Norm Thompson, BC, Charlie Battery & Battalion S-1, wife: Lani
4 comments:
Anonymous
said...
May 2007 Ms Skidmore:
I'm Colonel D.I. Smith, USA-Ret, and served under Colonel Heiberg, Ansbach, Germany, 2-28th Field Artillery in the late 70's.
Today I received an email from some fellow members of the 2-28th FA who are trying to coordinate a 2-28FA reunion, and after some research one of the members of the committee just sent me a link to http://www.aogusma.org/class/1961/Heiberg.htm
We were unaware and saddened to hear of his death. He was a great man and I have many fond memories of my service under him when he was serving as Battalion Commander, 2-28 FA. I was his Alpha Battery commander.
I talked with him from time to time over the years and the last communication was when he was serving as Director, Combat Developments, Fort Sill. I've conducted numerous Internet searches over the years, but never was able to re-establish contact.
My wife's name is Linda, and we had two young girls, Lisa and Kim. I'm sure Louisa will remember us.
It was so nice to hear from one of Bill's colleagues from Ansbach days. Both of Bill's siblings were stationed in Germany (my husband and I in Darmstadt, Bill's brother and wife in Heidelberg) during that time and we all had an adventure or two with Bill and Louisa and their three kids during that period.
We miss Bill very much. In the early 90's, doctors gave him a few months to live, but he chose to battle and lived large and had many adventures with his family and his sailboat for a decade after that, raising funds for National Organization for Rare Diseases (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma) along the way. He witnessed each of his children's entry into successful adulthood.
Sadly, Louisa discovered that she had lung cancer not long after Bill died. This last Christmas, her family came from as far away as Singapore and Washington State to spend time with her. She passed away peacefully just before New Years' Eve.
Bill's three children are thriving, and I am forwarding your note to Harriet, their youngest (who was just a toddler in Ansbach).
Dear "D.I.": I'm responding to your "chat" with my sister ("Dorrie" to most, but "Dorethe" or "Dore" in our family). She covered well the joy we felt and Bill experienced after he was given his "death sentence" concerning his cancer-above-the-palate, then got 11 more years, though without one eye and with other related issues, to get to watch his three kids grow into adulthood. And Louisa's recent death also allowed her peaceful moments with all her family. . .Kitty and I live (as does Dorethe and Frank, and as Louisa did, and Bill spent his last months) in "northern Virginia", so we saw a lot of Louisa during her last days. And as Dorethe noted, Bill did a lot to promote research into his relatively rare form of cancer.
Kitty and I were in Germany twice, and saw a fair amount of Bill each time . . . I was in various jobs in the "3rd ID" (Kitzingen/Wurzburg/Aschaffenburg) in the early '60's, then a year in Heidelberg in ''78-'79.
And the part you maybe missed -- as cadets at the Military Academy, the 3 Heibergs (Dad in '25, Vald in '51, and Bill shortly before his graduation in '61) got into relatively serious "cadet behavior" trouble . . . meaning getting cross-wise with the Tactical Department , , , despite each of us being (academically) high in our classes. My point, we three were hardly "goody-goody" types, though Bill and I in our time didn't hear murmurs from "Dad"! But maybe you "younger guys" DID know about our transgressions. Fortunately, demerits (unlike grades) do not follow graduates beyond diploma/commissioning time.
I was 6-1/2 years older than Bill, though we sometimes shared the same room (and upper-lower bunk bed), and we did "roughhouse". So we never felt "competition" from each other that I remember. Bill told me he chose field artillery on commissioning "since you [Vald] and Dad had been in the Corps of Engineers." That didn't stop me from occasionally sniping at his choice of the "2nd best branch"!
My name is Jim Sandrin stationed with HQ & HQ Btry, 18th FA Group, Ansbach, Germany in 1955-56..I have found a couple of warriors that were there with me but cannot find others who were in HQ Btry....there were l04 of them...Does anyone know a good website to find old army buddies from the 50's??
4 comments:
May 2007
Ms Skidmore:
I'm Colonel D.I. Smith, USA-Ret, and served under Colonel Heiberg, Ansbach, Germany, 2-28th Field Artillery in the late 70's.
Today I received an email from some fellow members of the 2-28th FA who are trying to coordinate a 2-28FA reunion, and after some research one of the members of the committee just sent me a link to http://www.aogusma.org/class/1961/Heiberg.htm
We were unaware and saddened to hear of his death. He was a great man and I have many fond memories of my service under him when he was serving as Battalion Commander, 2-28 FA. I was his Alpha Battery commander.
I talked with him from time to time over the years and the last communication was when he was serving as Director, Combat Developments, Fort Sill. I've conducted numerous Internet searches over the years, but never was able to re-establish contact.
My wife's name is Linda, and we had two young girls, Lisa and Kim. I'm sure Louisa will remember us.
I pray his family is doing good.
Warm regards,
D.I. Smith
Dear Col. Smith,
It was so nice to hear from one of Bill's colleagues from Ansbach days. Both of Bill's siblings were stationed in Germany (my husband and I in Darmstadt, Bill's brother and wife in Heidelberg) during that time and we all had an adventure or two with Bill and Louisa and their three kids during that period.
We miss Bill very much. In the early 90's, doctors gave him a few months to live, but he chose to battle and lived large and had many adventures with his family and his sailboat for a decade after that, raising funds for National Organization for Rare Diseases (Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma) along the way. He witnessed each of his children's entry into successful adulthood.
Sadly, Louisa discovered that she had lung cancer not long after Bill died. This last Christmas, her family came from as far away as Singapore and Washington State to spend time with her. She passed away peacefully just before New Years' Eve.
Bill's three children are thriving, and I am forwarding your note to Harriet, their youngest (who was just a toddler in Ansbach).
All the best,
Dore' Skidmore
Dear "D.I.": I'm responding to your "chat" with my sister ("Dorrie" to most, but "Dorethe" or "Dore" in our family). She covered well the joy we felt and Bill experienced after he was given his "death sentence" concerning his cancer-above-the-palate, then got 11 more years, though without one eye and with other related issues, to get to watch his three kids grow into adulthood. And Louisa's recent death also allowed her peaceful moments with all her family. . .Kitty and I live (as does Dorethe and Frank, and as Louisa did, and Bill spent his last months) in "northern Virginia", so we saw a lot of Louisa during her last days. And as Dorethe noted, Bill did a lot to promote research into his relatively rare form of cancer.
Kitty and I were in Germany twice, and saw a fair amount of Bill each time . . . I was in various jobs in the "3rd ID" (Kitzingen/Wurzburg/Aschaffenburg) in the early '60's, then a year in Heidelberg in ''78-'79.
And the part you maybe missed -- as cadets at the Military Academy, the 3 Heibergs (Dad in '25, Vald in '51, and Bill shortly before his graduation in '61) got into relatively serious "cadet behavior" trouble . . . meaning getting cross-wise with the Tactical Department , , , despite each of us being (academically) high in our classes. My point, we three were hardly "goody-goody" types, though Bill and I in our time didn't hear murmurs from "Dad"! But maybe you "younger guys" DID know about our transgressions. Fortunately, demerits (unlike grades) do not follow graduates beyond diploma/commissioning time.
I was 6-1/2 years older than Bill, though we sometimes shared the same room (and upper-lower bunk bed), and we did "roughhouse". So we never felt "competition" from each other that I remember. Bill told me he chose field artillery on commissioning "since you [Vald] and Dad had been in the Corps of Engineers." That didn't stop me from occasionally sniping at his choice of the "2nd best branch"!
Elvin R. (Vald) Heiberg III
My name is Jim Sandrin stationed with HQ & HQ Btry, 18th FA Group, Ansbach, Germany in 1955-56..I have found a couple of warriors that were there with me but cannot find others who were in HQ Btry....there were l04 of them...Does anyone know a good website to find old army buddies from the 50's??
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