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Inspirational stories posted by veterans, active military, family & friends telling how they successfully found and reunited with their old
friends & family, enjoyed a reunion together, along with the feelings and emotions that were evoked.
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C-97 crash
Pleased to receive a photo through VetFriends.I made an entry in VetFriends.com about a year ago, hoping to locate someone who served with me at Kelly AFB, San Antonio,TX in 1951 and 1952. A few weeks ago the son of a pilot I served with emailed me. The son was only four years old when his father was killed in a plane crash. We were assigned to the same squadron at this time and I do vaguely recall his father. I have a large squadron photo made only 3 months prior to his death and he is on the first row. The son had never seen this photo, so I made a copy and sent it to him. He was very pleased and it gave me a good feeling also. ' |
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reunion
When they reunited , they traded 60 yrs worth of stories and memories.Six Decades ago...Two men created a special bond; now, they have reunited. When Leo Acosta (my dad) received a phone call from someone named "John Arroyo", he wasn't sure who was on the line. But as soon as Acosta picked up the receiver and heard the man's voice, he knew immediately that it belonged to his old army buddy- a man who was called "Hector" by his fellow soldiers. Leo Acosta and Hector John Arroyo hadn't seen or spoken to one another in six decades. Knowing they had much to catch up on, Arroyo planned a trip from his home in New York to Acosta's house in Nacogdoches,TX. When they reunited , they traded 60 yrs worth of stories and memories. Arroyo had sent pictures home to his mom while in World War II. After she passed away he came across his war pictures and had noticed he had written the names and addresses on the back. He attempted to contact some of them and to his disappointment most of them had died. Then he successfully located Leo Acosta. At that point he and his wife Luz planned a short order trip to Texas to visit the Acosta's. "It was a delight to recall history" Arroyo said. "It was such a joy to see the two embrace and recall their time together as army brothers. The two plan to keep in touch with each other. After sixty long years they still remembered those days as if it were only yesterday. We are very proud of our fathers as well as all the other men and women that are still fighting for our freedom. Thanks to all who gave all and are still giving it their all. God Bless You and your families. Regina Acosta Collins ' |
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A-Troop's 40th year Reunion
When you are together that long a bond is formed among the guys, like being brothers, being a family.I have been out of the Army now for about thirty eight years. I was discharged from the army back in 1966, most of the fellas I was with were together for almost three years at Coleman Barracks in Germany. When you are together that long a bond is formed among the guys, like being brothers, being a family. When My tour of duty ended and I was discharged, I came home and I never forgot the friends I left behind. Thirty seven years passed and I started looking for them using the internet. I found thirty two of my buddies and even located my old troop commander. Every one was excited whenever I spoke to them on the phone for the first time after thirty seven, thirty eight years. Not one of them had forgotten who I was. This Past June had a Reunion in Springfield Missouri. After THIRTY NINE years we met again for the first time, Fifteen of us along with our Troop Commander. Tears were flowing, we were hugging each other, we were just so happy to see each other again after so many years. Those years we were together in Germany a bond was formed that has lasted all these years. Only a veteran knows what I am talking about. AIRBORNE ALL THE WAY Our unit was A-Troop'ABN' 3/8 CAV AT Coleman Barracks which is close to Mannheim Germany ' |
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Lifetime Friends
Several of us have been to reunions and enjoy sharing time.Graduated from Marine radio school, Camp Pendelton in spring 1949. Twelve of us from the class were assigned to the USS Mt.Olympus AGC8. Fifty six years later, three have passed on, and the other nine of us still communicate with each other. Also five of us have been to several of the Mt. Olympus reunions and enjoy sharing time together. Our next reunion is the first of October in Louisville Kentucky, and hopefully five of the nine will be there. Ski USMC ' |
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2005 5th Missile Reunion
In this way, friendships developed over the past twelve years (and before) can be continued.We held our twelfth 5th Missile, 517th Artillery reunion on June 10,11, 12, 2005 in Abilene, Texas. We had a total of 35 people show up and everyone had a great time. It was the 45th Anniversary of the opening of our missile batteries. We called it "Back to the Frontier" and the reunion had a western theme. The reunion was dedicated to the memory of one of our own that had passed away April 24, 2005. His name was Adrian Errol Porter and he was 62 years old. His wife, Kay, wanted to help with our registrations as she and Errol had done in the past and she did a great job as usual. Wives of deceased members of our group are always welcome to continue to participate in our reunions if they want to. In this way, friendships developed over the past twelve years (and before) can be continued. Everyone voted to continue having our reunion for another year in Abilene and it will be headquartered at the Ambassador Suites this year. See the Reunions listing for June 9, 2006, for further information. As long as there is interest to continue having reunions, we will do so since we, the officers of the reunion, enjoy putting them together and sharing our time with the others. Byron Penrod ' |
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Reunion Story
I cannot tell you that one phone call enriched about ten couples.Well here it goes. On December 31st 1999, myself and my wife were heading out for a New Year's Party,when the upstairs sales phone started to ring. Being an aggressive salesman I wanted to run up and grab it but the look I got from my wife just halted me in my tracks. The next day I went up to retrieve my messages, well on the machine was this voice "If you are the Mike Ercole that was on the William R. Rush DDR714 call me, George". Now this is 41 years later and here is the voice of my buddy. I call and we go thru a lot of sea stories and decide that "I" should be in charge of starting a reunion. I found about ten guys from New Jersey, New York, Penn, Conn, Rhode Island. Got a Nice Place at the Hotel and we all met on a Friday and stayed over till Sunday Morn. I cannot tell you that one phone call enriched about ten couples. ' |
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After 62 years.
With the help of VetFriends and other web sites I recently was contacted by a shipmate's Brother.I have been searching for years for shipmates of the Subchaser S.C.1010, which was rammed and cut in half with the loss of two lives & three injured two severely. This happened in 1943 off the Calif. coast while on patrol. With the help of VetFriends and other web sites I recently was contacted by a shipmate's Brother. I contacted him by telephone and his wife did all the talking for him as he has Alzheimer's and could not remember. It was still good to know he was still living after all these years. I hope to be able to contact others and be able to talk to them. ' |
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reunion
The Reunion Committee heard about our story and selected Tommy Joe and I to present the Ceremonial Wreath at the "Wall". It was an honor I will cherish forever.I was a boot Marine with Alpha Co. 1st Bn 4th Marine Regiment 3rd Mar Div in Dec of 67. I got in trouble for opening up on full auto on 3 charlies from my OP position. The Lt. Colonel told me to never open up on full auto. I had 3 days in country and stateside utilities and what did I know? Anyway my punishment was a week's worth of burning the shitter's at C-2. This Marine would walk by everyday and laugh his ass off. I finally got up the nerve to ask him (Tommy Joe) why he was laughing at me. He told me that I should stand and stir with the wind at my back. That way I could see and wouldn't smell like diesel all the time. It made sense and we became friends. Tommy had some influence with Gunny Collins and I was put in Tommy's squad. We were inseparable until I got hit in June of 68. Tommy loaded me on the medi-vac chopper and that was the last I heard from him. I was one day playing on the computer and I located Tommy Joe in 2002. We talked weekly (still do) and decided to meet at the annual 1/4 Reunion in Arlington in 2003. It was a missing link that I had lived with for years. Not knowing who got hit and who didn't. The Reunion Committee heard about our story and selected Tommy Joe and I to present the Ceremonial Wreath at the "Wall". It was an honor I will cherish forever. ' |
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Reunited
After 46 years it was like we had never been apart. We have enjoyed starting to tell a story and the other one would pick it up and finish the story.In April 1958 our daughter was born in the Beaufort Naval Hospital. A couple of days later George Wilson's son Jody was born at the same hospital. George's wife Bonnie died during Jody's birth. I took George to the Red Cross to get emergency leave. Then I took him to the airport in Charleston, SC. When George returned from the funeral we were gone on a trip. Both George and I were members of the Parris Island Band. George got out of the Marine Corps and a little later joined the Air Force. George retired from the Air Force and became a mail man in Aurora, CO. After my tour of duty I got out of the Corps and went back home to Pascagoula, MS. After working in a chemical job for ten years I went back to school to become a Baptist Minister of Music. In 1995 the Trinity Baptist Church in Aurora, CO ask me to send them a video of one of the worship services I had led. George being their mailman delivered the tape to the church. He had to have the tape signed for and took the tape inside. He then saw my name on the return address. When he asked the pastor of the church if that was the same Gordon Bennett that served in the Parris Island he was told that it was the same person. That night George called me and I told him I would be coming to Aurora in a couple of weeks. The Sunday when I lead the music at Trinity, George was in the congregation. We had not seen each other in over 46 years. I moved to Aurora to work at Trinity Baptist and for almost five years George and I ate at almost every restaurant between Fort Collins and Colorado Springs. In October 2000 I moved back to Pascagoula. George and I stay in touch by e mail and the phone. I have attended the last six Marine Corps Musician Association reunion. George has attended three of them. After 46 years it was like we had never been apart. We have enjoyed starting to tell a story and the other one would pick it up and finish the story. In the Corps there is a saying "Fratres Aeterni" Brothers Forever. This has been the case with George and me. Semper Fidelis, G Bennett ' ' |
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Reunion
I was able to locate about 20 former members of the 590th and so I went ahead and set up a reunion in Branson, MO.Well I would just like to thank all of you responsible for VetFriends.com as I had decided to work on a reunion of the 590th Transportation Co. for those that were in the unit between 1961 and 1964 time frame. And after 40+ years of separation it was a much more monumental task than I had figured until I stumbled upon VetFriends.com. But to make a long story short I was able to locate about 20 former members of the 590th and so I went ahead and set up a reunion in Branson, MO. and we had 12 of us that actually made the reunion. It was so nice to meet back up with all those friends that hadn't seen or talked with each other for over 40 years. We now have set up a 2005 reunion in Branson again for Labor Day weekend. ' |
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