Medal Of Honor Parade, Gainesville, TX

[dabtl]

Join with Vietnam Vets of America, Chapt. 920 in a convoy from Denton, Texas, to Gainesville, Texas, and the Medal of Honor Parade the morning of April 9, 2011.

We leave early on Saturday, April 9 th, 2011, in a convoy departing Denton, Texas, to Gainesville, Texas, approximately 30 miles, to form up for the Medal of Honor Parade, honoring many living MOH recipients who will be in attendance, in Gainesville.

Normally, we have a Huey for air cover on the road north to Gainesville.

Contact Jimmy at 940.565.0366 to let us know you are coming.

You will not be disappointed.

 

[dabtl]

We have something like 23 vehicles committed to the parade and convoy from Denton to Gainesville on Saturday morning. We will be joined by the local National Guard.

If you want to participate, there is still time for you. Call Jimmy.

 

[dabtl]

A couple of pics from the parade on Saturday.

The pic of the line up shows the three deuce and a half trucks we deployed, the cargo cover was not removed from the second deuce at that point. All three were filled to capacity with Vietnam Vets and MOH recipients. The rear deuce and a half carried Woody Williams, MOH Marines WWII.

The pic of the jeep shows a friend from Dallas, my son David with Clarence Sasser, MOH Vietnam, along with myself. Clarence road in the parade in the jeep along with another Vietnam Vet who was suffering from terminal cancer and wanted to make one last parade with his flag.

A really wonderful time with Vietnam Veterans of America #920.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Thank you for SALUTING these heroes so appropriately.

 

[elkhunter]

Thaa you for the posts dabtl !!!!Excellent job!!!

 

[dabtl]

OK, it is Medal of Honor Parade time again, this time on April 9, 2011. I have edited the first post in this thread to reflect the new information.

Come join us.

 

[dabtl]

To those having an interest in the Medal of Honor Parade, Gainesville , TX .

Information;

• MOH Parade will be in Gainesville , TX the morning of 9 April 2011.
• Approximately 12 to 15 MOH Recipients will be present.
• Denton Participants need to be at the Entry Door, 2038 W. University, Denton . Due to the large number of vehicles, please be there not later than 0630 hrs to line up.
• Briefing will be at 0700 hrs.
• First Gear (departure time) 0715 hrs.
• Bobby Hawk and his UH-1 will provide air cover…possibility even land at Entry Door.
• At this point, Cavanaugh Museum will be sending vehicles, possibly an M151A2 Jeep, Deuce and a half, M38A1 Jeep, Sherman Tank and DUKW.
• Please make sure your vehicles are road worthy and fueled.
• I would prefer that ALL military vehicles (driven or trailered) meet at the Entry Door rather than along the route.
• At this point, we plan to do a photo shoot of the convoy from Bobby Hawk’s UH-1
• We will also be having vehicles and troops join us from the TX Army National Guard from Denton and possibly TX Army National Guard Maintenance Facility from Saginaw , TX .
• Depending on the final number, sizes of vehicles and weather conditions, we may need to change the rally point. If it changes, I will let you know well in advance.
• We are currently in the process of making arrangements with local Government agencies for permits and escort vehicles.

I have commitments and possibles on the following vehicles, responsible party and organizations

M816 Wrecker Jimmy McLeod
M151A2 Jeep David Trantham
M35A2 2 ½ Ton Cargo Bill Trantham
M35A2 2 ½ Ton Cargo Bill Trantham
M35A2C 2 ½ Ton Cargo Julian Banks Cavanaugh
M151A2 Jeep Julian Banks Cavanaugh
DUKW Amphibious Julian Banks Cavanaugh
M38A1 Jeep Julian Banks Cavanaugh Possible
ShermanTank Julian Banks Cavanaugh Possible
M38 Jeep Rick Freeman
MB Jeep Ed Rodela
M37B ¾ Ton Derek Heuring
M151A2 Jeep Dennis Boots
M35A2 2 ½ Ton Cargo Jimmy McLeod V V A 920
M37 ¾ Ton Jimmy McLeod V V A 920
M38A1 Jeep Bill Robinson V V A 920
UH-1 Slick Bobby Hawk
M151A2 Jeep Bobby Hawk
M151A2 Jeep Bobby Hawk
M25 Jeep Ambulance Jack Burkes
M38A1 Jeep Marland Knight
M818 Tractor Steve Moore
M1009 Blazer Steve Moore

As you can see this is an impressive list and the possibility exists of adding a few more.
If your vehicle is not listed above and you would like to participate, please contact me ASAP. dennis@dentonboots.com

This is a very large undertaking this year and we will need the cooperation of all involved to make it work.
We have no control as to what vehicles the MOH Recipients will be placed in.

Thank you for interest and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Boots

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Boots:
You have the APPLAUSE and SALUTE of the West Texas Detachment of the SS.
Godspeed to all and Happy Parading!
John

 

[dabtl]

This a bump for a good cause. We have had another couple of MV owners contact us to make the convoy to Gainesville.

I expect to have my second deuce up and running after the head gasket change over. So, things are looking good on this end.

I think there may be plans afoot for lunch in Gainesville after the parade.

 

[timntrucks]

sure wish you were just a little closer i would love to come join in for the parade.. my hat is off to those that make this trip a good one for thoses moh guys

 

[dabtl]

Somehow an 1100 mile road trip in a M816 does not sound fun.

 

[dabtl]

Time is getting close. If you want to join in the convoy, contact Boots at the address above and let us know you are coming and for directions.

 

[dabtl]

Subject: Medal of Honor Parade Final Update

This is being sent to those having an interest in the Medal of Honor Parade, Gainesville , TX .
There are changes to the document below from the last one that I sent out.

Information;

• MOH Parade will be in Gainesville , TX at 10 AM on Saturday, 9 April 2011.
• Approximately 13 MOH Recipients and 2 special guests will be present.
• Military Vehicle operators from the Denton area need to meet at the Entry Door, 2038 W. University, Denton .
• Please be there not later than 0630 hrs to line up.
• Briefing will be at 0700 hrs.
• First Gear (departure time) 0715 hrs.
• Please make sure your vehicles are road worthy and fueled.
• Denton County Sheriff Benny Parkey has marked units providing highway escort for us to Gainesville , please be mindful of their location as they may need to enter and exit the convoy line.
• I would prefer that ALL military vehicles (driven or trailered) meet at the Entry Door rather than along the route, this excludes the Guard units. Guard units and bus will join us on the north service road just north of US 380.
• At this point, we plan to do a photo shoot of the convoy from the UH-1
• We will also be having troops join us from the TX Army National Guard from Denton and an M117 ASV from the TX Army National Guard Maintenance Facility from Saginaw , TX .
• Depending on the final number, sizes of vehicles and weather conditions, we may need to change the rally point. If it changes, I will let you know well in advance.

13. Guard unit vehicles and members will meet us at the north I-35 North Service Road just north of US 380 in the vicinity of Cracker Barrel..
14. If you are not involved in the moving of the military vehicles to Gainesville , but will be participating in the parade, please join us at 0900 at the Baseball Field immediately east of the California St exit.
You will see the field on your right as you exit I-35.
15. There will be a DISD school bus at the Denton Armory at 0630 to pick up the Denton Guard members and transport them to and from Gainesville .
16. It looks like we will have 6 escort vehicles from the Denton County Sheriff’s Office. They will escort us up and BACK…so, when the parade is over, please get your vehicle ready for the return trip ASAP.


I have commitments on the following vehicles, responsible party and organizations

M816 Wrecker Jimmy McLeod
M151 Jeep David Trantham
M35A2 2 ½ Ton Cargo Bill Trantham
M35A2C 2 ½ Ton Cargo Julian Banks Cavanaugh
DUKW Amphibious Julian Banks Cavanaugh
M38 Jeep Rick Freeman Possible
MB Jeep Ed Rodela
M37B ¾ Ton Derek Heuring
M151A2 Jeep Dennis Boots
M35A2 2 ½ Ton Cargo Jimmy McLeod V V A 920
M37 ¾ Ton Jimmy McLeod V V A 920
M38A1 Jeep Bill Robinson V V A 920
UH-1 Slick Bobby Hawk
M725 Jeep Ambulance Jack Burkes
M38A1 Jeep Marland Knight
M818 Tractor Steve Moore
M1009 Blazer Steve Moore
M38A1 Jeep Tony Martinez
M1A1 Bicycle Mark Chapin
M38A1 Jeep Casey Durham
M916A3 Tractor CMF Saginaw
M870 Trailer CMF Saginaw
M117 ASV CMF Saginaw
GPW Jeep Jerry Gardner

If your vehicle is not listed above and you would like to participate, please contact me ASAP.

The lead convoy vehicle will be David Trantham in his M151. The convoy pace will be 35 MPH. The last military Vehicle will be Jimmy McLeod in his M816 Wrecker.

There will be other Military Vehicles in the parade from other organizations. This year, they will try to place a MOH Recipient in every other vehicle rather than as a group. When you have received instructions as to what position you should hold in the parade please move your vehicle safely to that location. For safety reasons, 2 ½ ton trucks and larger WILL have guides walk them to the position.
We have no control as to what vehicles the MOH Recipients will be placed in.

At the end of the parade, we will be back at the staging area. Once all vehicles have been loaded and we can safely depart, we will convoy back to Denton . We will have an escort returning to Denton . Upon arrival back in Denton , those wishing to join for lunch will meet at El Matador Mexican Restaurant in Denton Center .

You can go to www.moh-hostcityprogram.com to see the week’s schedule. The Friday night Banquet was sold out 30 minutes after tickets went on sale. Tickets for the BBQ on Thursday evening can be purchased at the door…see website for details. This is the best venue to meet these wonderful men, you’ll be glad you attended!

I will put out additional information as I receive it. Please be on time at the scheduled line-up shown in # 4 above

This should be my last email on this subject.

Thank you for your interest and we look forward to seeing you soon.
Boots

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Best wishes for a successful event.
Your detailed coordination is a fine example for others here.

 

[dabtl]

This is a bump to remind anyone interested that the big day is tomorrow.

We begin gathering at 6:30 am at the Entry Door on University. Snacks will be about for those wanting a bite before we depart.

If you have been thinking about it, quit thinking and do it.

 

[dabtl]

This is a final alert. The parade is tomorrow. We have had a vehicle from Tyler come in tonight. It is not too late to participate!

We gather tomorrow morning at 6:30AM at The Entry Door on 2038 West University Drive in Denton.

If you have been thinking about it, quit thinking and come on.