1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

Dedicated to the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment,

past, present and future.

*Note : This website was created, and is best viewed at 1024 x 768 resolution

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Throughout history, the Soldiers of the 22nd Infantry Regiment have lived up to their official motto:

DEEDS NOT WORDS

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Forward Operating Base Falcon, Iraq - April 12, 2008
Command Sgt. Major Timothy Guden, left, and Lt. Colonel Matthew Elledge, right,
unfurl the Battalion standard in Baghdad, Iraq, as 1-22 Infantry assumes responsibility
in southern Iraq during the Battalion's third deployment to the OIF combat zone.

U.S. Army photo by Spc. David Hodge, 1st BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div., MND-B

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ROBERT (GARY) KREK

Gary Krek, Vice President and Web Administrator of the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society, died on March 29, 2008
after a long fight with cancer. Gary Krek was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 22nd Infantry, 4th Inf Division,
in Sept. of 1965 and was instrumental in the training of the new draftees during the Basic Training at Fort Lewis , WA.
On September 22, 1966 he was one of the original "Boat People" who deployed by Navy ship to Vietnam,
where the unit was stationed in Dau Tieng , Vietnam. He was an Infantry scout assigned to the Recon Platoon.
During his time in Vietnam, he fought in one of the largest battles of the war, the Battle of Soui Tre on March 21, 1967
where his unit saved an American firebase from being overrun and caused extremely heavy casualties
to the attacking NVA and Viet Cong forces.

In addition to being a key member of the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society, Gary was an active member
of the 4th Infantry (Ivy) Division Association and an officer of the Arizona Ivymen Chapter of the 4IDA.
He served several years as the Secretary/Treasurer for the Chapter.

After the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society was reorganized in 1995, he volunteered to be the Webmaster for the Society's Web Page.
He made the Society's web page, http://www.22ndinfantry.org, into one of the most outstanding sites on the World Wide Web.
His tireless efforts produced an exceptional web site with information on all facets of the unit from inception
to current active duty troops. His activities have been instrumental in locating many veterans of the 22nd Infantry Regiment -
from WWII, Cold War, Vietnam, and today. Without his total dedication, the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society
would not have been as successful as we have been. Gary continued as the webmaster until 2002
and was then designated as Vice President - Webmaster of the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society.
(Pete Gaworecki succeeded Gary and assumed duties as the Webmaster in 2002).

In 2001, Gary was named a Distinguished Member of the 22^nd Infantry Regiment by order of the Secretary of the Army.
His other awards include the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and several other Vietnam service ribbons.

Services for gary Krek will be on Friday, Apr 4th, at 11:00. There will be viewing one hour before the service.
Service will be held at Messinger Mortuary, 7600 E. Indian School Rd, Scottsdale Az. 85257.
There will be a reception/gathering to celebrate his life immediately following the service.

Gary will be sorely missed by the members of the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society. He truly lived our motto - Deeds not Words!

If you have a positive memory or comment about Gary Krek, his family would love to hear it.
You can send it to Gary's old email address at hhc222@cox.net and his family will get it.

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Joe " Cat " Akczinski

Company B 1/22 Infantry 1969-70

On April 6, 2008 Joseph John "Cat" Akczinski Jr. passed away.
He is remembered by his fellow Soldiers as a brave squad leader in combat.

Services are being handled by
Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services

If you wish to leave a rememberance online you may do so at the following link:

Singleton Funeral Home

Joe will be laid to rest at:

Glen Haven Memorial Park
7215 Ritchie Hwy.
Glen Burnie, MD 21061

Visitations:
3:00PM to 5:00PM on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services

7:00PM to 9:00PM on Thursday, April 10th, 2008 at Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services

Services:
11:00AM at Singleton Funeral & Cremation Services on Friday, April 11th, 2008

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250

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1-22 Infantry Afghan
Sales to benefit 1-22 REGULARS

To All - 1-22 is selling the above afghan for a fundraiser. They are $40.00 each.

The POC for this is : Charles Goodwin, CPT, IN , Rear-D CDR, Office:
288-0913 or me (Christy Sparger, Echo Co. Co-FRG Leader 254 394-2274).

Deadline to order the throw is not set at this time, Capt Goodwin said that they will probably continue to order throughout the deployment.
They have to order them in sets of ten. They take about two to three weeks from the time the order place to deliver.

You can pay one of three ways, cash, m/o, check $40.00 payable to Echo Co. (EN) 1-22 IN FRG (for local delivery only)
please either mail the check or m/o to me or take it to the company office.

If you live out of town and would like to have one mailed to you, please add $8.95. This is for a flat rate priority box.
I should be able to get it in one of the flat rate boxes no problem. If you order more than one,
I will let you know the cost but I think that I can possibly get two in a one rate box with no problems.

Please mail the checks to me at:

Payable to: Echo Co. (EN) 1-22 IN FRG

Address to send check to:

Echo Co. (EN) 1-22 IN FRG
c/o Christy Sparger
506 CR 4879
Copperas Cove, TX 76522
(254) 547-7338 Home
(254) 394-2274 Cell

If you are interested in a throw, email me and I will let Capt. Goodwin know.

Thanks

Christy Sparger

For a printable order form click on the following link to open a Word document:

Afghan Order Form

Editor's note:
As you can see by the above photo, these afghans are absolutely beautiful.
They would be great for any generation of 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry,
to show pride in being a Regular, By God !
Best of all, the money raised from their sale goes to benefit
our active duty Soldiers of 1-22 Inf.

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***** Reunion News *****

4th Annual Reunion

Company B, 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

The third annual reunion, held in Branson, Missouri was a resounding success! About forty-six veterans, along with their spouses
and families had an enjoyable time reconnecting with former comrades-in-arms. We were once again moved to learn
that the bonds formed so long ago, in Vietnam, are stronger than ever! Plans are now well underway for the 4th annual reunion,
to be held in Gettysburg, PA, November 6-9, 2008, at Windham Gettysburg, with a "day trip" planned on Friday,
the 7th, by tour bus, to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Accommodations at the Windham Inn will be $109.00 per night.
A block of eighty rooms has been reserved, so be sure to mention our group when making your reservations; call 717-339-0020.

The bus trip will be an all day event, with the focus on the Vietnam Memorial. However, there will be ample time to visit other sites
of interest in Washington. There will only be room for fifty-five passengers on the bus, including spouses and friends,
at a cost of approximately $20.00-$30.00 per person, depending on the bus line available to us. It is therefore, imperative that you let us know,
no later than September 30, 2008, if you intend to include this in your plans. Since the availability is on a "first come-first served" basis,
we expect the bus to fill quickly. Some will consider car-pooling. There are logistical costs that will be incurred,
so any donations will be gratefully appreciated. For further information and updates, please contact Fred Golladay at: 1-520-378-3053
or 1-520-255-0869. Via e-mail contact: Kathy Root at: callroot@alltel.net

All of us look forward to welcoming you home. See you there!

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Company C, 1/22 Infantry Chu Moor Reunion

C/1/22 is holding our fifth reunion July 10-12 in Gilroy, CA.
Most of this group are vets from Tet '68 to Chu Moor Mountain late in April '68
but others come and are welcome.
We will meet at the Forest Park Inn in Gilroy. The phone number for the Inn is
408-848-5144. Ask for the C Company group rates.
For more information contact Bud Roach at
reg10bud@yahoo.com

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The purpose of this site is to provide a place for members of the 1st Battalion to post their photos,
stories and memories of their service with the 22nd Infantry.

We invite all who have served or are serving with the 1st Bn 22nd Inf to send us your pictures and thoughts
of your time with the 22nd, and we will post them on these pages. E-mail and regular mail addresses for submissions
can be found at the bottom of this page.

This is an ongoing project. Our ultimate aim is to detail the history of 1st Battalion.
As such, we consider ourselves to be historians. This is not a dues paying club; there are no membership fees.
All material here is presented solely for historical purposes. Depending upon the level of participation
and support from you, we can expand this site and make it a permanent testimony
to one of the US Army's finest Infantry Battalions.

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FSB Niagara July 1970 Republic of Vietnam

Photo courtesy of George Heidt

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

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This website was founded for the purpose of preserving the history of 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry.
We are not a formal organization.
Our organization is the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society.
Our allegiance is to the Regiment.
We strongly urge all veterans and presently serving members of 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry,
to join the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society.

For a membership form to join the 22nd Infantry Regiment Society
click on the following link:

22nd Infantry Regiment Society Membership

Click on the following banner to go to our Regimental Society's Website.
There you will find more history of the Regiment, along with current events,
and information concerning all Battalions of the 22nd Infantry:

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* Note *

A special thanks to George Heidt and Lou Talley, whose support and involvement
were the catalysts to making a website the whole Battalion could share.

1st Battalion 22nd Infantry

Web Administrator----Michael Belis

with the able assistance of George Heidt, James Henderson, Bob Babcock, Angela Kraft,
and the Gracious Anne LeGare

e-mail: webmaster@1-22infantry.org

Send written information to:

Michael Belis
P.O. Box 60695
Lafayette, La. 70596

DISCLAIMER AND COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This site is maintained as a memorial to those who have served and are serving with the 1st Battalion 22nd Infantry. It consists of stories, anecdotes, photographs and the memories provided by unit members. While every care has been taken to present accurate information, we cannot guarantee that inaccuracies will not occur. The Website and the Administrator will not be held responsible for any loss, damage or inconvenience as a result of any inaccuracy or error within this site.

Because this site describes in detail events that occured in wartime, some of the content may be of a graphic nature and not suitable for some viewers. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. Neither the Website nor the Administrator will accept liability from those viewers who find the content objectionable.

Submission of new material relating to the history of this unit is welcomed and encouraged. However, the Website Administrator retains the right to edit any submitted material for content, grammar, relevance, accuracy or any other reason. The Administrator also retains the right to revise the content of the website at any time.

The content on this site is protected by all applicable copyright laws. No material may be copied, downloaded, stored or otherwise duplicated by any means from this site without the permission of the Website Administrator. Copyright © 2002 by Michael Belis on behalf of the 1st Battalion members.