A group of Vietnam veterans from 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division met at the Tally Ho Inn in Townsend May 19-22 for the annual reunion, a gathering begun in 2015 as a way for the veterans and their spouses to come together for rest, relaxation, fellowship and support. About 20 veterans and their spouses attended this year.
The group enjoyed good food, good conversation and activities including live music around the pool, a bus tour of Cades Cove, a picnic at Metcalf Bottoms and more planned by fellow veteran Steve Newman, a Blount County native and resident of Townsend, and his wife Mary. Attendees also had plenty of free time to do whatever they wanted.
Photos from the past
On Monday, May 20, the group met in the conference room at Tally Ho Inn. Conversation naturally turned to their memories in Vietnam. James “Jim” Hanson, of Reno, Nevada, brought several photos from their time of service.
“I’ve got a picture I found that looks a lot like you,” Hanson said to Eddie Ramsey, of Trion, N.C. He showed the photo to Ramsey, who confirmed he was one of the three men pictured. “I only had one other picture of me from then in the field, and I had someone take it to send to my mother,” Ramsey said as he made a copy with his phone. “I didn’t know this picture even existed. It’s really neat to see. That’s special.”
Hanson had another photo of a group of men, saying, “That was a long time ago, 1967 or ’68. When I run across these pictures, I try to write or recall who I think the name was. Sometimes I get it close, sometimes I get it right.” He laughed as he pointed to one of the men. “I’m in the middle with the floppy hat and the goofy grin,” he said.
When asked what he recalled from his days of service, Hanson paused before briefly answering, “I was young and dumb, trying to survive hour by hour, day by day. I was originally stationed in Germany, doing ground surveillance on the German/Czech border. I guess they decided I was having way too much fun in Germany as a 19-year-old man, so they sent me to Vietnam and plugged me into the 1st of the 8th , 4th infantry. Steve (Newman) was platoon leader and I was a squad leader.”
Program
During the program, Nathan Weinbaum, director of Veterans Affairs/veterans service officer in Blount County, spoke, about VA services and answered questions from the men and their spouses before Quilts of Valor were awarded. Polly Gillespie, Lorraine Howerton and Evie Mann with Smoky Mountain Patriotic Quilters presented Quilts of Valor to veterans Eddie Ramsey and Teddy Fisher. Gillespie explained that the “mission of the Quilts of Valor Foundation is to cover servicemembers and veterans touched by war with comforting and healing Quilts of Valor.” As of this year, Gillespie said the foundation has awarded 382,765 quilts, all of which are completed by volunteers who donate their time and materials. Each quilt is unique to the recipient, made with a particular veteran in mind. Labels on the back of the quilt show who made it, the name of the veteran receiving it and the date.
“We feel that the quilts we make provide comfort, love and healing, and they do make a difference in the road to recovery for our servicemembers, both physically and mentally,” Gillespie said. “These are not gifts. They are awards to say unequivocally, ‘Thank you for your service and sacrifice concerning our nation.’”
The three volunteers were surprised with a gift from the veterans, windchimes crafted from empty oxygen tanks by Ray Hubbard.
Important event
Keith Brown and his wife, Reva, of Springfield, Mo., were attending the reunion for the fourth year. He said, “It means the world to be here,” and Hanson agreed. “It’s nice to see the people I haven’t seen in so long. I’m different from a lot of these people. They can just climb in their automobiles and come here from Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, or whatever. I fly out from Reno, Nev. It’s a long trip. The first one they had, I came to it, and then my wife and I came to one five or six years ago.”
Mary Newman, who organizes the reunions with her husband, Steve Newman, said, “We didn’t have as many this year. Some had health problems with themselves or their wives, but we’ve had some who haven’t been here in a while.
“It’s really important for all of us to get together,” she added. “Last year someone said they went to a reunion somewhere else and didn’t like it, so they left to come here! We just like to get together every year. They all look forward to it, and we like to give them a good time.” In addition to the planned activities, she said, “We also have free time for them to go off and do their own thing. Sometimes one of the volunteers takes the wives shopping. This morning it was Bingo for the wives. There are things the guys need to talk about without the women being there. So, we think of things for the wives to do.
“Everybody has a good time. They talk about funny things, and they talk about other things they need to talk about. Steve and I do our best — it’s fun in the Smokies.”
Most Popular
Comments / 0