Blackhorse E-News — December 2025
Troopers Down
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Sergeant Major (Ret.) Oscar Gill. With deep love and gratitude for a life well lived, we announce the passing of Oscar Finous Gill Jr., who departed this life on November 4, 2025 in his hometown of San Angelo, Texas at the age of 88.
Oscar was born on October 23, 1937, in San Angelo, and he lived a life marked by service, wisdom, and devotion to family. A proud Christian, he embodied the values of faith, kindness, and perseverance in all he did.
Oscar served his country with honor for 24 years in the United States Army, retiring with distinction as a Sergeant Major. Among other assignments, he served in the Blackhorse in Vietnam and later as First Sergeant of E Troop, 2/11 ACR 1974-1976. His military career was a testament to his adventurous spirit and unwavering dedication. After retiring from the Army, Oscar continued to serve his community as a math teacher at Central High School in San Angelo for 15 years, and later as a beloved math tutor to countless students. His passion for education and mentorship left a lasting impact on generations. Oscar pursued higher education at Angelo State University and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), always valuing knowledge and personal growth.
He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Renate Gill, and his sister, Ollie Harding. He is survived by his devoted son, John Gill.
Oscar’s legacy lives on through his extended family, including nephews Thomas Gray & wife Trish Gray and William (Sam) Harding; nieces Debra Gray and Theresa Holden; great-nephews & nieces Corby & Katee Gray, Josh & Abby Turner, Tiffany & Joe Glasscock, Beau Turner, William Harding, and Gill Harding; and great-great-nephews & nieces Joshua Turner, Samantha Turner, Kelsy Turner, Kristyn Turner, and Cambryn Gray.
Oscar was a man of many talents and interests. He found joy in golf, wood turning, and custom pen making, and he was an avid fan of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Longhorns. And of course, he enjoyed his daily meetings of the “Liar’s club” at 19th street Whataburger. Above all, he cherished time spent with his family and friends, always offering a listening ear, a wise word, or a warm smile.
He will be remembered as a loving, adventurous, and wise man who lived with purpose and gave generously of himself to others. As Oscar once said, “A life of service is a life well lived.” His was exactly that.
The family would also like to say a special thank you to Robert Kilgore, Rick LaBedelle, Jean Paul Cornelious, and John Sylvester. Their friendship and companionship meant so much to Oscar. Additionally, we would like to thank the staff of Lyndale Senior Living Center and Shannon Medical Center for their devoted and loving care of Oscar in his later years. |
Dwight E. Haston of Spencer, Tennessee, has finally proven Mark Twain’s old joke wrong. While Twain quipped that “the reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated,” in Dwight’s case, we regret to confirm that the rumor was true this time. As Charles Dickens wisely said, “A loving heart is the truest wisdom,” and Dwight certainly embodied that truth. Yet, Dickens also reminded us that “every human creature is a profound secret and mystery to every other,” and Dwight was undoubtedly a man of many mysteries. This time, sadly, he could not be recalled to life.
Born on November 1, 1946, Dwight departed this world September 26, 2025, just days shy of his and his beloved wife Carolyn’s 60th wedding anniversary, which was to be celebrated on October 2. True to his playful spirit, he let Carolyn think she had won by sticking around for longer than six decades — though, knowing them both, he will probably still be expected to take out the trash from the other side.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Elwood C. and Thelma Louise Haston of Spencer, Tennessee. He is survived by Carolyn, his lifelong love; his children, Michelle (Jamie Lawson) and Brady (Jennifer Leach); and three grandchildren who kept his heart young: James Lawson, Amber Lawson, and Alex Haston. He also leaves behind cherished “Auntie” Ann Stratton; beloved cousins Cherri Picard, Brady Stratton, Vivian Picard; and many other extended family members with whom he shared laughter and countless memories.
Dwight spent his life in service to his country and community — first as an Air Force veteran during Vietnam, then through decades of government service overseas on military bases. When he finally returned home, he traded the flight line for the classroom, serving as an educator for the State of Tennessee. Retirement didn’t slow him down; it simply gave him a new mission: traveling the world once more, both with a passport in hand and through the boundless journeys of his imagination. He was a man of humor, heart, and stubbornness in the best possible ways. He loved fiercely, laughed often, and could spin a story with enough exaggeration to make Twain himself proud. He leaves behind a family that adored him, a marriage worthy of writing stories about, and a reminder that life is both fleeting and unexpectedly long.
The family will hold a private ceremony to scatter his ashes. His stories, his laughter, and his spirit will live on — retold by those who loved him, hopefully with more accuracy than he sometimes claimed for himself.
Dwight was the Sub-Community Manager in Bad Hersfeld. For many years he and his wife Carolyn, who was a teacher in Fulda, were stationed there as civilians. He was an Air Force veteran and was originally worked in the recreation field before rising to GS-13 in Fulda. He was a great advocate for the troopers and their families as a DA civilian. |
Here are some photos that I came across. They are of Sgt. Bobby Sword, Sgt. Bennie Dyer, and me (I’m on the far left.). This was probably around May 1978. The article was from the Blackhorse newsletter that was put out periodically. All three of us were from the same hometown and the same high school graduation class in 1975; and we three were sent to the same motor pool in HHT Regiment. I spent three years serving with my best friends. Thought this might interest you. |
The following photo was provided by Donna Burgess, granddaughter of Norbert J. Thilges, who is at the top of the photo in an M8 Howitzer of Troop E, 36th Cavalry Reconnaissance Squadron (Mechanized). The 36th was one of two squadrons in the 11th Cavalry Group in World War II. The 11th Cavalry Group was redesignated the 11th Constabulary Regiment post-World War II and then the 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment. |
The Blackhorse Museum – Fulda, Germany |
Here is a link to the museum, which will allow you to select the English version: https://www.blackhorse-museum.de/ This is quite an impressive collection and well worth spending some time viewing the exhibits. |
The Early Days of Border Tours
Courtesy of LTC (Ret.) John R. Pretti |
I served in the 11th Cav at Fort Knox in 1954-55 prior to going to West Germany as a Platoon Leader. It was my first assignment from OCS as I chose Armor over Infantry. We were supposed to go to 6th Cav, but ended up in Bad Hersfeld via Project Gyroscope. I pulled Border Duty Officer many times, even before the fence went up.
We were not allowed to take photos back then. I think I had a small B&W camera, so I did sketches. OP Alpha was just a spot on the map back then. At night it was LP Alpha. I was CO, D Troop in 63-64 and also S4. I sent my Support Platoon Leader to Hanau to pick up a DXed Commo Van in 1964 and our Maintenance guys fixed it up with beds, stove, etc., and the commo guys put in radios and equipment. This was the very first OP Alpha.
In 1956, OP Alpha was just a checkpoint on the border map with no tower, just a great place to view the border and border patrol would call in to border ops the sitrep patrol at Alpha two Vopos (that's what we called the East Germans) moving SE. I was on the border watching them put up the fence. I recall at one time at OP Alpha walking across the plowed strip before they put in the mines.
We had a relay station on the Wasserkuppe, since our radios could not reach border ops at certain times/locations in our sector. It was quite a trip in the winter checking on the relay station in an open jeep. But the AF had a mess hall at the Kuppe and they had radar mission guiding aircraft into Berlin corridor, so we always had hot coffee. I spent 4 years 56-60 at Fulda and then returned in 1963 to command D troop and was the S4 for a year, In 1964, I got an old commo van as the very first OP Alpha shelter for our patrols to stay warm at night. Unfortunately, I have no photos of any of this, just those sketches.
Several of my photos can be found at this URL: https://blackhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/peretti.pdf |
Follow-up to John’s Note Above |
Allons and Suivez Moi.
For the Bad Hersfeld comment I referenced above, Project Gyroscope was intended as a British Army concept of replacing a unit for a unit. My tank platoon was formed at Fort Knox, where we trained together and were to replace the tank platoon in 2d Cav at Regensburg. However, our orders were changed to the 14th Cav.
When we finally arrived in Frankfurt, West Germany, via Ireland and England, I was ordered to take the platoon to Bad Hersfeld. When we arrived at Bad Hersfeld, it was sort of a surprise because my platoon consisted of 25 tankers, and they put us up in an attic until the next day and sent my platoon all over the regiment. Some went to Bad Kissingen, I was sent to Fulda, and the rest stayed in Bad Hersfeld. I cannot recall exactly what happened to Project Gyroscope, but there was a delay in replacing the 6th and 2nd Cav on the southern border at the same time.
Ironically, when I rotated back to CONUS in 1960 on the USS Randall, I was assigned as CO, HHQ Company, 6th Cav at Knox prior to the Advanced Armor course. HHQ Co was a support company that trained the National Guard. I was sent to Nuclear Employment school and then back to the 14th Cav because they had the Davey Crockett Nuke, and I had to develop the plan to use it on the border. Thank God that never happened. We practiced NEO a lot back in the 60s. I have a lot more stories to tell, and thanks for this opportunity to share some with you.
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Point Alpha is asking for assistance on two issues.
First, here is a link to a set of photos of what at the time was OP Alpha. They are asking for any additional information about the photos that they can use to paint a more complete history and discussion of the Observation Point. If you spent any time at OP Alpha, please take a look at the request and photos to see if you can provide them any additional information: https://blackhorse.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/Anfrage-Blackhorse.pdf
Second, they are looking for copies of the Blackhorse Newspaper that the Regiment published in Germany. These are missing issues:
• Volume 1 Number 08 - March 1976
• Volume 1 Number 09 - April 1976
• Volume 2 Number 05 - December 1976
• Volume 2 Number 06 - January 1977
• Volume 2 Number 08 - April 1977 If you have copies of any of these, please contact:
Jan Ludwig Antoni, M.A.
Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter
Point Alpha Stiftung
Schlossplatz 4
36419 Geisa
Tel.: 036967-5964 270
Tel. Gedenkstätte: 06651-919030
jan-ludw...@pointalpha.com |
A Book of Interest
By Rex Gooch |
11th ACR Troopers,
The Cav Hat book is published and available at Amazon.com. Thanks to Don Snedeker, the book contains a substantial section devoted to the Blackhorse Regiment. And thanks to Trent Johnson at Greeley Hat Works, the book features a section devoted to the 11th ACR’s iconic brown campaign hat.
I am offering a 20% discount to 11th ACR troopers who would like an author-signed copy of the Cav Hat book. Contact me at https://rexgooch.com/
Thanks for all your assistance in making Cav Hat a reality. Rex Gooch The book is available on Amazon.com at the following link:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FWXD1SBK?ref_=pe_93986420_774957520 |
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Do you have items of interest that are related to the Blackhorse? Please send them to Clint Ancker, Director of Communications, at band...@aol.com. |
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