SCRAPBOOK 4 Page includes photo collections from: Ken Nerpel [Co. A 68-69] Herb Ballard [Co. A 69] Mike Novak [Co. A 69-70] Jack Sumner [HHC 1970]

Jack Sumner

© 2003 by J. Sumner

Chief Warrant Officer (WO1) Jack Sumner [2/12th Headquarters Logistics] in front of hootch at Dau Tieng. W.O.P.A. stands for Warrant Officers Protective Association.... even in war there is humor. Jack also set up (and was in charge of) the Battalion Rear at Tay Ninh Base Camp during the Cambodian operation.

Ken Nerpel Collection Ken served in Alpha's mortar platoon from November of '68 to Nov. '69.

Ken

© 2002 Ken Nerpel

©2002 Ken Nerpel

Ken Nerpel and soda-boy.

© 2002 by K. Nerpel

and Papa-san & baby-san.

© 2002 by K. Nerpel

[Note: Ken believes Papa-san here is the husband of the woman mentioned on my "Vietnamese" page.]

Ken Nerpel

HERB BALLARD COLLECTION The following photographs were submitted by Herb "Wimp" Ballard, Sergeant of Infantry. Herb served with the 3rd and 1st Platoons of Alpha in 1969.

Tony Shaver (L) & Ron Vanone (R)

Ron was the artist who did all the signs and bill-boards at Pershing. He was a machine gunner with the 3rd Platoon and called his gun "Snoopy."
Tony got the Bronze Star for Valor by crawling out between two of our M-60s (whom he had lay a base-of-fire) and pulling in a wounded Lieutenant laying in the open.

Co. A MEDIC

Greg "Doc" Pavilack was always smiling, but when he went to the Ho Bo's he carried an M-16 along with his meical bag.

Sergeant Herb Ballard -A Co., 3rd Platoon; Summer of '69. 2/12th's FSB Pershing... note PSP and other things... ©2002 H. Ballard.

©2002 Herb Ballard

Sgt. Herb Ballard [A Co.] at FSB Pershing summer of '69. Photo taken just to the left as you entered the gate.

SP4 Ronald "Doc" Sowell - A Co. 1969 Medic. At PB Dees, the Doc is "treating" an ill VC 'suspect'...... (ya, right!)! ©2002 H. Ballard

©2002 Herb Ballard
Alpha's Doc Sowell treats an ill VC suspect at PB Dees..... ya, right!

Ronald "Doc" Sowell of Philadelphia, PA (below)......... Bro' got some "Magic Shave" on!......... Doc Sowell was Killed In Action (KIA) during the ferocious October 24, 1969 Battle. He recieved the nations second highest award for valor on that day - the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). Photo © 2002 H. Ballard

©2002 Herb Ballard

Bro' got some "Magic Shave" on.

Doc Sowell [Alpha's 2nd Platoon] was Killed in Action during the ferocious October 24th Battle. He recieved the DSC for his actions on that day.

A/2/12's Donald Graham(Left) and SFC Francis P. Creamer of New York City (Center).......... SFC Creamer [ponounced Kray-mer] was Killed In Action(KIA) on October 15th, 1969. He was a "lifer" with a heart, and I(we) loved the guy! .......... Photo © 2002 H. Ballard

©2002 Herb Ballard

We are unsure of the identities of the two guys on the right. But, Herb thinks the guy on the far right is Sgt. Rick Shedis [?].

SFC Creamer (center) of New York City was Killed in Action on October 15th 1969. I [Sarge] loved the guy – a "Lifer" with a heart!

Graham (left) and I [Sarge Holzhauer] went on R & R together to Hong Kong. It was there that he introduced me to the pleasures to be found at the "off limits" California Bar – where I was slipped my first and last 'Mickey.' I even wrote a poem (Hiku?) about it;

On Hong Kong
Blink
And your money's gone!

Reminds me of another poem for you Domaleski-lites out there;

Hiku
Gesundheit!

[:-) tee hee, I crack myself up! .................Come-on, LIGHTEN UP TROOP! All this Vietnam stuff can get heavy man!

MIKE NOVAK COLLECTION SP4 Mike Novak [A '69-'70] sent several photographs of the 1st Platoon. My web storage could not capture and hold the intire picture [Mike and I are working on it.]. I present them here because they are so good, and I am so impatient.

A Co.'s Sgt. Faherty(L) and Mike Novak(R) at FSB Kien in early 1970..... Photo © 2002 M. Novak.

©2002 Mike Novak

"Tex" Fairbanks, A Co., 1st Platoon Machinegunner. 1970........ Photo © 2002 M. Novak.

Alpha Company's Terry Russell in front of FSB Pershing's Bunker 25 [faces Nui Ba Den (or Dien).................. Charles "Terry" Russell of Florence, AL [below] was Killed In Action (KIA) on January 21st, 1970. His name on The Wall, and in Official records has him killed in Binh Duong Province -as a member of the 1st Cavalry Division. That is incorrect! Terry was a member of the 25th Infantry Division! He was a member of OUR regiment - the 2/12th Infantry, 25th Infantry Division - and deserves to be listed (correctly) with the men he fought and died with! ......... Photo © 2002 Mike Novak

©2002 Mike Novak

Charles Terry Russell was Killed In Action January 21, 1970. His name on The Wall and in official records (incorrectly) has him killed in Binh Duong Province as a member of the 1st Cavalry Division. He was a member of our regiment and deserves to be listed (correctly) with the men he fought and died with in the 25th Division, 2/12th Infantry!

Text ©2002 Bruce Holzhauer bhbim@webtv.net