Michael Walsh - AVVBA Luncheon

Captain Michael Walsh of Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association Speaks at Chapter August 2004 Luncheon

The monthly meeting and luncheon for the Atlanta Chapter was held at Jock's and Jill's Sports Bar and Restaurant in Brookhaven on August 20, 2004. It is held on the third Friday of every month at the same location.

We were especially honored to have as SOPA our shipmate CAPT George A. O’Connell ’35, who continues to show us by example what alumni spirit is all about. He also celebrated his 91^st birthday on this day. Our thanks also to his nephew Reggie Vachon ’58, who makes sure he has transportation to our meetings.

We were also pleased to see CAPT Felix De Golian III ’63 at the meeting. As many of you know his late father, CAPT Felix De Golian, Jr. ’37, was the founder of the Atlanta Chapter and served as President from 1946 to 1947.

Our luncheon speaker was CAPT Michael Walsh, USNR (Ret.), a graduate of UGA and OCS, who served in Destroyers in the Tonkin Gulf during the Vietnam War. Mike is a native Atlantan and is very active in the Atlanta Vietnam Veterans Business Association. He was accompanied by Rusty Redding, another member of AVVBA, who was a Navy SEAL in Vietnam.

Many of us, including me, were not aware of the outstanding work this organization does in the Atlanta area recognizing and honoring those who served and those who gave their lives in the service of their country in Vietnam. Mike described and showed us the locations of several of the monuments erected and beautifully maintained in the metropolitan Atlanta area. We were also reminded of the presence of the Vietnam Moving Wall, a replica of the Memorial Wall in Washington, which will be in Dunwoody next week. The AVVBA is a cosponsor of that event.

CAPT Walsh described the memorial that is in the planning stage for next year. It will honor a Naval Academy graduate from Atlanta, CDR Clarence William Stoddard, USN, ’49. He was CO of VA-25 and pilot of an A-1 Skyraider that was shot down by a SAM on a mission over South Vietnam in September 1966. He crashed in the Gulf of Tonkin and was not recovered.

His widow, Janey Stoddard, lives in Memphis, grew up in Atlanta, and was Miss Georgia in 1948, and runner-up in the Miss America pageant. They had 6 children who scattered all over the U.S. and we hope that many of them will be able to attend the dedication of the memorial. He has several classmates in our Atlanta Chapter, and coincidentally, our chapter mate Clint Johnson ’60, was a squadron mate of CDR Stoddard in VA-15 and flew the same mission the day before CDR Stoddard was killed. Clint is also active in the AVVBA and gave us a lot more information on what they do. Naturally he is vitally interested in this memorial to his former Skipper.

The memorial is tentatively scheduled to be located in midtown Atlanta near Colony Square or the Woodruff Arts Center. As the date grows closer we will keep you informed of the details and we told CAPT Walsh he could count on the Atlanta Chapter’s full support in making this a fitting tribute to this fallen hero. Bill Rentz ’55, Chapter President, presented Mike with a USNA Atlanta Chapter apron with great appreciation for his presentation.

The meeting was concluded with the singing of Navy Blue and Gold. Join us each month, on the third Friday of the month, for another monthly luncheon... same time, same place.

Capt. Walsh addresses the luncheon attendees.

Chapter President Bill Rentz '55, presents Michael with a personalized Atlanta Chapter Apron.