Art

Art was a translator/interpretor in during his time in Viet Nam. Even more than 30 years later, he could still call up few key phrases. 

Raised in the Richmond district of San Francisco, after his tour he and his wife relocated to across the bay to the small community of Rodeo. They started a family in that house, and still live there today. 

Retired now, both Art and his wife had long careers teaching in Catholic schools in the city of Richmond. Art worked at Wells Fargo for a stint, but returned to teaching youth. 

If he looks extra happy in this picture, that's because he's looking forward to seeing his 3.5 month old grandson over Thanksgiving. Congratulations Art- may you and your wife be blessed with many more beautiful grandchildren. 

In Memorium: Douglas Michael Baisch

My friend Randi recently lost her father.  My family is familiar with the heavy-hearted feeling of that loss, and though it is not as fresh with us, it is remains sorrowful.  After Viet Nam, Douglas built a thriving life and surrounded himself loving family and friends.  Thank you for your service, Douglas; you've positively affected many people around you and even more you've never met.  A true testament to what a veteran can achieve long after his enlistment. Rest in peace.

Below is his family's memory of him, posted with permission:

A great man passed away on Monday, November 18, 2013. He wasn't famous or a billionaire, he was simply a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend that no one had a single bad thing to say about. For forty-four years of marriage, Douglas Michael Baisch was a devoted, loving, supportive husband. As a father, he never missed any opportunity to be with his children and he always set a great example of what a real man should be. He had the same love and commitment to his three grandchildren and would have had even more to give for the second granddaughter he was expecting. He was a lifelong Dodger fan that frequented Chavez Ravine, loved hitting the poker tables and was always up for a vacation whether it be to a far off destination or simply a weekend away. He was very proud of the four years he served for his country overseas in the Navy during the Vietnam War and was very patriotic.

For twenty years, Doug loved his work at Quality Packaging & Supplies in Oxnard as both an owner and a salesman. He truly enjoyed the people he worked with including his vendors and customers. Sales was his calling and he was great at it. He never met a single person he couldn't talk to and he was quick to make a friend. He had a story or a joke for every occasion. Everyone he met not only felt important to Doug's life, they were important. Doug was always willing to lend a hand in golf tournaments, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus and many local charities. 

He will truly be missed by his wife Andrea, children Randi Friday (Brad), Curtis Baisch (Frances), grandchildren Ethan and Alicia Baisch and Casey Friday. He was preceded in death by his son Christy, his mother Elsie and his father Ewald. He is survived by his three sisters: Sharon Morris, Lynda Baisch and Paula Wood as well as two nephews, a niece and many aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

In lieu of flowers, please make a donation in Doug's name to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (https://www.michaeljfox.org/). There will be no funeral per Doug's last wishes, however, there will be a celebration of his life on a date to be determined.

Mr. Wilson

I bumped into Junius Wilson in Pinole on morning while he was on the way to see his doctor.  I immediately noticed his Viet Nam flag pin with the year '69 on it.  What I didn't notice right away was the purple bar on his hat, a Purple Heart he was awarded after a shootout in Cu Chi where he was hit in the foot while diving over a barrier in attempt to escape gunfire.

Mr. Wilson was raise in Louisiana, drafted into the Army, and served one tour. He was one of the numerous US servicemen to receive a decoration from the Republic of Vietnam.  He shared some stories with me about handing out rations, candies, and cigarettes to the kids in Viet Nam and how the local Vietnamese would call him "#1 G.I."

After Viet Nam, he went back to Louisiana, but found that he couldn't make a life there, so he come out to California, where he's been for the past 40 years.

Like many veterans of all ages, Mr. Wilson is having some health problems, and was seeing his doctor to schedule a shoulder surgery.  He has also been diagnosed with prostate cancer and has had trouble getting his full benefit from the VA, problem all too common for veterans who have served in their country dutifully.

Steve

Steve was a firefighter in Moraga when he was drafted to go to Viet Nam. He spent a year in active duty as part of a Huey rescue team. Upon retiring, he moved back to Moraga, where his family has been for almost 100 years, and spent the next 38 years fighting fires there. 

Past 70 now, he's still active in the Viet Nam Veterans of Diablo Valley (www.vnvdv.com), who meet on the first Thursday of every month.  One of the members of the group has an operable Huey that they take out a few times a year.  The Huey and its crew were pressed into service recently following the tragic crash of a P-51 Mustang at an air show in Sparks, NV.  These veterans remained ready to serve, long after Viet Nam.

Bill

I met Bill at the Walmart in Rohnert Park. He grew up in Pennsylvania and was in the Navy during Viet Nam. He told me that I was the 49th person to thank him for his service.

After he got back from his tours, he became a sheet rocker, working all over the country. He's now retired in Santa Rosa with his wife and two dogs (he had Bridgette in the cart with him). Thanks Bill.

Capt. Herbert Crosby

From the AP:

March 14, 2013 (FORT WAYNE, Ind.) -- Relatives of an Indiana-born soldier killed during the Vietnam War will receive his posthumous Purple Heart more than 40 years after his death.

Fort Wayne native Capt. Herbert Crosby was 22 when his helicopter went down in southern Vietnam in January 1970. His remains were returned to the United States in 2006.

Crosby's sister had campaigned for her brother to receive a Purple Heart, but the military told her he wasn't eligible because his helicopter didn't crash while in combat.

But Marylou Wade discovered in 2011 that her brother's co-pilot, who also died in the crash, had received the Purple Heart.

The Journal Gazette reports she learned this week that her 94-year-old mother will receive her brother's posthumous honor at the Florida nursing home where she lives.

(Copyright ©2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Marylou Wade also worked with friends and family to establish a scholarship in her brother's honor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.  More details about that, including donation information, can be found here:

http://news.erau.edu

Petaluma Plaque Honoring Veterans Stolen

Public response to the recent theft of a memorial plaque honoring 15 Petaluma veterans who died in Vietnam has been "incredible," Petaluma Historical Library and Museum president Joe Noriel said Thursday morning.

The bronze and copper plaque, which is believed to have disappeared from Walnut Park sometime after Dec. 21, was likely stolen for the value of its metal, Petaluma police Sgt. Ralph Evans said.

The plaque measures 25 inches by 30 inches, and is an inch thick. It had been placed in a concrete base near the park's gazebo sometime in the mid-1970s, Evans said.

Noriel said the thief or thieves may have removed the plaque from its base with an electric saw because electricity is available near the memorial.

Petaluma Parks Department employees working in the park on Tuesday discovered it was missing.

Local veterans are raising funds for a new plaque that will be better secured in a new memorial. The replacement will cost about $1,000, Noriel said.

Already, the managers of the Les Schwab Tires stores in Petaluma and Santa Rosa have pledged a total of $1,000, and Powell's Sweet Shoppe in Petaluma has pledged to match donations up to $500, Noriel said.

The Petaluma Firefighters Local 1415 union also offered to donate money, and a veteran has pledged $1,000, said Liz Cohee, the museum's coordinator.
Police are contacting local salvage yards to see if the thief has tried to sell the plaque, Noriel said.
Anyone with information about the theft is asked to call police at (707) 778-4372 or the museum at (707) 778-4398.
Tax-deductible donations may be sent to the Petaluma Museum at 20 Fourth St., Petaluma CA. 94952.

Marvin

Marvin walked up to me in a Safeway parking lot on Castro Valley and asked me for some help because he was down on his luck. A Marine Corp veteran, he was in Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

He has the smooth, lyrical Creole cadence that so many from his native New Orleans have, but like many others he was permanently displaced after Katrina. He came to California to live with family, but that hasn't worked out like he'd hoped.

I asked him to wait for me and I'd get him some food from the supermarket, but when I came out with some sandwiches, he was gone. Good luck Sir.