The purpose of the "GOPHER BAKER" Website is to provide online information for B-Company people about current and future events, as well as to provide a "Message Board," a photo album, reports of past reunions, a regularly up-dated Company roster, and a "Reminiscences page," which, we hope, will eventually become a repository for reminiscences and anecdotes about "the good old days" at Camp Cooke and in Japan and Korea. You will also find a pair of links to websites concerned with the history of the 578th and the Korean War in general.

Your humble Webmaster (SCOTT LITTLETON) would like to express his heartfelt thanks and appreciation to JACK JONES, not only for providing the "Gopher Baker" cartoon, the roster, the guidon photo (see below and elsewhere), and a great many other pictures, including the Company and Platoon photographs taken at Camp Cooke in the fall of 1950 (see Photo Album), but also for his unbounded energy, enthusiasm, and encouragement. He continues to be our leader in many more ways than one! I would also like to thank Jack's charming daughter, CANDY CAMPISE, for her generous help in downloading her father's materials to this site, as well as TOM SLOBKO, MARLEE NAVAR, YADIRA GARNETT, EARTH WARREN, POTTER PALMER, DAVID LAMB, NOEL CLAY, WENDY LIN, and the rest of the gang at Occidental College's Office of Information Technology Services, past and present, for their invaluable expertise and assistance and for allowing us to maintain our website on the Oxy server.

Bulletin:  JACK JONES has just confirmed that the 2009 B-Company Reunion will be held in Branson, MO, in conjunction with A-Company.  The dates are 20-23 October, and the venue will be Ramada Resorts & Conference Center, 1700 W. Highway 76, Branson, MO 65616; TEL (417) 334-1000; FAX (417) 339-3046.   The reunion rate for a double is $64.00 plus taxes (please mention "578th ECBN Co. A").  The banquet, which will feature prime rib or baked chicken, will cost $25.95.  More details will be posted as they become available.

A stage show in Branson

Bulletin:  We are extremely sad to announce that our comrade, LARRY J. ATHERLY, passed away on 13 June, 2009.  For details, including pictures from the military funeral at the Riverside National Cemetery and the reception afterwards on 23 June 2009, please click on In Memoriam.

                        
Larry Atherly at Camp Matsushima in 1951            Larry in 2007
 

The 2008 B-Company Reunion, was held at Sam's Town in Las Vegas on 7-9 October.  Once again, DON ASA, his family, and staff hosted the affair.  It was a Battalion reunion as well, and several members of A Company and H&S joined us.  For  some pictures, please click on Las Vegas, either here or below. 

FUND ESTABLISHED TO ASSIST TRAVEL TO REUNIONS

At the 2005, Seattle reunion, DON ASA proposed that we we set up a fund to help provide transportation for those comrades who might otherwise be financially unable to attend reunions. We will use Southwest Airlines roundtrip awards, and can thus transport anyone within the area served by the airline.  However, the late JIM WASKO, who volunteered to manage the program, said that roundtrip awards on Southwest Airlines are negotiable, with a "street value" of $300 per.  Thus, if needy members live outside the Southwest area, or if the reunion is held in a location not served by the airline (Denver is an example of such a location), we can sell the tickets and buy ones on another carrier.

But to keep this worthy program going, we need donations! Please send what you can--every little bit helps!--to Don Asa, 3123 North 20th Street, Phoenix, AZ 85016.  Checks should be made out to "The B Company Travel Fund." Baker Company people who wish to apply for one of these awards should contact Jim at the above address.  Decisions will be made by the Company Awards Committee.

Recently posted!

Thanks to JACK JONES, we now have the platoon photographs, taken in the fall of 1950 at Camp Cooke, online!  I've also recently posted some photographs of the unit in Korea taken by LARRY KNOWLES, who was part of Baker Company From July to September, 1952.  Pease check these photos out on the Photo Album page below.

MORE "GOPHER BAKER" PAGES AND LINKS

 Please click on the underlined items in order to access the following pages and links:

• Message Board, a forum for Baker Company people to communicate ideas, suggestions, queries, etc.
• In Memoriam
• The 2008 Company-plus-Battalion Reunion, Las Vegas, NV, Oct. 7-9, 2008. 
• The 2007 Company Reunion, Phoenix, AZ, 4-7, Oct, 2007.
• The 2006 Company Reunion, Fort Collins, CO, 27-30, Sept, 2006.
• The 2005 Company Reunion, Seattle, WA, 11-14 Aug, 2005.
• The 2003 Company Reunion, Palm Desert, CA, 06-08 May, 2003.
• The 2002 Battalion Reunion, Las Vegas, NV, 8-11 April, 2002
• The 2001 Company Reunion in Clarkesville, IN, 16-19 May, 2001.
• The 50th Battalion & Baker Company Reunions in Pueblo, CO, 13-17 September, 2000.
• The 1999 Battalion Reunion in San Antonio, TX, 9-10 April, 1999
• The 1998 Company Reunion in Niagara Falls, 18-21 June, 1998.
• The 1997 Battalion Reunion in Las Vegas,  NV, 27-28 April, 1997.
• The Company Roster.
• Photo Album.
• Reminiscences and Anecdotes. Contributions needed!
• For a brief history of the 578th Combat Engineer Battalion, from WWI, through Korea, to its reactivation in 1997, please check out http://www.militarymuseum.org/578EB.html. 
• For the most recent issue of the Korean War Project Newsletter, which concerns the war in general and includes posts from both veterans and their families, please click on http://www.koreanwar.org/html/newsletter_july_27_2005.html.