November 2008 News Letter
Plans have been made for the 2009 reunion in Branson.
Our secretary is busy working on the mail-in ballots for next years elections. It is my plan to make available a web page for each candidate where they can post all of the campaign propaganda they want. (free beer?)
Currently we have a copywrite incident that should soon be resolved details
Pete McGuirk is still having ankle problems, good news is he is in the middle of moving into their new home. (open house is when? bring your own tent)
Our membership keeps growing! (now 169) we have located the last 458th commanding officer
Elizabeth F. Otis 1976-1977 and soon hope that she will be added to our members list.
MSN sites are closing as of February 2009, I'm still looking for a free site to replace the 458th MSN site but so far I haven't found anything that is as good as the old site :-(
Homestead Storage: once again policy has changed (for the better) it used to be that we were limited to how much space we used. The more we used the more it cost, now our price has went up about 20 percent a year but our storage has increased at least 500 percent.
I've started to streamline the website just a tad, hopefully all photo's will be much easier to find, and eventually the PBR Annex will be consolidated with our main site. many years ago the homestead web sites were free, but their was a limit to size. When you filled one site you started another which is why we ended up with a PBR Annex.
Did I miss something? let me know
DECEMBER 2007 NEWS LETTER
Greetings 458th Members
As this year rapidity draws to a close I would like to wish all of you Happy Holidays and to inform you of some of the work your elected officers have been doing this year
Dues; in the next week or so it will be decided when the time period starts and stops, it has been recommended by yours truly that it be from January 1 through December 31st. It has also been recommended that Dues paid in 2007 will be good until the end of 2008 "Dues are $20.00 per year"
Regardless if you pay dues or not you are and always will be part of the 458th family, however we are now a organization not 100 plus individuals. As Such future decisions regarding our organization will be determined by the members who pay dues, for the lack of a better word these members from now on will be known as "members in good standing"
As a example at our July 2008 meeting our bylaws will be offered for discussion and adoption. Every member in good standing will be able to view the bylaws at least 30 days before the 2008 meeting. Each member in good standing regardless if they attend the reunion will have the opportunity to say yea or nay to all or any part of the bylaws. The same holds true for our upcoming 2009 elections.
I realize that we have members who are not joiners, a few will object to paying dues and a small few will just object. I respect every persons right to make up their own mind if they join or not.
For those who object to paying dues or are hesitant about joining. Consider the yearly fee is equivalent to about six gallons of gas or 16 cups of coffee.
If we have any members that the fee will put in a bind step forward and say so. We don't want to loose you over money, your ID will be kept confidential.
For those who aren't joiners I would urge you to look in the mirror and ask yourself if perhaps your life isn't just a little bit better for being part of the 458th living history.
Ricky Tofte (grandson of James Anderson) submitted a report to his sixth grade history class, a copy of the report may be seen here
Phil Lippencot has just had a rough go in the hospital, five bypasses and then some serious complications. I'm happy to say he's doing much better. Bill Northrop made a interesting observation about this operation "seems 99 percent have no complications" Bill said a person should always check the count meter
to make darn sure the person before you wasn't number 99.
Charles Lowe's nephew "Jason Strickland" who is in the 82 Airborne serving in Afghanistan was injured in a mortar attack, Jason is now back in the states for treatment and rehabilitation
Pete McGuirk is (was) building a new log house, seems Pete thought their was a airhook attached to a extra step on a ladder, he will be using crutches and a walker while he gets used to the stove bolts and pins in his ankle :-(
UPDATE 31 December "Pete says the ankle is getting better but still hurts like hell"
November celebrated the 25th anniversary of the Viet Nam Veterans' Memorial. To honor the event, the Viet Nam Veterans of America & the Viet Nam Veterans' Memorial Committee hosted an event to include a complete reading of all the names listed. Was only the fourth time the complete list of names have been recited in Washington, DC.
As part of the 458th contribution to this celebration and honorarium ... 'Pete' SELLERS was present at The Wall as one of the participating readers on four days. Additionally, representing the 458th, 'Pete' requested and was allowed to read the segment of names containing "James A. Loux" who at the time was listed as a member of the 458th while in Viet Nam. While in Washington for this event 'Pete' also met with Jim Farmer, his family members and a friend."
