View Doug Martin's photos from the Advocates for Afghanistan (AFA) Documentary Trip:

Read the 2nd installment (Our 'home' in Kabul) of Marnie's letters about the trip and Dwight Martin's article (U.S. group inspired by nation's former glory) published in the Honolulu Advertiser on November 23, 2003.

Thanks Doug, Dwight and Marnie!
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Jim Springer & Dawn Erickson hosted a Halloween party at their home in Oakland to show slides and tell stories about their recent trip to Afghanistan. Mary MacMakin was in town for a much needed rest and visit home from Afghanistan to see her family. Bruce MacMakin threw a party for Mary at his home in San Francisco and you can view Danny & Gina Hilario's photos from these events:

Thanks Danny and Gina!
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Mary (Meadows) Pyburn is generous in sharing her Afghan memorabilia with the rest of us and the latest is the 1973 Ariana Afghan Airlines Calendar featuring the local dresses of Afghanistan. Beautiful!

In case you missed it, Mary also shared her copy of the 1972 Ariana Afghan Airlines Calendar with us earlier in April of this year. This 1972 calendar features the wild flowers of Afghanistan.

Thanks Mary!
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Marge Cutler gave me these photos at the San Antonio Reunion in October 2002. I had misplaced the nearly two dozen photos, but recently found them to publish here.

That's Anne Chapman dancing with someone I don't recognize in the photo on the left above. The photo on the right is of The Outsiders (left to right): (front) Jim Bramstedt, Steve Westfall, Doug Chapman, Pete King; (back) Ken Cutler and Lonnie Phelps. There's also a cute photo of Marge Cutler and Danny Hilario on a date. (Danny, does Gina know that you two dated back then?)

Thanks Marge!
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A record number of Scorpions returned home to Afghanistan this year. On behalf of our Scorpion family, I would like to thank everyone who shared their trip home with us in pictures and words, allowing all of us to experience your trips vicariously.

Out of the numerous photos you've shared with us, I selected the photo on the right to feature with this article. Van Auburn's caption for the photo is: "Resting after my climb up the mountain - actually the northeast side of Sher Darwaaza or Cannon Mountian. I'd like to believe there are six kids in the picture." It sums it all up for me: a return to the magical time and place of our youth. Here are the latest photos from Van.

Scorpions returning home to Afghanistan this year included:

• Maria Eoff (Ditta Reyes 1973-79)
• John Steiner (1962-66) & family
• Van (Peepers) Auburn (1962-66) and Chris (Tex) Brown (1962-66)
• AFA Documentary Group: Mina Bamizai (Honorary Scorpion), Dawn Erickson (1966-71), Marnie (Hartung) Gustavson (1964-68), Doug Martin '68, Dwight Martin '71, Anne (Michalec) Payson (1970-72), Tim Reese '71, Jim Springer '72, and Stacie Teele (1973-74)

More photos were added to our ever growing library this year. Notable contributions included the extensive photo collections of Dave Fliehr '74, Marwil Gillette (Teacher 1973-75) and the expansion of the Dr. William F. Podlich Collection. Dr. Podlich's photo (Winter Walk) was published by People Magazine on Page 137 of the February 10, 2003 issue.

Let's not forget the major Scorpion event of the year: the fairy tale Scorpion Wedding of David Sperry '72 and Leta Neat '72 on July 5, 2003 in Santa Rosa, California. At the 2000 Scorpion Millenium Reunion, Dave and Leta rekindled a great friendship, and at the 2002 San Antonio AISK Scorpion Stampede, we found out just how far that friendship had progressed when Dave proposed to Leta. The Stampeding Scorpions -and all the Scorpion family- couldn't have thought of a better place or time for one Scorpion to "pop the question" to another. Thanks, Dave and Leta, for sharing your memory moments with us!

Change is always difficult. The replacement of the Guest Book with the new Forum was met with mixed emotions. Scorpions and Old Hands who have not registered yet in the Forum are encouraged to do so since the Directory is now linked to the Forum membership.

For more details on what happened here this year, see the Archive.
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The photo of the Mystery Scorpion (left) was taken on July 31, 1971 in Afghanistan. The French Foreign Legion would not accept him, so he joined the Muhjadeens instead. It turns out that he is no mystery to his fellow Scorpions even though Jim Springer '72 tried his best to throw them off the scent with the gun. This is evidenced by entries in the Forum.

More challenging was the identification of the Mystery Old Hands (right). This photo was taken from one of numerous Kabul parties in 1966 (plus or minus 1 or 2 years). The woman on the left is my mother, Lupe Geronimo. Some of you may have met her at the Commissary where she worked. That's Jack and Connie Taylor with her in the photo. Jack was with the US Army in Kabul. The last time my parents and the Taylors were together was 30 years ago (Summer of '73) in the Washington, D.C. area. My parents are enjoying their retirement in the Philippines. My mother will be celebrating her 80th birthday this month by taking 60 of her friends out to lunch and then going ballroom dancing in the evening! Does anyone know where the Taylors are?

Vanessa Vogeli '73 wrote: "Here is an article about my brother Vance who would have graduated from A.I.S.K. in 1987, I think. He was in Bogota over the weekend and got caught in a grenade attack. Some of his old friends may find it interesting."

The couple on the left are Don and Pat (Wolff) Grayson (1960-62). They live in Bradenton, Florida. Thanks to Marge Cutler (1965-67) for submitting the photo. According to Marge, she and Pat "get together for 'girl stuff.'" Pat wrote the poem titled "TWO YEARS AFTER (9/11/03)" posted in the forum by Marge.

Peter Pindak from Czechoslovakia writes: "Could you be so kind and can you help me please to obtain a some picture postcards of Afghanistan? Just on web I found the exclusive collection by Danny Hilario!"

"Let me know please if it's possible to buy a some in Kabul bookshops, gift-shops. I can pay in euro or dollars. I wait your news. Thanks!"

If you can help Peter out, let me know and I'll send you his email address.
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