There are occasional mentions of their common bond – a two-year tour of duty in Vietnam in ’66 and ’67 – but for the most part, the five Army veterans (plus one Vietnam-era U.S. Navy veteran) and all their wives are on St. John to enjoy the sun, the fun and each other’s company.
The five Army veterans were drafted as the U.S. government ramped up the war in Vietnam.
"We don’t relive our time overseas," said Stan Pawlaski, a 65-year-old retired accountant from Chicago.
That said, they’ll never forget their fellow soldiers who died in Vietnam.
"They died in their early 20s and didn’t have the life we did," said Andy Trabanco, 65, who works for the New York City Fire Department.
And then there was that story about the latrine that blew up when hit with gunfire.
However, they prefer to talk about how they got in touch with each other after decades out of the army. Some of them attended a 2001 reunion of their outfit, the 3rd Squadron of the 11th Armored Calvary Regiment, and met a few of the other veterans.
"Howard called up a bunch of people," said Joe Moliero, a retired New York City Transit motorman.
He was referring to Howard Linnabary, 64, a utility company field representative from Jackson, Mich.
And thanks to Linnabary’s efforts and the Internet, they connected with the others.
When they first reunited, they were a bit surprised to find that they didn’t look quite the same as they did when they parted in 1967. However, Linnabary said their voices didn’t change at all.
They’ve done other trips together, including a cruise that stopped in St. Thomas, where, they met up with Army friend George Moolenaar, who showed them around St. Thomas and St. John.
This sparked an interest in St. John, and one of their wives organized a week-long stay at a posh villa. Moliero recruited a friend, Navy veteran Jerry Esposito, 64, also a retired motorman for the New York City Transit, to join the group.
Their wives have also become friends. The couples’ marriages range from 32 years to 42.5 years.
"Now we have a great group of friends," Carol Pawlaski said.
They all arrived on St. John Saturday.
On Sunday, they went to church at Our Lady of Mount Carmel.
"The priest called us up for a special blessing," said retired communications manager Jim Kas, 65.
The group’s presence even got mention in the church bulletin.
While they’re spending a lot of time socializing at their villa, they plan to go out to dinner, take an island tour, visit Trunk Bay and go snorkeling; some even plan to go sailing. And Friday night is talent night, so most of the friends will perform.
"I’ll be in the pool," Linnabary said, laughing as he indicated he didn’t plan to showcase any of his talents.
