DDMBC
Christmas Time and January 7, 2006

Judy Porter had the planned surgery done by that doctor at Duke University Hospital on December 5th. She hoped to return to her home in Titusville around December 20th, but had more complications and had to have more surgery. It doesn’t look like she’ll be able to return to the area any time soon.

On December 7th, I received the good news that Charlie Means is back in Melbourne and doing much better. He is at the Life Care Center (Room 401), 606 East Sheridan Road, Melbourne, FL. 32901 – Telephone 727-9778. He feels great and is accepting visitors & phone calls. Marcie also mentioned that he is improving and feels good about being close to home.

Seven people attended the December 24th breakfast; Herm Jackson, Marius Burk, Don Clair and his sister Kathleen, Maury Meisner, Ben Densley and of course me. Actually, Maury arrived late as he had an earlier breakfast to attend. Ben is still looking for a job, and hopes to get work in Afghanistan. But as previously mentioned, finding work at our age is pretty hard. Most of our discussions centered around Marius’s recent trip to China.

My kids were home for Christmas and it was really a joy to have them. Was hoping the kids would join our breakfast group on the 24th, but they opted to sleep in, since they had been out pretty late the night before. On Christmas Day, Herm came for dinner.

The December 31st breakfast was attended by Emmett and Kathy Sullivan, Steve & Michie Stevens and their friend Annie Worley, Marius, Don & Kathleen, Herm, Maury and me. With the Christmas Season in process, I expected there would be a small group for this breakfast. But quite a few showed up.

My son Brian came home for the New Year and the Orange Bowl. Kim and I went to a New Years Eve party and really enjoyed the evening with friends. The food was excellent and we toasted the New Year early and were home long before the “Big Apple” dropped the ball. On New Years Day, Kim cooked a standing rib roast and Herm joined us for dinner. On Monday, Brian and I drove to Hollywood, Florida and spent a couple days at the Mesecher’s home. We had dinner there Monday night and sat around talking that evening. On Tuesday, we went out for lunch and spent the afternoon at Hollywood Beach. Later Brian and I went to the Orange Bowl and watched a classic battle between the “Nittany Lions” and the “Seminoles”. After 3 overtimes, it was decided by a field goal and Penn State took home the trophy. Although somewhat disappointed, I was happy it wasn’t the blow-out that everyone expected. GO NOLES!!!

We had a good crowd for the first breakfast of the new year on January 7th; Marius, Don, Maury, Emmett, Hutch, Bruce Burke, Geza Eiler, Charlie Means, Andy Foley, Ben, Kippy & Benjamin Densley and of course me. Bruce was down from New York and is planning a cruise to New Zealand in a couple weeks. Geza was on time-off from his work in South America. Charlie was a complete surprise to me, although several others were apparently aware that he would show up. He had been very ill as I’ve been reporting and he really looks good now. He’s lost weight and walks about 1000 yards every day. Although he walks on his own, he takes along a walker in case he should stumble or fall. Andy was Charlie’s chauffer for this visit. I didn’t recognize Andy at first as he had lost 60 or 70 pounds since the last time I saw him. Good to see both of them out and about.

Well, that’s all FOLKS.

Walt Ranallo

DDMBC
December 2005

As mentioned in my November letter, Kim and I were in Honolulu from November 26 through December 1. We visited Lou and Kiyo Peverada and had a wonderful time. Although we had been to Hawaii a couple times before, we had never visited some of the historic sites there. On this visit, we went to the Arizona Memorial and I can say it’s a really moving experience. If any of you are planning a trip to Hawaii, recommend you see it. Plan to spend most of the day as it is the most visited site there. After arriving at the entrance to the Memorial, we had to wait around the Museum area for several hours before lining up for the visit to the Memorial. The Memorial is run by the Department of Parks, and the Navy ferries 150 visitors at a time to and from the Memorial. It’s a free exhibit and there are plans to build a new Museum in the near future. We also visited the Punchbowl Memorial, which is a large cemetery where Pacific area veterans of WW II, Korea and Viet Nam Wars are buried. This is also a must see if you visit Honolulu. Lou is 85 and still pretty active. Kiyo, a few years younger (76), is very active. We had a hard time keeping up with them and they were wanting to take us out everyday to visit places and we even went swimming at Ko Olina Beach Club, a man made Lagoon near Honolulu. We departed Honolulu on December 1st and arrived back in Orlando on the 2nd. It was a very enjoyable vacation for both Kim and I.

On Saturday morning, we drove to Jacksonville to meet Chris (daughter) and Drew Morrison and son Brian to attend the ACC Championship game between FSU and Virginia Tech. Although the “Noles” were a two touchdown underdog, they managed to win. The before game atmosphere at our tailgate was really gloomy. Everyone (except me) had a negative attitude thinking that FSU was going to get beat real bad. I never saw such jubilation in a crowd as when FSU went ahead 27 to 3. It got sort of quiet in the 4th quarter when the injuries started taking their tole on the “Noles” and VT started catching up. But in the last few minutes of the game, FSU was able to hold on and win by 27-22. The next game will be January 3 at the Orange Bowl in Miami versus Penn State. I plan to be there. GO NOLES!!!

Judy Porter had the planned surgery done by that doctor at Duke University Hospital on December 5th. She hopes to return to her home in Titusville around December 20th. Her daughter will drive her back to her home and then fly back to North Carolina. .

On December 7th, I received the good news that Charlie Means is back in Melbourne and doing much better. He is at the Life Care Center (Room 401), 606 East Sheridan Road, Melbourne, FL. 32901 – Telephone 727-9778. He feels great and is accepting visitors & phone calls. Marcie also mentioned that he is improving and feels good about being close to home .

Eleven people attended the December 10th breakfast; Bill Hutchison, Herm Jackson, Dickie Elder, Marius Burk, Don Clair and sister Kathleen, Maury & Emma Meisner and Emma’s sister, Ben Densley and of course me. Steve didn’t show and we were forced to eat our breakfast without his hot sauce. I arrived late and ended up sitting with Dickie and Ben. Ben is still looking for a work, but has several pretty good prospects. Finding work at our age can be a problem though. We had a lively discussion though, and talked about some of our friends who had died during past year and also a little about Site 85. Dickie was pretty well versed on the subject and informed me that there is a book written on it. I’d like to get a copy of that book.

On December 14th, some of our group attended the annual Christmas Luncheon at the Brevard Veterans Center. Attendees were Don Clair and his sister Kathleen, Hutch, of course Maury and Emma and me. Marius would have attended, but he left for a tour of China. Herm couldn’t attend as Wednesday is his day for delivering “Meals on Wheels”. The function covered a General Membership Meeting and then went into the luncheon around 11:30. Afterwards, they drew numbers for prizes and seemed like everybody, except me and Hutch, got one. After that we were serenaded by the “Hot Cocoa’s”, a group of 4 not so young ladies who started with patriotic music, went into some 50’s songs, then some country and ended up with Christmas music. They gave an excellent performance that everyone enjoyed.

The December 17th breakfast was attended by Emmett Sullivan, Tom Jenny, Hutch and me. With the Christmas Season in process, I expected there would be a small group for this breakfast. But it was nice seeing and talking to them. This was Tom’s first breakfast since returning from Thailand. He really enjoyed that trip. Emmett has about finished his move into the new home he built on Merritt Island. He plans to visit friends on the west coast of Florida for Christmas. Anyway, this is my last breakfast for 2005. My kids are coming to town on Thursday and expect we’ll be busy through Christmas. So from our breakfast group to all our friends out there in cyberspace, MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.

Well, that’s all FOLKS.

Walt Ranallo

DDMBC
November 2005

As Kim and I were in Tallahassee November 5th, for the NC State game, the first breakfast I attended in November was on the 12th. This breakfast was attended by Herm Jackson, Don Clair, Marius Burk, Hutch Hutchison, Steve Stevens, Dickie Elder, Gary Clark, Emmett Sullivan and yours truly. We all sat at one table and for the most part, there were two separate conversations going on. It was good to see Gary as he hadn’t been to a breakfast in quite some time.

On November 9th, Herm and I took Boun Benolken to the airport. She was going on an extended trip to New York to visit with her niece and then on to Bangkok. Not sure when she is coming back, but she promised to call Herm when she did. After dropping her off, we headed north to Lake Mary to visit with Al & Minh Brau for a couple hours. While there, their son Maurice, dropped by to visit with his folks also. Minh is back to work during week and is able to adjust her hours to be home with Al when it is needed. Al is doing great and looks good. He is still on the oxygen tank and uses a walker to get around. But not sure he really needs the oxygen that much, as just before we left; Minh noticed that the machine had been turned off all the time we were there. Although Al had on the nose tube, he apparently was breathing through his mouth. Said he’s so used to it, didn’t even realize it was turned off. We all had a good laugh on this one. Al mentioned to us that he’d like to get in touch with Ken Kunzie and since I had an e-mail address for Ken, agreed to send him a message. I sent the message, but got some sort of message back indicating address wasn’t good. Tried looking Ken up in the new AAA Directory, but he’s not listed. So if anyone out there knows of Ken’s whereabouts, would appreciate you letting me or Al know.

Judy Porter is still in North Carolina recuperating from her accident in Reno and is staying with her daughter. She is being well looked after by her family members, Allison, Porter, Stoney and Ed Burk. Since her right hand is sticking out 14 inches in front of her body, she isn’t able to drive her stick shift auto and therefore will have to wait till the cast is removed before thinking about returning to her home in Titusville, Florida. This was basically the status as of October 12th. I received another update from Judy on November 16th advising that the doctor at Duke had given up on her arm healing naturally and a surgery to insert a plate, with lots of screws, is scheduled for December 5th. Judy mentions that although she is getting good care from her family, she really misses the gang in Brevard County, Florida and hopes to be home for Christmas. She wishes everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

The Veterans Memorial Center (VMC) is planning the construction of a Memorial Garden with war memorials dedicated to the major conflicts fought by American troops. They will enhance our Veterans Center and will compliment our museum, which in my opinion, is one of the finest in Florida. The Memorial Garden grounds already have on display a Huey, which was used in Vietnam by the Army and then Air America (under the ICCS Contract), and a Cobra Helicopter. There was a dedication ceremony for these helicopters was held in 2004, but due to extensive damage caused by at least two hurricanes, had to be re-dedicated again on August 14, 2005. Major General Larry Taylor, USMCR retired and former pilot with Air America, was the guest speaker at the re-dedication.

In the museum, there is a display case containing items donated by members of the Air America Association. The most recent being items from Richard Stine, who lives in Lady Lake, Florida. Last years hurricanes caused extensive damage to the center and the main museum room and we are just now getting the museum items put back in place. Once we have all this done, we hope that Rich, and wife Christine, can make it for a weekend breakfast and to visit the Center Museum and surrounding grounds. Others interested in donating to the Museum may do so and he or she will have their name displayed along with the item displayed.

The following information was provided by Marcie Means on November 19th: Charlie is still in the hospital at Jacksonville. He had another surgery where they made him a new bladder from his large bowel. All seems to be going well except he has no appetite and can't eat. He was down to 155 pounds. They are trying medications to stimulate his appetite, but so far no luck. He does well in Physical Therapy and is healing the way the doctors want. So, I think that if he could eat, he would be home in about 3 or 4 weeks. He is now at the Specialty Hospital Jacksonville, 4901 Richard Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32207. He still has his cell so he is taking calls--321-720-6975. We are going up to spend Thanksgiving with him and he is looking forward to that. Thanks for thinking of him and tell his friends '"HE'S TRYING". Marcie

Eight people attended the November 19th breakfast; Hutch, Herm, Dickie, Steve, Marius, Don Emmett and yours truly. Steve was a little late, so some of us only had his famous hot sauce on half their breakfast. After he arrived though, he told us about having all the pine trees cut down on his property. They were really tall trees and Steve decided it would be better to have them cut down rather than wait for a hurricane to take them down. He plans to grow ivory over the stumps to attract birds to his yard. Steve had enough green papya to keep Wal Mart in supply this year. Along with the Burks and others, Kim and I were kept in supply for weeks and the green papya salad we were able to make from them was delicious. We also got a few that were turning ripe and they were absolutely the best.

We’re issuing this letter early, since Kim and I are leaving for Honolulu to visit with Lou and Kiyo Peverada. Well, that’s all I have for now.

Walt Ranallo

DDMBC
October 2005

Due to football season and other commitments, I was only able to make it to two breakfast meetings during October, on the 17th and 22nd. The breakfast on the 17th was attended by Herm Jackson, Don Clair, Marius Burk, Hutch Hutchison, Maury Meisner, Tom Jenny, Steve Stevens and yours truly. We all sat at one table so most of us got a few words in at each of the several different conversations going on. It was good to see Tom Jenny who had driven down from Deland. Tom informed us that he was heading for Bangkok October 28th and would be there for about 17 days. So he should be back around the middle of November.

Breakfast on October 22nd was attended by Dickie Elder, Marius, Herm, Steve, Don, Emmet Sullivan and yours truly. This breakfast was short and most people left pretty much after they had finished eating. This was another of those storm weekends and everyone was in a hurry to get home and batten down the hatches, even though the storm was headed for the Miami vicinity. My brother Paul and wife Lorraine as well as my son Brian were visiting so I had to leave as soon as breakfast was over.

On Sunday, October 23rd, Brian left to return to his home in Tallahassee. Paul, Lorraine and I drove to Miami to attend the wedding of another brother’s son. It was a late afternoon wedding and we didn’t leave until 10 PM. We drove back to my nephew’s place in Pompano Beach and decided to stay the night and get a 6 AM start to beat Hurricane Wilma out of the area. It was supposed to hit the west coast of Florida around 7AM, but instead hit much earlier and by 6 AM was howling outside our door. So we stayed and I watched out the side window as it shredded a couple of fruit trees in the side yard. Then it calmed down and we thought it was about over, but learned later that we were in the eye at the time. When the wind started blowing from the other direction, we realized we were on the SE quadrant rather than north of the storm. Worried about the unprotected side window, I helped my nephew put up a plywood shutter. Thought we were both going to get blown away, but got it up and toughed out the rest of the storm. Around 2 PM the winds had died down enough to allow us to get on the road and return to Merritt Island, which was about 160 miles north. There was extensive damage all the way up I-95 and couldn’t find a gas station with power for the pumps until we reached Palm Bay in Brevard County. As I learned, the winds got up to 70 mph in the Merritt Island vicinity. They were strong enough to tear my FSU flag down and the metal flag holder as well. We also lost a large screen in our pool area.

Judy Porter is still recuperating from her accident in Reno and is staying with her daughter in North Carolina. Marcie Means sent a message October 12th informing us that Charlie had been released from the Mayo Clinic and was at the Wuestoff Progressive Center in Rockledge. I contacted Charlie on his cell phone (321-720-6975) on October 31st and learned that he had been sent back to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. He hopes to be released again shortly and I hope & pray that is a good sign of his progress. He appreciated my call and asked me to say hello to everyone in our breakfast group. If you can find the time, I know he would appreciate hearing from any of you.

Walt Ranallo

DDMBC Letter
September 2005

     As mentioned at the end of my last letter, I spent breakfast dates August 27th, September 3rd and September 10th in Tallahassee supporting our favorite college football team, FSU. The first weekend was the “Noles” Kickoff lunch in which the players were introduced and Saint Bobby Bowden put out his annual rallying call for support of his new and young team. This is a real young squad, with two untested quarterbacks. Anyway, their first game was at home on Labor Day against arch rival, “Hurricanes”. As most of you know, neither team put out much offense (especially the “Noles”), but both defenses were terrific and our guys ended up on top with a 10 – 7 victory. Week 2 (September 10th) the “Noles” played a lower division team, the Citadel. It was supposed to be a “Walk in the Park” scrimmage, but for the first 26 minutes, it turned out to be anything but that. They completely outplayed the “Noles” and were leading 10 to 7. We couldn’t do anything right and had turned the ball over 2 or 3 times and used both of our “red shirt” freshmen quarterbacks. Suddenly reality set in and in the next few minutes, the young quarterback turned things around and we went to half-time with a 20 to 10 lead. The second half was a route and we ended up winning 62 to 10. We face 16th ranked Boston College today (September 17th) and this will be one of the main tests to tell whether the “Noles” are good enough to continue our quest for another National Championship.

     Although I couldn’t be at breakfast during the above mentioned 3 weeks, Herm Jackson reported there were 8 folks at the August 27th breakfast, 14 on September 3rd, and 12 on September 10th. Attendees were Larry Frazer, Jim Roberts, Don Clair, Herm Jackson, Tom Jenny, Bill Hutchison, Maury Meisner, Judy Porter, Marius Burke, Steve & Michie Stevens, Dickie Elder, Ben & Kippy Densley, and a big guy who came with Dick Elder. Also, I have to report that Judy is now driving on her own. She’s not healing as fast as she’d like, but apparently she is healing. Hopefully, she will be ready for the winter Olympics next year.

     Breakfast on September 17th was attended by 10 former Air America employees. Judy, Dickie, Marius, Herm, Steve, Ben and yours truly were the locals in attendance. Special guests from the Tampa/St. Petes area were Jack Knotts and Jim & Mary Hyder. The conversations were lively and several items were being discussed at any one time. Most everyone moved around to get in their “two-sense” in all the different topics being discussed. So nothing was really decided, as usual. As mentioned above, FSU played at Boston College this date and came through with flying colors for their first test playing away. The offense is getting better and the quarterback is really improving, but the defense is our main weapon so far to date. FSU wins another squeaker.

     On September 24th, I was joined by 12 others for breakfast; Herm, Dickie, Emmett & Kathy Sullivan, Ben & Kippy, Judy, Hutch, Tom Jenny, Don Clair and Maury & Emma Meisner. Ben brought a book that had been put together by Duane Keele, Leon Lashomb and Don Henthorne back in 1984. The book contained at least 100 pages full of pictures of AA personnel, facilities and equipment. Ben mentioned he planned to have the pictures in the book digitized for the AA Website. Apparently there were very few copies of this made and I would like to have a copy for the BVC Museum. However, chances of getting a copy at this time are “slim to none”.

     Kim and I will be in Tallahassee over the next two weekends, so this concludes my letter for September. I’ll get back to you next month.

Walt Ranallo

DDMBC
August 2005

     Eight of our breakfast group showed up for the August 6th gathering at the Island BBQ; Steve & Michie Stevens, Tom Jenny, Herm Jackson, Dickie Elder, Hutch Hutchison, Judy Porter and Walt Ranallo. The highlight of the breakfast was a collection taken by Dickie for one of the waitresses, Amanda, who recently had a baby. A total of $50 was collected and turned over to the restaurant manager for delivery to Amanda. Marius couldn’t make this breakfast at he Burke’s are having a family reunion and are busy entertaining their children and grandchildren.

     At breakfast on the 13th, we had 12 people show; Marius Burke, Herm, Maury Meisner, Geza Eiler, Jim Roberts, Dickie Elder, Hutch, Judy, Don Clair, Steve, Walt and a special guest, Jim Stein. Jim was visiting from the San Francisco area and had been invited to attend the re-dedication ceremony for the two helicopters at the Brevard Memorial Center in Merritt Island. Jim flew the LOH-6, as well as Cobra and Huey Helicopters, out of Camp Holloway (near Pleiku). He participated in the Battle of Kontum and numerous other military engagements and rescue efforts. There are quite a few stories of Jim and others for their heroic rescue efforts listed at the Battle of Kontum website, http://www.thebattleofkontum.com/memories/memories.html.

     As mentioned in last month’s letter, the “Huey” and “Cobra” Helicopters that were damaged last year during the hurricanes, have been repaired and restored on their pedestals in the Brevard Veteran Center Park. Maury and I drove to the Orlando airport on Saturday evening and picked up MajGen Larry Taylor, who was invited to be the principal speaker for the ceremony. Larry’s flight was due in at 7:24 PM, but due to thunder and lightning, the plane could not be docked, and Larry sat out on the tarmack until around 9 PM. So Maury and I enjoyed a cup of coffee and had an enjoyable talk while waiting for the passengers to disembark. Afterwards, we drove Larry to the Holliday Inn Resort on Cocoa Beach to check-in and then off to the “Pig N Whistle” Sports Bar for sandwiches, beer and a lot of talking.

     Sunday morning, I picked Larry up and we joined a group of friendlies for breakfast at Denny’s Restaurant. Maury & Emma had arranged the breakfast and others there were Don, Marius, Jim Stein and Ed Walsh. Ed is a former Marine “Mustang” and also a member of the Brevard Veterans Council. There were several different discussions going on around the table and I got to listen to Marius and Larry reminisce about their times together while with Air America in Udorn. After breakfast, I took Larry back to the hotel so he could pick up his gear. When he was ready, we picked up Jim Stein drove to my home to pick up my wife Kim and then proceeded to the Brevard Veteran’s Center.

     The re-dedication ceremony was held in 90 plus heat. After the Presentation and Posting of Colors, Invocation, Pledge of allegiance, and singing of the National Anthem, Maury welcomed everyone and introduced the guests. Major General Larry Taylor (USMC retired & AA) gave a rousing speech and reminded everyone that we have a voluntary military and that they need all the support we can give. Larry told several stories that were passed to him from individual soldiers supporting what they were doing in IRAQ. He surprised me when he told about my daughter’s good friend, Captain Wendy Weinell, now serving in a Public Relations capacity in IRAQ. Wendy works directly with the IRAQI people and has visited some of them in their homes. After General Taylor’s speech, Dave Weldon, US Congressman from our district talked. Then we heard from our local County Commissioner, Ron Pritchard. Both Dave and Ron have been avid supporters of the VMC. Afterwards, special presentations were given to the volunteers who helped resurrect the helicopters. General Taylor and Congressman Weldon made these presentations. The ceremony was closed with Benediction and Retirement of the Colors and everyone proceeded to the BVC main building for a delicious lunch, provided by the Holiday Inn Resort Hotel. Bar BQ ribs and chicken were served by the ladies bridge club, who had volunteered their services.

     The AAA and DDMBC were well represented at the re-dedication and luncheon. AAA members included Marius, Hutch, Dickie, Herm, Steve, Larry Fraser, Larry Taylor, Walt & Kim Ranallo, Phil, Judy and Kathy Sullivan. DDMBC members included Don Clair, Maury & Emma Meisner and our newest member, Jim Stein. Note: Anyone who joins us for Saturday breakfast becomes a DDMBC member. After the lunch, Marius opened his home and several of us joined him and Vinetra for some drinks and conversation. Around 5:15 PM I drove Larry to the airport for his flight home.

     Ten people showed up for breakfast August 20th; Marius, Maury & Emma, Don, Dickie, Steve, Herm, Walt and Emmet & Kathy Sullivan. The Sullivan’s are building a home on Merritt Island and temporarily staying at Larry Fraser’s place. Emmet is retiring and Kathy has taken a job at Legacy Middle School in Orange County. It’s quite a drive for her now, but will be shortened substantially when they move into their new home. We hope they will continue to join us for breakfast each week.

     I’ll be out of town next week, in fact for the next three weeks, so this will be my last letter for awhile. May discontinue writing during football season since we have season tickets for the SEMINOLE games. Cheers.

Walt Ranallo

DDMBC
July 2005

The Installation, Awards & Appreciation Luncheon was held July 13th at the Veteran’s Memorial Center in Merritt Island. One of our DDMBC members, Maury Meisner, is the Chairman of the Brevard Veterans Council and acted as MC for this affair. Seven new members were voted in, including former AA Captain Ron Dixon. In addition, I was sworn in as one of the new Directors at the center. Afterwards, there was a number of appreciation awards handed out. Then lunch was served; the Island BBQ catered the affair serving BBQ Chicken, baked beans, coleslaw and several cobbler choices for desert. The food was excellent and afterwards. Maury thanked Kay Brown, owner of the Island BBQ, for her continued support at the Center. Kay has donated the food and her services free gratis for many years; she and her nephew were there again for this event to serve the food. The past couple years, the Center has insisted that she accept payment for the food, but each of those years, she has turned around and donated the money back to the Center. This year, her donation will be used for the Center’s Museum. Eight people were at the breakfast of July 2nd; Ron Dixon, John Elben, Maury & Emma Meisner, Herm Jackson, Dickie Elder, Steve Stevens and Walt Ranallo. This was a fair crowd, considering this was Independence Day weekend.

Judy Porter is still recuperating from the injuries received when she fell while disembarking the Tahoe Queen during the Air America Reunion. Seems everyone is chipping in and giving her a helping hand since she’s confined to her apartment. Marius and Vinetra have been especially helpful to her, as have Steve & Michie, Herm and Dickie. She seems to be doing well and hopefully will be back in action within a few weeks. Kim and I stopped in on her a few days ago and although she’s suffering from cabin fever, she’s keeping herself busy and seems in good spirits.

The July 9th breakfast was attended by Dickie, Marius Burke, Herm, Hutch Hutchison, Tom Jenny, Ben & Kippy Densley and Walt. Not a big crowd, but a lot of conversation and war stories were told. It’s amazing how much you remember when you start BSing with friends. Tom hadn’t been down from Deland for several weeks, so it was good talking to him. One item brought up was a plan to have some sort of party in a few weeks. A get together at a restaurant was mentioned, but several people were more amenable to having a backyard BBQ, with everyone chipping in and bringing a dish, so that one person wouldn’t get stuck with doing it all. So this is where it stands at this time and we’ll probably decide when and where at a later date.

At the July 16 breakfast, we had Ron, Hutch, Marius, Geza Eiler, Dickie, Maury & Emma, Steve, Larry Fraser, Walt, Phil Peyton and Ben & Kippy. Geza was in town for his time off period from work down South. It’s been some time since Phil has graced us with his presence, mainly because he hasn’t been well. It was good to see him up and around. The waitress even gave him a coffee cup that someone had kissed. She told Phil it wasn’t her brand however, so we don’t know who did it. The “Huey” and “Cobra” Helicopters that were damaged last year during the hurricanes, have been repaired and restored on their pedestals in the Brevard Veteran Center Park. The re-dedication ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, August 14th. Major General Larry Taylor (USMC & AA) will be the feature speaker at the ceremony. Larry will arrive Saturday, August 13th at 8:22 PM and will return to Atlanta Sunday, August 14, 2005 at 8:25 PM. We hope to have a good turnout to welcome Larry to the Space Coast for his visit.

We had nine folks at the July 23rd breakfast; Maury, Judy Porter, Stan & Chau Thompsen, Tom Jenny, Marius, Herm, Jim Roberts, and Walt. Stan and Chau are visiting the Burke’s and came down to see George Benolken’s widow, Boun. They both looked good and it was certainly good seeing them, since they didn’t make the Reno reunion. Herm picked up Judy this morning so she could be at the breakfast. She looked a little pale, but was otherwise in good spirits. Tom Jenny drove down from Deland and Jim Roberts was over from Orlando. Jim hadn’t been around for over a month, so it was good to see both of them. Neither Steve and/or Michie were at breakfast and Judy advised that Michie’s mother had recently passed away. Steve did stop by to drop off some fruit with Marius, but didn’t stay.

As was reported on the AA website, George Benolken passed away this past week, and his funeral was the held Friday, July 22nd. The local AAA contingent provided a flower bouquet (made up by Michie Stevens) for the viewing and funeral service. Local AAA members who attended the services were Walt & Kim Ranallo, Marius & Vinetra Burke, Michie & Steve Stevens, John “Ron” Dixon, Dick Elder, Cal Bartlett, Herm Jackson and others.

We had a good crowd at the July 30th breakfast with 17 attending; Maury & Emma Meisner, Hutch, Marius Burke and son Will, Herm, Judy, Steve, Don Claire, Charlie Weitz, John Elben, Phil Peyton, Dickie, Walt, Samantha Deebel, her young son Dillon and her boyfriend Jimmy. Charlie had driven over from Sarasota and came to breakfast with Dickie and Phil. Samantha is the daughter of Tom & Donna Deebel, who were in Udorn with AA; Tom was an electronics Tech. Tom passed away some years back, and Donna is remarried. She and her husband are in the process of closing on a home in Merritt Island, so looks like we’ll be adding another name or two to our breakfast roster.

That’s about all I have for this letter.

Walt Ranallo

 DDMBC
May & June 2005

Well, it’s been some time since we’ve sent in a letter, so thought I’d better get things up to date. I’ll start out with the April 30th breakfast. Eleven peoples showed up; Steve Stevens, Larry Fraser, Hutch Hutchison, Jim Roberts, Herm Jackson, Tom Jenny, Dickie Elder, Walt Ranallo, Maury Meisner, Don Clair and Judy Porter. I had to take some trips out of town to visit friends and relatives and didn’t attend another breakfast until May 21st. Most of the above people attended this breakfast, and in addition, Charlie Weitz came over from Tampa and John Elben drove up from Satellite Beach. The last breakfast before the Air America Association Reunion was on May 28th. Twelve people showed up; Dickie, Judy, Herm, Tom, Walt, Larry, Maury, Marius Burke, Don, Ron Dixon, Steve and Charlie Harvey. Ron Dixon mentioned that he had built a home and plans to rent it. Its 4 bedrooms, 2 baths with 1875 square feet of living area. It has complimentary lawn service, a security system and is in a gated community in West Melbourne. He’s looking to lease it for $1,500 per month. Anyone interested in can contact Ron 321-733-0795.

Kim and I were in Reno to attend the Reunion and spend a little time with my brother and family from June 1 through June 8. Our son, Brian, and daughter, Chris, and her husband Drew, joined us in Reno and that made it all the better. It was a great reunion and we all stayed at the hotel for a few days afterwards. We got to take the paddle boat trip on Lake Tahoe that we missed during the reunion and got some really good pictures of the lake and surrounding mountains. Also took a trip to Donner Pass and Memorial.

The first breakfast I made after the reunion was on June 18th. Only eight attended; Steve, Dickie, Marius, Herm, Ron, Hutch, Walt and Geza Eiler. The breakfast of June 25th was attended by Marius, Don, Maury, Herm, Dickie, Walt, and in addition, Boyd Mesecher drove up from Hollywood. Hank and Billie Glindeman also joined us. Dickie sat with Rex Walters and his wife Helga. Rex worked with Steve and Dickie in South America.

We’ll be having one more breakfast before Independence Day. Larry Taylor (MajGen’l USMC & former Air America Pilot) advised he’s having his usual 4th of July Blast at 47 South Prado in Atlanta. Sure wish we could make it, but already made other plans. Semper Fi.

DDMBC
February 2005

     There were 10 folks at our February 5th breakfast; Don & Kathleen Clair, Dickie Elder, Herm Jackson, Steve Stevens, Maury Meisner, Ben Densley, Geza Eiler, Judy Porter and Walt Ranallo. We also had 10 people at the February 12th breakfast meeting; Bill Hutchison, Judy, Herm, Dickie, Steve, Jim Roberts, Marius, Ben & Benjamin Densley and Walt. Conversation centered on the Burke’s & Porter’s trip to Thailand and Laos. They had pictures of all the places they had visited, which included places in Bangkok, Vientiene, Udorn, Ubon, Chang Mai, etc. It was amazing the changes that have taken place since we all left SEA.

     The February 19 breakfast was at the Malabar Sports Bar in Rockledge, Florida. Steve sent out an advisory note telling those on his e-mail list, but apparently missed a couple people. I didn’t make this breakfast, as I was visiting my kids in Tallahassee. I understand there were about 10 people there, but I don’t have all the names. The breakfast was cut short due to the Malabar closing at 10:30.

     I was really surprised at the turnout for breakfast on the 26th; there were a total of 20 people at this one. In addition to regulars, Don & Kathleen Clair, Judy, Marius, Ben & Kippy, Hutch, Steve & Michie, Dickie, Herm and me, we had Jack Knots and Mary Hyder show up from Tampa, Dick Ford was visiting from Minnesota, Tom Jenny drove down from Deland, Florida, Stan & Chau Thompsen of Atlanta were visiting the Burke’s, and Emmet and Kathy Sullivan were up from Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. As I understood Emmet has bought a lot in Merritt Island and is building a home on it. He expects it to be completed in July and plans to move here at that time if all goes well. Stan and Judy took pictures at the breakfast and Stan has promised to e-mail them to me when he gets back to Atlanta in a few days. If he does, I’ll include them with this letter.

     It is hoped that anyone who may have items they would like displayed in the Air America Case at the Brevard Veteran’s Memorial Center, will contact Maury Meisner and make arrangements to get them there. It should also be mentioned, that you can arrange for your property items to be displayed on a loan basis. The BVM Center depends on donations and outside help to maintain their operations and projects, so any help in that area will also be much appreciated. Checks or money orders can be made payable to BVMC/Air America, and sent to Emma Meisner (Treasurer, Veteran’s Center), 538 Cocoa Isles Boulevard, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931-3032.

Well, that’s all I have for this report.

Walt and Kim

DDMBC

January 2005

Maury Meisner, the Commander of the Veteran’s Center, really supports the Air America Association, and I hope that we can repay his kindness with AA paraphernalia items to put on display at the Veterans Center Museum.   I finally located the CD that contains pictures of North Vietnamese stamps.  These stamps reflect North Vietnam’s claims (gross exaggerations) of their successful military achievements during the War; show how many US & ARVN troops they killed, how many planes they shot down, etc.  The CD was made from the stamps that I donated for the Air America display at the University of Texas.  Al Brau purchased these stamps in early 1974 when he went to Hanoi as a crew member to pick up a group of ICCS personnel that had been taken there a few days earlier for negotiations with the VC and NVA.  As I recall, Al’s flight was piloted by Art Kenyon.   

It is hoped that anyone who may have items they would like displayed in the Air America Case at the center, will contact Maury and make arrangements to get them there.  It should also be mentioned, that you can arrange for your property items to be displayed on a loan basis.   The Veterans Center depends on donations and outside help to maintain their operations and projects, so any helping that area will also be much appreciated.  Checks or money orders can be made out to BVMC/Air America, and sent to Emma Meisner (Treasurer, Veteran’s Center), 538 Cocoa Isles Boulevard, Cocoa Beach, FL 32931-3032. 

There were 16 folks at our January 8^th breakfast; Don & Kathleen Clair, Bill Hutchison, Dickie Elder, Herm Jackson, Steve & Michie Stevens, Marius Burke, Judy Porter, Maury and Emma Meisner, Ben & Kippy, Geza & Suzanne Eiler and me.  During breakfast, Barbara Morrell, a good friend from my work days stopped by and introduced Ruth Holt and Vince Barresi, her relatives down from Virginia Beach.  Vince is retired Navy.  We enjoyed meeting and talking with them. 

We had 8 people show up for the January 15^th breakfast meeting.  The regulars were Don, Dickie, Hutch, Ben, Herm and me.  Jim Roberts also joined us for the first time in awhile as did Phil Peyton and later on “Catfish”.  Jim has been working as a consultant for a small airline he helped develop.  Although he agreed to work part time, the company has been working him very long hours.  At the same time, Jim is having to repair his home for damages caused by the hurricanes.  The Burke’s and Judy Porter have gone to Thailand and will be back in early February.  We haven’t heard from them, so presume that no news is good news.  Imagine they’ll be visiting with Jeff Johnson, Israel Freedman, Larry Fraser and others while there. 

On January 22, the following 12 people had breakfast; Herm, Don, Hutch, Dickie, Maury, Walt, Steve & Michie, Ann & Jerry Worley, and Ben & Kippy.  Breakfast for the AA types was rather solemn since it had been learned that Jeff Johnson had died the previous Wednesday.  A DDMBC group consisting of Judy Porter, Larry Fraser and the Burkes attended his funeral at Wat Chonlaprathan in Pak Kret.

Only seven of us showed up for the January 29^th breakfast; Ben, Don, Herm, Dickie, Geza, Steve and yours truly.  My end of the table talked a lot about price and quality of dental care in places like Thailand and Guatemala.  I intend to find out more and hope to be able to get some work done when we go over for the mini reunion in 2006.  The way it sounds, we could probably fly over there, stay in a hotel and get our teeth fixed for less that the dental work would cost in the states.     

Well, that’s all I have for this report. 

Walt and Kim

Mini-Reunion Story Submitted by Wayne Knight

On 2 January, 2005, Joe Hall and his wife Jo hosted a Mini Reunion for Air America Has-beens at their beach-side apartment at Kirra Beach (near the Gold Coast) Queensland.  Joe was Fixed Wing Maintenance at both Saigon and Udorn.  A sumptuous meal of Queensland seafood was presented.  Attending were Wayne Webb, formerly R/W Capt Udorn and Bangkok, with his wife Laraine; and myself and my wife Lai.  It was my first contact with the Webb's for 20 plus years, we plan not to wait for so long for our next meet.

2005 DDMBC Breakfast Meetings

2004 DDMBC Breakfast Meetings