Alumni Sandstorm ~ 10/11/16
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6 Bombers sent stuff: 
Jim McKEOWN ('53), David DOUGLAS ('62)
Linda REINING ('64), Nancy MALLORY ('64)
Pat DORISS ('65), Rick MADDY ('67)
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BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: George VALDEZ ('63)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Shirley SCOTT ('64)
BOMBER BIRTHDAY Today: Jefferson SAUNDERS ('69)

BOMBER CALENDAR: Richland Bombers Calendar
    Click the event you want to know more about.
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>>From: Jim McKEOWN ('53)

Re: [original] Sandstorm Sophomores

I was the sports editor my senior year (1953) and my
assistant sports editor was Wayne CAMPBELL ('55), a
sophomore... Wayne became the sports editor for the 
following 2 years, I believe... I know as a sophomore 
he wrote most of the stories, even under my by-line, 
because of my participation in sports... that's my story 
and I'm sticking to it...

-Jim McKEOWN ('53) ~ from beautiful fall weather Sacramento
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>>From: David DOUGLAS ('62)

To: Bob Carlson, aka Mike CLOWES ('54)

My apologies to Dick COLE and Corlee "Corky" WILLIAMS (both
'54) for saying I was the first sophomore on the [original]
Sandstorm staff. Click the following link to the 2/5/60
Sandstorm issue, page 4, "SANDSTORM Staff Positions Switch;
Staff Adds Three Juniors, Sophomore." I did not write the
article and plead ignorance of anything that happened prior
to my joining the staff.

  http://AlumniSandstorm.com/Xtra/Dou/161011-SS-2-5-60.jpg
 
My mom religiously kept any article that mentioned me for my 
scrapbook.
 
-David DOUGLAS ('62) ~ Mesa, AZ   
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>>From: Linda REINING ('64)

Re: More Memories

How many remember being completely disoriented when you first
entered junior high? I remember being so afraid that I'd
never make it from class to class with ONLY five minutes
between classes. Getting to know and remember all the names
of the different teachers and which rooms to go to and where
they were. and the lockers... ugh! no matter what year or
whether it was at Carmichael or Col-Hi, I always seemed to
manage to get a locker that no matter how hard I tried, I
could NEVER get that blasted combination lock to open! I'd
end up carrying all my books from class to class, till
lunchtime, then fiddling almost my entire lunch time trying
to get the blasted thing open, so I could switch books for
the afternoon classes.

What about those "stylish" PE clothes??? White blouses and
blue shorts... name had to be on both... not using a "marker"
either... sewn on, so had my mom embroider first and last
name on both items. and how much of a shock was it to realize
you had to take a shower, before going to your next class?
modesty and privacy quickly "went out the window". 

How many remember the school carnivals? Always thought those
were so much fun: cake walks, "white elephant" store, all
sorts of games, "fortune tellers", costume contests, and just
lots of fun... Think there was even a dance, once we were in
junior high. 

Christmas pageants and class parties, too. Remember moms
bringing cupcakes for someone's birthday? Valentines parties 
and decorating shoe boxes to put the Valentines in. 

Hope this gets others to bring up long forgotten memories
and we "flood" the Sandstorm.
 
-Linda REINING ('64) ~ Kuna, ID   
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>>From: Nancy MALLORY Johnson ('64)

Re: Joe KEEFE ('64) Tri-City Herald  

What fun to see Joe in a video. Haven't heard anything about
him (and many others) for a long time. Joe and Ken FINLY ('64)
used to play and sing for us at church and in Seekers. I
think I have a 45 the Four Winds made.

-Nancy MALLORY Johnson ('64) ~ in Western TN where I think 
      fall has come -- tho they are saying it will get back 
      in the 80s.
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>>From: Pat DORISS Trimble ('65)

Re: Ladies of '65 October Luncheon

The "Classy Ladies of '65" are getting together this Friday
(October 14th) for Lunch at the Village Bistro Cafe in
Kennewick, which is located in the Marineland Shopping
Center.

WHEN: Friday, October 14, 2016
TIME: 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM 
WHERE: Village Bistro Cafe, 5215 Clearwater, Suite 114, 
        Kennewick

So, Ladies, if you'd like to join us for a unique dining
experience, mark your calendar then contact me no later than
Thursday (October 13) so I can add your name to the
headcount! If you have any questions, please contact me.

-Pat DORISS Trimble ('65) ~ West Richland   
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>>From: Rick MADDY ('67)

Re: M1-M2-M1 Garand

The nomenclature of weapons jumps around a little bit. For
example, when I was a jr. and sr. and we were hunting jacks
and sometimes rats at the dumps, a .22 caliber rifle used a
clip in both bolt and semi-automatic weapons that fired long
and long rifle bullets. I do not recall the shorts. I had a
single shot bolt action that was my dad's (1919-1989) when he
was a child; Sears catalog; Savage, 1930ish. I would fire
shorts in it. We also had tube fed semi-autos and the tubes
either ran under the barrel or down through the stock. Never
heard the word clip magazine as they are sometimes called
now. The spent shell casing was ejected out the top of the
breech or underneath the breech, depending on models of the
.22 rifle. Only higher caliber rifles had what we called
magazines during these times. I would have to ask Phil "Not
That Phil Collins" COLLINS ('67) if he fed his .22 magnum
with a clip or magazine, but I believe it was clip. I could
be wrong. This was important stuff.

In Marine Corps boot camp, where COLLINS ('67) and I spent a
lot of time tearing the M16 down and putting it back together
again and again and again in a classroom, we never fired the
weapon. During the week at the rifle range while the DIs
were turning us boys into green amphibious monsters we fired
an M14 for our uniform badges. We lived with our M14 all the
time for weeks. I fired an M16 only towards the end of my
training during the first session of Infantry Training at
Pendleton after boot camp and not that much at Advanced
Infantry Training after coming back from 30 days leave. July
'67, it is a three year old weapon. Maybe they needed the
weapon and bullets in Vietnam. Not until 1969 did the Marines
switch to sleeping, eating... everything, with the M16 during
boot camp. About the same time they ended service numbers.

Training was one day after another firing a multitude of
weapons. M-60 machine gun, B.A.R., flame thrower, M79 Grenade
Launcher (Blooper), digging holes, route stepping for miles
sometimes, blowing stuff up with C4 or det cord, crawling
under wire or jumping over it, sleep deprivation, digging
holes, mass confusion at times, throwing live grenades,
walking around in the bushes and stepping on a loud
'firecracker' type device and be told you were dead and just
killed all these men standing around you. Oh yea, first aid
classes. Digging holes. Fun stuff.

Never fired the M1 or M2 carbines that I recall. The biggest
difference is the M1 is a semi-automatic weapon and the M2
has a selector in the trigger housing group so you can fire
semi-auto or auto. Both use magazines. We did fire the M1
Garand. The WWII weapon was a 30.06 caliber, but I believe
we were firing the later .308 Winchester model; the 7.62 X
whatever. The weapon was breech fed with eight rounds.
Targets were white painted 50 gallon drums across a small
gorge. I remember silently chuckling within my head when the
last round came out along with the clip and the tingling
noises when the two halves of the clip landed on the metal
action of the rifle. Reminded me of the old WWII movies I was
radicalized by as a child. Slipper clips. And a completely
different rifle than the M1 and M2 carbines.

My rifle in Vietnam was the first model; M16A1. It was Jammie
(new word). Scuttlebutt was it had known problems. You had to
keep it clean in an almost impossible place. We had 20 round
magazines and put only 17-18 rounds in them because of the
jamming problems with the rifle. My first rifle would catch
the end of the spent casing as it was being ejected. A
posible hair raising problem in the field. This Marine was
standing very near me when I was firing the weapon. Both in
semi and then automatic. As I was clearing the weapon he
asked me if there was a problem. I did not know who he was
other than probably making sure my rifle worked. He had no
rank on his uniform of any kind, like a Pvt., but since I was
'the cherry' he was there watching to see if I even knew what
end of the rifle was the business end. *Thank the Lord for
all those rats! I said, yes, this rifle is a POS. He told me
to grab another one. I did. My second rifle worked just fine.
We were standing on a berm that surrounded the CAP unit. 
He told me not to stand at attention nor salute him and
introduced himself as 2nd Lt. Ruggles and he was my platoon
commander. I apologized for not recognizing the rank. Carry
on, Marine. Sir, Aye Aye, Sir. In hindsight, I would not have
minded carrying an M2 Carbine with a 30 round magazine loaded
with 25 rounds.

I do enjoy my Sturm, Ruger & Co. Mini-30 7.62X.39mm.
Unfortunately California does not trust me with a 20 or 30
round magazine. They are against CA law to own. They do trust
me with a 10 round magazine, but Ruger does not make them.
Ruger makes a 5 round magazine. Something so small I almost
want to call it a clip. Terrible thing being a third
responder with 10 round after market magazines.

-Rick MADDY ('67)
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That's it for today. Please send more.
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