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Static Line - Three Winds of Death

October 1991
Several old sayings seem appropriate in introducing this month’s column. The first is "bananas and grapes come In bunches." and the second is "when it rains it pours." My mailman has been delivering letters concerning events that happened in the history of the 503rd PRCT and my phone has been ringing as others of you have called me. Both, forms of communication are so welcome. I was beginning to wonder if anyone was reading this column. After all. It's your column, a method by which you can express your opinion concerning things as a way to "get your two cents worth In." I guess the right button has to be pushed or the right bell has to be rung To get a response. Boy did I push a couple of right buttons! The first button was my comments in the August issue concerning the Triple CIB, and the second button was my comments in the same column concerning the search for the youngest member who served In the .503rd PRC T during WW II. I've got quite a lot of information to talk about concerning both of these topics, and I don't know whether I will be able to cover both of them completely In this month's column. I may just have to concentrate on one and touch on the other. 

Let’s talk some more about the recipients of the Triple CIB The Combat Infantryman Badge is a very prestigious award, indeed. Its recipients are truly a select group of people. In my August column, I had mentioned the fact that I had been to the Infantry Museum in Fort Benning, had seen a list of Triple CIB recipients, and had recognized the name of Larry Okendo as a former 503rd and wondered if there were. Indeed, other former 503rd members who had received this special recognition, I got a call from and received several letters from Louis G. Aiken Sr., formerly of "B " Company of the 503rd. Louis gave me some information on several other former members of the 503rd who were Triple Combat Infantryman Badge recipients. 

Robert Earl Leechford, formerly of "B " Co. of the 503rd PRCT earned his first CIB in WW II. He earned his second during the Korean Conflict as a member of a combat unit, and he earned his third CIB in Vietnam. Leechford served with the First Special Forces in Nam between May through October 1962. In the opinion of Louis Aiken, the first person to qualify for the Triple CIB may have been Robert Earl Leechford. Aiken does not base this distinction on being the first qualified on a listing posted In an alphabetical order or as the first recipient In a ceremony. Being the first recipient and being the first qualified are two entirely different things. Louis Aiken believes that the first qualification is based on the date of combat action. Leechford was a member of the First Special Forces assigned to a place called Khuong My with a base camp at a place called Hoa Cam approximately 350 miles northeast of Saigon and not too distant from the North Vietnam border. The area was infested with Viet Cong in 1962. Before I forget. I want to state that Leechford does not know that this information is going to appear In this month's column. 

Another person whose name was brought forth by Louis Aiken as a former member of the 503rd and a Triple CIB recipient is Lewis E. Brown, formerly of "F " and "G" Companies. Lewis, of course, also served in combat roles in Korea and Vietnam in addition to WW II I have several more names on the list as possible candidates, but I want to check into them before I present them. 

Before departing from the Triple CIB subject, and in conjunction with it, I finally received my videotape of the 50lh Anniversary Reunion as presented by 'BRAVO. To my great surprise, the tape is narrated by '503rd Larry Okendo, a Triple CIB recipient. He mentions that there were 286 recipients, and as I stated In my August column I had only counted 72 names on the columns In the museum at Fort Benning. Perhaps they are not all displayed at the same location. I'll have to check 'that out the next time I get to the museum (which hopefully will be in April 1992 for the Annual Airborne Awards). The tape contained a picture of Lloyd McCullough when he was a member of the test platoon, it contained interviews with Hugh Breslin and Dan Doherty and had about 25 seconds of the 503rd in the parade. They looked pretty good. The videotape dealt with a lot of different people, many of the Airborne units, and three conflicts. It was all threaded together with Okendo continuously asking "What does Airborne mean to you?" Now that I have received my copy (after an eight and a half month wait) I'll pass their address and phone number on to you in case you want to order a copy. BRAVO. P. O. Box 669. Woodland Hills. CA.. 91365. Phone 818-999-4174. The cost of the tape was $15.00. RUNNING OUT OF ROOM! The youngest member's response will have to wait. Got an interesting call and letter from a recent 503er, Al Oakley, 36 Dorothy St., Woodbridge, NJ 07095.

John D. Reynolds
"D" Co. 503rd PRCT 
718 Towne Center Drive, Joppa, MD 21085 
PH (301) 679-8979
Static Line - Three Winds of Death

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