Al Hofacker’s Letters Home

Posted on May 26, 2012 | 8 comments

Thursday’s post on Lance Corporal Tim Barmmer — the Staples grad killed in Vietnam — brought an email from Mary Gai.

Al Hofacker, in the 1969 Staples yearbook.

She remembers Al Hofacker. A member of Staples’ Class of 1969, he too served in Vietnam.

Al was more fortunate than Tim. He made it home.

Like Tim, Al’s letters home are available online (at Military.com). Here are some excerpts:

April 1, 1971

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well, the party’s over. They’re sending me back out to the bush tomorrow. I’ll be at CAP 2-7-6. Lt. Grebenstein called me up on top of a bunker this morning and had me test fire a 40mm automatic grenade launcher. He wants me to take it out to CAP 6 and add some firepower.

The thing weighs a ton. You carry it in front of your chest held by a sling. It’s got a magazine that holds 12 HE (high explosive) grenades and you can fire it semi or auto. The Lieutenant’s sending a guy named Cooper out with me to carry my ammo. He’s REAL happy about that.

I’m not real crazy about going back out but I’ll take care of myself. Thanks for the care package with the stuff from Joyce in it. Tell her thanks. Remember staring tomorrow my address is CAP 2-7-6.

Love,
Big Al

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April 4, 1971

Dear Mom and Dad,

Here we go again. We got hit by a couple of RPG rounds last night walking down this trail they call “Frag Alley”. The rounds went right through our column and exploded behind us, but we all turned and opened up on the trees. You couldn’t see anything, it was almost dark. I fired off two rounds from the auto-bloop and got tree bursts and had to cease-fire and just sit it out because I don’t have a sidearm.

A photo posted on the page with Al’s letters, on Military.com.

Nobody got hurt and we never found the dinks. But I got on the radio to 7th Company this morning and told them I wanted a rifle because the auto-bloop ain’t worth a damn anywhere there are trees. So they came and picked it up and now I’ve got a 16 again. There’s just too much bamboo out here.

Most of the guys here are pretty cool. I’m hanging in there. Would really like a hamburger right now. Take care, I’ll write soon.

Love,
Al The Kat

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April 10, 1971

Dear Mom and Dad,

This afternoon we were out on patrol with Sgt. Tingen and we spotted 3 people sitting on a rice paddy dyke in green uniforms, two men and a woman. Our PF’s told us they were VC so we got behind them in a treeline without them seeing us.

Then Sgt. Tingen stood up and opened fire and we all opened up and killed all three. It kind of made me sick. They didn’t have weapons. Joe Nielson was with me and he’s been low all day. There was a lot of horsing around and joking about the whole thing that didn’t sit right with me. But when the PFs say they’re VC, you gotta take them at their word, cuz we sure as hell don’t know. And if they don’t have weapons on them right then, that doesn’t mean they won’t be shooting at you later.

There sure is a lot of B.S. over here. I hope 2nd CAG gets pulled out soon. Tell Jeff Hunn I appreciate the letters and I’m glad he’s been coming over to visit. He’s the only friend I have who hasn’t written me off as a dead guy.

Love,
Alan

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April 23, 1971

Dear Mom and Dad

I’M OKAY! I’M FINE! I don’t know what you have heard or what you haven’t heard but I’M GOING TO BE OKAY! I’m at the Army 95th Evac Hospital in Danang with a small grenade fragment in my face, had a piece taken out of my scalp, and a few pieces in my leg, but I’m okay. I don’t want you to worry. I’m not crippled, I didn’t lose anything important. I didn’t lose anything period. I don’t know and nobody can seem to tell me if they notify next of kin when you get wounded, so I wanted to write and let you know I’m fine.

We got hit bad on frag alley 2 nights ago and we got our asses WAXED by about 4 or 5 VC who’d got into the bamboo around us when we were sitting around at our Charlie Pappa 1 (check point one) and they just started lobbing grenades in on us over the trees. Just handfuls of frags that kept going off. It was unbelievable. Just about everybody got hit. I got hit, Ward got hit, the Corpsman was running around with a piece in his stomach, Henkle got hit bad, one of the PF’s got his eye blown out. It was insane. We had about 4 walking wounded (including me) and about 4 stretcher cases and we had to go about a click to get up to Hiway 1 where they could bring choppers down to get us out. Sgt. Tingen wasn’t with us. He was with the Alpha team who ran a react for us. We got up there finally and two Hueys came down on the road about 20 minutes later and they had some Cobra gunships work over the place with miniguns.

So anyway, I’ve been probed and X-rayed and picked at and had my trousers cut off, but I’ll be out of here in a week or so. PLEASE DON’T WORRY. I’m just fine and the food sucks. I’ll write again soon.

Love,
Al The Kat

(To read all of Al Hofacker’s letters on Military.com, click here.)

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Posted in Looking back, People

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Cobb’s Mill, Part 2: The Bridge

Posted on May 26, 2012 | 2 comments

Yesterday, “06880” celebrated the reopening of Cobb’s Mill Inn (well, “La Roue Elayne at Cobb’s Mill Inn.”)

Many readers were pleased.

One, however, was particularly alert. Far in the background of the photo —

— he noticed the arch bridge on Route 57. It’s hurting, he says, and must be replaced.

He should know. He’s an engineer.

He predicted a choice: Shut down the road for 4 months and replace the bridge all at once, or maintain some traffic and let the project drag on for 2 years.

Either way, people will be inconvenienced.

And the newly reopened Cobb’s Mill — or whatever it’s called — will be affected.

(For a story on a very similar, tiny bridge — and why these projects take so long — click here.)

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Posted in Places, Restaurants

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Dry, A Blow Dry Bar

Posted on May 26, 2012 | 13 comments

You would think that, with all the salons around town, you (and by “you” I mean “women”) could get a fast, affordable and long-lasting blowout.

According to September Sirico, you would be wrong.

A Westport native and “beauty industry veteran,” she recently opened Dry, A Blow Dry Bar. (The capital letters are correct. That’s the full name. It’s got a comma, just like a law firm.)

Like any good entrepreneur, September saw a problem. Actually, 2. Blowouts rarely kept their fresh luster for more than a day. Plus, they cost a ton.

September Sirico

She trained all her stylists in “Blow, the New York Blow Dry Bar signature blowout techniques.” In addition, the salon offers “chic updos, braids, hair extensions, makeup, lashes and more.” (Don’t quiz me on that. It comes straight from a press release.)

Also, though, like any good entrepreneur September had to overcome obstacles. She approached local banks that had relationships with Greg & Tony — a salon her family owns. Despite her perfect credit rating — and her long community involvement, like the governing board of Levitt Pavilion and volunteering for Near & Far Aid — all said no.

“I was asking for money for start-up that had nothing to do with Greg & Tony. These banks just wouldn’t fund a start-up,” she says.

This winter she cashed in her life insurance policy, and emptied her savings account. She also asked her parents to invest.

“That was hard,” she admits. “They’re thinking about retiring and slowing down. But they believed in the concept.”

Her Staples High School friends helped too. They were there every step of the way, offering both emotional and practical help.

Lindsay Francis researched blow dry bars, made calls, sat in on meeting with architects and builders, and gave feedback on logos.

Amy Scarella helped design the space, and ran errands.

Jennie Bedusa proofed website copy, and went to Los Angeles with September to study blow dry bars.

Dan Armitage made all the countertops. Mark Conte — who knew September’s husband at Fairfield Prep — created a huge chalkboard for the salon.

Family friend (and realtor) Steve Crowley added much-needed moral support.

A Google Images search for “blow dry” turned this up. Impressive.

Dry, A Blow Dry Bar is now open at 3397 Post Road in Southport. I could go on and on about how “clients can create their own signature style,” or take advantage of “facial waxing, lash tint and lash application, makeup applications and decadent head massages called ‘Floaters.'”

I could, but I’d have no idea what I was talking about.

You’ll just have to see for yourself.

And by “you” I mean, of course, “women.”

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Posted in Local business, People

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Cobb’s Mill Comes Back

Posted on May 25, 2012 | 22 comments

It takes a little while for news to filter south, from 06883 to “06880.”

But let waterfall-lovers and wedding-goers everywhere know: Cobb’s Mill is back in business.

Weston’s favorite only full-fledged eatery — a working mill since before the Revolution, and a restaurant/inn since 1936 — closed in 2010. The property tax bill was over $130,000, and the food was forgettable.

A classic Cobb’s Mill scene.

Now — with the economy gaining strength, and restaurants sprouting in nearby 06880 like dandelions — Cobb’s Mill has joined the parade.

New owners Elayne Cassara and Drew Friedman have renamed it “La Roue Elayne at Cobb’s Mill Inn.” (“Roue” is French for “wheel.”  Get it?)

That’s a mouthful, but it’s probably better than “La Roue Drew” etc.

I stole this shot from La Roue Elayne at Cobb’s Mill Inn’s Facebook page. I assume this is Elayne.

The iconic waterfall remains, of course. But the interior has been renovated.

So has the menu.

Despite the new name — and one dish called “moules and frites” — the menu is not French. Head chef Michael Achille offers up beef quesadilla, stone hearth-baked pizza, Rhode Island clams, broccoli rabe and sausage, lobster mac and cheese, Alaskan codfish filet and bacon-wrapped filet of tenderloin.

Plus, there’s music.

“Where’s Jimmy?” — described on Cobb’s Mill’s Facebook page as “Fairfield County’s favorite Rock n Roll quintet” — rocks the restaurant tomorrow (Saturday, May 26) at 9 p.m. Upcoming acts include Old School (a great rock band I actually have heard of, on June 1), and Tim DeHuff’s Dynamic Jazz Duo (June 21).

So, from all of us in 06880 — who occasionally made the trek north to 06883’s Cobb’s Mill (sometimes not even for a wedding) — welcome back.

And — with a nod to “La Roue Elayne” — bonne chance!

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Posted in Looking back, Restaurants

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Lance Corporal Timothy Barmmer, And The Vietnam Plaque

Posted on May 24, 2012 | 24 comments

The World War I and II memorials across from Town Hall are impressive. This weekend — as we honor our veterans — they’ll get their well-deserved share of attention.

But nearby lies a smaller, less-noticed plaque. This one salutes 5 Westporters killed in Vietnam. Timothy M. Barmmer (Marine Corps), Michael B. Paquin and Stephen A. Shortall (Army) and Frederick M. Rader III and Francis A. Walsh (Air Force) are cited for their “honorable service in Southeast Asia, in the face of uncommon adversity.”

Westport’s Vietnam Memorial, opposite Town Hall.

In January 1968 — more than a year after arriving in  Vietman — Tim Barmmer wrote to his parents in Westport:

Listen, I’m sorry I’ve waited so long, but I went to Bangkok for 7 days, and when I got back we were pretty busy.

I guess you’ve heard a lot about Khe Sanh on the news & stuff, but DON’T WORRY! I’ll be honest, we’ve been getting hit with rocket & artillery every day, & they’ve surrounded us, but if you’ve seen the support we get, you’d feel as good as I do.

We have built a bunker so good, NOTHING could get through it — believe me.

Lance Corporal Tim Barmmer

We have jets bombing the area every 15 minutes, gunships, & B52 bombers every day. Feel a little better? I have not been SCRATCHED. The American flag flies atop our hole, unscathed!

We call ourselves the “glorious untouchables” and we’ve been put in for two more medals. How about that?

I’m pretty sure they’ll be pulling us out after all this is over, ’cause we’ve lost about 40 in a month — maybe we’ll go to Okinawa or something!

Bangkok was REALLY GREAT! I’m gonna go back there some day — met some really good people there. Thailand people are really friendly & good to Americans. It was terrific R&R!

I have a lot of work to do. Take care of yourself, and remember – I AM FINE — morale is terrific, and the guys are fighting their hearts out. Keep praying as I am, and we’ll keep fighting for you.

I made TV carrying a wounded News Coresspondent down the street — look for me on CBS! How about that?

Don’t worry, please. Give my love to all, and I’ll see you in 4 1/2 months. Love you all,
Tim.

Two days later — on January 30, 1968 — Lance Corporal Timothy M. Barmmer was killed by enemy fire. He was 20 years old.

Tim Barmmer’s company.

A recon corpsman said, “He died in my arms. He died trying to get someone else in the bunker during incoming… Tim was literally throwing people in (the bunker).  Shrapnel got to him.”

Later, Tim’s parents received a letter from a woman named Viola Howes. Her son Roger had often written about Tim — his best friend, and someone who “made this place bearable.”

This time, Roger wrote about his best friend’s death. Viola wanted another mother to read Roger’s words:

Yesterday evening we were sitting in our bunker eating C rations and a rocket came in about 3 feet from it. Huck (Tim’s nickname), Doc, Mac and Zeke were outside heating chow. Huck tried to push them in like the big stupid loveable guy he was and took the blast and was killed instantly. The other 3 are in serious condition and sent back to the States.

My God, what a dear friend we’ve lost, Huck was big and big hearted, he could be gruff yet gentle. We loved him like a brother and he left an impression that could never be forgotten. Everyone in our company could not help but like him. He was first to help a new guy coming in. He was the first one to welcome me here. This place can never be the same without him.

God has some purpose in it I know, but Oh God, we will miss him. Could you do me a very great favor and have a Mass said for Huck. His name is Timothy Barmmer. Thanks Mom, so much.”

Timothy Barmmer’s name is engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC. It’s panel 35E, Row 65.

His name lives forever, too, in the much smaller — but no less significant — Vietnam veterans’ plaque opposite Town Hall, right here in Tim Barmmer’s hometown.

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Posted in History, Looking back, People

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323: It’s All True

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 5 comments

Bogey’s — vacant since Hurricane Irene last August — will reopen soon.

A sign on the new restaurant — named 323, for its location at 323 Main Street — promises “It’s All True.” I have no idea what that means, but it sounds intriguing.

323 will extend the dining options on the non-chain-store end of Main Street. A new wine bar opened recently next to Sally’s Place, and Joe’s Pizza will relocate there soon.

Count one more area of downtown is livening up.

Would I lie?

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Posted in Downtown, Restaurants

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Gwen Beal: From Almost Nothing To “Almost, Maine”

Posted on May 23, 2012 | 32 comments

On her 1st day of school 4 years ago, Gwen Beal auditioned for Staples Players’ fall show, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying.”

She didn’t get a role.

But instead of marking the end of her Players career, it was the beginning.

Assistant director Caley Baretta asked Gwen to sit in on a rehearsal. Though intimidated — Caley was a well-known junior — Gwen said “sure.”

She was hooked.

She interned with Caley for the spring production of “Twelve Angry Men.” She continued to work with — and learn from — Caley as a sophomore.

As a junior, Gwen was on her own.

Gwen Beal, working hard on the set of “Almost, Maine.”

Now — less than a month from graduation — she’s reached the end of a very enjoyable and creative 4-year Staples Players career. “Almost, Maine” — a serio-comic collection of whimsical tales about the joys and perils of romance in a small Maine town — is set for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (May 24, 25 and 26) in the Black Box Theatre.

It’s a clever, intriguing play — one of those you-may-not-know-it-but-you’ll love-it shows. It’s also a fitting capstone for Gwen’s career.

“To think that I saw maybe 2 Players productions before I got here. And now it’s become the biggest part of my life,” she marvels.

Actors get all the props applause, but a role like Gwen’s is crucial to any play’s success.

“It’s so rewarding to watch a scene grow,” she says. “We shape it the way we want. It really is ours. Mr. Roth (David, the director) oversees things, but in a lot of ways we’re really on our own.”

Michelle Pauker and Bryan Gannon, two of the stars in “Almost, Maine.” (Photo/Kerry Long)

From casting suggestions to helping block and run scenes — plus nitty-gritty but very necessary work like handling dinner — an assistant director can make or break a show.

Gwen learned her role by “stalking Caley. I saw everything she did. There’s no textbook to read. Everything is trial and error.”

Once, Gwen forget an important binder. She got yelled at — and never made the same mistake again.

She’s excited about “Almost, Maine” because the cast and staging are so intimate. “Everyone has a story to tell, but the scenes are short. You don’t have much time to get the whole character across.”

Everett Sussman (left) and Clay Singer discuss the world in “Almost, Maine.” (Photo/Kerry Long)

It’s not easy for a high school actor to play an adult going through a divorce. “That’s so beyond our experience,” Gwen says. “But it’s so rewarding to figure out how to do it, and do it right.”

Some days are blissful. Others are freak-outs. Yet, Gwen notes, “when you figure everything out, there’s no feeling like it.”

Right now, she feels “bittersweet. I’m totally in denial that on Saturday, I’ll be all done with Players. This experience has really shaped me as a person. I’ve learned to talk to adults, technicians, older Players and peers. I’ve learned so much about people.

“My entire high school experience would have been different without Players.”

And all because an older student asked casually, can you give me a hand?

(“Almost, Maine” will be produced in the Staples Black Box Theatre this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, May 24, 25 and 26, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 for adults, $10 for senior citizens and students. There is also a 4 p.m. performance on Saturday, May 26; tickets are $5 for senior citizens and students. Click here for reserved seats.)
 
Click the YouTube arrow below for an “Almost, Maine” trailer:
 

32 Comments

Posted in Arts, Entertainment, People, Staples HS, Teenagers

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2 Questions

Posted on May 22, 2012 | 32 comments

An alert “06880” reader sent along 2 questions. Though not related, both are interesting. She wants answers, so click “Comments” to reply. Let the games begin.

Westport is a “bicycle friendly town” (or something like that). But these cyclists are not so friendly. I got yelled at yesterday by an old geezer in bike regalia on Hillspoint who said, “why don’t you learn how to drive a car?” after I stopped at a stop sign before driving — very, very slowly — through a large break in the middle of a group of bikers.  It just struck me as funny.What are the actual rules for cyclists? Are they supposed to stop at stop signs?

Also, I wonder why Westport allows door-to-door solicitors. The magazine sellers arrive in the spring and, as a person who works from home, I find it alarming to have someone knock really hard at my door in the middle of the day. I believe that solicitors are not allowed in Norwalk (because a solicitor was cuffed by a police officer in front of my house 2 springs ago for violating the “no soliciting” law in Norwalk.)

Anyway, just 2 things I’ve been wondering about. Thank you!

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Posted in Totally random

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Sign ‘Em Up

Posted on May 22, 2012 | 4 comments

In the span of 12 hours last week, 2 alert readers emailed several shots of local signs.

In typical Westport fashion, they’re poles apart.

A woman named Victoria is not a big fan of the signs that have sprouted at Bridge Square.

She writes:

I know there was some concern when Dunkin’ Donuts moved in and had their flags. That was nothing compared with the eyesore that is on the corner now.

We are big fans of the new restaurants that have moved in and wish them lots of success, but hope they can modify their Pepsi advertising signage and their massive white board which seems more appropriate for a Holiday Inn conference. Do any local laws govern signage such as this?

A couple of miles away — geographically and philosophically — there’s Lloyd Allen. The owner of Double L Farm Stand is a big fan of creative, eye-catching and hand-made signs.

However, he says, the recent P&Z “clean sweep” of Post Road signs has forced him to remove some of his own. Right now they rest in front of his store — not, more visibly, nailed to nearby trees.

“The town takes its signs seriously,” he notes. But, he says — tongue only slightly in cheek — “If my sign said ‘Vote Grass Fed!’ that would be okay.

“Or ‘Still Lost: Free Range Chickens.”

Meanwhile, “the biggest signs of all are the ones that say ‘Space Available’ up and down the Post Road.”

“Count them,” Lloyd says, referring to the legal “For Rent” signs. “Go figure the logic behind it all.

“Of course, businesses can pay $80 for a minuscule chalk board sign that’s unreadable form a car going the posted speed limit.”

Lloyd believes each establishment should be allowed one sign. “Better that,” he says, “than going out of business.”

After which your landlord can put up a big, ginormous sign. Saying “Space Available.”

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Posted in Local business, Local politics, People

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Blake, Ryan, Suzanne, Martha, Paul And Oscar

Posted on May 21, 2012 | 10 comments

Suzanne Sherman Propp — no slouch in the talent department herself — was in Oscar’s yesterday afternoon.

Sitting a few feet away were Ryan Reynolds and his Gossip Girl, Blake Lively. Bedford, New York — where they just moved — may have Martha Stewart, but it lacks a good deli.

“Thank you, Paul Newman, for training us Westporters to be calm, cool and collected during celebrity sightings,” Suzanne says.

Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds (not at Oscar’s, and not at the Oscars).

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Posted in Entertainment, People, Restaurants

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