220th Reconnaissance Airplane Company

INDEPENDENCE DAY, A TIME FOR REFLECTION:

PHOTOS FROM VIETNAM:

Harold Vail's photos of the Tet Offensive era reminds us of the dangers involved in fixed base operations during an unconventional war. It was also a psycholocical war, as it is today, too:

Below is a photo of our Vietnamese counterpart. According to Harold, all the airplanes were damaged or destroyed during the Tet Offensive:

CATKILLER HISTORY-212TH CAB ORDERS:

Johnny Moore provided several copies of special orders, and the March CATCOM contained most of those listed in the orders. I promised to extract the remaining names the following month but couldn't get to the task; below are those names, taken from SO 224, dated 11 Dec. 1969 [social security number omitted], all members of 220th RAC with departure [DROS] instructions:

MORE CATKILLER HISTORY

A few days after posting the June newsletter, I received an email from a former Bird Dog pilot. Here is his inoput:

"A fellow Bird Dog pilot told me about your letter. The picture of WO1 Anuskewicz [page 16, June edition of CATCOM E-newsletter] appears to be that of Roger Anuskewicz who is currently flying as a Captain for United Airlines. He had been flying out of San Francisco (living in Sonoma County). He moved to the Chicago area and was flying out of O'Hare the last I heard.

I flew for the 74th RAC---part of the 145th CAB in 66-67.

Steve Dunnicliff [e-mail: CaptDunn@aol.com]"

Thanks for the information, Steve. [EdPub Note: I spoke with Roger's wife for several minutes and briefed her on our reunion plans, also gave her my phone number and e-mail address. Roger lives in Illinois and flies for United Airlines.]

Alan O'Hollaren's 212th CAB annual, published in 1971, contains these previously unpublished names (photos for all listed): Page 14: unit commander Captain David C. Sapp; First Sergeant Pedro F. Toves; first platoon leader Captain Randy F. Jones; and Captain Thomas J. Shaver the operations officer. Other unit members are as follows (including photo of page 17 below):

CPT Stanley L. Cherrix, Section Leader	CPT Richard P. Almond, Motor Officer	CPT Larry J. Vanhorn, Supply Officer
CPT Norwood S. Sothoron	LT Thomas H. Aldrich	Begin p. 15, pub. June, 2003
LT Behrens	LT Wilcox	LT Kirk M. Knight
Lt Douglas H Schere	W01 Mann	LT Lewis
W02 Becroff	W02 O'Hollaren [Alan]	W01 Baronowski
W01 Ferguson	W01 Dinan	W02 Smith
W01 Gaunt [Jim]	W01 Cabell [Brown]	W01 Wood
W01 Hohmann	Begin Page 16	W01 Rodenhouse
W01 Ross	W01 Haygood	W01 Novetzke
W01 Martinez	W01 Snyder	W01 Kennedy
W01 Wells	W01 Mann	W01 Anuskewicz
W01 Garner	W01 Ferguson	W01 Dinan
W01 Helsel	W01 Taber	W01 Sells
see Photo page 17 (below)	p. 18: SP5 Burnett	SP5 Clemons
SP5 Buchanan	SP5 Mc Cullough	SP5 Giles
SP5 Wright	SP5 Hurtado	SP5 Platta
SP5 Jackson	SP4 Robbins	SP4 Hofmann
SP4 Stowe	SP4 Ma Cord	SP4 Livingston
SP4 Peeples	SP4 Milewski	P. 19: SP4 Vasquez
SP4 Hoyhem	SP4 Clarke	SP4 Jackson
SP4 Reece	SP4 Thompkins	SP4 Fritchig
SP4 Bradshaw	SP4 Allen	SP4 Briggs
SP4 Woodlaw	SP4 Turner	SP4 Breitweiser
SP4 Nikolai	SP4 Ethridge	SP4 Wettergren
P. 20: SP4 Ramige	SP4 Williams	SP4 Brown
SP4 Parker	SP4 Todd	SP4 Clobes
SP4 Ebeling	SP4 Mead	PFC Figueras
PFC Ungate	PFC Sanders	PFC Burnett
SP4 Foggleman	SP4 Dyall	SP4 Olivas
PFC Edgar	PFC Graham	PFC Thomas
PV2 Miranda	end of list	blank

E-MAIL LIST UPDATE:

We welcome Gene Hayes (Catkiller10); Dick Tobiason (Catkiller26, Dec. 66- June 67, Hue Citadel.), of Bend, Oregon; Ed Arthur; Don Medley, who flew with the 220th out of DaNang from March 1966 until Oct. 1966; and Herb Johnston, who was an army intel sergeant working for a Marine major. Herb states: "I flew back seat and debriefed pilots after recons. Our office was called the VASSAC. [Was] at Hue during Tet 68, then moved to Phu Bai . I have *mm movies of compound and people. pilots Vail, O'Conner, Davis, Corrigen and others."

[Redacted] has a new e-mail address: flowerinthetower@comcast.net

CATKILLER REUNION: RESERVATIONS INFORMATION:

220th Reconnaissance Airplane Company REUNION

When:

October 19, 20, 21, 2003
Where: Palace Station Hotel &Casino
2411 West Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89102
(Reservations) 800-634-3101, or 702-367-2411 [Hotel Group ID for reference is: PCI220T]
To locate the hotel on a map, visit this site and type in the above address: Rand McNally Maps

Staff:

Reunion 6 - Paul V. Brennan
Reunion 5 - John Hillman (Executive in Charge)
Reunion 4 - Jerry Bonning (Logistics) Rooms, hotel, meeting rooms, banquet
Reunion 3 - Jerry DiGrezio (Operations; notifications, etc.)
Keeper of the E-List - Bob McComiskie (send your changes and updates to Bob)
Newsletter- Donald M. Ricks
Golf One-Joe "Beans" Brett (Sundowner Yankee)

We have reserved a block of rooms under: "220th RECONNAISSANCE AIRPLANE COMPANY" (CATKILLERS). Please state this when you make your reservations. Cost of rooms: $69 per night, or ask about their smaller garden rooms ($49 per night). You can make reservations now. Contact Paul V. Brennan (Reunion 6) with questions, suggestions, and recommendations.

From Jerry Bonning:

"As of yesterday we had 37 rooms reserved at the hotel with 64 attendees. Looks like a real good event shaping up.

We have a 50 room block with the guaranteed prices. We will start turning in any unreserved rooms at August 15 (10%) and finally at September 15. After September 15 the rooms will be at the standard hotel prices. Whether the room cost will be higher or lower outside our room block depends on how well the hotel is booked up. When we were there for the recon, the hotel was full. Time might be running out, so make your reservations, soon!"

ITINERARY FOR CATKILLER REUNION

See CATCOM Newsletter for June 2003

OLD FRIENDS MEET AGAIN:

Charlie Finch (Catkiller 19) sent in a recent photo taken at the first meeting of these two pilots since 1969:

Getting ready for Las Vegas:

CATKILLER HOME PAGE:

Thanks to Scott Cummings for maintaining this site at:http://www.catkillers.org

Photo page:www.catkillers.org (contains a link to previously published newsletters and alerts).

Bob McComiskie's Photo Page

CATKILLER FEEDBACK COLUMN?:

Do you have a comment or suggestion? How about sending a briefing on your history after Vietnam? Do you have an accomplishment you aren't embarrassed to share? How about an interesting story about one of your children? Don't like what's in the CATCOM? Want to sound off?

Positive or negative, we would like a chance to publish your input (normal filtering protections apply).

For instance, did you know that, from the beginnings of an army private, our former first commander, Jerry Ralph Curry, MG, retired, is an opera singer, among many other accomplishments (jerrycurry.com)? Why, besides the war stories there are many interesting family and accomplishment stories here among us, so let's share the good times, funny happenings, and memories. Lift up your children, your job, your hobbies, or your profession. Come on! Open up your heart! Thanks for sending it in....

CATKILLER LOGO GOLF SHIRTS AND STICKERS:

As a personal non-profit venture, and as a service to the entire group, Jerry Bonning has put a lot of work into making available to us a selection of golf shirts, a nice sweat shirt, and a long sleeve denim shirt, all with some form of the Catkiller unit patch. When we meet in Las Vegas, it will be nice to have such a shirt to show off our Catkiller pride, all at a reasonable price.

To find out more and to order your R.A.C. Wear Catkiller shirt, visit the following link:

R.A.C Wear Shirts

There is no new information available concerning the Catkiller stickers; awaiting response from the graphics producer.

CATKILLER BIKERS:

Gary Tragesser visited Glacier National Park last year, and here is the material proof:

NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY:

What should you know about the National Do Not Call Registry? Check out this link:

Opt-out of not wanted telemarketing phone calls

Paul V. Brennan Reunion 6 Atlanta, GA

Donald M. Ricks CATCOM EdPub Spring Hill, TN