Sunday, December 6, 2009

My World & Welcome To it.

In September, 1962, I departed Summit, New Jersey to attend prep school in Andover, MA. Several years later, my parents moved north as well, thereby severing any and all ties that I had to legions of childhood friends. My mind left them all encased (entombed?) in an adolescent time capsule.


Lost Summit friends Russ Thomas, Sandy Lane, Jill Barr, Debby Wadmond, me, Karl (Killer) Thomason, and Pete Diemon in Concord June, 2009.

In August, 1968, I departed Vietnam to attend Harvard thereby severing any and all ties that I had to legions of Marine Corps friends. My mind left them in a time capsule as well (several, sadly, actually entombed).

My lifelong friends (and a wonderful lot they are), thereby, date from Andover forward and include a hearty number that, until recently, included no one from either Summit or the enlisted ranks of the United States Marine Corps.

This began to change in 1993 when I felt an overwhelming urge to get in touch with someone (anyone!) associated with my Marine Corps service. After a period, I tracked down Bill Negron. Our initial correspondence may be viewed on the Amazon Loon page under Author Essay. From there, over the subsequent ten years, we found Dan Burton, Terry Tillery, Mac Mecham, and several dozen others.

It changed my life. The memories flooded back. Although many had long ago metastasized into nightmares, others recalled the rollicking adventures of a group of mostly teenaged boys.

We cried.

We laughed.

LZ Loon survivors Terry Tillery, Mac Mecham, Dan Burton, and me in Vail, September 2009.

Loon was published on May 19th. Among the first events was at the Concord Bookshop. By serendipity, on their staff was long-lost Summit friend Sandy Lane who, noting the Summit reference in my bio, initiated reunions with nearly all of my childhood friends.

Two days after publication, Andover friend Jim Fabiani hosted an incomparable rollout party in Washington, DC. It was the first time that my family, Marine Corps buddies, and Andover (and post-Andover) friends had ever shared a room.

Terry Tillery, Bill Matthews, Sal Santangelo, and Jack McQuade represented Charlie Company while Karl Thomason came from Summit.


Rollout attendees Paula Smith, Lou Maranzana, Martha McLean, Me, Charlie and Judy Sampson, Ray Healey, and Jim Fabiani.

The response to Loon over the past 6 months has been awesome, validating, and most humbling for me. This story of a small Band of Brothers caught in harm's way has triggered increased awareness of the lost experiences of Vietnam Veterans and helped bring honor to their service. It has also provided a history lesson of those times that will guide historians and enlighten readers for years to come.

For me, it has been mostly about friends old and new who have rallied around me and the book while mixing with each other.


There was a moment at the Washington DC event when I was able to introduce Sal Santangelo (survivor of the helicopter crash on June 6, 1968), to Linda Heiberger and her daughter Cheryl (sister and niece of Ralph Harper who was killed in the crash.

I'd met Linda and Cheryl the previous week at the Arlington internment of Ralph and three other crash victims whose remains were recovered and identified last year.

Pictured below is the casket bearing the forever commingled remains of LZ Loon victims Ralph Harper, Luis Palacios, Kurt LaPlant, and Jose Sanchez at Arlington National Cemetery May 14, 2009.


Rest in Peace, Brothers.

3 comments:

don said...

All quite amazing and wonderful.
The ripples still spread, some having not reached far away shores.
Stories still waiting.

Barbara said...

I love how Loon has brought so many people together.
Ripples within our own immediate family and beyond as my friends read it.

My World and Welcome to it. I have always loved that line. It is the title of a book by James Thurber that we had on our shelves in Summit and Andover. A red book. I think I have it now.

Dano said...

Correction: Luis Palacios of course was buried at Forest Lawn, Cypress, CA, a service attended by your west coast brethren, our Skipper Bill Negron, Doc Mac Mecham and yours truly.

The ride has been extraordinary, hasn't it?