Ricky I found all too late that you had passed before our 50th class reunion....... We were high school chums and we did a lot of things together. Of course, you were the cute guy of our class. While you had girls on your arms all the time, I could just watch with envy. At graduation we went our separate ways. Not long after graduation I enlisted in the US Marine Corps. By mid 1967 I was an infantryman in the Vietnam War. In Ap
Ricky I found out all too late before our 50th Class Reunion that you had already passed. I wondered how you had fared after all these years. At Sequoia we were chums. You were the cute guy of the class, always with girls on your arms. While I just looked on in envy. But, you still remembered your pals and thats what counted in my book. At graduation we went our separate ways. Right after I graduated I enlisted in the US Marine Corps. By mid 1967 I was an infantryman in Vietnam. In April 1968 I was on my way to Rest and Recreation for five days in Manila. At the airfield at Dong Ha I heard: "Pardon me, but aren't you Dave Arocha?" it was Ricky a Marine himself! He was on his way to Bangkok for his R & R. His outfit was Bravo Company First Battalion Ninth Marines who had taken and would take heavy losses in future battles. Happily, we boarded a transport plane that took us down south to DaNang. At the transient building we had planned to meet later for dinner, as he had been assigned another squad bay. But, on looking for him, I was dismayed to learn that he had orders to immediately fly out to Thailand, I would leave the next day. I never saw Ricky again. Later, while still in Vietnam I saw his name in the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Ricky, acting as a radio operator during a fierce battle, had called in air or artillery support for his embattled company, being wounded in the process. From classroom to battlefield, it was an amazingly short period of time. This country owes you a great amount of gratitude for the job you did. Sorry I never got to meet up again with you. But, I trust you had a good life. Rest easy,Bro. I will always have good memories of you. Semper Fi
Dave, thank you for posting your heartfelt and wonderful memories of Ricky. It's so important to share these stories that we all have. My memory of Ricky is just a really handsome & popular guy that brought a joyous spirit to the room. I had no idea about his life after graduation, let alone his heroic service in Vietnam.
By the way, thank YOU for serving our country as well.
Beth Chipman (Snell)
Antonette "Tina" Carini (Peterson)
Yes, he was the CUTEST!
David R. Arocha
Ricky I found all too late that you had passed before our 50th class reunion....... We were high school chums and we did a lot of things together. Of course, you were the cute guy of our class. While you had girls on your arms all the time, I could just watch with envy. At graduation we went our separate ways. Not long after graduation I enlisted in the US Marine Corps. By mid 1967 I was an infantryman in the Vietnam War. In Ap
David R. Arocha
Ricky I found out all too late before our 50th Class Reunion that you had already passed. I wondered how you had fared after all these years. At Sequoia we were chums. You were the cute guy of the class, always with girls on your arms. While I just looked on in envy. But, you still remembered your pals and thats what counted in my book. At graduation we went our separate ways. Right after I graduated I enlisted in the US Marine Corps. By mid 1967 I was an infantryman in Vietnam. In April 1968 I was on my way to Rest and Recreation for five days in Manila. At the airfield at Dong Ha I heard: "Pardon me, but aren't you Dave Arocha?" it was Ricky a Marine himself! He was on his way to Bangkok for his R & R. His outfit was Bravo Company First Battalion Ninth Marines who had taken and would take heavy losses in future battles. Happily, we boarded a transport plane that took us down south to DaNang. At the transient building we had planned to meet later for dinner, as he had been assigned another squad bay. But, on looking for him, I was dismayed to learn that he had orders to immediately fly out to Thailand, I would leave the next day. I never saw Ricky again. Later, while still in Vietnam I saw his name in the Stars and Stripes newspaper. Ricky, acting as a radio operator during a fierce battle, had called in air or artillery support for his embattled company, being wounded in the process. From classroom to battlefield, it was an amazingly short period of time. This country owes you a great amount of gratitude for the job you did. Sorry I never got to meet up again with you. But, I trust you had a good life. Rest easy,Bro. I will always have good memories of you. Semper Fi
Antonette "Tina" Carini (Peterson)
Dave, thank you for posting your heartfelt and wonderful memories of Ricky. It's so important to share these stories that we all have. My memory of Ricky is just a really handsome & popular guy that brought a joyous spirit to the room. I had no idea about his life after graduation, let alone his heroic service in Vietnam.
By the way, thank YOU for serving our country as well.