E-News – September 2017

Jack W. Dice, Colonel, United States Army (Ret.), 1937- 2017.

On August 24, 2017, Jack lost his battle with Alzheimer’s and joined The Long Grey Line. Following in his father’s footsteps, Jack graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1960, beginning a proud and dedicated 25-year service to his country. On his first assignment to Germany, he met and married Marga Thiele from Wuerzburg. Next came Vietnam (Purple Heart), graduate school at Duke, military history professor, and a second tour in Germany that was the highlight of his career:commander of 3rd Squadron,11th Armored Cavalry Regiment.

After attending the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, PA, the family moved to Daegu, Korea with the 19th Support Command. From 1980 until his retirement in 1985, Jack served as Deputy Commander of the recently established Department of Military Instruction (DMI) at West Point. Jack had a horse-and-animal-loving family, so a small farm in Virginia was the ideal place for retirement. However, his second successful and much-enjoyed career was working together with Marga in the real estate industry for nearly 25 years.

Mourning his loss are Marga, his wife of 55 years; son Christof and his wife Rhonda; daughters Kerstin Stoval and husband David, and Bettina Markowitz and husband Jonathan; grandsons Jack and Brian French; siblings Fletcher Dice, Joe Dice, Eleshea Lively, Kathy Hirano, and their families. He will be missed by his beloved dog, Tony.

A Celebration of Life and interment at West Point will be at a later date in October 2017. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation in his memory to Homeless Animal Rescue Team ( opens in a new windowwww.hart90.org). The online guestbook is available at: opens in a new windowhttp://www.moneyandking.com.

CSM Noel S. Foster

Command Sergeant Major Noel S. Foster, 48, of Clarksville, Tennessee, died September 1, 2017. A celebration of his life with full military honors will be held 3 pm Wednesday, September 6, 2017 at Liberty Chapel, Fort Campbell, with Chaplain Colonel John "Jim" Murphy officiating.

Visitation will be 4 pm to 8 pm, Tuesday, September 5, 2017 at Reynolds-Nave & Larson Funeral Home. On September 6, visitation is from 2 pm until the hour of service at Liberty Chapel, Fort Campbell, KY.

Noel was born June 10, 1969 in Orange County, CA. Noel was a Christian, Distinguished Member of the Currahee Regiment, Distinguished Member of the Blackhorse Regiment, member of the 101st Airborne Division Association, member of the Association of the United States Army, and member of the 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment Association (Rakkasan).

He served in every enlisted leadership position within the Infantry from Rifleman to Command Sergeant Major. He also performed duties as a Drill Sergeant for 2-54 IN, Fort Benning, Georgia and as a Platoon Trainer Mentor and Tactical Analysis Feedback NCOIC for Task Force 1 of JRTC Operations Group at Fort Polk, Louisiana.

CSM Foster was a graduate of the Warrior Leaders Course, Advanced Leaders Course, Senior Leaders Course, 1SG Course, United States Army Sergeants Major Course (NRC – 36), Battalion Pre-Command Sergeants Major Course, Command Sergeant Major Development Program, Drill Sergeant School, Airborne School, Jumpmaster School, Air Assault School, Ranger School, French Commando School and numerous other Infantry and technical MOS related schools.

His awards included the Bronze Star Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters (OLC), the Meritorious Service Medal with 3 OLC, Army Commendation Medal with 2 OLC, the Army Achievement Medal with 6 OLC, the Army Good Conduct Medal 9th Award, the National Defense Service Medal with Campaign Star (CS), NCO Professional Development Ribbon (4), the Overseas Service Ribbon (4), the Navy Achievement Medal, the NATO Medal, the Global War on Terrorism Medal, the Iraq Campaign Medal, the Kuwait Liberation Medal, the Afghanistan Campaign Medal with 2 CS, the Southwest Asia Campaign Medal with 2 CS, the Meritorious Unit Commendation with OLC, the Navy Unit Commendation Medal, the Army Superior Unit Award, the Drill Sergeant Identification Badge, the Ranger Tab, the Combat Infantryman Badge with Star, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Air Assault Badge, and the Senior Parachutist Badge. He was awarded the Saint Maurice (Centurion) and Saint George Medals. CSM Foster was also a member of the Audie Murphy Club and recipient of its Medal.

Along with his parents, Terry and Sue Berglund, he is survived by his wife of 27 years, Lanette Monceaux Foster; son Aaron Foster; daughters Brandi (Robert) Reynolds, Jessica (Jaime) McFall, and Kandi Foster; brother Howard Foster; sisters Kate McKinney and Rhianna Camacho; and grandchildren Miguel, Davion, Izik, Shelby, Isaiah, Giovanni, Brooklyn, Kole, Kanin and Katniss.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Fort Campbell Fisher House at opens in a new windowwww.fortcampbellfisherhouse.org. Online condolences may be made at opens in a new windowwww.NaveFuneralHomes.com.

Blackhorse Troopers from numerous eras and across the United States gathered on August 5, 2017 in Parker, Colorado to attend the formal induction of Sergeant (Ret.) Christian Michael Redman into the Honorary Rolls of the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. Chris Redman served in C Troop, 1/11 in Fulda in the late 1980s and has been a tireless ambassador for the Blackhorse ever since.

Due to medical issues, Chris was not able to attend this year’s Reunion in Atlanta, and his former 1SG (Ret. CSM Roy Sampson) accepted on his behalf. In keeping with Blackhorse tradition of never leaving a buddy behind, his fellow troopers, family, and friends conducted a "movement to contact" and converged on Chris’ hometown to make sure he experienced the event firsthand. Joining the mission were many family and friends from the Colorado area and beyond.

The 67th Colonel of the Regiment, Colonel Joe Clark, was on hand to conduct the formal ceremony and provide the official pronouncement. The Association is very thankful to Colonel Clark for his efforts and time to be part of this special occasion.

Former 1st Squadron Commander Glenn Snodgrass served as Blackhorse Association President Pete Bayer’s representative and as Master of Ceremonies. He was ably assisted by fellow organizers including Tom Smart, Roy Sampson, Jim Oldenburg, Dan Schultz, and Eamonn McGeady.

Just a few days earlier in Washington, DC, Chris was officially recognized by his Congressman, Representative Ken Buck, who entered a citation into the Congressional Record. Ms. Robin Coran from Rep. Buck’s staff was on hand to read the citation during the ceremony and present a copy to Christian.

Alexis Redman, Chris’ daughter, was on hand to assist her father and share the moment, as were his father David, mother Jackie, and sister Jen.

Also in attendance were numerous friends from all around the area, including several former US Army soldiers and Marines.

Attendees included:

After the ceremony, the group "invaded" a local steakhouse for food and fellowship, complete with a round of formal toasts in Reunion fashion, numerous tales of derring- do, and a robust rendering of "Allons" for those present in the establishment. The chorus performed so well that a patron insisted on buying a round for all, and the group reprised the performance at the piano bar prior to leaving.

Thanks to all who organized and attended this very special event.

The Spirit of the Blackhorse is alive and well!

Allons!
Eamonn McGeady

Below are photos of the event and the entry into the Congressional Record honoring Chris Redman.

After nearly two years of preparation, the Point Alpha Foundation is proud to announce the opening of a new permanent exhibition. "Everyday Life – German-American everyday life in the Fulda Gap in the shadow of the Cold War" is located in one of the barracks at OP Alpha.

The exhibition highlights the civil aspect of the presence of many thousands of American soldiers who formed part of the communities of the Fulda-Bad Hersfeld region for nearly four decades. It explains the process of growing together by means of German-American clubs, joint sport events, carnival, and Christmas celebrations.

The Blackhorse Association and the 14th Cavalry Association supported this unique project from its beginning by providing funds as well as valuable exhibits or documents. Many veterans participated as witnesses of the time during various filmed-interview sessions both in the U.S. and Germany. This enabled future visitors to listen to extraordinary and extensive displays of oral history in the exhibition, and to help preserve the memory of our common history during the Cold War.

The official opening is September 17, 2017 at 3 pm. Veterans and their families are invited to share this event with the Foundation.

I hope to see many of you in the future!

Below are some photos taken during a preview tour:

Do you currently have Texas Disabled Veteran license plates on your vehicle? You may be thinking that you don’t want to switch them for the 11th Cav plates because of all the benefits the DV plates currently offer, such as handicap parking, free parking at Texas airports, and free toll on the Houston toll roads.

However, you can have the best of both worlds. Just scroll through the military specialty plates and select the Disabled Veterans license plate with the Blackhorse patch on it. The folks at your local tax office can help you to change over to these Blackhorse DV plates if needed.

The original note on the 11 Cavalry specialty plates was in the August 2017 E-News, which can be viewed on the Blackhorse Association website by opens in a new windowfollowing this link.