When I first began to use the Internet to research for info about the 30th Artillery Brigade Headquarters Battery on Okinawa and for witnesses from the former 30th who knew that my assignment there as a brigade photographer was against Army Rules and Regulations and that the photo lab that I worked in at the 30th was illegal and militarily immoral, I made some postings in Okinawa and Army missile unit veterans' web site's guest books. I have been doing anything I can to prove my case for three decades. Unfortunately it was not until I began to go on to the World Wide Web's information highway that I made any progress in my quest for good ole American truth and justice. I cannot find all of the postings I made, but here are a few:
From Naomi's Okinawa Connection
On Tuesday, August 28, 2001 at 17:22:45
From: david Robet Crews
Subject: 30th Arty Bgde Sukiran
Dundalk, Maryland USA
I was brigade photographer for the missle unit the 30th Artillery Brigade headquartered in Sukiran, Okinawa back in 1970-71. My photo lab was in the underground communications bunker next to headquarters office building. My lab was in a nuclear fallout decontamination chamber which made the use of the chamber impossible. I was ilegally assighned to the unit and could neither advance in rank nor order equipment and supplies. I have written this story to many elected and military officials but they can't prove me wrong so they don't want to deal with it. Can you help me in my quest for the truth?
On Tuesday, August 28, 2001 at 17:26:29
From: David Robert Crews
Subject: info correction
Dundalk, Maryland USA
This is my correct name and e-mail for precceding entry to guest book. Sorry, it was my typing mistake
Ed Thelen's Nike People:
Crews, David, Brigade Photographer as my Mos was 84G20 Photo Lab Technician. The problem with that was the 30th wasn't authorized any photographers so I could neither advance in rank nor order necessary photo supplies to do my military photo assignments. This caused me a lot of problems. I had some truly excellent friends in the 30th who helped make my time there be a great adventure. Most of us guys loved being in Okinawa with its Asian culture. I'd like to hear from anyone who knows just how the heck the 30th ever finagled the Army paperwork to get me assigned to them.
Ft. Bliss Guest Book:
Name: David R. Crews
Email: ursusdave@yahoo.com
Remote User: Date: 09/19/06
Time: 14:36:13
Comments
I have written a story about my time in the 30th Artillery Brigade missile unit on Okinawa which is entitled "Lieutenant T. Gordon Barber and the Stolen Marine Corp Property". It is necessary for me to name certain men who served in the 30th Arty who I am sure prefer not to be named in this story. It may be quite controversial to some individuals, but I defy anyone to prove anything that I say in this story as being false. You are invited to read my story on maineoutdoorstoday.com/crews/ My contact information is at the end of the story.
My Posting On The 30th Arty Bgde Site That The Son of Former 30th Arty Bgde Commander Col. L.G. Hergert Saw and Responded To
I posted the following in the guest book for the More or Less Official 30th Arty Bgde Site linked from this web site over at the left. I have placed guest book entries on that 30th Arty web site because I am challenging anyone, anywhere, anytime to prove anything which I am writing about in my postings and publishing's on the World Wide Web to be incorrect in anyway.
David Robert Crews
Sunday, 5/8/05, 9:42 PM
Anyone remember 'The Mole Hole' at Headquarters 30th Arty Bge on Okinawa? It was an underground communications bunker hidden next to Headquarters Office Building in Sukiran. I worked in there back during 1970-71. I was Brigade Photographer for the 30th and there was a Photo Lab set up in the Nuclear Fallout Decontamination Chamber to the Mole Hole.It made the Chamber useless for its designed purpose but I printed some great photos out of it. Gave many away to the Officers, Non-Coms + Enlisted Guys in the photos and I hope that my photos still give people pleasure when they pull the pictures out and show them to their grandchildren etc. After the celebration to welcome new Brigade Commander Col. Louis Hergert and his family to the 30th I gave out 90 photos just for that day. I'd be pleased to know if my photos from back then are enjoyed by anyone today as my life heads towards the last Missile Firing Test.
Emails Exchanged Between Col. L.G. Hergert's Son and I:
From: "Gus Hergert"
To:
Subject: Photos on Okinawa
Date: Thu, 16 Nov 2006 01:21:01 -0600
Thanks for the posting on the 30th Arty Site. I am the son of Colonel L.G. Hergert, Jr. There isn’t a day we don’t go through old picture taken on The Rock, and there is no doubt now that you took most of them. It was the best place I had ever lived, other than being born and raised on Hawaii in the mid-50’s. If there is any way you have any other pix of my family, even of me and my brother (me –dark hair probably red dbl-breasted coat, and younger brother-tall, slender, blond) I would pay for replacements or duplicated.
Thanks so much for your posting. It fired back great memories!
THANK YOU-
Gus Hergert III
Downing Sound Studios, LLC
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
From: David Crews [mailto:ursusdave@hotmail.com]
Sent: Friday, November 17, 2006 11:38 AM
To: gushergert3@bellsouth.net
Subject: 2 more Okinawa pics
I have to do this in the limitations of dial up on an old PC, but I love to be sharing my photos with some folks who lovedvbeing in Okinawa too.
From: "Gus Hergert"
To: "'David Crews'"
Subject: RE: 2 more Okinawa pics
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2006 23:55:51 -0600
I'll send more thanks over the weekend when I have a chance, but suffice to say, you said very kind things about my family and I am going to share the pix and email with Mom and Dad.
They'll love the.
I'll drop more of a note over the weekend.
THANK YOU-
Gus Hergert III
Downing Sound Studios, LLC
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
From: David Crews
[mailto:ursusdave@hotmail.com]
Sent: Saturday, November 18, 2006 1:19 PM
To: gushergert3@bellsouth.net
Subject: and 2 more Okinawa pics
Here are two shots of the Okinawan kids doing a traditional dance as a thank you to us for the backstops. As a barely experienced photographer, I remember being amazed at how neat the spit of sand being kicked up by the girl in front looked. Freeze action photography!
I wanted you to know that though my "A Wild Start" story is on the Japan Policy Research Institute web site I do not agree with all they have to say on there. I understand why the Okinawans want our military bases off their island, I’d want us off my island too; the JPRI literature gives some dynamic, thought provoking arguments against our continued occupation of the island; but I can’t stop believing that it is a superb, natural strategic location for a military position that helps thwart Chinese, and other county’s, world aggression. It is a location which the Okinawans can’t defend from any aggression—they have a multi-century long historical record of not being able to stay free from Japanese or Chinese occupation. And that occupation always suppressed them, at least America built the place back up after we had to bomb it to bits, because the Japanese hid in caves, behind the backs of Okinawan woman and children, in a self righteous attempt to prolong a lost war of attempted world domination Then I think of all the men we lost there in taking that military position from the Japanese, and I feel that those sacrifices by my country paid part of the rent for the Okinawan property occupied by our bases for a long time coming.
For the past several years, I have read everything I could find on the Internet about the 30 Arty Bgde. I am wondering if you can fill me in on some missing facts. When I left The Rock the 30th Arty was about to turn our missile sites over to the Japanese Army. I did several photographic assignments when Japanese Army Officers visited the missile sites (and guldamit, I never kept copies of them photos). The US Army decommissioned our last Nike Hercules Missile sites in 1979. Can you tell me what became of our missile sites on Okinawa?
I apologize if this is a lot to email about. I am doing all I can to overcome service and non service connected disabilities and you happened to contact me when I have been working at that goal by writing out about my life and publishing my stories on the Internet. I need all the contacts who have info about Okinawa I can find right now. My stories and web site postings about my time on The Rock have gotten me a lot of emails from other ex GIs and their dependents who just can’t believe they still love that little island and their memories of it so much. By the way, you know that there are some great web sites for the alumni of Okinawan US Military Schools. Web search your school’s name if you are not posted on that site
already.
From: David Crews [mailto:ursusdave@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sunday, November 19, 2006 1:56 PM
To: gushergert3@bellsouth.net
Subject: That's About It For Pics
I have some color slides from The Rock that I need to get into digital files and also a few 3 1/2 x 5 commercially printed color pics too. I don't have the scanning equipment nor access to any to complete that intended task yet.
I sure wish I had put together a good portfolio for myself while I was on The Rock. These 8x10 B+W photos I have are all actually rejects (by my standards). They needed more burning and dodging type custom hand printing technique. I love to burn and dodge. I sent the final copies of the prints to the schools and some went up on our bulletin boards or to the soldiers in the photos.
Through the years when I thought of Col Hergert, now and then, I wondered what his background and military experience is. He seemed like a CEO for a major technical firm to me, but one who was willing to sacrifice all for his country and live on a lower salary than others who worked in similar positions in the private sector. The 30th Arty was basically a group of warrior technicians who there to deter nuclear war with communist China and Russia by maintaining a 24/7/365 missile defense shield.
Now that I am writing about my times in the 30th Brigade, I'll be using my riding around the beautiful island in the Col's car and the change of command ceremony memories in my stories somewhere. I am thinking ahead here, and the way it will look will be something like "the Col was in the (blank brigade) before he came to the 30th and had worked his way up through the ranks as a leader of warrior technicians. He wasn't a guts and glory guy, but a level headed leader of technician warriors." or whatever it turns out to be. Serious writing takes a lot rewriting to get it right. Anyway, if you could tell me a short bit about his immediate background prior to his assignment to the 30th or anything I might have found out about him at the time we served together through casual conversation with him, your family, and/or other soldiers who knew him a long time, I can include that in my story. I won't insinuate that I learned it back then though unless this story turns into a fictional novel.
And don't forget about my request for scanned copies of the photos you have, I was hoping that between you, your staff at the studio, your tech savvy kids, most under 30 yr olds are far more tech savvy than me, I was hoping it would be easy enough if there's enough time in your schedules. Fattest raw files are the best, I am begining to work on my photo shop skills a lot more as there are no more old fashioned wet labs in my area.
Happy Thanksgiving. Mine will be a bit more happier as I tell my family about how my old Army photos are still held dear by the folks who have copies of them, and that I got to send my regards to my old brigade commander and his family. Any middle aged veteran would be pleased to have this heart warming event happen in their aging years.
From: "Gus Hergert"
To: "'David Crews'"
Subject: RE: That's About It For Pics
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 01:31:44 -0600
Dad was assigned to the Secty of Defense, Robert McNamara in the Pentagon before we came to Okinawa. After leaving The Rock, we came to Huntsville, Alabama where Dad commanded the SAFEGUARD Project Office. That was the genesis of what became the Ballistic Missile Defense Command or STARWARS. It was light-years ahead of whatever the public knew, and that was back in 1972-76. Dad retired after 32 years in the Army rather than accept promotion and took over a small R&D company called Science Applications International Corp. He helped build it into a multi-billion dollar/Fortune 500 company which went public on the NYSE (SAI) just a month ago.
Hope that helps.
THANK YOU-
Gus Hergert III
Downing Sound Studios, LLC
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
From: "Gus Hergert"
To: "'David Crews'"
Subject: RE: and 2 more Okinawa pics
Date: Mon, 20 Nov 2006 01:40:36 -0600
I really have no idea what became of the missile sites. I know they were taken over by the Japanese during Revision, and they were active for a long time. I have no idea if they have the PAC2 Patriot system over there or not. I know we still have portions of the 7th Fleet and almost all of our overseas Marines are located on Okinawa. So some missile shield seems likely.
THANK YOU-
Gus Hergert III
Downing Sound Studios, LLC
Huntsville, Alabama, USA
Emails Exchanged Between Former Lt. T. Gordon Barber, and I. The Name Says Karen Barber and the Email has eddie In It, but Gordon Identifies Himself In A Following Email.
Thomas Gordon Barber was a Lieutenant in the 30th Arty Bgde who was like my section leader or something. He was the officer in direct charge of me and the photo lab that I worked in. He is featured in my stories about Okinawa because he could not requisition the photographic equipment and supplies which I needed to do my Army photo assignments. He could not get those necessary things because the 30th Arty was neither authorized a brigade photographer nor a photo lab for one. Consequently, our supply sergeant was not authorized to order any photographic equipment or supplies.
I bought my own camera gear the very first week I was on Okinawa and had to use that to do my 'official' Army photo assignments. I also had to buy film at times to do assignments. When I ran out of photo printing paper and neither I nor Lt. Barber nor anyone else could not manage any way to 'midnight requisition' any paper that I could use, it meant that I could no longer do my job at all. Unfortunately the 30th Arty still expected me to. As a result of that mind boggling, soul crushing situation, I became one rather insane young man. One day Barber saw some of my written work on the Internet and this set of emails were exchanged between us:
From: "Karen Barber"
To: ursusdave@yahoo.com
I read you memoirs and it brought back a lot of memories. I remember Captain Sawyer. He was followed by Captain Atkinson. I remember Lt Fox. Did you know Jim Lenstra? I believe he was PIO E5 for the 30th Artillery Bd? When did you leave?
Re: 30th Artillery Brigade
Wednesday, August 16, 2006 12:26 AM
From: "David Crews"
To: "Karen Barber"
WOW! I finally found someone who knows some of the main people in my experience. Lenstra was my direct boss, and he ended up taking some flack cause of what happened to me. He was there when I started and he wrote a fair review of what I was like. He had a wife and 2 kids there if I remember right. He was a nice guy all round, but when the illegality of the situation got to me he had to endure some unnecessary crap too because he had to try his best to make me do the impossible. He was the editor of the Brigade Magazine--a little black and white thing cheaply printed. Lt. Fox was a nice enough guy but he had no idea what was really up with the lab and he had to take some stuff from me and for me. I have a certain question I'd still like to ask him but that's not for this email. I believe that he took over for Capt. Sawyer as temp battery commander after I left, if you know anything about that I'd like to read it. I wouldn't doubt that Sawyer got the boot for the way he handled the battery. He was about as despised a human as I ever knew of, good leadership and results could have balanced that out for me as I think things over from my 56 year old point of view but Sawyer was not fit for the job--not just my opinion he was every 30th arty headquarters man's worst enemy when he was there and he set out to make it that way! I left there Nov 17, 1971. I have a lot more to write about this and my stuff on the web is nowhere near finished. I need some pro editing help amongst other types of help to get it to a final copy. This is a lifetime ambition that is a lot more work then I expected, I thought that because had I told many of these stories over and over again to different people through the years that I could
just write down what I said but that is not the way writing works. I’m trying to think, there was a Lt. Barber, yeah he was in there somewhere, I think I remember trying to get him to get me photo supplies but nobody could get what I needed. He was a nice enough guy too, but we had to butt heads. I have been paying a heavy price for all that. I am writing about that part too, but I need people to understand what happened to me before I tell about how I reacted and what the rest of my life was like up till now. If you read all the stuff from nuclear war fears on and realize that I was a regular kid with a strong understanding of why I had to be ready to fight and die for my freedom and my family's freedom but then I was put in a position where my service to my country was turned into a sham by the 30th Arty Bdge (as I have written out and you have read), well it should be understandable that I gave Lt. Barber and others a hard time when they insisted that I do more photo assignments without supplying me the necessary photo gear and lab supplies to do them. I have put this all up on the Internet hoping that some of my comrades from that time may see it. I am setting the facts straight. I encourage anyone to try to prove them to be different then what I have said. I tried to get unit roster records from St. Louis to prove that the 30th arty was not authorized a photographer, but I have to pay for the research, and I live on a small monthly VA non-service connected disability check, so I cannot give them my banking info not knowing the final cost. I found the guy who set the lab up, he is a successful photographer in Houston TX named Jim Whitcomb. I have been web searching 30th arty for 5-6 years now and Jim was in a pro photog's magazine and he said that he was official photographer for the 30th so the search engine found him. We talked on the phone for over an hour about 2 years ago. I never told him what I was doing by writing about my experience but we hit on all points about the illegality of the lab and how he had plenty of connections to get supplies so it worked for him. His father was career Army so Jim hung out with the big brass, not with the GIs in the barracks, and when he could not get a promotion because of the 30th was not authorized a photographer then a general he partied with gave him the promotion.
I was the first army trained photographer to work there, the others were GIs who wanted to be photographers.
I’d like to know who you are and how you found my writings. This is a life saving experience for me to get this stuff out there and to receive replies from other people who were on The Rock. But the others who replied are from other units or different dates of service. There are several web sites about that time there which I have found and it seems we were very fortunate to be stationed there.
Here are several links to Okinawa Vets sites
http://www.madracki.com/usarmyhawk/page1.html
http://pages.prodigy.net/johna/sobe.htm
http://www.62ndmpco.org/
http://www.navycthistory.com/okinawa_intro.html
Please respond to this, I have more written and in the works. I am assuming you read my stories on my blog, it is a poor man’s web site to me. Did you see the
photos? I have some stories on other web sites but maineoutdoorstoday.com/crews/ has the most stuff. You need to hit the 30th Artillery Brigade button at the left or under the blog entry’s title to see all the writings in a row without the other entries in the way. If you are related to former Lt. Barber please email me back and tell me. I had no choice but butt heads with him, he had to do what he was told but I couldn’t do what he told me to. Also, I was quite upset that my photo lab negated that nuclear fallout chamber from being used. One more thing, were you there for the missile test firings in early 1971 when the Hawk Missile went part way up, stalled out a bit and nearly fell on the launcher crew or the crowd in the bleachers watching but then it took off? There were several wives and kids there that day. Yes, this is something I have been hoping for, to set the story straight with some of my old comrades. Let’s talk.
T Gordon Barber Re: 30th Artillery Brigade
Sunday, August 20, 2006 3:17 PM
From: "David Crews"
To: "Karen Barber"
Are you related to T. Gordon Barber? I found his name
in my old Army files.
Re: T Gordon Barber Re: 30th Artillery Brigade
Sunday, August 20, 2006 7:29 PM
From: "Karen Barber"
To: "David Crews"
That would be me.
Your Take On My 30th Arty Stories
Tuesday, August 22, 2006 12:12 AM
From: "David Crews"
To:"Karen Barber"
Hello T. Gordon Barber, and thank you for emailing me. I think you got me a bunch of photo paper one time that I couldn’t use in my photo lab, because it was for use with a pure red safe light only, and my 30th Arty Bgde Mole Hole photo lab had a reddish-orange safe light. I showed you how my safe light turned the paper totally black in the developer right away.
I know you probly weren’t told back then but that lab was not supposed to be there and neither was I as a photographer; the 30th could have made me be a cook, a clerk or anything else, even though I had just graduated from Army Photo Lab Tech School, but there was no slot for a photographer in the 30th Arty Bgde--“This is a true historical fact” (one of my favorite lines of Dustin Hoffman’s character in the movie Little Big Man). It’s a bummer we had to butt heads over the photo supply problems, but both our backs were up against opposing walls. It was the 30th Arty Bde command personnel who set up the lab and kept it going who caused the problems, not us.
I am very interested in what happened with the photo lab in the Mole Hole after I left. I believe that the arms room clerk took over for me as photographer when
I left the lab. There were always guys working in the brigade as clerks, etc. who owned some new, pro-grade, super low priced at the PX, photo gear and who wanted to be photographers; they couldn’t have cared less about the lab being in the decontamination chamber as long as they got a shot at the much more glamorous occupation of photography.
Did the 30th Arty ever get another Army trained photographer?
The Japanese were coming to take over the 30th Arty Brigade, but did they take over the Mole Hole?
What dates were you there?
I have searched every web site with anything about the 30th Arty Bde and looked at every guest book posting and memoirs story on them but have only found 2 people who were in the 30th Artillery Brigade Headquarters Battery in Sukiran the same time when I was, but then their email addresses are no good anymore.
It is good to hear from someone who was there at the time.
And I am open to reading anyone else’s take on anything which I am writing about---including Capt. Sawyer, the illegality of the photo lab, whether or not the lab compromised our defensive capabilities in anyway, etc..
Also, what were typical officer’s lives like when you were off duty?
My story is still only a working manuscript; so far I have had a good number of Okinawa Veterans send me emails, including some about how The Bush was established as a segregated, all black GIs, bar district and on the percentage of girls who were sold into prostitution by their fathers, and a few do contradict my take on things a bit, and adjustments for those contradictions will make it into the final rewrite of my manuscript. I know from the amount of feedback I’ve received that I do write these stories for and on behalf of many people who have lived on Okinawa, but it is still basically about this ex-GI’s personal memories. I am determined to write out the true facts though, if my written memories are known to you as being incorrect in anyway, please email me about them. I will appreciate any insight into my stories which you may have.
http://www.30thbrigade.org/ is the best site for the 30th Arty Bge
Re: T Gordon Barber Re: 30th Artillery Brigade
Sunday, January 28, 2007 2:10 PM
From: "David Crews"
To: "Karen Barber"
I have a blog site now titled 30th Artillery Brigade Okinawa 1970-71. It is at www.ursusdave3.blogspot.com
I have no way to set up a web site for this so I had to use a free blog as web site.
It starts out with a set of really nice photos and then goes into the text of a story that you are featured in---in fact it is named after you. I go into nearly full detail about everything about my time at the 30th Arty Bgde then also into the crap I have had to endure from the Veterans Administration because of what happened to me over there back then. I was not legally assigned to the 30th and they illegally and immorally put my photo lab in a that nuclear fallout emergency decontamination chamber. I have no idea how much you remember or what you knew but you did sure as flyin' fuck know that we could not order supplies or equipment for me to do my photo assignments. I went to Okinawa as an eager young soldier and dedicated photographer. I came back out of my 30Th Arty experiences completely disillusioned in life. How could such an immoral thing happen?
I am very fair in my writings about this. As you know they are published in several places on the Internet and have been read by thousands of people by now.
You are going to help me prove what I have in my writings to the Veterans Administration and the US Army. If the only thing that you can contribute is
that you had to finagle US Marine Corp supplies for me because you could not get them through the supply Sargent then that is enough.
What did you know about the illegality and immorality of the photo lab and my assignment to work there?
This shit has kept me in a nearly ruined state of living and is literally killing right now as I write.
I am at the end of my rope. It has gone too far for too long. You are going to tell about what you know.
If you lie or withhold anything I will do all I can to make you wish that you hadn't. I gave you plenty of time to communicate with me and admit what you know but you haven't. Your life circumstances are now of no consequence to me, how much you suffer from this is now up to you. I have nearly nothing to loose anymore.
I am doing this to save my life and live the rest of it as the guy whom I was when I reported to the 30th Arty Bgde for duty. Everything is explained quite
sufficiently in my blog/poor man's web site.
Now get your gahdamned ass over there and read everything on it, then respond to me by email.
More Guest Book Postings on the Unit 30th Arty Bgde HHB Site:
From:Dundalk maryland
Web Site:
Email:ursusdave@yahoo.com
Unit 30th Arty Bgde HHB
David Robert Crews
Sunday, 1/28/07, 1:30 PM
Due to the length restrictions on guest book entries this was left off my entry that appears two entries down. This is a sad set of facts to have to expose as a potential black mark on your father's record. I have never thought that Col. Hergert should be held responsible for what happened to me under his command. But in the military world he was in fact responsible to some minute degree. It may not mean much at this stage of his life, but I will be further emotionally injured by my 30th Arty experiences if I have to cause Col. Hergert any serious stress or other problems that are unhealthy to him. You have maybe till the end of the month to go over my 30th Arty web site and talk to you dad. I am at the end of my rope.
From:Dundalk Maryland
Web Site:30th Artillery Brigade Okinawa 1970-71
Email:ursusdave@yahoo.com
Unit HHB 30th Arty Bgde
David Robert Crews
Sunday, 1/28/07, 1:21 PM
Yesterday I sent an email to former 30th Arty soldier Jim Whitcomb. Jim set up the illegal, militarily immoral photo lab at the 30th Arty HHB in the Mole Hole. I forgot to save it to sent mail. It basically states that he is going to help me prove all that I say on my blog 30th Artillery Brigade Okinawa 1970-71 (www.ursusdave3.blogspot.com)whether he wants to or not. It goes along with the email I sent to Col. Hergert's son which is in the next message below this one. I am putting this info on here so that 1)You have the opportunity to refute anything I say. 2) Any witnesses who agree with what I say can come forward. Here is the link to the place where I found Jim Whitcomb through an Internet search for other former 30th Arty photographers http://www.asmphouston.org/webletter/002/newmember.ht m Jim was featured in a news letter as a new member to the American Society of Media Photogaphers. You can contact Jim at: Studio Houston Digital Photography 5401 Mitchelldale Suite B2 Houston, Texas Phone 713 682 0067 Fax 713 682 0067 Email sales@studiohouston.com All I am after are the hard cold facts.
From:Dundalk Maryland
Web Site:30th Artillery Brigade Okinawa 1970-71
Email:ursusdave@yahoo.com
Unit HHB 30th Arty Bgde
David Robert Crews
Sunday, 1/28/07, 12:57 PM
Today I sent this email to Gus Hergert, the son of my former commander, Col. Hergert, at the 30th Arty Bgde.=== Following this first part of my email to you is an email that I sent to the former 30th Arty Bgde officer T. Gordon Barber. Then there is an email he sent to me. I am not angry at your father as I am at Mr. Barber. Barber absolutely positively knew what was up with my situation at the 30th Arty, but I never knew whether your dad knew anything or not. I did not particularly, personally care for Lt. Barber, but maybe it would have been different had my assignment under him been legal. I admired, respected, and enjoyed the company of to no end, and would have willingly fought and died for, in a combat area, your father, my Col. Hergert. Prior to my entry in the Army I was a bear hunting guide in Maine (www.ursusdave.blogspot.com Northern Maine Adventures). During those experiences I had the great pleasure, and at very rare times the displeasure (http://magic-city- news.com/D_R_Crews_84/The_Rocket_Scientist_4547.shtml ) of guiding many types of individuals on bear hunts-- doctors, lawyers, millionaire businessmen--and as their hunting guide I had control of the situation and their safety and lives and chances of having a good, safe, fun time in Maine were in my fully capable hands. That allowed me to know that as long as person does their job well and to the best of their abilities as I did while guiding them that they are no better than me in any way. Consequently when I say that I liked Col. Hergert and his family immensely I had the life experiences to be a good judge of character. I do not wish to cause your family any stress or discomfort. I have told the bulk of my 30th Arty story with embarrassing candor (www.ursusdave3.blogspot.com), I know that your father's memories of me will be different at times from what the facts were. I have no choice but to involve you father in this to some degree. It is a matter of my survival. Read my 30th Arty blog site and it can be apparent to you that I have no other choice than to ask that Col. Hergert have his say in this. What happened to me was not something that I have ever believed or even fully suspected that Col. Hergert knew and approved of. I had to suspect that he may have known, but it just did not seem to me that it fit his personality or professional standards for him to have known the true military facts of my assignment to the 30th Arty as a photographer. My life has been, since I was assigned to the 30th, and will always be quite a dismal mess unless I finally set the record straight. What I have endured during my adult life and what I now endure everyday is too much for me to take any longer. The stress is horrible. The embarrassment and humiliation of being seen as a different person than who I am because of the lies in my military records has all but killed me. It has now just about finished me. I put it all out there on the world wide web for everyone to see but it made no difference. I am going to set this situation straight in very short time. I am giving you one last chance to allow me to do this in a kind gentle manner towards your father and family. If you do not now realize that you and your father are unfortunately stuck with helping me, than I can't help you. It has now come down to you and yours, and T. Gordon Barber and his, or me and mine. I know that this is difficult for you to understand and I am willing to be very reasonable with you. But I am going to prove these facts about my time in the US Army no matter what happens to anyone else. It is now a matter of my survival and the well being of my family, particularly my heirs. Please cooperate with me so that no one in your family is hurt in any way. This is a sad set of facts to have to expose as a potential bl
From:Dundalk Maryland
Web Site:30th Artillery Brigade okinawa 1970-71
Email:ursusdave@yahoo.com
Unit HHB 30th Arty Bgde
The link to this guest book posting is:
http://www.30thbrigade.org/~site/Scripts_NewGuest/NewGuest.dll?CMD=CMDGetViewEntriesPage&STYLE=classic/&RETURN=&GBID=14306162&ENTRYID=&FORWARDFLAG=true&DISPLAY=31&EM=true&EMAILADDRESS=ENC__1818e71fb832e6506e2e636f6d&CUSTOMVALUE=Unit&TARGETURL=&H_H=1751071252&H_P=&H_A=&H_V
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