Lt. Col. (Retired) Mary Littlejohn is a feature speaker at a Vietnam Reunion for the Battle of Soui Tre.
50th Anniversary of the Battle of Suoi Tre
BATTLE OF SUOI TRE REUNION
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March 19th
Arrival day, table set up in lobby for book authors & greeting our people with welcome packs & name tags. There will be a sign in book.
Later in afternoon welcome packs & name tags will be in the hospitality room.
We will have a pizza/beer & other refreshments get together for all units, authors, guest speakers if they desire in the hospitality room in the evening around 5-6:00 (tbd). Come & go as you please, purely a time to socialize & meet each other.
March 20th
Morning trip to Ft Carson (busing provided by them) to hopefully witness troops doing actual training exercise on simulators & we are invited to do hands on also.
Tour of remodeled museum
Lunch at base mess hall (each pays for own lunch)
Evening social in Banquet Room at Elegante Hotel. Opening prayer by Ron Conrad B2/7, Slide program presented by Bill Comeau A2/12
Mayor or aid (depending on schedual’s) will welcome us. Several speakers to talk about the battle, different views & circumstances. Some special speakers have committed to be there to relate to our experience & speak on theirs. We have Jim Downing 103 years old Pearl Harbor survivor (was next to USS Arizona when it blew, he was on the USS West Virginia), Ed Beck in Battle of the Bulge & was a POW, WW2 and went on to the Korean War, a Soldier who was at Hiroshima after the blast (has pics & artifacts to show), Battle Commanders & current day Commanders to speak.
Still waiting on others to respond.
Cash bar & other refreshments will be there. Working on an appropriate snack also. This is not a dinner situation.
Timing to start all events are in planning.
March 21st
Memorial at Ft Carson in morning. We’ll post what time to leave hotel (again buses provided by Ft Carson), ceremony to start at 9:30. Protocol to be followed. 21 Cannon salute & reading of the names of fallen.
Trip to PX in Ft Carson buses to buy memorabilia etc. Lunch at Ft Carson mess hall.
Evening Banquet with some more speakers. Still waiting on commitment from actors for their filming schedule.
March 22
free day
shop around Colorado Springs (info in welcome pkg or look at visitcos.com)
Trip to US Air Force Academy for private tour in morning.
Trip to Cripple Creek (old gold mining town turned into gaming town, old buildings haven’t been changed) in morning. Bus fees to be posted, there is a package to pay for ride but a refund for ride cost by playing.
OR you could do USAFA tour in morning & Cripple Creek in afternoon 3:00 ish. Need to tighten schedules.
NEED HEAD COUNT ASAP ON WHAT YOU WANT TO DO SO I CAN PLAN ON TRANSPORTATION ISSUES.
March 23
Still planning on static displays with Ft Carson for morning & rest of day. The troops have been deploying & coming back continually! Its been very difficult to pin down activities!
We’re trying hard to make this a reunion to remember.
We are dubbing the Heritage Week as “Freedom Isn’t Free”. Thats why we have brought in our brothers from previous wars all the way to the present Global War on Terrorism soldiers. We have all experienced the same feelings & life issues.
Thank you for your input. I hope this clarify’s things better, call if we need to discuss further.
I’m in constant communication with people coming with questions, lining up speakers or possible’s, meetings with Ft Carson personnel & their schedule & planning on the ceremony.
We also have 50th anniversary “Battle of Suoi Tre” shirts in the works. Were making them non-unit specific so it works for everyone. They will be available in Tee or Polo & we need to style, size, & quantity from everyone asap. I’m doing a mass e-mail & phone calling this weekend to all who have registered to get that info as well as the free day wants. I can’t get these things finalized until I get the information.
Waiting on response from possible speakers R.Lee Emory, Gary Sinese, Pearl Harbor nurse at attack, I think I now have a Viet Nam nurse from the 1967 period, Mike McGraff 6 year POW in Hanoi, Commander Russell who was in charge of the capture of Sadam Hussain, & others
For further information or questions, please call Bill King at 719-748-8219 H or 719-494-3590 C or email him at: billkingsouitre@aol.com
Bill King C/2/22 1967
Committee Chairman
