I've done many things over the years: (a sort of jack-of-all-trades-guy) everything from a manufacturing executive, instrument rated private pilot, owned, flew and operated 3 aircraft over those manufacturing years, Realtor, banking and commercial and residential mortgages, teaching and mentoring new real estate agents, training dogs for the blind, motorcycle (Harleys and chopper hybrids and the like) sales and services, seasonal catastrophic storm insurance adjusting. Now, I'm working as a certified caregiver for Home Instead Senior Care. In my spare time, I have resurrected my old hobby of building and flying giant-scale model aircraft (go to www.rccd.org). But, the best part of my life these days is living happily with my wonderful wife and best friend, Claudia, simply enjoying our lives together. I am totally blessed! Life is good!
Update: We moved from our home in Berkley, MI to Sterling Heights, MI in the summerof 2016. A ranch style with all rooms on one floor...for ease of getting around...getting older, as many of you know, requires fewer steps to climb up and down. All is good with the two of us. We now have another grandson living close by these days. I gave up my Harley Road King some years ago...vision, hearing and good reaction time not as good as it used to be. I'm still working part-time as a Realtor helping specifically Veterans of all wars and conflicts and so-called "Police Actions". Beyond all of that, God is always in our lives, therefore, all is good!
UPDATE:
Retired 1 NOV 2018
Other Comments:
I have been truly blessed to have had the opportunity to serve with all the guys surrounding my 4 years in the Air Force as a Dog Handler. For those guys remaining on this beautifully designed planet I pray all are doing well. For those past on, I look forward to joining them one day. Lessons learned over the past 68 years?...Well, I wish I had learned this simple fact earlier in life: God has a plan for all of us. The trick is to be and live in His word every day...listen intently for His guidance and follow His lead. This will...WILL... guarantee a rewarding and fruitful life as He promised, provide all you will ever need. No matter what may happen to you, remember...it's God's plan...not for us to necessarily understand why, but it's His plan. Be blessed, all...
Vietnam War/Counteroffensive Phase III Campaign (1967-68)
From Month/Year
June / 1967
To Month/Year
January / 1968
Description This period was from March 9, 1967-March 31, 1968. On March 10, 1967. Seventh Air Force F-105s and F-4s bombed a new target. the Thai Nguyen iron and steel plant. 30 miles north of Hanoi. The Rou.mo Tnuuoaa bombing campaign continued with strikes against bridges. petroleum storage. cement plants. and power transformer stations near Hanoi. USAF and naval aircraft also conducted armed reconnaissance over most of North Vietnam. Missions against major supply routes from China targeted railroad yards. repair facilities. bridges. and support areas. Early in August 1967 American air attacks against the Paul Doutner Bridge in I-lanoi knocked out the center span. Poor weather in the first 3 months of I968 forced U.S. aircraft to rely almost exclusively on all-weather bombing techniques in North Vietnam; nevertheless. the Paul Doumer Bridge remained unusable most of the time. While overland routes might be interdicted. Haiphong harbor and docks still remained off limits to U.S.
pilots. A continuous flow of supplies moved through the port from the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, which largely
offset North Vietnam's losses.
U.S. aircraft used electronic countermeasures and other techniques to limit the effectiveness of North Vietnam's antiaircraft defenses. North Vietnamese forces fired 55 SAM: on the average for each U.S. aircraft destroyed. To reduce the threat of a resurgent North Vietnamese Air Force. in April 1967 the United States bombed MiG bases. destroying several jet aircraft on the ground. In aerial combat during the first 6 months of 1967 (primarily in April. May. and June). U.S. pilots destroyed 54 MiGs while losing ll aircraft. But between August 1967 and February 1968. the United States lost l8 aircraft to MiGs while destroying only 5 enemy aircraft. On January 14, 1968. two MiGs shot down an EB-66 that was jamming enemy radars from an orbit 90 miles from Hanoi. The USAF subsequently used the vulnerable EB-66s in already established orbits over Laos and the Gulf of Tonkin. accepting degradation of jamming to lessen the risks of aerial interception.
On April 6, 1967. the North Vietnam Anny and Viet Cong forces attacked Quang Tri. the northemmost provincial capital. 20 miles south of the demilitarized zone. To counter the offensive. on May 18 South Vietnamese and U.S. troops entered the DMZ for the first time. USAF B-52s. tactical air forces. and naval and army artillery strikes combined with Allied ground forces to destroy temporarily NVA strength in the zone. The NVA then shifted its artillery positions north of the DMZ. rebuilt its forces in the area. and on September l renewed attacks on the U.S. Marine base at Con 11tien. Immediately South of the DMZ. With forward air controllers pinpointing artillery and other targets, the USAF began an aerial attempt to destroy enemy positions. and by October 4 the North Vietnam Anny had been forced to withdraw once again.
Shortly afterward. in November 1967, U.S. forces conducting search and destroy operations in the Central Highlands encountered strong Viet Cong resistance near Dalt To. I5 miles east of the border junction between Laos. Cambodia. and the Republic of Vietnam. Tactical aircraft and B-52s provided close air support while USAF C-130s flew supplies and reinforcements to the Dak To airstrip. U.S. air-power inflicted heavy casualties. and the enemy withdrew on November 24.
In the Laotian part of the conflict. during the summer of 1967, Seventh Air Force provided extensive air support to Laotian troops battling the Pathet Lao and North Vietnamese forces on the Plain of Jars near Luang Prabang. The I-lo Chi Minh Trail in the Laotian panhandle also came under constant attack. Between December 1967 and February 1968. Seventh Air Force pilots flew over 20.000 sorties against transportation lines in Laos and claimed destruction of more than 3.000 trucks. But the Communists continued to build up forces in Laos and Cambodia in preparation for a major offensive that began on January 21. 1968. when the NVA surrounded and laid siege to Khe Sanh. a U.S. Marine base in a valley 7 miles east of the Laotian border and 15 miles south of the demilitarized zone.
