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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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