Bickering with “Colonel Kurtz*” and trying to wrap my mind around the sudden news of Cpl. Eric Anderson’s impending second deployment to Iraq has delayed the
After-Action Report on the ride to Fredericksburg the last week in April.
The Second Marine Division Association Reunion (honoring those Marine who landed on Bloody Tarawa, Tinian, Saipan and Okinawa) and the mini-State meeting of the LSDD Chapter made for a great 600-700 mile ride for the Alpha Dogs that attended (w/ fewer miles for the Austin Fire-Team).

With a dismal forecast for heavy rain facing Alpha, HTGW Rooth and David Schultz comm’d that they would be trailering...

...Much can be said in the empty space above... I collected all my rain gear and prepared for a wet ride South. I made NO disparaging comments to the “featherweights” above. Friday, I shower up at the rendezvous (only a little late) to find no trailers! Jim and wife Marsha, and David Schultz and I “kicked tha’ tires and lit tha’ fires” and headed out by 1530.

Jim lead a blistering pace south, radar detector and GPS taking constant reading of surface and extraterrestrial wind speed, ambient temp., humidity, location and direction, led us down 67 to 281, averaging 59+ mph. With all the bells and whistles that come standard on Jim’s HTGW (Heavy-Transport-Gold-Wing), and all the geegaws he’s added, it seems that the Dog forgot to install the “Threat Detector Radar interface. We are, conservatively, rocketing down 281, Jim leading, me slightly off his 6 and David fight rear guard. Three “bogeys” appear off Jim’s 9. These “turkeys” decide to cross the road...Why?...
I don’t know! The turkey walking point and the second one make the crossing. “Tail-end Charley (Jake), dawdles till Jim is able to line up properly...then steps into Jims lower left faring.

All except the turkey survived unscathed so I can take to comedic angle ( if it had been me or David,
we wouldn’t be laughing about it). Knowing its life was measured in nanoseconds, the turkey swallowed a hand grenade and EXPLODED!
From my rapidly approaching vantage point, it was truly a sight to behold...at least till I shifted into my best Dan Akroid ala Ghostbusters impression... I blew thru the goo and got slimed. My bike still has turkey feathers on the front forks!

Four more kills and Jim’s an ACE!

Jim never slowed down, swerved or missed a beat! I rode up beside him to see if he was OK. He saluted (me bein’ tha’ president ya’ know), but I fell back before I could return it. The Dog held that salute for almost 22 miles before I could return it. Then he did the strangest thing...he saluted again...this time w/ only one finger...

We rolled into Fredericksburg 4 hours and 2 minutes after departure. No rain at all. We found Larry Raper and family and Brix and Anita, having just finished eating.
We visited for a while, then Jim and Marsha headed to Kerrville and their room. I guess they wanted to make sure we couldn’t hear’um thru the walls of the motor hotel. David and I ate.
I had what was advertised as the best chicken-fried-steak in Texas...it wasn’t...

That night the heavens opened...it rained till the dedication ceremony held @ the Admiral Nimitz Museum
of the Pacific. We met up with OB, Valerie and OB’s dad, Steve Bandit Thompson, Mary and Steve’s dad(?), Larry, his dad and family and Brix/Anita. OB’s, Larrys and Steve’s dads were honoree’s, having landed on one or more of the aforementioned islands in the Pacific. Also in attendance were 30-40 other old Marines who participated in those landings. Wires somehow got crossed and we never made contact w/ Don Fitzgerald, who had ridden up from Friendswood...Sorry Don.

The ceremony, dedicating a plaque donated by the Second Marine Division Association was cold and damp...but it didn’t dampen the spirits of those glorious old Marines. Larry Raper’s dad donated his Purple Heart, signed by Nimitz to the Museum. All of us teared up... I told many of those old Marines that they had been my hero’s when I was a kid...and they still were!

After the ceremony most of us headed to a lunch or Jaeger Schnitzel and wheat beer w/ a clove finish...pretty tasty.

Something must hade done the trick for Bandit, because he later related that after days, he finally “achieved movement”, clogged the toilet and drove Mary to sanctuary in another room.
Congratulations Steve...at our age, “any movement is good!”

We met that afternoon in the room and had a short meeting...talked about Col. Kurtz, Washington, calving off of the LMCI, and set up the next meeting for June...after I return from National.

Later that Evening, all attended the Second Marine Division Association Banquet had a good time, visiting...and having our pictures made with the utterly charming wives and ladies of the Association.
The casual observer would have thought that we “boots” of the LSDD were part of the honorees.

Sunday dawned (not that any of us saw it) a day made for motorsicles! We all ate breakfast at Andy’s. The food was good, tho I can claim no part of fixin’ it. Neither was Bruce’s dog anywhere to be seen.
After eating, I tried to interest the cute little cashier in a ride...she said “no...but thanks for asking,”
and smiled at me. Outside, I decided the smile was encouragement...went back in ...for a toothpick...
and to try again. With a a look that said, “Just how far are you into ‘oldtimers’ disease are you?”, she administered the coup d’ gras by smiling some patiently and saying... “I can’t...” You don’t hav’ta hit this old Dog w/ a brick...so I smiled and walked back outside.

We met back up at the motor hotel, and OB/Steve said they’d show us the Old Willow loop between Fredericksburg and Llano. Valerie drew the short straw and had to drive the SUV/trailer back to Austin. Mary had to do the same, and Brix/Anita had to get back so they begged off.

While getting organized and having pics taken, my back rest was again pilfered...caught the pilferer.

The Old Willow Loop was BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wildflowers galore, twisty/turny-uppy/downy road streams to ford and black cows in the un-fenced road.
At Barnett, I discovered that I had been trying to “strip tease” my tail pipes...having lost half the mounting bracket somewhere along the aforementioned road. Steve and OB roared off to find some parts while I scoured the parking lot of the convenience store for suitable repair material. Jim contributed the use of his “metric” tools, Marsha shopped @ the antique store across the street and David just kinda’ stood around. Fixed, Steve and OB headed off to Austin while the rest of us pointed our motorsicles north.

All made it home safely. As I rolled into the driveway, my odometer rolled over to 30,000 miles.

Don, sorry we couldn’t connect Brother...

*Rack your brains Dogs...Marlon Brando....

Semper Fi.,

Michael "Andy" Anderson

President LSDD Chapter, LMCI