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Riverine Warfare
on the Pentagon
Channel |
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View this three-part Pentagon Channel video
– featuring Gamewardens Larry Weatherall and Wes Weseleskey – as they
and the US Navy Riverine Sailors in Iraq discuss the New Brown Water Navy in
Operation Iraqi Freedom.
View Video 1 of 3 »
View Video 2 of 3 »
View Video 3 of 3 » |
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THE GODBEHERE PATROL
[The
Jere Beery Story] |
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View the Godbehere Patrol videos – a four video series
here
» |
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| ** IN MEMORIAM ** |
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Captain Burt Witham – the
first Commander of Task Force 116 and Operation Game Warden – will be
missed.
Click here to view an oral
history
interview from 2007. |
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| Life Member Challenge Coin |
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Available for Life Members
ONLY.
More info
» |
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CONTACT INFO
John W.
Woody–President
Gamewardens of Vietnam Association, Inc.
PO Box
701786
San Antonio, TX 78270
1 (866) 220-7477
Email:
President@tf116.org
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After 40 years, a Vietnam vet gets
his Bronze Star |
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By Louis Hansen
The
Virginian-Pilot
© July 1, 2009
VIRGINIA BEACH A few
years ago at a reunion for Navy sailors and airmen, Clarence Cooper met two men
he'd seen just once - Sept. 14, 1968. It was a hot and humid afternoon when
North Vietnamese troops ambushed Cooper's supply ship on the river outside Vinh
Long.
Rockets streamed from the bank, blasted
through bulkheads and drove shrapnel into the small crew. The sailors unloaded
on the entrenched enemy lines. The deck was covered with smoke and fire and
cartridge cases and two rocket-propelled grenades that somehow didn't
explode.
Read entire story here » |
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Photos from the event:
Click
on the thumbnail for a close-up image –
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Captain Jim Walker, Seawolf pilot
and Navy Cross Recipient. |
Vaughn Shuler, VP East Coast.
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VADM Donnelly, Presenter. |
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Captain Max Duncan, ComNSA Saigon
68-69. |
Coop and VADM Jay Donnelly.
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VADM Donnelly and Captain Max
Duncan. |
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Coop being interviewed by the
reporter. |
Captain Jim Walker and QMCS (SS)
Cooper. |
Captain Jim Walker, Coop and Debra
McGuire, Chaplain. |
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Captain "Wes" Weselesky, Seawolf
pilot. |
Coop and YNC (SW) Adrienne
Green. |
Jerry Gandy, President of the
Mid-Atlantic Chapter, Coop and A. Billy Ratt, Jr. |
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The Crew. |
Eric Cooper, son and USMC; "Coop",
Vicki, daughter and creator of A. Billy Ratt and A. Billy Ratt, Jr, Derek,
Grandson of Coop. |
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2008 Reunion |
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Photo
Gallery: The 2008 Reunion Photo Gallery is live!
It's still a bit lean,
though - so don't forget to send your photos to
Larry Bissonnette to
have them included here!
Visit the
Gamewardens 2008 Reunion Gallery » |
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 Vietnam War's 'river rats' gather to honor fallen friends, make
new ones
By Hattie Brown Garrow
The Virginian-Pilot —
©July 20, 2008
VIRGINIA BEACH
By the time Bob
Tipton attended his first reunion with fellow Vietnam War veterans, he'd
forgotten dates, names and faces - but not the brotherhood they shared.
As members of Task Force 116, the Navy's
river patrol force, Tipton and the other men counted on one another to stay
alive. More » |
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Gamewardens' Authors Corner
We've got some
talented folks among us – please take a moment to peruse our library
below: |
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Gamewardens of Vietnam History Book, Second Edition.
Even
though you may already own Volume I, it is highly recommended that you buy
Volume II as well.
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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 Al (A.J.) Billings – Seawolf28
An exciting action
filled novel of one of the top decorated naval aviators of the Vietnam era
brings the reader a dramatic story of a twenty-two year career of a Navy
helicopter pilot. By the end of the Vietnam War he was a four tour veteran with
well over 600 missions and the recipient of more than thirty-nine citations,
including the Silver Star and Distinguished Flying Cross.
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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 Marie LeDuc and Dr. Art Schmitt – The Man I Didn't
Know
The stories of Families of Veterans who are effected with post
tramatic stress disorder.
Available
in the Ships Store »
NEW!
Listen to an interview with author Art Schmitt on the Denny Griffin Radio Show
MEET THE AUTHOR. |
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A Quiet Reality
by Emilio
Marrero, Jr.
A Quiet Reality is a heartwarming and hopeful story that
invites you to join Chaplain Marrero in this exciting journey through Iraq as
he ministered to U.S. Marines. Join him through an exhilarating tactical convoy
during his first night in Iraq, through the painful ministry to the wounded and
dead. Reflect with him as he ponders on this quest as a man in uniform and a
pastor. Walk with him through the ancient ruins of Nebuchadnezzar's Palace in
Babil and join him on an exciting quest to open biblical history to his Marines
while he seeks to care for the Iraqis around him.
More
»
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Dr. Lester L. Westling – When Johnny/Joanie Comes Marching
Home
Our military families endure the burdens of separation when a
significant member is repeatedly, often suddenly, called far away to serve for
extended periods of time. Not only handling the separations but also the
reunions and restoration of the family circle are the subjects of this
book.
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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Lester Westling – All That Glitters
Join respected
pastor, missionary, and former Navy Chaplain Lester Westling as he chronicles
his journey through danger, toil, and triumph and discovers the true meaning of
treasure that lasts. His riveting stores will capture your imagination and
inspire you to reach for the true gold of life?gold that will glitter forever
in Heaven.
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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Ralph
Christopher – River Rats
River Rats provides a ...lively insight
into the hows and whys of the United States involvement in Vietnam, and the
attempt of that involvement to bring freedom to those who were unable to
achieve it by their own efforts...
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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Ralph
Christopher – DUTY HONOR SACRIFICE
From author From the Author:
DUTY HONOR SACRIFICE, is 432 pages, 30 chapters with maps and pictures. It is
divided up with TF-115, -116, and -117 and 9th Infantry stories all told
together. It was another honor to have been trusted by so many to tell portions
of their stories.
Available
in the Ships Store »
Listen to a radio interview of the author on
"Meet The Author" » |
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Ralph
Christopher – Riverine Photo Album
The Riverine Photo Album is a
tribute to those forces that served in the river coastal war of South Vietnam,
which was made up of small units of sailors that manned forward firebases,
floating detachments, and rode small fast patrol boats and the larger heavy
riverine craft alongside South Vietnamese troops, mercenaries, and regional
forces, who were fighting for their independence from communist rule. The River
Rats and River Raiders fought for freedom and they fought with honor, but in
the end they fought for each other. Praise is hardly enough.
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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Bill
Ferguson – Laughter on the Rivers of Death: One Sailor's Humorous
Experience
Volunteering for anything while serving in the Navy is risky
business. Many a naive Sailor found himself suffering from "volunteers remorse"
shortly after stepping forward to answer the call for a special assignment.
Before he could hum the first few notes of Anchors Aweigh, he would come to
believe that what he had asked for and what he had received may not be the
same...
Available
in the Ships Store »
Listen
to a radio interview of the author on "Meet The Author" » |
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Edward
Vick – Slingshot
Based on actual events, Ed's novel SLINGSHOT draws
on his experience leading over 100 combat patrols in Vietnam as a Lieutenant in
the Navy's River Patrol Force. He holds two Bronze Star Medals, the Combat
Action Ribbon, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnamese Cross of
Gallantry and other decorations. Bedford Press was created in 2002 in order to
publish books and feed profits to worthy causes. Profits from SLINGSHOT will go
to Vietnam Veterans of the River Patrol Force and to the police and fire
departments of Bedford, NY.
Available
in the Ships Store » |
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 — From Footnote™ - Interactive Vietnam Veterans Memorial
allows you to search by name, unit, hometown, or simply browse a 5 gigapixel
image of the panels of the memorial, then leave a tribute, a story or
photograph about any of the 58,256 veterans listed there.
More »
— Read the
latest GWVN Newsletter »
—
Comprehensive VIETNAM Reference Guide »
— HERE'S HOW THEY DO
IT! This is a video of a suicide VBIED (Vehicle Borne Improvised Explosion
Device). The explosions are definitely not like the movies. We were actually
out on patrol that day and heard the blast from about 7 miles away. Watch the
slow moving dump truck moving toward you in the left lane. You'll see some
Iraqi Army humvees pull up behind it before it blows. No Americans hurt that
day. View the video »
Read the
narrative copy from All Hands
magazine [June 1970] about the USS Harnett County during Operation Giant
Slingshot and view a copy of the Presidential Unit Citation »
Space-A Military Travel
Information from the U.S. Air Force HQ Air Mobility Command »
DFAS
Retired Pay Newsletter »
It's Official!! DD-214's are now online
through the National Personnel Records
Center (NPRC).
Vietnam vets' experience on boats utilized in Iraq
— 7/9/2006 By Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY.
Read the full article
»
Brown Water Sailors Rededicate Monument (Navy
Newsstand article - 7/27/2006) »
Read CAPT. Kenneth Meek's speech here »
Read presentation by Jack Lynch
here »
 Riverine Warfare website
»
East Coast Memorial Monument and MK I PBR Rededication
Ceremony — July 21, 2006
Details Here »
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE — Vietnam Vets to
Rededicate Monument and Vietnam-Era River Patrol Boat at Little Creek
Amphibious Base.
More
»
Vietnam Unit Memorial
Monument request for donations »
View the
Vietnam Unit Memorial Monument program online »
Mystery Solved! Sam
Eaton's account on the fate of YRBM21 »
Enjoy hundreds of clips of
Vietnam-era music
»
Naval Special Warfare Comes
Through at Crunchtime »
NSW boat crews search for Stennis
survivors By JOC Scott Boyle Naval Special Warfare Task Group Katrina Public
Affairs.
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Gamewardens in the Midwest? |
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It's true! The all-new Gamewardens of
Vietnam Mid-West Chapter invites you to their organizational meeting, where
they will elect officers of the organization, approve the by-laws, decide on a
calendar of events, and discuss the time and location of future events.
Read more
» |
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 Dedication Ceremony & SEAL Capability Exercise pictures from
NAB Little Creek, VA, July 18th & 19th, 2003. Many photos from members!
[opens in new window]»
Commander Naval Forces
Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) Monthly Summaries »
Brown
Water Navy And Delta Army Vietnam Veterans Message Board »
 Herb Stephan's dedication speech from the
ceremony at the Naval Amphibious Base Special Warfare Compound at Little Creek,
VA, July 18, 2003 »
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Brown Water Sailors Rededicate
Monument |
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Story Number:
NNS060727-02
Release Date: 7/27/2006 8:41:00 AM
By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd
Class Matthew D. Leistikow, Fleet Public Affairs Center Atlantic
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- Members of Naval
Special Warfare Group (NSWG) 4 attended The Game Wardens of Vietnam
Association, Inc.'s (GWVN) rededication of a monument and refurbished patrol
boat in memory of their fallen shipmates at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek,
July 21.
"It's always good to take time to
reflect on our past Sailors who served and certainly paid the ultimate
sacrifice," said Commander, Riverine Group 1, Capt. Michael L. Jordon.
The obelisk, along with a West Coast
copy, bears 290 names of fallen Sailors who gave their lives patrolling rivers,
canals and the waters of the Mekong Delta during the Vietnam war.
The monument had been stored during
construction of the NSWG 4 boathouse and was rededicated in front of the new
boathouse.
“It was the most significant
experience I had in the 40 years I was in the Navy,” said Tom W. Glickman,
Task Force 116 staff operations officer in 1967.
“It’s one of the small things
that we could give to those that made the supreme sacrifice,” added Jerry
Gandy, vice president of the mid-Atlantic chapter of GMVN.
GMVN discovered the Patrol River Boat
(PBR) in 2001. The Naval Historical Center purchased the boat and made it
available as a static display at NSWG 4 at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek,
Va.
“It’s an immediately
recognizable symbol,” said Larry Weatherall, president of GWVN’s
mid-Atlantic chapter. “For anyone who looks at this boat, it’s
immediately recognizable for what era it was.”
The monument stands in its fifth and
final location since its original dedication in August
1980. |
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060721-N-5330L-117 Virginia Beach, Va. (July 21,
2006) – A child learns from his grandfather the history of the Brown Water
Navy and some information about the names on the monument at Naval Amphibious
Base Little Creek, Va. The Gamewardens of Vietnam Association (GWVN)
rededicated their East Coast Monument and a refurbished MK1 River Patrol Boat
in a ceremony for the fallen Brown Water Sailors whose names are engraved upon
its surface. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew
Leistikow (RELEASED)
Pictured above: GMG2 Larry. C. Brooks II and his
grandson Evan Brooks.
Click
for close-up »
060721-N-5330L-002 Virginia Beach, Va. (July 21,
2006) - Tom Glickman of the Gamewardens of Vietnam Association (GWVN) takes a
moment to look at the 290 names on the East Coast Monument at Naval Amphibious
Base Little Creek, Va. GWVN rededicated their East Coast Monument and a
refurbished MK1 River Patrol Boat in a ceremony for the fallen Brown Water
Sailors whose names are engraved upon its surface. U.S. Navy photo by Mass
Communication Specialist 3rd Class Matthew Leistikow (RELEASED)
Click
for close-up » |
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 Video — we've got previews of videos
available on our ship's store. Take a sneak peek at Vietnam February 22nd, 1969 or Gamewardens Reunion in New
Orleans »
 The official Gamewardens of Vietnam
Newsletter — Brown Water Log. We're working on digitizing back issues
— all the way back to 1968! View our archives
here »
All Hands — View the complete
November 1966 or
April 1978 edition of All Hands magazine
»
 Photo Gallery — Thousands of photos in our
photo gallery with more being added every day! See
the images that our members have shared with us here
»
Feedback — This is your site, so please
let us know your
thoughts by contacting the
webmaster, Larry
Bissonnette via email »
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Scholarship Fund
Newsletter Fund
Website Fund
PBR Maintenance Fund
General Fund
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