AND PICTURES
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| "Lurrps'' from the Nellingen times in the 60's. We were gathered to Honor | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colonel Edward V. Maltese. Founder and first Commanding Officer of VII Corps LRRP. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May 11 - 14 2005 Arlington VA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| ed mitchell <[email protected]> wrote: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kirk and Company, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| A bright star has gone out. I did not know him as all of you did but he so impressed me at the reunion. His sense of purpose, his love and leadership of all of you and his great smile and ability to laugh and make others do so. The love in his eyes for his wife and fellow LURP's was so damn obvious because he was an obvious man, no bullshit, no acting, no ass kissing but one of those rare leaders that can say let's buckle and go and everyone follows without hesitation. I did not have the pleasure of knowing him as well as all of you and that is my regret. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| As stated in one of the many e-mails he is up there on patrol watching over things and waiting for his Company to re-assemble. Leaders such as he are not forgotten and will always remain as part of our LRRP/Ranger heritage. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rangers Lead the Way, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ed M. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hi Kirk: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This has taken us all by surprise and with a great deal sorrow. I have always held a special place in my heart for Col Maltese, as you know I was one of the first four LRRP's who joined maltese in planning and forming the base for the Lrrp Company at Nelligen. Due my own health problemds the last two years I have not been able to attend the reunions, which I truly regret. Keep up the good work holding the LRRP's together and may I get a chance to see all of you this year. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Jim Joiner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kirk Gibson <[email protected]; wrote: | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ALLCON | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colonel Efward V. Maltese passed away yesterday at 5:00 p.m. of an anyeurism. He was recovering from hip-replacement surgery, and was eager to attend our next reunion. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In his last conversation with me a few days ago, he said how much he loved the LRRPs, and he signed all his e-mail with "ONCE A LRRP, ALWAYS A LRRP." | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Airborne, | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kirk | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Col. Maltese, (SIR) May 4, 2005 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| You won't know me (I hardly know myself sometimes), but I am one of your LRRP progeny from the "Cold-War";/Vietnam era, now an ex-pat living down-under in the "land of the long white cloud"; (New Zealand). Just because I live "down-under" doesn't mean I've forgotten what it means to be an American or that I was fortunate enough to serve my country in one of the finest military units ever conceived, among some of the finest men our country has produced. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| I;m here in Spirit, from far away today, in order to thank you for that experience. As "Daddy Rabbit" once pointed out, it was a "life-defining experience" for most of us. It certainly was for me. It put me in touch with that tiny ember called the "Warrior", which no doubt lies buried inside most men, and fanned it into a flame that still gives me heat today. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| True, I never saw combat in a tactical military sense, the way that many of our tribe did, but I can assure you that because of you and those who lined up in your command, I have learned the meaning of this distinction in other arenas and I, all of us, owe you a debt of gratitude for this. What I am saying is, that being a LRRP meant "giving the extra measure; going the extra mile"! And this is something that can only be learned in "extreme" circumstances. Circumstances like LRRP! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| For my part, I've come to realize that there are times we don't always agree on "who" the enemy is, or "where" he is positioned, but we can always be sure that he's "out there"; (sometimes closer than we think, as 9/11 has borne out) and we need to be alert to his presence for the sake of our country. He sometimes wears very different, hardly recognizable uniforms, so it requires discernment to recognize him. That's what "Eyes Behind The Lines" meant to me, and it's something I've never forgotten. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Now that I'm 66 years old, I still try to practice it every day. Of course, at this age I'm perhaps more like Don Quixote and the enemies I see are more imagined than real, but the Spirit lives on, and I thank you, and the men who helped nurture that in me, for this. It hasn't made life easier, for sure, but it's been damned interesting, and I would do it all over again. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| May God Bless you, Sir! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| AIRBORNE! | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MORE TRIBUTES AND PICTURES |
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| Robert ("POGO") Brevig, SP/4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3780 LRRP Co. (ABN) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "Eyes Behind The Lines" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FUNERAL PICTURES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nellingen, Germany (64 - 66) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||