James Bradford of Winter Haven fought in the Korean War

From News chief: James Bradford of Winter Haven fought in the Korean War

WINTER HAVEN - Few people younger than about 55 know what the draft is - a military draft, not sports or the wind under a loose fitting door.

James Bradford of Winter Haven, a veteran of the Korean War, would be happy to explain it. The draft ended at the end of the Vietnam War, but young men in that war and earlier ones were subject to being called into the military.

Bradford graduated from Morgantown (W.Va.) High School in 1947. He had a job in auto servicing and repair, but in late 1950, he received a letter from his draft board notifying him he was being inducted into the Army.

"They thought my presence was needed," Bradford, now 83, said with a laugh,

He went into basic training in January 1951 and was in Korea in May 1951.

Bradford entered the 24th Division as a private and a forward observer for the heavy weapons platoon in his company. In less than a year, he was platoon sergeant because of deaths, injuries and rotations home.

As forward observer on the front lines, he called in fire from the 60-millimeter mortars in his platoon and air strikes. When calling in air strikes, the platoon would lay out on the ground colored panels of cloth so pilots would know to fire forward of the panels where the enemy was.

At the time Bradford entered Korea, the U.N. forces were fighting the Chinese army's spring offensive. They stopped it twice and then began pushing north of the 38th parallel. That was the original line that had divided North Korea and South Korea before the North Korean army crossed it in June 1950 and almost pushed the South Korean army and its allies off the peninsula.

After American reinforcements and U.N. forces arrived, they pushed the North Koreans almost back to their border with China. Then the Chinese army crossed the border and began pushing the allies to the south again.

After the spring offensive, there were few full-scale division-size attacks taking over numerous miles of territory. Instead, the war became battles for taking individual hills, losing hills, then retaking them mostly along the 38th parallel.

Armistice negotiations were rumored as early as June 1951, but it wasn't until July 27, 1953, that there really was an armistice and an end to the fighting. Instead it was an off-again, on-again offensive on both sides with many losses for one hill or another.

"It was moving back and forth, back and forth. That was standard operating procedure: Try to gain ground so they can get a better chair at the negotiating table," Bradford said with disgust in his voice.

Thanksgiving 1951 was no turkey with the trimmings, he said. It was cold C rations, canned meats and fruit issued individually to each soldier. Thanksgiving dinner for Bradford and his unit was a small can of spaghetti and meatballs or lima beans and ham.

"We were on top of a mountain that day. Sometimes they would try to send up civilian bearers with hot food, but the Chinese would fire at them and the hot meals never got to the top," he said. "But C rations weren't all that bad. I liked the fruit. It was like the canned fruit you find in the grocery store.

But there certainly were no grocery stores or native markets where the 24th Division was.

"In fact, we were never in any cities or on flat land. All I saw the whole time I was there were mountains, Chinese and bad weather. I'm from West Virginia, but I have never been so cold in my life (in Korea)," he said.

In February 1952, the battle-weary 24th Division was rotated to Japan for several months. By the time it was headed back to Korea months later, Bradford's rotation orders to go back to the United States had arrived.

While in Japan, he and others in his unit were made military policemen to help keep order among the thousands of soldiers. They were supposed to arrest AWOL and drunken soldiers, but these MPs had seen war and what it could do.

"We'd really take them into protective custody, sort of, and many times get them back to their barracks. They had problems," he said of the veteran, battle-hardened soldiers who would occasionally get drunk or get into other trouble.

"And who's better to take care of problems than those who understand why," he said.

Returning home to Morgantown, he settled into a job and married. Becky Bradford said she had heard about Bradford from a girlfriend who used to date him, but he had never met her until his return.

After their marriage, they had one child in West Virginia, then followed Becky's parents to Florida in the mid-1950s where their second daughter was born.

Bradford worked for First Federal Savings and Loan in Winter Haven for 20 years and then retired. He then went to work for the Polk County Tax Collector's Office for 15 more years before retiring a second time.

Both daughters graduated from Winter Haven High School and Polk State College.

The war, and its horrors and hardships were far away almost from the moment he reached home, he sad.

"Oh, we were all but forgotten," said Bradford, who is the immediate past president of the Department of Korean War Veterans Association for Florida. "Some of us even forgot ourselves. There were no parades when we came home. And people were tired of war after World War II. We just came back and fit back into the workforce."

He said he was proud to do his duty but, like almost all veterans, doesn't want to be called a hero.

We did what we had to and I served my country when it called me to duty. The biggest attention and appreciation Americans still get is from the South Korean people, mainly the older generation," he said. "I would take clothing to a cleaners here in Winter Haven owned by a Korean family. When I brought in my uniform they would never charge me for the uniform even when I tried to insist."

 

 

NJ: Military ordnance removed from Middle property

From Middle Township Gazette:  Military ordnance removed from Middle property 

MIDDLE TOWNSHIP – The Atlantic City Bomb Squad on Saturday removed a large military projectile found buried at a Middle Township property. Officials say the ordnance was from World War II or the Korean War era.
Middle Township Police evacuated homes, and Route 47 from Bay Shore Road to Indian Trail Road was shut down.
Police say a property owner’s relative discovered the Howitzer 155 projectile while metal detecting at 281 Route 47 South, Green Creek. 

Middle Township Police were dispatched at 2:20 p.m. They found the ordnance partially unearthed, and it appeared to be inactive.
The Atlantic City Bomb Squad removed the ordnance, so the large projectile could be destroyed, police say.
Police do not know how or when the ordnance ended up being buried on the property.
Assisting were the State Police, the state Department of Transportation, Green Creek Fire Volunteer Fire Co. and Rio Grande Rescue Squad.

 

Memorial Rifles

From Pilot Online:  Memorial Rifles



“I think about all the fellow comrades that didn't make it back,” says Dean Decker as he and others gather in the parking lot of the Virginia War Memorial in Richmond. Decker is commander of the Memorial Rifles and they've come together to participate in a service in honor of Veteran's Day.
Decker, one of 8 others from the group in attendance, says they started the organization about 15 years ago, as part of a way to give tribute to veterans. Decker, who is a Korean War veteran, says they don't charge for their services. The Memorial Rifles are part of the American Legion Post 84 in Richmond.
When asked why he and the others do it, Decker responds. “It gives you a feeling of pride. You feel like you're doing something worthwhile.” As the ceremony draws closer, Decker adds, “It's just another way of serving, of paying back to this country what it's given to us. You can't participate in this and not feel pride.”
Malcolm Spicer, 82, center of the picture, agrees. “It's an honor to be able to serve at my age.” He's also a veteran of the Korean War as well as other conflicts - he served 20 years active duty, from 1947 until 1967. As the ceremony begins, the men gather at the edge of a reflecting pool that weaves through the memorial. Their weathered hands wrap around their Lee-Enfield rifles. They stand at formation until the closing moments of the ceremony, then in unison, turn and lift their rifles into bright blue sky and fire.

 

ALMOST FORGOTTEN HERO - First Lieutenant Frederick F. Henry,

From Hawaiian Reporter:  ALMOST FORGOTTEN HERO - First Lieutenant Frederick F. Henry, U.S.Army, WWII, Korean War, Medal of Honor (1919-1950)

1st Lt. Frederick F. Henry, U.S.Army, Medal of Honor

BY DUANE A. VACHON, PH.D.  Frederick F. Henry was born on September 23, 1919 in the small town of Vian in Oklahoma.  It was from there that he joined the Army and served during World War Two and went on to serve in the Korean War.
For more than 45 years, the officials and locals in a small town in Oklahoma were not aware that one of their own had received the nation’s highest medal for bravery. This hero’s story might still be unknown had it not been for the mayor of another small town.  In 1994  Ken Lunt the then mayor of Ft Scott and a keen student of Medal of Honor history wrote a letter to Robert Morris  the new mayor of Vian, Oklahoma, and told him the story of the hero from Vian who had received the Medal of Honor. Morris said Lunt, an enthusiast of Medal of Honor history, sent him a letter notifying him that President Harry S. Truman had posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to Henry
Morris said he launched a campaign to gather information on Henry and locate any of living relatives. The former mayor said the staff of the Sequoyah County Times assisted him by finding numerous relatives of Henry’s, many living in California.
One of the Army’s official Web sites that tells the stories of Medal of Honor recipients reveals what happened on the day of September 1, 1950, when the soldiers from Company F, 38th Infantry Regiment were saved by an officer they would never see again.
Henry and his platoon were maintaining a strategic ridge near the town of Am-Dong, Korea, when superior enemy forces overwhelmed them with heavy mortar and artillery fire. His platoon disorganized by the assault, Henry climbed out of his foxhole and ordered the men to stay in place and continue returning fire.
“Encouraged by his heroic action, the platoon reformed a defensive line and rained devastating fire on the enemy, checking its advance,” the Web site states.
Enemy fire disabled the platoon’s communication equipment, preventing Henry from determining whether the platoon’s main line of resistance had been alerted to the ferocious attack.
Acting on his own resolve, Henry ordered that his wounded be evacuated, but their weapons and ammunition brought to him. Henry, himself severely wounded during the assault, ordered all of his men to withdraw as he established a one-man defensive position, preparing to protect them from further enemy fire.
“When last seen he was single-handedly firing all available weapons so effectively that he caused an estimated 50 enemy casualties,” the Web site states. “His ammunition was soon expended and his position overrun, but that intrepid action saved the platoon and halted the enemy’s advance until the main line of resistance was prepared to throw back the attack
On October 20th, 2004 a large crowd  came together at the Annabelle Farmer Park in downtown Vian.  They had come together pay respects to long-lost hometown hero and Medal of Honor recipient, 1st Lt. Frederick F. Henry.
Nearly 100 people attended the ceremony at Annabelle Farmer Park, according to Vian Mayor Kenneth Johnson. Many were townspeople acting on an opportunity to honor the local man whose heroism in combat was long missing from their city’s history; some were state, military and local officials who felt it their duty to honor the Army lieutenant last seen defending his platoon from a fast-approaching wave of North Korean forces; and more than a dozen ventured into the Sequoyah County city as representatives of a relative taken in war, whose goodness survived through the lives he protected.
Henry’s story is now a landmark. A memorial dedicated to Henry and his service in the Army was unveiled at the ceremony, according to former Vian Mayor Robert Morris.

MEDAL OF HONOR CITATION

1st Lt. Henry, Company F, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action. His platoon was holding a strategic ridge near the town when they were attacked by a superior enemy force, supported by heavy mortar and artillery fire. Seeing his platoon disorganized by this fanatical assault, he left his foxhole and moving along the line ordered his men to stay in place and keep firing. Encouraged by this heroic action the platoon reformed a defensive line and rained devastating fire on the enemy, checking its advance. Enemy fire had knocked out all communications and 1st Lt. Henry was unable to determine whether or not the main line of resistance was alerted to this heavy attack. On his own initiative, although severely wounded, he decided to hold his position as long as possible and ordered the wounded evacuated and their weapons and ammunition brought to him. Establishing a l-man defensive position, he ordered the platoon's withdrawal and despite his wound and with complete disregard for himself remained behind to cover the movement. When last seen he was single-handedly firing all available weapons so effectively that he caused an estimated 50 enemy casualties. His ammunition was soon expended and his position overrun, but this intrepid action saved the platoon and halted the enemy's advance until the main line of resistance was prepared to throw back the attack. 1st Lt. Henry's outstanding gallantry and noble self-sacrifice above and beyond the call of duty reflect the highest honor on him and are in keeping with the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army.

/S/  Harry S. Truman   President

First Lieutenant Frederick Funston Henry’s name is inscribed on a wall in the courts of the missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu Hawaii.

 

Vietnam & Korean War Veterans Honored in Carthage

From 7 KOAM:  Vietnam & Korean War Veterans Honored in Carthage

Medals are given to those who risked their lives, to fight for freedom.
The V.F.W. Post 2590 awarded veterans with the recognition reward program, specifically for World War II, Vietnam and Korean war veterans. Today eleven area veterans were honored. One served in the Korean and Vietnam wars. The ten others served in Vietnam.
U.S. Navy veteran Rocky Artym says that he was honored to receive the award for serving in Vietnam.
"Everything about this is a positive thing, I think about this, that the exposure we had here today and family for some people it's a reminder for others it's a little chapter they can put behind them and I think that today peoples views on veterans is a little different than when we were in service and stuff before and I think it makes the families very proud where as before they might not have felt that way" says Artym.
On December 15th these vets will lay wreaths at fellow veterans graves for Wreaths Across America.

 

Soldiers Monuments in the Valley

From Windy.com:  Soldiers Monuments in the Valley

AUSTINTOWN:
Mahoning Valley Sept. 11 Memorial Gazebo, 1051 Raccoon Road.
The memorial’s gazebo is approximately 27 feet in diameter and the site has an engraved paver-brick sidewalk with several park benches. The Austintown Beautification Committee, who is responsible for the memorial, has acquired a 7” x 7” piece of the World Trade Center which has been encased in a granite stone in the shape of the World Trade Center Towers. The site also has dirt from the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pa., as well as a pound of rocks from the Pentagon bombing in Washington, D.C.
Mahoning Valley Korean War Veteran’s Memorial, 4125 Mahoning Ave. at Wickliffe Circle.
Local VFW posts beautify and maintain this spot honoring veterans of Austintown as well as those of Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. Memorials at the site honor “all of those who served,” soldiers who served specifically in Granada, Panama and Persian Gulf conflicts, and all women soldiers of the past, present, and future.The most current memorial was dedicated July 27, 2003, honoring veterans killed in action during the Korean War, showing 118 names etched on granite stones as a “Path of Honor.” There is also a bronze plaque honoring Marine John D. Kelly, a Youngstown native posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his service in Korea.
Tabernacle Evangelical Presbyterian Church Plaque, 2432 South Raccoon Road.
A plaque located in the church’s airlock room honors members of their congregation who served in World War II. The memorial lists 66 names, with two women listed and two others with stars indicating that they were killed in action. The plaque proclaims “Proudly we pay tribute to the members of our church who answered the call of our nation.”
BOARDMAN:
Boardman Park Veteran’s Memorial, 375 Boardman-Poland Road.
This site to the east of Boardman Park’s Maag Outdoor Theater was dedicated on Memorial Day 2003. The large granite monument honors all of those who served in any branch the Armed Forces and celebrates their bravery, loyalty, and character. There is a bronze eagle on a granite pedestal and three flagpoles positioned behind the monument. The memorial is connected to the theatre by a brick walkway with inscriptions of the names of local soldiers.
Westminster Presbyterian Church, 119 Stadium Drive.
Two bronze plaques in Founder’s Chapel list the names of all parishioners from Westminster Presbyterian Church who served in the World Wars. The site lists the names of 74 servicemen and 2 deaths of those who served in WWI and 185 servicemen and 7 deaths of those who served in WWII.
BRISTOLVILLE:
Bristolville Township Park Civil War Memorial, state Routes 45 and 88.
This site features a sculpture carved with crossed swords, a cannon and rifles, and is topped with a swagged funerary urn. The monument was built in 1863, while the Civil War was still being waged, and has the honor of being the oldest monument in Ohio. It honors thirteen “defenders of the Union from Bristol, Ohio.”
CAMPBELL:
Campbell Memorial High School, 280 Sixth St.
Campbell Memorial earned its name in 1919 when the construction of the original school honored all World War I veterans from the city of Campbell; a plaque at the school’s main entrance lists the names of all Campbell soldiers who died in the conflict. After WWII, a monument was erected on school grounds to honor veterans, but by 1986, it was in need of repair. A committee of Campbell citizens worked to update the site, which now displays black granite slabs that honor servicemen of WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. A quote inscribed on a concrete backdrop which says “to those who died fighting for freedom” was chosen from submissions from all of the schools in the district. The updated monument was dedicated Nov. 11, 1987.
CANFIELD:
Dean Hill Cemetery and Disciple Church Historical Marker, N. Palmyra Road east of S. Turner Road.
Evangelist Walter Scott built a church at this site in 1830, and a burial ground was established in about 1837. Although the church did not survive, the cemetery that remains is the home of many veterans from all the wars of the United States. Benjamin Dean of the 105th Ohio Infantry Regiment, a soldier who died from wounds suffered in the Civil War 1863 Battle of Murfreesboro in Tennessee, is buried at Dean Hill.
War Vet Museum and Memorial, 23 E. Main St.
The Canfield War Vet Museum was chartered in 1988 by American Legion Post 177 and their Ladies Auxiliary to collect and preserve items and history from all American wars and conflicts. The building that houses the museum was built in 1809 by Comfort S. Mygatt, a Revolutionary War veteran, and later became the home of Colonel James Madison Nash, a Civil War officer. The museum consists of seventeen rooms housing over 36,000 donated items. The Wall of Honor memorializes veterans; in particular, the Revolutionary War veterans interred in Canfield cemeteries and the 18 Canfield men who lost their lives in World War II.
Elisha Whittlesey Historical Marker, 70 N. Broad St.
An Ohio historical marker was erected in July 2011 to honor Elisha Whittlesey, a Connecticut native who moved to Canfield in 1806. In his new home, he practiced law, taught school, and served as prosecuting attorney for Mahoning County. In the War of 1812, he served as military and private secretary to Gen. William Henry Harrison and as brigade major for the Army of the Northwest. He served representative in the Ohio congress, United States congress, and as a presidential cabinet member, and after his death on Jan. 7, 1863, he was interred in the Canfield Village Cemetery.
DEERFIELD:
Deerfield American Wars Memorial, state Route 224 and Deerfield-Windham Road.
Three memorials in Deerfield collectively honor the men who fought in World War I, World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, those who gave their lives in those wars, and a Civil War memorial. The a white marble Civil War monument, erected in 1870, has inscribed tablets at its base that lists the names of Deerfield servicemen who died in battle, sharing the age, battle, and date of their death. A stone memorial honors James S. Walker Jr. and Paul R. Kirkbride, Deerfield citizens who gave their lives during the Korean War, and was erected in 1955. A three-sided memorial lists the names of those who served in each American war of the 20th century and was dedicated in 1984.
Zion Lutheran and Reformed Churchyard Square Historical Marker, state Route 46, south of Sawmill Run Drive.
A historical marker points to the spot where Pennsylvania Dutch settlers established the Zion Lutheran and Reformed Church in 1810. Although the church did not survive, a cemetery remained, and it is now known as the Old North Cemetery. Among the stone markers, some written in German, are veterans of the American Revolution, War of 1812, Civil War, and other wars.
FOWLER:
Fowler Town Square, state Route 305 at Route 193.
A veterans memorial displays a cannon used during WWII surrounded by crosses with names representing every war related fatality from Fowler since the War of 1812. The site was dedicated in 1962.
GIRARD:
Parkwood War Memorial, 443 Trumbull Ave.
A simple marker, erected in 1963, built to honor the men and women who served in the military from the Girard community.
War Memorial at City Hall, 100 W Main St.
A marble shaft monument lists the names of Girard and Liberty Township citizens who died in World Wars I and II. It was built at Girard’s City Hall and dedicated Nov. 11, 1949. Corps of veterans and veterans organizations were on hand during the event to honor soldiers lost in the conflict and the sailors who gave their lives. The monument was updated years later to also include the names of Korea and Vietnam soldiers who died during their service.
Liberty-Girard Memorial Park and Monument, Park Drive and Mosier Road.
Liberty Park was built in 1926 along Little Squaw Creek as a memorial to soldiers from Girard who served in World War I. The Red Cross Women of Girard raised funds for a 15 foot high memorial shaft to be placed at the northeastern side of the park and dedicated the site on May 24, 1930. The memorial was built with leftover support funds collected by the community during WWI. The monument was erected by H. R. Lewis, a marble worker from the Churchill area of Girard.
KINSMAN:
Veterans of All Wars Square, Main St. and Kinsman-Nickerson Road.
A granite monument topped with a sphere and eagle with wings outstretched honors veterans of all wars and was erected by the citizens of Kinsman. The statue is surrounded by engraved bricks with names of local soldiers and military posts, as well as two benches and a US flag.
LEETONIA:
St. Patrick Church Soldier Honor Roll, 167 Main St.
A plaque in the St. Patrick Church vestibule was dedicated in the midst of World War II in 1941 with the names of 143 soldiers who were members of the Leetonia church. The names represent soldiers in the communities of Leetonia, Washingtonville and Columbiana. By the close of the war in 1945, the number of names reached 188, with stars denoting the 11 men who never returned. The Knights of Columbus Council 1569 and other individuals spearheaded a much-needed refurbishment of the memorial, and the improved plaque was unveiled April 12, 2008.
LOWELLVILLE:
City Hall War Memorial, 140 East Liberty St.
This site was dedicated in 1999, in a joint effort by the American Legion Post 247 and the city of Lowellville. The monument honors Lowellville residents who died in the American wars of the 20th century. Along Liberty Street, there are also a row of trees planted in memory of Lowellville’s 17 fallen soldiers; plaques at the base of each tree show the names of the servicemen who gave their lives in battles of WWII and Vietnam.
MESOPOTAMIA:
Civil War Memorial, state Route 534 at Route 87.
This Civil War monument featuring an eagle on sphere atop a tall shaft was dedicated in 1867, in an event that nearly 2,000 area residents attended. The monument was sculpted by Walter Supple and Howard Brigden. A self-taught sculptor and native of Mesopotamia, Brigden carved the eagle with spread wings that tops the memorial.
NILES:
Civil War Monument, W. Park Ave. and N. Arlington St.
This site on the grounds of the McKinley Memorial Library features a granite monument surmounted by an eagle, and was built to honor fallen soldiers of the Civil War as well as Major-General James “Birdseye” McPherson, the highest ranking soldier from Ohio to be killed during the conflict. On each side of the main shaft of the monument, the battles of Fredricksburg, Gettysburg, Look Out Mountain and Shiloh are listed. The site was dedicated on October 21, 1882, and the ceremony featured a speech by William McKinley, a veteran and of the Civil War and a future American president who was born in Niles.
WWI Niles Cemetery Memorial, state Route 46 and Niles-Vienna Road.
At the entrance to Niles Union Cemetery, a marble marker commemorates veterans of World War I. The monument is adorned with olive branches and the seal of the American Legion. William McKinley Post No. 106 dedicated the monument Nov. 11, 1929. Inscriptions on the memorial celebrate the “patriotism of comrades who died so that democracy might survive,” and displays an excerpt from the WWI poem “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae.
Veteran’s Memorial Bridge, East Federal St. at Dragon Drive.
A small bridge over a Mahoning River creek honors veterans of all wars with a sign displaying a waving American flag and saluting soldiers. The site was dedicated by military posts from the area including American Legion Post 106, VFW Post 2074, Army-Navy 244 and 252, as well as AmVets 101 and 106. The Niles McKinley High School National Honor Society keeps the area litter-free. A pole displaying an American and POW-MIA flag is stationed at the west side of the bridge.
NORTH LIMA:
Veteran’s Memorial Park, South Ave. and state Route 165.
A monument across from the Beaver Township Administration Building honors all of the Beaver Township soldiers who served in United States conflicts. The site, dedicated in 1968 by the Beaver Township Ruritan Club, includes a brick wall adorned with a plaque that honors servicemen; The wall also displays the flags of all branches of military service. A stone podium at the site is used during Memorial Day celebrations, as well as a gazebo and a flag pole flying the American flag.
NORTH JACKSON:
Jackson Township Veteran Memorial, 1103 North Salem-Warren Road.
This site at the southwest corner of the North Jackson cemetery was dedicated on Nov. 11, 2006. The monument features stone obelisks that each honor a different conflict, with sites for Operation Iraqi Freedom, Vietnam, Korea, WWII, WWI, and the Civil War. The monument continues with a walkway featuring bricks inscribed with the name of local veterans. A half-circle wall displays plaques from all of the branches of United States military service and an American flag is on display.
POLAND:
Polish War Veterans’ Memorial, S. Main St. and Route 224.
The statue displayed at Peterson Park shows two Polish Revolutionary War heroes, Casimir Pułaski and Tadeusz Kościuszko, sculpted by Poland, Ohio native Tom Antonishak in 1970. The piece was originally placed at a site on South Ave. in Youngstown, home of a chapter of the Polish Army War Veterans of America, but was moved to the Poland in 2011 as the former site deteriorated. The park honors Polish veterans of World Wars I and II, and features a marble obelisk that reads “Honor and respect to soldiers, Polish heroes and heroines killed for honor and freedom on different fronts during the First and Second Great Wars.”
Civil War Soldier Monument, 110 Riverside Drive.
A statue erected at Riverside Cemetery in 1887 honors Poland veterans killed in action during the Civil War with a sculpture of life-size soldier grieving over the grave markers of his fallen comrades. The engraving on the monument reads “Poland honors her sons who died in the war for the Union, 1861-5.” Future president William McKinley, who spent his childhood and part of his adulthood in Poland, attended the dedication ceremonies. He gave a dedication address and read 39 names of his boyhood comrades from Poland who died in many famous battles of the Civil War.
Judge Turhand Kirtland Historical Marker, 2 Poland Manor.
The Ohio Historical Marker at Poland Presbyterian Church honors one of the first residents of Poland, Judge Turhand Kirtland. Kirtland was a Revolutionary War veteran. The marker reads, “Born at Wallingford, Connecticut. Served during the Revolutionary War. Proprietor, Agent, and Surveyor of the Connecticut Land Company. Appointed Judge of Trumbull County by Territorial Governor Arthur St. Clair, 1800. State Senator, Trumbull County, 1815-1816. Poland Justice of the Peace, twenty years. Moderator of St. James Episcopal Church, Boardman, 1809. First Worshipful Master of Erie Lodge No. 47, Warren, 1803, oldest lodge in the Connecticut Western Reserve and one of six lodges to form the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ohio, 1809.”
PFC James H. Spencer Memorial Bridge, state Routes 224 and 616 at Riverside Drive.
Poland officials dedicated a township bridge as the Pfc. James H. Spencer USMC Memorial Bridge in 2010. Spencer was a 1966 Poland Seminary High School graduate who enlisted in the Marines and was killed in action July 14, 1967, at age 20. Along with this honor in his hometown, Spencer’s name is listed on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Sgt Howard Bruce Carpenter and PFC Edward Andrew Skip Horn Jr. Memorial Bridge, state Route 170, southeast of Cortlandt St.
Poland resident and veteran Gene McCullough proposed in June 2012 to rename a bridge in front of the Poland library to honor soldiers Sgt. Carpenter and Pfc. Horn, both of Poland, who were killed in Vietnam. Carpenter died in March 1967, while serving in Laos for the Army’s special forces and was awarded the Silver Star posthumously. Horn, a Marine, died in May 1969, and was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star with a valor for providing covering fire that enabled 15 of his platoon members to return to their company safely.
Poland American Legion Post #15, 35 Cortland St.
The stone and wood structure of Poland’s American Legion Post was dedicated in 1936 and built as a memorial to the WWI veterans of Poland by the federal government’s Works Progress Administration (WPA). At the entrance to Post #15 is a Four Chaplains Memorial, honoring four religious leaders who gave their lives in the sinking of the S.S. Dorchester on Feb. 3, 1943. After the Dorcester was torpedoed by a German submarine, the chaplains gave their life jackets after supply ran out, and soon after, the men went down with the ship. The memorial is used as a reminder to the Poland community of the sacrifices of servicemen.
SALEM:
Edwin Coppock Memorial Obelisk, 1015 N. Lincoln Ave.
Edwin Coppock participated in John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry, Va. After being hanged for treason for his participation, Coppock was buried in Hope Cemetery in Salem. His cemetery marker, an obelisk of blackened sandstone, was put in place on May 20, 1876. The inscription reads, “A martyr to the cause of liberty, born in Butler Township near Salem, Ohio, June 30 1835. Was one of John Brown’s company in his attempt to liberate the slaves at Harpers Ferry, Va., October 1859. Was executed at Charleston, Va., December 16, 1859.”
Hope Cemetery War Memorials, 1015 N. Lincoln Ave.
A group of 10 memorials at the entrance of Hope Cemetery collectively celebrate soldiers of all American wars and conflicts. Farthest back at the site are a soldier at rest statue honoring the soldiers of Salem, with Civil War cannons at its left and right. One cannon features a plaque that shares, “The first Memorial Day services took place in Hope Cemetery May 30, 1868.” Three stone tablets in front of the Civil War monuments honor soldiers of all wars, and were dedicated on June 14, 2008. The center stone indicates that it honors servicemen of all United State conflicts; the tablets to its left and right list the number of service members and battle deaths of the American Revolution, War of 1812, Indian Wars, Mexican War, Civil War, Spanish-American War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Persian Gulf. A flat tablet, listing the names Salem soldiers of these conflicts, is surrounded by four benches with inscriptions of the names of local veterans and other community sponsors.
The Color Bearer Monument, 1399 Franklin Ave.
A bronze and copper sculpture on a granite base in Grandview Cemetery honors Civil War soldiers with a depiction of a color bearer, or the soldier who would carry a regiment’s colors into battle. The soldier on the Grandview monument holds a flag in his left hand and a sword in his right. The piece was sculpted in 1901 by W.H. Mullins Company of Salem and dedicated in the cemetery soon after.
The Doughboy Monument, 1399 Franklin Ave.
This Grandview Cemetery monument to the soldiers of Salem who lost their lives in World War I was unveiled on Nov. 11, 1927. The bronze figure on a granite base features a soldier with a grenade in his right hand and a rifle in his left. An inscription on the monument reads, “In honor of the men and women from Salem, Ohio, who served their country in the World War, and in the memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice. Let those who come after see that they shall not be forgotten.”
Salem Memorial Building, 785 E. State St.
William Harold Mullins, an important early benefactor in Salem, donated $100,000 in 1924 to construct Salem’s War Memorial Building in memory of World War I servicemen. Mullins planned for the site to be used as a community center and recreational building for the city.
Chamber of Commerce Township Memorial, 713 E. State St.
This wide stone tablet at the entrance of the Chamber of Commerce honors veterans of the Salem community in many of the wars of the 20th century. The top portion of monument includes a centered eagle with wings outstretched, surrounded by representations of all branches of military service. Below, the memorial is inscribed, “In honor of the men and women of this community who served our country in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, preserving freedom and our way of life.” The memorial was erected in 1968 by the citizens of Salem.
SOUTHINGTON:
Soldier at Parade Rest Monument, 2482 state Route 534.
Placed in 1910, the Civil War monument on the grounds of Southington Local Schools was built in its spot for the youth of township to be reminded of the sacrifices of veterans. The site features a granite soldier at rest atop a column, adorned with brass plaques that contain quotes and the names of 70 Southington natives that served in the Civil War, War of 1812 and Revolutionary War. The monument is one of only two in Ohio to mention the abolition of slavery in their inscriptions. It reads, in part, that the boys of Southington “served in the war for the preservation of our national union and the abolition of human slavery.”
STRUTHERS:
The Peacekeepers Memorial, Poland Ave. at Hamilton Blvd. and Fifth St.
This memorial honors a Navy sailor and 13 Marines from Ohio who were killed in the Oct. 23, 1983 bombing of a Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The site overlooking Lake Hamilton was dedicated on Oct. 22, 1989. Area Marines killed in the attack and honored on the monument are Lance Cpl. Edward A. Johnston of Struthers, Lance Cpl. Stanley Sliwinski of Niles, and Sgt. James E. McDonough of New Castle, Pa.
Struthers High School Veteran’s Memorial, Morrison St. and Euclid Ave.
This site on the grounds of Struthers High School began as a stone dedicated in 1952 to honor those who fought in World War II. Struthers residents spearheaded an expansion campaign in 2006, and the memorial gained six stone tablets with the official seal of each branch of American military service. American, Ohio, and POW-MIA flags are flown at the site. The final refurbished monument is meant to honor all veterans who served in any American war or conflict and was officially unveiled on Oct. 2, 2006.
Korean Veterans Memorial Bridge, Broad St. and state Route 616.
A flag and plaque are displayed at the North end of this bridge honoring all veterans of the Korean War. The bridge was dedicated Oct. 6, 2000, with local veterans organizations, veterans from the conflict, and the mayor of Struthers on hand to celebrate.
VIENNA:
Vienna Soldiers and Sailors Monument, state Route 193 and Warren-Sharon Road.
The monument on Vienna’s township green was dedicated on September 4, 1889, and features an obelisk surmounted by an eagle. The design and construction of the monument was completed locally in Howland and Cortland, respectively. The monument reads “Vienna Honors Her Dead Heroes” and features inscriptions of the names of Vienna soldiers who had died during the Civil War and in the years before 1889.
WARREN:
Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, 860 Niles S.E.
An upright granite monument in Oakwood Cemetery honors “the unknown dead” of all American wars and conflicts. Medallions at the site honor the Grand Army of the Republic and the Women’s Relief Corps #58. The monument was erected by the Bell-Hammon post in 1920. The site is often a stop in the Memorial Day parade of Warren and is honored in the celebration each year.
Trumbull County Veteran’s Memorial, W. Market St. and Mahoning Ave.
This park built on the east bank of the Mahoning River commemorates the sacrifices of Trumbull County citizens in military service. The site began as the home of Statue of the Three Soldiers, honoring Civil War veterans in the great battles of the conflict, and was dedicated July 4, 1890. The WWI “Doughboy” monument was originally dedicated on Nov. 11, 1941 in a separate location, and was moved and rededicated on Nov. 11, 2008, along with a WWII sculpture by Robert Eccelston, when the site was re-dubbed a Veteran’s Memorial for the county. The site also features two stone slabs that honor those who gave their lives in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts.
Trumbull Civil War Training Site Camp Hutchins, 860 Elm Road NE.
This site on the grounds of present-day Warren G. Harding High School was used in the fall of 1861 as a training site for the Sixth Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. The camp’s name honors John Hutchins, a Warren attorney, who was an abolitionist and Underground Railroad agent. The regiment trained there played an important role in the surrender of Gen. Robert E. Lee. A historical marker near an oak tree at the school’s entrance was dedicated on Oct. 8, 2012.
Warren G. Harding High School Veteran Memorial Wall, 860 Elm Road NE.
A memorial wall organized by the Warren Rotary Club is displayed near the main entrance to Harding High School’s media center. Michael Bollas, a Rotary member and Vietnam veteran, spearheaded the project and researched Warren high school graduates and attendees who died during their service to include in the memorial. The final project includes names of those who served in the American Revolution through the Vietnam War.
WEST POINT:
Surrender of Gen. John Morgan Monument, state Route 518, west of twsp. Hwy. 793, West Township.

Erected in 1909 and dedicated in 1910, a large stone adorned with a plaque marks the spot where Confederate General John H. Morgan surrendered to Major George W. Rue on July 26, 1863. Hoping to divert Union troops and resources during the Confederate campaigns in Vicksburg and Gettysburg, Morgan and a small group of his men moved through Indiana, Kentucky, and southern Ohio before they pushed northward near Lisbon, Ohio. The battle that ensued, where Morgan lost 364 men, marked the farthest point north any Confederate troops reached during the Civil War.
YOUNGSTOWN:
Mahoning County Courthouse, 120 Market St.
The entranceway to the courthouse holds 10 tributes to more than 100 soldiers who have died in six military conflicts and the attacks of September 11. Every branch of the U.S. military is represented by plaques, photos and inscriptions. One plaque honors the four men from Mahoning County who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Smoky Hollow Memorial, Rayen Ave. and Walnut St.
This site honors lists 12 men from the Smoky Hollow neighborhood of Youngstown who gave their lives in World War II and the Korean War. An inscription on the monument reads that it was sponsored by the Golden Eagles Club in 1957. In 2003, the site received maintenance and expansion with a preservation project by Youngstown CityScape.
Oscar Boggess Historical Marker, Edwards St. and Boggess St.
A historical marker indicates the former homestead of Youngstown resident and Civil War veteran Oscar D. Boggess. Born a slave in Virginia in 1832, he was freed 11 years later, and in 1864, he enlisted in the 43rd United States Colored Troops. After becoming a decorated veteran, he moved to Youngstown and offered growth for the city as a founding member of the Tod Post of the Grand Army of the Republic and the Oak Hill Avenue African Methodist Episcopal Church—its first African American congregation—in 1870. Boggess died in 1907 and was buried in Oak Hill Cemetery with full military honors. The marker was the first dedicated to an African American in Mahoning County, and was unveiled on Sept. 15, 2006.
Mahoning County Vietnam War Memorial, Wick Ave. and West Federal St.
This tall, polished stone tablet honors the Vietnam servicemen of Mahoning County. The side of the monument facing north is inscribed with outline of the country of Vietnam, the branches of American military service, and a dedication and quote honoring the veterans and those missing in action from the Vietnam conflict. The southern-facing side of the monument shows the names of Mahoning County soldiers killed in action and missing in action. The site is cared for by Youngstown CityScape.
The Man on the Monument, Federal Plaza and W. Federal St.
This site honors the memory of Youngstown soldiers who gave their lives in the Civil War. A large marble shaft is adorned with a soldier looking north up Wick Avenue, and at its base, the monument’s four sides show the names of the 108 Youngstown residents who died in battle or from disease during the conflict. The monument was dedicated July 4, 1870, with speeches by then-Governor Rutherford B. Hayes and congressman James Garfield, both of whom later became United States Presidents.
Catholic War Veterans Monument, 609 Steel St.
A pointed arch guards the entrance of the Italian-American war veterans’ memorial in Brier Hill. Donated by the Modarelli family and dedicated in 1985, the monument honors the IAWV’s 13 members who have died in World War II and the Korean War.
Beeghly Center Veteran’s Plaza, One University Plaza.
On September 15, 1996, YSU dedicated Veterans’ Plaza directly in front of Beeghly Center. The $500,000 community project, which was funded in-part through private donations, includes a wall is decorated with plaques to honor all United States veterans. Spring Street, the road leading up to Beeghly Center, was updated with a scenic entrance and renamed Armed Forces Boulevard in 2009.
First Presbyterian Church Servicemen Plaques, 201 Wick Ave.
Two plaques at the rear entrance of the Youngstown church honor 96 World War I soldiers and 205 World War II soldiers. The servicemen listed were all members of the congregation of First Presbyterian Church.

 

James L. Stone Sr. dies at 89; Korean War Medal of Honor recipient

Los Angeles Times:  James L. Stone Sr. dies at 89; Korean War Medal of Honor recipient

Retired Army Col. James L. Stone Sr., who received the Medal of Honor for bravery under fire in Korea, died Friday at his home in Arlington, Texas. He was 89.
The Congressional Medal of Honor Society announced his death but did not reveal the cause. There are 80 living recipients of the medal, the nation's highest award for wartime valor.
Col. Stone was a 28-year-old first lieutenant when his 48-man platoon was attacked by Chinese troops on a hilltop near Sokkogae, Korea, on the night of Nov. 21, 1951.
Shot twice in the leg and once in the neck, he carried the platoon's only working machine gun from place to place on the hilltop and repaired a flamethrower by himself while under fire, according to his Medal of Honor citation. When it was over, half his unit had been killed and most of the survivors were wounded.
"Only because of this officer's driving spirit and heroic action was the platoon emboldened to make its brave but hopeless last-ditch stand," the citation states.
The next day, advancing American troops found hundreds of enemy soldiers dead. But they didn't find Lt. Stone.
Captured along with six other survivors, Lt. Stone spent 22 months in a prisoner-of-war camp on the Yalu River near the Manchurian border. He was freed in September 1953 in a prisoner exchange known as the "Big Switch."
"You can't imagine what it's like to see that flag again. It's like being reborn," Col. Stone said in an interview with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "It really makes you appreciate your country."
He went on to serve in Germany, was in charge of ROTC units in Fort Worth during the mid-1960s and did a tour of duty in Vietnam in 1971.
James Lamar Stone was born Dec. 27, 1922, in Pine Bluff, Ark., and grew up in Hot Springs. He studied chemistry and zoology at the University of Arkansas, where he was in the Army's Reserve Officers' Training Corps.
He graduated with a bachelor's degree and worked for General Electric in Houston before being called to active duty in 1948. He was sent to Korea in March 1951. A month after he was repatriated in 1953, President Eisenhower presented the Medal of Honor to him and six other men.
He retired from the Army after nearly 30 years and went to work with his son, James Stone Jr., in the home-building business.
He met his wife, Mary, after retiring from the Army. She said she didn't know about the Medal of Honor until after the wedding.
"He was a humble person and didn't talk about that part to me," she said.
Last year, 60 years after the battle at Sokkogae, the Army 90th Aviation Support Battalion in Fort Worth dedicated the Col. James L. Stone U.S. Army Reserve Center in his honor.
In addition to his wife and son, survivors include another son, Raymond; a stepdaughter, Amy Rodriguez; one grandchild; and two stepgrandchildren.

 

Remembering a Beloved Horse and Decorated Marine

From the New York Times:  Remembering a Beloved Horse and Decorated Marine

Ángel Franco/The New York Times
John Meyers, a retired Marine Corps sergeant, held a photo of Reckless, a horse that served with his Marine Corps regiment in the Korean War.

¶War is hell, but there is one aspect of the Korean War that John T. Meyers, a retired Marine Corps sergeant who lives in Upper Manhattan, remembers fondly every Veterans Day.

¶The memory is about one of his best war buddies – a popular sergeant who was decorated for battleground bravery. On Friday morning, Mr. Meyer, who lives in Inwood, pulled out a well-worn photograph he brought back from Korea of the sergeant grazing in a field.

¶“She was a heck of a work horse – she could carry 12 rounds of ammo,” he said. “She was a dependable, beautiful animal, and she was sociable.”

¶Mr. Meyers was speaking of Sgt. Reckless, a Mongolian mare who won two Purple Hearts and earned the rank of staff sergeant for carrying ammunition in battle. Mr. Meyers became close with the horse both on the battlefield, where he was a gunner, and in the mess tent, where he often worked as a cook with the Fifth Marine Regiment Anti-tank Company.

¶“I would feed her, so every time she’d see me, she’d trot over,” said Mr. Meyers, a retired shipping clerk. “I gave her an apple a day. She knew exactly where I slept and she’d come in the tent and lick my face to wake me up, so she could eat.”

¶Mr. Meyers recalled Sgt. Reckless carrying heavy rounds for the powerful anti-tank guns the unit used, known as recoilless rifles.

¶“That gun had a heck of a blast, but it wouldn’t bother Reckless,” he said. “Any animals in the area would take off, but that horse would stay calm.”

¶Veterans Day, which falls on Sunday, is always a special day for Mr. Meyers because it is the day after his birthday, which is Nov. 10th. On Saturday he will be 79, which is also the 237th anniversary of the corps itself. It also happens to be the 58th anniversary of the day that Reckless touched American soil after serving in Korea.

¶She became well known in the 1950s as America’s greatest equine war hero, the subject of an article in The Saturday Evening Post that was published while she was still in Korea. It helped ignite a public outcry to get the Marine Corps to bring her to the United States.

Camp Pendleton archives An undated photo of Reckless, a mare who received military commendations for her actions during the Korean War.

 

“In the 1950s, Reckless was as popular as Rin Tin Tin and Lassie,” said Robin Hutton, an author from Ventura, Calif. who is writing a book on Sgt. Reckless. In 1955 Sgt. Reckless appeared on the “Art Linkletter Show” and made many other public appearances after the war, Ms. Hutton said. Plans to bring her to New York City for an appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” were scuttled by a storm, and a planned film fell through, she said. Reckless soon drifted into obscurity.

Ms. Hutton helped gain support for the construction of a memorial to Sgt. Reckless that is scheduled to open in July at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Triangle, Va. near the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Va. It will include a statue in Semper Fidelis Memorial Park next to the museum and an exhibition of items, including one of Sgt. Reckless’s horseshoes and photographs.

Mr. Meyers said his unit fell in love with the horse, which they treated “like one of the fellows.”

“You had guys feeding her everything – beer, soda,” he said.

“The Marine Corps had this terrible chocolate pudding that was just horrible stuff,” Mr. Meyers recalled. “All the guys would just dump it in this big 55-gallon garbage can,” he said. “Well, who gets into the can but Reckless. She eats the pudding, and then she got the worst case of diarrhea you’ve ever seen.”

Mr. Meyers comes from a military family. His father, William, served in the Army in World War I and his leg was blown off in the Battle of the Marne. Mr. Meyers’ son, Larry,  served in the Marines in the 1980s and is now an equities trader who also lives in Inwood.

Sgt. Reckless’ biography is not entirely complete. The story goes that a Marine purchasing officer bought the horse from a Korean boy who needed money to buy his sister an artificial leg, according to a 1955 book, “Reckless: Pride of the Marines,” by Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Geer, a Marine commander who served with Sgt. Reckless and wrote articles about her for The Saturday Evening Post in the 1950s.

He described Sgt. Reckless braving flying bullets during one particularly fierce battle and continuing to carry ammunition and wounded soldiers even after being hit by shrapnel.

Reckless is the only animal to ever hold an official rank in any military service, Ms. Hutton said. Her two Purple Heart medals and a multitude of others were pinned to the scarlet and gold blanket she wore at appearances. She was retired on Nov. 10, 1960, with full military honors and lived at the stables at Camp Pendleton in California. She died in 1968 at age 20.

Mr. Meyers, who lives alone in a ground-floor apartment decorated with snapshots of his grandchildren and testaments to his service, stared at an old photograph of the horse that fought and drank alongside the leathernecks of his Marine Regiment.

That horse left a lasting impression on me,” Mr. Meyers said.

 

Korean War veteran Wells met The Great Imposter

From Inside Toronto:  Korean War veteran Wells met The Great Imposter

Scotty Wells encountered not only danger but intrigue while serving his Canada in the Korean War.
The Scarborough man was treated by and served alongside an American imposter posing as a Canadian doctor aboard the Royal Canadian Navy destroyer HMCS Cayuga.
The imposter was Ferdinand Waldo Demara, who took the identity of New Brunswick doctor Joseph Cyr. Demara would later be known as The Great Imposter and would be the subject of a Hollywood movie in which Tony Curtis played him.
“He just seemed like a really down-to-earth, nice man. He used to come down into our mess deck the odd time, just to talk,” Wells said of Demara. “He did that several times on the ship, which was quite unusual. An officer didn’t usually do that. I was just a seaman.”
On one occasion, the ship’s captain, James Plomer, had an abscessed wisdom tooth and told the doctor he wanted the tooth extracted the next morning.
“The doctor said: ‘OK, well I’ve got a book on dentistry, I’ll study it up overnight,’ which he did,” Wells said. “He did take out the captain’s tooth, and the captain said he never had one done better, so he was pleased.”
Wells himself was a patient when he received various immunization shots from Demara.
Wells recalled when three badly wounded South Korean fighters were brought onboard the ship for medical treatment. (He snapped a photo of one of the wounded on a stretcher.) The imposter, with help from the sick bay attendant, operated on the gunshot victims, saving their lives.
“They used the captain’s table to operate,” Wells said. “I saw the doctor come out of the captain’s cabin. ... What I remember the most was he was just bathed in sweat, you could see beads of sweat on his face because he’d been through an ordeal in working on these people, especially now that we know he wasn’t a real doctor.”
A press release was issued on the life-saving surgeries, and it became nation-wide news in Canada. The real Dr. Cyr saw the story and contacted naval headquarters.
“The captain just couldn’t believe it when he got the secret signal from Ottawa,” Wells said. “My good friend Dixie Branter was the cryptologist on the ship and he got the coded signal which he had to decipher. It said that we believe your Dr. Cyr is an imposter.”
Denara, Wells said, was called into the captain’s cabin where he confessed. “We were all pretty well shocked,” Wells said.
Demara was sent to Ottawa and discharged from the navy. He would later take on other false identities to get various positions, including a deputy warden at a Texas prison and a teacher in a Maine village.
Wells met Demara again in 1979 at a Cayuga crew reunion. Demara, who at the time held a legitimate job as a hospital chaplain in California, was warmly greeted by his former shipmates, Wells said. Demara died of a heart attack three years later.
For Wells, the imposter wasn’t the only intriguing memory from the Cayuga.
While fueling in July 1950, leading seaman George Johnson rescued a puppy that was part of a litter being drowned.
The captain allowed the dog to be kept onboard as long as she was trained. The canine, named Alice, served two tours of duty to Korea and was the ship’s mascot.
Wells said the dog raised the morale of the crew. “When we were eating, it would make the rounds of all the different messes,” he said. “It was nice to have someone other than a human around.”
But one day Alice went missing. It turned out, she had fallen between the Cayuga and the ship it was tied next to.
“Over the loudspeaker came ‘Alice is between the ships,’” Wells said. “Every sailor that was able rushed up there, and we virtually held the ships apart somehow until they rescued the dog.”
A crew member eventually took Alice home. The dog soon began a second career: riding with a garbage truck crew in Victoria, B.C. She was accidentally run over and killed by the truck during a garbage run.
Wells joined the navy at age 17 in May 1948 and was transferred to the Cayuga in June 1950 when the Korean War started. The Cayuga, joined by the Athabaskan and Sioux, sailed for Korea on July 5, 1950.
The Cayuga became the first Canadian ship to fire in anger since the Second World War, bombarding the port city of Yosu.
Wells served as a signalman.
On Sept. 15, 1950, the Cayuga took part in the invasion at Inchon, which resulted in a rapid advance by Allied troops up to the Yalu River.
There were some close calls. On Oct. 16, 1950, the Cayuga got in a minefield while leading HMS Kenya north of Inchon.
“We heard metal scraping metal, which sounded like a mine was scrapping down the side,” Wells said. “Normally that should have blown us up, but it must have been a dud because we’re still here.”
Another danger came on Oct. 30, 1951 when the Cayuga was sent to resupply South Korean guerrillas behind enemy lines
“We pulled into this body of water, dropped our anchor,” Wells said. “A small naval vessel took a bunch of provisions ashore for these guerrillas, and the next thing you know about 50 yards in front of the forecastle of the ship two great huge geysers of water shoot up as the shells started landing because there were gunners on the land, two or three miles away. They were firing at us and had us zeroed right in.”
The ship reversed out of there at full speed.
“As we proceeded backwards, the shells kept landing just where we’d been,” Wells said. “I don’t think there was real fright because we were busy. We had jobs to do. ... The fright came after when you started thinking about it, how close it had come.”
Wells served two tours of duty during the Korean War. He was discharged from the navy in May 1953 after five years of service. “It was an honour to serve,” he said. “The South Korean people are so thankful for what we did they can’t treat you well enough, and they’ve been like that ever since we came back right up to today.”

 

Memory Project collecting oral histories of veterans

The Burnaby News Leader: Memory Project collecting oral histories of veterans

While some funding for The Memory Project will be ending in March, the work will continue to preserve oral histories of aging veterans for future generations.
In the past year, the project has added more than 350 interviews with Korean War veterans to its online archive and a similar number for Second World War veterans.
While funding from the federal Department of Canadian Heritage will end for the interviews about Second World War experiences, the Historica-Dominion Institute will continue the work, said Alex Herd, project manager for the Memory Project.
Herd noted that while Second World War veterans are often willing to be interviewed, sometimes with the encouragement of their families, it can be more challenging to get Korean War veterans to participate.
That's largely due to the fact that for decades, they were not even considered war veterans.
That war, which took place between 1950 and 1953, was officially deemed a "police action" by then-U.S. President Harry Truman for political and diplomatic reasons, Herd explained. While the veterans experienced war-like conditions, it was not considered a war and afterwards, they didn't receive the same benefits as their counterparts from the Second World War.
It wasn't until after years of lobbying that Korean War veterans were publicly recognized by the federal government as war veterans in the early 1990s.
That's all contributed to a reticence among many such veterans to share their stories, Herd said.
The project "is part of our effort to give them the respect they've been due, to encourage them to come forward and share their stories, to show them they're valued members of society and their stories are valued parts of our history," he said, "and also to educate all Canadians of all generations and backgrounds on what has been a war that's been neglected in our historical instruction at every level in the country."
He noted that people in Korea continue to be very grateful for Canadians' efforts in keeping that country free.
The project has also digitized more than 1,600 artifacts for its archives. They borrow artifacts from veterans they interview and photograph or scan them for inclusion in the online archive before returning them.
Such artifacts include photos, medals, pieces of shrapnel and communist propaganda.
One intriguing piece was a Chinese coin picked up on the battlefield by a Korean War veteran who was eventually wounded and bled on the coin. For some reason, he never cleaned the blood off.
Others came from a Second World War veteran who was in prisoner-of-war camps in Italy and Germany. To pass the time he drew comics to entertain himself and his fellow prisoners, which are now reproduced and in the archives, as is a piece of his ration bread that he received in the camp, which he kept in a bag as a memento all these years.
The Memory Project is still seeking veterans of the Second World War or Korean War to participate. For more information visit www.thememoryproject.com or call 1-866-701-1867.

 

Korean War soldier's remains return to Kentucky

From Daily News.com:  Korean War soldier's remains return to Kentucky


The remains of a Kentucky soldier who died in the Korean War in 1950 have been identified and are returning to Kentucky to be interred.
Sgt. Stanley Wayne Bear was almost 19 years old when he died Sept. 4, 1950, in South Korea as a member of the 25th Infantry Division. His remains were positively identified by a recovery team in October and his internment is scheduled for Wednesday at the Kentucky Veterans Cemetery North East.

His nephew, Patrick Worthington, told The Independent in Ashland ( http://bit.ly/QgsFPA) that his mother described him as six-foot-two with blonde hair and blue eyes and towered over the rest of the family.
The family always held out hope that his remains would be discovered and they submitted their DNA that led to a positive identification.

 

UK: Contribute to Korean War memorial

From Sheilds Gazette:  Contribute to Korean War memorial


FAMILIES of North-East men who lost their lives in the Korean War are being invited to contribute to a memorial project.

The British Korean Veterans’ Association is acting on behalf of the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in Busan, South Korea, where more than 800 British servicemen were laid to rest.
The authorities there want to obtain photographs of those interred, as well as of those who died but have no known grave.
The pictures will be attached to their records and also displayed in the cemetery’s hall of remembrance.
They include young men from what is now Tyne and Wear, who gave their lives; men such as Driver Nicholas Robson, Private Gordon Shiell, Pte William Donaldson, Fusilier Thomas McNally, Pte Leslie Jackson, Warrant Officer James Morris, Pte Robert Smith, Lieutenant Brian Swinbanks, Pte Leonard Turnbull and Gunner Ralph Barwick.
Any family who lost a loved one in the Korean War and wishes to take part in the memorial project can send the photograph to the Veterans’ Association’s James Grundy at 102 College Croft, Eccles, Greater Manchester M30 0AN.
n The association would also like to hear from those who served in Korea/Japan from 1950 to 1953, or with the peace-keeping force over the following four years.
They include those in the Merchant Navy, NAAFI, Red Cross and the Women’s Royal Voluntary Service.
Drop a line to Brian Hough, 116 Fields Farm Road, Hattersley, Hyde, Cheshire SK14 3NP (a stamped addressed envelope for the reply would be appreciated).