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One
new name was added during the April-May period for a new total of 1,883.
Progress on filling in missing data for the Confirmed List of
Names and qualifying the Unconfirmed List has unfortunately slowed a
great deal and we really need the help of all our readers here.
As
a HixNews reader, please
continue to help us by reviewing both lists when you select the "click
here" options near the bottom of this update with your computer mouse.
To speed the process, just
look for names from your class year and other years you may be familiar
with, as a reference and see if you have a new name or some missing data
on existing names to email to us. Class
years, where known, are specifically shown to make this effort easier
for everyone. Missing data
for names is shown in red, to make it easier for readers to see what's
needed. The
Unconfirmed List was created to insure we don't leave anyone behind
from earlier class years (the 1940's and 50's) who served during the
Vietnam War Era and deserve recognition.
Please see if you can help us establish if these folks served
during the Vietnam Era (Vietnam Era dates are shown in the "Memorial
Qualifications" section below). With
May being the month to remember all those who paid the ultimate price to
defend our freedom, Bill Walden had a very busy month.
As commander of the Hicksville VFW Post, Bill was also Hicksville's
Memorial Day Parade Chairman and Master
of Ceremonies this year. He
also recently spoke at a monthly meeting of the Hicksville
Historical Society and used the opportunity to promote our Memorial
Project. In addition, Bill
continues to keep Mrs. Bright, As
reported in April, weathering tests have been run on a laser bonding on
stainless steel method for possible use as the means of displaying the
names on the Memorial. Results
were not yet ready for this publication. Recently,
Ken Strafer was able to learn from the IRS that a decision on our
petition for not-for-profit (NFP) status should be available within the
next 90 days. Once we have
IRS approval, fund raising plans will commence.
The IRS did request the addition of two new sections to our
bylaws (policies on "conflicts of interest" and "sexual
harassment"). These have
been completed and submitted for IRS review towards our NFP approval. Memorial Qualifications:
A person must have been on active duty in one of our Armed
Forces, served in the Active Reserves or served in the National Guard
during the Vietnam War Era. Active
duty personnel did not necessarily have to serve in Overall
qualifications include:
Our
Project Team consists of the following HHS Alumni and Vietnam War Era
Veterans and is pleased to add its newest member in Terry Wallace: ·
Ken Strafer, Founder (HHS
'62) ·
Joe Carfora, Project
Coordinator & Master List (HHS '62) ·
Carl Probst, Input Data,
Class of '59 & Others (HHS '59) ·
Tony Plonski, Input Data,
Class of '64 & Others (HHS '64) ·
Tommy Sullivan, Press
Release Editing (HHS '63) ·
Walter Schmidt, Town of ·
Joe Ingino, Veterans
Advocate, Hicksville & ·
Jay Tranchina, Input Data,
Class of '64 & Others, plus local press contact (HHS '64) ·
Bill Walden, Cmdr of ·
Terry Wallace, Input Data,
Class of '66 & Others, has fundraising experience (HHS '66)
Here's what we continue to need from each person reading this to
do: Please
click on the following link to review the Confirmed List of Names: Click
here Please
click on the following link to review the UNCONFIRMED List of Names:
Click
here If
you know of someone who is not listed, or if you have information we are
still missing, please email what you have to Joe Carfora at jcar4a@aol.com.
Note: this is an
email address change from past issues due to Joe's move to Thank
you! The
Vietnam War Era Memorial Project Team Footnote extracted from www.vietnamwar.com:
During nearly 15 years of military involvement, over 2 million
Americans served in A
Look Back at Ted Williams, one of the greatest hitters of
a baseball that ever played the game. When asked to
name the greatest team he was ever on, Ted said "The
Ted Williams was John Glenn's
wingman flying F-9Fs in The
now
be assigned to an F-9 Panther jet as a pilot.
Ted flew a total of 39 combat missions in While
flying an air strike on a troop encampment near Kyomipo, William's F-9
was hit by hostile ground fire. Ted commented later... "the funny
thing was I didn't feel anything... I knew I was hit when the stick
started shaking like mad in my hands. Then everything went out, my
radio, my landing gear, everything. The red warning lights were on all
over the plane."
The
F-9 Panther had a centrifugal flow engine and normally caught fire when
hit. The tail would literally blow off most stricken aircraft. The
standard orders were to eject from any Panther with a fire in the rear
of the plane. Ted's aircraft was indeed on fire, and was trailing
smoke and flames. Glenn and the other pilots on the mission were yelling
over their radios for William's to get out.
However,
with his radio out Williams could not hear their warnings, and he could
not see the condition of the rear of his aircraft. Glenn
and another Panther flown by Larry Hawkins came up alongside Williams
and lead him to the nearest friendly airfield. Fighting to hold the
plane together, Ted brought his Panther in at more than 200-MPH for a
crash landing on the Marsden-matted strip. With
no landing gear, dive brakes, or functioning flaps the flaming Panther
jet skidded down the runway for more than 3000 feet. Williams got out of
the aircraft only moments before it was totally engulfed in flames.
Ted
Williams survived his tour of duty in Korea and returned to major league
baseball. Pssst:
Ted missed out flying combat missions during WW II, because his flying
and gunnery skills were so good that he was kept as an instructor for
much of the War. During advanced training at Pensacola, Florida Ted
would accurately shoot the sleeve targets to shreds while shooting out
of wing-overs, zooms, and barrel rolls. He broke the all time record for
"hits" at the school. Following Pensacola, Ted was sent to
Jacksonville for advanced gunnery training. This is the payoff test for
potential combat pilots. Ted set all the records for reflexes,
coordination, and visual reaction time. As a result of his stunning
success he was made an instructor at Bronson field to put Marine
aviation cadets through their final paces. By 1945 Ted got his wish and
was finally transferred to a combat wing, but weeks later the War was
over. He was discharged from the military in December of 1945. Seven
years later, in December of 1952, Ted was recalled to active duty as a
Marine Corps fighter pilot.
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