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End of year ……… Beginning the New Year We are winding down the 2015 tours to Vietnam with the September return to II, III, and IV Corps. 2014 and 2015 have been banner years in terms of the number of veterans we have been able to return to their places of interest. We have taken over 285 veterans, students, historians and family members the past two years. |
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Bill Stilwagen, Gene Miller, Bob Burke, Dave Macedonia, Dave Lytle and I have enjoyed every minute of making this happen for each of you. When we initiated this effort in 2005 "who would have thought" we would see these kinds of results. It is a lot of work but the rewards outweigh the effort. We could not accomplish this without you and our partners.
David and Steven of EVA Airlines have been great to work with and meet our needs at every turn. Ms. Phuong in Ha Noi goes above and beyond making sure that our hotels, requested locations and day-to-day activities are the best. Our in-country guides understand our mission and work hard to make sure we accomplish our daily destinations. This coordination is amazing and keeps us on track and successful in what we are trying to provide.
THANK YOU PARTNERS, one and all.
Personally, I would like to thank Mrs. Janis Roznowski, founder of "Operation Comfort", for her efforts supporting veterans. Operation Comfort's efforts to fundraise and support 34 veterans this year are absolutely amazing. We were able to spread these guys out to the appropriate tours so they could visit their specific locations. Janis left no stone unturned in gathering deserving veterans.
Thanks to you Janis and Operation Comfort.
I field most of the calls to VBT and usually deal with a variety of questions dealing with the anxiety of returning. The best way I can express to potential clients is that a group of strangers meet in LA and on their return a bond is in place. They served together again. The neat part of this is we get to see it over and over. Fred Hughes, Army vet said "I am sleeping well knowing my guys are now safe".
My first reaction in 2001 was the proximity of things in Vietnam. Now having traveled with you we have been able to see a bigger picture and learn so much more than our original tour of duty. We welcome your participation and sharing of experiences along the trail. 2016 is the 50th anniversary of my tour in Vietnam. I know each of us will have an anniversary these next few years. Make some plans. We are.
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Things to think about |
As we are planning for 2016, we have also begun planning for TET 2018 and a 50th Anniversary tour. This time frame is considered a turning point and affected the war throughout Vietnam.
Dave (Doc) Snider and 1st RECON Bn Association, is once again sponsoring a Marine Corps Birthday Cruise, November 7 - 11, 2016 in partnership with VBT. All veterans and families are welcome.
(I have already deposited) Give these some thought. |
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Our tour format remains the same because it is successful. Included in this Newsletter is the 2016 schedule of tours and we will be adding individual groups as we finalize their itineraries. If you have a special request or group interested in a custom tour please contact us and we will help plan and facilitate. Keep in mind we can set up Post Tours to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and China.
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2016 Tour Schedule |
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VN-16021 |
14 February - 28 February |
II, III and IV-Corps |
VN-16031 |
06 March - 20 March |
Northern I-Corps |
VN-16032 |
06 March - 20 March |
101st Airborne |
VN-16041 |
10 April - 24 April |
Southern I-Corps |
VN-16051 |
08 May - 22 May |
I-Corps |
VN-16052 |
08 May - 22 May |
Northern Vietnam & Laos |
VN-16091 |
11 September - 25 September |
II, III and IV-Corps |
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Special Tour |
For those of you who have seen all the battlefields you want to see, we have a special tour coming up in May which will visit Northern Vietnam and Northern Laos. Our tour will start in Ha Noi, and progresses around the very north west of Vietnam near the Chinese border. We will visit Dien Bien Phu, Lai Chau, and Sapa before making our way back to Ha Noi. From here we travel to Ha Long Bay where we will spend two days and one night onboard a deluxe junk boat as we explore this picturesque World Heritage site. After a couple of more nights in Ha Noi, we fly to Luang Prabang, Laos to experience the culture and beauty of this World Heritage site.
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Thank You
To all of you who have returned to Vietnam with Vietnam Battlefield Tours, we want to thank you for allowing us the honor to walk beside you as you returned to those areas where you spent your youth. For those of you still thinking about returning, we look forward to the opportunity to take you there. If you thought about going back, we can take you there. Contacts us before these 2016 tours are completely booked.
Best to you this fall and the coming New Year.
Semper Fidelis,
Ed "Tex" Stiteler, President
VIETNAM BATTLEFIELD TOURS
and the rest of the VBT team: Bob Burke, Bill Stilwagen, Dave Lytle ,
Dave "Big Dave" Macedonia, and Gene Miller.
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