text:
Vol 3 No. 19 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
|Unit Page
|Unit Page
|Unit Page
|Unit Page
|1/5 1
|2/14 1
|2/27 Photos 4
|3/22 Photo 8
|1/5 Photo 7
|2/14 Photo 1
|2/27 6
|4/9 3
|1/5 7
|2/14 3
|2/27 8
|65th Engr Photo 6
|1/8 Arty Photos 3
|2/14 8
|2/34 Armor 7
|65th Engr 7
|1/8 Arty Photo 4
|2/27 1
|3rd Bde 6
|Law Day 6
|1/27 4
|2/27 1
|3/22 1
|USAF FACs 6
|2nd Bde Photo 8
|2/27 3
|3/22 8
|Write Home! 2
|2/12 Photo 3
|2/27 4
Dragons Move On Quyet Thang
1ST BDE - A series of heliborne assaults and steady searching for possible enemy infiltration by the 25th Inf Div's 2nd Bn, 14th Inf, ended with 193 dead Communists, 2 detainees, and many captured enemy supplies during Operation Quyet Thang.
"We had been participating in Operation Yellowstone a couple of months before joining Quyet Thang," said Bn CO LTC Alfred M. Bracy of Petersburg, Va. "Our purpose in Operation Yellowstone involved cutting off enemy supply routes along the Cambodian border. Operation Quyet Thang provided new experiences for the men," he added.
Leaving the 1st Bde base camp at Tay Ninh aroused quite a bit of conversation from the men. "At first I didn't like the idea of leaving our area of operations at Tay Ninh, but I guess it turned out all right. With all the action the time has gone fast," remarked PFC Stephen L. Treacy of Whitesboro, N.Y.
The first phase of the "Golden Dragon's" involvement in Quyet Thang took place as the battalion airlifted into the Ho Bo Woods and conducted daily reconnaissance in force operations. The various companies found large weapon caches, but very little contact with the enemy.
Some of the men said finding the weapons caches was the most memorable action of the whole operation. "I'll never forget that day I found that first underground vault full of weapons and ammo," recalled PFC Larry R. Atchley of Atlanta, Ga.
The battalion rounded up enough weapons and ammunition to arm an enemy battalion. A total of 117 enemy rifles, including AK-50's, AK-47's, SKS Carbines, M-1 Carbines, Chinese Communist Carbines, and Browning automatic rifles were captured during a two week period.
The Dragons also uncovered five complete mortar tubes, base plates, tripod legs, sight assemblies, and 437 mortar rounds.
In addition the 1st Bde soldiers destroyed or evacuated a RPG-2 and 2 RPG-7 rocket launchers; 310 RPG-7 and RPG-2 rockets; 320 RPG boosters; 12 122mm rockets; 2 30-caliber machine guns; 1 Thompson submachine gun; 1 pistol; 522 hand grenades; 5,826 rounds of small arms ammunition; 76 Viet Cong protective masks; 2,126 pounds of rice and numerous enemy documents.
"The highlight of the operation was the two all night battles 54 Kms northwest of Saigon" remembered SP4 Gary L. Ford of Oakview, Calif. The Dragons defeated a battalion of mixed North Vietnamese regulars and Viet Cong guerrillas in two separate around the clock battles.
"Operation Quyet Thang has ended, but the men continue to talk about the busy operation," reported one company commander, CPT Richard L. Endicott. "I'm sure they all agree about it being one of the most memorable of our recent activities," the Casper, Wyo., officer concluded.
|KIT CARSON - A Hoi Chanh rallier serving as a scout with the 25th Inf Div's 2nd Bn, 14th Inf, helps feed a belt of ammunition into an M-60 machine gun during an Operation Quyet Thong battle. (Photo By SGT Marty Caldwell)
Wolfhounds Return After 59 Days Out
2ND BDE - "Wolfhounds" of the 25th Div's 2nd Bn, 27th Inf returned to Cu Chi for a five-day rest after killing 328 Viet Cong and North Vietnamese during 59 consecutive days in the field.
LTC Winfred G. Skelton Jr., Bn CO, said his unit had tallied "an impressive record" during the two months of hard fighting.
The battalion left the division base at Cu Chi early on January 31 to reinforce Tan Son Nhut Air Base after the Viet Cong launched their massive Tet offensive.
Since then, the Tropic Lightning soldiers have operated primarily in the Saigon-Gia Dinh-Hoc Mon area, including several days of street fighting as they pushed enemy troops from the capital early in February.
Skelton said he was "proud of the way the battalion acquitted itself. Every time the VC decided to come out and fight, we defeated him."
In addition to the 382 Viet Cong killed by ground fire, helicopter gunships supporting the 2nd Bn, 27th Inf, accounted for 86 more enemy dead.
Among the list of enemy supplies and equipment captured by the 2nd Bde soldiers are: 113 automatic weapons, 28 machine guns, 98 small arms, 65 RPG-model rocket launchers, six mortars, 42,777 rounds of small arms ammunition, 15 tons of rice and 2 1/2 tons of salt.
The Wolfhounds further destroyed 576 bunkers, tunnel complexes and other enemy installations and military structures during the period.
Skelton said the battalion would resume operations after several days of refresher training and rest at Cu Chi.
Regulars Fight Off Attack, 124 Viet Cong Killed
3RD BDE - The 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf, fought off a Viet Cong human wave attack 110 kms northwest of Saigon only hours after they had set up their night position.
The 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div unit was taking part in the multi-division Operation Toan Thang when the attack occurred.
The Bn had been heli-lifted into their position and set up their night perimeter in a remote part of the jungle close to the Saigon River. Very early in the morning, the camp came under heavy mortar attack. As the mortar fire increased, the VC hit the battalion perimeter with a massive human wave attack.
One sector of the perimeter received the brunt of the attack and was quickly reinforced by the reconnaissance unit. The Viet Cong began getting inside the perimeter but an all-out effort drove them back.
Air strikes and artillery pounded the VC and the attack began to weaken. As dawn broke, the enemy was driven back to the edge of the perimeter. The VC kept trying to press the attack as their mortar rounds were pounding the "Regulars" position.
By sunrise, the unit had successfully beaten off the attack and were joined by the 2nd Bn (Mech), 22nd Inf, who had worked their way through six kms of jungle to reinforce their sister battalion.
The two units gained complete control of the perimeter and received only sporadic fire throughout the morning.
The first sweep of the area that morning produced 124 VC bodies while later sweeps turned up 13 more to bring the total to 137 enemy killed. Also found were 5 AK-47 rifles, 13 machine guns, 7 RPG launchers and 2 chicom carbines.
The day was climaxed by the presentation of Silver Stars to six Regulars of the 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf. (See Picture Page 8)
This is the third engagement of this nature the battalion has been in. The first was the "Battle of Soui Tre," the largest single day battle of the war. Second, "The Battle of Soui Cut" where 380 VC were killed and now, this battle takes its place in the Battalion's history.
Each battle was fought under close combat conditions and each was a victory for the American forces.
'Bobcats' Blast VC In Battle
2ND BDE - A 25th Inf Div Mech company was credited with killing seven Viet Cong during a running battle along the Saigon River.
The recent action took place as Cos A and B of the 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, swept through woods and rice paddies on an Operation Quyet Thang reconnaissance in force.
SGT Phillip Clark of West Roxbury, Mass., made the first contact while walking point for his platoon. The squad leader threw a hand grenade to his front, killing two enemy.
Almost immediately, sniper fire erupted from the dense undergrowth to Co A's front. Co B, on the left flank of the sweep, maneuvered towards her sister company and flushed 15 Viet Cong against the river.
PFC Guenter Klusmeier of Sheboygan, Wise., opened fire on two enemy he spotted trying to swim across the river. He killed both of them.
By this time, the company had lined the river banks, firing automatic weapons and grenades into the fleeing Viet Cong.
SP4s Danny Kight of Delta, Mo., and Paul Rossi of Denver, armed with grenade launchers, scored direct hits on two enemy soldiers.
"We completed our sweep, flanked to the left, and moved back to our base camp," said Kight. "It was just another day for us."
At the end of the operation, the battalion credited Co A with seven Viet Cong killed and one suspect detained.
Best Friends Found Holed Up
2ND BDE - Several weeks later and two Kms away, members of a 25th Inf Div rifle company recovered two rifles they had lost in separate battles during the Tet fighting.
CPT Robert Kesler, CO of Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf, reported his company relocated the weapons in a spider hole near Hoc Mon, a suburb of Saigon.
Kesler, of Minneapolis, explained, "We lost the M-16s during two separate fights in the Saigon area during Tet. We were sick about losing them, although it was unavoidable."
Earlier this month, while sweeping an area south of Hoc Mon during Operation Quyet Thang, SP4 Robert Brown of Monroe, La., and Lynn M. Briglin of Oswego, N.Y., discovered the weapons in a spider hole along a canal bank.
A check of the serial numbers confirmed they were the company's lost weapons.
Page 2 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
CPT Joseph R. Maio, Co C, 2nd Bn, 14th Inf
1LT David E. Jurcy, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
1LT Dean H. Guynes, A Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SFC Argil L. Kirk, Co A, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SSG Edward Brzezinski, Co D, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Jerry S. Vandiver, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Daniel Brownell, Co B, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Pagen E. Carlos, A Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Arty
SP4 Robert 'Comstock, Co C, 1st Bn, 27th Inf
PFC Robert M. Sosenko, A Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
1LT Steven D. Sanford, Co B, 25th Avn Bn
WO1 Odie E. Gregg, Jr., Co A, 25th Avn Bn
CPT Jack E. Merle, Co A, 2nd Bn, 12th Inf
1LT Phillip H. Jacobs, Co C, 2nd Bn, 14th Inf
1LT Rolland Fletcher, A Btry, 6th Bn, 77th Arty
1LT Donald C. Decasper, A Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Arty
2LT Robert Hutchinson, Co A, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SFC Vicente T. DyDasco, Co C, 1 st Bn, 27th Inf
PSG Alfred H. Braswell, Co A, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
PSG Leonard I. Evans Jr., Co A, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SSG Charles L. Preston, Co A, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SSG Glenn Raleigh, Co A, 2nd Bn, 34th Armor
SSG Herberte De Leon, A Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SSG Robert L. Bryant, Co B, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SSG Glenn T. Pike, B Trp, 3rd Sgdn, 4th Cav
SSG James Coleman, Co A, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SSG Edward W. Johnson, A Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SSG Darell A. Ellis, Co A, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SSG Robert F. O'Dell, A Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Arty
SGT James E. Pringle, Co B,, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SGT Wayne H. King, Co C, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SGT Floyd Jamerson, Co C, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
CPL Merle D. Fish, A Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Arty
CPL Michael P. Swim, HHD, 25th Avn Bn
CPL Roger M. Ormsby, HHD, 25th Avn Bn
CPL Adam A. Pakacki, Co A, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Nicholas Bufagna, Co B, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SP4 Daniel Joudrey, Co B, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 James L. Chapman, Co A, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SP4 Clyde V. Ely, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Frank L. Albracht, Co B, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SP4 Lynn M. Briglin, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Donald R. Shearin, Co C, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Danny J. Hcrndon, Co A, 1st Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Norman T. Nishikubu, Co C, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Dennis M. Levesque, Co A, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SP4 Albert B. Ridgeway, Co B, 4th Bn, 9th Inf
SP4 John E Walters, Co C, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Clarence T. Brown Jr., Co C, 1st Bn, 5th Inf
SP4 John L. Loving, Co D, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Dennis M. Borell, Co C, 1st Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Watson L Underwood Jr., HHC 2nd Bn, 34th Armor
SP4 Robert M. Sosenko, A Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SP4 Willie T. Tozar, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Gualt A. Terry, A Btry, 1st Bn, 8th Arty
SP4 Jerry S. Vandiver, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 William F. Dewaele, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Darly L. Ferriera, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Franklin D. Reiss, Co B, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SP4 Ronald D. Grisby, Co B, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 David B. Leverty, Co C, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 James C. Woolridge, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Charles Officer, Co B, 2nd Bn, 12th Inf
SP4 Gerald M. Buatz, Co B, 4th Bn, 23rd Inf
SP4 Ernest Mcintyre, Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Michael S. Pikula, Co C, 2nd Bn, 14th Inf
SFC Joe B. Rodriguez, C Btry, 2nd Bn, 77th Arty
SP5 Leroy Horne, B Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SP5 William Van Kirk, B Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SP4 John W. Edwards, HHC, 3rd Bde
SP4; Birnes L. Penix, Co D, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
SP4 Wendell H. Shepard, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Virgil L. Moxley, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Mikel D. Rhodes, A Trp, 3rd Sqdn, 4th Cav
SP4 Garth R. Jacobson, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Ronald E. Karis, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Joseph R. Herera, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 William W. Gaddy, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 William B. Wolvin, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 James T. Archambault, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Reginal E. Tappan, HHC, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
SP4 Ronald B. Plummer, Co A, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
PFC Gaynard E. Wengler, HHC, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
PFC Steven J. Svelmoe, C Btry, 2nd Bn, 77th Arty
PFC David C Junion, Co D, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf
PFC Frank J. Piraino, Co C, 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf
PFC Craig Wheeler, HHC, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
PFC Marvin Kantola, HHC, 2nd Bn, 22nd Inf
Keep Those Letters Going, Informative and Interesting
You will find your duty in Vietnam different from anything you've ever encountered. Some of you are overseas for the first time. You will have many interesting things concerning the country, its physical characteristics, customs, and cultures to write, or to send via tape recordings, to the folks at home. More than likely you will also tell them about your job in Vietnam.
Until recently the word "Vietnam" was unknown in the average household in the U.S. Now the Vietnam crisis affects practically every family in the U.S. since fathers, sons, brothers, and friends have "answered the call."
Your families and friends back home are interested in your well-being. Write them or send tapes as often as possible.
No postage is necessary and all letters are sent via air mail to the U.S. Granted, you might not receive incoming letters promptly; but at the present time the postal authorities are doing the best they can. Normal time for air mail to and from the United States is three to seven days. Exchange a letter for a letter!
When writing home, make your letters as interesting as possible; don't write about circumstances which affect the security of the nation or which you aren't fully qualified to talk about.
In many instances, for security reasons, you are only told those things which directly concern you. Take into consideration the feelings of the folks at home when you write. Remember that your family has problems which they don't write to you about because they feel you have your own problems. You should be considerate.
Maybe you have marched 10 or 15 miles in the jungle heat in full combat gear and you haven't slept for a day or so. After the march, you are hot, exhausted, soaked with perspiration, and hungry. Your squad leader gives you a break and you begin a letter to your parents.
At this particular time, you are in no mood, really, for letter writing because you can't understand why you had to march this far without any sleep, etc.
So you write Mom giving her the "particulars," griping about no sleep and no bath. If your wife or mother is like most, she knows little about the Army and especially about operations during combat. She becomes upset, tells the neighbors and probably even lets them read excerpts from the letter. Before you know it, the picture they see differs a great deal from the operation that you took part in last week and they are reading about now.
So, be careful when writing home because the situation changes very rapidly and you may already have forgotten how tired and hungry you were last week when you wrote that letter.
Reread those letters going home and ask yourself, "Is this really the truth? Am I being given a 'raw deal'? Am I being asked to do more than the rest of the men in my outfit?" You'll probably decide the answer to all these questions will be "No."
Remember, it is important to write and let the folks know you haven't forgotten them. But it is imperative that you write the true story, and that you try not to worry them by a letter you write. Your letters should be as informative and interesting - and as cheerful - as circumstances allow.
Vietnam Vets Get Preference For CS
Vietnam veterans seeking employment with the federal government in Civil Service grades 1 through 5 will receive preference over civilian applicants under an executive order signed recently by President Johnson.
The order eliminates the competitive examination for Vietnam veterans seeking federal jobs in these grades.
Veterans who have completed less than one year beyond high school, meet all the Civil Service requirements and have served on active duty in the armed forces on or after August 5, 1964, will be eligible to enter federal employment provided they agree to pursue a full time or part time educational program under the G.I. Bill.
The veteran's educational training should be related to the overall manpower requirements of Civil Service. It need not be related to the particular job for which he is being considered.
Because of personnel turnover, there are vacancies in a wide range of skills and grades. Many are in short supply.
The Department of Defense has been working with the Civil Service Commission, the Veterans Administration, the Justice Department and other federal agencies to insure the provisions set forth in the executive order can and will be applied.
Groups In U.S. Ask For Units To Adopt
Headquarters MACV receives many requests from various groups in the U.S. to "adopt" a military unit serving in Vietnam.
The patriotic groups may be an elementary school class, ladies club, Cub Scout Pack or college sorority. Many are small groups of teenagers, unmarried working girls and private citizens.
Frequently, an individual wants to assist a small unit of two or three men. A larger group may be seeking to assist a company of men.
Each group wants to show the servicemen that they are appreciated and supported. Their appreciation is demonstrated through letters, gift packages, newspaper subscriptions, pen-pal relationships and other acts of friendship.
If you would like your unit "adopted", encourage your commander to submit the following information to HQ, MACV, MACOI-C, APO 96222:
Complete mailing address of unit:
Number of men in unit:
Branch of service.
Only company size units and below should be submitted. Small units with ten men or less have the best chance for adoption.
Every effort will be made to insure units operating in the "boondocks" are adopted first. (MACV)
Food For Thought
"The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function." F. Scott Fitzgerald
The TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS is an authorized publication of the 25th
Infantry Division. It is published weekly for all division units in the Republic of
Vietnam by the Information Office, 25th Infantry Division, APO San Francisco
96225. Army News Features, Army Photo Features, Armed Forces Press Service and Armed
Forces News Bureau material are used. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily
those of the Department of the Army. Printed in Tokyo, Japan, by Pacific Stars and
MG F. K. Mearns . . . . . . . . . Commanding General
CPT Michael H. Clark . . . . . Information Officer
21LT Don A. Eriksson . . . . . Officer-in-Charge
SP5 Terry Richard . . . . . . . . Editor
SP4 Don Brown . . . . . . . . . . Editorial Assistant
Page 3 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
Sampan Leads To Tunnel Full Of VC Rifles
2ND BDE - A submerged sampan along a canal bank 10 kms south of Cu Chi led to the discovery of more than 30 new Viet Cong rifles during a 25th Inf Div reconnaissance in force.
SP4 John H. Felts of Bullhead City, Ariz., a member of the 2nd Bn, 27th Inf "Wolfhounds," located the weapons after he noticed a partially submerged sampan along a canal he was searching.
"I don't know what I expected to find," he said, "but something didn't look right. I didn't think the canal was very deep, but I darn near drowned."
On the other side, Felts discovered a tunnel containing one AK-47 and 33 new AK-50 assault rifles, 15 hand grenades, an RPG-2 rocket launcher with 10 rounds, 20 lbs of medical supplies, 40 lbs of explosives, numerous documents and a half ton of rice.
Army Food Taster
There's An MOS
NATICK, MASS. (ANF) - You may not always believe it, but the food you eat in the mess hall was tasted and approved by your fellow soldiers even before the Army bought it.
At the U.S. Army laboratories, food experts and psychologists conduct a continuing program of testing the tastes to be sure servicemen will like the food the Army serves.
Soldiers for food tests are picked at random by a computer to provide a cross section of the U.S. Armed Forces. A test may involve 30 to 40 servicemen, with each subject given from one to five samples of a food.
What the eater eats he rates: a graduated scale gives him the option from one (dislike extremely) to nine (like extremely). A computer takes a look at the results and gives an indication of how well a food will be accepted by the servicemen.
|MAD HATTER - SP4 Danny L. Conway, 2nd Bn, 12th Inf, provides himself with double protection as the 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div, force takes part in Operation Toan Thong northwest of Tay Ninh. (Photo By SP5 Robert Ault)
Manchus Slug It Out With Battalion
1ST BDE - An element of the 25th Inf Div made contact with a Viet Cong battalion-size force and drove them from their base camp after five hours of vicious fighting.
Co B, 4th Bn, 9th Inf "Manchus", was on a reconnaissance in force mission 24 kms east of Tay Ninh when the contact was made.
"We heli-lifted into the area and moved 400 meters into the woodline and then set up a perimeter," said SGT Robert Wofley of Modesto, Calif. "Our patrol had just moved out about 40 meters when Charlie opened up with automatic w3eapons from fortified bunkers," added Wofley.
The fighting was close and artillery and gunships couldn't be used effectively. "We stayed low, holding contact and slugged it out with them," said SP4 John Uzarski of Twinsburg, Ohio. The fighting lasted for five hours.
WASHINGTON - The new pay rates expected to go into effect on July 1 will bring monthly raises to active duty men ranging from $6.60 for a recruit to $160.80 for a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The senior enlisted man in each service will get a $58.20 raise to $902.40 monthly basic pay. The recruit pay goes from $95.70 to $102.30 and the Chief of Staff from $2332.20 to $2493 per month.
The 6.9 percent raise in basic pay will affect the rates of pay for cadets in the academies, the payment of Dependency Indemnity Compensation to widows of active duty men, reenlistment bonuses, retired pay and other elements of compensation calculated on the amount of basic pay.
If this raise comes about as expected it will be the sixth hike in basic pay for military men in as many years. There was no basic pay increase between 1958 and 1963.
This year's pay hike is expected to cost the government $951 million the first year.
These figures represent the 6.9 percent hike in basic pay which is slated for enactment July 1.
There is still a possibility that the hike may be a tenth of a percent different from that figure, but officials say they would bet 10-to-1 that the 6.9 percent raise will hold. There is also a chance that the effective date will be later than July 1, but that date, too, is the best bet.
The Defense Department has asked the Comptroller General to decide whether July 1 or a later date is proper under the pay act passed last year which would give military men a raise when civil servants get one.
July 1, 1968, Basic Pay Rates
This Bull Not Exactly a Ferdinand
1ST BDE - An ambush by an unusual enemy taught a member of the 25th Inf Div a touchy lesson in bullfighting.
"As we were sweeping near Hoc Mon, a suburb of Saigon, I heard a noise off to my left flank," recalls SP4 Daniel J. Langley. "The last thing I remember happening was seeing that bull come charging out of the bushes," added Langley, of Pascagoula, Miss.
"Before I could get my machine gun off my shoulder and get out of the way, he had me airborne."
"The water buffalo struck Langley from the left side and threw him for a loop," remarked SP4 James H. Cook of Troutman, N.C. "After Langley hit the ground, the bull started to trample him."
During the ensuing seconds the members of Alpha Co, 2nd Bn, 14th Inf, operating under the 2nd Bde, watched as SSG James Westbrook, plt sergeant from Columbus, Ga., fired at the bull and drove it off.
"From now on we'll expect anything out of the enemy," added a shaken but unharmed Langley. "Even a VC water buffalo."
500,000th ROUND FIRED BY 1ST BN, 8TH ARTY
|500,000th ROUND - At left, ADC BG William T. Gleason, third from right, inspects the painted 105mm howitzer shell used to commemorate the 500,000 round fired by the 25th Inf Div's 1st Bn, 8th Arty, in support of 2nd Bde forces during two years of combat. Right, Gleason pulls the lanyard and the round is on the way. The ceremony took place at a forward support base of the 2nd Bde near Hoc Mon, Gia Dinh Province, during Operation Toan Thong. The 1st Bn, 8th Arty, arrived in Vietnam in Jan 1966, and has provided direct fire support for the 2nd Bde ever since. Holding their ears at right are COL Gordon Summer Jr. (far right), division artillery CO, and LTC Alan M. R. Dean, 8th Arty Bn Commander. (Photos By SP5 Gary Johnson)
Page 4-5 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
67 Years of Preserving Freedom
2ND BDE - The 27th Inf "Wolfhounds" of the 25th Inf Div, celebrated their
67th birthday on May 2, and except for the date and place, it was no different
from many celebrations before it.
It was another birthday under fire, in combat in a foreign land.
Born in 1901, the 27th Inf Rgmt, now the 1st and 2nd Bns, 27th Inf., has served in five wars to save or restore the peace in the Pacific.
On May 2, 1902, the 27th Inf broke the back of the Moro Insurrection in the Philippines. For this reason, the opening day of the three-day Battle of Bayan has become the Organization Day for the unit.
In 1918 and 1919, the Wolfhounds marked the end of their second decade of service -in Siberia, where they became the first Americans to fight communism.
Nicknamed Wolfhounds by the stunned Bolshevik forces struggling to engulf Russia, the 27th Inf became a symbol of ferocious attack, tenacious pursuit and unflagging espirit.
Twenty-five years later, the Wolfhounds again were locked in battle, this time storming their way across the Pacific from Guadalcanal to Luzon.
Fighting in the cold, hard, bitter years of the Korean War, the Wolfhounds earned the reputation as the "finest fighting machine in the U.S. Army."
In 1966, the 27th Inf battalions landed in Vietnam and fought their way to Cu Chi. Dodging a constant barrage of sniper fire and mortars, the Wolfhounds established the huge base camp of the 25th Inf Div.
Their record of service is unsurpassed: the 27th Inf Rgmt holds three Distinguished Unit Citations, four foreign Presidential Unit Citations, a Valorous Unit Citation and 17 campaign streamers earned in battlefields throughout the Orient.
Among the men who served under its colors are GEN of the Army John J. Pershing and Omar Bradley, and MG Frank Baldwin, winner of two Medals of Honor.
But the Wolfhound story is not merely one of valor and sacrifice and success in the field; it is also a story of benevolence in victory.
Wherever they have fought, the Wolfhounds have acted as individuals and as units to ensure the development of the people they have beaten.
Nowhere is this more evident than in the Holy Family Home in Osaka, Japan, where on Christmas 1949, the men of the 27th Inf found 140 Japanese war orphans huddled in three tarpaper shacks.
Each payday since then, Wolfhounds in time of war or of peace, have contributed to the orphanage. Helping them have been the men of the 1st Bn, 8th Arty, who fought with the 27th Inf during World War II, Korea, and again in Vietnam.
The orphanage, generally considered one of the finest in the Orient, has become the scene of a yearly pilgrimage.
From Mindanao in the Solomons, from Heartbreak Ridge to Cu Chi, the 27th Inf Rgmt has earned its motto: Nec Aspera Terrent - "No Fear on Earth."
Its highest tribute, however, comes from a grateful nation and a grateful state that has adopted it as its own. The tribute is best evidence by that state, which this year passed a resolution honoring the Wolfhounds for their years of service.
"Whereas the 27th Inf (The Wolfhounds) has distinguished itself not only in battles to preserve our freedom, but has distinguished itself not only in battles to preserve our freedom, but has become famous for its humanitarian effort . . . Be it resolved by the Senate of the Fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii . . . that it expresses its appreciation to the men of the 27th Inf (The Wolfhounds) on the 67th birthday of their organization for their many sacrifices to preserve the freedom of the Nation."
|Troopers of the 2nd Bn, 27th Inf, leap from a 25th Inf Div helicopter as it
sweeps into a landing zone during Operation Kole Kole. (Photo By SP4 Joe Carey)
|A 105mm howitzer of the 1st Bn, 8th Arty, fires in support of the Wolfhounds during Operation Kole Kole. (Photo By 1LT Bruce Burton)
|Wolfhounds and a Vietnamese interpreter scramble to waiting helicopters
during Operation Saratoga. (Photo By SGT Ross Roessler)
|Like Pied Pipers, a pair of Wolfhounds march through Hoc Mon during Operation Quyet Thang, surrounded by children. (Photo By SGT Ross Roessler)
|A trio of men from the 1st and 2nd Bns, 27th Inf, and the 1st Bn, 8th Arty, visit with children of the Holy Family Home in Osaka during a 1966 Christmas visit to Japan. (US Army Photo)
Page 6 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
Respect The Rights Of Others - LAW DAY
There are men in today's Army who can remember when May Day - the first day of the fifth month - was celebrated as a festival honoring the arrival of full springtime. Flowers were the mark of May Day, then . . .
But that was back before World War I.
In the wake of that conflict came a new kind of May Day, spawned by the forces that made Soviet Communism. Instead of flowers and happy times, Red May Day featured weapons and threats directed toward the rest of the world which remained free. A clenched fist of lawless power replaced the open hand of friendship.
Ten years ago President Eisenhower, at the behest of the law-minded and law-abiding citizens of our country, established still a third kind of May Day.
It was - and is - Law Day, USA.
Law Day, this year, fell on Wednesday, 1 May 1968. Its theme, as announced by a Presidential Proclamation, is: "Only a lawful society can build a better society."
Its purpose is to remind us of the debt we owe to the law under which we live: to our law, for it has been shaped and polished by the citizens of America, working through our openly elected representatives, chosen by us to make laws which govern us.
On Law Day each citizen should make a personal commitment to obey the law; to respect the rights of others; to aid law enforcements officers; and to uphold the judgments of the courts.
If there is one single thing that sets the Free World apart from the tyranny of Communism it is law in action. Under democracy, the people establish their own laws through their own representatives. They are able to change those laws as the need arises.
But under Communism it is the law which is the master of the citizen, and it is a harsh, cruel, and tyrannical thing with which to live.
No Help, No Hope
To understand how much our law means to you, try to imagine this situation.
You and your family are at home asleep. Suddenly there is a loud hammering on the door. It jars you awake, and frightens your wife and children. You look at the clock. It is 3:30 in the morning.
Still half asleep you go to the door and ask who is there.
"Police," comes back a voice. "Open up."
You unlatch the door. It is slammed back at you so hard you bounce against the wall. Before you recover your balance a burly cop grabs you by the hair and jerks you to the floor. Other cops are pouring in from the street. You start to get to your feet.
Another policeman kicks your legs out from under you. A third boots you, in the face as you lie there.
You obey when they tell you to remain quiet.
You lie there while you hear your wife screaming upstairs, and your kids shrieking in fright, and while you watch and hear the cops rip your home apart, searching for something they do not find.
You lie there and think. They are not nice thoughts.
You know, absolutely and without question, that you are not guilty of anything. And you also know that it will be up to you to prove it, because the law of your land presumes that you're guilty until you prove yourself otherwise.
You know you will not get a lawyer to represent you. You know you will be imprisoned until the authorities get around to your case. You know you will not have an open, public trial. You know you will have no chance to confront your accusers, nor to cross examine them.
You know you can be sentenced at the court's whim to anything up to life imprisonment, or even to death - and with no hope of appeal. You know that everything you own can be confiscated, and your wife and kids kicked out into the street, with nothing, to be common laborers if they're lucky, and to starve if they're not.
And you know that your case is not very unusual, because literally millions of your fellow citizens have received the same treatment.
That is the way it is for countless people who live under the savage legal codes of Communist or other dictator countries.
The Law Protects You
In reality you are one of the luckiest people on this earth: Lucky because you live under a law which is designed to protect the honest citizen, not only against wrongdoers, but even against his own government.
It has been said that the law is something like the air: it constantly surrounds us, and we are usually not conscious of it, yet without it we could not survive.
For our law protects and fosters individual freedom.
The truth of this is evident all around you.
Every church you see stands there as a monument to religious freedom - under the law. Each newspaper you read is a living expression of a free press - under the law.
The public libraries and schools that abound are symbols of the freedom to learn - under the law. The town meeting you attend is freedom of speech under the law. Every town courthouse is the home of equal justice for all - under the law.
There are very few nations left where this is true. And that is one reason why countries which adhere to these ideals, are collectively known as the "Free World."
The Development Of Our Law
Nobody gave us the law under which we live so freely. Our fore-fathers, and theirs before them, had to work for it.
Our law is a curious mixture of Old Roman, dating back before the time of Christ, with Anglo-Saxon customs developed in South Germany, added to Norman-French common law. These systems became blended in the England that began to arise from the Dark Ages of western civilization.
Out of them, after almost seven centuries of experience, came the laws of England. These laws, adopted and modified to American needs during our almost two hundred years of independence, have given us the jurisprudence we enjoy today.
In very simplified form, Roman Law gave us the concept of a codified legal system in which the laws were created by a legislative body specifically established for this purpose.
From the Anglo-Saxons we inherited the dim beginnings of the idea of judgment only by our peers. And the Norman-French brought us the basics of the relationships between the governing and the governed.
When the Thirteen Colonies broke free from England, they took with them a heritage of law as a thing of the people.
Law, American Style
Our country's contribution to law was the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. This is the oldest existing legal system which, in writing, expresses the basic concepts of governmental legality and the relationship of the citizen to his government.
It is such a near-perfect creation that a majority of countries have tried to copy it for their own use. Where they have followed its spirit, those countries have provided better government for the majority of their people.
It is under the Constitution that we, as citizens, are guaranteed the concept that we are presumed to be innocent until we are proven guilty . . . and are entitled to legal counsel of our choice . . . and to speedy trial, conducted by an impartial and independent judiciary . . . before a jury composed of our peers . . . and with the assurance of an open, public trial . . . and the right to know, and cross-examine, those who accuse us . . . with full protection of our right to appeal . . . and with a guarantee against cruel and unusual punishments . . .
Probably four out of five people in this world would give anything to live under such protection. What we and the rest of the Free World have in our laws and our judicial systems is beyond price.
We are lucky. We have inherited a fair and just law. We should never forget this truth: Only a lawful society can build a better society.
|NO ONE HOME - SP4 Arnold Bergstrom, C Co, 65th Engs, works with the 2nd Bn, 12th Inf, in checking out an enemy base camp the 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div, force found northwest of Tay Ninh on Operation Toan Thong. (Photo By SP5 Robert Ault)
3rd Bde Mobility Proving Itself
3RD BDE - Mobility, the U.S. Army's number one asset in Vietnam. The 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div has proven its mobility many times ever since the first of Dec, when the Bde Command Post and Hqs elements began touring War Zone C.
First it was to Soui Tre, the site of the Bde's battle with an NVA force last Mar. But, in Dec, the VC and NVA had abandoned the area. Two weeks of operations turned up only 4,500 hand grenades and a few booby traps.
Then, the Bde CP moved to Fire Support Base Burt, 12 kms from the Cambodian border. For the first few days it seemed as though the enemy was not there either. Then, on the night of New Years Day, elements of the 271 and 272 NVA Regiments attempted to overrun Burt. The New Year began with the Bde killing over 300 of the enemy that night and over 500 for the three weeks in the area. The Bde then returned to Dau Tieng.
Time in the base camp was short as the men were called for duty against the VC and NVA units north of Tan Son Nhut early in the Tet offensive. The task was to take the offensive away from the enemy and clear them out of the Tan Son Nhut area.
Commanded by COL Leonard R. Daems, the 3rd Bde units found and destroyed large numbers of the enemy, pushed them out of their strongholds and away from the populated areas. Dozens of 122mm rockets, mortar rounds and numerous weapons were seized from the enemy. During these operations, the Command Post moved three more times.
Finally, after almost four months in the field, the 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div CP has returned to base camp, still mobile, still ready to go after Charlie.
Close in Fighting Nets 18 For Hounds
2ND BDE - A company of the 25th Inf Div killed at least 18 members of an entrenched Viet Cong platoon it encountered at point blank range during an Operation Quyet Thang sweep near Saigon.
Co C, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf "Wolfhounds," operating under the 3rd Bde, engaged the enemy unit only 10 minutes after it landed in canal and rice paddy country near Hoc Mon, a suburb northwest of Saigon.
According to 1SG Henry C. Klaput of Marina, Calif., the action began when the company's point man, SP4 Larry Johnson of Prattville, Ala., spotted and shot a Viet Cong less than 10 meters to his front.
CPT Robert W. McClellan, Co CO from Summit, N.J., called for helicopter gunship support, then maneuvered his troops against what they soon discovered to be a series of enemy fortifications.
McClellan described the fighting as "pretty heavy," adding that many of his men were firing less than 20 feet from the enemy bunkers.
"We were so close we were throwing grenades underhanded," Klaput said.
After seven hours of fighting, McClellan pulled the company back to wait out the night. Sweeping through the area the next morning, they found 18 Viet Cong bodies and captured several weapons.
The company commander praised his first sergeant for doing "an outstanding job. He was throwing hand grenades and getting his men together despite heavy fire."
Klaput later said he thought the Viet Cong were at first trying to avoid a fight.
"I'm surprised they didn't open fire on us as we were landing. I really think they were hoping we would miss them in the bunkers, but when Johnson got too close, they had to fire," he said.
CU CHI - U.S. Air Force forward air controllers (FAC) flew a record number of hours last month in support of 2nd Bde, 25th Inf Div troops.
MAJ Douglas B. Brittain of Alexandria, La., said his team from the 19th Tactical Air Support Squadron at Bien Hoa flew 472 hours last month, compared to 440 hours during the heavy Tet fighting in February.
During the heaviest fighting of the month, the three day Battle of Trang Bang which began on March 24, the FAC's directed virtually round-the-clock air strikes in support of ground elements.
In the 162 air strikes directed by the 2nd Bde FAC's, jet fighter bombers dropped high explosives on enemy troop concentrations, fortifications and supply areas, Brittain said.
Additionally, bomb damage assessment includes 354 bunkers, 106 military structures and 355 meters of trenchline destroyed; 93 bunkers and 19 military structures damaged; 790 meters of trenchline, 65 spider holes, 12 tunnels and 21 fighting positions uncovered.
Page 7 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
CU CHI - A Connecticut Army National Guard captain who felt he could best serve his country on active duty is currently serving as the commanding officer of Co A, 65th Eng Bn, 25th Inf Div.
Prior to volunteering for duty in Vietnam, CPT Rene C. Provost of Danielson, Conn., was the commanding officer of the 250th Eng Co of the Connecticut Army National Guard.
"I felt that I had sufficient training, and that what our country was doing in Vietnam was right." said Provost. "I also felt that a man should serve his country in the best way he can."
As the commanding officer of Co A, Provost will be in charge of engineer teams which are directly supporting infantry units in the field.
According to Provost this direct support consists of providing mine clearing teams to keep the road open to truck convoys between Cu Chi and Trang Bang, 18 kms west of the division's base camp, destroying Viet Cong tunnels and bunkers as well as building bridges over streams that would otherwise be impassable.
Of his assignment to Co A, Provost says, "Being assigned to a line unit I get a truer picture of what we are doing over here."
34th Armor Powerful At Trang Bang
TAY NINH - The battle of Trang Bang, 54 kms northwest of Saigon, proved a classic example of Armor's ability to gain and maintain contact as a task force of the 2nd Bn, 34th Armor, fought a continuous battle of over 50 hours.
The task force consisted of Co C, 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, and Co C of the 4th Bn (Mech), 23rd, with recon elements and tanks of the 34th Armor spearheading an offensive drive north of Trang Bang which killed 71 North Vietnamese soldiers.
The 25th Inf Div task force engaged elements of the 9th North Vietnamese Army (NVA) Div during the afternoon and did not break contact until two days later.
As the fighting raged on into the night the units were able to continue their devastating fire power and assault en masse with the aid of illumination from the tanks, air strikes, and gunship assaults.
The task force relentlessly routed the enemy from his concealed bunkers. Fighting day and night the units drove the enemy from his advantage point on a hill and continued to pursue him.
Since the completion of Operation Yellowstone, the 2nd Bn, 34th Armor, has successfully conducted offensive operations in the Tan Hoa area, Thai My, and Ho Bo Woods areas.
LTC John Tipton, commanding officer of the 2nd Bn, 34th Armor, attributes his units achievements to the ability, courage and tenacity of his men combined with Armor's inherent capacity to reach quickly with massive fire power.
HAPPY HOME - CPT John J. Theologos, left, and 1LT Stanley McKee, play with
orphans at the Viet Hoa home in Saigon, while a trooper of the 25th Inf Div's
1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, carts off a bag of rice donated by the battalion.
(Photo By SP4 Jake Southwick)
2nd Bde CPT and Chaplain Aid Orphanage With Money, Rice
2ND BDE - A 25th Inf Div CPT recently returned to the former home of his adopted Vietnamese daughter, bringing with him five tons of rice and a Catholic chaplain with a $1,000 gift.
CPT John J. Theologos of New York, a former company commander with the 1st Bn (Mech), 5th Inf, and Chaplain (CPT) Robert Falabella of Washington, D.C., Bn chaplain, delivered the rice and money to the Viet Hoa Orphanage in Saigon.
For Theologos, it was a sentimental journey. Stationed near Saigon during his first tour in Vietnam in 1963-1964, the 2nd Bde officer experienced "one of those love at first sight affairs" during a visit to the orphanage.
Instead of taking an R & R leave that tour, Theologos spent a week in Saigon and adopted a 19-month old girl, who now lives with his family in New York.
When the Tropic Lightning battalion recently discovered a huge enemy base camp and rice cache in the Filhol Plantation during Operation Quyet Thang, Theologos suggested a part of the rice be donated to the orphanage.
LTC Thomas C. Lodge of Deland, Fla., agreed, and gave the captain full permission to organize a truck convoy to carry the food to the orphanage.
Falabella, meanwhile, had received $850 from a Catholic church at Ft. Knox, Ky., and instructions "to donate the money to a worthy cause."
Remembering the orphanage and Theologos' adopted child, the priest asked to go along when the battalion donated the rice. Adding $150 out of his own pocket, Falabella presented the $1,000 gift to the grateful sisters and children of the orphanage.
Singapore Shots
SINGAPORE (AP) - The government has declared Singapore a cholera-infected area after a 66-year-old laborer was stricken with the disease. Inoculations are being checked on incoming personnel.
IN FINE SHAPE - Showgirl Jeanne Carroll, who really believes in sweaters,
spends her time in Las Vegas, Nev., appearing in musical comedy spectaculars.
Page 8 TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS May 6, 1968
14 VC Killed By Roving 3/22
3RD BDE - Viet Cong who throw rocks don't last long against troops of the 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf, of the 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div.
What began as a night ambush patrol near the Saigon River for Charlie Co turned into a strange game of hide-and-seek for the "Regulars" company.
"We mortared our ambush site, a small island, just before moving into it in order to scare off any VC that might have been there," explained 1LT Charles J. Boyle, Co CO from Detroit, Mich.
"We must have scared them (the VC) off with our mortar fire," continued Boyle, "because they swam back out to the island and began to probe our position by throwing rocks into the area."
At this point Boyle called in for an artillery illumination round over his position. When the round burst into light, the VC froze in their tracks, and the Americans opened fire. The result was five enemy body count.
Nine VC
Even heavy camouflage didn't help a VC sampan escape night ambush by the Regulars.
Having set up along the bank of the Saigon River, Bravo Co's first Plt proceeded to intercept two communist sampans during the course of the night.
The first came downriver soon after dark, only to meet a hail of fire from the Plat's machineguns and small arms. Two VC bodies were recovered.
Undeceived by the camouflage, the Regulars cut loose on the floating "greenhouse" and scored seven more Viet Cong killed and another sampan put out of commission for good.
'Coach' Holbrook Calls Plays
1ST BDE - A 25th Inf Div master sergeant was calling signals just like a football game back home, except enemy bullets were cracking overhead and his only refuge was a haystack.
Co B of the 2nd Bn, 14th Inf, was preparing to assault the right flank of an enemy bunker line in a 2nd Bde battle 48 kms northwest of Saigon.
According to 1LT Michael S. Tooke of Lakeview, Ore., "Most of the company had moved up on line and down behind a large dike."
When the company airlifted into rice paddies near the enemy fortifications, a group of soldiers took cover to the rear of the main body of the company. MSG Samuel O. Holbrook, the company's top sergeant, dashed to the rear and took cover behind a haystack.
"A haystack was the only protection 'Top' could find, so that's where he went," recalled SP4 John A. Quatroke of Algonquin, Ill. "Bullets were going right through the hay, but at least he could kind of hide from the VC while he directed us."
From behind the haystack, blowing a whistle and shouting encouragement, Holbrook maneuvered the soldiers toward the main assault line.
"We had just got off the choppers when we received fire from our front and we grabbed the first protection we could find," said SP4 Roy G. Tweed.
"Top came back for us and when he started blowing his whistle, we knew just what to do."
"He wanted us to get on line, and if it hadn't been for all the bullets flying over our heads, I would have thought I was back in my old high school days playing football," Tweed said.
The company later conducted a successful assault against the Viet Cong lines.
STANDING GUARD - An armored personnel carrier of the 2nd Bde, 25th Inf Div
stops near the wreckage of a house as Operation Quyet Thong troops overrun an
enemy-held village 50 kms northwest of Saigon. (Photo By SP5 Gary Johnson)
Camp Destroyed
2ND BDE - "Wolfhounds" of the 25th Inf Div destroyed a company-sized enemy base camp on an Operation Toan Thang reconnaissance in force near Cu Chi.
Members of Co A, 2nd Bn, 27th Inf, destroyed 22 bunkers, 13 spider holes and a 150 foot tunnel, reported CPT Robert Kesler, Co CO.
The Wolfhounds also found and destroyed 17 Chicom hand grenades, five anti-personnel mines, two anti-tank rocket launchers and eight butterfly bombs.
|COL Leonard R. Daems, at left, the CO of the 3rd Bde, 25th Inf Div, congratulates men of the 3rd Bn, 22nd Inf, on their receiving the Silver Star for their part in a battle in which the unit killed 137 Viet Cong. The men are, from left, CPT Gerald J. White, commanding officer of Co D; 1LT Richard J. Prairie, commanding officer of Co B; SFC Robert E. Nelson, Co D; SGT Edward D. Crow, Co B; SP5 Carl L. Felgenhauer, attached to Co C; and not pictured, SP4 David Chedester, medic with the reconnaissance platoon. (Photo By SP4 Paul Payne)
Thanks to:
Robert Doty, 2nd Bn, 14th Inf., for sharing this issue,
Kirk Ramsey, 2nd Bn., 14th Inf. for creating this page.
This page last modified 05-06-2009
©2009 25th Infantry Division Association. All rights reserved.


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subset: commoncrawl


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Mar 30, 2018
Book Blogger Hop
6 comments:
haha! In one of my book clubs, I've already read the book's we've picked 4 out of 6 times.ReplyDelete
Erica | Erica Robyn Reads
That would be a problem! I have a feeling book bloggers are not the typical readers lol.ReplyDelete
same for me. I looked into the book club at my local library, but they always read NYT best sellers and what not, which are not the type of books I usually read.ReplyDelete
Yeah, I'm the same. Not my thing, what if I don't want to read it and it doesn't take me that long to get through a book and I'd have moved on by the next meeting. :)ReplyDelete
I used to help with the teen book club at the library. That's the closest I have been. Book clubs require one to be social.ReplyDelete
Yeah those are good points that definitely are reasons I also don't really participate in book clubs. They're just not my thing I don't think. I prefer just to buddy read with a friend. Have a great weekend!ReplyDelete
My Book Blogger Hop!
Comments are an award all on their own! So my blog is an award free one! Thanks for any consideration though!


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The mixed fortunes faced by those working or hoping to work in the IT sector in Ireland in recent years, needs no introduction. We all know about the boom years and we're all too familiar with the downturn that followed. There are, however, still jobs in IT.
For every multinational slashing workforces to cut costs, there are other companies hiring. Indeed, it would appear that small, indigenous companies seem to be doing quite well for themselves and recent initiatives may do much to aid growth in this area.
Just this month we reported on the National Software Centre in Cork. It's a purpose-built, public private initiative designed to provide space and facilities for companies locating in the Cork area. Although the centre only opened in January of this year, it is already home to around 150 people working for 29 different companies. At the moment, the building is only half full, but growing rapidly and it is intended that the campus will eventually provide half a million square feet of space with eight additional buildings.
In terms of the big picture, some people are seeing encouraging signs.
"Clearly the market isn't as buoyant as it used to be," says Paul O'Dea, chairman of the Irish Software Association (ISA). "However, I think the market moves in cycles and we're at the bottom of one now. The economic situation in the US has a huge bearing on the Irish IT sector and some of the corporate results coming out of there recently are showing that things are beginning to pick up," he adds.
One growth area O'Dea points to is software sales. He cites recent research carried out by his own firm, International Ventures, which showed that 70pc of indigenous Irish software companies feel that they don't have all the necessary skills in-house to conduct a complex international sales process. "The ability is sell is weak and there's a definite skills shortage in this area," he says.
According to O'Dea, in-depth knowledge of the product on sale is only one factor in success: "What's increasingly important is an understanding of the customer's needs, allied to an ability to handle the whole series of processes involved in making an international sale," he says.
The recruitment companies we've heard from bear out O'Dea's assertion, saying there is great demand in the customer-facing arena, not merely in sales, but also in customer support.
Further evidence was provided at the Irish Contact Centre Awards, which were held this month. According to the event's organisers, there are currently 12,000 people employed in the contact centre industry in Ireland and that figure is expected to rise to 40,000 by 2010. Although the IT sector only represents part of this figure, it provides a good indicator of where this area is going. The mood at the awards was buoyant and the message going out was that there were definite job opportunities for the skilled in a sector that was now able to provide competitive salaries.
Finally, one other factor could emerge as a threat to the jobs market. For the first time in around a decade, the word emigration is entering general public discourse. Over the last few weeks, I have come across several young professionals who are contemplating moving abroad and has heard the issue broached on radio discussions. People left Ireland in the Eighties because of the lack of jobs.
Nowadays it is the lack of affordable housing, chaotic traffic and the rising cost of living that are factors. Employers can only provide jobs and not quality of life. With a well-educated young population and a strong high-tech sector, it would be a shame to see the market damaged by outside factors such as these.


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The "devastating" impact of the crisis gripping the steel industry has been revealed in figures showing how difficult it is for workers to find other jobs.
A government report showed that over half of SSI steel workers in Redcar are still looking for work four months after the plant closed.
Between the date of the closure last October, and earlier this month, 1,940 former employees had made a claim for jobseeker's allowance, although 690 stopped claiming during the period.
The plant's closure highlighted the devastating impact on the industry of high energy costs and cheap Chinese imports, which worsened this week when Tata announced 1,050 job cuts, mainly at Port Talbot in South Wales.
A spokesman for the steelworkers' union Community said: "These figures only reveal a fraction of the devastating impact that the closure of SSI has had on the area and just how important the steel industry was to Redcar.
"Hundreds of our members are still looking for work and many of those who have found new employment are not benefitting from the same terms and conditions that had been available in the steel industry.
"Community is continuing to support the legal claims of former SSI workers and contractors to help them get what they are owed and to signpost people to job opportunities where we can.
"What happened in Redcar must not be repeated and that's why there needs to be more swift and decisive action from the Government to support the UK steel industry. This means delivering support on energy costs, business rates and standing up to China to stop unfairly traded steel damaging the UK industry."
Michael Blench, regional officer of the GMB union, said: "Politicians are not slow to tell workers that their economic fate relies on the market and their position in it. This was not the case on Teesside.
"The nearly 2,000 steel workers who lost their jobs on Teesside did so as a direct result of the actions of some politicians and the failure of others to act. These politicians failed to listen to repeated warnings of the adverse consequences of their policies.
"EU politicians are still failing to act to stop to stop the dumping of Chinese steel from a country that is not a market economy. This failure to act is intolerable."
Owen Smith, shadow work and pensions secretary, said: "The Tories have badly failed British steel workers by sitting on their hands, while our steel industry has been collapsing around us. Now these figures show that they are at risk of failing people after they have been laid off as well.
"It's galling to see that over half of workers from the SSI steel workers in Redcar and its supply chains, are still out of a job almost four months after the plant has closed. These are men and women who have worked hard all their lives and will be desperate to get new jobs, but the opportunities and support is simply not there. So much for the Tories' talk of rebalancing the economy."


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Greek-style Tortellini Pasta Salad is loaded with colorful veggies and topped off with a zesty homemade dressing for a dish that's sure to be a hit at your next potluck or party!
Tortellini Pasta Salad is not your average run-of-the-mill pasta salad. This recipe takes classic pasta salad and turns it on its head with a Greek-inspired twist. Made with tri-colored tortellini (though you could substitute standard tortellini) and packed full of fresh, juicy tomatoes, cucumbers, artichoke hearts and kalamata olives and then doused with a homemade Greek-infused dressing, everyone is going to want the recipe for this tasty, easy, tortellini salad side dish!
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We've officially made it to cookout-weather! While I love burgers and hot dogs and other traditional grilled foods, what I really love about this time of year is all of the side dishes — especially the salads!
I'm not talking about your standard iceberg-lettuce-filled salads, (okay this Wedge Salad is pretty amazing and not boring at all) but rather traditional party-food classics like potato salad and macaroni salad, and unique new favorites like ramen noodle salad and now tortellini salad recipes.
This easy pasta salad is absolutely bursting with color and flavor from the seasonal veggies — if you're growing tomatoes or cucumbers in your garden this year, tortellini pasta salad is a great way to use them up! I've also included plenty of Greek/Mediterranean add-ins, including kalamata olives (though you can substitute plain sliced black olives), quartered artichoke hearts, and feta cheese.
While you can certainly douse this salad in pre-made, store-bought Greek salad dressing, I always prefer to make my own (besides, I usually have all of the ingredients in my pantry already, and I bet you do, too). Olive oil, red wine vinegar, and lemon juice (preferably fresh) form the base for the dressing, and then you'll spice up the flavor with dried basil, oregano, and other spices including garlic, salt, and crushed red pepper. I've even been known to use homemade pesto sauce for a pesto tortellini salad.
While whisking your dressing together will work just fine, I actually always prefer to make my salad dressing in a mason jar just because it's so easy. To do this, pour all of the ingredients into a mason jar, close the lid, and shake everything together until the dressing ingredients are well-combined, and then pour the dressing over your tortellini pasta salad. Make sure to stir everything up really well so that all of your ingredients have a nice coating of dressing.
I prefer to cover and chill my tortellini pasta salad for at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving to help bring out all of the vibrant flavors of the dressing. This salad can be made the morning of or the day before you plan to serve it. However, do make sure that you mix everything together really well again before serving as the salad dressing tends to settle to the bottom of the bowl as it sits.
Want more of my favorite potluck recipes?
- Grape Salad
- How to Make Deviled Eggs
- Spicy Chicken Tortilla Roll Ups
- BLT Pasta Salad
- Glazed Kielbasa Bites
- Caramelized Onion Dip
- Creamy Bacon Pea Salad
- More side dish recipes…
Tools used to make this Tortellini Pasta Salad recipe
Large Pot: This pot is a kitchen essential for everything from dinner to desserts. I use mine all the time and with proper care, it'll last for years and years.
Mixing Bowl: These mixing bowls are perfect for mixing and serving. I love the varied sizes so I always have to right size bowl for all my mixing needs.
Mason Jar: Mason jars are great for storing everything from salad dressing and coffee creamers to overnight oats and all kinds of delicious make ahead dishes!
- 20 ounces tri-colored tortellini (regular tortellini will work too)
- 13 ounces quartered artichoke hearts drained
- 1 pint grape tomatoes halved
- 1 cucumber diced
- ⅓ cup red onion diced
- ⅓ cup pitted kalamata olives sliced (black olives would work too)
- 1 cup feta cheese crumbled
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ Tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- Prepare tortellini by cooking according to package instructions.
- Drain well and immediately rinse with cold water and drizzle with a teaspoon of olive oil. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and stir well.
- Add artichoke hearts, grape tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, and feta cheese.
- Combine salad dressing ingredients in a bowl and use a whisk to beat until well-combined (alternatively, combine all dressing ingredients in a mason jar, seal with a lid and shake well to combine), and pour over tortellini salad ingredients.
- Stir very well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.


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For nearly four decades Newton County Sheriff Joe Nichols has served the public — first in the Army and then in law enforcement. For many, the stern public facade is all they will ever know of Nichols, but according to friends and family, there's a side to the sheriff that Newton County rarely sees.
Many residents would rather not see any side to a sheriff, preferring to stay as far away from the Newton County Detention Center as possible, but 65-year-old Nichols is more than sheriff. He's a husband, married to wife Lois for 40 years. He's a father to Joe III and Josh. And, to his three granddaughters (Meacon, 11, Abigail, 10, and Isabella, 7) and one grandson (4-year-old Aiden), he's simply known as Papa.
Lois met Nichols when he was dating her twin sister Laura — who thought he was too straight-laced for her. Lois decided to see if there was something in Nichols that her sister wasn't noticing and agreed to a first date on Jekyll Island — roughly 30 miles from Jesup, where they lived. There they dined at Big Boy's. A year later they were married.
Joe III, age 39 and Josh, 37, came along shortly after. When Lois and Nichols met, he was in the military, having gone straight from a military academy to the Army. Having grown up an Army brat and only child, it was a natural progression, according to Lois. From there to law enforcement wasn't a big jump. And it wasn't a big surprise to Lois that he was dedicated to the job he was hired to do.
"There's been a lot of cold meals through the years," she said with a laugh. "He missed a lot of events through the years, which was always a heart ache for him. When the kids were little, it seemed like he was always on duty at Thanksgiving and Christmas. When we go out to dinner, he has his cell phone and when we're at church he has a pager, but when they went off, he would always say he knew that when he took the job, it came first. That will be one thing he'll have to get used to when he retires — the phone not ringing all hours of the night. In fact, we're disconnecting the land line on January 1."
When his youngest son was born, Lois drove herself to the hospital and Nichols friend - and Newton County coroner - Bob Wheeler met her there because Nichols was working a homicide at the time.
"Joe got to the hospital just in time for them to tell him he had a son," she said with a chuckle.
Although many may assume Nichols' relationship with his sons would be strained due to his working so much during their childhood, Lois said that nothing could be further from the truth.
"They [Joe and Josh] have a tremendous respect for him and they always have," she said. "He's a good sheriff because he's a good leader and he was the same as a dad. He wasn't the disciplinarian that people might think. He's always thought you could reason with anybody and that included his children."
According to Lois, she once asked Joe III when he was young if anyone had ever offered him drugs. "He said 'of course they have. But why would I take something that my daddy risks his life everyday to fight?'"
She doesn't deny there have been tough times in the years they have been married, but Lois said that what has kept them strong throughout the years has been Nichols commitment and dedication to everything he does.
Every morning - rain or shine - Nichols shines his shoes before heading out of the house, and while in uniform he would also shine his brass before leaving. A sign of respect to the people he serves.
When the decision was made that Nichols would not run for sheriff again, it was a family one, according to Lois, much like everything else in the Nichols' household.
"He agonized over it," she said. "He's been sheriff since 1996 and it was a tough decision for him. I did want him to retire," she admits, "but I would have supported him if he had decided not to, just like I've always supported him and like he's supported me. This has always been a family commitment."
Another person Nichols has remained committed to is Wheeler, who said the two have been friends since Nichols arrived in Covington from Jesup.
"We're more like brothers than anything else," Wheeler said. "He's one of the truest friends you could ever have. I would do anything for him and I know that he would do anything for me. When we met – it was sort of like when you meet your wife and you know that you want to spend the rest of your life with her – I just knew Joe and I would be friends for the rest of our lives."
In fact, the two are so close that when Wheeler talked about not running in the last election, Nichols asked him to go one more term with him.
"Joe asked me to stay and said that we would go out together and that's what I did," Wheeler, who retires Dec. 31, said.
"We've been through some pretty comical situations over the years – there's stories I could tell you, but you couldn't print them," he said with a laugh. "But at the end of the day we all know what the job is and we do it. You see some pretty terrible things, but when you've got your friends working right there along with you, it makes it a whole lot easier."
According to local attorney Ben Hendricks, Nichols "is the finest law enforcement person I have had the pleasure of dealing with."
"He has been my sheriff for 30 years now and he's got a lot of integrity. I hope whoever follows him has the sense enough to have paid attention."
Hendricks said that it isn't unusual for one of them to call the other and without introduction or preamble start to tell the other the most recent story or bit of gossip.
"He likes to tell the tale that I carried him for a ride on time," said Hendricks, "in a small sports car (a Miada) and that he had never been that scared in his life."
Hendricks continued, with a chuckle, "He said that he had been in gun battles and high-speed chases but that he had never been that scared in his life. He said he could just see the headlines in The Covington News, 'sheriff and judge die in car accident breaking every traffic law in the book.' Then he went out - I think the very next day - and bought himself the same car."
According to Hendricks, he first met Nichols when he was a witness during a court case.
"It would have been easy for him to shade the facts a bit but that's just not how he's cut. He's an honest and straight-laced individual and I hate to see him go. He will certainly be missed."
Assistant Chief of Covington Police Almond Turner served with Nichols on the first NCSO/CPD SWAT Team and they always had a good working relationship, according to Turner.
"I think that's something Newton County residents should be very proud of," Turner said. "The two departments have always had a good working relationship and that filters down from the top - from the leadership to the officers and the deputies."
Turner said that Nichols is, and has always been, very laid back.
"He would do anything to help you. He's always been very respectful and caring and I have the utmost respect for him."
That didn't stop Turner from wanting to "choke" Nichols when they were first involved in SWAT.
"We did a lot of training," Turner said. "And sometimes the stuff he would have us do - we all just wanted to choke him," he said, laughing.
Though Nichols might have had the team perform some tough training, it paid off in the long run. According to Turner the first SWAT uniforms were brown jumpsuits - reminiscent of what a plumber might wear - with a patch on the back that said 'POLICE' and a matching brown hat. Their SWAT vehicle was a station wagon.
When the unit went to DeKalb County for a training session one year and saw the Atlanta units in fatigues they felt a little under dressed.
"We got out of that car and people were looking at us like we were the team from Mayberry," he said laughing. "But we outperformed every single one of those units. All that training he had us doing paid off. We wanted to kill him there for awhile but we were more prepared than any of those big-city units."
Turner said that one of those crazy training session involved crossing the Yellow River on a rope.
"Some of us couldn't swim - including me," said Turner, chuckling. "I got in the middle on the rope - and keep in mind the water was pretty brisk - and I just couldn't go anymore. I had just completely give out. Joe, being very supportive told me that I could do it. Then he ordered them to cut the rope."
"At that point it was either get across or go in the water. But he certainly had us prepared. We definitely had some good times. He is one of the finest people I have ever known. He is definitely one of the good guys."
Although Superior Court Judge John Ott wouldn't tell many stories, since he is scheduled to speak at Nichols' retirement party today, he did call Nichols "bland vanilla," saying there just isn't too much that is exciting about him.
"He's always walked the straight and narrow, and when I say that I mean it in the best possible way."
According to Ott, Nichols has given his all to the county and being sheriff is something that is ingrained in him.
"There was never a time when he turned that off," he said. "The county has been very blessed to have someone like him."
Ott also said that he believed Nichols had said a lot of wise things over the years.
"Unfortunately I've only heard about a third of them," he said with a chuckle. "He talks so low I can't hear half of what he says. So I just nod my head a lot. I'm sure he's wondered over the years why I'm not taking his advice. It's not because I don't appreciate it, it's because I never heard it."
Many have wondered if Nichols will be able to retire after having been a public servant for so long and if he would get bored in retirement; Lois believes they might be surprised at how smooth the transition would be, saying that Nichols loves old guns, reading and gardening.
"Joe entertains himself quite well," she said. "It will be an adjustment, but he'll be fine."
She continued, saying that she planned on continuing work for a little while and that she had plans for her husband.
"I'm going to try and teach him how to cook and do the laundry. I figure I've handled it for the last 40 years and he can do it for the next 40," she said with a laugh. "I'm hoping he'll have dinner on the table every night."


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Professor of Insect Ecology and Blueberry Insect Pest and Pollination Extension Specialist
I am the director of Maine's efforts at providing sustainable pollination for lowbush blueberry in the Northeast through the Pollination Security Project. Day to day tasks are to advise graduate students that are conducting vital research on this project (9 students) and to be the spokes person for the project, especially involving contact with blueberry growers, honey bee keepers, and Maine state and non-profit agencies. In addition, my personal research focuses on the pollination ecology of lowbush blueberry. This area of research involves bee foraging and floral handling behaviors as well as plant growth and development responses to the environment. My skills as a statistical modeler also allow me to provide the project with predictive modeling capabilities.
Contact Information
Email: email@example.com
Tel.: 207 581-2989


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In light of the controversial "Stop John Kony" video that exploded last week in most of the world's consciousness, another video, starring Benin-born actor Djimon Hounsou (pictured), has been recirculated entitled "How Not to Write About Africa."
SEE ALSO: Poor Black Youth Publishes Fantasy Novel
With all the "Stop John Kony" brouhaha, a video Hounsou did back in 2009 has come back to life. The video is based off of an essay Kenyan writer Binyavanga Wainaina wrote, originally entitled "How to Write About Africa." In the essay, Wainaina writes:
In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don't get bogged down with precise descriptions. Africa is big: fifty-four countries, 900 million people who are too busy starving and dying and warring and emigrating to read your book. The continent is full of deserts, jungles, highlands, savannahs and many other things, but your reader doesn't care about all that, so keep your descriptions romantic and evocative and unparticular.
Taboo subjects [are]: ordinary domestic scenes, love between Africans (unless a death is involved), references to African writers or intellectuals, mention of school-going children who are not suffering from yaws or Ebola fever or female genital mutilation.
Africa is to be pitied, worshipped or dominated. Whichever angle you take, be sure to leave the strong impression that without your intervention and your important book, Africa is doomed.
Hounsou collaborated with Wainaina to produce this:
Just like many other parts of the world, i.e., Syria, Lybia, most of America's inner cities and don't forget your random white bread high school (Cleveland and Columbine, anyone?), Africa has its problems. What isn't shown, though, is prosperous and productive Africa. Obviously, not every tribe or klan is struggling with war and not every child is going to sleep with an empty belly at night.
'LIKE' NewsOne's FB Page To Stay Up On Black News From Around The World
Ask yourself this, if Africa is so destitute and worthless, why have Europeans found themselves unwilling to leave much of the continent for hundreds of years, and why are the Chinese investing more money in Africa at such an aggressive rate?
Here's the real question: What do Europeans and the West gain by continuing to paint Africa one dimensionally?
Black people everywhere need to be recognized for our diversity of experiences, feelings, realities, environments and overall ability. In order for us to effectively challenge the age-old stereotypes about Africans throughout the diaspora, we will need to take control of the media, making sure that we are green lighting film, TV, and news representations. We will need to be the ones to manage our conversations rather than having others manage them for us. And the conversation starts right here and now.
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MONACO, 6 July 2012 – How to ensure that the democratic promise of the Arab Spring is fully realized was the overriding question at the OSCE PA's Mediterranean Forum on Friday.
Chaired by Assembly Vice-President and Head of the Monegasque Delegation Jean-Charles Gardetto, the forum included participation from Libyan delegates Mohamed Abdulaziz, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation of Libya, and Khaled Ghellali, Spokesperson for the Libyan National Democratic Alliance. This was the first time Libyan officials, guests of the host government, have appeared before the Parliamentary Assembly.
Abdulaziz noted that the Libyan experience differs in important respects from the transitions in Egypt and Tunisia, with Libya essentially "starting from scratch" in its efforts to build a state. He described the most pressing concerns his country faces, including border security, absorption of 'freedom fighters' into the national government, containing internal tensions, advancing judicial co-operation with neighbouring countries and ensuring free and fair elections.
Jean-Claude Mignon, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), compared the changes sweeping the Middle East and North Africa to the changes in Eastern Europe two decades ago, noting the possibility of the Arab Spring becoming and 'Arab Autumn.' He emphasized the opportunity presented for closer co-operation between the OSCE PA and PACE to assist the region's aspiring democracies, noting that both organizations have extensive experience in these matters.
Ambassador Ihor Prokopchuk, the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the OSCE and Chairman of the OSCE Contact Group with Mediterranean Partners, extended the OSCE's proposal of assistance to Mediterranean Partners to support their democratic transitions and tackle common challenges in all three dimensions. He noted that the OSCE Astana Declaration affirms that the security of the OSCE area is inextricably linked to neighbouring regions.
Francesco Amoruso, Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean (PAM), stated that the PAM is fully committed to increasing co-operation with the OSCE PA on Mediterranean matters.
In the debate, delegates called for increased privileges within the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as a way to enhance co-operation between the OSCE and countries on the southern shore of the Mediterranean. Participants also discussed extending the Mediterranean partnership to the Palestinian Authority and Libya, opportunities for increased OSCE involvement, and threats to the security and stability of the Mediterranean area.
Members expressed concern about the volatile security situation and human rights abuse stemming from the conflict in Syria and terrorist groups in the Sahel. They further encouraged OSCE participating States to support democratic processes in the region.


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Meghan Markle Breaks Her Silence on Prince Harry Romance: "We're Happy and in Love"
Nearly a year after news of their relationship broke, Meghan Markle is opening up about Prince Harry for the first time in Vanity Fair's October issue. While their royal romance is constantly in the spotlight, the Suits actress explained that her relationship with Harry is actually quite simple. "We're two people who are really happy and in love," she told the magazine. "We were very quietly dating for about six months before it became news, and I was working during that whole time, and the only thing that changed was people's perception. Nothing about me changed. I'm still the same person that I am, and I've never defined myself by my relationship."
While it's obvious the two are very happy together, they have faced a few struggles along the way, particularly with the media. Shortly after their relationship was confirmed, Harry defended Meghan against "racist and sexist" trolls in a public statement via the Kensington Palace Twitter account. "It has its challenges, and it comes in waves — some days it can feel more challenging than others," Meghan said about the constant public scrutiny that comes with dating a royal. "And right out of the gate it was surprising the way things changed. But I still have this support system all around me, and, of course, my boyfriend's support. I don't read any press. I haven't even read press for Suits. The people who are close to me anchor me in knowing who I am. The rest is noise."


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Not Petya
We've had WannaCry, WannaCrypt, Petya and now Not Petya, all variants of a style of malware called crypto lockers. Essentially software that gets onto your system and encrypts your files and stops you using them due to you not having the decryption key to open them.
The term ransomware is used because affected users usually must pay in anonymous payments called Bitcoins to release the decryption key from organised criminal groups.
Not Petya is merely todays latest variant. Which differs from those we've seen in past weeks because it is encrypting the file system of Windows machines and altering Master Boot Record (MBR), preventing Windows machines from boot and leaving a lovely ransom note.
Top tips
Unfortunately, hindsight may have brought you to this post! We hope not as the following often need some previous planning:
- Backup, backup and backup! The best way of recovering your data from this type of malware is to restore from recent backups. We recommend quite a number of different systems based on your maximum tolerable downtime requirements – talk to us for more information.
- Patch your software and not just Windows. Obviously, the absolute minimum would be to carry out all the critical Windows updates on both servers and workstations. We would also recommend that updates for other applications such as Adobe Acrobat, Java etc are done. These can often be overlooked security holes that can allow malware in. If you need help with patch management and compliance reporting, this is something Unleashed help our clients with.
- Access management! We often find that users are given far too much access both to network shares and access to their workstations. No user should have administrative rights and the ability to install software on their PC without a separate dedicated admin account and that includes IT Managers! You guessed it, we can also help with identity and access management – and the most important bit the audit of those accounts.
- You may ask what's the use of antivirus as everyone is getting these issues with up-to-date antivirus software? However, antivirus is often useless against new or 0-day viruses, but should one of the other steps above have failed, they offer another layer of defence. More modern antivirus software which Unleashed deliver for our customers works with behavioural analysis, detecting unusual behaviour such as processing of encryption at an unusual point in your workday.
- Firewalls and antispam. Modern next generation firewalls can detect unusual payloads being downloaded into the company and stop that activity in its tracks, much like modern antivirus they can also look at behavioural analysis. They can also look at command and control activies and again block them. Unleashed work with many firewall vendors and can find the best one for your company.
If you wish to read more tips, then read more on our post about steps for IT Managers to take.


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So, here is another paint chip poetry challenge from Linda Kruschke. We were challenged to use 10 out of 15 of these paint chip colors from the picture below in a poem form of our choice. My last and only other time using this prompt, I only had to choose two. This seemed much more challenging, but it can't be harder than magnetic poetry, can it?
I look in your eyes,
deep pools of blue,
reflecting clear skies
just before the rain,
and suddenly,
out of the blue,
my gray world
has turned technicolor,
and I'm on the
yellow brick road,
lined with sunflowers
and watermelon vines,
soaking in the sunshine;
my universe somersaulted —
a total eclipse.
© Susan Joy Clark 2021


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Friday, September 2, 2016 12:27 am
Mother Teresa of Calcutta, one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century, is set to become a Catholic saint on Sunday in an open-air Mass led by Pope Francis.
Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, the Canadian priest who promoted her sainthood cause, said on Thursday in Vatican that hundreds of thousands of faithful are expected to attend the canonisation service to be led by Pope Francis in front of St. Peter's basilica.
He said that her canonisation is one of the highlights of Francis' Jubilee of Mercy.
"Affectionately called the "saint of the gutters" during her lifetime, Mother Teresa of Calcutta will be made an official saint of the Roman Catholic Church on Sunday, just 19 years after her death.
"The Church defines saints as those believed to have been holy enough during their lives to now be in Heaven and able to intercede with God to perform miracles.
"She has been credited with two miracles, both involving the healing of sick people,'' he said.
Kolodiejchuk said that Mother Teresa was one of the most influential women in the Church's 2,000-year history, acclaimed for her work amongst the worlds poorest of the poor in the slums of the Indian city now called Kolkata.
He said critics view her differently, arguing she did little to alleviate the pain of the terminally ill and nothing to stamp out the root causes of poverty.
The priest recalled that in 1991, the British medical journal the Lancet visited a home she ran in Kolkata for the dying and said untrained carers failed to recognise when some patients could have been cured.
Kolodiejchuk said her detractors missed the point of her mission, arguing that she had created a place to comfort people in their final days rather than establish hospitals.
"We don't have to prove that saints were perfect, because no one is perfect," he said.
He said that several events are planned in the run up to the ceremony, including a prayer vigil on Friday, an audience in St Peter's Square with Francis on Saturday morning.
Kolodiejchuk said it would be followed in the evening by a veneration of Teresa's relics in a Roman basilica outside of the Vatican.
"As the canonisation falls on the eve of Teresa's feast day, which marks the anniversary of her death on September 5, 1997, there are expected to be more celebrations and religious services on Monday and later on in the week.
He said that on September 7-8, pilgrims would be allowed to visit the room Teresa used on visits to Rome, in the convent of the Church of San Gregorio Magno near the Colosseum, where her Missionaries of Charity have a local branch.
Kolodiejchuk said that the Indian Foreign Minister, Sushma Swaraj and other dignitaries from Teresa's adopted nation are scheduled to attend the Mass.
Mother Teresa was born Agnese Gonxha Bojaxhiu of Albanian parents in 1910 in what was then part of the Ottoman Empire and is now Macedonia.
She became a nun at 16 and moved to India in 1929, creating her mission in 1950 and gained worldwide recognition for her work, including a Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
Private letters published after her death in 1997 also revealed that for the last 50 years of her life she despaired over having lost a personal connection with Jesus, while she continued steadfastly to serve his cause.
In a preface to a book on the soon-to-be saint, published in July, Francis recalled how giving to the needy is a key to Christian teaching.
Pope said that "Mother Teresa made this page of the Gospel the guide for her life and the path to her holiness and it can be for us, as well."
Mother Teresa still has legions of supporters in India, including BJP Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Modi observed that all her life she worked to serve poorer sections of Indian society.
"When such a person is conferred with sainthood, it is natural for Indians to feel proud.
The Roman Catholic Church has more than 10,000 saints, many of whom had to wait centuries before their elevation.
But Mother Teresa, one of the most recognisable faces of the 20th century, was put on the fast track to sainthood after dying of a heart attack on Sept. 5, 1997.
The late Pope John Paul II bent Vatican rules to allow the procedure to establish her case for sainthood to be launched two years after her death instead of the usual five, and she was beatified in 2003. (dpa/NAN)


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International Coworking Day 2021 – Giveaway
Every year on August 9th, coworking space operators all around the world celebrate International Coworking Day. It's a chance to appreciate our members, educate the public, and amplify our message about how great coworking is.
In the past here at ACE we've marked the occasion in several ways, most notably by opening up our doors to offer free Hot Desks all week long to anyone in the area who wanted to give coworking a try. We've also hosted an open house breakfast, a member appreciation lunch, and invited our community partners to come by to help us celebrate (see above). There was lots of great food, fun door prizes, and amazing in-person connecting. You can guess where this is going next….
Last year, sadly, all the above wasn't possible with the COVID situation not yet under control. So in 2020 we hit pause for our Coworking Day activities and promised to be back in 2021, better than ever. Here we are, though: close to the pandemic finish line, but not quite all the way there. With our safety measures in place – capacity restrictions, screening protocols, physical distancing – our traditional Open House just isn't possible.
That said… we do love a good "pivot"!
So, this year we're celebrating in a new way: by organizing an AWESOME GIVEAWAY!
Grand prize is ONE YEAR of Community Membership at ACE, value: $1200
This type of membership includes a year of discounted prices on our meeting rooms, access to our exclusive members' online portal, mail handling, and entry into our amazing community of professionals and entrepreneurs. More details about the membership here.
PLUS, we have 4 other amazing prizes donated by our members and partners:
- Printing Services: 500 premium stock business cards or postcards, Courtesy of WHYDEA Inc.. Design service included. Value $400
- Entrepreneur's Bundle: Website Audit by Piece of Cake Digital Marketing + 2 ACE Hot Desk Day Passes + Office Supplies. Value $375
- Floral Inspirations! Framed mixed media illustration by local artist and ACE Coworking member, Cleo Lant. Value $120
- Oakville Gift Basket: Gourmet teas from Christa's Tea Shop + The Treasure You Seek, by local author, Siobhan Kukolic + Oakville tote bag & mug. Value $70
If you're already receiving our news and updates by email, then do this: invite a friend or colleague to sign up and let us know who you referred. (Text 289-801-8731) If they subscribe, you'll both be entered to win. The more people you refer, the more times you get entered!
No purchase necessary. Items won are transferrable. Open to Ontario residents until August 12, 2021 at 11.59PM EST. Not open to current ACE Coworking members. Winners will be randomly selected and contacted by email by August 13, 2021 at 8PM EST.
We're excited to be celebrating our industry's 16th birthday along with our coworking friends around the world. Curious about how this holiday was born? It marks the anniversary of the day Brad Neuberg first brought modern-day coworking into the world. You can still see Brad's original blog post announcing the first North American coworking space here. Coworking has come a long way since then, but the spirit of collaboration and connection is as strong as ever!