Edward L. Posey

by Last;Only All-Black Rangers US Army's First

  After disembarking from the long train trip west, the 2d and 4th Companies spent about two and a half days at Stoneman, which was forty miles northeast of San Francisco. The site was used as a staging area and rifle range for basic troop training by the Army. Camp Stoneman was the principal jumping-off point for more than one million American soldiers destined for military operations in the Second World War’s Pacific Theater, and continued to serve this purpose during the Korean War. As the San Francisco port of embarkation’s primary troop staging center, the function of the post was to receive and process troops for overseas service by completing paperwork and updating records, arranging for last-minute training, providing medical and dental care, and issuing and servicing equipment.4

  Passes were issued once we arrived at Stoneman. Corporal Samuel Payne, Jr., remembers that 2d Ranger Company received shots, had an orientation about Korea’s cold weather, and participated in several fights. Lieutenant Vincent Wilburn, who was Officer of the Day (OD) when the fistfight started, asked, “Why me?” Sergeant James Monte recalls that after the fight the men were restricted to camp, but “Lieutenant Wilburn told us where to find the hole in the fence.” Oakley and Payne took their passes and went into nearby Richmond, only to turn a corner and walk into Lieutenant Allen, who had family in the Richmond area. “Aren’t you guys on restriction?” he demanded. “I am taking you back to post.” Oakley and Payne managed to avoid going back to Stoneman with him (again, the Rangers were trained to evade). They met some girls, and later returned to camp the way they had gotten out—through the fence. Several others went to Sergeant Cleveland Valery’s house in Oakland.

  Aboard the Butner and at Camp Zama

  On 9 December 2d Ranger Company was relieved from assignment to Camp Stoneman. Rangers from the 2d and 4th Companies boarded a ferry from Stoneman to cross San Francisco Bay and then boarded the USS General H.W. Butner. Many, like Corporal Fields, had images of walking up a gangplank to board the ship, and were surprised to find that enormous metal doors in the side of the ship slid back so the troops could enter at dockside. Some family members, such as Sergeant Sherman Daniels’ mother and sister, were waiting to see them off when they boarded the Butner. “It had been a wild time in that old San Francisco,” remembered one Ranger, but that was behind them now. On board the Butner the men of the 2d and 4th Companies found themselves under the authority of the Navy, where “they take especial pleasure, it seems, in stuffing soldiers and Marines into the smallest of places.”5

  “We were on our way to Korea in December 1950 on the Butner,” remembers Sergeant Herculano Dias, “with our brother company, the 4th Ranger Company, which was an all-white company. After we left San Francisco and got out to sea almost everyone got a Mohawk haircut from our comrades who professed to be barbers.” The Ranger Mohawk haircuts served to strengthen the bond between the companies, as well as the use of the call sign “BUFFALO.” Private First Class Gerald Germain missed getting a haircut because he was on guard duty.

  Allen wrote to his wife Mary nearly every day. One of his letters included: “Four days out from Frisco, should arrive Pearl Harbor tomorrow. Weather on ocean has been good. No liquor or gambling allowed on board. Number of service wives and children on board. (None colored.)”6

  At Pearl Harbor, passes were given because the ship remained overnight. Ranger Fields remembers being surprised by the stop. “There had been no indication that we would be stopping in Pearl Harbor, let alone get shore leave. I was able to see downtown Honolulu and have a good meal at a Chinese restaurant. It was hotter than blue blazes and all we had were winter uniforms.”

  “When we stopped in Hawaii,” Ranger Dias recalled, “we were told that we could leave the ship around 10:00 a.m. and return by 7:00 a.m. the next morning.” Herc continues with his recollection:

  About a dozen of us traveled together into Honolulu. We traveled together because half of us were broke and the others had money, some made by gambling aboard ship. First, we tried to rent some cars but were flatly refused. Next, we went in pursuit of something to drink. I had heard about prejudice in Hawaii from older soldiers when I was in Fort Bragg, so I discouraged the guys from trying to get into the better and more expensive bars.

  Here we go into town and found some bars to drink in. We (both black and white Rangers) even went to the barber shop and had the sides of our heads shaved to have a better-looking Mohawk haircut. No [racial] problems so far. Later that night, after having a good time, some of our white comrades said for us to go to a “dime-a-dance hall” that we came across. The woman at the window said, “You soldiers can go in,” meaning the whites, “but you soldiers,” meaning the blacks, “cannot.”

  Of course, we all protested to no avail. Our white brothers said that if the 2d Ranger Company couldn’t go in, they wouldn’t go in either. I protested so bitterly about the rule that before you knew it a policeman, the same color as me, but obviously a native islander, told me to take a hike. I cursed and told him about our volunteering to go to war, but that meant nothing to him. He actually raised his billy club to hit me but was stopped by all of the Rangers. We moved on.

  I was still upset the next morning. As we returned to the ship I remember telling Lieutenant Allen, our CO, who was waiting at the Butner for us, what happened. I will never forget the feelings of anger and humiliation that were still with me that morning as I returned to the ship to sail to the war in Korea. How could something like that happen to men who volunteered for the U.S. Army, the Paratroops, and the Airborne Rangers to go to fight in Korea? All for a lousy dime-a-dance joint.

  Allen sent sets of oriental pajamas to Mary and her mother with a letter saying, “Yesterday was spent in Honolulu. Entertainers got on board…MC, Hawaiian band, girl vocalist, and dancer. Losing a day tomorrow. Crossing the 180th meridian sometime tonight. Will go to bed tonight on Sunday and get up tomorrow on Tuesday.”

  Back on board the Butner the Rangers had PT every day, and they gave weapons training to the other soldiers going to Korea as replacements. Corporal Fields watched 2d Ranger Company fall out for PT on the deck of the Butner from his vantage point above the fantail where he was on guard duty, and saw the men of 2d Ranger Company with their Mohawk haircuts doing calisthenics with the precision of a well-practiced dance team.

  During the Korean War almost 600 military nurses, some black, served in military hospitals established in the Korean theater. The Butner carried the Rangers toward Korea and also carried members of the Women’s Army Corps (WACs) headed to hospitals that would be integrated when they got to Korea, or to hospitals in Japan in direct support of the war.7 According to Corporal Lorraine West (retired), on board the Butner, “The presence of the Rangers was something to behold. Amazement! They were unique. First, their uniforms—the Ike jackets—were tailored to fit. The trousers were tucked inside shined combat boots. They had athletic bodies, shiny eyes, smooth skin, young soldiers wearing the Mohawk haircut. They exuded confident self-assurance—even their stance was different. But most admirable was the camaraderie.”8 Ranger Wilburn enjoyed a dinner with Arline Haywood Wall, another WAC aboard the Butner, who noticed the Rangers’ professionalism and patriotism.9

  [18 Dec 50] Crossed International dateline, 9th day at sea distance traveled 475 miles.

  There was always a confrontation between the Rangers and the Marine guards on board. The Marine guard detachment is usually responsible for the security on the upper decks of a troopship that might be carrying families, women, or high-ranking State Department civilians. Usually this area is “off limits” to the troops. On ship the WACs were berthed with the officers and Department of Army Civilians (DAC), while the enlisted men were berthed on the lower deck. The Rangers were located at the fantail of the ship. “We all got together in Hawaii,” remembers Corporal West, noting that the weather from San Francisco to Hawaii had been idyllic. “These particular Rangers became my friends. Our conversations were light, filled with laughter. There wasn’t much talk about Korea. In f
act, the scuttlebutt had it that the conflict was winding down. As we neared Japan, not only did the weather become cold and gray, but the rumors were disquieting: hordes of Chinese with horns and bugles were massing on the border separating Communist North Korea from Democratic South Korea, to join forces with the North Koreans.”10

  [24 Dec 50] 14th day at sea distance traveled 475 miles Auth par 67 SO 342 Hqs Camp Stoneman Calif. Docked Port of Yokohama Japan. Billeted Camp Zama Japan Reld from shpnt No 5458-A

  “Landed in Yokohama on Christmas Eve,” Lieutenant Allen wrote to his wife. “Some of the men have seen Major Gott and others from Bragg.” He also told her not to worry when she received his footlocker, as he was sending home things he wouldn’t need and, again, not to worry if it was some time before she got any more mail. In return, Mary Allen sent her husband a prayer book to carry with him in combat, quoting Psalm 121, her favorite, “I will lift mine eyes to the hills.”

  When the Butner arrived at Yokohama, Japan, the Rangers were entertained at dockside before the trip, via trucks, to Camp Zama. Lieutenant Queen met the ship once it docked and the Japanese tried to beg cigarettes as the trucks were driven through the narrow streets to Camp Zama.

  Last-Minute Preparations

  Camp Zama, Japan, had been the home base of one battalion of the 1st Cavalry Division. Before World War II, Camp Zama was the Japanese equivalent of West Point. During the Korean War, it was used as a staging area for troops sent to Korea and returning former prisoners of war (POWs). It was located about forty miles from Tokyo and was used by the American Occupation Forces as a housing area for the service personnel working in Tokyo and Yokohama and their families. The military commander of the camp was responsible for the logistical support and maintenance of Army war reserves and stocks for contingencies. In peacetime, American forces in Japan had a full range of housing, schools, and recreation services. The 4th Replacement Depot operated the transit barracks and quarters.

  After the Rangers had stored their equipment they were given passes. Sergeant David “Tank” Clarke remembers, “Most of us were rather carefree and happy as we looked for women and drink. After all, we had just gotten off the boat after two weeks at sea. We made the best of almost three whole days of liberty and a rather carefree existence.” Commenting more than fifty years later he admits, “The men of 2d Ranger Company had no idea what we were getting into.”

  The Company spent five days at Zama performing final preparations, such as drawing more cold-weather gear and test-firing and zeroing individual weapons. Orientation held in the post theater covered cold-weather survival, the enemy, the terrain, and escape and evasion (E&E) as a POW. At Zama the jump knives requisitioned by XOs Queen and Warren nearly a month earlier were distributed to the men, as were the .45-caliber pistols with shoulder holsters for most and a hip holster for Lieutenant Queen. Weapons such as BARs and LMGs were still in cosmoline, a heavy grease used to prevent rust on weapons when they are in storage. These had to be cleaned and test fired.

  Zama’s barracks were of the World War II type, so old that the fire warning sign read “BURNING TIME 6 MINUTES”; the latrines were in an outside building. Fourth Company was billeted on the second floor while 2d Ranger Company was on the first floor of the same barracks. Space was very limited at this small post. While in the barracks one of the 2d Company Rangers thought he had unloaded his .45, but was wrong. He accidentally fired through the ceiling above into the 4th Company area. Luckily, no one was hit. The incident was a sobering reminder of the danger of issuing pistols to everyone, because many were not used to handling them. The near-fatal fiasco stopped any more horseplay, and playing cowboy while quick-drawing on each other ceased.

  “Received word today,” Lieutenant Allen wrote to Mary, that they would fly to Korea the next day. “Company morale is high,” he wrote, explaining that he felt his men would give a good account of themselves no matter how they were committed to battle.

  [28 Dec 50] Reld fr atchmt JLC & Yokohama Command—moved to Taegu Korea, Shpmt # 40004 auth par 1 MO 229 Hq JLC & Office of CG APO 343 dtd 28 Dec 50.

  Although the orders in the Morning Report were dated 28 December, the 2d Ranger Company stayed at Camp Zama until 30 December. On 30 December, about 1800 hours, 2d and 4th Companies departed Camp Zama via truck for Tachikawa Air Base. The Rangers took on full field packs; individual weapons, including pistols and knives; and LMGs. Left behind were the B-Bags, including the company desk.

  Before loading onto the airplane to leave Tachikawa for Taegu, Major Richard W. “Black Daddy” Williams, who had commanded the 555th Parachute Infantry Battalion (PIB), came in from Korea and reviewed the company formation. He trooped the line and talked to the Rangers. Sergeant Estell noticed that Black Daddy was wearing the Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB) and the ribbon indicating he had been awarded the Silver Star. Corporal James Oakley said to Estell, “Did you see Black Daddy’s CIB? I’m going to get me one of those.”

  After Black Daddy’s review, the Rangers were loaded onto planes for the last leg of their long journey to combat in Korea. Each airplane left and landed individually at K-2 airfield, Taegu. Split among a variety of aircraft, the Rangers reached their destination in piecemeal fashion. Corporal Craig Paulding remembers being on a C-54 aircraft whose pilot let Rangers come up into the cockpit and fool around with the controls. “It’s a wonder that SOB didn’t fall out of the sky,” exclaimed Corporal Payne. On another plane, Tank Clarke recalls being given “Mae West” floatation gear and parachutes for an emergency exit in case of aircraft failure. “The chutes were manually operated—i.e., ripchord type—which none of us were familiar with; even though we had made many practice parachute jumps, all were with static-line type chutes.” With a static-line jump, the line is attached to a cable in the airplane and it opens the chute as the paratrooper jumps from the plane.

  Rangers from 2d Company landed at Taegu, were placed on trucks at the airfield, and moved to the 7th Division Replacement Company. Some, like Ranger Weathersbee, traveled as part of the advance party on the lead aircraft to Korea, a C-54 on which SFC James Freeman was the senior person in rank. Corporal William Tucker recalls, “We landed about midnight but didn’t get to Replacement Company until about 0300” because the truck carrying members of the advance party broke down. While waiting for a replacement truck, the Rangers used a steel entrenching tool to cut down a tree and poured gasoline on it to make a fire, but it didn’t burn. They used about 55 gallons of gasoline trying to keep warm. According to Sergeant James Monte, “We were wondering why that tree wouldn’t burn.” When one of the Rangers spotted a Korean house with a pile of wood, he paid the South Korean owner for it. With a fire for warmth, they crawled into their sleeping bags and went to sleep. A replacement truck arrived before daybreak. When the men emerged from the sleeping bags, they found the weather “cold as hell.”

  “Upon arrival at Taegu,” says James Fields of the main body of troops, “our gear was thrown from the aircraft to the tarmac. It was not quite dark, so we were able to find our individual equipment.” The truck that was to transport Fields and others to Replacement Camp was the last in a convoy carrying Rangers. Not far into the journey north, it too suffered from mechanical failure and, according to Fields, “We could see the black-out lights of the truck we were following fade into the distance. It was extremely cold and it was some time before they came back for us. I remember thinking, this is the way it is going to be. Later, while heading north again we met up with some troops that had been traveling by rail on a train with the windows shot out and no heat.” As the troopers were now experiencing, winter in the Korean hills was extremely cold and unforgiving.

  The Replacement Company housed the 2d Ranger Company in some walled, squad-sized tents with straw on the ground. The Rangers slept in the winter sleeping bags each carried attached to his pack. The Replacement Company was located close to Division Headquarters because the division had only been out of the Hamhung evacuation about ten days and i
t was hurting for everything. The division band was nearby. At a 0600 formation, all were present in Korea except the four men accompanying the vehicles, orderly room, kitchen, and supply gear; they came over by ferryboat with the Company train and caught up with the Company about seven days later. The Company trains (Supply and Mess) were under the command of Supply Sergeant, Sergeant First Class Orrie Tucker and Mess Sergeant, SFC Nathan Parks. They remained at Camp Zama to bring over the materiel not carried by the troops on board the aircraft that flew them to Korea.

  SFC Orrie Tucker joined the 2d Ranger Company from Company L, 3d Battalion, an all-black unit except for the COs and XOs, which was then under the command of Captain “Warm Body” Clarke. Sergeant Tucker had a rather distinct Boston accent and had moved up rapidly in the supply field. The 2d Rangers were glad to get him. He was one of a few Rangers who did not advance in rank within the Company because he was already at the top NCO rank when he left Company L. He certainly must have left a big hole in Captain Clarke’s company.

  Supply Sergeant Nathan Parks was unique. Sergeant Parks and Sergeant John Ford, Jr., were “golfing partners” at Bragg in the late 1940s. This was extremely unusual because it was rare for blacks to play golf, since access to courses was very limited for blacks—even in the nation’s capital—during these years. Parks and Ford, in civilian attire, frequently “suckered” officers into playing against them. Both would pretend they were novice golfers. In the days long before Tiger Woods, when golf was clearly a white man’s game, this was a very believable act. They would play for a dollar per hole. Since many divisional staff officers thought that they were superior in everything, they would fall for the bet and end up losing $20 to $25 on nine to eighteen holes. This was equivalent to half a month’s EM jump pay at that time. (Using the U.S. Department of Labor Consumer Price Index, $20–$25 in 1949 dollars is equivalent to $150–$200 in 2003 dollars.11)