Spring-Summer 2026 Updates!
- Theresa
- Aug 14
- 8 min read
Is it really August 2026?
Is it already August 2026 and I haven't provided one update for all of 2026? I do not know where the time goes! But allow me to get everyone caught up on 2026 to-date.
Table of Contents:
Travels
2026 Reunion Season
Journey back to Vietnam
Website Updates
World Voice Project/Hear Our Heros - Video links
Travels
In January of 2026, I took a road trip to East Texas, to visit Dan Bayes. Dan Served with Charlie Company, 2nd Platoon, joining the 3/187th in June of 1969, a few weeks after the battle of Hamburger Hill.
I was able to spend several hours talking to Dan while I scanned his photo collection. I was also able to meet his lovely wife!
Thank you, Dan, for your hospitality and your time!
To view more of Dan's photos, please go to the Charlie Company Scrapbooks Page on the TSTP website and scroll down to Dan's collection.
2026 Reunion Season - It isn't Over Yet!
Reunion season consistently keeps me active and on the go. The preparation to get everything ready, the loading and unloading of vehicles, and the setup and takedown of materials and displays can be exhausting, but it's always incredibly rewarding. The moments shared with veterans, their families, and friends are invaluable. Although the 2026 Reunion Season is still ongoing, I'm already eagerly anticipating the 2027 reunions, which begin next May.
I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who assisted with the setting up and breaking down at each reunion. Your support is truly appreciated!
I've uploaded these photos (and many more) to the TSTP Facebook account, but for those without social media, here are a few of the pictures.
Charlie Company, RVN 67-68 Reunion - May 2026 - Ten Killer State Park
May marks the beginning of Reunion Season! The first destination was Ten Killer State Park to attend the Charlie Company, RVN 67-68 Reunion for a few days before moving on to Clarksville, TN. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to meet with these great gentlemen and their families for a few years because of overlapping reunions. It was really nice to see many of them again, even if it was just for a couple of days.
National Rakkasan Association/Hamburger Hill Chapter Reunion - May 2026 - Clarksville, TN & FT. Campbell, KY
Leaving Oklahoma, I traveled east to Clarksville, TN, for the National Rakkasan Association Reunion. I arrived in the early evening on May 13, 2026, and after greeting everyone, I immediately began the process of setting up. Did I mention there was a lot of setting up? Fortunately, after several years of doing this, the regular attendees are always ready to lend a hand.
This reunion was very well attended being the 35th Anniversary of Desert Storm.
For more 2026 National Rakkasan Association/Hamburger Hill Chapter Reunion photos, please check out the National Rakkasan Association webpage.
3/187th Alpha Company, RVN 67-71 Reunion - July 2026 - Des Moines, Iowa
In July, I hit the road again, this time to Des Moines, Iowa for the Alpha Company Reunion. Once again, I was able to set up with the help of many great veterans and family members.
Kelly Sutton Blaine of World Voice Project/Hear Our Heros was in attendance again. She took some great photos and was able to video interview several more Alpha Company vets.
3/187th 67-68 Reunion - September 2025 - Ardmore/Lake Murray State Park, Oklahoma
2026 Reunion Season ain't over. One more to go! The dates for this reunion are Thursday, September 24th to Sunday, September 27th.
Journey Back to Vietnam - September 2026
Yup, we are taking a trip to Vietnam!
In September 2026, The Steel Thread Project will join the Longest Climb Foundation (LCF) to help bring ten 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Vietnam veterans back to the locations where they fought, served, and endured lasting sacrifice.
More than a year ago, I contacted COL Bowling of the Longest Climb Foundation for help with a book project. That conversation soon grew into something much larger: the possibility of returning the 1968 veterans of the 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment to Vietnam. The purpose of the trip would be to visit battle sites and support the veterans on a journey of healing and reconciliation.
The 3/187th fought many significant battles in 1968, earning a Valorous Unit Award for actions during Operation Box Springs in March 1968, a Meritorious Unit Commendation for actions from March 14 to October 3, 1968, and a Presidential Unit Citation for actions from June 13 to September 23, among other unit commendations. Five Rakkasans were awarded Distinguished Service Crosses, and one was awarded the Medal of Honor in 1968. As I considered the battles and actions of 1968, my thoughts kept turning to September 1968—the deadliest month for the Rakkasans in Vietnam, with 50 men killed. During that month, Alpha Company was overrun; followed by another significant battle - in less than three days, 41 Rakkasans and four other American soldiers were killed in action; and FSB Pope was attacked. Moving into early October, the 3/187th continued to engage in intense battles, and the number killed in action rose to 59.
After a year of planning and many meetings, the LCF team, The Steel Thread Project, ten 3/187th veterans, and one family member for each veteran will travel to Vietnam in early September 2026 to return to five significant battle sites that occurred in September and early October 1968, as well as Phuoc Vinh and the Song Be Bridge.
It was difficult to focus this trip on one specific period when so much happened to the Rakkasans in 1968. Even as I write this, I see the faces of the young Rakkasans who lost their lives that year. I hear their stories, the stories of their battles, and the voices of so many Rakkasans I have come to know. There is so much more that could be included in this journey, but practical constraints require difficult choices.
Over the next several weeks, I’ll be posting more details on the TSTP Social Media accounts. But in the meantime, meet the veterans who are returning on this trip. For these veterans and their families, the journey offers a chance to confront memory, honor sacrifice, and carry the story forward together.
Robert Rummel - Alpha Company, RVN 67-68. Pay Sochocky - Echo Company, Revon, RVN 67-68. John Vollertsen - HHC, S-1 Shop, RVN 67-68. John Munsigner - HHC, S-3, RVN 67-68. Mike Ballard - Delta Company, RVN 68-69. Bruce Lemont - Delta Company, RVN 68. Gary Page - Charlie Company, RVN 68-69. Leonard Robinson - Bravo Company, RVN 68-69. Gary Signer - Echo Company, Recon, 68-69. Bobby Jones - Alpha Company, RVN 68-69. Me representing my dad, George Martin Scheets (Deceased) - 3/187th Battalion Commander, 68-69. Presidential Unit Citation - 1968.
Website Updates!
I have made some progress on website updates, though not as much as I had hoped to by now. But,I keep on plodding away.
Don Rider's Photos
Early in 2026, I was able to get Don Rider's photos added to the Alpha Company Scrapbooks Page. Don volunteered for the draft in 1969 and after training was stationed in Germany. He eventually received orders for Vietnam. Don served with Alpha Company from 1970 to 1971 to include Dewey Canyon II/Lam Son 719.
To view more of Don's collection, please go to the TSTP website, Alpha Company Scrapbooks Page and scroll down towards the bottom.
June & September, 1968
During my visits to the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, MD, I have acquired hundreds, if not over a thousand, documents concerning the 3/187th and the 3rd Brigade in Vietnam, including Daily Staff Journals and Duty Officer's Logs. By reading and analyzing these logs and reports, I am gradually reconstructing the daily locations and activities of the 3/187th in Vietnam.
In early 2026, I worked on actions concerning late June 1968, particularly focusing on the period after the 3rd Brigade came under the operational control of the 25th Infantry Division. The following is a quote from the TSTP website:
"From roughly June 13, 1968 through October 10, 1968, the 3/187th and elements of 3rd Brigade would be under the operational control of the 25th Infantry - Operation Toan Thang II.
Combat operations for the Rakkasans began June 15, 1968 when elements of the battalion were inserted near the village of Thanh An and battalion forward command post was temporarily moved to FSB Allen. Available reports indicate that elements of the battalion continued to operate in and around Thanh An/FSB Allen through roughly June 20th - suffering two KIA's and over a dozen wounded.
At that time the battalion was moved back to Cu Chi with elements operating in and around FSB Lela. On June 21st, elements of Alpha Company were inserted into a blocking position to reinforce elements of the 1/506th. The 1/506th lost nine men KIA in this operation with Alpha Company suffering WIA. On or around June 25, 1968 the battalion was moved to Dau Tieng, near the Michelin Rubber Tree Plantation where it remained for a few days. On or around June 27, 1968 the battalion was moved once again.
From June 15, 1968 to October 10, 1968, the battalion moved locations frequently with companies and platoons often in operating in different areas. As a rapid response force, the 3/187th and 3rd Brigade were inserted into all the hots spots in the 25th Infantry Division area of operation.
Four Rakkasans lost their lives in June of 1968 - Robert Richard White (Alpha Company), Jesse Stephen Ayres (Delta Company), Norman Jones, Jr (Delta Company) and Robert Lloyd Coulter (Delta Company)."
To view progress on the June 1968 Scrapbooks, go to the 1968 Scrapbooks Page on the TSTP website. Please note, most of these scrapbooks are still "under construction" and need a bunch of work.
World Voice Project/Hear Our Heros Interview Links
Kelly Blaine Sutton of World Voice Project/Hear Our Heros has attended a few of the 3/187th Reunions over the past few years. I have added links to the TSTP website of some of the interviews that she has completed. We will be adding more video links in the months ahead.
To check out her interviews with Byron Eilertson, Gene Fischbach, Bob groper, Bill La Plante and Don Rider (all from Alpha Company), go to the TSTP website, Audio/Video Page and scroll down towards the bottom.
If you have any stories, memories, photos etc. that you would like to share, please contact me. I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for taking the time to read a bit about TSTP efforts!
Theresa Scheets
Founder
The Steel Thread Project
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