Passing of a Great friend Bill Parrish

 I just learned from Anton that a mutual friend has passed away.    Unfortunately I don't have the date. I met Bill Parrish via Bob Webb.   That was a friendship that lasted from the mid 70's on.  During my time in the service and many different life events we lost touch.

  Bill worked for Broughs working on computers in the 70's. He will me build my first computer. Bill and I long to a small group of gamers.  We would meet twice a month.  But the group fell apart when the automobile collapse in the late 80's.   We play 40K, Warhammer fantasy and all kinds of historical games.

   Bill was big into Korean Taekwondo.  He had became an instructor.   R.I.P. Buddy hope to meet you on the other side.

Another friend has crossed over the bridge.

Bill is tall guy with the Lomos Brothers.

 This morning I found a very good friend I have known since 1982 pass.  Bill Osborne was a fine gentleman, a Marine and a Civil war buff.    I met Bill at my first nationals for the North-South skirmish Association.   Bill had a company that sold Civil war equipment, original firearms, reproduction firearms and parts for all of the firearms.   Later I found out Bill own a tooling company is Wisconsin.   In the early 90's he got into the join venture with Chinese Company making investment cases.

   In the N-SSA he was a life long member of the 29th Wisconsin.  He enjoy completing with Civil War era firearms.  Last week I learned he had heart attack,  Later that he was on a ventilator.   This was not a good sign.  He had a couple of heart attacks in the last tens years.   A few years ago he moved to Greenville, Tennessee.  This where his wife was from.   There he became a country gentleman farmer.   Horses, ducks, chickens and Scottish Coos.    As he told me in May this year. That this was the move in his life.   A much slower pace of life.

   I know he is standing watch at heaven's gate greeting fellow Marine.    R,I,P Marine..  Semper Fi.

When will it stop.

 Yesterday morning on facebook I discover I lost another good buddy.  Jeff Pierce and I worked together at GE transportation in Erie Pa.   Jeff was a manager and I worked as a drafter designing locomotive components.   During the time I worked for GE my family was still in Detroit area.  At Erie I was living alone in small apartment.   Turned out Jeff had an interesting in the Civil and black powder firearms.  This turned out to be a starting point for a great friendship that has last until today.

    Jeff knowing that I would try to go home every other weekend.  So on the off weekend, he would call me to hang out.  The two of us would go to auctions.  In Pa one can find a lot of antique firearms from the civil war.  We would stop at the eagles club for a beer.  And talk. 

  Sadly he will not placing Flags on the graves of Veterans this Memorial day.   This passing of Buddy really hurt this time.
 Update 5/28/2020.  I learned Jeff had a sudden fatal heart attack. He suffered no pain.

Jeff and his Mother.  He loved this country.

Tragic loss of a gaming buddy.

Last night I found out that my good friend Guy F passed away.   Guy was only 61 years old. He plan was to retire in December this year when he turned 62.   He told he want to enjoy live with family and friends.   I met Guy via a group that are hard core Advance Squad Leader players.  After finding a ASL facebook. I had for player near to me.  To my fortune found a group that meet regularly near me.  They let me join their face book group.    This when I met Guy.   He was a seasoned player and loved the game.  My second game was against.  In our first meeting he brought several scenarios on a basic beginner level.  Explained in deal how the game works.  As we play he would point out rules as I started a move.  In which he told me what could happened.  That was the beginning of our friendship.  He always let me know if I need a component, he was available to play. 

Most of my ASL group are near my age 50-70 years old.  No egos or killer players. This is one of the reason I liked Guy.

My friend Guy,

 I hope Guy will find a group of ASL player in Heaven.  It is ashame to run over buy careless drivers.  God bless you buddy. I hope to see you on the other side resting under the shade of an old oak.  God Bless you and your family.







Here is what Fred said about Guy.

    My good friend and battle buddy, SGM (ret) Guy F....... died this morning. He was killed on I-696 after he got into a fender bender with another car. He and the other driver got out to check and were both struck and killed by two other vehicles.

Guy was the Senior Enlisted Leader for the Joint Reserve Intelligence Support Element - Detroit when I was the unit's director. He was very competent and was an excellent adviser to me and took great care of his soldiers, airmen, sailors and marines. I relied on him heavily.

He also worked as one of the intelligence specialist at the G2 US Army TACOM LCMC on my team. He supported the light tactical wheeled vehicle programs.

Guy played ASL and WH40K among many other wargames. He loved gaming and was always a great opponent. He and I were currently in the midst of playing the scenarios CH!'s Krinkelt-Rocherath pack. He was playing the Germans. We last played on January 17th. That was the last day I had the pleasure of his company.

Guy was a great man, always helpful and friendly, with a calming demeanor. He will be greatly missed. I am simply stunned and am frankly going numb over this

Here is what David said:

, Guy was a great gaming partner. I really appreciated his presence on Saturday nights, where he, Howie Dawson, Mike Fetty, and myself played every other weekend. There is just a huge, gaping, hole, and part of me just can't accept that I will no longer enjoy his company, and hear his voice and laughter. In many ways, he was an unsung hero in helping us playtest ASL products for more than a decade. In between that, he played WH40K a lot when we were all active. I think he owned more 40K armies than any of us, and he seemed to enjoy playing it. I know he owned many games and was looking forward to retirement soon to begin playing all of them. In addition to the grief, I have this undirected anger that I have yet to place, at his absence. You will be greatly missed! 😢

Tribute to my friend Anton.

Anton with the Blue shirt.Helping kids at the paint and take at Flintcon

I have the pleasure of being Anton's (John T) friend since the mid 70's.  Working at the famouse Squadron Shop in Madison Heights Michigan is where I first met him. Anton was still in high at that time.  At that time he was into building armor kits.  Later on he became a fellow squadron Shop employee.  Being a little old when Anton we hit it off pretty good.  Shortly there after he got introduced to Historical wargaming.  Be already a D&D  player he took to wargaming like a fish to water.  At the squadron shop Rob Krause the Store Manager put on a GHQ micro armor battle.

  Anton when crazy as he had a blast destroying allied tanks with his tiny Italian tanks. Because the expert player forgot that if you get close to an Italian it will bite you bad.    From this Anton and I expended into all kinds of miniature wargame.   From WRG, to Empire 2, Stars & Bars civil war rules.   I think it was around 1978 we and our gaming group re-fought the battle of Gettysburg.  It tooks us months to paint the figures.  Building the gaming table took up our friend Lenny whole basement.  After placing some brigades on  15mm figures it was realized that the table had to be strengthen.  The group decided to play on the 4th of July weekend.   Well after the weekend pasted we had not completed the first days battles.   Stars & Bars was not a fast play rule set.  The decision was made to keep going a couple weekends a month.  It wasn't until late October or early November we finished.

   Over the year Anton has played other players out.  Be it some painted figures, terrain and what ever is needed.  He always there to help.  Like in the picture helping out the future gamers.  To some it seem like it is a waste of their time.  But Anton's dedication to the hobby is inspiring kids and young adults.   Besides all this he is known to put games at his home two, three times a week,


This is why I call him my best friend.  He is always there for his fellow gamers and friend.   John I am honored to be your friend and gaming buddy!

Oldsarge 

A mile stone for the blog 1000 post. This is dedicated to Great Buddy

I figured since this is a special post for the blog.   This post is dedicated to my late Buddy Dave "BOH" Bosanzki.   Dave was a premier model builder.   In the mid 60's to the early 80's Dave wrote so many articles for the modelling magazines.  Dave and Mike Dario had so many articles in the old Fine Scale Models.  The editor asked them to created fake names for the articles. 

Many memories of Dave was his big smile.  It was asa big as his heart. If you where has buddy, he would do anything for.   He was about 6'4", a retired USAF Msgt that had a million stories.  We and a few other in the modelling would go to all the local IPMS contest in region 4.  Our nick name was the hogs..  Sadly Boh died on Valentines 1984 from a very bad gall bladder at 45yrs of age..

Boh where ever you are in Heaven I figured got a new group of Hogs raising cane.  Miss you Buddy.

Boh at his spot at Walt's Hobbies Dearborn, MI