ALCON: I have been deployed down-range with my troops in support of OEF since Mar 08. It now looks like we will be extended until Dec 09 so physical preservation work on the “Queen” has been put on hold for a while. That is not to say that I have not been busy gathering items for her preservation and my return stateside. I recently picked-up a beautiful 1944 M10 Ammunition Trailer from my bud and fellow Half-tracker Rob out in PA. Rob has an M3 Half-track that he is almost done restoring. The M10 is original, complete and in pristine condition and was delivered to my storage garage last week. I have had the good fortune to resource the original weapons for the crew, to include a M1928 Thompson, 2 Garand’s and 2 M1 Carbines. Military buds are storing the weapons in a vault until I return from my deployment.
While attending a meeting in Germany in June and by fate and circumstance, (rental car went down and I was forced to go into ground-pounder mode) I discovered a storage shed with three complete Half-tracks and 2 complete Scout-cars (Shed and its location to remain classified gents
). During an evening while others were standing down I was able to swing back to the site to recover and ship home several original equipment items to include radio shelves, ammo racks and all of the little miscellaneous items that I needed but had not been able to locate for my preservation project. The discovery of these vehicles has now become a recovery operation and is being worked regards logistics, legalities etc ... more updates to follow regards that effort.
The "Queen" now has her original working SRC 528 radio system to include the storage box, the BC 606 Interphone Boxes and thanks to my bud Massimo in Italy (His restored M16 is a beauty) a mount with adaptor for the BC 728 early warning AAA receiver. My friend Chris in the UK has done a wonderful job of scrounging Tombstone Ammo Cans and an original NOS Camo net for the “Queen” and he and I both appreciate the convenience of PayPal! I wish the dollar was a little stronger against the British Pound Sterling and the Euro! I now have 4 of my eight required 50 CAL barrels and am still looking for more at a reasonable price of course! I spend what little time free time I get communicating with loved ones, scrounging for HT parts and goodies online and networking with other collectors. As my daughter told me on the phone "Dad the storage basement is full of really musty smelling old stuff in boxes" ... Man, I would "kill" to get a deep breath of that! Hope this update finds all of my fellow "Steel Soldiers" safe and health. Attached a Pic with some of my fellow bubbas currrently serving with me (First Names)..Left to right; Myself, SGT Ryan, LTC Scott, LTC Steve, MAJ Mitch, MAJ Bruce, MAJ Joe .. we took this pose for the Cigar Dave show last Saturday and we were on the show for about 20 minutes .. as I told Dave "We Smoke To Forget"
LTC Mark A.R. Koloc Sr.
CDR 308th CA BDE DET-26
TF - FALCON