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Welcome. I'm Bob Hersey. I served with K Troop, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment from April 1968 until April 1969. I am proud of my service with the Blackhorse Regiment in Vietnam and of the men whom I served with. This site is dedicated to them - those who came home and those who did not. While in K Troop, I photographed over 500 subjects chronicling the lives of the Blackhorse Troopers - their courage, their sacrifices, their triumphs and their heartaches. The Photo Gallery is a tribute to them. In addition to taking over 500 photographs I sent home to my parents 92 letters and 22 audio tapes. All 92 letters are reprinted on this site. ãReal Audio from some of my audio tapes are available here as well. What else will you find here? Begin at Base Camp. This is your base of operations. At Base Camp you will find the "meat and potatoes" of K Troop (sorry, I was a cook). In the Orderly Room you will find my 201 File, letters, DD Form 214, the daily report and more. Hungry? Stop by the Mess Hall. The coffee's on and so is a little lighthearted humor. Along your journey, you will find an informative history of the "Blackhorse Regiment" - the 11th Armored Cavalry. In addition, you will find a tribute to K Troop's fallen heroes on the Taps page. See which Hollywood celebrity has joined the growing list of contributors on Contributor's Corner. Stop by the Motor Pool and see why the VC called the M113A - Armored Cavalry Assault Vehicle (ACAV) the - Green Dragon and don't forget to visit the photo gallery. The pictures tell the whole story of K Troop in Vietnam.
Allons! Bob Hersey
Before You Go,
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Born On Memorial Day May 31, 1999 Celebrating 10 Years |
That's right, we are 10 years old. K Troop, 11th ACR in Vietnam - hosted by Bob Hersey was born on Memorial Day, May 31, 1999. Dedicated to the men of K Troop, those who came home and those who didn't, this site was launched on a day that most fittingly honors K Troop's dead - Memorial Day.
From its humble beginnings ten years ago Ktroop.com has
grown to over 800 pictures in the photo gallery, over 400,000 people have
stopped by, thousands have signed the guest book. Contributor's Corner was
introduced in 2000 and the list of contributors grows steadily. The Honor
Roll was added a year later. In 2006 all of the photos in the photo
gallery were re-scanned larger from the original slides. Countl
ess
articles has appeared helping to keep friends and visitors of K Troop informed
and up to date about the happenings of events that are important to them.
Support has been shown to our troops who are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan
through the work of the Pease Greeters.
All of the success that we have enjoyed would not be possible without you. Your support and contributions have been key to a bright future that lies ahead for this website. I am wishing you all a thoughtful and happy Memorial Day, 2009.
Thank you from K Troop, 11th ACR in Vietnam - hosted by Bob Hersey.
Photo: Courtesy of Reminisce Magazine, June 2001 issue. Bob Hersey's home town of Portsmouth, NH in 1957 looking from Congress St. to Market Square. Seen in the photo is the Portsmouth City Band followed by Marine, Navy and Air Force units.
24th Annual Reunion
Hyatt Regency Santa Clara, California
11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia
September 9th - 13th, 2009
Santa Clara, California is this year's site of the 24rth Annual Reunion of the 11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia. The Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara will be our basecamp and area of operations beginning September 9th, 2009. Tickets are selling fast and it's important that you get your reservations in now so that you have the best opportunity for a room in the host hotel and a guaranty of a table for the banquets in the main dinning room.
This year's quest speaker is none other than K Troop's own, John E.
Longhouser (MG, USA RET), who, in 1968, served as Commander of K Troop
when the troop was in Vietnam. Click on the Complete Story button below
for complete information and registration.
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Thunder Run |
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Pizza For Our Vets___
Dan Stroia began a pilot program two years ago at the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. The program provides pizza and soda pop to the veterans at the Phoenix hospital. Dan would like to take his program nation wide and invites all members of the 11th Armored Cavalry's Veterans of Vietnam and Cambodia (11th ACVVC) to join him in providing their area VA hospitalized veterans with pizza.
If you would like to share in this very worthwhile project and put tons of smiles on our fellow veteran's faces then contact Dan and he will give you all the details that you will need to begin a Thunder Run Pizza Run at your area VA hospital. Dan says that the only cost to you would be your time. Funds for the program may be provided by veterans organizations such as the DAV, VFW, American Legion and others. For additional information visit here and look for entries 474 through 477.
Dan Stroia
K Troop 11th ACR, Vietnam '67-'68
8350 E. McKellips #158
Scottsdale, AZ 85257
Cell 480 242 7040
ktroop6768@yahoo.com
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Blackhorse
Memorial's Armor School Moving Where Will Our Memorial Be?
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The US Army is moving its armor school from Ft. Knox, Kentucky to its new home at Ft. Benning, Georgia. Ft. Knox is currently the home of the 11th ACR Memorial to our fallen brothers. Many of you may remember this monument from your days at Blackhorse Basecamp, Vietnam. The decision to keep the memorial at Ft. Knox or to move it to Ft. Benning must be given to Maj. Gen. Donald M. Campbell, Commanding General of the Armor Center at Ft. Knox.
Your help is needed. Please visit the 11th ACVVC website. Read the article there and make your feeling known to those individuals who have been charged with the responsibility to present our organizations plan to the general.
Photo courtesy of Fred Schottler
February 11, 2008 was a special day in the life of Marine Lance Corporal Jimmie McCain, son of Senator and Republican presidential nominee John McCain and Cindy McCain and members of his family. Jimmy, a member of Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Division returned home from Iraq along with 330 of his fellow Marines. They arrived at Pease International Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH to a warm welcome by Pease Greeters. Jimmy's flight was originally schedule to land in Bangor, Maine but was diverted to Pease due to high winds in Bangor. On the way to Pease, the aircraft developed flight control problems and declared an in-flight emergency and made an emergency landing. The plane landed safely.
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It was thirteen months since I first met Army Specialist Jeremy Connelly from Indiana. Specialist Connelly was heading to Iraq in June, 2007 for a thirteen month deployment. His flight brought him to Pease International Tradeport for refueling before heading overseas. I, along with my wife Hellen, are members of what are known as Pease Greeters. We have been greeting planes since March of 2007 having met over 75 flights.
Blackhorse
Cigarette Lighter FoundAustralian, Keiran Bailey
Finds Lighter On Australian Beach38 Years in the surf.
Keiran Bailey of Victoria, Australia found this remarkably preserved lighter clearly marked Black Horse with our distinctive Blackhorse patch on the face and on the back, 11th CAV, Xuan Loc, Vietnam with the date, 1969-1970.
Keiran found it during the Australian summer of 1991-'92 while snorkeling in a place called Congwong Bay on the northern corner on the march larger Botany Bay, some 23 Kms south of Sydney, and sent the lighter to me to preserve and to share it with our Blackhorse brothers. Bill Lewellen, of K Troop, is bring this historic artifact to the 23rd Annual Reunion in Chicago of the 11th ACVVC for everyone to see and marvel over.
Keiran writes that while snorkeling, he was looking for some shells, rocks or sponge coral for his marine aquarium. He says that while swimming along he noticed a metallic glint about 15 meters from the shore. Upon investigation he notice the lighter wedged between the sand and some pebbles in a crevasse about 15 feet deep with only the shinier base of the light showing in the light of day. He recognized it immediately as a Zippo lighter not unlike the one he himself owned. The lighter sat in his undersea treasure collection until a year ago when he examine the inscriptions, did a web search and sent in on to us here at Ktroop.com.
Inscribed on the bottom of the light are the words, "New Oriental", presumably the manufacturer. The lighter has no personal inscription so we can only wonder who might have lost it. In all likelihood it was lost by a Blackhorse trooper while on R&R (rest & relaxation) in Sydney. If it did wash from the shores of Vietnam all the way to Australia that would be an extraordinary journey for this lighter to take, but I wonder?
Mr. Bailey writes in the letter that he enclosed with the lighter, "I am very pleased and it makes me content to know that this lighter is finally in its rightful place among its original owners. I hope and pray it conjures up some good memories for your Blackhorse buddies. I'm sure that if this lighter could talk it would disclose a vast amount of incredible stories to share with us all".
I thank Mr. Bailey for sending the lighter along to us, at his own expense, and after having done some creative internet investigative work in locating us hear at K Troop, 11th ACR, Vietnam at Ktroop.com.
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Pease Greeters Welcome Returning |
Lt. Col. Joe Greeley of Somersworth, NH piloted 50, B17 bombing raids over Germany before his 21st birthday. Here, Joe is seen greeting a Boston native as he and his fellow soldiers arrive at Pease International Tradeport on their way home after completing their tour of duty in Iraq.
The Boeing 737, operated by Miami International Airlines, arrived at the former Pease Air Force Base in Portsmouth, NH recently and was welcome by a throng of greeters know as the Pease Greeters. The guests of the Pease Greeters (formed by the Marine Corp League of the Seacoast) have time to stretch their legs, refresh themselves, make free phone calls and visit with the greets while their plane is fueled before continuing on to their final US destination.
Your place in history at K Troop's - Contributor's Corner. See who has contributed their photos, stories, personal letters and more. Who knows, you might see yourself in your buddy's photo. Do you have some of your own that you would like to share? Send them along and I'll include them. For more details, visit your corner of K Troop - Contributor's Corner.
Your newest contributor - Errol Brumm served as K Troop's maintenance sergeant in 1967-'68.
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My Audio Tapes |
I, like many of my buddies, sent home audio tapes to loved ones. Some of us sent reel to reel and others sent cassette tapes. I recorded mine on a Sony, portable desktop cassette tape recorder. The recordings captured my impressions of the war and my service with K Troop. Not only do they convey personal messages, exchanged with my mother and father, they also contain radio transmissions, firefights, TV broadcasts and sounds of Vietnam. I've chosen what I consider to be the best of the 22 tapes and placed them here. A fraction of the total are available now. New excerpts are added each week.
Declaration of Support
We, combat veterans of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment (Blackhorse), fought for the United States of America in Vietnam and Cambodia.
During this war against communist aggression, our nation was bitterly divided and many American citizens rose in protest against our involvement. Members of our armed forces were the objects of disdain and ridicule. We returned home to a national landscape of public opinion and political division unchanged until the morning of September 11, 2001.
Read the entire Declaration HERE.
See what Military.com is saying about Bob Hersey and K Troop in an article called, "Cooking For K Troop - My Life with the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment in Vietnam". Visit Military.com today.
Yours truly is making a splash at Seabeecook.com in a featured article on the Cooks & Bakers page titled A Cook with the Blackhorse in Vietnam. Visit Seabeecook.com today and discover more about US Military - Cooks and Bakers.
K Troop - hosted by Bob Hersey
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