The 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry Regiment at Fort Campbell was deactivated on July 17, 2015. This was necessitated by the Army's retiring the OH-58D Kiowa Warrior which was the mainstay of the Army's Air Cavalry component for more than 50 years. 

The Army will replace the Kiowa in the aerial reconnaisance mission with the AH-64 Apache teamed with Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Drones).

Lieutenent Col. Ken Smith (left), and Command Sgt. Maj. Mark Brock, the senior enlisted advisor,

both with the 3rd Battalion, 101st Combat Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, case the

colors of 3/101st CAB during a re-flagging ceremony September 10. The ceremony commemorated

the transition from 3/101st CAB to 2/17th Air Cavalry. 

The Association President

Larry Palma currently resides in Brentwood, California with his wife Nancy

BA Saint Martins College

AA Southwest College

AA San Diego College

Certification

FAA Commercial/Canadian Commercial. Instrument rated, typed rated SK61, SK58 and SK76. FAR Part 133 Check Pilot, Rotorcraft Instruments. Licensed Air Traffic Controller Tower.IFR Rated. Seaplane Rated, amphibian, float.

Organizations

Past President Saint Vincent De Paul

Vice President Alpha Troop 2/17th Air Cav. Association

Special Events Coordinator for the Seattle Down Town Developement Corporation

Rotarian International NASA Group

Member of the Exchange Club of San Diego

Member NASA Rotary; Houston, Texas

Total Flight Time

Helicopter 18,960 hours

Aircraft Fixed Wing 10,780 hours

Sea Planes 7,980 hours

Long Line experience at altitude 15,870 hours

Military

Served in the U.S. Air Force 102nd Tactical Fighter Wing

Served in the U.S. Army Captain Infantry/Aviator

Robert H. Hull currently resides in Jacksonville, Florida with his wife JoAnne. The following will allow you to know who he is as well as a little of his history.

I am originally from Pittsburg, Pa. I joined the U.S. Army in June 1966 at the age of 16. Took Basic at Fort Gordon, Georgia and then went to Fort Ord, California for AIT. After AIT I went to Jump School from February to March 1967. I got my Jump Wings later in March and asked to go to the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. I got my pick of units and was assigned to "C" Company, 2nd of the 506th Infantry.

After the 101st left for Nam I was transfered to the 3rd Army 287th Field Service. When the 2nd of the 17th Air Cavalry was reorganized in 1968 I was transfered to Alpha Troop. At that time we received additional troops for the Rifle Squad. Two-thirds of the troops were international and all were draftees.

Our Platoon Leader was Captain Reed and he was hardcore, a real leader!

While in Viet Nam I was wounded. It took 43 years after my release from Camp Zama Army Hospital in Japan for the Army to award me the Purple Heart. After my release from the hospital I was sent back to Oakland Army Base to be discharged from the Army.

Ninety days after my discharge I decided to enlist in the U.S. Navy. I put in two years and was stationed at NAS Jacksonville. My rate was Aviation Ordinance. After I was discharged from the Navy in July 1971 I returned to Pittsburg. I went back to school to and earned my GED. I went to work for DOD and was picked up by the Army to work for the Army Reserve Center as a Store Worker. 

In 1973 I returned to Jacksonville and applied at the naval base for a job. I was accepted one year later and started working at the Naval Aircraft Repair Facility. I worked there from 1974 to 2005 as a Bearing Mechanic (Airframe Bearings and Engine Bearings). I retired in 2005 with a total of 38 years total federal Service.

After I retired I became actice in my local Disabled American Veterans Chapter. In 2006 I attended the Service Officers School for five days. I recieved my certification and to this day I am still serving Veterans from all wars to file service connected disabilty claims. I also work for the VFW as a Service Officer. This

past June the DAV awarded me the distinction of Number 1 Service Officer in the state of Florida. 

Jacksonville has been my home for 41 years.

Please feel free to give me a call from 9AM to 4PM EST Monday thru Saturday for any questions you may have about claims you may have with the Veterans Administration. I will guide you all the way, from beginning to end. My DAV Office phone number is (904) 269-2945 and on Thursday's only my VFW Office phone number is (904) 778-7909. 

Note: The VA recognizes the following conditions  listed as presumptive related to Agent Orange:

Lung Cancer

Parkinson's Disease

Prostate Cancer

Ischemic heart Disease (If you had just one stent or a full blown heart attack)

Most veterans do not know that even if you are rated at 10% and you require surgery on that disabilty after the finding you need to file a claim for convalesence leave. the VA will make a decision on how long it takes to recover. You could recieve 100% Temporary Disability. An example would be a total knee replacement for which the VA will pay 100% for the recovery time for 12 months.

I would like to thank the Alpha Troop Association for appointing me as the Troop Service Officer.

Nathan Keith Reed currently resides in Tuscola, Texas with his wife Kathy.

Experience

22 years in the U.S. Army as enlisted (E1 - E5), Warrant Officer (W1 - W2) and a commissioned officer (O1 - O5). I flew the OH-13, UH-19, CH-21, CH-34, UH-1 and AH-1. I also flew the O-1, U-6 and T-41B. I was SIP in the UH-1 and AH-a. On the civilian side, I flew the Cessna C-172 and Piper PA-34 and the Beech BEVA-35. I commanded two basic training companies, one airborne cavalry troop and one air cavalry troop. Staff duties were at battalion/squadron level and directorate level.

After retirement from the Army, I worked 24 years for four defense contractors as a project manager/systems engineer. Programs were Multiple Launcher Rocket System (MLRS), High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), the C-17 aircraft, the B-2 Stealth Bomber, the Future Combat System (the system was killed after preliminary developement) and several research classified investigations.

Education

U.S. Army Command and Staff College

MA - Webster University, St Louis, MO

BA - Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA

Organizations

Past Chairman, Alpha Troop Association

LSU Alumni Association

Life Member, 101st Airborne Division Association

Life Member, Army Aviation Association of America

Past Secretary AAAA North Texas Chapter

Association of the United States Army

Cavalry and Armor Association

Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association

Project Management Institute

Earned Unit Citations

The 101st Airborne Division or Units received Unit Citations. A Troop is entitled to all the citations by being assigned or attached. Each Trooper must be assigned and served at least 30 days with the unit during the period of the award.

Greetings fellow Troopers

from the Chairman

I want to take a minute of your time to welcome aboard our newest group of alumni who were gracious enough to throw their hat in the ring for the open Officers' positions.

The nominations and election were held during our 2015 Reunion in Nashville last May. Larry Palma is now our new President and is busy looking ahead on how to make things bigger and better for the Association in the coming year. He is already making the initial plans for the next reunion to be held in 2017. Larry's previous position as Vice President of the Association gives him a huge step up on how things run.

Our new Vice President is Robert (Bob) Hull. Bob has been a member of the Association for many years and is known as THE man to see if you have questions or need help with VA Veterans Benefits. He is a Veterans Service Officer and was recently awarded the Outstanding Service Officer Award for the State of Florida. His untiring work on behalf of his fellow Vets speaks volumes to his commitment to see that they get what they earned after giving so much to our country. I'm sure the Association will only be stronger by having someone with his skills readily available to help guide us through the red tape when it arises.

Our new Treasurer is Keith Reed. As we all know, Keith has volunteered his time for just about every position within the association. We are extremely lucky to have him on board once again and I look forward to having someone with his knowledge base to help guide us through the red tape when it arises.

Our new Secretary is Richard (Rick) Harvey. Rick previously served a stint as Secretary of the Association so he already knows the ropes and most of the new officers and Board of Directors. This will make for an easy and seamless transition.

Our new Newsletter Editor is Steve Tedder Just in case you haven't heard the story, Steve is the gentleman who crashed the reunion in 1999 held in Nashville. Up until that time it was only pilots that also belonged to the Vietnam Helicopters Pilots Association. At the farewell breakfast Steve stood up and put a question to the entire group. He asked, "Why are there no enlisted troopers involved in your alumni gatherings?" Of course the rest is history. Bob Karig gave it some thought and immediately went about the task of locating and inviting every single person who ever served in A Troop, 2/17th Air Cavalry. We all owe Steve Tedder a big thank you for that action and I'm sure he will be bring the same tenacity to his new job as editor.

Thank you all for stepping up and taking your positions to serve the Association. We are very grateful to you for the giving of your time and effort.

Goodbye's

It is with a heavy heart that we must say good bye to our departing president, Mike Mabe. I don't even know where to start so I will start with the first time I met Mike. We were at the 2008 Reunion in Nashville. As we were chatting about where we were from and what years we served I asked Mike how long it took to drive from his home in Pfafftown, NC to Nashville. His reply was that he rode the bus. Of course that led me to ask why. His response was that he wanted to see what it was like to again travel cross country on a Greyhound Bus. Just wanted to relive a bit of his past as a young soldier.

From what he told me it seemed like nothing much had changed. There were smokers, the couple making out, the drinkers and most importantly, the talkers plus the 80 stops they made to pick up new riders. As he was telling me his story I knew right then and there that I had met someone very special. I discovered just how special as we continued to talk. I learned that he was a retired corporate executive that had put in 30 plus years with huge clothing and food product manufacturing companies.

Here is a guy that was financially set due to his hard work and planning through the years. He could easily have afforded making the trip in a limousine both ways, yet he chose to ride the bus both ways. I could not have been more impressed.

Fast forward two years. I became Chairman of the Board in 2010. The position of president was up for appointment later that year. The first and only person that I thought about asking to fill the vacancy by throwing his hat in the ring was Mike Mabe.

I had seen all I needed to during our first meeting in 2008. I knew that the Association would be very fortunate to have a man of such integrity be our next president. As we all know, he accepted and the rest is history.

What many of you do not know is Mike not only served one term but that he was gracious enough when no one else volunteered to serve subsequent terms. Mike Mabe served a full four years as Association President. During his tenure he worked tirelessly on our behalf and insured the Association was as strong and vibrant as it could possibly be.

Mike, we all salute you for a job well done. Your leadership and support will be missed. The time and effort you put in so freely for each and every one of us is deeply appreciated. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors and look forward to seeing you at the next Alpha Troop Reunion.

"OUT FRONT"

Douglas Doerr - Chairman, Alpha Troop Association

Message from the Newsletter Editor

I apologize for the delay in completing the Fall Newsletter. That being said I have a few requests.

The Alpha Troop Association has a Facebook Page. I highly recommend that if you use Facebook that you send in a friend request and get on board. This is a great way to share pictures, stories or just keep in touch with fellow members. I never thought that I would even use any social media but once I checked it out I found it a great way to stay in contact with family and friends. So please, give it a shot. Currently we have a total of 35 members. I know there are more than 35 veterans on Facebook.

Beginning with the Winter 2016 Newsletter I will have a section titled "The History of "A" Troop. My objective is to tell the story of Alpha Troop from it's beginning with the 101st Airborne Division all the way through it's stand down in Viet Nam. I will need pictures and stories from individuals. One of the things that I've learned on our visits to Ft. Campbell is that with the exception of those who were actually there no one knows anything about us. Not our misssion, not our unit make-up. Not the places we served in-country. Nothing. I would like to change that.

I also would like to thank Mike Mabe for the great job he did serving as our president. At one time most of us thought it would be impossible to get the "Ground Cav" to participate in the Association. Mike made that possible and I for one am grateful. It has been great meeting these guys and learning how they operated and what it was all about before helicopters became the mainstay of the unit.