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Old 02-11-2013, 12:13 PM
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Don Boose Don Boose is offline
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Location: Carlisle, Pennsylvania
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Interim Report

Thanks to Jim Nunn, Leif, Gerardo, David, Jim Gausman, and Péricles for posting in this thread. I am very sorry that work has been stalled on this and several other of my paper modeling projects due to over commitment with my Army War College teaching work and with the book that I am currently working on (The Ashgate Research Companion to the Korean War). I hope that within a few weeks or months to be in a position to resume work.

As I mentioned to Jim Gausman in our email correspondence, I really hated to have such a long delay with a model that he has put so much work into. Several Vietnam veterans who flew in Otters, as well as Army historians, and others have contributed in various ways.

Fortunately, Kevin Stephens and Mike Scalingi have built fine versions of the Vietnam Otter, and those will be on display next month when we make our presentation on Paper Models and Military History at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center (http://www.papermodelers.com/forum/museums-air-shows-events-get-togethers/23274-9-march-carlisle-army-heritage-education-center-paper-modelers-event.html).

So: no, Jim, I haven't finished the model yet, but I promise that I will eventually do so. And I will provide the rest of the song, and a photo of me, riding the Vinh Binh Choo Choo in 1967.

Incidentally, two recent events have brought back memories of Vietnam. A couple of weeks ago, I found the little green notebook that I carried in 1966-67, during the year in which I was advisor to the 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment, 9th ARVN Division. And last week, I had the pleasure of listening to a fascinating Perspectives in Military History lecture by Prof Lien Hang Nguyen of the University of Kentucky [https://history.as.uky.edu/users/lnguy2], who spoke on the internal machinations within the DRV government that led to the decision to launch the 1968 Tet offensive (the lecture taking place appropriately two days before Tet).

Perhaps just as interesting, Lil and I were invited to have dinner with Prof Nguyen and with Brigadier General Thuan Pham, the first Democratic Republic of Vietnam International Fellow at the U.S. Army War College. We had a pleasant and interesting conversation ending with an invitation for me to visit General Pham in Vietnam to see what Vinh Binh looks like nearly 50 years later.

Don
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