Board of Directors
The business and affairs of the Association are controlled and administered by and under the supervision of its Board of Directors, as established in its bylaws. The Bylaws provide for twenty-five (25) directors. Reasonable efforts are made to have different ranks and time periods represented on the Board of Directors and in the composition of officers of the Association. Directors are members of the Association and elected for a two-year term, as vacancies occur by expiration or other action. Directors may be reelected following their term of service, as mutually agreed to. | ||||
The Association’s officer positions are normally filled by its directors. There are currently 15 filled director positions on the 1st Signal Brigade Association's Board. Members now serving as directors include: | ||||
1 | Glen Acre |
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2 | Dennis Byrnes - President and Sales Director | |||
3 | Eddie Fulwood | |||
4 | Joe Gleason - Membership Team member | |||
5 | Jim Gregory - Newspaper Editor | |||
6 | Stan Grieco | |||
7 | Howard Hickman | |||
8 | Dan Jett - Treasurer |
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9 | Peter Kind - Chairman | |||
10 | Bob Motley - Webmaster | |||
11 | Eric Randau - Secretary | |||
12 | Wayne Rich - Photo Sizing and Annotation | |||
13 | Gerry Seth | |||
14 |
Doc Taranto |
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15 | Bob Van Pelt - Membership Committee Chair |
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16 | Bernie Wallace - Administrative Officer and Membership Cards |
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The Board normally meets quarterly at 1100 hours EDT on a designated Saturday. Meetings may run from 2-3 hours and are conducted by means of Zoom conferencing. The Association welcomes interest by its members to serve on the Board of Directors. Service on the Association’s Board provides both a professional and rewarding experience. The Association’s successful continuing operation and future growth depends upon a cadre of dedicated members willing to serve as its directors and officers. Members interested in serving as a director should contact Bernie Wallace. |
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Bios |
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Peter Kind – Chairman of the Board (one of the three founding Directors) | ||||
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LTG (Ret.) Peter Kind is a former Chief of Signal and was inducted as a Distinguished Member of the Signal Regiment in 1994. LTG Kind served with 97th Signal Battalion and 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Germany during his 33-year career. He also was Signal Adviser to 21st Infantry Division (Air Assault) and later Chief of Stock Control, US Army Depot Cam Ranh Bay in Vietnam; Assistant Division Signal Officer, 82d Airborne Division; and Executive Officer and S-2/S-3 (intelligence/ operations and training) for 82d Signal Battalion. He then served in the War Plans Division, Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans. LTG Kind commanded 1st Cavalry Division’s 13th Signal Battalion at Fort Hood, Texas; 1st Signal Brigade in Korea; the Signal Center and School at Fort Gordon, Ga, and the U.S. Army Information Systems Command. He also served as Deputy Controller of the NATO Integrated Communications System Central Operating Authority and as the U.S. Army Director for Information Systems for Command, Control, Communications and Computers. In 1988, as Program Executive Officer for Command and Control Systems, he was instrumental in building credibility for the Army’s tactical command, control and communications arena. His achievements in protecting and strengthening C2 programs included fire support, intelligence and electronic warfare, air defense, maneuver control and combat services support; he integrated C2 systems for the Army and was recognized for this throughout the Defense Department and in Congress. At the time, because of poor understanding of C2 programs, LTG Kind on his own initiative made personal visits and delivered many keynote and banquet addresses to educate the Signal Corps and senior leadership in government and industry on these C2 programs’ importance to the total Army mission. A key contributor in the Signal Corps Regimental Association and the Armed Forces Communications-Electronics Association, LTG Kind’s awards include the Distinguished Service Medal with one oak-leaf cluster, Legion of Merit with one oak-leaf cluster, Bronze Star Medal with two oak-leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with two oak-leaf clusters and SCRA’s Silver Order of Mercury. |
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Dennis Byrnes - President and Sales Director | ||||
Dennis was drafted in 1966 and arrived at 69th Sig Bn, Tan Son Nhut, Vietnam Aug 1967. His responsibilities were R & R clerk, radio operator, rode shotgun for LTC Nims, and was the S-1 clerk. In May 1968 he was discharged as an E-5 and has fond memories and an overwhelming love for his country. In May 1969 Dennis married "THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE". They have been married for 36 years... They have no children and live in Royersford, PA. Dennis worked for 3 companies in 37 years in the inventory field. He loves to travel and looks forward to retiring in 4 years. |
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Monroe J. “Doc” Taranto |
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Doc at Camp Gaylor in Vietnam in 1966 Doc Today | ||||
Doc’s first tour with the Brigade came in 1965 - 1966 as an Operations Officer in the 39th Signal Battalion covering Viet Nam’s III and IV Corps. The 39th moved to Vung Tau when it was replaced in Saigon by the 69th Signal Battalion under LTC Charlie Bob Myer. Doc worked for Colonel (P) Bob Terry during the 1st Signal Brigade organizational months. After an assignment at Monmouth and the AT&T Systems Engineering Course in New York, Doc returned to Viet Nam in 1968 with DCA-SEA and then the Joint Cutover Working Group (JCWIG) implementing the SEA- ATS with headquarters in Thailand. He then was Commander of CEEIA-Thailand from 1969 – 1971, part of the 29th Signal Group. Subsequent assignments included the ARCCO at Fort Ritchie, graduate school at the University of Colorado, CINCPAC J6, NATO’s NICSMA in Brussels and Commander of CEEIA/ISEC-CONUS (under the watchful eye of LTG Emmett Paige) at Fort Ritchie. Industry called in 1986 when he joined CONTEL, then, in 1990, founded and managed Amstar Communications until his second retirement in 2000. Since then, Doc has been active as an IT consultant and strong AFCEA supporter. |
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Howard Hickman | ||||
Howard in Phu Lam Howard today | ||||
Howard served 18 months at the Phu Lam Signal Facility, Saigon (1969-1971). He also served 8 months with the 72nd Signal Battalion in Karlsruhe, Germany. He held the rank of SGT E-5. After his military service he had a career as a Police Officer. He served with the University of California Police Department, Berkeley, the St. Mary’s Collage of California, Moraga and, the El Cerrito Police Department. During this period, he held various assignments including Detective Sergeant, SWAT Sergeant, and Dignitary Protection Coordinator for High Profile visitors. In 1995, he founded a group of Veterans who served at Phu Lam, Vietnam. The group has now grown to 1,400, with over 1,000 email addresses. He has gathered and maintains a collection of photographs, videos, stories, Personnel Lists and National Archive documents pertaining to Phu Lam. Some of the collection is posted on the Phu Lam web site: http://PhuLam.com He is a family researcher for his family and has posted his research on the web site: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hhickman. Howard has a BA in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a MPA in Administration of Justice from the Golden Gate University, San Francisco. Howard has been married for 26 years and had two children currently attending U.C.L.A. and UC Berkeley. |
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Dan Jett - Treasurer |
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Dan in Vietnam Dan today | ||||
Dan Jett was discharged from the US Army in November 1969 as an E-5. He served in the Army from November 1966 to November 1969. After his service time, he received a BA degree in Business Administration in Accounting from Cal State Fullerton. Dan has been practicing public accounting for the last 40 years. He has held various positions for CPA firms. He was co-founder of Barlow & Jett, CPAs. For the last 20 years, he has concentrated in tax related work, including tax preparation and tax compliance for individuals, trust, partnership and business returns. Dan has an expertise in trust administration and accounting. Dan has serviced as treasurer and board member of a non-profit organization. Dan is a calligrapher and book artist. Dan currently services on the finance committee for his church. Dan and his wife Patricia have a son living in South Dakota. |
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Joseph M. Gleason - Membership Team member | ||||
Attended grades K through 8 and graduated from St. Marks Grade School in June 1961. Attended St. Thomas Military Academy and graduated in June 1965. I attended Mankato State College from September 1965 until March 1966. I did not do so well but had a great time. I got really good at playing cards. I spent 3 years in the U.S. Army from August 1966 through August,1969. I went through Basic Training and Advanced Individual Training as a Personnel Records Specialist at Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. From August 1966 through January 1967. I served in Nha Trang, South Vietnam from February 1967 until February 1968. I spent the rest of my Army service at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky. I returned to College in September 1969. I graduated from Lakewood Community College with an Associate of Arts Degree in June 1971 and From Mankato State College in December 1972 with a B.S. Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. I have taken some post grad classes in Finance. I worked for the State of Minnesota for 35.5 years and retired in February 2009. I spent 5 years as a Bank Examiner with The Commerce Banking Division and 30.5 years with the Minnesota Department of Revenue. I spent 5 years in Collections and 25.5 years as a Revenue Auditor in Income Tax. I retired in February 2009 and have had no regrets. They brought on a new major computer system which was a great incentive for me to leave when I did. I have been married to my wife, Mary for 37 + years and we have 2 adopted children. Our daughter, Meghan, is 28 years old, married and is living in Southern California. Her husband, Ayman, is a neurosurgeon. They have a 2-year-old daughter named Aya. Our son, John, now 22, is in the Army National Guard and is a Helicopter Fuel Specialist. He does lawn work and snow plowing on the side. He hopes to get into Law Enforcement in the future. Mary worked for Qwest Communications and previous Companies for 36 years and we are both enjoying retirement very much. We traveled to Australia and New Zealand shortly after my retirement and we are looking forward to more travel in the future. |
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Eddie Fulwood | ||||
Eddie in Vietnam Eddie Today | ||||
Eddie arrived in Viet Nam, May 1968, and was assigned to the 1st Signal Brigade, HQ Co., 52nd Signal Battalion in Can Tho. His MOS was 31L, Radio Relay and Carrier Repairman. During his tour, he worked on new equipment involved in the cutover from Line of Sight to Microwave and PCM communications. Eddie was honorably discharged from the Army in May 1969. Eddie’s military career also included an enlistment in The District of Columbia Army National Guard in 1987. He was assigned to the 547th LMT Transportation Company. This unit was activated and deployed to the Persian Gulf during The Desert Storm Conflict. He served as the Truckmaster in this unit. Also, while in the DCANG, Eddie attended IMD and taught the following courses at DCMA; PLDC, BNOC, ANOC, WMD’s and The Air Land Battle Doctrine. Eddie is a graduate of Strayer University, Washington, DC, with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. He was employed by The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit System (Metro) for 34 years. He retired in 2003 as Operations Superintendent of The Landover Division. |
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Glen Acre |
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Glen in Vietnam Glen with wife and grandchildren today | ||||
Glen was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the charter R.O.T.C. class at the University of Central Arkansas in Aug of 1970. Brigade duty was with the 40th Signal Battalion (Construction) with both B Company in Cam Ranh Bay and C Company in Long Binh from late 1971 to late 1972. In his last few weeks in RVN he was assigned to HHC, 535th Signal Battalion. All of his RVN time was as a Platoon Leader/ Co XO with the line units and included six weeks with the Republic of Korea 100th Division in II Corps area out of Nha Trang. Glen had several different positions in public education in central Arkansas, to include working with adults in vocational education supporting business and industry. Glen completed his civilian career as a Secondary Guidance Counselor with Little Rock School District retiring in 2010. Glen’s wife Nancy is a retired school administrator, and they have one daughter and three grandchildren. They actively work and manage a 380-acre beef cattle operation in Greenbrier, Arkansas. |
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Bob Van Pelt - Membership Committee Chair | ||||
Bob in Vietnam Bob Today | ||||
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Bernie Wallace - Administrative Officer and Membership Cards |
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Bernie in Vietnam Bernie Today | ||||
In June 1968, I was drafted and sent to Ft. Bragg, N.C for Basic Training. While at Fort Bragg I enlisted in the Regular Army. Upon completion of Basic, I was sent to Signal School at Ft. Gordon, GA, for training as a Teletype Operator, MOS 72B. After completing AIT in November, I departed for Vietnam in December 1968. In Vietnam, I was assigned to 2nd COMSEC Logistics Support Unit (CLSU) at Can Tho in the Mekong Delta. Our mission was to provide Crypto support to Army units in Vietnam’s IV Corps. My duties were varied. I filled in as Unit Clerk because I could type, but my main duty was to assist the COMSEC Warrant Officer. While in Vietnam, I was promoted to SGT/E5. I returned from Vietnam in December 1969 and was assigned to Ft. Bragg. When I arrived at Ft. Bragg in January 1970, I was assigned to the 206th Signal Company. The Company was so understrength that little activity took place. While with the 206th, I attended the Ft. Bragg Chemical, Biological and Radiological school. Later, I attended the 3rd Army NCO Academy at Ft. McClellan, AL. I finished the Academy in May of 1970 and was promoted to SSG/E6. The 206th was deactivated on June 30, 1970 and I was transferred to Headquarters & Headquarters Company of the 50th Signal Battalion (ABN), XVIII Airborne Corps. There I was assigned to the Battalion Crypto Facility. Since I was the senior NCO, my main duty was to oversee the operations of the facility when the COMSEC Warrant Officer was absent. I was discharged from active duty in June 1971. |
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Stanley Grieco |
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Stan in Vietnam Stan Today | ||||
I joined the Army right after High School as a Warrant Officer Candidate. I took my basic at Fort Polk in Louisiana. After completion of basic I was off to Pre-flight at Fort Walters in Texas. My academic grades were superior and low demerits but wasn’t coordinated enough to fly a helicopter and never soloed. When I went before the elimination board I was offered Officer Candidate School. But I had my heart set on flying, so I turned it down and waited to be reassigned. My orders had me reassigned to Fort Gordon in Georgia were I was to become a 72B20 Com-center Specialist. After completion of AIT, I received orders for Vietnam. |
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Bob Motley - Webmaster | ||||
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Eric Randau - Secretary | ||||
Eric in Vietnam Eric Today | ||||
Me, 1969 Dong Tam, working on something. I don’t really recall but it must have been part of the REL 2600 radios - The mux gear was hermetically sealed. (I’ve put on a bit of weight since then!) |
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Jim Gregory - Newspaper Editor | ||||
Sgt Gregory at HQ Danang Vietnam Jim Today |
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Wayne Rich | ||||
Wayne in Vietnam Wayne Today | ||||
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Gerry Seth | ||||
Gerry Today | ||||
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