To Honor those
of the SHS Class of 1948 who served in the Military
Your Record will be inserted as I receive It
*****
Gene Morris
This will be about my military service, and will include some "name dropping". I will attempt to be brief.
All during my
high school life I was working at the then, "Municipal airport" as a line boy or
any job that
would earn me flying time. I was also helping my dad with his aircraft repair
shop and Mrs. Pugh was
very lenient in giving me "excuses" to go work in my dad's shop. This became so
common and frequent
that at the end of the 3rd quarter, I just dropped out of the boring part of my
life, school.
I returned a year
later and thus became a member of the class of 1948. Whereupon, in Miss
Jefferson's
English class I met the love of my life Wanda Lee Oheim.
Following
graduation I went off to Kansas for the wheat harvest to earn money to pay for
my built up
flying time. I remained in Kansas for a year, or so, and on my 21st birthday I
received a letter from a
good friend, in Springfield that advised me that American Airlines was to hire
an agent there in Springfield
and would I be interested? I did so, and began my career with American. All was
going just great until June
of 1950 when the Korean conflict began, and I suddenly became "draft bait".
I had received my
commercial pilot's license before leaving high school so naturally I wanted to
get into
the aviation cadet program. By this time I had only two terms of college and the
Air Force required two
years of college, and at that time they were not giving the two year equivalency
exam. Mrs. Pugh's son,
a "crusty ground pounder" full Colonel that worked in the Pentagon came through
the airport one day
and upon hearing my story about my being very near being drafted into the Army,
advised me to enlist
in the Air Force and he thought it would be easier for him to assist in my wish
than from outside.
That being done,
one day at mail call I receive this envelope from the pentagon, which really
impressed
our "flight chief". But to no avail. I was fortunately able to get a job there
at Lackland AFB in operations
due to my background with aviation and American Airlines. This was a real treat
for on many occasions
I was able to fly on aircraft going through Springfield and then returning two
days later and even doing
some of the flying.
As time went on
the Air Force began hiring civilians. This was quite scary in that Wanda and I
were
planning on our wedding soon. Once again I wrote to Colonel Pugh for some
assistance in a transfer to
a base not overseas. He introduced me to a follow Colonel over at Kelly field
that might be of some
assistance. I arranged a visit with the Colonel and was given a transfer to
MATS headquarters. MATS
was the Air Force's military airline, so once again my airline experience came
into play. This was a great
job and fell right into our marriage plans. Wanda and I were married August 5th
1951.
A year, or so,
later the ugly part of military life came into play and I was transferred to
Alaska. I couldn't
even tell my wife about it for two days, but I did, and we did move to
Anchorage. Today we still say that
Alaska was the best time of our lives.
I was discharged
from the Air Force in the fall of 1954 and returned to American Airlines in
Springfield.
Within 3-4 months rumors were that American would be hiring pilots soon. At
that time I did not hold an
instrument rating, which was required, so I took a leave of absence and went to
Ft. Worth for the training.
Long story short, I went to co-pilot's school, in New York, March 1950. Was
assigned to the base at
Chicago for 29 years, moved to Dallas/Ft. Worth for my last five years,
retiring on the 747 flying
Dallas/Tokyo.
I very much enjoy our class reunions and am looking for the next one. Keep up the good work.
*****
Don Patton (dec)
Enlisted in the Army in
January, 1949. Served one year and then released to the reserves.
Called back to duty in August, 1950 and was sent to Korea where he was wounded
in action
and then returned to the United States for mending. He was discharged in 1952
*****
Rex Perkins Military Service
and after four years was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the Infantry. Went to Airborne and Ranger school.
Following this I served in Korea for 16 months and the 101st Airborne Division where I was a company
commander. Subsequently, I went to grad school and then back to West Point where I taught a course in
Soviet geography and traveled in the USSR. Other assignments were in the Pentagon in army intelligence,
Vietnam for three years, the Army War College, aide to a 4 star general and later executive officer to another
4 star and Infantry Battalion Commander. Married a Bolivar, Missouri lady, had three daughters and we have
lived all over the USA as well as Italy, Turkey, Philippines and Hawaii. In all it has been a great career.
Retired as a Colonel and we moved to Hilton Head Island.
discovered there were no cadets from Springfield. I wrote someone in the school system encouraging
them to make sure the students (men and women) were made aware of the opportunity to get a great free
education (rated one of the very top colleges in America) and have a exciting career. Don't know of anything
came of it. Someone should work on this.
Rex Perkins
*****
Bill Hemmingway Military Service
Enlisted in the
U.S. Navy, June 16,1948, Boot Camp,
San Diego, Sworn in
St. Louis ,Mo.,
Rode the train to San Diego in a roomette, very nice four full days, lots of
FUN.
Navy Boot Camp
was a hoot; learned many things of what not to do, more than what was permitted,
never did find out. Enter Hospital School US .Naval
Hospital 8 weeks. Transferred to hospital for duty,
work on wards,
emergency room,
trained as X-Ray Tech. which much later would provide me with some
real interesting experiences.
First Ship,
USS Point Cruz, Tacoma, WA. (CVE) Small “Jeep Carrier” 1951, to
USS Haven in Korea.
Rode another CVE from San Diego
to
Pusan, Korea non-stop as we were carrying the
first
Marine Corps
Helicopters to Korea to be used on evacuation of wounded direct to
Hospital Ships off
Inchon, Korea.
Sailed back to
Japan
as USS Haven left
Korea same day as
we arrived. Few days later rode Japanese
train from Yourska, Japan to Sasabo via
Hiroshima, Japan, and saw results of “BOMB”
Arrive back in
Pusan via Midnight
ferry ride. There was a
National Guard Unit
in Pusan from Springfield
with several people who I had known at SHS.
Spend two different tours in Korea aboard USS Haven AH-12.
1954 to
Kodiak,
AK, for duty--short tour, USNH Oakland,Ca 1954, U.S. Naval
Dispensary San
Francisco, Ca.
USS George Eastman.
Independent Duty Chief
Hospital Corpsman.
Went to
Bikini Atoll
and saw the First “H” Bomb set off.
Married active duty lady Marine. 1954, two boys, Naval Dispensary Vallejo ,Calif.
Transferred to U.S.
Naval Radiological Lab, San
Francisco. Involved in Radiation Research; transfer to
Subic Bay, Philippine's U.S Naval Hospital 1960. USS Tracer Independent
duty, Part of old DEW LINE Defense.
1964 US. Naval Hospital,
Camp Jejune, N. C. Retired Sept,1967.
Bill Hemmingway
*****
Bill White's Service Record
Dec. 10, 1947.....Marine
Corp reserve
Jan. 14 l949.....U.S. Army
1st guided missile regt
White Sands
Proving Ground at Ft. Bliss Texas
Jan. 1950 released from
active duty
Aug. 1950 recalled to active duty
1951 released from active duty
1957
Honorable discharge from Army Reserve
*****
From Gene Finn;
This is my story of my 2 years of service in the Korean War:
In 1951
I was drafted into the army and took my 14 weeks of basic
training at Ft. Leonard
Wood, MO. After a 30 day leave
I was assigned to debark from
Seattle, WA to Tokyo Japan.
The trip took 14 days at sea which in itself was a harrowing
experience. Upon my arrival in Tokyo I was assigned to the Far East Medical
Specialist School for training as a lab
technician. I was then assigned to a MASH. hospital unit on the central front
in Korea. It was our duty to evacuate wounded
troups by helicopter and ambulance back to the hospital unit which stayed
about 7 miles behind the line.-
My experiences with the MASH hospital unit were not quite as exciting as the TV show MASH...but almost . After one year of service in Korea I was rotated back to the good ole USA and served a short period of time in Indiana and was discharged from there and served 5 years in the inactive reserves.
*****
From Ed Smith
I had a pretty nondescript military
service where I was never actually in a war or fired a shot in anger. The Korean War was
winding down
when I joined up and there was training of some kind or another until it
ended. However, with 6 years of active
duty and 25 years of
reserve
service, I retired from the United
States Air Force with the
Rank of Major. I first enlisted in 1950 (O.K., I was a draft
dodger), made "buck
sergeant" (three-striper) as an enlisted man, went to
navigator/weapons-systems schools and was commissioned a second
lieutenant getting
my wings in 1953. Served three more years during the "Cold
War" mostly in the far Northern Hemisphere in two-man jet
fighter-interceptor aircraft and left active
duty in 1957 with a wife and
two children to attend college on the G.I.
Bill graduating in 1959 with
a business manage-
ment degree. Remained in the active reserves (barely missing being recalled to
active duty a couple of times during the Viet
Nam War...
(WHEW!) until time for retirement. And now, thanks to you wonderful taxpayers,
I get a monthly retirement check and free medical and
drug (legitimate, that is!) services. Made a bunch of friends in
the Air Force both on active duty and in the reserves and still keep in touch
with many of them by e-mail and at reunions.
G.E. (Ed) Smith, Major, USAF, Ret.
*****
Ray Snodgrass: Army,
Korea; 1951-1953
Assigned
to the 45th
Infantry Division as part of a
Forward Observer Team
with Easy Company, 179th and
Fox Company, 180th. I was wounded in May of 1953,
sent to Yokohama,
Japan, for 5 months to
recover, then
returned to my unit in Korea. I saw action on "Baldy", "Porkchop",
"T-Bone", "Heartbreak
Ridge", "Bloody
Ridge",
"Punchbowl", and "Snow-cone." As a side-note, the guy that took
my place when I was wounded looked me
up on the
internet, - he made the army a career and retired a bird-colonel - and
we've been e-mail buddies for years.
*****
Joe DeLapp: Air Force; 1950-1954
*****
*Everett Myers: Air Force; 1950-1654
*****
Glenn Barclay: USMC; Sept.
1950-Sept. 1951
I spent one week short of serving one full year, all in beautiful sunny Southern
California.
I had joined the Marine Corp Reserve on Sept 1st 1948 so I could play on their
basketball
team. My enlistment expired Sept. 1st 1950, but congress extended everyone's
enlistment
for one year. I had to report in Kansas City for a physical on Sept 7th. By the
time they sent
me through boot camp and then to telephone school I had less than 6 months to
serve so
they couldn't send me overseas. So I was one week short of serving one full
year. I was lucky!
*****
*Tom
Justice: USMC; Korean War; 1950-1951. The
widow of a Springfield Marine killed in action last September (1951) will accept the
nation’s third highest military citation Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the National
Guard Armory.
Lt. Col. Harry D. Silsby will present the Silver Star to Mrs. Thomas M. Justice
of 1445 N. Benton. Justice was a composing room employee of Springfield
Newspapers, Inc. before he enlisted.
Justice’s War Department citation reads in part: “He displayed conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as a fire team leader of a marine infantry company in Korea. He exhibited unusual courage during a night-long series of furious counterattacks.”
After placing his men within 20 yards of the enemy, Pfc. Justice “ repeatedly exposed himself fearlessly to the enemy fire to hurl grenades and fire his rifle at the oncoming foe.” Justice is credited with killing eight of the enemy troops before he was hit by gunfire and mortally wounded.
*****
* Deceased