From the VDHA President
It is with continuing sorrow that I must report to the VDHA family the passing of our former Web Master and BX manager Dave Broeker. After a long and courageous battle, Dave left this world behind and I am sure is reunited with his faithful K-9 Companions. Our sympathy and prayers go out to his wife Patricia and family. Words alone cannot describe the contribution that he made to our organization throughout the past 20 years. His wisdom and counsel will be missed by all. As we experience this year’s Memorial Day, Please take a moment and remember all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefields of Vietnam. Also remember those who came home and for years fought the good fight to make America the land of Opportunity before succumbing to the scars they brought home.
Travel, the U.S. military coined the phrase “Join and see the world.” Well in 1966 when I joined the Marine Corps they did live up to the promise. My first experience was a Caribbean cruise aboard the USS Guam, an LPH otherwise known as a landing platform for helicopters. We trained throughout the Caribbean, including the lovely island of Vieques. The hot and humid weather was great training for my next experience in a place called Vietnam.
Early on we were introduced to a culinary delight known as C-Rations a/k/a “Meal Combat Individual.” There were twelve basic meals of canned meat, fruit or cake, and crackers. Included was an accessory packet with coffee, cream substitute, sugar, gum, matches, cigarettes and the infamous toilet paper. If you remember the toilet paper consisted of 10-12 three-inch squares wrapped in a brown paper covering. The term “paper thin” I believe originated from the description of the paper wrapped in those brown little packages. To say that you could see thru it was an understatement. The joke was to make sure that the user kept a tiny little piece aside to clean out from under their finger nails when finished. Actually, the Term toilet paper was an oxymoron, unless of course you wanted to call the small hole you had just dug on the side of a trail with your e-tool, a toilet. At this point you are asking why are we discussing toilet paper. This week is one of remembrance, the good, the tragic and the funny. I recently returned home from a month traveling around parts of Europe. I found that the toilet paper in Europe was not all that different than the paper we found in our C-Rations. I was asked what did I enjoy the most and my immediate response was the wine and thin crust Pizza in Rome. The second question was, what was the thing that I missed most about home. My immediate answer was “Charmin, extra wide, ultra soft, smooth tear.” I never did quite understand how to use the faucet on the bidet. Anyway, I am finally home where I can wipe without the paper falling apart, and I no longer have to save that tiny piece to clean out from under my nails. Semper Fi and God Bless America AFTER THE TEARS. What do you do after losing a close friend or loved one one? Some cultures perform a wailing ritual as they do carry the individual to their final resting place. Much to my wife's dismay, I don't cry a lot. During our seven years together, she has probably only witnessed me cry three, maybe four times. The first time was when she showed me a letter that she had written to God asking him to bring to her someone who would love and honor here. I quickly volunteered AFTER THE TEARS.
The Deadline to submit Articles for the December 2024 DogMan issue is November 23, 2024. Please send to dogman@vdha.us
The VDHA was organized in 1993 by a group of six veteran war dog handlers who served during the Vietnam Conflict. One of their original goals was to search for and re-unite veteran war dog handlers and honor the memory of their war dog partners.
![]() |