FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15TH, 1130 HOURS:

Here I AM - on my way ta sunny Southern Ca-li-for-ni-a. My psychic radar is turned on full blast, ready ta detect highway patrol cars within 10 miles. In my fighter plane I’m invincible, I tell ya. With one hand’ on the steerin’ wheel an’ the other holdin’ a pen writin’ lyrics about the Combat cast, I buzz produce truck convoys as I barrel down Hwy. 5 doin’ 90 m.p.h. Pappy Boyington and his flyin' Tigers would be proud of me.

So, this is it! I’ve committed my troops, an’ I’m gonna meet a whole squad of Recon vets. What will my hosts, Ricochet an’ Goldbrick be like? They live near Hollywood, an’ Goldbrick’s in the movie makin’ industry. Oh, no! What if they’re, ya know, glamorous Hollywood big wig types? Suppose they live in a mansion, overlookin’ the Pacific? What if they have matchin’ Maseratti in the driveway, an’ a butler answers the door? I won’t know how ta act, or figure out which fork an’ knife ta use durin’ dinner! Fear hits me like cold steel in a foxhole surrounded by incomin’ mortars.

A G.I. Jane can get combat fatigue awfully quick worryin’ like this, an’ I don’t have any Blue88s ta calm me down. Best not ta think too much about it in advance, Heavy Weapons. I’ll only end up losin’ my nerve an’ goin’ AWOL. That’s right, imagine instead Forgotten Front’s cookin’ Sunday dinner an’ bakin’ apple pies. Think about the pretty girls ya left back home, Heavy Weapons. Yeah, that’s what I’ll do! The pretty girls. There’s Fortune, a sly little minx who invented the word ‘PART-Y’. There’s exotic Persian Jasmine. She’s probably reclined right now on the harem sofa, just pinin’ away for me and consolin’ herself with catnip. Just the kinda memories a G.I. needs ta keep on doggin’ it. Yeah, this ain’t so bad. I guess I’ll make it after all.

FRIDAY, 1600 HOURS:

What a lovely street. Hey this looks just like Walnut Creek! They’re regular folks after all. All that worryin’ for nuthin’. Ricochet an’ Goldbrick greet me with warm, open smiles an’ welcome me into their lovely Victorian abode. I know instantly that there’ll be no more Repple-Depples for me, I’ve found my squad at last.

Fox Company flew down from Seattle an’ soon joins us for A-Rations fit for a 4-star general. Even Patton woulda been pleased. This U.S.O. duo really knows how ta entertain the troops with style. We all have a great time an’ watch Vic Morrow in a Social Security Administration interview, and follow up with a desert of sufferin’-Saunders scenes put together on the same tape by Foxhole Filly. Then we watch a very young and VERY sexy Vic in “A Matter of Honor” (a Death Valley Days episode that Scout sent me).

Suddenly Goldbrick pulls the pin an’ tosses a grenade at me! My jaw drops ta the floor as I scramble ta catch it, and we have a good laugh. Goldbrick’s got the neatest WWII collection: two or three authentic G.I. uniforms (these ain’t repros ya know - they're the real McCoys), machine guns, helmets, bullets, an’ just about everythin’ ta do with B17 bombers. And do they LOVE Combat! They’ve even got dog tags with Chip Saunders’ name and his “Survival” serial number embossed on them.

Well it’s getting’ late now. Fox Company decides ta take up a reserve position back at Battalion headquarters, and heads back ta her hotel.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 16TH, 0300 HOURS:

I hit my bunk at midnight for some much-needed 40 winks. I’m catchin’ zzzz’s several hours later when the bed starts dancin’ around. My sleep-fogged brain says ta me, “What’s this with Ricochet an’ Goldbrick? Don’t they know that they’ve got a battle-weary dogface what’s gotta have some sleep? Keyriist! They must be makin’ some powerful whoopy if they can make the floor shake.” The shakin’ stops just as I REALLY wake up, so I’m still in the dark that a 7.0 earthquake just took out southern California with extreme prejudice.

I leave my room and find Goldbrick an’ Ricochet standin’ in the middle of the living room. “Good grief!” I think ta myself, “They were doin’ IT in the livin’ room? No WONDER I can’t sleep.”

“What’s goin’ on?” I ask.

“An earthquake.” Goldbrick answers.

“An earthquake?” I’m relieved! “I’m headin’ back ta bed. Let the darn roof fall down on me, I’m too dogged tired ta care.” An’ that’s just what I did. Slept right through a night of house shakin’ aftershocks.

By Nancy LionStorm (349hvywpnscrew) on Unrecorded Date:

1999 Franklin Canyon Picnic - Part Two

SATURDAY, 0800 HOURS:

We head out with Fox Company an’ G & R’s friend Brian for a huge breakfast at Big Bob’s diner. Brian’s is one swell guy. He, Ricochet an’ Goldbrick are B17 bomber enthusiasts an’ we’re regaled with stories about those big-winged mothers. Can ya believe it? Brian, Ricochet an’ Goldbrick have actually FLOWN in B17 bombers!

From Big Bob’s we synchronize our watches an’ begin our patrol in separate transports. Ricochet an’ I thumb a ride in Fox Company’s jaunty little ‘jeep’, while Brian an’ Goldbrick scout ahead in what I swear looks like an army truck (or could it be that ya had a wee bit too much ‘keekapoo juice’ this morning, Heavy Weapons?)

At Franklin Canyon Green Recruit and her mom, Nadine, along with veteran ‘reconner’ George, an’ his sister Barbara lay in wait for us. But there’s no ambush, just plenty of handshakes an’ hugs passed all around. Italics 3 (oops, I mean Item3) has gotta be as tall as Lt. Hanley and looks quite dandy sportin’ a spiffy Recon ‘98 T-shirt an’ one heck of an impressive-lookin’ digital camera. Just the kind Army G2 coulda used on Combat. Green Recruit gives us Dodger’s photo guide ta Franklin Canyon, then disappears with Nadine on some secret undercover mission.

It’s quite a high ta see the places where Combat was filmed, and Ricochet an’ Goldbrick make fabulous platoon guides. It’s all still there ya know. Just overgrown with tall prairie grass an’ transformed a little with the help of bulldozers that raised an’ leveled some of the hills over the last 30 years. We climb up rough terrain an’ down steep embankments.

THIS is the culvert where Caje an’ Saunders talk ta the French woodcutter in “A Point of View”. (Woow there Heavy Weapons, careful ya don’t slip down the earthen embankment. Hittin’ that cement culvert’s just gotta hurt.) Oh, an’ THAT’s where Kirby an’ Littlejohn crouch durin’ their fire fight with a German half-track in “Nightmare On the Red Ball Highway”. Too bad most of the shell casings are buried below 8 feet of soil. Oh WHY didn’t I think ta bring a shovel and rent a metal detector?

The most excitin’ moment for me is when I figure out the exact spot where Corporal Kanger stands when he shoots Sgt. Saunders in “Masquerade”, an’ then I figure out where Saunders lay while Kanger gloats down at him. George confirms my discovery. I wanna lie right down then an’ there in that tick-infested, weed-overgrown spot, but at the last moment common sense breaks through my fanatics daze, an’ it’s enough ta just be there an’ imagine Vic an’ James doin’ that scene.

We move on ta location after location an’ end up where Billy hides in snake-infested grasses while storm troopers play soccer in “The Long Way Back”. Next we get ta ogle at the place where the POWs take showers. Ya know the one where Kirby flips his water-drenched cap at the German guard?

At this point I notice there’s two women who’ve come up the path an’ are standin’ behind our troop. I figure we must be blockin’ their way an’ I say, “Hey guys, can ya step aside and let these ladies pass?”

“Let these ladies pass?” roars the younger of the two indignantly. Then I realize that it’s Green Recruit transformed by an Army cap an’ shirt! She an’ Nadine start chattin’ with us when suddenly I start ta think the sun an’ heat have gotten ta me cause I swear I see Private Braddock comin’ down the trail with the very same grenade-launchin’ M-1 rifle that he almost kills Saunders with in “A Day In June”. But it’s not Braddock; it's Dodger; the sneaky devil! With a last minute change in his work schedule he decides on a surprise inspection. He let’s me try on his neck-breakin’ steel helmet an’ I try ta hold his M-1, the way Caje would, but I find I’m gonna hafta do some serious weight liftin’ before can I handle an M-1.

We finish the tour with Dodger takin’ the lead, and chow down with a picnic feast. There’s plenty of food an’ Barbara shares with everyone the best homemade potato salad we ever had. Item 3 an’ George take lots of group shots. Even though we didn’t find any bullet casings on this trip we each get an official Recon ‘99 bullet casing. It was great of Dodger and Marty B. to dig them up for us. Then sayin’ somethin’ about havin’ ta get back to his job as Col. Clyde’s driver, Dodger disappears as mysteriously as he arrived.

SATURDAY 1500 HOURS:

The rest of us head back ta R & G’s headquarters ta watch our favorite Combat episodes. It’s lotsa FUN cause for every episode we watch there’s at least one person present who hasn’t seen it yet. Green Recruit, Nadine and I get into a little chorus dancin’ ta Combat’s openin’ theme music, and plenty of refreshments are passed around. We have a ball pointin’ out bloopers and watchin’ cute butt-crawlin’ scenes. I can’t restrain myself and reach out several times ta touch the TV screen an’ stroke Saunders’ cheeks – I’m talkin’ about the ones on his FACE! What a dirty mind some foot soldiers got.

SATURDAY 1900 HOURS:

Evenin’ darkens the sky and our fabulous hosts order a pizza so big that when it’s delivered it doesn’t even fit through the door! Never seen anythin’ so big in my life. Goldbrick has ta actually BEND the box in two in order ta get it ta fit through the front door. We all chow down an’ watch Combat only pausin’ the tapes ta get refills on the tastiest pepperoni pizza we ever had. Barbara recounts a story about the time she visited a cousin back east and had pizza for the first time. Just imagine a time when pizza was new ta the U.S. of A.

We take a short intermission and Goldbrick treats us ta the CD sounds of B17s takin’ off, flyin’ overhead and landin’. He’s got speakers so big that the walls shake and the floors quake. This goes on several window-shatterin’ minutes! Last night’s earth pounder had nuthin’ on B17 engines. I know cause I’m sittin’ on the floor gettin’ my guts mix-mastered by the roar comin’ over those speakers. I grab an imaginary throttle stick, check that all system gages are ‘go’, an’ take off in my very own B17, affectionately named “Chip”. “Pilot ta bombardier. Pilot ta bombardier. …Top turret gunner, watch out for Luftwaffers at twelve o’clock high.” Can ya just picture me?

It’s a wonderful night makin’ new friends that ends all too quickly. I wish ya could’ve all been there. There’s nuthin’ like meetin’ other Combatants! What was it Green Recruit called us? C.O.I.s: Combat Obsessed Idiots. There’s an instant fellowship that makes all other considerations petty in comparison. But eventually, as all things must, our new friends head back for the ol’ home front. Each guy and gal brought so much ta the evenin’ that I’m gonna miss every blessed one of ‘em.

By Nancy LionStorm (349hvywpnscrew) on Unrecorded Date:

1999 Franklin Canyon Picnic - Part Three

SATURDAY, 2200 HOURS: Then just when I figure we’re gonna hit the sack, Brian pulls out a unique and breath-takin’ documentary called, “A Wing and A Prayer”. It recounts the events of operation “Tidal Wave”, from the viewpoint one bomber group’s only survivin’ airman. The plan was ta destroy the Perieska oil refineries in Romania that supplied oil for Hitler’s war machines. This pilot’s bomber group turns east too soon, while the other groups continue on the pre-arranged route. He shares his observations and reactions as we watch plane after plane in his group either get shot down, blown ta bits, or broken in half from the strain of tryin’ ta perform impossible ack-ack avoidin’ maneuvers. It’s an awfully soberin’ documentary ta watch, and I’m kinda glad the troops aren’t here. It woulda just killed the party. But it’s important for me ta know, and I’m grateful ta Brian for bringin’ it.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 17TH, 1100 HOURS: The one thing I don’t wanna leave L. A. without seein’ is Vic Morrow’s grave. So today, Ricochet an’ Goldbrick lead me ta the cemetery where Vic is laid ta rest. Tears well up in my eyes as Ricochet an’ Goldbrick lay a lovely bunch of “Little Carousel”-like daisies at Vic Morrow’s grave.

I think about how much Sgt. Saunders meant ta me when I was a kid. He replaced the father I didn’t get ta see till I was an adult. He was my role model for survival as I recovered from years of torture an’ physical abuse from a drug-crazed mother. His were the moral an’ ethical standards by which I judged and still judge others. He was the solid rock of strength in the maelstrom of my childhood.

I think about Vic Morrow with hot tears runnin’ down my face. How little I know about him! Yet I somehow now know that he was a man of integrity who disdained Hollywood nonsense. A man who was true ta himself and who walked his own path. When it is my turn ta be alone at his grave, I offer sage ta the four directions and sing a prayer. I kneel down beside his grave marker and read his daughter’s poignant words. I run my hands along the surface of that marker and an’ hope that somewhere, somehow, Vic can see an’ understand what I, a complete stranger, am doin’ there at his grave. I’m not ashamed ta say that I’m overcome with tears. Ricochet, my sister in spirit, comes ta me an’ we hold on ta each other and cry our hearts out. I know Vic means as much ta her as he does ta me. Then Goldbrick hands me a tiny wild daisy that he found growin’ out of the ground beside Vic’s grave, and I feel an incredible sense of completeness.

I look up at the perfect blue sky with the gentle warmth of the sun overhead. I feel the slight afternoon breeze ruffle my hair and am amazed by the beauty of the place. I’m happy that Vic’s daughter chose this place for his final restin’ place; it’s filled with so much love. The love of survivin’ family and friends who come ta visit these graves. The love of departed ones for those that who remain to mourn them.

SUNDAY, 1400 HOURS:

Headin’ home now and I’m filled with an over powerin’ sense of fulfillment and joy. The hours fly by unnoticed. I arrive home by 2000 hours and can only marvel at how incredibly lucky I am ta have spent a weekend that was in turns: fun, filled with wonder and spiritually fulfilling. I think I’ve made at least one friend for life.

So long, from your friendly 349th

- Heavy Weapons Crew

By Roman Kamienski (Roman) on Unrecorded Date:

Saturday, August 5th at 10AM. "WODOC and the Movies".
Take a walk around Franklin Canyon Lake while hearing stories about movies and
TV shows shot in the canyon. Meet at Nature Center.
Questions: Call 310-858-7272 x132