Remember those that have fallen....

[DSturg369]

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend/holiday, but please take a minute during the celebrating to remember those that made it all possible. Those men and women that have made the greatest of sacrifices to ensure that the freedoms we have today would last forever.

Every Memorial Day I remember a story my Dad told me of an encounter he was involved in while in Korea. He didn't tell a lot of combat stories but the few he did tell me have been burned into my memory until the day I die. He was a small statured man (5' 5" tall and 120 Lbs), and although of age during WWII, he was too small and couldn't enlist. He did enlist in the US Army right after WWII ended and he did 2 tours in Korea and 3 tours in Vietnam. He served for 23 years. He is no longer with us but will always be a part of me. The story follows.....

As he told it, and to my best remembrance, he was a member of a platoon and was the ranking Communications NCO, ie: the "Radioman". They were on a patrol and were ambushed. They were being overran by NVA and the Chinese and then outlook was looking pretty grim. But for some unknown reason, the enemy advance stalled and his platoon leader gathered his thoughts and had Dad radio in an artillery strike, right on top of the platoon itself.... My Dad said he wasn't alone in thinking that either way, either by the ordered artillery of at the hand of the enemy, they were all going to die. The artillery strike was ordered and everyone was ordered to sit tight and get as low as they could.

The shell started falling, fire was adjusted, and for what seemed like an eternity it continued. My Dad's best recollection was about 5 minutes total actual time. After the call came in that the shelling had halted, the platoon leader, a young Lt., ordered a full retreat to what he determined to be the least occupied area. My Dad and a couple of other men were to remain and provide cover fire while the remainder of the platoon withdrew.

After my Dad received a call that the Platoon was in route to a safer area, he and the others were now to withdraw from the hot area. He said that just as the call came in the enemy advance began once again. One of the men that had remained in position with my Dad was a young Hawaiian PFC that he said was maybe all of 20 years old, I can't recall his name now but my Dad remembered. The young PFC dropped to the ground and yelled at my Dad and the other man to head out, that he was staying and would provided cover fire. Hesitantly, my Dad and the other man left, all the while the young PFC was blazing away with a B.A.R.

My Dad said that he never knew if the PFC was KIA or not but presumed so as he never saw him again. My Dad received a Bronze Star for the encounter but he always said it was the young PFC that was the hero.

Just as when he first told me this story, every time I think about it my eyes water. I owe all my great memories of time spent with my Dad to that young Hawaiian PFC and will be forever grateful to him. I have always hoped that he somehow survived the event but hope also that whatever happened, he is at peace.

[fiddlegrin]

Thank you Dale,

I hope so too...

Thank you for sharing brother.

[dj1340]

Thanks for that story Dale, There are so many of those stories that we never hear.

[DSturg369]

A correction to the above. That should have been North Korean Army and not NVA (which would be Vietnamese), my bad.