A Troop 4/12th Cav

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acknowledgments

MISSION
AWARDS


The mission of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT SECTION is to establish a historical record and to make known the individuals who have made significant contributions to A Troop's website, roster, success in locating troopers, organization, and other functions related to the reforming of the troop.

IN THE BEGINNING the light burned brightly, fed by the constant flow of personal experiences of A Troop troopers and their dedication to their fellow troopers. The light was called THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE CAV. When the time came for the troopers to go back to the world, the light faded.

All troopers experienced the same war in the same area of operations but from different perspectives. Days of boredom, miserable weather, loneliness, interspersed with moments of sheer excitement and terror led to memories full of many emotions - fear, sorrow, anger and humor. The light would not go out, and even after thirty plus years, those experiences remained with the troopers and the need to reach out and share grew stronger each day.

In 1998, John Sharpe posted a message on http://grunt.space.swri.edu/lostfnd.htm looking for other A Troop 4/12 Cavalry troopers. There were no responses at first, but now and then a 12th Cav trooper would surf into the site, acknowledge that he was once part of the unit, then move on.

Then in the first part of 2001, the light begin to grow a little brighter as George Gersaba, Dick Makela, Wally Mendoza, Frank Canda, Bob Rebbec, Jim Good, Jim Clark, Glenn Bowers, Buddy Puryear and Layne Duke began to exchange e-mails. John Sharpe dutifully led visiting Cav troopers to the Lost and Found website and to the other's e-mail addresses. The group of 12th Cavalry veterans communicating with one another via the Internet grew quickly. Frank Canda invited everyone to join a members-only commo net hosted by Topica.com.ÊAs a companion site to the commo net, Pineapple obtained a website for the troopers to post pictures at http://groups.msn.com/A412thCavalry.

In June of 2001 Jim Good recommended that the ex-troopers hold a reunion and Wally Mendoza assigned Pineapple to be in charge of "a get-together in a neutral place. Let's say, LAS VEGAS." John Sharpe volunteered his cousin, Ham, who lived in Las Vegas, to help with finding a place to hold the reunion. On October 6, 2001, the light shone brighter than it had for more than thirty-plus years as the first reunion of A Troop 4/12th Cav took place at the world-famous Venetian Restaurant on West Sahara Boulevard in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Early on in the process (known as "wouldn't it be great to have a website" and not having a clue what was required) for developing A Troop's website, I visited several sites searching for a user-friendly format and for sources of information that would be useful.

I contacted the following sites asking permission to use information from their sites and also ask for any input on the dos and don'ts while building a website - http://www.ichiban1.org (1st Battalion 50th Infantry) and http://freepages.military.rootsweb.com/~bobw/index.htm (7 Platoon C Coy / 3 RAR).

With the input from the two sites, we started the 4/12th Cav web. As stated before and often "THERE IS NO I IN WE"; A Troop's website is only as good as it is due to contributions of so many troopers. It will continue to grow and improve as more troopers become involved in its future.

As more troopers were located, the light grew stronger. A Troop's website, www.atroop412cav.com, was officially launched in April 2002 by Charles Cooper. The site's construction and content was made possible through the professional skills of Sherri Taylor (wife of Bob Taylor) and the contributions of the 12th Cavalry troopers who added their thoughts and memories. Diane and Bob Rebbec launched a companion site www.412roster.com in August of 2002.ÊA Troop now has a site where its members may visit to look at pictures, share memories, and search for contact information on other troopers. It is also a place where their family and friends may come to gain some straight-from-the-horse's-mouth insight into THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE CAV and their Vietnam experiences.

AWARDS:

On occasions there will be a time to acknowledge and say "Thank You" to individuals who have contributed to KEEPING THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE CAV'S FLAME AND SPIRIT BURNING BRIGHTLY.

These acknowledgements shall follow these guidelines:

LTee FRANK CANDA AWARD (formally the KEEPING THE FLAME BURNING ) For individuals who made contributions above and beyond the call of duty in regards to A Troop's website, locating troopers, or for other actions that have benefited A Troop.

KEEPING THE SPIRIT BURNING - For individuals who have made sufficient contributions to A Troop's website, locating troopers, or for other actions that have benefited A Troop. Ê

HONORABLE MENTION (Est. 2003) - For individuals who have made valuable contributions to A Troop's website, locating troopers, or for other actions that have benefited A Troop.



LET US NOT FORGET THE REASON WHY

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©2002 All of the materials in this site are copyrighted and cannot be used without written permission from the site administrator.

This site is in no way connected to, or sanctioned by, any official Army or Government entity. This is, and will be a work in progress; we apologize now for any errors and/or mistakes. Information for this site has been and will continue to be gathered from many different sources. It is intended as a place for fellow troopers, family and friends of A Troop 4th Squadron 12th Cavalry (Vietnam Era) to visit, seek contact with, gather information or some insight into the history, language and jargon of the people who were part of A Troop, then and now. A Troop 4/12 Cav (Vietnam Era) invites and encourages trooper's family members to participate in the troop's reunions, memorial services, remembrances of our fellow troopers who have passed on to Fiddler's Green, and to continue the camaraderie of the BROTHERHOOD....Long Live the Cav and its BROTHERHOOD!!