F Troop, 2/7 Marines
F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, U.S. Marines in Vietnam 1965-1971
If you have photos you would like to share on this website, please email to me.
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F Troop, 2/7 Marines F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, U.S. Marines in Vietnam 1965-1971
If you have photos you would like to share on this website, please email to me.
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F 2/7 Reunion, 29 Palms, California March 29 - April 5, 2002
Eating our first meal together in over 35 years at How-How's Chinese Restaurant. After many weeks and months of planning our mini reunion at 29 Palms became a reality. This could not have been accomplished without the help of some very key people. First, there was Gunny "Mo" Mike Mazoyer the company Gunny of Fox 2/7 who made our tour plans and actually invited us out to 29 "Stumps". Then there was the Strouds, David and Merle, who help set up the outstanding accommodation we had at the Best Western in 29 Palms. Jean and I were up in Victorville visiting her sister and her husband and I drove down early on the 28th thinking I would be the first so that I could greet the others. Wrong. When I arrived at the Hotel I found out the Sunny Sundberg and Steve Hall beat me by two days and David and Merle Stroud and Dave Jennings beat me by an other day. By the time this day was over with David Snow and his son Josh would arrive from Connecticut, Bob Vostry would come in from Arizona, Sammy Subnet and his buddy Larry Wilson would come in from Santa Clara and Clyde Martindale drove all the way over from Joshua Tree. Carl Reich would come over the following morning from Palm Springs. The first few hours were spent seeing each other and just basically hanging out and enjoying some suds. We set up a CP in my room as it had a living room and bar (need I say more?). That evening we all took a recon patrol down to the town of 29 Palms and had chow at a Chinese restaurant by the name of How How. During the meal Gunny Mo and Gunny "C" from the active Fox 2/7 joined us for some more suds. After the meal we retired back to the CP for some more war tales and sudings. I can only say that it was great seeing some that have been at our others reunions and also some very new faces that have not surfaced sense Nam. On the 29th Gunny Mo and five of his Marines meet us at the hotel and escorted us via base bus to the base. We arrived at the base just prior to morning colors. After honoring the colors we took a walk over to 1st Marine Division HQ and took some pics in from of their sign. In the near future I will be sending some of the pictures up to Peter Angus so that he can add them to our web site. From there we took a short bus ride around the base and ended up at Fox 2/7's company headquarters and met with the Officers and senior NCOs of the company. During this visit the Battalion CO, Lt. Col. James A. Cameron arrived and greeted us to 29 palms. What a fine selection of top personnel they have . Your can look in their eyes and see they are a determined group. Again the cameras came out and we started taking pictures of everything that moved and didn't. They sure have a great sign out front. Red with gold border with 2/7 FOX COMPANY over the top and a gung ho Fox holding a Kbar and M-16. They brought out the guildons from Korea and their current which I have a duplicate of. After the visit to the company HQ we went over to the Fox 2/7 barracks and meet with the real Marines of Fox 2/7, The PFCs, L/cpls and Cpls. This young group keep us answering questions for over two hours. We showed some videos that we had taken in Nam and sent around our photograph albums. One thing that I really noticed was that I use to look like them 35 years ago. One bad thing is that they will look like us in 35 years. It was such a joy to see these fresh faces so full of life. I know I would not hesitate to go with these Marines into battle. We finally had to pull ourselves away as they had a formation coming up and then to chow. During this formation at the company HQ we presented our guildon from Nam, which was given to me by Col. Oliver Whipple at our last reunion, to the company. This guidon flew at some of combat bases in Chu Lai and Da Nang. Following our presentation we were asked to fall in formation in front of the company and we were presented special 2/7 coins from the XO. I know my old heart was racing at this honor that they bestowed on us. Chow call was next on the agenda at the 7th Marines mess hall. The chow they served sure wasn't what we got in Nam. We could just about order what we wanted and go back for more. We sat in the NCO special area and each of us had a Marine to dine with. Man what a tribute this was to all of us. Following chow we went back on the bus and went to their indoors weapons training building (forgot what they called it). This was the same type of fire we did at Camp Lejune during our first reunion but we now had more weapons and more scenarios to fire at. All firing was done on actual weapons but without live rounds. It was all done with compressed air and computer terminals and screens. We fired until our fingers got stiff. Couldn't get Bob Vostry away from the M-16. Our last stop of the tour was at the base PX. Each of us had our own Marine escort and away we went to buy out the store or at least the souvenir stuff. They gave us a half an hour but is ended up being almost an hour. With all the stuff we bought they almost had to have a trailer hooked up to the bus. The ride back to the motel was a quite one as we knew that we would soon be going back to our homes and that also our a-were dragging from the great time we had. I, for one, cannot thank all of the Marines of Fox 2/7 enough who made this trip so special . Marines you did one hell of a job making this old Marine damn proud he was a Fox. Semper Fi and Thanks Barry Smith
Bob Vostry, Sunny Sundberg and Steve Hall at the motel.
David Stroud and Dave Jennings at the motel.
At 1st Marine Division Headquarters, left to right: Dave Jennings, Bob Vostry, David Snow, Barry Smith, Larry Wilson, Steve Hall, Sunny Sundberg, Carl Reich, Sammy Subney, Gunny Mo and David Stroud.
Company sign and guideon at Company HQ.
Meeting the officers and staff NCO's of F 2/7.
Presenting F 2/7 Guideon from Viet Nam Era to the Current F 2/7.
Presentation of the 2/7 coin to the Viet Nam vets of F 2/7.
Question and Answer session with the Marines of F 2/7: David Stroud, Carl Reich, and Steve Hall.
Waiting in the chow line.
Firing at the inside range: Sunny Sundberg, Steve Hall, Clyde Martindale and Bob Vostry. |
