CHAPTER OFFICERSJOHN J. MINER - PRESIDENT - PHIL YOUNG -VICE PRESIDENT ADMINISTRATION -JAMES DAWSON - VICE PRESIDENT OPERATIONS -DENNIS GAUTHIER - TREASURER - BOB FRITZ - SECRETARY - TOM MCDONOUGH - CHAPLAIN -BRIAN VESPER - CHAPTER COORDINATOR -MIKE DIMONDA - JIM SWEET - BILL CANNAVAN - AT - LARGE BOARD MEMBERS - SUE COOK - AVVA ASSOCIATE CHAPTER LIAISON - BRUCE NILES - MIKE DIMONDA - JIM DAWSON - DELEGATES TO VERMONT STATE COUNCIL

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ABOVE & BEYOND

THACKER, BRIAN MILES

Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Battery A, 1st Battalion, 92d Artillery.

Place and date: Kontum Province, Republic of Vietnam, 31 March 1971. Entered service at: Salt Lake City, Utah.

Born: 25 April 1945, Columbus, Ohio.

Citation:

For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. 1st Lt. Thacker, Field Artillery, Battery A, distinguished himself while serving as the team leader of an Integrated Observation System collocated with elements of 2 Army of the Republic of Vietnam units at Fire Base 6. A numerically superior North Vietnamese Army force launched a well planned, dawn attack on the small, isolated, hilltop fire base. Employing rockets, grenades, flame throwers, and automatic weapons, the enemy forces penetrated the perimeter defenses and engaged the defenders in hand-to-hand combat. Throughout the morning and early afternoon, 1st Lt. Thacker rallied and encouraged the U.S. and Republic of Vietnam soldiers in heroic efforts to repulse the enemy. He occupied a dangerously exposed observation position for a period of 4 hours while directing friendly air strikes and artillery fire against the assaulting enemy forces. His personal bravery and inspired leadership enabled the outnumbered friendly forces to inflict a maximum of casualties on the attacking enemy forces and prevented the base from being overrun. By late afternoon, the situation had become untenable. 1st Lt. Thacker organized and directed the withdrawal of the remaining friendly forces. With complete disregard for his personal safety, he remained inside the perimeter alone to provide covering fire with his M-16 rifle until all other friendly forces had escaped from the besieged fire base. Then, in an act of supreme courage, he called for friendly artillery fire on his own position to allow his comrades more time to withdraw safely from the area and, at the same time, inflict even greater casualties on the enemy forces. Although wounded and unable to escape from the area himself, he successfully eluded the enemy forces for 8 days until friendly forces regained control of the fire base. The extraordinary courage and selflessness displayed by 1st Lt. Thacker were an inspiration to his comrades and are in the highest traditions of the military service .

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efense PriU.S. AND INDIAN OFFICIALS DISCUSS WWII RECOVERY MISSIONS

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing from World War II, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is 2nd Lt. Arthur F. Eastman, U.S. Army Air Forces, of East Orange, N.J. He will be buried in September in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C.

Representatives from the Army met with Eastman’s next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

On Aug. 18, 1944, Eastman departed the airdrome at Finschhafen, New Guinea, on a test flight of his F-5E-2 aircraft, but never returned. Subsequent searches failed to locate Eastman or his aircraft.

In 2003, a Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) found documents in the Australian National Archives about an earlier site visit believed to be associated with an F-5E crash. According to the archives, an Australian official had visited the crash site in 1950 in Morobe province near Koilil Village, but there was no subsequent recovery.

In 2004, a team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) investigated the crash site in the mountains of Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea. The team found aircraft wreckage and recommended the site be excavated.

In February-March 2007, a JPAC team excavated the crash site and recovered human remains, pilot-related items and other personal effects, including Eastman’s military identification tag.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in the identification of the remains.

SOLDIERS MISSING FROM THE KOREAN WAR ARE IDENTIFIED

The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO) announced today that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors.

He is Sgt. Virgil L. Phillips, U.S. Army, of Columbus, Ind. He was buried on April 19 in Loogootee, Ind.

Representatives from the Army met with Phillips’ next-of-kin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army.

In November 1950, Phillips was assigned to Company K, 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division then operating in Unsan, North Korea near a bend in the Kuryong River known as the Camel’s Head. On Nov. 1, parts of two Chinese Communist Divisions struck the 1st Cavalry Division’s lines, collapsing the perimeter and forcing a withdrawal. In the process, the 3rd Battalion was surrounded and effectively ceased to exist as a fighting unit. Phillips was one of the more than 350 servicemen unaccounted-for from the battle at Unsan.

In 2003, a joint U.S.-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea team (D.P.R.K.), led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), excavated a burial site near the Camel’s Head. The team recovered human remains and other material evidence. Information from the D.P.R.K. indicated that the remains were initially buried near the battle site, but were later moved to a location nearby because of construction in the area.

Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Phillips’ remains.

Pictured below is the panel that will be placed at the Sharon Rest Area in the Area between the main floor and going out to the Memorial. Eric Bessette , who has been working with us on the time line and other pictures has done the work and we are getting ready to put this in place.

Pictured above is Lisa Joyce of Willy’s Market giving us a check for $500.00 from our Bottle and Cans fund rasier that we have going on with them. Remember if you have any turn them in to Willy’s and tell them for the honor roll, also tell your friends. We also are working on a cruise vacation raffle that we should have ready to go before Mayfest. The tickets will be for twenty dollars and you get a five day cruse in Jan along with air fare. So start looking for people to purchase a ticket. We will sell only three hundred tickets or until the Car Show in Sept.

MOVING WALL IN ST. ALBANS

Remember that the moving wall will be in St. Albans on May 15^th thru the 18^th with a parade on the 18^th along with closing ceremony. They are looking for anyone that rides a motorcycle to lead the parade down town.

MAYFEST MAY 24^TH 10:00 AM TO 5:00 PM

We still need people to help set up at 8:00 AM that morning and also to man the set up during the day. I have purchased some things to sell and also am getting books from the Veterans Affairs to hand out to people. Also we will be doing the raffle above and other things for the day. So contact me if you are going to help out in the morning or afternoon.

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Memorial Day Parade May 26th

As usually we will line up at the old middle school on upper main street and process down to the four corners and turn on to north street and end up at the Vermont Veterans Home. We need about 6 or 8 people to march and carry our banner that we have. Again Contact me if your are going to march.

MEMBERSHIP REPORT

We have no new member to report on this month but we do have a ton of you that sent in your dues for this year. Gary Forrest, Jay Iskowitz, Gerald Brillon, Richard Dziadul, Phil Griffin, William Brown, Julies Coudert, Robert Fritz, Leo Reynolds, Charles Slocum, Kenneth Swierad and Tom Truex. Once again on behalf of this chapter thank you for your continuing support of what this chapter does in our community, state and national.

We also have two members who have not sent in their renewals and I will be contacting them soon. I know that they just overlooked it. I hope.

Bye the way. How many of you cut out last months membership form and passed it out to someone you know. If you haven’t yet please do so soon.

As last month was our annual meeting, I want to thank all of you that once again stepped up to the plate and ran for a office. As you can see by our chapter heading all of our officers run again for another year. We do have a lot on our plate again this year and I hope to see many of you at these events.

Also once again I want to take this time to bring you up to date on Joyce and how she is doing. So far as of April 25^th she has had four kemo treatment and will under go her fifth on May 15^th. Again thank you to all of you that have call, emailed or sent a card to her. She is staying strong and she said that she is going to beat this thing.

APRIL 11^TH MEETING WITH CONGRESSMAN WELCH

I was asked to set up a meeting with Peter to discuss veterans issues with him. I sent out a message to all of our chapter plus other people in the community to come and talk with him. Since he has been in Washington he has been quite active in getting things done for veterans. Also Joe Krawczyk was also there and spoke about the bills that our in Montpelier and what is happening up there. It was great to see so many of you turn out for it. I think we gave him a lot to think about and just this week I received back from him a letter saying so.