st for the year 2004. Please consider paying your 2004 dues early so you won't be caught short during the holiday season.

Dues are as follows: $15.00 - Annually, $25.00 - Two Years, $75.00 - Life Membership (over 62 yrs.Old), $150.00 - Life Membership (under 61 yrs. Old).

If you have any leads for new members, please give me names and whatever information that you have on them so I can contact them for membership.

Also, if you have a change of any information from your last application, please let me know as soon as possible so information will be up to date.

Make out your checks to: 1/5 (M) Inf. Society and mail to: Joseph Fonda, 453 Logtown Road, Fultonville, NY 12072

My phone # 518-922-8242

God Bless America and all the Bobcat Society Family!

Joe Fonda

Observations From Bobcat 6

Bobcats Visit The First State

As it turned out, the First State aka Delaware, was an excellent choice for the recently concluded reunion and it clearly merits comment. Several key aspects such as location, hotel, & staff, meals, tours, memorial service, auctions and sufficient free time contributed to a very successful reunion. The Holiday Inn (Select) at Claymont, Delaware is ideally located off Interstate 95 and is very accessible from all directions. Most of the more than 85 attendees were able to drive and some even planned after the reunion to visit "The Wall" and other attractions in the Washington area. This hotel of seven stories had all the amenities the Bobcat family could want. Several programmed meals at the hotel were excellent, plentiful and provided by an attentive staff. The hotel, an independently owned member of the Delaware Hotel Association had a high number of staff to visitors ratio much higher than normally seen in similar hotels/motels. The low rate charged and the outstanding service of the hotel staff was very much appreciated by the Bobcat family.

On Thursday afternoon, a membership meeting was held in the bunker. Reports and discussion covered: future reunion sites, society finances, membership status and other items of interest to Bobcats. Bobbycats held their own meeting in an adjacent room. Following a BBQ buffet that evening, the Bobbycats Chinese Auction was held with attendees seated around the outdoor swimming pool. Linda Adams and Peggy Landon conducted the auction. Jan Squire, Valentina Babski and other Bobbycats sold enough chances to realize more than $450 dollars in this popular event. Lots of hooting and hollering occured especially when repeat winners carried off more than their share of the prizes. All in all, it was great fun and everyone had a good time especially the winners.

The Friday visit to Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island was a special treat. The massive armament of more than 150 cannons made this civil war era structure the most powerful fortress in America. Access to the island, sometimes called the "Gibraltar of the East", is a 10 minute ferry ride from Delaware City. Entry to the fort is via a bridge over a large moat filled with water to sea level. Huge parapets containing numerous gun ports rising four stories high clearly gives Fort Delaware a strategically important site in defense of Philadelphia, Wilmington, and the Delaware river approaches.

The fort comes alive daily with a number of volunteers who play role the inhabitants during and following the civil war. After the battle of Gettysburg in July 1863, thousands of prisoners were transported to Fort Delaware. Nearly 33,000 prisoners were held there during the civil war and more than 2400 confederate prisoners who died at the fort are buried at nearby Finn's Point National Cemetery on the New Jersey shore. Volunteers in appropriate period attire role play Union soldiers, Confederate and political prisoners, officer's wives, laundresses and cooks and blacksmiths, among others. In all cases, they add color and respond with realistic answers to visitors questions. If you are in the vicinity of Delaware City, a trip to the fort is highly recommended. Perhaps you may catch the firing of a huge 8" Columbiad cannon, one of the largest fireable civil war cannons in the United States. This cannon is the centerpiece weapon that fires the salute on America's birthday.

After a buffet dinner in the dining room we assembled in the bunker for the traditional fragging. Mike Elam was a very surprised fraggee as his name was announced. As a combat medic in Vietnam and as memorial chairman Mike has continued to serve the Bobcat family. Mike received numerous gifts many related to his role as a combat medic. All Bobcat medics are held in high esteem for their courageous actions in saving wounded Bobcats. Mike took his roasting rather well while wearing his red cross marked helmet and responding to Fragmaster Oleh Babski's humorous comments. As all fraggees will attest, it's an honor to be fragged by their peers for it clearly demonstrates the mutual respect shared by the Bobcat family.

Following the fragging, George Smith, our highly talented and grossly underpaid auctioneer, repeated his stellar performance of past years. Given a large assortment of donated articles, George was able to raise $3,600 for the Society coffers. The bidding came fast and furious with some items going for more than several hundred dollars. While George is raising money for the Society, he is also entertaiining the audience. His hunorous comments seem to make bidders dig deeper just to keep George animated and creative in his mission to raise as much money as possible. George was ably assisted by Joe Carpenter and Don MacLagan who had the daunting task of keeping George's whiskey glass topped off.

The memorial service was conducted on Saturday at a very imposing location overlooking the approaches to the Delaware river bridge. The bridge authority staff provided a large canopy, chairs, microphone, flags and a well manicured lawn set amid a number of memorials to past conflicts. Also contributing to the solemn occasion were uniformed members of VFW 475 providing a firing detail and a very talented bugler who played taps at the end of the service.

Senator Tom Carper, a retired Navy carrier pilot and Vietnam veteran, was the main speaker. His comments about a six member congressional visit to Vietnam in the early 1990's were extremely interesting. His efforts and those of the other congressional members are credited with opening doors to Vietnam and vastly improving the effort to recover the remains of our MIA's. Senator Carper's comments were very meaningful to Tito Acosta-Rosario and those of us who were there when Tito's brother SSgt Humberto Acosta-Rosario was declared missing in action. Hopefully, our only brother MIA will someday be brought home. After Father Olszewski's benediction we gathered by the large WWII & Korean memorial to have pictures taken. It was the largest group photo op that I can recall in the past 10 years.

Our next move was to Alley Park where we were treated to a barbeque prepared by local citizens in the community. Alley park and the street leading to the park are named after Bobcat Douglas Dwight Alley, KIA February 1966. Doug's widow Pat was an honored guest at the reunion and attended most of the events. Its good to know that some Bobcats who gave their lives for others in Vietnam are memorialized in such a manner. They shall be remembered long after the rest of us are gone.

Saturday evening we assembled in the ballroom for another great dinner and the remaining festivities. John Squire presented certificates of appreciation to Ray and Peggy Landon for their great job in arranging all activities of this years reunion. Many expressed appreciation for the ample rest and clean up time provided prior to evening activities. A number of other certificates were presented to those who had major roles in making things happen so smoothly.

The next event was the shitburners award and it went to Chan Goodnow who gracefully accepted this prestigious award. I was pleased to see someone other than Tom Surles get this coveted award. Tom is a repeat winner- - - one more time and he gets to keep this handsome plaque. Chan mentioned the numerous Army units he served with in his carreer but none were better than the 1st Battalion (Mechanized) 5th Infantry. I am sure most Bobcat commanders would agree with Chan. I I know I do. But having said that I must once again ask: Why is this highly regarded award only presented to officers???

After Chan made his heartwarming comments, John Squire announced the Ant Dance and introduced the participants. The Ant Dance is a ritual derived from the battle between Bobcats and the monstrous red ants of Vietnam. These vicious red ants build their ant hills as high as four to five feet and nothing but woe comes to any track crew that inadvertently crashes into their conical home. The dancers are Bobcats attending a reunion for the first time. On this occasion we had four volunteers all with varying degrees of enthusiasm. To be declared King of the Ant Dance one must show the best performance in dealing with the killer red ants encountered in Vietnam. While dancing to the "Flight of the Bumble Bee" participants strip down to their shorts and hit the ground while fighting off the ants with their shirts. Three of the dancers did a commendable job in displaying their dancing talents

However, the fourth dancer Joe Fonda, was declared King of the Ant Dance by loud and boisterous acclimation. It turns out that Joe had practiced his Ant Dance to the point of accuracy never before seen at a Bobcat reunion. Charlene Fonda said hat Joe had painted hundreds of plastic ants a bright red color in preparation for the Ant Dance. Joe tossed out hundreds of these red ants out of his shorts as he gyrated about the floor. When Joe stipped off his shirt a colorful tattoo of the Combat Infantryman Badge on his chest was there for all to see - - - now that's one hardcore Bobcat. Joe wore his Ant King helmet and robe proudly as he had pictures taken with all the Bobbycats. It truly was the finest performance complete with red ants ever seen at a Bobcat reunion. Way to go Joe.

As the evening wound down many couples danced to the great music of a disc jockey while squishing the hundreds of red ants that Joe had tossed on the floor. It seems a fitting end to several days of great fun interspersed with a solemn interval to remember our fallen brothers. It is difficult to adequately describe a Bobcat reunion so to those of you who have never attended one - - - try it and be assured that you will be hooked. I look forward to the next reunion and I hope you will also.

Andy Anderson

Bobcat Six - 1968

This page was last updated on: December 31, 2004

Historian's Report

No report for this time.

Scratches .....

......from the Bobbycats

Well, I have to say if you missed the gathering this year ..... shame on you. A good time was had by all. Ray did a lot of work to put the function on and I (impartial that I am) believe he did an excellent job. Of course, no one person can do it all. There were many people that pitched in and helped wherever and whenever it was needed. To them I say a very heartfelt thank you!

A short time after the gathering I was honored to receive a letter from a new Bobbycat. Since I was new only a couple of years ago I know what apprehension is involved. I'm sure most of you ladies can relate. Just as I found, this new Bobbycat also found the women to be like a family. There is no sitting by yourself to the side waiting to fit in. You are immediately welcomed with open arms. For a group that gets together only once a year and with as many diversified personalities that exist, I find it amazing how well things always go. My hat goes off to all the women in the Bobbycats for making a newcomer so welcome.

If you're a wife or loved one of a Bobcat and have been hesitant to attend, I can only say you should really give us a try. I don't believe you'll regret a minute.

Peggy Landon

Treasurer - Bobbycats

Secretary's Report

As always, it was a pleasure attending anotherBobcat Society Gathering. They just seem to get better every year. This was my first time attending as a member of the Council and I must admit, I was impressed just seeing what goes on behind the scenes; the planning and scheduling is very remarkable. The Society is very fortunate to have such a dedicated group of people at the helm.

This year's membership meeting was opened witht he Bobcat's reciting the pledge of allegiance, followed by the reading of the minutes from this years winter meeting. Reports covered were Society finances, membership status and the sites for future Gatherings, etc.