WEBVTT 1 00:00:11.599 --> 00:00:15.720 Welcome to Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in 2 00:00:15.759 --> 00:00:19.440 this edition is Wayne Fletcher. He's a US Army veteran 3 00:00:19.559 --> 00:00:23.359 of the Korean War. Mister Fletcher served nearly eleven months 4 00:00:23.359 --> 00:00:26.839 in Korea in nineteen fifty one. He served as a 5 00:00:26.879 --> 00:00:31.160 gunner with fifty caliber anti aircraft guns. However, these guns 6 00:00:31.199 --> 00:00:33.880 were mounted on half tracks and used in support of 7 00:00:33.920 --> 00:00:38.200 American ground forces. Wayne Fletcher was born in Eustace, Maine, 8 00:00:38.560 --> 00:00:41.600 in the midst of the Great Depression, and he begins 9 00:00:41.640 --> 00:00:45.679 our conversation explaining what life was like for his rural 10 00:00:45.759 --> 00:00:48.200 family during those difficult days. 11 00:00:48.439 --> 00:00:52.399 That was bone, that was the Depression shotted in twenty nine. 12 00:00:53.039 --> 00:00:56.759 I was BONIFETI one. So my folks were cool wick, 13 00:00:57.479 --> 00:01:02.560 bringing everybody around us laws. My father was either he 14 00:01:02.679 --> 00:01:04.959 worked in the woods or he was a guide, his 15 00:01:05.040 --> 00:01:11.920 sport's guide of worked in manufactury mill, different things of 16 00:01:11.920 --> 00:01:15.239 that nature. Sometimes you worked on the log drive, driving 17 00:01:15.280 --> 00:01:18.000 the log down the rivers. My mother run her home. 18 00:01:18.079 --> 00:01:19.439 She had five children. 19 00:01:20.040 --> 00:01:22.480 Was there a history of military service in your family? 20 00:01:24.159 --> 00:01:27.319 I know the onlybody I knew of before me was 21 00:01:27.359 --> 00:01:30.000 my uncle. He was in the Festival War. 22 00:01:30.480 --> 00:01:33.879 You enlisted in the army in September of nineteen forty nine. 23 00:01:34.359 --> 00:01:36.840 What happened after you enlisted? Where did they send you? 24 00:01:36.879 --> 00:01:41.280 And what happened when I enlisted? I went to basic 25 00:01:41.319 --> 00:01:46.120 training in Fort Dictioner, Jersey, from about thirteen weeks. 26 00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:48.000 Where did you go after Fort Dix? 27 00:01:48.400 --> 00:01:51.959 Well, I went to Logan Heights in El Paso, Texas. 28 00:01:52.640 --> 00:01:56.280 It was now shoot from Fort Bliffs that they had 29 00:01:56.519 --> 00:01:59.400 put in the Second World War. They've all small, four 30 00:01:59.439 --> 00:02:02.879 men hot we lived in. They would motopool and before 31 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:06.120 we had a half track for the fifty calibers and 32 00:02:06.599 --> 00:02:09.520 in fifteen thirty seven millimeters on them. 33 00:02:09.960 --> 00:02:12.680 So let's talk about that. How did you get assigned 34 00:02:12.719 --> 00:02:16.759 to anti aircraft fire just buy their choice? And what 35 00:02:16.800 --> 00:02:18.400 did that training consist of? 36 00:02:18.840 --> 00:02:20.639 Well, we had we had to learn the ins and 37 00:02:20.800 --> 00:02:24.439 out to the track itself, so we could do what 38 00:02:24.599 --> 00:02:27.159 we could ourselves. If we get in more time, we 39 00:02:27.240 --> 00:02:31.000 could probase detendent on somebody else. We had to learn 40 00:02:31.039 --> 00:02:33.479 the maintenance of the track. We learned. We learned how 41 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:35.680 to take the guns atop and put them back together 42 00:02:35.919 --> 00:02:39.319 and clean them. And then we'd go on the range 43 00:02:39.719 --> 00:02:42.680 and they would they would have grown, they would fly 44 00:02:43.039 --> 00:02:46.120 by out quite a way rout promise, and we would 45 00:02:46.199 --> 00:02:47.919 fire at them to see if we could get them. 46 00:02:48.439 --> 00:02:51.159 So we've tried down a lot of astro shooting. I 47 00:02:51.319 --> 00:02:54.879 was a gunner and I had a right candoneir in 48 00:02:54.879 --> 00:02:57.919 a left canyon air, which that means the right carnyar 49 00:02:58.000 --> 00:02:59.520 took out of the two guns on the right and 50 00:02:59.599 --> 00:03:03.680 kept the munition flowing, keep them un jammed, and the 51 00:03:03.840 --> 00:03:06.319 end the left did the left ears. 52 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:08.639 How long did it take you to get good at it? 53 00:03:09.039 --> 00:03:11.719 I'm to say, you know, long we were. We were 54 00:03:11.759 --> 00:03:15.159 pretty well knew what we were doing. The short order 55 00:03:15.240 --> 00:03:18.360 a couple of couple of months. We kept doing it, 56 00:03:19.000 --> 00:03:21.199 you know, even if we're learning pretty good, so we would, 57 00:03:21.520 --> 00:03:23.719 you know, only but now get rusty on it. 58 00:03:24.120 --> 00:03:27.520 You mentioned before that one of your responsibilities obviously is 59 00:03:27.560 --> 00:03:31.560 being able to assemble and disassemble these fifty caliber guns. 60 00:03:31.840 --> 00:03:33.439 Talk about that process. 61 00:03:33.479 --> 00:03:35.719 Like if you were in battle after a long you 62 00:03:35.719 --> 00:03:38.159 would have to change the barrels on them. If you 63 00:03:38.199 --> 00:03:41.039 were trying to let one gun to alone, the barrel 64 00:03:41.039 --> 00:03:43.680 would get red hot and the waft of barrel and 65 00:03:43.680 --> 00:03:46.400 the bullets would go out to hambuzigzagging all over the face. 66 00:03:46.840 --> 00:03:48.759 So you had to learn how to change the barrels, 67 00:03:49.199 --> 00:03:52.159 and my cantons would have to do that when you 68 00:03:52.199 --> 00:03:56.080 were firing, to change the barrel. If you get in 69 00:03:56.159 --> 00:03:58.639 there fighting was going on, you change the barrel while 70 00:03:58.639 --> 00:03:59.800 you're using the other guns. 71 00:04:00.120 --> 00:04:01.919 Me a little bit more about your fire team and 72 00:04:01.960 --> 00:04:02.680 the other guys. 73 00:04:03.039 --> 00:04:04.639 I was a gun on, but I said, in that 74 00:04:04.800 --> 00:04:07.680 kind of a terraff, I had sights and a two 75 00:04:07.759 --> 00:04:09.960 hand or you will hang on or to make a 76 00:04:10.199 --> 00:04:13.000 gun go up and down and it would rotates. If 77 00:04:13.000 --> 00:04:15.719 you make them go sideways, you go all the way around. 78 00:04:17.120 --> 00:04:21.079 They have fifty calibers. They go hold on the bottom 79 00:04:21.759 --> 00:04:26.040 around the tarrat. The cannoniers would actually be walking on. 80 00:04:26.600 --> 00:04:31.120 There's metal cases themselves. In Korea, when you're in a firefight, 81 00:04:31.920 --> 00:04:35.360 they would make sure that they had another container of 82 00:04:35.879 --> 00:04:39.040 cottridges right there to the hook right on to keep 83 00:04:39.360 --> 00:04:42.360 right on going. I missed a few shots, but it 84 00:04:42.360 --> 00:04:45.000 wouldn't be many. Take with their job. Keep them on 85 00:04:45.120 --> 00:04:47.800 jam and keep their guns of firing there as long 86 00:04:47.800 --> 00:04:50.680 as of the targets out there, I kept on firing. Now. 87 00:04:50.720 --> 00:04:54.480 As I mentioned at the beginning, in Korea, the anti 88 00:04:54.519 --> 00:04:58.720 aircraft artillery was used for ground combat? Is that also 89 00:04:58.800 --> 00:04:59.720 how you trained it? 90 00:05:00.040 --> 00:05:03.439 We never use them for any aircraft. I was always 91 00:05:04.319 --> 00:05:06.360 personnel the enemy on the ground. 92 00:05:06.759 --> 00:05:10.240 What other gear did you carry in addition to the 93 00:05:10.240 --> 00:05:12.519 big guns? Did you have rifles and other things with you? 94 00:05:13.720 --> 00:05:17.160 Yeah? We all the crew had the cabine, the m 95 00:05:17.199 --> 00:05:20.199 city cabine, and I think we started out with a 96 00:05:20.240 --> 00:05:23.079 semi automatic, but they changed us all over to automatic, 97 00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:28.160 full automatic ones. The driver himself had, but they're called 98 00:05:28.199 --> 00:05:31.800 the grease gun. It was forty five caliber. It was 99 00:05:31.879 --> 00:05:34.639 all metal or they had a metal stock on it 100 00:05:34.720 --> 00:05:37.639 that would push in out of the way I would 101 00:05:37.639 --> 00:05:39.399 pull out so you could put it against your shoulder 102 00:05:39.399 --> 00:05:41.920 and fire it. They called it the grease gun. It 103 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:44.600 was forty five caliber and it was especially for the 104 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:46.480 drivers to keep the side of them. 105 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:49.720 Any other weapons, pistols, knives. 106 00:05:50.000 --> 00:05:52.399 They didn't issue us any, but every once so far 107 00:05:52.920 --> 00:05:54.720 you'd be able to buy one off on somebody. I 108 00:05:54.720 --> 00:05:58.120 don't know where they come from, but I remember one 109 00:05:58.120 --> 00:06:00.519 time I had the forty five caliber for a while, 110 00:06:01.240 --> 00:06:04.279 and there was other other weapons. We had a thirty caliber. 111 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:08.360 We eventually mounted a thirty caliber machine gun on the 112 00:06:08.399 --> 00:06:11.800 top pide of the tarrat shooting down over the hood 113 00:06:11.800 --> 00:06:14.720 of the vehicle. Remember, we never had to use it, 114 00:06:14.720 --> 00:06:17.040 but if you had to then to get climbing on 115 00:06:17.079 --> 00:06:20.199 your track, we would we would be able to point 116 00:06:20.240 --> 00:06:22.000 that down there and move away. 117 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:26.399 Sir, When did you first learn that your service might 118 00:06:26.439 --> 00:06:28.040 be needed in Korea? 119 00:06:28.639 --> 00:06:31.839 Coming back off bivouac, we've been out of the Ring 120 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:36.319 pacticon and and they'ing different things. Then we go back 121 00:06:36.360 --> 00:06:39.720 and the tronvoys stopped and a big banner come out said, 122 00:06:39.800 --> 00:06:43.079 Wall you are I got all big. We didn't know 123 00:06:43.120 --> 00:06:46.120 what to talking about, but that's just I'm we heard 124 00:06:46.160 --> 00:06:48.959 about it. We had a meeting before we were getting 125 00:06:49.000 --> 00:06:51.480 ready to go to Korea and somebody said we were 126 00:06:51.480 --> 00:06:54.399 going to the far East. Well, I'm a country boy. 127 00:06:54.399 --> 00:06:57.519 I don't know too much about things. I'm thinking that's 128 00:06:57.519 --> 00:06:59.680 good because the walls in career in the West. I 129 00:06:59.720 --> 00:07:04.399 didn't off our East. I was going Wow, I thought 130 00:07:04.439 --> 00:07:06.040 I was going to some place safe. I was going 131 00:07:06.079 --> 00:07:06.959 into higher East. 132 00:07:07.399 --> 00:07:11.319 Was there anything particularly memorable about the trip over there? 133 00:07:12.480 --> 00:07:16.720 Oh, my gosh. Yes, we met a boat landed in 134 00:07:17.759 --> 00:07:22.040 Japan Pereskebal. We had our equipment. I don't understand what 135 00:07:22.079 --> 00:07:24.800 it was all about so we had our equipment, went 136 00:07:24.839 --> 00:07:28.240 out on the range, dungeon proractical practicing, and this and 137 00:07:28.240 --> 00:07:30.519 that and the other, put them back all on the 138 00:07:30.519 --> 00:07:34.279 ship and headed for Korea. I think we were in 139 00:07:34.319 --> 00:07:35.319 good hand about a month. 140 00:07:35.680 --> 00:07:39.079 You mentioned that you entered combat in early January of 141 00:07:39.160 --> 00:07:43.079 nineteen fifty one. Where was that and what was the 142 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:44.040 state of the war. 143 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.680 We landed and push on. The Chinese had joined the 144 00:07:47.759 --> 00:07:51.160 North Koreans and they had pushed all the United Nations 145 00:07:51.199 --> 00:07:56.439 troops down to just they had just to help holding 146 00:07:56.519 --> 00:07:59.519 on by just a little bit down the various southern 147 00:07:59.519 --> 00:08:04.199 tip of Korea and will we landed in January sixth, 148 00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:06.399 It was cold and blue blazers. 149 00:08:06.720 --> 00:08:09.839 What was the American morale like at that point? 150 00:08:10.000 --> 00:08:11.920 I think we were all confused, didn't know what the 151 00:08:11.959 --> 00:08:14.879 heck we're getting into. Or most churches too young, We 152 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:18.480 didn't know. I was like nineteen. I don't know about them, 153 00:08:18.560 --> 00:08:21.399 but I wasn't liking it. I was scared to go 154 00:08:21.480 --> 00:08:21.920 into law. 155 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:25.199 As you also mentioned, it was very cold, and that 156 00:08:25.319 --> 00:08:27.920 is one of the most famous things about the Korean War. 157 00:08:28.839 --> 00:08:31.720 You come from a relatively cold climate in Maine, but 158 00:08:31.800 --> 00:08:34.840 how would you describe the climate in Korea that winter. 159 00:08:34.960 --> 00:08:37.879 It's a lot like Maine. It might not be quite 160 00:08:37.960 --> 00:08:40.360 as cold, and howd of Maine I'm in, but it 161 00:08:40.519 --> 00:08:43.000 was very close because the river throves over there snow 162 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:47.679 on the ground. The river throws over solid, so they're 163 00:08:47.720 --> 00:08:50.559 time close to the same Tambasa Hire, Maine. We never 164 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:52.960 did know what the temperature was. We just knew it 165 00:08:53.000 --> 00:08:53.440 was cold. 166 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:56.720 And did you have winter gear? 167 00:08:57.200 --> 00:09:00.519 Yes, we did. We were a fortunate lunch because there 168 00:09:00.639 --> 00:09:02.759 was a lot they got there early that did not. 169 00:09:03.639 --> 00:09:05.919 And what did that? Winter gear consist. 170 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:11.600 Of wonder sweeping bags, insulated boots, and had had underwear 171 00:09:11.679 --> 00:09:16.240 and had have your clothes to wear on, you know, 172 00:09:16.480 --> 00:09:20.559 the pants and shirts and jackets and rainy ear. 173 00:09:21.919 --> 00:09:25.440 And from what I understand, the entire time you were 174 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:28.720 in Korea, you slept outside every. 175 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:32.720 Night, except except when we went back, when they put 176 00:09:32.759 --> 00:09:34.840 it back in the rear to give us a little rest. 177 00:09:35.159 --> 00:09:38.159 Describe that, what's it like sleeping in that cold over 178 00:09:38.200 --> 00:09:38.960 and over again? 179 00:09:39.679 --> 00:09:42.759 Sometimes we shut in the vehicle. A couple of guys 180 00:09:42.759 --> 00:09:45.120 are sweep in the cab, a couple of guys that 181 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:47.799 sleep up on the turrets, and a couple of us 182 00:09:47.960 --> 00:09:50.919 had a tap we would put over us and sleep 183 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:54.799 on the court of the Haut drag. It was cold, 184 00:09:54.879 --> 00:09:58.320 but I was awful, thankful that it came from a 185 00:09:58.360 --> 00:09:59.080 cold climate. 186 00:09:59.399 --> 00:10:00.600 You think that help help you? 187 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:04.120 Oh? Yes, you probably come from down south. You know 188 00:10:04.279 --> 00:10:08.039 it never gets down real coal. I think I don't 189 00:10:08.039 --> 00:10:09.879 know how to how to handle it. 190 00:10:10.360 --> 00:10:13.080 Did it have any lasting impact on your health? Do 191 00:10:13.120 --> 00:10:15.960 you still, you know, get frostbite or anything like that? 192 00:10:16.960 --> 00:10:20.440 No, I do not. The only thing is when and 193 00:10:20.440 --> 00:10:23.960 then set to calibers. I said, right between them, they 194 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:27.320 were made off to my head and we never want 195 00:10:27.320 --> 00:10:31.440 ear protecting. So it affected my hearing not terribly there, 196 00:10:31.639 --> 00:10:34.519 but if I if I want to rarely hear some things, 197 00:10:34.559 --> 00:10:36.799 I have hearing as I should put it end. 198 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.720 How did the cold impact your gear, your guns and 199 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:41.320 so forth. 200 00:10:41.799 --> 00:10:43.440 I think you had to be very careful you didn't 201 00:10:43.480 --> 00:10:46.240 get too much oil on them. If you oiled them, 202 00:10:46.320 --> 00:10:47.679 you had to oil them and then try to write 203 00:10:47.759 --> 00:10:53.440 mustard off if you didn't. Automatic for sometimes it's sluggish 204 00:10:53.480 --> 00:10:56.480 because the stickned up, but as a whole that didn't. 205 00:10:56.799 --> 00:10:59.120 We didn't have any trouble with it, but freeze up it. 206 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:02.399 I can remember you mentioned that you did not have 207 00:11:02.559 --> 00:11:06.440 hearing protection. So how would you describe the sound those 208 00:11:06.480 --> 00:11:07.120 guns make? 209 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:10.840 Ooh terrible a fifty caliban for even know what a 210 00:11:10.840 --> 00:11:14.679 fifty caliber is? Oh sure, I'll for me eight inches long. 211 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:17.840 The fire between four hundred and fifty and five hundred 212 00:11:17.919 --> 00:11:20.759 rounds a minute, So there'd be two of them when 213 00:11:20.759 --> 00:11:22.840 I was when I was firing, and it'd be two 214 00:11:22.919 --> 00:11:27.000 thousand rounds a minute going. They've been in firefights that 215 00:11:27.039 --> 00:11:29.960 I could not hear a sound. After they're done, You're 216 00:11:29.960 --> 00:11:33.039 gonna holler ate my face, career, any any sound whatsoever. 217 00:11:33.559 --> 00:11:36.240 So I'm facunate to have the hearing that I have. 218 00:11:36.960 --> 00:11:40.399 That's Wayne Fletcher, a US Army veteran of the Korean 219 00:11:40.440 --> 00:11:44.039 War who served as a fifty caliber anti aircraft gunner 220 00:11:44.320 --> 00:11:49.799 in support of ground forces. When we return, Fletcher describes combat, 221 00:11:50.080 --> 00:11:52.879 how it changes your mindset in the midst of battle, 222 00:11:53.639 --> 00:11:57.960 and some intense moments of battle that he remembers. Well, 223 00:11:58.080 --> 00:12:03.120 I'm Greg Corumbus and this is Veterans Chronicles sixty Seconds 224 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:03.759 of Service. 225 00:12:04.080 --> 00:12:07.000 This sixty Seconds of Service is presented by T Mobile. 226 00:12:07.240 --> 00:12:10.159 T Mobile offers exclusive discounts for a veteran and military 227 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:13.720 families and are proud supporters of the National Defense Network. 228 00:12:13.919 --> 00:12:16.759 Visit t mobile dot com slash military to learn more 229 00:12:16.799 --> 00:12:20.519 about how they support our military community. From Talaqua, Oklahoma, 230 00:12:20.639 --> 00:12:23.919 Cherokee Nation leaders delivered valentines to veterans at the Midge 231 00:12:23.960 --> 00:12:28.080 Glory Veterans Housing Edition near the Keeler Tribal Complex last week. 232 00:12:28.440 --> 00:12:30.679 It's always an honor to take a moment to recognize 233 00:12:30.720 --> 00:12:34.440 our Cherokee veterans at Cherokee Nation Chief Chuck Hoskin, we 234 00:12:34.559 --> 00:12:38.600 appreciate the service and sacrifice of these incredible individuals. It 235 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:41.480 means a lot to share a conversation and give something 236 00:12:41.519 --> 00:12:44.639 thoughtful back to our veterans. Each year, the Cherokee Nation 237 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:48.960 VA Office receives thousands of handmade valentines through its Valentines 238 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:52.159 for Veterans program. Today's sixty Seconds of Service is brought 239 00:12:52.200 --> 00:12:55.440 to you by Prevagen. Prevagen is the number one pharmacist 240 00:12:55.519 --> 00:12:58.559 recommended memory support brand. You can find Prevagen and the 241 00:12:58.600 --> 00:13:00.960 Vitamin Aisle in stores everywhere. 242 00:13:01.360 --> 00:13:05.600 This is Veterans Chronicles. I'm Greg Corumbus. Our guest in 243 00:13:05.639 --> 00:13:09.279 this edition is Wayne Fletcher. He's a US Army veteran 244 00:13:09.320 --> 00:13:12.440 who served eleven months in Korea. In nineteen fifty one 245 00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.480 as an anti aircraft gunner in support of ground forces. 246 00:13:17.000 --> 00:13:20.200 We've covered the frigid weather and the operation of the guns, 247 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:23.519 but mister Fletcher had plenty to say about combat itself. 248 00:13:24.360 --> 00:13:26.320 In just a moment, we'll hear some of his vivid 249 00:13:26.360 --> 00:13:29.799 memories from combat. But first I asked him how often 250 00:13:29.840 --> 00:13:32.440 the halftrack with the guns mounted on it was on 251 00:13:32.559 --> 00:13:33.840 the move during battle? 252 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:37.639 Very often because we were either pushing him back or 253 00:13:37.679 --> 00:13:40.600 they were pushing us back. Good push, and Polls saying 254 00:13:40.639 --> 00:13:43.480 it depends on Sometimes you know, they'd put a big 255 00:13:43.519 --> 00:13:46.480 bunch together and make a big porstion a certain area. 256 00:13:47.559 --> 00:13:50.480 You'd pulled back and fighters you went and get out 257 00:13:50.480 --> 00:13:53.720 of there and get back aways and get reset up 258 00:13:53.799 --> 00:13:56.440 ready for him so he's in And I'm sure they 259 00:13:56.480 --> 00:13:59.080 would do the same thing. N backed in the rio 260 00:14:00.080 --> 00:14:02.200 we had we looked like a bunch of giftses. We 261 00:14:02.240 --> 00:14:04.559 had polls looked to the side of the half pack, 262 00:14:04.639 --> 00:14:06.919 and we had the top. If we were back in 263 00:14:06.960 --> 00:14:10.200 the area, we could put that top out like an 264 00:14:10.240 --> 00:14:13.399 awning and uh have a place to set out during 265 00:14:13.399 --> 00:14:16.080 the day. And but you couldn't have that on the 266 00:14:16.120 --> 00:14:18.960 front line. Everything had to be so you could leave 267 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:21.679 and shut very short on how are. 268 00:14:21.639 --> 00:14:23.879 You arranged on the battle line? 269 00:14:24.080 --> 00:14:26.399 Basically what it was there was a line all over 270 00:14:26.480 --> 00:14:31.960 across Korea. There are be infantry, there would be a tank, 271 00:14:32.679 --> 00:14:35.960 be some more infantry, and then a hack tack and 272 00:14:36.000 --> 00:14:39.080 then it just went that way all across unless you 273 00:14:39.200 --> 00:14:41.559 come to a place we couldn't go, like up Steve 274 00:14:41.639 --> 00:14:45.120 Hills and shot. Then they were just just infantry. Of 275 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:47.720 course the tank could go some places we couldn't go. 276 00:14:48.159 --> 00:14:49.240 They had a better track ring. 277 00:14:49.879 --> 00:14:53.720 And so were you being contacted as to where to fire? 278 00:14:54.000 --> 00:14:56.159 Was it your own observation? How did that work? 279 00:14:56.320 --> 00:14:59.840 We were own observation because there were different phases of 280 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:01.720 the like if we were get they were getting ready 281 00:15:01.799 --> 00:15:05.120 to take a hill, the infantry we would go over. 282 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:07.480 The tanks could stank, were shoot, and we would shoot 283 00:15:07.919 --> 00:15:11.120 above the infantry to keep the enemy down while the 284 00:15:11.679 --> 00:15:13.960 armed men were going up the hills. We could only 285 00:15:14.000 --> 00:15:17.039 shoot so far the fifties and under. The tanks could 286 00:15:17.039 --> 00:15:20.440 store out further, so they would to give support to 287 00:15:20.519 --> 00:15:23.440 hit the enemy down so the infantry could advance. 288 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:25.720 How would you describe combat? 289 00:15:26.120 --> 00:15:29.360 I think when you were in the battle, you're all animal. 290 00:15:29.840 --> 00:15:32.399 You think nothing of their lives, their enemy, and you 291 00:15:32.480 --> 00:15:34.919 want to do me, and they're out to get you, 292 00:15:35.120 --> 00:15:37.080 and you wanted to make bankster to try to get 293 00:15:37.120 --> 00:15:42.159 them finished. I remember one battle were puting all the 294 00:15:42.159 --> 00:15:45.120 men and one got away, and I was mad at myself. 295 00:15:45.360 --> 00:15:47.919 We're going to turn into an animal, have no thought. 296 00:15:48.000 --> 00:15:50.919 So then people on the other side. I remember one 297 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:54.320 time who had been overrun. I'd tried, didn't have me 298 00:15:54.639 --> 00:15:57.360 get to belong to that believed been overrun by a 299 00:15:57.360 --> 00:16:01.320 bunch of people mentioned the Koreans. I guess they were. 300 00:16:02.000 --> 00:16:05.720 You had high uniforms start behind them line the night before, 301 00:16:06.440 --> 00:16:09.799 just for the observation, but they were coming up against 302 00:16:10.679 --> 00:16:13.600 and the next day they did. David found out that 303 00:16:13.720 --> 00:16:15.440 are there and never after them, and they come back 304 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:19.240 to our lines, and the brew from the half cuts 305 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:22.879 up and shout them to guys, they were trying to 306 00:16:22.919 --> 00:16:25.360 get away and never going across the Harn River, and 307 00:16:26.320 --> 00:16:29.200 put those sights on them and just look's mowing grass 308 00:16:29.240 --> 00:16:31.399 and slowed them down. So they were going to get 309 00:16:31.440 --> 00:16:35.440 back across with the information that come together. The one 310 00:16:35.480 --> 00:16:38.000 got away, and I was surmied at myself. I didn't 311 00:16:38.000 --> 00:16:40.600 want any information going back to tell them what we 312 00:16:40.679 --> 00:16:42.720 had over that they were coming up again. 313 00:16:43.360 --> 00:16:47.840 How frequently did your position behind the infantry and the 314 00:16:47.879 --> 00:16:49.639 tanks come under fire? 315 00:16:50.039 --> 00:16:53.720 Oh, we were going to fire at a small weapon, 316 00:16:53.759 --> 00:16:58.840 fire and archellry fire. No, no aircraft, but quite often 317 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:04.240 the bullets were flying both ways, bullets archivalry. But because 318 00:17:04.279 --> 00:17:07.519 they didn't have the actual we had, but they had 319 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:11.519 actually everybody lost one of our men to archivalry. We 320 00:17:11.599 --> 00:17:13.480 were just setting there and I was watching a hill 321 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:16.279 and then the glasses out of the hill learn that 322 00:17:16.359 --> 00:17:21.119 Barker and I looking the activity on that hill, looked 323 00:17:21.119 --> 00:17:23.240 at me. They're trying to leave the hill, a bunch 324 00:17:23.240 --> 00:17:26.160 of them. And so I told Lieutenant and I said, 325 00:17:26.160 --> 00:17:28.559 there's a bunch of goofs on that hill. I said, 326 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:30.759 it looks like they're trying to leave. So we put 327 00:17:30.920 --> 00:17:33.640 up in positions, putting the lead to him, and they 328 00:17:33.759 --> 00:17:35.720 sent They sent the right back to us and the 329 00:17:35.839 --> 00:17:41.519 artillery farm and fighting back and forth, and we're setting 330 00:17:41.519 --> 00:17:44.640 there and they're getting zeroed in on the closing clothes 331 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:48.119 on shelves were going off and were flying from the 332 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:52.759 shelves that actually was coming in. I told the Lutana 333 00:17:52.759 --> 00:17:54.839 and I said, got the heck, get the heck out 334 00:17:54.880 --> 00:17:58.759 of here, get out of sight. Beye sometimes he said, no, no, 335 00:17:58.759 --> 00:18:01.039 I said, We've got to wait till life know where 336 00:18:01.119 --> 00:18:05.559 that gun is. Decided to leave, and the sagont in 337 00:18:05.680 --> 00:18:09.559 charge of the two tracks, it was over me. The 338 00:18:09.559 --> 00:18:12.279 ten started bugging out and said and took his forty 339 00:18:12.279 --> 00:18:14.319 five one point and he said, and where are you going? 340 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:16.039 It looked like he was going to run off and 341 00:18:16.160 --> 00:18:19.720 leave us to come back and try to bug out. 342 00:18:20.279 --> 00:18:22.839 Our church will come in and our scrapma hit him 343 00:18:22.880 --> 00:18:27.640 and killed him when he died later and UH got 344 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:29.960 the battery, talked to the terminals behind the turrets of 345 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:33.039 my gun was working in the walk bull. It's just 346 00:18:33.039 --> 00:18:36.839 apply both ways, probably more. I think we had better equipment. 347 00:18:36.839 --> 00:18:41.359 I know we did than they did. But two way back, 348 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:46.839 Oh for sure, were you ever hit no land? All 349 00:18:46.839 --> 00:18:50.480 around me and never touched me? The good laders did 350 00:18:50.559 --> 00:18:53.240 mud life all planned for me. I guess what's. 351 00:18:52.960 --> 00:18:56.559 It like to be in that environment, the combat environment, 352 00:18:57.039 --> 00:19:00.920 day after day after day for months, every. 353 00:19:00.759 --> 00:19:03.559 Day it was not every day we were on the 354 00:19:03.559 --> 00:19:06.279 front lines all the time that we weren't the back 355 00:19:06.319 --> 00:19:09.440 and they were arresting. But a lot of days, it 356 00:19:09.559 --> 00:19:11.279 was calm. The enemy was over there and we were 357 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:14.920 over here. A little shooting maybe going on, but not 358 00:19:14.920 --> 00:19:18.039 not a loss. Quite a few days it was fairly 359 00:19:18.160 --> 00:19:22.359 calm days. The nights were kind of scary. You didn't 360 00:19:22.400 --> 00:19:25.000 know who's going to be, who were sneaking around or whatever. 361 00:19:26.400 --> 00:19:28.720 We had were at once that there's a big push 362 00:19:28.759 --> 00:19:32.960 coming on, and I remember specifically that time, but we 363 00:19:32.960 --> 00:19:36.319 were all very concerned. So we dug in the same 364 00:19:36.400 --> 00:19:40.279 bay around the track so they actually wouldn't come blow 365 00:19:40.319 --> 00:19:42.920 the track for pat you know. And we had a 366 00:19:42.920 --> 00:19:45.920 battle and they did push us back for ways scar 367 00:19:46.000 --> 00:19:49.319 at the time, but I'd be able to keep my head. Sir. 368 00:19:49.480 --> 00:19:53.200 Your time in Korea ended in late nineteen fifty one. 369 00:19:53.319 --> 00:19:56.880 At that time, the war is not over, but you 370 00:19:57.039 --> 00:19:59.079 had to be exhausted at that point. So how did 371 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:01.079 you feel about going back home? 372 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:03.839 Oh? My word, and I love it. I'm about to 373 00:20:03.880 --> 00:20:06.039 tell you a story about that. Going back home. We 374 00:20:06.160 --> 00:20:08.759 knew what it was getting time because round eleven months 375 00:20:08.759 --> 00:20:10.960 to spend your career, and so he got rotated back 376 00:20:11.480 --> 00:20:13.680 and we were sitting around, we were back in the rear. 377 00:20:14.279 --> 00:20:16.920 They kind of lacky, I remember their name up and 378 00:20:17.039 --> 00:20:19.279 literally talking about that. We were sitting around and you 379 00:20:19.359 --> 00:20:22.279 spoke to among the guys, which one I forgot now 380 00:20:22.559 --> 00:20:24.240 I think it might have been Max, And I said, 381 00:20:24.960 --> 00:20:28.359 secondly asked him, how would you like to go home? 382 00:20:29.200 --> 00:20:31.039 You look right up and the rest of us kind 383 00:20:31.079 --> 00:20:33.279 of got a long face. There were six of us 384 00:20:33.359 --> 00:20:35.079 on the track, and we felt they were just put 385 00:20:35.160 --> 00:20:37.119 one to two off at a time and leave. Some 386 00:20:37.200 --> 00:20:41.119 of the old guys there had been fighting and knew 387 00:20:41.160 --> 00:20:44.480 more about it than any one's coming in. So we 388 00:20:44.559 --> 00:20:48.519 stared to walk off and run the lays and he said, oh, 389 00:20:48.519 --> 00:20:50.480 by the way, her and one of the other guys 390 00:20:50.480 --> 00:20:52.599 can't remember from them out now. He said, do pack 391 00:20:52.640 --> 00:20:55.960 your bags too, and just one old guy left there 392 00:20:56.559 --> 00:20:58.400 pretty strong. I could head back around the com and 393 00:20:58.480 --> 00:21:01.960 he said, oh, you can pack your bag too. Boy, 394 00:21:02.039 --> 00:21:04.319 did he kill her home? That up me would just 395 00:21:04.400 --> 00:21:07.079 surprised me. It took pretty in all of us guys 396 00:21:07.160 --> 00:21:10.559 that had been there for eleven months off at the 397 00:21:10.599 --> 00:21:12.519 same time. Don't think you know, I don't think that'd 398 00:21:12.559 --> 00:21:14.839 be very s Matt. But we didn't. We didn't refuge 399 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:17.799 to the home. That was a very joyful time. Boy, 400 00:21:18.079 --> 00:21:19.759 was moment. 401 00:21:20.519 --> 00:21:22.279