"...And let there be light,merriment and camaraderie!"

Thundered a mighty voice in the darkness.

And on Friday, 16 January 2004, the void became light, the merriment begun and the camaraderie was joined. For two glorious days, the sleepy town of Cleveland, Tennessee would know light and sun and clear weather. Once again the members of Chapter 33, US Army Special Forces Association, were descending upon the town...our Winter Meeting was about to commence.

...and, said the mighty voice, this was good.

The cold, harsh North Wind was no match for the camaraderie of our members. The clouds dispersed as the members descended upon the famous Chalet Hotel. By 1700, on that fateful Friday afternoon, the sky was clear, Ole Man Sol beat down upon the land and it was good.

...And this was the start of the first day...

Those of us who were the forerunners of the Chapter gathered in the upper reaches of the Chalet and contemplated the events of the next two days. The cabinets were bare and the coolers empty. For it is said "...those who arrive early, have the least amount of food and drink...". Confucius said those famous words way back circa 10,000 BC (give or take a century or two). But there were a couple of bottles of Dos X's in the cooler and, those of us that partake of such heavenly spirits, gratefully accepted the "coins of the realm". The early-birds folded their drinks and bread in their arms and gathered around the table to discuss the up-coming events of the weekend. We drank. We chatted. We munched the munchies and we drank.

In the end we nominated Judy Hines and ex-pres, Jim Hash, as Designated Drivers (that took care of 8-10 people) and away we flew to that famous steak house---the Cleveland American Legion. There we mingled amongst the Karaoke crowd while feasting on steak, fish, salad and, of course, beer.

Then it was back to our Team House and a continued bout with the war stories.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, the guys and gals were whooping it up in the back room. While off in the distance, Bobby had someone pinned against the door forcing the poor lad to listen to another of the Bad Toelz sagas. Art was trying to convince anyone who would listen that another smoke wouldn't hurt you. I mean, after all, you did survive Viet Nam!

Off to the side, Smilin' Jim Rawlings was holding court while the serfs surged around him. Every once in awhile Smilin' Jim would honor those at the table with one of his fabulous Cuban Cigars. Not that they were really from Cuba but those that were being honored by the donation were in no position to quibble.

...And this was the start of the second day...and for Smilin' Jim, it was a very good day...

Meanwhile, back in the front room the politicians were whooping it up. The officers were trying to restore order but, like their forefathers before them, the rancorous gathering would not be pacified. Two of the group leaped to their feet demanding to be heard.

Bobby didn't cotton (that's how us Southerners write our prose) to the way the boys in the back room treated him and his tales of glory in Bad Toelz so he bent the ears of our newly elected president and vice-president. Now Art and Jim, being the soft-hearted types of guys they are, didn't have the heart to tell Bobby to butt out. All the while, Bob is trying to explain the fine art of bookkeeping to the new Treasurer, Harry. Does someone need a truck? Art must have learned the fine points of running a meeting from our ex-president, Jim Hash, because he slammed the gavel down opening the meeting and, so it seemed, two seconds later, he slammed the gavel down closing the meeting.

The troops filed to the buffet-style dinner (set up by none other than Mitch Greene). It was a good meal and most of it was gone before the last person in line got to the tables. Of course, Bob made sure he had his fair share. He figured, since he helped set up the chow line, he was entitled to being second in line. Our Designated Driver being number one...

Our Legal Eagle, Bert Bates, didn't seem to mind the commotion and such as he gazed down upon the plate of food. Was he deciding which morsel to eat first or was he running a complicated court case through his mind? Only the Phantom knows for sure.

The auction bells sounded and the troops filed into the Red Barn. Our Auctioneers were ready and waiting to give away (if the price is right) a number of items that were coerced from fellow members. As with all auctions presented by our Auctioneers, any motion, coughing, sneezing, scratching or getting up for a beer, is considered a bid. This kept the captured audience in tune to the events of the day. In the end, the Chapter 33's bank account was enriched by over $1,000.

And I've saved the best for last. Everyone knows that, according to the winter Drop issue, "Smokey" Taylor bit the dust last June. Now this was sort of surprising to me since I was positive I had seen "Smokey" at the Oct 2003 Chapter meeting. Of course, I could have been imagining this (I'll contribute the absence of mind to CRS). But, as you can plainly see, Smokey is alive and well and rearin' to get to our next meeting.

Which, by the way will be held in Virginia. Lee is setting this one up and, if you ever wanted to see the sights and hear the sounds of Northern Virginia and points north, east and west, you should plan to make this one. It'll be in the first part of May. We know it's close to the National gathering in Las Vegas, but Virginia isn't all that nice in April.

And so ended the winter meeting of Chapter 33. Be sure to watch this site for the update on the spring meeting in Virginia. And if you want see the individual photos enlarged, all you have to do it click on the photo of you choice. Have fun and I'll see you in Virginia...