1. Pro Patria Press
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#67 June 2012
Newsletter of the 31st Infantry Regiment Association
Karl Lowe, Editor
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4th Battalion News
On May 25, one of our own, Steve Townsend, was
promoted to Major General at the Pentagon. Those who
attended the 2001 reunion at Fort Drum, New York will
never forget Steve, then the 4th Battalion’s Commander, stepping up to
the podium at the banquet and announcing “Gentlemen, I’m getting
way out in front of my chain of command on this but as fellow Polar
Bears, I thought you should know that the soldiers you had lunch went
“wheels up” a few minutes ago, bound for an undisclosed destination
in Southwest Asia.” We all knew that meant Polar Bears were once
again headed to war. When promoting Steve, Lieutenant General John
Campbell held up a poster that showed Steve’s remarkable career at a
glance. He has gone to war at every rank from lieutenant through
brigadier general, serving in combat in Panama, Desert Storm,
Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. When he commanded the 3rd Brigade
2nd Infantry Division, his brigade was the tip of the spear for the surge
in Iraq, repeatedly moving from one hot spot to another to break the
back of the insurgency. We’ll hear much more from this remarkable soldier in the years ahead.
On June 5, Lieutenant Colonel Robert M. Ryan
(right) completed his tour as the 4th
Battalion’s commander. We wish Rob well as
he continues to move up the ranks in the
tradition of his predecessors. His
replacement is Lieutenant Colonel Roland H.
Dicks (left) who will soon take the battalion
back to war. Command Sergeant Major Benny
Dobbs will also be leaving soon. A delegation
from the 31st Infantry Regiment Association
(Jack Considine, Vin Zike, Karl Lowe, and Ed
Bettis shown with LTC Dicks) attended the change of command ceremony at
Fort Drum, paying our respects to the out-going and in-coming commanders. Rob Ryan’s Memorial Day
message (next page) to all Polar Bears, past and present, speaks to the close relationship between the
association and the 4th Battalion.
Friends, Families, Veterans of the Polar Bears;
2. Memorial Day is a special day for all Americans. It is one
day each year that we pause from our busy lives to
remember and pay tribute to those who made the
ultimate sacrifice for our nation. It is a day like no other
for those who have served or supported those who serve.
The bitter lesson of history is that freedom is never
guaranteed. There has always been someone willing to
take a stand for our constitution and recognize that rights
of all people are what make our culture unique. It is only
those great and noble souls who have sacrificed for that
cause that truly understand freedoms price. We continue
to take a stand, like those before us did, against tyranny
and injustice. It is today we recognize the sacrifice yet
understand that there are those among us ready and
willing to make a stand for freedom and to serve those
oppressed – and that freedom only survives if Patriots
are willing to accept that responsibility. On behalf of the
862 Polar Bears here at Fort Drum, New York, thank you
for who you are, your service and sincere devotion to
God, Country and Duty. We are grateful for your service,
commitment and dedication to the memory of those
who’ve served and will serve! We appreciate your sacrifices and loyalty. Pro Patria!
Benny Dobbs– Polar Bear 7 Robert M. Ryan – Polar Bear 6
Command Sergeant Major, USA Lieutenant Colonel, Infantry
Battalion Command Sergeant Major Commanding
Reunion 2012
This is the last newsletter before the reunion. If you haven’t registered yet, it’s time to get out that pen. The reunion
is 10-13 Aug 2012 at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, VA (400 Courthouse Square). Phone 1-866-837-4210 for
reservations and tell them you are with the 31st Infantry Regiment Association to get our reduced rate. Cut-off date for
reservations is July 30. In addition to your room reservation, please also register with the association by July 30 so we
know how many meals to have the hotel order for the banquet. Registration form is the end of this newsletter. Please fill
it out and mail it with your check, payable to 31st Inf Regt Assn, to Joe De Angelis 3035 El Rio Dr, Meridian, ID 83642.
If you can arrive in Alexandria early and help with setting up and manning the reception desk, please contact Ron Corson
(jrcorson@aol.com) or phone 757-253-1311. We can use all the help we can get! Agenda is still subject to modification
but so far, it looks like this:
Friday 10 Aug (arrival, socialize at the hospitality room, Executive Board meeting at 5PM)
Saturday 11 Aug
0900 White House tour for those who signed up; If the tour is disapproved (we won’t know until 3-4 weeks
out), there will be a tour of the US Capitol instead.)
1030 Bus transportation to memorials on the DC Mall. Busses must return to the Westin Hotel by 1300. Those
who wish to remain at the DC Mall longer to visit other sites (National Archives, Smithsonian Museums of
American History and Natural History, Air and Space Museum, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial,
Jefferson Memorial are all on or near the mall) can take as long as you wish (cafeterias are in each of the
museums) and can return to the Hotel (near Alexandria King St Station) by Yellow Line Metro (subway) for
$2.15 per person. It is clean, punctual, and safe.
Afternoon and evening are open to socialize with old friends and visit sights in DC.
Sunday 12 Aug
0900 Memorial Ceremony at Courthouse Square.
1100 General business meeting at the Westin; hospitality room is open until 2 PM;
1830 Reunion Banquet at the Westin. We’ll have a surprise guest speaker.
Monday 13 Aug (departure)
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3. If you fly into Reagan National Airport, you might not want to rent a car. For a fare of $1.60, hop on DC Metro’s yellow
line train toward Huntington and get off at King Street Station, two stops (7 minutes) away. At the station, there will be a
Westin shuttle bus waiting to take you to the hotel, 2 blocks away. If one isn’t there when you arrive, call 703-253-8602.
The hotel is near the George Washington Masonic Memorial (picture at right), offering a panoramic view of DC from its
little known top floor observation deck. We’ll take a bus to and from the mall on Saturday ($15/person). To visit the
attractions on the Mall on your own, return to the King Street station and for a fare of just $2.15, take Metro’s yellow line
train toward Fort Totten and get off at Archives Station, only 7 stops (19 minutes) away.
Because the cost of gas and air fares are high, we’ve tried to keep costs of our events down and because DC is a tourist
destination with a wide variety of attractions convenient to the hotel by metro, we’ve left the choices to members to do
things with old friends rather than trying to fit everyone to the same activities. The Westin has worked with us to make
this as affordable as possible, given the season and local pricing. What follows is a summary of your expected costs.
Hotel room: $109/night for single or double, $119 for triple, $129 for quadruple occupancy, plus $1 per night local
occupancy tax and 11.5% state tax=$122.54 for single or double occupancy, $133.69 for triple, or
$144.84 for quadruple.
Registration: $30 per person (required for all attending)
Tour Bus: $15 per person (required for White House tour, optional for visiting attractions on the DC Mall)
Banquet: $40 per person (required for all attending)
Driving directions
From Richmond: Take I-95 to Springfield, VA, Take the right fork of the Washington Beltway on I-95/I-495
Local.Take exit 176B onto the Eisenhower Connecter, following it to Eisenhower Ave. Exit right onto
Eisenhower Ave, left onto Mill Rd, right onto Jamieson Ave and you’ll see the Westin at the corner of
Jamieson and Courthouse Square.
From Roanoke: Take I-81 up the Shenandoah Valley toward Lexington, take exit 300 onto I-66 toward Washington,
take exit 64A onto I-495 South. Take exit 176B onto the Eisenhower Connecter, following the same
directions as above.
From Pittsburgh: take the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76 East) toward Harrisburg. Take the I-70 East exit at Breezewood,
follow I-70 to Frederick. Take exit 53 onto I-270 South toward Washington. Take exit 39 onto I-495
South toward Northern Virginia. Follow I-495 to Alexandria and take exit 176B, following the same
directions as above.
From Baltimore: take MD 295/I-295 South (Baltimore-Washington Parkway) toward Washington, take exit 1C onto I-95
South toward Richmond, merge onto I-495 Local South, Take Exit 176B, turn right on Stovall St, right
onto Eisenhower Ave, following the same directions as above.
Parking at the Westin is by valet only. On-street parking is free on weekends but the area is a popular destination and on-
street parking might be hard to find.
All meals are at individual expense. Look forward to seeing you for our biggest reunion ever. I’ll be your point of
contact. Call me at 703-978-1076 or email karlhlowe@gmail.com if you have questions. Karl Lowe
Quilt Raffle
The wives of Bill Singleton and Bill Gale are each making
quilts to be raffled off at the reunion in August. Margery
Singleton’s quilt (an early draft shown at left) will depict
the Polar Bear crest in the middle with the CIB, CMB, and
CAB arrayed around it, along with the patches of every unit
the regiment served under in combat and the citations
earned by the unit in its wars. A draft layout of Margery’s
design is illustrated at left.
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4. Polar Bears in Korea 1953
Newsletter #65 described parts of the battle for Pork Chop Hill. The saga continues, drawing from S.L.A.
Marshall’s 1956 book by the same name.
As the fight slackened around 0800, men on both sides left the trench to seek better positions on the slopes.
The smell of death below was overpowering in places. Above, shell holes and large rocks offered a measure of safety.
This scrambling brought the two sides closer together, but there was no upsurge in fighting. Both sides were spent.
Exhausted, out of water and short of ammunition, men conserved whatever energy and firepower they had left. The
weather was cool and clear, one of the season’s better days.
At 0814, two squads from G Company 17th Infantry arrived to reinforce K Company. Until then, Clemons did not know
that any part of that regiment was anywhere near. As Clemons sent the squads to reinforce the hill’s left side, a voice
from behind him inquired, “Could you tell me the situation?” Clemons turned to see his brother-in-law, Lieutenant
Walter B. Russell, who he thought was still in the States. He shouted in amazement, “What the hell are you doing here?”
Russell, commanding G Company of the 17th, explained that his orders were to assist K and L Companies in mopping up
on the hill and then to get back down as soon as possible. Clemons suddenly realized the gulf of comprehension
separating his command from higher headquarters. He had only 35 men left from K Company, 10 from L Company and
12 frightened and lightly wounded survivors of E Company who had been rescued from various bunkers. Lieutenant
Harrold had already left the hill with the more seriously wounded survivors. Clemons knew the force he had left was
incapable of further offensive action and doubted that it could defend very long either.
Suddenly, Chinese artillery and mortars again swept across the slope, joined by and intense barrage of automatic weapons
fire. The Chinese had also been reinforced and were getting ready for another push. Lieutenant Marshall with L
Company’s 10 men and Lieutenant Ess, with the two squads from G Company of the 17th Infantry took over the left
sector. Lieutenant Russell brought the rest of G Company up on the right. Clemons and Ohashi regrouped K Company to
hold the center. Throughout the day, the fight continued and the casualties continued to mount.
By late afternoon, only 25 men remained unwounded in K and L Companies together. With Ohashi and Kuzmick,
Clemons positioned the survivors in a tight group around the highest point they held on the hill. He then returned to his
CP with a runner and a radio they had salvaged and called Lieutenant Colonel Davis at around 1640. He reported, “We
have about 20 men left. There is no fight left in this company. If we can’t be relieved, we should be withdrawn.”
Brigadier General Arthur Trudeau, the Assistant Division Commander, was with Davis when the call came in. He would
have to come up with reinforcements quick and get them up the hill before nightfall. He did, relieving the depleted
remnant of K Company just after dark. Pork Chop continued to be held, preventing the Chinese from breaking through
anywhere along the 7th Division’s line despite 15,000 rounds of artillery and repeated assaults.
In May 1953, the 31st Infantry held the left of the 7th Division line, releasing the Columbian Battalion to division control.
Constant patrols kept the line active. In June, Outposts Dale and Pork Chop came under renewed enemy pressure, but
managed to hold. The Chinese were trying to capture positions that would give them observation vantage points
dominating the critical Chorwon Valley. The valley was critical to both sides. For the Chinese and North Koreans, it
represented a possible UN invasion corridor opening the way to Wonsan and Pyongyang. For the UN, it represented a
Chinese invasion corridor pointed southwest that could isolate Seoul. Neither side could afford to yield high ground since
the peace talks at Panmunjom would likely end soon.
We Still Need A New Membership Chairman
Jack and Alice Considine, working as a team, have jointly served the 31st Infantry Regiment Association as
Membership Chairmen since 1995. They will be a hard act to follow but we need someone to take over and
give the Considines a well-deserved rest. If you are willing to meet the challenge, please contact Chuck
McCammon c-mccammon@31stinfantry.org or phone 480-586-1343.
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5. REGISTRATION FORM
31st Infantry Regiment Association Reunion 10-13 August 2012 Washington, DC
Name: ________________________________________________________________________________________
Guest(s):_____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________
Street Address:______________________________________________________________________________
City:___________________________________________________________________________________________
State:____________________________________ Zip Code:__________________________________________
Email:__________________________________________phone:______________________________________
Company and Battalion of the 31st Infantry_____________________________________________ When________________________
Are you a member of the 31st Infantry Regiment Association?_____________________
Host Hotel for Reunion 2012 is the Westin in Alexandria, VA (call 1-866-837-4210 for room reservations and tell them
you’re with the 31st Infantry Regiment Association Reunion. Room rates are $109 per night for single or double occupancy
plus tax.)
Reunion Activity cost/person x # participating = $ total
Reunion Registration $30 X ________________ $______________
Bus Transportation (buses required for tour of the White House or Capitol for those who registered; optional for
those visiting memorials and museums on the Mall
$15 X ________________ $______________
Reunion Banquet $40 x _________________ $______________
Grand Total $______________
Registration deadline is July 20, 2012 Make checks payable to: 31st Infantry Regiment Association
Mail your check and this registration form to: Joe DeAngelis, Treasurer, 31st Inf Regt Assn, 3035 El Rio Dr,
Meridian, ID 83642-6741
Fund Drives
Polar Bear Memorial. To avoid drawing down the Association Treasury, please join our fund drive to maintain the Polar
Bear memorial dedicated during our recent reunion at the National Infantry Museum at Fort Benning. Putting the
memorial in place is only the first step but it will continue to cost the association to maintain that fitting tribute to the
regiment’s service. Fred Connolly just donated $52 from sales of Vickie Spring’s Book. Send your contribution to our
Treasurer, Joe DeAngelis at 3035 El Rio Dr, Meridian, ID 83642. Please feel free to solicit donations from local
businesses, banks, and fraternal organizations in your home town as well.
Reunion 2012. To support our 2012 reunion in the Washington, we solicited contributions from local businesses. The
first came quickly. Morgan Borszcz Consulting of Arlington, VA contributed $1500, sent by check to our Treasurer,
Joe DeAngelis. The Chief Operating Officer and VP of that firm is Michael Morgan, son of Bill Morgan who was Recon
Platoon Leader and Assistant S-3 with the 6th Battalion in 1969-70. We’re very grateful to Michael and his firm for their
exceptional generosity. We also received a $30 donation from a good friend of the regiment in Italy, Luigi Trevisan.
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6. Taps
The following members have stood their last formation since our previous update.
MSG (Ret) Abie Abraham (SGT, Bataan, C/1st Bn, 1941-45) Butler, PA
th
Tom Barry (SP4, Vietnam, B/6 Bn, 1969-70)
Gerald D. Bussard (SSG, Korea, K/3rd Bn, 1951-52) Pittsburgh, PA
Leroy Harris (SP4, Vietnam, D/6th Bn 1969-70) Baltimore, MD
COL (Ret) Earle H. Jordan (CPT, Korea, Hvy Mort Co, 1950) Brooksville, FL
Herbert L. Roemke (CPL, Japan & Korea, K/3rd Bn, 1949-51) Gig Harbor, WA
Association Officers
Commander: Chuck McCammon (SP4, A/6th Bn, VN, 1969-70)
c-mccammon@31stinfantry.org 307 S 90th St, Mesa, AZ 85208 480-586-1343
Vice Commander: Bill Owen (CPT, C/6th Bn, VN, 1968-69)
bjowen11@comcast.net 360 Glendobbin Rd, Winchester VA 22603 540-535-0666
Adjutant: Vin Zike (SGT, D/6th Bn, VN, 1968-69)
vinzike@gmail.com 1101 Bimini Lane, Singer Island, FL 33404 561-429-2222
Treasurer: Joe De Angelis (SGT, C/6th Bn, Ft Lewis & VN, 1967-69)
jangels10@gmail.com 3035 El Rio Dr, Meridian, ID 83642 208-362-9468
Membership Chairman: Jack Considine (CPL, B Co, Korea, 1951-52)
the31stira@yahoo.com 144 S River Rd, Tolland, CT 06084 860-875-9032
Quartermaster: Dale Mills (SGT, C/6th Bn, VN, 1968-69)
sdalem@bellsouth.net 6331 Dobson Rd, Macon, GA 31220 478-787-2679
Sergeant at Arms: John Howdeshelt (SGT, D/6th Bn, VN 1969)
mamahowdy@yahoo.com 788 Eagledale Cir, Kettering, OH 45429
Senior Director/Historian: Karl Lowe (CPT, D/6th Bn, VN, 1970)
karlhlowe@gmail.com 5101 Portsmouth Rd, Fairfax, VA 22032 703-978-1076
Northeast (ME, NH, VT, MA, RI, CT, NY) Ed Bettis (CPL, G Co, Korea, 1951-52)
edbettis@netzero.net 3728 Highland Ave, Skaneateles, NY 13152 315-685-3944
Mid-Atlantic (NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC, VA, WV) Ron Corson (CPT, A/6th Bn, VN, 1969-70)
jcorson@aol.com 3620 Bridgewater Dr, Williamsburg, VA 23188 757-253-1311
Southeast (NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, AR, LA, PR, VI) Noah Halfacre (LT, E/6th Bn, VN, 1969-70)
echo66@comcast.net 2740 Oxford Hall Ave, Murfreesboro TN 37128 615-893-9715
Great Lakes (KY, OH, MI, IN, IL, WI) John “Pops” McNichol (SGT, D/6th Bn, VN, 1970)
usmcbmc@ameritech.net 900 Fisk Ave, Joliet, IL 60436 815-741-1788
Midwest (MN, ND, SD, NE, IA, MO, KS, OK, TX, NM, CO) Phil Harris (SP4, C/6th Bn, VN, 1968-69)
c631grunt@yahoo.com 13081 N 99th Dr, Sun City, AZ, 85351 360-607-2032
West (HI, AK, WA, OR, CA, NV, AZ, UT, ID, MT, WY) Dave Wilson (LT, C/6th Bn, VN, 1968-69)
mrdpwilson@comcast.net 18005 87th Ave E, Puyallup WA 98357 253-875-1901
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7. Membership Application – 31st Infantry Regiment Association
First name nickname middle initial last name
Street address city state zip code
Phone number ___________________Email address________________________
alternate email address_________________________
Please fill the information about your connection with the 31st Infantry Regiment in the blocks
below:
31st Infantry unit (Plt, Co, Bn) rank and duty position
Rank when retired highest award earned
Where did you serve with the 31st? When?
Philippines ___________ ____________________________
Korea ___________ ____________________________
Japan ___________ ____________________________
Vietnam ___________ ____________________________
Iraq ___________ ____________________________
Afghanistan ___________ ____________________________
USA ___________ ____________________________
Membership desired
Life Membership Annual membership per year
Active Duty ___$25 Prior member of 31st unit ___$10
Age 49 & under ___$60 Associate member (family) ___$ 5
Age 50-59 ___$45
Age 60 & over ___$35
Associate life member (family) ___$25
Current Active duty member ___$ 5
Make check to 31st Inf Regt Assn & mail to: Jack Considine, 144 S River Rd, Tolland, CT
06084
31 Infantry Regiment Association
Vincent Zike, COL (Ret)
21 Caskey Road
Glen Spey, NY 12737
RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED
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