Today I learned that my dear friend Dan has passed away, and although we had not seen each other since we mustered out of the military in 1972, there was always this connection between the two of us. Our hearts are broken and offer our deepest condolences to Dan's kids, his beautiful grandkids and family.

 Dan and I first met in September of 1969 at Fort Belvoir, Virginia during our Advanced Individual Training as Topographic Surveyors. We received our orders for Vietnam and arrived there on April 26, 1970. As we were landing, I can still remember looking out of the airplane window at the bomb craters and us silently looking at each other thinking, okay here we go. After a week or two of traveling from base camp to base camp, we were finally stationed Cam Rahn Bay and spent out entire tour there. We were lucky enough to leave Vietnam three weeks early on April 2, 1971. From there, we were assigned to the 1st Infantry Division at Fort Riley, Kansas.

Dan and his wife Barb and my wife Paula and I lived "off post" in the small town of Ogden adjacent to the military base. We both rented mobile homes a stone's throw away from each other. Dan and I alternated car-pooling to base leaving a car at home for our wives if they needed it. We had a couple of close calls dodging a few tanks when taking the back roads to work. Life was good!! 

In January of 1972 we mustered out of the military, Dan and Barb back to Florida and Paula and I back to Ohio. Over the years we shared Christmas cards, which I hated. His was always a picture of him and Barb on the beach while it was usually cold and snowy here in Ohio! Just kidding, we always loved hearing from them. Sadly, like in many cases, life got in the way, and we lost contact.  

I was so glad that we were lucky enough to reconnect several years ago yet saddened to learn that agent orange had ravaged his health.  In talking to Dan you knew that he had found God, was always upbeat regardless of his health issues, and was so proud of his kids and grandkids.

Good-bye my friend and God bless you.