2009 Class Notes #1

Hello Gentlemen,

Christmas feels like it’s just around the corner, and since the Alumni Association has shortened the time it takes to publish the alumni review, these class notes will arrive in your mailbox fresher than ever.

I got a little more information about our BR Greg Sandway through his wife Janet.  We all know that Greg is modest so I asked Janet to help me find out what he was really up to. CDR Sandway, is now the commander of USN Riverine Squadron.  The primary mission of the squadron is to conduct maritime security operations along rivers and other inland waterways. The Navy recently stood three commands back up after doing away with them after the Vietnam War.  Greg deployed his unit from Naval Weapons Station Yorktown to Iraq, and Janet sent a number of pictures over of him looking very commander-like.  To see them, log into www.vmialumni.org and click on the “My VMI Links” menu.  You’ll find them in the photos section of our class webpage.

Before the cold weather had set in, I managed to get together with a few folks from the NCIS crew (they say it’s just like the TV show).  Kelly Musick and I were joined by Chris West '91, and Macon Snowden '87 at Murphy’s Irish pub in Old Town Alexandria.  We participated in the normal Alumni activities of complaining about the “I” not being what it used to be, had some bangers & mash, fish & chips, and tossed back a few pints.

Mr. Musick also tracked down our BR Rob Forgie who’s back in Montvale, VA these days.  Rob said life is going well for him and sent his greetings to everyone.

With each set of class notes I try to hunt down someone that hasn’t been heard from in a long time.  I managed to reconnect with Mike Camp, who hadn't been in contact with anyone from VMI since the 90’s except for Bob Pedigo.  Mike and Bob talk a couple times a year, and get together every once in a while.  Mike lives in Fort Lauderdale, where he has resided off and on since graduation.  At that point he jumped on a sailboat and never looked back.  He’s been sailing as a Merchant Marine officer for some time with the American Maritime Officers Union.  His last ship was a car carrier trading between Northern Europe and US East Coast.  Mike is a recently renewed bachelor, living near the beach and finally getting to hang his surfboard on the wall.  He splits his free time between Florida and Taipei, Taiwan, where his girlfriend teaches English.

Weedon Gallagher dropped me an email update from Afghanistan where he found himself this past summer.  Last year he got together with Dave Kaulfers and Laurence Farrell at Great Wolf Lodge near Williamsburg.  They scheduled the trip to coincide with Laurence’s leave from Iraq, and now he’s the District Engineer in San Francisco.  Weedon says that he can count on running into Dave at Ft. Dix about once a year when their training overlaps.  Dave is doing well and is on an AGR tour with the VA NG, taking leave from VDOT. With Weedon in Afghanistan, he’s grateful that family and friends are making sure that his wife Anne and their boys are doing well.  He said that this deployment has been very different for him, as he’s working with a team that’s heavily civilian and he’s working with Coalition Partners more than U.S. forces. 

Hopefully many of you received my email that a Combat Ring from the class of 1990 had been found at Ft. Riley, KS and returned to Matt Schwarzmann at the Alumni Association.  Since combat rings are so hard they cannot be inscribed, it’s been a challenge to find the original owner.  Matt let me know that he had connected with Mark Dick, Bill Ator, Tim Feagans, and Jeff Moushegan during their annual pilgrimage to the Palms this fall.

Daren Payne touched base to let me know that both Andy England and Todd Jacobs were stationed at Ft. Riley right out of school and might be the rightful owner. Daren is very happy with his job and the part of south Alabama he lives in.  The weather and beaches are great and he’s enjoying being a Deputy District Commander with the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).  He runs into occasional alumni but not many BRs down that direction.  He too connects with Laurence Farrell and Dave Kaulfers on occasion.  Dave let him know that Pat O'Leary was working for the USACE in Afghanistan.  He had tried to contact Pat but got an "out of office -- I'm out processing" reply. If any other BRs are with the Corps out there Daren said to touch base with him in the Mobile District. 

Mitch Stockwell, Esq. and I emailed briefly because he had been up in the DC area a bit during the last year working on a case that lasted more than a year.  Opposing counsel included an old friend of mine, but I’m sure Mitch didn’t beat up on her too much.  While he and his family are doing fine in Atlanta, his son Davis (10) is not giving him any indications that he might consider VMI a future option.  Mitch thinks he might have a chance to convince his daughter Amelia (7) that it’s a good place to go and believes his nephew is leaning that way too.  Mitch isn’t just an attorney, but he’s also a recruiting machine working to create his own legacy!

Jefferson Kaster dropped me a line to advise that he has left Ft. Belvoir, and has joined the Office of the Staff Judge Advocate for US Marine Corps Forces, Central Command (MARCENT) at MacDill AFB in Tampa, FL.  His legal portfolio covers military justice and operational issues coming out of Iraq.  Jefferson’s family hasn’t moved to Florida yet, but it seems like we’ve got enough BRs down that direction that he’ll bump into someone and feel like he’s home before too long.

Guys, that’s it for this set of notes.  Please keep the info coming my direction and I’ll continue to keep you updated,

Hunter

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Last Updated: October 22, 2009

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