ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, August 10, 1996 TAG: 9608120041
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JENNIFER MILLER STAFF WRITER
HE'D BEEN LIVING a few miles away for 22 years, but it took a loving daughter to find her dad's old Army buddy as a 50th birthday present.
Elliot Foutz thought he was dropping off his granddaughter's softball uniform at the Vinton Senior Center before heading to Outback Steakhouse with his wife, Donna, for his 50th birthday.
He had no idea that about 50 of his closest friends and family were about to scream "surprise" as soon as he opened the door Friday.
Foutz couldn't help jumping back. His cheeks turned cherry-red from shock.
But then came the biggest surprise of all. An old Army buddy from Vietnam, Jack Linkous, walked out. They hadn't seen each other in almost 30 years.
"I'm speechless," Foutz said while he bear-hugged his old friend. "Swear to goodness, it's been a long time."
"I thought [Linkous] was gone. I never thought I'd see him again."
It was the best birthday present his daughter, 25-year-old Denise Ripley, could give him.
Foutz always hoped to see Linkous again, but he never thought it would happen. They lost touch shortly after seeing each other in the summer of 1969.
Foutz and Linkous rode the bus from Roanoke to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, N.C., in 1967 and endured 13 weeks of basic training. They also flew to Vietnam together, even though they served in different platoons.
The pair were reunited in October 1968 at Fort Meade, Md., where they were stationed until being discharged the next May. That August, they saw each other for the last time.
Ripley began her search for Linkous last July with a photograph of the two army buddies - inscribed on the back "Fort Bragg, 1967.'' She hired Jean Schneider of Schneider Ltd. detective agency in Vinton to track down Linkous.
It took a little more than two hours for Schneider to locate Linkous, who lived only about 30 miles away.
"This is absolutely wonderful," said Linkous, who has lived in Rocky Mount for 22 years. "I knew he lived in the area after Vietnam, but who would expect this.
"I can't believe he's been down the road this whole time."
Foutz plans to make up for lost time. The pair were discussing what they would be doing over the weekend.
"What a sweet, thoughtful daughter [Foutz] has," Linkous and his wife, Becky, said. "For her to go to that trouble, she must love her dad."
Foutz hugged his daughter tightly, thanking her for his gift. Ripley, who has the same birthday as her father, can expect a good present in return.
"I wouldn't trade this birthday for nothing," Foutz said. "I have one great family."
LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ERIC BRADY/Staff. 1. Elliot Foutz (right) and Jackby CNBLinkous, an old Army buddy, were reunited Friday at a surprise
birthday party for Foutz at the Vinton Senior Center. Foutz's
daughter, Denise Ripley, hired a detective to track down Linkous
based on a 1967 photograph of the two men. 2. "I'm speechless,"
Elliot Foutz (right) said about seeing his Army buddy Jack Linkous
again. color.