 | Bert Hubble'sTHE BOW-WOW REPORTMarch 2001promoting Friendship - Communication - Understanding Distributed Quarterly: March - June - September - December |  |
47th Scout Dog Platoon
http://www.47ipsd.us59th Scout Dog Platoon
http://www.geocities.com/ipsd59th/main.htmVDHA Unit Director: Bertram Hubble, bhubble@attglobal.net Bertram Hubble, bhubble@attglobal.net Webmaster: Jonathan Wahl, 47ipsd@47ipsd.us Dean P. Harrison, harr197@attglobal.net Historian: Bertram Hubble, bhubble@attglobal.net William Whitehouse, w.w.whitehouse@worldnet.att.n Membership Director: Bertram Hubble, bhubble@attglobal.net Bertram Hubble, bhubble@attglobal.net Fellow Platoon Members:
We have some important and interesting news to report - so read on:
"Full Circle" May 1968 - May 2002:
May 2002 marks the 34th anniversary of the platoon(s) deployment to the Republic of South Vietnam. After 12 weeks of training as class #3 of the United States Army Infantry Scout Dog Training School, 197th Infantry Brigade at Fort Benning the class was split into two platoons and flew out of Lawson Airfield at Fort Benning GA to begin their Vietnam service. The 47th IPSD departed on May 27th 1968 followed by the 59th IPSD which departed on May 28th 1968.
In memory of that event, we are planning a joint platoon reunion for all platoon members of the 47th IPSD and the 59th IPSD. Start planning now to attend the 47th/59th Scout Dog Reunion in Columbus, Georgia May 10-12, 2002. Don't miss it - this one will be the best ever and truly unforgettable. Details will be published in this report and on the 47th Platoon Web Site at http://www.47ipsd.us/47reun.htm. The details that we can share with you thus far are as follows:
Name: 47th/59th Scout Dog Reunion Dates: May 10th - 12th, 2002 (Friday, Saturday & Sunday) Location: Columbus Georgia Place: Historic Columbus Hilton, 800 Front Avenue, Columbus GA 31901
www.hilton.comReservations: Call 706-324-1800.
Mention Group Name: "Scout Dog Reunion"Room Rate: $82.00 plus 14% room tax per night, Rate good for two days before and after the reunion. Banquet: Dinner Banquet Saturday May 11th, 2002 The Reunion will feature a private smokeless meeting room during our stay, a dinner banquet, a visit to the War Dog Memorial in Sacrifice Field at Fort Benning and a self-guided tour of the U.S. Army Infantry Museum. We hope to have invited guests and guest speakers at the banquet.
We are looking for several volunteers who would be interested in helping us make plans and arrangements. For example: Arranging transportation from the hotel to Fort Benning, locating Guest Speakers, development of a display we could donate to the Infantry Museum on our units and people who would be willing to call platoon members and generate interest in this special event. If you are interested in assisting us in any of these areas we would like to hear from you.
Call now and make your reservation to attend. Family and/or guests welcome. See you (again) in 2002
Platoon Web Sites:
The 47th Site has received four new Awards from Geocities (Pentagon Quality Site Award, Pentagon Featured Site Award, Pentagon Inspection Site Award and the Pentagon Elite Site Award) bringing the total awards to-date to eleven. The Elite Site Award is their top award and goes to only a handful of sites. The award icons can be viewed at the bottom of the Home Page. In addition, Jonathan has added a Search Tool that is out of this world. By entering a handler's name or his dog's name and pressing Enter, a search will be conducted and display all the references that are available on the site for the subject indicated. Do check this out as it is very impressive. The Search Tool is located next to the Quick Navigator on the Home Page. Dean has added a weather indicator to the 59th Site and new photos have been posted.
Wahl Video Images:
Jonathan has thus far produced five videos that are available to platoon members capturing the reunions or special events that he has attended. Jonathan has sent out many of these tapes free of charge to anyone who appears in them. Due to the costs involved in the production and distribution of these tapes, Jonathan has agreed that going forward he will continue to make VHS copies of these tapes available to interested platoon members and their families on a non-profit basis for a cost of $12.00 each. I think this is a very fair price and a special way to remember these events. The five tapes that are now available are as follows:
San Antonio: VDHA and 47th Platoon Reunion - November 1996 (23 min.) St Louis: 47th IPSD Platoon Reunion - June 1997 (30 min.) San Diego: VDHA Reunion and 47th Platoon Reunion - November 1998 (30 min.) West Texas: Rusty Allen's Wild West Texas Tour - November 1998 (72 min.) Fort Benning: War Dog Memorial Dedication - October 2000 (13 min.) Frank Steinhebel has also copied 22 minutes of 8MM footage taken at the 47th IPSD Base Camp in Phu Bai in 1970-1971 to VHS tape. This is unique footage as very little of this kind of tape is around. If you received one of his tapes, I am sure Frank would appreciate a thank you note.
Recent Contributors:
Thanks go out to Dan Tupper, Jonathan Wahl, and Wayne Funderburk for their input and contributions this past quarter. We have been in touch with prospective new VDHA members Andrew Fussner and Wayne Jackson Funderburk from the 59th IPSD and Dennis Herman from the 47th IPSD. I know they will take that big step and join us. We got another surprise when Donald Loew an unidentified 47th handler found our site and answered the on-line questionnaire. We have added him to the roster and invite him to become a VDHA member. Donald recounted that he escorted Tim Newell's body home at the request of Tim's parents and still stays in touch with Tim's mother. What a guy.
VDHA Membership:
The new VDHA Member for the quarter is Ronald Cooper of the 47th IPSD. Congratulations to you Ron on your decision to become a member.
Suggested Reading:
The Trial of Henry Kissinger by Christopher Hitchens, published by Verso Books and available in May of this year. I understand that it reveals that Kissinger together with John Mitchell and Spiro Agnew sabotaged the Paris peace talks in 1968 by convincing the South Vietnamese that if they pulled out of the negotiations they could get a better deal from the Nixon administration after the election. Nixon was elected, bombing was escalated to include Laos & Cambodia and the war dragged on for another 6 years. Ultimately the peace agreement was signed and accepted on the same terms that the Johnson administration had tried to negotiate in 1968.
Bert's Commentary:
The most powerful and influential nation in the world just completed its Presidential election. There was much said about our free and democratic traditions and the peaceful transfer of power. In fact the campaign itself was a disgrace lacking in substance and a national discussion of the issues that are important to most Americans.
Many voters were dropped from the voting rolls or turned away at the polls in Florida. Voting machines did not work and a cloud of suspicion hangs over the new Administration as the entire process is brought into question. When all was said and done five partisan Justices selected the President.
The first order of business for the new Administration should be to restore our confidence in the electoral process. Take back the electoral process from the big corporate donors who have corrupted the system. Publicly financed elections with all parties represented in real debates instead of scripted media events is needed. All corporate and private donations should be made illegal. Ample free and equal media time must be made available to all candidates to present the diversity of ideas is necessary to a democratic society. A few billion a year spent for this is a small price to pay for a fair and honest electoral system.
Both major parties have sold out to the corporate interests for money. Drug addiction is not the national problem. Elected Government officials who are addicted to the drug of money is the national problem. The media, owned by huge entertainment companies, have turned the news into entertainment and abandoned their precious responsibilities. Since the innauguration there has been little attention by the media about the thousands of protesters and demonstrators who showed up on innauguration day to be counted. That was the real story but it got edited out.
Do not be discouraged. Fortunately we still live in a country worth fighting for. Listen to the brave and courageous young people who took to the streets in Seattle, Washington, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles. They know things are not right. They know that change does not trickle down. They know that change starts at the bottom and works its way up the system one battle at a time. They know that any social change that has ever occurred has been the result of struggle and confrontation. They will not give up. What is at stake is the future of our country and possibly the world. Protesters are not terrorists. They should not be treated like terrorists. They are concerned citizens exercising their rights when other channels are closed. The other channels are clogged with money. Be alert, be informed, and
Take care of yourselves,
Bert
Author: Bertram M. Hubble Editor/Publisher: Jonathan D. Wahl © 2001 Bertram M. Hubble
