FORT NOVOSEL, Ala.— Vietnam Veterans of the 132nd and 178th Assault Support Helicopter Company (ASHC) have been coming together for over 32 years, but a Sept. 2024 reunion on Fort Novosel was particularly special for a pair of veterans.

“They called me Ike and him Shorty, everyone had nicknames over there,” said Dwight “Ike” West. Clinton “Shorty” Poston of the 178th ASHC Boxcars has been searching for his fellow battle buddy Ike for years, and recently with the help of his daughter and some friends was able to connect with him on Facebook.

“I had not spoken with or seen Ike in 54 years until the other day when we got to the reunion,” said Shorty. “One day a friend suggested that I look on Facebook for our unit page, so I did and there was a picture of Shorty, except his hair wasn’t grey it still had color,” Ike said jokingly.

“It was his daughters page, so I ended up connecting with her and she put us in touch with each other. It turns out we were both looking for each other for all these years. I was in Calhoun Georgia, and he was just three hundred miles away up there in Marion, Virginia since 1970." Shorty added, “My daughter even hired a private investigator as a Christmas present last year trying to find my buddies from Vietnam. Getting to connect with Ike after all these years is a special part of this reunion for sure.”

Capt. Ian Barry, 1-223rd Chinook Flight School commander, talked with the group about their experiences, and spoke on the common ground between them and shared stories with the Veterans.

“It was incredible connecting with these guys,” said Barry, “hearing their stories and some of the amazing things they have done. I was thankful for the opportunity to share my gratitude with them and to talk about Chinooks, which is what I love and it’s what they love. It was an honor for me.”

Sam Baker, 110th Aviation Brigade deputy S2/S3 spoke with the group about where the Army is now and how the CH-47 has evolved.

“Some things have changed over the years when it comes to the aircraft, but the people and their passion has not changed,” said Baker. “It was a golden opportunity to hang out with Chinook people that served over 50 years ago.”

One of the tour stops was the Army Aviation Museum which holds the Army Aviation Vietnam Memorial. This lists the name, rank, and date of death for 4,352 known Army aviation soldiers who perished in Southeast Asia from the early 1960’s to the mid-1970’s. Joseph Vandiver traveled from Oklahoma for the reunion and tearfully pointed out a name on the wall during the tour. “He was my buddy, and he died on my birthday when we were over there together,” said Vandiver.

A placard outside the memorial states, “Additions are still being made to this total as a result of investigations and recovery efforts that are ongoing today.”

Find more photos from the Vietnam Reunion Tour on Fort Novosel at our FLICKR link: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBJWC1