Junction City Veteran Awarded Korean War Medal

From WBIW:  Junction City Veteran Awarded Korean War Medal

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (WIBW) -- Nearly 60 years after serving in combat, a local veteran is being recognized for his efforts to defend our country during the Korean War.
Donald Hamilton is a proud recipient of a medal that recognizes Korean War veterans.
The Junction City resident was a military policeman who served in Taejon, Korea from April of 1953 to May of 1955. He joined the Army at the age of 17 and served three years, part of which was spent in Korea.
"I was a train guard commander. We guarded the trains and made them secure to make sure that the supplies got there," he said.
He oversaw the transportation of prisoners, supplies, fuel tanks and troops.
Hamilton’s military records were later destroyed in a fire and had to be reconstructed but he met the qualifications for the Korea Defense Service Medal, a military award that was first created in 2002 when it was signed into law by President George W. Bush. In 2004, the Institute of Heraldry approved the final design and the medal became authorized for distribution.
"I had all these other medals that I got when I was in Korea and I thought I had all of them but then they came up with this new one and I applied for it but never could get it until now. And I know a lot of other people that applied for it but they couldn’t get it because they didn’t meet the qualifications but I did," Hamilton explained.
The Korea Defense Service Medal is authorized for those members of the United States Armed Forces who have served duty in South Korea after the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement in support of the defense of the Republic of Korea.
He was presented with the medal during an official ceremony at the American Legion on December 21, 2012.
"I applied for it three times and I couldn’t get it because my records had been burned in a fire at Fort Harrison, Indiana... Then, I opened the mail one morning and there was that medal. I’m surprised and not only that, I appreciate it. I really appreciate hearing from the government 59 years later and getting the medal," Hamilton told WIBW.
After the Army, Hamilton policed in Riley and Geary County and later became the president of Fort Riley Credit Union and local farmer in the Junction City area.
Now 79, he says he’s done everything that he wanted to do in life and that includes the time he spent defending his nation. Hamilton's Korea Defense Service Medal sits on his mantelpiece at home as a constant reminder that his service did not go unrecognized.

 

Former GI remembers helping family on cold Christmas Eve during Korean War

From Post-Bulletin:  Former GI remembers helping family on cold Christmas Eve during Korean War

A knock at the door 62 years ago is something Carl Zander remembers to this day.

Actually, it was someone pounding on the door of the boxcar where Zander and two other GIs were trying to stay warm after their train stopped during its retreat from Seoul in 1950 during the Korean War.

It was Christmas Eve.

There stood a mother and her three young children, shivering in their threadbare clothes, seeking shelter. He remembers the look: "The mother looked at us with pleading eyes asking for some help," said Zander, a retired Rochester public school teacher.

It wasn't much of a shelter, Zander said, but it was better than being out in the sub-zero temperatures as snow fell. The soldiers had loaded furniture and communications equipment into the boxcar as they quickly left Seoul. Now the furniture was being broken into pieces to fuel a fire in a 50-gallon drum inside the train car to keep the men warm.

"The sight of the boy with signs of ringworm on his head; the girl with cataracts in each eye and the crying baby was overwhelming," said Zander, an Army Reservist who was called back to service in the fall of 1950, just two weeks into a new teaching job at Battle Lake, Minn.

Soldiers had been warned to not assist the refugees, but the soldiers hoisted the family into the boxcar. Communication was hard, and the children huddled with their mother in the corner. It was warm, but smoky.

"We had a 50-gallon barrel in the center of the car — there was no chimney, only a few holes in the ceiling and a 6-inch crack over each sliding door," Zander said.

But gradually, they coaxed the family to try some of their food. The soldiers had traded a couple of food packs with coffee and cigarettes to Australian soldiers, who had packs that included chocolate.

"We thought we'd have Australian beef, but it was all gristle, just damn gristle," Zander said. "The kids tried it, but it made them sick."

Eventually, all of them fell asleep.

"When I awakened on Christmas morning, I found a sleeping baby in my arms and a small boy huddled up against me," Zander said. "We were covered with soot and were cold."

The train started to lurch forward, so they had to put the family out, but they handed them cookies, chocolate and canned food, hoping they'd be able to keep it but fearing others would take it from them.

On this Christmas, the Hankinson, N.D., native and his wife, Marian, will gather in a warm house full of people. The couple has three sons and a daughter, plus 10 grandkids. But Zander's mind still drifts back to that night in Korea.

"It's funny, 62 years later, I don't remember the names of the two GIs with me, but I'll never forget the Christmas Eve with those refugees and especially that baby boy," Zander said. "I still see those brown eyes and slight smile every Christmas Eve.

"I wonder what happened to that family. There were thousands like them in 1950."

 

New posting schedule

Now that I've got this new full-time job, I'll be posting in this blog twice a week - on Monday's and Wednesdays.

So the next post for this blog will be on Monday.

Thanks for your patience.

Posts resume this Wednesday

I'm a freelance writer and I am way behind on a job I have to do, so I won't be posting here until Wednesday..

Thanks for your patience!

Camp Shelby Museum exhibiting Korean War tank

From 7Dam:  Camp Shelby Museum exhibiting Korean War tank

An M26 Pershing tank is now on display in the vehicle park of the Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby.

 CAMP SHELBY, MS (WDAM) -
The Mississippi Armed Forces Museum at Camp Shelby is now exhibiting a type of tank which played an important role in the Korean War. A fully restored, M26 Pershing tank has been on display in the museum's vehicle park for only a short while. The M26 was used extensively in Korea and saw action briefly at the end of World War Two.
Currently, the vehicle park has 15 different types of US armored vehicles on display from World War Two to the present.
"We just put the M26 out about two weeks ago and we added another tank, the M103 a couple of months ago, so there's always something new to see at the museum, in particular, the vehicle park nowadays," said Chad Daniels, museum director.
The vehicle park also displays several types of helicopters and artillery pieces.

 

Influential double ace fighter pilot dies at 88

From My San Antonio:  Influential double ace fighter pilot dies at 88

• 

Ralph Sherman Parr Jr., one of the most decorated military pilots in U.S. history, has died, joining the ranks of other legendary aviators who shaped today's Air Force.
Parr, a double ace in the Korean War, had undergone treatment for cancer in recent weeks at an assisted living facility in New Braunfels, where he died Friday at 88.
Parr was among the last survivors of an era of gutsy, instinctive flying before remotely piloted aircraft and technology changed the way wars are fought in the air.
Bob Laymon, a friend and military historian, said Parr “inspired and motivated combat aviators and future Air Force leaders,” sharing his knowledge of flight theory and thermodynamics at speaking engagements and Friday night gatherings at the Randolph AFB officers' club.
“Nothing brought more joy to Col. Parr than to sit down next to a young captain in a Nomex flight suite and discuss energy-maneuverability during a dogfight,” Laymon said.
Ken Murray, a retired lieutenant colonel who spent months interviewing Parr for a biography set for release next year, called him an “amazing man” who often talked about “camaraderie, covering your wingman and the spirit of flight.”
“A steely-eyed true American patriot, fighter pilot and leader, he was the epitome of the greatest aviators and military officers this world will ever know,” Murray said.
In one of his last interviews with the San Antonio Express-News, Parr recalled his first flight as a boy; the downing of a Russian transport during the Korean War; and lessons he taught young pilots in Vietnam, even while being scolded by commanders for “flying too much.”
“I enjoyed flying whatever airplane I was sitting in,” he told the Express-News in October.
Parr, a retired colonel and one of only a few fighter aces who was still living in the San Antonio area, flew more than 640 combat missions in three wars and received more than 60 citations. He's the only person awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and the medal that replaced it in 1960: the Air Force Cross.
Parr was born July 1, 1924, in Portsmouth, Va. He enlisted in 1942 and flew in the Pacific during World War II.
His actions in Korea, where he was often outnumbered by enemy aircraft, made him a legend. Parr and longtime friend and flying companion Frederick “Boots” Blesse trained together at Nellis AFB, Nev., in quick, agile F-86 Sabres.
Both of them became double aces, each shooting down 10 enemy aircraft in the war. Parr was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross after he confronted 10 MiGs, destroying two before escorting a distressed friendly aircraft back to his base.
While being treated for cancer, Parr kept a framed copy of a painting of Blesse shooting down a MiG in his room. Blesse, 91, died Oct. 31 near his home in Florida.
Parr said he was proud that he “stayed in fighters and tried to teach” young pilots in Vietnam. He received the Air Force Cross for protecting a supply route to Khe Sanh, destroying mortar and heavy-caliber weapons positions in spite of battle damage to his F-4C Phantom II.
Parr retired in 1976 and moved to New Braunfels. In 2008, the Randolph officers' club, now called the Parr O'Club, was renamed in his honor. The local “River Rat” chapter of the Red River Valley Fighter Pilots Association was named the Ralph Parr Pack in his honor.
“He came to every monthly River Rat party until he became too ill to travel,” said Gary Baber, a friend and former Vietnam pilot.
Murray said he recorded 100 hours of conversations with Parr that including “awe-inspiring stories of his journey.”
“Col. Parr, my hero, won't be missed by many. He will be missed by all,” Murray said.
Parr is survived by his wife Margaret and three stepchildren. Arrangements for a local funeral and burial at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery are pending.

Read more: http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/military/article/Influential-double-ace-fighter-pilot-dies-at-88-4101836.php#ixzz2Ec1c30cn

 

Man wants Norton bridge named for WWII, Korean War veteran uncle

From the Taunton Daily Gazette:  Man wants Norton bridge named for WWII, Korean War veteran uncle

NORTON —

When he wasn’t flying combat missions or working locally as a test pilot, John W. Lincoln spent most of his life around Lake Winnecunnet in Norton.
When Lincoln died at age 77 in 2000, the decorated World War II and Korean War veteran was buried in a family plot in the Winnecennet Cemetery just down the road from the lake and his home.
Now, members of Lincoln’s family hope to have a small town bridge next to the lake named in his honor, to recognize his year’s of service and sacrifice.
“His contributions to the country is the first reason,” said Mark Lincoln, his nephew. “Then there is the fact that he grew up right here and spent his earlier years here and his later years here. ... By naming this bridge in his honor it would forever recognize his years of service and sacrifice.”
After going through his uncle’s military records to create a summary of his service, Mark Lincoln mailed a letter to the Norton Board of Selectmen in early November, requesting their support and approval to name the bridge in memory of the former Marine Corps colonel. So far he has not received a response.
The letter explains that the intent is to draw attention to those who served in World War II, to inspire others who see the bridge to learn about Lincoln and others who served. Mark Lincoln also said the bridge has signifigance because it was constructed as part of the war effort during World War II, to accomodate traffic going into the Camp Myles Standish Army base.
"In the future there will be those who will see his name and wonder who was this military person,” the letter said. “Hopefully some of them will do the research and better understand the contributions that the ‘Greatest Generation’ made to this great country.”
The Norton Board of Selectmen’s Office did not respond to a reporter’s request for comment on the matter.
Mark Lincoln said his uncle flew in more than 120 combat missions during World War II and the Korean War. Lincoln received several military accolades, including five Distinguished Flying Cross awards, the Air Medal with eight stars, the Purple Heart and three Presidential Unit Citations.
Lincoln was a Taunton native who graduated from Taunton High School in 1940 before entering the service as a Naval Aviation Cadet in 1942 after two-years of college. Lincoln also worked as a defense lawyer, after being admitted to the state bar in Massachusetts.

“He was really a gung-ho guy,” Mark Lincoln said. “I don’t know if you’d say fearless, but he certainly projected that type of image in whatever he was doing, from whether it was the military or his performance in the courtroom defending his clients. He was also very caring.”
Mark Lincoln, who now lives in the home that his uncle grew up in Taunton on the Norton line, said that his uncle was also a family man. After his first wife died in 1971, he later married again to a divorced women with eight children, bringing along his four children for a Brady Bunch-like situation.
“Together they had 12 but they still seemed to manage well,” Mark Lincoln said. “Blood was thicker than water. That’s where his head was, no matter the situation.”
Mark Lincoln gave an anecdote about how his uncle, while stationed in South Weymouth, took a helicopter and landed by Lake Winnecunnet to take relatives for a little ride.
However, John Lincoln did not share stories with his family about his military exploits.
“Like many others of that era he rarely spoke about any of his combat history,” Mark Lincoln said.
However, one of his stories was documented in a colorful true life comic book series that is held at the Old Colony Historical Society in Taunton. The nonfiction “Heroic Comic” no. 85 was published in July 1953 by New York-based Famous Funnies publications.
Then Maj. John Lincoln was featured in an episode called “Incident at the Bridge,” about a combat mission flown over Chunchon, Korea, in which the fighter-bomber he was flying was hit and he was wounded but still continued on. Lincoln was then given a target, an underwater bridge with a large number of enemy troops traveling over it, and took it out, according to the account.
“Disregarding his wounds, Lincoln went back, in the face of heavy enemy fire,” the comic says. “Repeatedly he hit the bridge. ... Only when the bridge was destroyed and an estimated 75 to 100 of the enemy were killed did he call it a halt.”
Mark Lincoln said he has received support for the bridge dedication request from state representatives Jay Barrows, R-Mansfield, and Shaunna O’Connell, R-Taunton.
Mark Lincoln said that his uncle was also known in military circles for his involvement in two water landings, including one in the Pacific in 1944. He said his uncle’s squadron encountered weather that disabled the navigation equipment on the aircraft, causing them to get lost and run low on fuel.
While several others died in the incident, Lincoln was one of the survivors who were stranded on life rafts before being collected by an American destroyer.
“He spent much of his life seeing the world, serving our country,” Mark Lincoln said.

Honor those who fought in Korean War

An op ed from the Reporter Herald:   Honor those who fought in Korean War

It's hard to imagine that a war in which millions fought and died can be known as the Forgotten War, but that is one moniker that has been given to the Korean War.
The war, which was fought from June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953, was fought on the Korean Peninsula between North Korea and South Korea. North Korea was aided by China, and South Korea was backed by the United States and other countries under the United Nations flag.
In a century that saw two world wars plus wars in Vietnam, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, somehow the Korean War and those who fought in it were not given their full recognition and appreciation when the war ended.
North Korean forces invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. The United Nations asked for troops to end the aggression. President Harry Truman ordered U.S. Navy and Air Force personnel to Korea on June 27 of that year and approved ground forces and air strikes against North Korea on June 30. Ultimately, almost 38,000 Americans would be killed in Korea, with another nearly 3,000 noncombat deaths.
Due to the efforts of all who fought for South Korea's position, the U.S. and South Korea have continued their positive and fruitful relationship. North Korea, on the other hand, remains a dangerous state, where famine and a threatening government contribute to an unstable world.
As the years have passed, the United States has done more to honor its Korean War veterans, including building a Korean War Veterans Memorial, which was dedicated on July 27, 1995.
Recently, a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. Senate's Armed Services Committee sponsored a resolution recognizing the 60th anniversary of the end of the Korean War and the designation of 2012-2013 as the Year of the Korean War Veteran.
"Nearly 2 million Americans fought in the Korean War, and more than 120,000 of them were killed or wounded in action," said Sen. Mark Udall of Colorado, a co-sponsor of the resolution. "I have deep respect for all those who left behind their families and friends to protect a distant country from the spread of communism."

UK: 'Diabolical' thieves steal wreath from memorial

From Burton Mail:  'Diabolical' thieves steal wreath from memorial

A KOREAN War veteran from Burton has blasted thieves who stole a wreath left at a memorial to those who served in the conflict.

Roy Whenman has criticised thieves who stole a wreath from the Korean War memorial in Burton

The floral tribute was laid on November 10, the day before Remembrance Sunday, at the red brick edifice, which stands near the town’s main war memorial, off Lichfield Street.
However, this week, Royal British Legion Burton branch vice-president Roy Whenman, who served in the 1950-53 conflict with the King’s Own Scottish Borderers, discovered the wreath was missing.
He told the Mail: “It was tied around the memorial so even if it was windy, it couldn’t have just blown off. It amazed me because all the other wreaths on the main war memorial were still there.
“I think people who would do something like this must be brainless and I can only imagine it happened at the weekend when people had been to the pub and were walking past on the path near the memorial.
“It’s diabolical. I lost a friend out in Korea myself and if it wasn’t for people like that who gave their lives, these people (the thieves) probably wouldn’t be here today.
“I wanted to bring it to the notice of the public that these things are going on and I think a lot of people will be very upset about it.”
The memorial was dedicated in June, having been erected by the Derby and Burton branch of the Korean Veterans’ Association, after a mystery benefactor donated the £1,000 needed to meet the £2,795 cost of the structure.
It remembers servicemen from East Staffordshire and Derbyshire who fought in the war to repel the Communist invasion of South Korea, a conflict which cost 1,078 lives.
Anyone with information about what happened to the wreath is asked to call Mr Whenman on 01283 546007.

 

TN: Veterans raising funds for Korean War Memorial

From State Gazette:  Veterans raising funds for Korean War Memorial

The Korean War remains one of the most forgotten wars in our nation's history. Our very own Dyer County Courthouse includes memorials recognizing the sacrifices of service members in World War II and Vietnam but there is no monument to honor the sacrifice of the 11 Dyer County residents that paid the ultimate sacrifice during the Korean War. Dyer County Mayor Richard Hill is hoping to change that as it was recently brought to his attention that the courthouse lawn should include a memorial to honor the Korean War veterans.
"These veterans deserve a monument to call their own," said Hill during the commissioners meeting in November.
Hill enlisted the help of Whitener Monuments Inc. in Kennett, Mo., who created the design for the other memorials on the square, to create an artist rendering (pictured) of what the monument would look like. The monument contains a collage of images from the war at the very top. Below the collage is the following quote:
"They told us, 'We are going to have peace even if we have to fight for it.' So we fought in the mountains of Heartbreak Ridge and waded ashore at Inchon.
We froze in the winter and baked in the summer sun.

Dyer County Mayor Richard Hill looks out to the spot on the northeast side of the courthouse square where the Korean Memorial will be placed.

At times, we were greatly outnumbered, but we still fought on and many of us gave our lives for Freedom ... for Justice ... and for Peace." The monument will also include the names of the 11 Dyer County residents that died while serving in the Korean War: Elmo F. Grace, Richard L. Heard, Kenneth E. Martin, James F. McGarity, Billie G. Melton, Rice M. Nichols, Harold G. Sellers, Eddie L. Shelton, Ralph R. Thurmond, Connie L. Tibbs and Joe Frank Wood. Estimates are that it will cost approximately $8,700 to complete the monument. An account has been set up at First Citizens National Bank to receive donations for the costs associated with the memorial.
"We've been able to do all the monuments on the square without any county money, only using donations," said Hill, who is a Korean War veteran himself. "We would like to do the same for this one."
The setting for the Korean War was laid out at the end of World War II when the Allied victors, including the United States and the Soviet Union, agreed to divide the Republic of Korea along the 38th parallel, with the U.S. occupying the southern half and the Soviet military occupying the northern half. In a similar situation faced by Germany, the U.S.-controlled area emerged as a democratic nation while the Soviet-controlled area emerged as a communist nation. The 38th parallel became the site of increased conflicts and cross-border skirmishes until North Korean forces invaded Southern Korea in June 1950.
The United States would provide nearly 90 percent of the international fighting force in support of South Korea. After three years of fighting nearly 40,000 Americans paid the ultimate sacrifice, a number adjusted downward in recent years by the Department of Defense from the original tally of 54,000. Hill and other area veterans agree that it is time for the Korean War veterans to get the recognition they deserve.
"It would mean a whole lot to the Korean veterans to get a memorial because all the other wars have memorials," said Doug Shepherd of the Disabled American Veterans, who serves as Tennessee Commander for the DAV. "The Korean veterans are getting up in age and they are not gong to be with us much longer. It would be good to get the memorial in place before they are no longer with us."
According to Hill, about $3,700 has been raised so far in the short month that the donation account has been opened at First Citizens. He hopes that the rest can be raised in a short amount of time to get the monument up as soon as possible.
"We have a spot selected, we have the design, all we need now is the money to do it," said Hill.
Interested parties can make a donation at any First Citizens National Bank in Dyersburg by asking for the Korean War Monument Fund. For more information on the memorial please contact the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion or the DAV offices. Inquiries can also be directed to Hill at (731) 286-7800.
Information for this article was obtained through www.nationalarchives.gov.