Here's a little true story for those who were in the Service, and others too

[solo1]

Since I no longer ride, can't do new riding stories  (couldn't compete with DDT's stories anyway,) I found this story that I wrote for my kids.  I did add the last part about RJ as I still miss the old Marine.



                                    A Draftee’s Story, non combat in Korea


I was drafted into the Army on 19 Feb, 1952.   Up until that time I was supporting our large family as my Mother didn’t work and Dad took an early medical retirement.  Due to a change in dependent status I finally entered the Service at age 24..

I was sent to Camp Pickett in Virginia for 8 weeks of infantry basic training. There were no M1’s available except for qualifying purpose, so we spent much of our combat exercises using sticks and calling out “Bang, bang”  Confusing and amusing..

I was a long time squirrel hunter and pistol enthusiast before I was inducted so I was looking forward to qualifying with the M1 Garand.  Qualification day arrived. I was given a still warm M1 to use and four rounds to sight it in at 200 yards before I began. I couldn’t sight it in, one ‘Maggies drawer’ after another. After being called a few names, I tried one last time and the rear sight fell off.!  So much for the deadeye squirrel hunter who didn’t check the piece before firing.

Later, I was again given a hot M1 for the Infiltration course. Walking through the course with popup targets, after the third shot the operating rod disconnected from the bolt and jammed the rifle. Stopping to clear was not in the cards.

The day after the completion of Infantry Basic, we went immediately into the Combat Medical Aideman  basic course, also an 8 week course.  I have no idea as to why I was assigned this.  I was not a C.O. and my civilian experience including the shooting sports and all around mechanic skills didn’t qualify me for the medical field.  Of  course, that doesn’t matter, I found out later.  The Army puts you where it needs you.

Entering medical basic, I thought, the worse is over, I was wrong!   Day One.  One man fireman’s carry in a relay formation, complete with ankle high barbed wire. Day Two.(Friday) We were issued brand new M1 Garands still in the cosmoline.  The next day , Saturday, all M1s passed inspection but the latrines failed badly what with cosmoline everywhere.

After going through both basic course (16 weeks) I was sent to Xray school at Ft. Sam Houston,a hard and extensive education but pleasant duty..  Again I wondered why the Army invested $12,000  and another four months in me, a draftee.

After leave I was ordered to be at Camp Lawton, Seattle Washington on 19th, December 1952.  I was on time but found out that the civilian group that processed us, was on Christmas vacation until 2nd January, 1953.  I also found out that when no one is in charge of a large group of  transient GIs,  living quarters become a mess.  This was especially so at Camp Lawton, as it was a POW camp during WWI and looked it.

After waiting around and visiting Seattle a lot, we finally boarded the USNS General Ballou troopship for a 21 day sail to Camp Drake, Japan.

We spent 3 non sleeping processing days at Camp Drake and then the last group of us boarded the USNS Ballou again  for the short trip to Pusan, Korea.  As the ship was full, 20 of us ended up in the brig (we had the keys) and drove the chow servers nuts by telling them we were from the brig and needed to be served first.  Another glitch in Army/ Navy regs.

Arriving in Pusan , our group was assigned to a troop train and rotated duties standing guard with M2 carbines at the end of each car on the way north.

My next stop was the 30th Med Group  overnight and then rode in a deuce and a half to the 618th Medical Clearing Company, 2nd platoon, located near Yonchon, as I remember.
The platoon was located next to the railroad with a spur that accepted the daily hospital train from Seoul.  The duties of the 618th was to care for and keep the wounded overnight for loading on the hospital train the next day.  The CO was a doctor that was drafted for duty in Korea.  His name was Captain Bigman. Additional doctors and medical techs were stationed here also. There were no nurses assigned to us.

Since my MOS’s were infantryman, medical aide man, and Xray tech., I was assigned to the motor pool to drive a WWII deuce and a half.  This made perfect sense to me. From what I recall, truck drivers were in short supply.  Many men in our outfit, never learned to drive in civilian life so I evidently had one skill that the Army could use.

I  was assigned to do the daily run to Yongdungpo to our headquarters platoon, the APO for mail, 52nd Med. Group Headquarters, etc. The distance was 45 miles which took about 2 hours on Route 30. It was a good duty for the most part.   I never was fired on so only had to contend with MP’s, out to enforce the 25mph speed limit, and the occasional honey wagon pulled by oxen with old papasan determined to not let me pass.  The whole country smelled like a septic tank because of the human fertilizer that was used. Generally my comment to the mail orderly riding with me was “Did you brush your teeth this morning?’

The food in our platoon was great!   We drew rations primarily for the wounded under our care. If there were few wounded, we ate like pigs.  However, if there were many wounded, we had what was left, if any, and rightfully so. There was a huge mix of people from civilian life. There were some CO’s, one professional boxer, a opera singer, mechanics, etc. We all got along fine. To make it seem more “we found a home in the Army’ we named our various tents .  The tent for the medics, and other medical help was called ‘Snob Hill’, the common tent was called the “Snake Pit’ and our motorpool tent was called the ‘Grease Pit’   The officers BQ tent will remain nameless in this story.

Even though we were a medical outfit, the big puzzle for me was that we had only seven M2 carbines in our entire contingent of 75 men. These were issued for guard duty only with 30 round magazines taped back to back,  At one time, the non coms decided that all of us should be armed. As a result, each of us accumulated a 1911 .45  pistol., taken from the wounded.  We felt better but it didn’t last.  Orders came down that all 1911s were to be turned in under threat of court martial if they weren’t.  I could never understand why we were subjected to this harassment even though we each had a Geneva Convention card indicating that we were medics. From what I saw, the card could’ve been used for TP if it hadn’t been laminated.!  By way of explanation, our ambulance company down the road soon learned that the white background of the red cross on the side of the ambulances attracted unwanted attention from the Chinese artillery.  Mud plastered on the sides helped turn them into common ¾ ton utilities, not worth the trouble.

Our outfit sometimes was a sorry one indeed, depending on who we got for replacements.  One of the LTs that we got made a name for himself by ‘clearing’ his 1911 while pointing it at the guard shack. The round from the ‘unloaded’ pistol, missed the guard’s head by an inch bringing about a unscheduled trip to the latrine.  The same LT was responsible for ‘tightening up’ the trip flares on our barbed wire enclosure which made for lots of excitement for the guards when the wind picked up at 2AM.

Our CO finally got rid of this LT after the LT turned all of our perimeter floodlights INWARD.  I pulled guard duty that night and came up with all kind of names for this officer. To watch me it would've seemed sorta 'cartoonish” as I would scram from one dark spot to another with the back of my neck goose pimply.

Overall, it was an experience that occasionally reminded me later of the tv series M*A*S*H but overall I felt that we performed a needed service in Korea.    Just before the truce was signed, North Korea decided to push hard. Contingents of the ROK Army were to the north of us and they caught it.  ALL personnel in our platoon were working to unload the wounded from jeeps, trucks, ambulances, and helicopters.  Although I had no combat experience, I saw the result.  It’s not something that I ever want to see again.

I have checked online to try to find some that served with me in the 618th, 2nd platoon.  I’ve been unable to find anyone. We were unattached to any large division and had only about 75 men.  The 618th, 2nd platoon, was gone from its location in Korea by July 1954, maybe dissolved.

After all these years I could lie and say that I was in combat, (my records were destroyed in St. Louis fire) but, to me, that is close to 'stolen valor” and would not have been worthy of the friendship that I had with RJ who did see combat.

[DDT (12)]

Wayne,

Interesting slice of life, and I thank you for sharing it with us. Yeah, those of us who have served can't help but conjure up some memories of our own experiences whenever we read something like this. I too served in Korea, but about 13-14 years later than you did (1965-66). The only combat I saw was in a couple of bars in downtown Tong Du Chon... or TDC to us teenage warriors... Thanks for the story and the pleasant trip down memory lane it afforded...

DDT

[solo1]

Bruce, we were north of the 38th and the closest recognizable town was Uijonbu.  Didn't like driving through that with no canvas doors on the Duece. Koreans were fond of emptying the 'night soiling's at you when you drove past.

Here's a pic of downtown Seoul in 1953. Note the burned our building on the right with no roof.

[JimmyG]

Wayne, good story, and the logic of Army decision making will always baffle me.  I too was a medic, but a few years later than you. 1968-1970 to be exact.  I was very fortunate, learned a lot, still do remember a lot.  After my Army duty, I went to school on the GI bill and yep, you guessed it, X-ray Technology was my choice.  Spent 42 years as an X-ray Technologist doing everything from general, specials,ultrasound, vascular US,CT,MRI, even exposed to therapy, but no interest there.  Anyway, thanks for the memories, I was not in Korea, but a few miles South West of there is where I spent a year learning stuff. 

[3fan4life]

I  went into the Army as a medic about 30 yrs after you.

What amazes me is how little changed in those 30 yrs.

It sounds like the M 16's that we used in basic were in better shape than the rifles you had.

But they still weren't the cream of the crop.

Even though I was a medic I spent more time in the motor pool taking care of Jeeps than I did in the Aid Station taking care of people.

We still had a lot of guys that never learned to drive so that left me driving just about everything in the motor pool.

And if you drive it, you have to work on it.

It wasn't entirely bad, when our Scouts got Kawasaki's I was the only medic that knew how to ride a mc so I got to go with them on training exercises.

The night training was done using gen 1 Night Vision Googles which was very interesting.

After a year at Ft Lewis WA I put myself on levy for Germany to keep from going to Korea.

The only thing that I knew about Korea was that I didn't want to go through one of their winters.

I enjoyed Germany and the parts of Europe that I got to see.

When I got there my aid station was in need of a clerk, since those duties translated into a lot less time in the motor pool.
  
I was glad to volunteer for the job.

After I left active duty I stayed in the reserves.

I spent many summer camps at Ft. Pickett and I can guarantee you that the barracks were exactly the same as when you were there for basic training.

Being in the reserves got me sent to Saudi Arabia for the first Gulf War.

There I spent some time attached to an evac hospital.

Only, instead of transporting wounded to a train, I was taking them to an airstip to be put on C 141 medevacs and flown to Germany.        

[solo1]

Very interesting Jimmy!  When I was discharged I found employment at the local VA hospital as an Xray tech. My four months at Ft. Sam Houston in Xray school paid off. I started as a trainee , and I was the only xray tech at the VA that made registry on the first try. Then was appointed supervisory tech. I left after four years, didn't like being on call.

Some years later, I worked for GE Xray Corp as a field service tech. I don't know how many times I was called in because of 'grid lines'.  First question from me,  "Did you turn on the bucky?"    LOL.

[solo1]

I  went into the Army as a medic about 30 yrs after you.

What amazes me is how little changed in those 30 yrs.

It sounds like the M 16's that we used in basic were in better shape than the rifles you had.

But they still weren't the cream of the crop.

Even though I was a medic I spent more time in the motor pool taking care of Jeeps than I did in the Aid Station taking care of people.

We still had a lot of guys that never learned to drive so that left me driving just about everything in the motor pool.

And if you drive it, you have to work on it.

It wasn't entirely bad, when our Scouts got Kawasaki's I was the only medic that knew how to ride a mc so I got to go with them on training exercises.

The night training was done using gen 1 Night Vision Googles which was very interesting.

After a year at Ft Lewis WA I put myself on levy for Germany to keep from going to Korea.

The only thing that I knew about Korea was that I didn't want to go through one of their winters.

I enjoyed Germany and the parts of Europe that I got to see.

When I got there my aid station was in need of a clerk, since those duties translated into a lot less time in the motor pool.
  
I was glad to volunteer for the job.

After I left active duty I stayed in the reserves.

I spent many summer camps at Ft. Pickett and I can guarantee you that the barracks were exactly the same as when you were there for basic training.

Being in the reserves got me sent to Saudi Arabia for the first Gulf War.

There I spent some time attached to an evac hospital.

Only, instead of transporting wounded to a train, I was taking them to an airstip to be put on C 141 medevacs and flown to Germany.        

Wow! sounds like my experience too. We had GI's from the East that didn't know how to drive. I also trained them to drive WWII duece and a halfs 5 speeds, two speed transfer case, and `10 wheel drive with non synchonised trannys. I also did much mechanic work like using a tap as a broach to ream the front end for king pin replacement or showing how to retime the distributor after removing it and
 changing points.  Had two dummies pull a duece all over the compound backfiring all the way before I showed them how to install a distributor.  At the end of my tour the captain asked me if I wanted to be a chancre mechanic for our sick call ..........Nope

[JimmyG]

Is it a medic thing?  I did lots of things not in my MOS, but primarily was a combat medic, no if's, and's, or butt's.   Fast forward 30 some years and I go to Desert Storm party as a mechanic this time of all things. I did lots of other stuff, but when we got to KKMC, they found out I was a X-ray technologist and a combat medic in NAM, so here they come with a medic bag and a invitation to ,"be our medic".  Still did some stuff I wasn't supposed to, but I don't know if statute of limitations ever runs out on some stuff, so we won't talk about those

[Jess from VA]

Thanks for the stories guys.  

I volunteered for Korea, Turkey and the PI, in that order (to get off Maxwell AFB).

They said they didn't get too many volunteer statements like that, and asked if I was OK.  You don't tell people you think your boss is losing his mind (especially if he is), they tend to hold it against you.  I said I was fine, I just wanted to serve overseas, and knew I had a better chance asking for places few people asked for.

So they sent me to Korea.  Except, through no fault of my own, I lacked a particular piece of qualification OTJ training I had to have to go to Korea, so they sent me to Turkey instead.  But they sent all my household goods to Korea anyway.  So I lived out of my suitcases for several months, and when my household goods finally did arrive, they looked like they had been part of an archaeological dig at the great pyramids (not that I owned much of anything).  Though the extra uniforms, shoes and cold weather gear were appreciated)  (so I actually still own a number of things that went to Korea, though I never did)

I went in (at 31) as a JAG, was trained as a JAG, and served as a JAG, but being the FNG and the junior man at every place I served, I had the opportunity to do every unwanted extra duty, inspection, fill in for for this guy, go be the NATO exercise commander's exec (and you better learn how to use a STU 2 encrypted telephone), go check out a rattle trap car and visit all our remote mountain top listening posts in Turkey and see if any of those guys need help with anything (and all those installations are secured by Turks, who lay behind sandbags and point the M1 Garands we gave them at your head with the safety off in case you turn out to be a terrorist - in a blue Air Force car), go train these guys up on Geneva convention, use of deadly force and handling of POWs, go downtown and sit in for the Col, go march in this pass-in-review, go be our rep with the Officer's Wives Club (their fixin' to all go to jail because they never filed a tax exempt charitable status or any return in the last 30 years), go be on the mobility team (which may leave for the sandbox in three days -  after just returning from 2 tours in the sandbox), go organize the 3star's retirement party and don't screw it up, go pick up a 12pac van and pick up all those visiting Cols at the airport in LA (and slow the fok down, we know how you drive).  

Yes sir boss.    (whenever told you're being given an opportunity, watch out.

[old2soon]

Draft Notice in hand-Feb 1964-i elected to join the U S Navy. 9 weeks basic/boot camp-winter at N T C Great Lakes Illinois. "A" school-N A S Memphis Tn. Where I was trained in Ejection Seats A/C and Pressurization as applicable to jet powered airplanes Oxygen systems-gaseous and Liquid Oxygen-fire control-as putting out fires in jet engines and other fine exciting "stuff" for a 19 year old to do. BUT-Always a BUT-the U S Navy in their infinite wisdom after sending me to a R A G-replacement air group-outfit to learn more "stuff" assigned me to a recip outfit-no jet type engines-and the ONLY thing I was trained in that my new outfit had you ask?? Gaseous Oxygen systems-older than the ones I trained on at N A S Memphis.  The ONLY place I ever worked on an Ejection seat was at "A" school.  BUT-a good in this time-the BUT-I did 2 years-well almost 2 years-on an Aircraft Carrier. And I would NOT trade that time on the Carrier for anything else I've done. On the plus side again had I Not been in The U S Navy I would NOT have motocrossed in Japan. Should have done my 30 Years and retired.  RIDE SAFE.

[Old Tiger]

Any other Vietnam vets in here? Lately, I've found myself watching the personal history of Vietnam vets and their Vietnam experiences on You Tube. Spent 31 months in country from 9/68 to 9/71 not counting the 6 months return to CONUS to the ASA/10th Spec Forces at Ft Devens MA. Oh to be one and twenty again. Shout out to all those that served.

[JimmyG]

Hey Old Tiger, I believe there may be several of us Nam vets around here.  Yep, I was just 21 and headed to Nam.  Never dreamed the stuff I was about to experience. Made it home, by the grace of God. Lot of good friends did not make it.  Many on here had fathers or uncles that were there.  I had a cousin in the Navy off the coast of Nam while I was there in the bush. He was on an aircraft carrier, forget the name. God bless them all.
 

[RP#62]

Draft Notice in hand-Feb 1964-i elected to join the U S Navy. 9 weeks basic/boot camp-winter at N T C Great Lakes Illinois. "A" school-N A S Memphis Tn. Where I was trained in Ejection Seats A/C and Pressurization as applicable to jet powered airplanes Oxygen systems-gaseous and Liquid Oxygen-fire control-as putting out fires in jet engines and other fine exciting "stuff" for a 19 year old to do. BUT-Always a BUT-the U S Navy in their infinite wisdom after sending me to a R A G-replacement air group-outfit to learn more "stuff" assigned me to a recip outfit-no jet type engines-and the ONLY thing I was trained in that my new outfit had you ask?? Gaseous Oxygen systems-older than the ones I trained on at N A S Memphis.  The ONLY place I ever worked on an Ejection seat was at "A" school.  BUT-a good in this time-the BUT-I did 2 years-well almost 2 years-on an Aircraft Carrier. And I would NOT trade that time on the Carrier for anything else I've done. On the plus side again had I Not been in The U S Navy I would NOT have motocrossed in Japan. Should have done my 30 Years and retired.  RIDE SAFE.

If you saw a 10 year old kid hanging around from time to time, it was probably me.  My old man was an  'A' school instructor and used to bring me in to work whenever I was off from school.

-RP

[solo1]

Any Vietnam vets or later, you're welcome to join in on my post. I've learned a lot here.  Thanks to all vets for your service.

I kinda doubt if there are any Korean War vets here anymore since I think that RJ and I were the only ones.

It is not a good feeling to see our chapter of the Korean War Vets lose members due to dying.

Two of us in our chapter rode motorcycles but not any more.  It sure would've been nice to ride 'to the end' but that's not the way it works.  The aged body gets in the way.

[scooperhsd]

Wayne ,

Your's and other Korean Vets service is also appreciated.

Even if you were not "on the front lines, staring down the enemy" - you still served.

[da prez]

I went in in 1966. Basic at Fort Campbell Kentucky. We were the second ( I believe) training unit to go thru the barracks that were rented to local farmers for chicken coops. They were washed and painted.
 I went thru in the 101 st. Airborne. I was not a jumper , it is where we fit in.
  After basic , no leave (some did) on to Aberdeen Maryland for advanced training. To early for my training , I volunteered for unknown testing. (The others got to shovel snow and garbage detail.)
 I went to the HEL lab.(human evaluation lab)    Mental testing under a variety of conditions. (another story)
 Transferred to Fort Hood Texas. The contact truck I was assigned was a 1947. The year I was born.
 The C-rations in field training were from the 40's . Wayne , they still had leftovers when I was in.

                                                            da prez

[Michvalk]

Solo1: Just for info purposes, there is a site called "Together we served" that helps connect service members. They haven't been around a long time, but, they have separate sections for branch of service, and find people who were assigned to the same section you were in. Might be worth looking into

[solo1]

Thanks but I've looked into another good Korea vet site with no results and now most that I knew are probably gone.

[3fan4life]

I went in in 1966. Basic at Fort Campbell Kentucky. We were the second ( I believe) training unit to go thru the barracks that were rented to local farmers for chicken coops. They were washed and painted.
 I went thru in the 101 st. Airborne. I was not a jumper , it is where we fit in.
  After basic , no leave (some did) on to Aberdeen Maryland for advanced training. To early for my training , I volunteered for unknown testing. (The others got to shovel snow and garbage detail.)
 I went to the HEL lab.(human evaluation lab)    Mental testing under a variety of conditions. (another story)
 Transferred to Fort Hood Texas. The contact truck I was assigned was a 1947. The year I was born.
 The C-rations in field training were from the 40's . Wayne , they still had leftovers when I was in.

                                                            da prez

When i was in the 101st was Air Assault (repeling out of helicopters).

In 1982 I was eating C rations that had been packed while you were in basic.

[Jess from VA]

I never had the pleasure of eating K or C rations, or even MREs (I may have experimented with one, but that leads to harder stuff, so I quit right away).

But the institutional mystery meat, mashed potatoes and gravy I got all my life in school and military cafeterias was nothing to write home about. (And you sure never needed ExLax if you were eating that stuff).

My take on all of that is, it always tasted pretty good, if you waited until you were really hungry first.

And in the Boy Scouts, if you didn't actually eat what you cooked for your cooking merit badge, you didn't get the badge.    Hey that burger fell in the fire.  That's OK, just blow it off.