
DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 1997            TAG: 9710080064

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAM STARR, staff writer 

                                            LENGTH:   97 lines

REUNION STORY BRINGS 2 HAMPTON ROADS RESIDENTS TOGETHER

RICHARD GALLMEYER has been looking for Bruno Sano for more than 40 years.

Two weeks ago, Gallmeyer found his old Korean War friend, and practically living in his own back yard.

Sano had read a recently published story of how Gallmeyer's organization, Korean War Veterans Reunion Inc., was trying to find lost war buddies for their third annual reunion, Oct. 15-19 in Virginia Beach.

The picture of Gallmeyer intrigued Sano, a native of Buffalo, N.Y., who has lived in Portsmouth since 1989. Could this be the same Dick Gallmeyer from Buffalo that he had met during the war, he wondered. Sano pulled from his wallet a photograph of himself and another young man that he has carried since 1953 and compared the images.

Same chin, he mused to his wife, Geri. ``I'll bet that's him,'' he thought.

They hopped into the car and cruised over to Gallmeyer's Kempsville home that morning. When Gallmeyer answered the door, Sano presented the photo.

``Does this picture mean anything to you?'' Sano asked.

Gallmeyer peered at the photo, then smiled broadly at his guest.

``Bruno!'' he yelled. ``I've been looking for you for years!''

Since Sept. 17, when their story was published locally, and then nationally, members of the nonprofit veterans organization have been swamped with more than 700 phone calls.

The phone in Gallmeyer's home office rings every 30 seconds. He's been so besieged, in fact, that he had to bring another veteran over to answer the phone. Solomon Winslow of Chesapeake, a former Marine medic, takes the calls so Gallmeyer can mail out registration forms and information. At least during the day.

``I've had calls at 1:30 in the morning,'' says Gallmeyer with a chuckle. ``My wife put a note on the door that said, `Call Bell Atlantic and get voice mail.'

``One day I went out to get the mail (from a post office box) and there were 60 messages on the machine.''

The amount of registration forms Gallmeyer had on hand, he quickly found out, wasn't nearly enough. He's had to make several hundred more copies just to keep up with the demand.

But he's not complaining. Neither are Floyd Newkirk or Jerry Brown, other members of the group. They're thrilled with the response and hope that even more newspapers, especially those in the New England, New York and Baltimore areas, pick up the first story. The men have heard from veterans in California, Nevada, Arizona, Texas, Alabama, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and other states.

While they acknowledge that the group needs a lot more help, financial and otherwise, the men are most concerned with the pending reunion. They don't know exactly how many veterans will be attending because of late registrants, and those who don't register at all but go to some of the events.

They're expecting at least 3,000, says Newkirk, possibly many more.

``So many veterans have sons and daughters who live here so they stay with them,'' Newkirk explains. ``They don't sign up for the reunion, just an event. They're day trippers.''

Bruno Sano plans to attend the reunion. He's been to Gallmeyer's house a few times since the story ran and will join the group soon. Sano, 65, served as an Army platoon sergeant in the 3AAA (third anti-aircraft artillery) but only met Gallmeyer when Gallmeyer's outfit was passing through.

``I always looked for someone from Buffalo,'' recalls Sano, relaxing with Gallmeyer over some old photographs. ``Dick told me who he was, and I had heard about him in Buffalo. The Gallmeyer name there was a legend in kids baseball.''

Gallmeyer, 66, who served as a radio operator and forward observer for the 58th Field Artillery, asked Sano to visit his family in Buffalo when he went home. Sano was one of the lucky ones who returned on the first ship back when the cease-fire was announced. Of course, he did what Gallmeyer requested.

That's what brothers do. And anyone who served in the Korean War, said Gallmeyer, is a brother. MEMO: For more information about the Korean War Veterans Reunion from

Oct. 15 to 19, or to make a donation, call 467-1233 or (800) 523-4715. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo courtesy of Bruno Sano

Then: Richard Gallmeyer, left, and Bruno Sano...

Color photo Philip Holman,The Virginian-Pilot

Now: Gallmeyer and Sano were recently reunited...

Graphic

REUNION EVENTS

Wednesday, Oct. 15 - Check-in at the Surfside Inn, 13th Street

and Atlantic Avenue. Social at 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 16 - 8 a.m. Welcome family breakfast buffet at

Surfside Inn. Tours, shopping, golf, bowling and other activities

the rest of the day.

Friday, Oct. 17 - 9 a.m. Displays and photography from the Korean