The Ranting and Ravings of a Certified Crazy! (and maybe a few semi-crazy pals)
Everyone hears other voices, don’t they?
Primary topics are: Military and Veteran issues, Defense against Islamic Imperialism, and Illegal Immigration.
Occasionally other topics will pop up, just because.
 |
 |
  
FTM2 “Ponsdorf, Zero” |
“Zero Ponsdorf” was born and raised in West Virginia. He joined the Navy Reserves between his Junior and Senior year in high school (1963). Since his father was KIA in Korea he wouldn’t have been drafted, but wanted to ‘see the world’ anyway.
Following high school he went to FT/A school at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center and then to the USS England DLG-22, the first of four ships on which he served. Others were the USS Parsons DDG-33, USS Worden DLG-18, and the USS Mahan DLG-11.
“Zero” made 4 visits to the Gulf of Tonkin, each about 6 months long. The duty while there was varied, from picking up downed aircrew to firing shore bombardment. During rescue missions it was not unusual to exchange fire with North Vietnamese shore batteries.
He was discharged in May, 1969 as an E-5.
After his discharge Zero held many jobs, from driving a cab in San Diego to working for NASA at the tracking station on Kauai. While with NASA he worked on the first nine Shuttle missions.
Now Zero has settled in on his piece of ridge in central West Virginia. He does a little consulting work with computers, and some minor web work for friends.
Zero has been Blogging since 2004.
——————————————————————
About The Grunt
Born in York, PA back in 1949. My mother was the daughter of very poor share croppers in Pamlico Co of NC. My father was raised by his grand parents and uncle in York, Pa for his mother died when he was 4 years of age. He began working in a paper mill at age 14, then joined the US Army at 16. My parents met in New Bern NC while my father was with the motor pool at Camp Battle, a German POW Camp here in New Bern. When the married and lived in York. my mother worked two jobs full time. My father, after discharged from military began working back at the mill and worked 12 hours a day six days a week for as long as I can remember. I began running the streets at age 11 and grew up on the streets and joined a “SOCIAL CLUB“ which were well known as The Swamper’s. I Went to William Penn Sr. High and Joined the US Marines at age 17 spending time in Cuba, Okinawa the Vietnam. I was wounded in Operation Beacon Gate in 1967 with B. Co 1st Blt 3rd Mar. spending 15 months in the Phila Naval Hospital from those wounds ..I later worked in the medical field after that for over 30 years as an EMT/Paramedic. Instructor for SFA,CPR, and BCLS for 5 years. Worked as an Nursing Assistant with the VA in the Med .Phych.Unit for 2 years and as a Phlebotomist and IV tech for 10 years at the local hospital here in New Bern. My wife and I still live here in NC with out 5 pups. (One great moment in my wife’s life was when she hit Hanoi Jane in the head with a rock back in 1972 when our POW’s came home from Nam and now has the Marine given name of “The Snake”) We both now do a lot with the Wounded Warriors, The GOE, Veterans, Military along with other Patriotic groups and animal welfare
——————
William Page:
William “1stCav” Page volunteered for the Army at 17 after high school. 11B/C Infantry. Assigned to 1st Cav, 3rd Bde (Separate), 2/5th Cav Rgt., Co. B. in Viet Nam, he served in that unit in MR III until it stood down. He was then reassigned to 1/12th Cav Rgt., Co D, in MR II (Central Highlands, the only Infantry line company in the region and directly OPCON to Mr. John Paul Vann, Second Regional Assistance Group (SRAG) from the 1st Air Cav.
Elements of D 1/12th Cav were assigned various task during the Easter Offensive of 1972. Some were assigned with American Advisors (Adv. Teams 21, 22, 23, 36, etc) to differing bases and locations. William was in the Tan Canh/Dak To AO when ARVN 22nd Div had to abandon those facilities due to tank assaults from elements of two NVA Divisions. He was later chosen for ‘Task Force Salvo’, a small unit of then new jeep mounted TOW Missiles, and was with the group (82nd Abn TOW gunners) that first killed NVA tanks with the then new ground TOW at Kontum AO 15/16 May 1972.
After fulfilling his Army obligation William graduated from Auburn University in 1978, BS Bus. He worked for Int. Paper as a plant scheduler and in sales for 3 years, then left for the oilfield and hired on with Schlumberger as a Measurements While Drilling (MWD) Systems Engineer, and was later promoted Health Safety and Environmental Manager in Houston. He worked in East Coast Arctic (Davis Strait), Venezuela, and delivered a paper at The Hague, Netherlands in 1991. Other authorship included articles for ‘Oilfield Review’.
William started an oilfield service company in 1992 and sold it in 2003. He is currently researching Viet Nam War military history.
