JMJ

Thursday, June 24, 2010

The Hero and my pal

Dear Readers. You have all heard that cliche about combat.."Dont make a friend, or dont get friendly with another soldier"..well it is true....just a few minutes with that radioman..and I have never forgotten him,,or that medic..It was sad when I heard later that he was never the same again,,The way they described his wounds,,,it was bad,,,,,Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret
 
                                                                                 JMJ
Kumwah,North Korea
"L" Co 5thRCT 24th Div,,
Oct to Dec 1951
Phillip Meyer S/Sgt Ret.
                                                                Kumwah Valley 1951
..It was starting to get a little cold when we made our next move.,We settled down in a valley. To our front the enemy lines and we were at the base of a hill..Our first duty dig deep holes, When the snow and freezing weather came these holes before the earth got frozen would be our place when we came off the hill,.Yes we dug them very deep and wide,,Then we would put the tent over it,The rainy season was over,,In that time period a demonstration was put on by soldiers who had special dogs, I watched as a Sgt told one of our men to hide himself in one of the dried out rice paddies,He went a good distance and hid himself.Then the dog was released, The dog went right to the soldier who stood up and froze,But the dog did not attack,,
                                                   My pal and The Black Gentleman..warrior
 Ohh do I remember this. We were getting ready to go on the front lines but first some patrols would go out see what they could find...I saw the radioman on the other side of some sandbags.I went to him and said "Can you tell me how the radio works: He says I am getting ready to go on patrol but when I get back we can get together and I will show you:' He was about 20 year old and not very tall...So I said okay and he was getting his radio ready..Then I look to my left and there was a tall black soldier .he was a Medic.I walked over and he was talking about what they would do and other things,I was impressed the way he talked and acted. This soldier was refined he spoke like someone very educated,,,,Then he left with the radioman for the Patrol...........I never saw them again...The story goes that patrol was going over a ridge line when the Sgt told them to get off and in between the hill,They had got around a hundred feet from the top. They said they could hear the Chinese laughing. Then they were fired upon..Two new men that just came in the company got up to fire and were hit.The Radioman got hit in the arm then his leg badly wounded, The Sgt in panic not doing anything,,The Black medic took over taking the wounded radioman down the hill then the other wounded and getting the other men to follow him.All the while being fired at by the Chinese...The Black
soldier I learned later got the Silver Star..The radioman was never the same again,,,,I only met him once
but Ill never forget him,,,I learned he was still alive but he died before I could see him again.The Black soldier a true hero,,,and a gentleman.......Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret.