Edward L. Posey
Page 17
All across the Korean front the other five Ranger companies were performing a similar exercise. On 3 August, the 3d and 4th Companies left Inchon via train and picked up the 5th and 8th Companies at Yongdungpo. The 1st and 2d Companies had arrived at Pusan the day before via truck. It was the first time that all of the Ranger companies were assembled in one place. Many of the men were very angry and others, the late-coming replacements, were disappointed. No one knew what their fate would be in the 187th.
Camp Zama, Japan, December 30, 1950, prior to our movement to K-2 Air Base, Taegu, Korea. U.S. Army
2d Ranger Company (Airborne) riding a ferry on San Francisco Bay in 1950. Herculano Dias
Captain Warren Allen teaching bayonet training. Identified individuals include, from left to right: Private Anthony Andrade (holding rifle behind Allen’s back—right—leg), Samuel Nixon (next to Andrade), William J. McPherson (face partially obscured by Allen’s left hand), Roland Hodge (holding rifle with right hand), Jude St. Martin (right arm outstretched holding rife), and Earl Johnson (far right). U.S. Army
Members of the 2d Ranger Company (Airborne) reading a map in central Korea. Herculano Dias
Artillery fire eases, allowing the men of 2d Ranger Company, 17th RCT, 7th Division, to advance across a stream northeast of Kumma-ri, Korea, on February 19, 1951. U.S. Army
Two wounded men of the 2d Ranger Company, attached to the U.S. 7th Infantry Division, are brought into the aid station in Ponji-ri, Korea, on May 21, 1951. Left to right: Pvt. Legree Aikens, B.A.R. man, 2d Ranger Company, U.S. 8th Army; Cpl. Jude St. Martin, B.A.R. man, 2d Ranger Company, U.S. 8th Army; and Sgt. Alphonso Camoesas, aid man, 32d RCT, U.S. 7th Infantry Division. Carl W. Reeves
Men of the 2d Ranger Company (Airborne) riding a tank to the front. U.S. Army
Members of the 2d Ranger Company, 7th Infantry Division, man a light machine gun at X Corps Area in Central Korea. Left to right: Sgt. Jack Murphy of Burgaw, NC. (Pointing), Sfc. Earl Johnson of Jackson, MI., 1st Sgt. Cleveland Valrey of Berkeley, CA., and Pfc. James R. Murray of Paris, KY. U.S. Army
Corporal William Weathersbee. Author Collection
Captain Warren Allen, company commander, 1st Lt. Vincent “Wille” Wilburn, 2d Platoon leader, and 1st Lt. James “Mother” Queen, the company’s executive officer, in front of the Company CP, at Tanyang Pass. U.S. Army
Cpl. Jude St. Martin of New Orleans, LA. (left); Pfc. Charles O. Lewis of Lake Charles, LA. (center); and Cpl. Kenneth Moore of Port Huron, MI., take up positions with BAR’s in the X Corps Area, Central Korea. All are members of the volunteer 2d Ranger Company, 7th Infantry Division, 12 February 1951. U. S. Army
M/Sgt. Lawrence D. West of Chattanooga, TN., 1st Sergeant, 2d Ranger Company, 7th Infantry Division (left) instructs Cpl. Donald L. Felder, the youngest soldier in the 2d Ranger Company (right in the proper use of the Army’s .45 caliber automatic pistol, at X Corps Area, Central Korea.
U.S. Army
Corporal Craig “Little Man” Paulding, one of the youngest original members of the 2d Ranger Company (Airborne) coming from Company K. Herculano Dias
Captain Warren Allen, 2d Ranger Company Commander. Herculano Dias
Sgt. Joe Oliver, 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne). Joe was waking up from fighting the enemy for almost eight hours while on Hill 581, 20-21 May 1951. Incidentally, Joe and several Rangers were wounded and refused evacuation. They remained on the hill until relieved by higher authority. U.S. Army
Awards for actions on Hill 581. From left to right: Major General Claude B. Ferenbaugh, Edward Posey, Culver V. Gibson, and Anthony Andrade. Herculano Dias
R & R in Japan, winter 1951. Left to right: Joseph Wells, Herculano Dias, and James Plater. Herculano Dias
1st Lt James Freeman in Japan with 187th Abn RCT. He received a battlefield commission in Korea in 1951. Herculano Dias
Warrant Officer Cleveland Valrey, in his Ranger Hall of Fame photo. U.S. Army
Sgt. William “The Ghost” Washington, Korea 1951.
“He could weave a story around almost anything, if given the right opportunity and circumstances.”
U.S. Army
Author Edward L. Posey, in a photo taken in 1951.
U.S. Army
Letter to the men of 2d Ranger Infantry Company (Airborne) from Maj. Gen. C. B. Ferenbaugh. US Army
Drawings by Ranger Joe Russo. “Musan-ni” (top), and Rangers Lt. Albert Cliette and Cpl. Glenn Jenkins, Jr. (bottom). Courtesy Joe Russo
The Korean Peninsula and a Ranger from 2d Ranger Company (Airborne). Courtesy Joe Russo
The commanding officer of the compound where the Rangers were billeted announced that no one would be allowed to go on pass except the officers. This was a big disappointment to the men. The compound was situated on the side of a large hill with a chain-link fence going almost to the top of the hill. It was possible to climb the hill, walk beyond the fence and go to town, or to scoot under the fence beyond the immediate guard’s post. The guards were relatively young soldiers who had not seen combat, so the intimidation and cat-and-mouse game of going to town started as soon as it became dark. Many of the men still had live ammunition! The Japanese colonel of the Joint Logistic Command (JLC) called out the MPs, but it was a hopeless battle.
All of the 2d Ranger Company officers left the compound together. Captain Harris, from Fort Bragg, had been the CO of the 666th Truck Company, which was assigned direct support duties for the 82d. Harris had a quartermaster truck company stationed in the city. It was an all-black unit that also had been billeted in the Spring Lake area, so it was like homecoming. The 2d Ranger Company men would visit him and help him drink up his booze while he brought them up to date on the latest news from Fort Bragg. Captain Allen remained there while his young and wild lieutenants set out to see the city. The normal curfew time was 2400 hours. Since the officers did not know the city, they just went down the street on one side and came back up on the other side. There were enough places to provide entertainment for a short period, and everyone was on the way back to the compound by 2400 hours.
By the time they reached the barracks, everyone was beginning to get a little tired. Red Horse and Bennie Pryor found a can of C-rations. They could not decide how to share it, so a loud argument erupted. Everyone else decided to hit the sack and sleep it off. The argument continued for a few minutes before the shoving started. The JLC Colonel and the Officer of the Day came in, and both men were pulled off shipment. Each had to spend about another week there while the Colonel placed Article 15 charges against them for disorderly conduct.
The next morning, the JLC Colonel held a mass formation of Rangers and cussed everyone out for their disgraceful conduct. Things were not all “peaches and cream” in other places within the compound, either.41 Some of the men were still smashed from the night before. The Colonel couldn’t expect, and didn’t get, any help from the officers because he had handled the situation the wrong way from the beginning. He should have called an officer meeting and set some courtesy patrols with his MPs. He could have called for officers and senior NCOs to ride with the MPs. He should have pointed out the off-limits establishments. Instead he had both flaunted his authority and displayed his lack of combat wisdom, antagonizing the troops and escalating the situation. Certainly, each unit had enough non-drinkers and men of chastity to have handled the prostitute situations until 2400 hours. It was a known fact that many troops stationed in the town knew the local joints that were acceptable. Also, by 2400 hours all of the little money that the troops had would have been spent. The unit commanders would have emptied the houses of ill-repute and piled the men into trucks for a merry ride back to the compound. Some coffee and doughnuts would have made an excellent midnight snack before putting everyone to bed. Unfortunately, high rank does not always translate into know how or common sense!
All ammunition was collected and the Rangers were transported down to the dock in open-bed, five-ton trucks (commonly known as cattle trucks) for loading onto the Japanese fe
rryboats for transport to Japan. Of course, there were imitations of cattle (mooing sounds) as the trucks traveled through the city. One Native American dove from the ferry into the harbor and started to swim back to land. It was lucky that he was not caught in the undertow or propeller wash. He was last seen being hauled back aboard the ferry, with cheers from all as they left Korea behind. The Colonel was probably happy to see them leave.
Chapter 9
After Korea: Life on Strategic Reserve Duty in Japan
“The more I see of other veteran groups, the more I find that special bonds welded in extensive periods of hardship and in the life-threatening situations of combat in any form, create ties that last throughout life.”
—The Cold Steel Third: 3d Airborne Ranger Company, Korean War (1950–1951)42
The ferryboats docked at Sasebo, Japan, about 0700 hours on 2 August 1951. The Rangers boarded a train and reached Camp Chickamauga, Beppu, about 1200 hours, where everyone enjoyed a big meal. The next day, the men were assembled with their duffel bags on the north side of the post at the Race Track, which doubled as a light airstrip and a parade field. Slightly more than 700 Rangers were present.
The Rangers were treated as replacements because Eighth Army had moved up the rotation criteria. There were so many troopers in the 187th ARCT with six months of duty in Korea that the shipment of all of them would have so drastically lowered combat readiness status that the unit would have been ineffective. The new criteria gave each month of combat service in Korea an equivalent of four points. Therefore, the 1st Rangers would have about thirty-six points, but the 4th and 2d Rangers would have only twenty-eight points. There were no extra points for married men or those with dependent children, as had occurred at the end of WWII. The number of points required for immediate rotation in August was increased to about forty-eight points. The new points earned by the troopers assigned to the 187th ARCT, now in Eighth Army reserve, was one per month. In addition, Eighth Army froze the rotation of qualified airborne personnel.
At the same time, the Far East Command conducted a purge known as Operation Flush, in which all qualified airborne personnel in non-airborne assignments in Japan Logistic Command and the Far East Command were involuntarily transferred to the 187th ARCT. There were a lot of disgruntled troopers, including some who had made both combat jumps at Sukch’on and Sunch’on on 20 October 1950 and Munsan-ni on 23 March 1951. Some of the older troopers from WWII thought they had performed their last airborne assignment before retirement.
Camp Chickamauga
Camp Chickamauga was named after a creek in northwest Georgia, the scene of a Confederate victory in 1863 during the Civil War, and had been a Japanese Army garrison prior to World War II. It was not large enough to house the entire ARCT, so the Pathfinders and Parachute Maintenance were moved to Camp Kashi, outside Fukuoka. The 674th Field Artillery Battalion, 4.2-inch Mortar Company, and Anti-Aircraft Battery were housed at Camp Woods, near Fukuoka. Housed at Chickamauga were Regimental Headquarters and Headquarters Company, Service Company, Medical Company, Military Police Detachment, and the 1st, 2d and 3d Battalions. To many troopers it was like old home week, because they had served with each other in the 11th A/B and 82d A/B Divisions in post-WWII assignments. Brigadier General Thomas T. J. H. Trapnell was now the CO, and his deputy commander, Lieutenant Clayman, was his former XO from the 505th AIR in the 82d A/B.
There were some disappointments among the troopers in the 187th who had longer service because the Rangers came in with a lot of rank. Many of these NCOs had been in TO&E slots and had looked forward to a combat-type promotion. Combat-type promotions were made on a temporary basis in Korea after thirty to sixty days of satisfactory service in a position. It was not too difficult to place the Ranger Lieutenants, but the Captains had to be squeezed in as assistant staff officers for a while.
According to Mighty Mouth Alston, Commo Chief, some of the Rangers assigned to 1st Battalion were assigned as follows:
The Battalion CO was Major Mike Holland, who was very popular with the troops because of his free-will attitude. I was in Company D, 81mm Mortar Platoon, led by Lieutenant James E. Freeman (2d Ranger Company). Our Platoon Sergeant was Wendell Russell (187th from Fort Campbell). I was a Section Leader, and other 2d Ranger Company Rangers included Squad Leaders (Staff Sergeants Adell Allen and Kenneth Moore). The other Section Leader was Sergeant First Class Mansfield Brown (Company M, 3d Battalion). Over in the Machine Gun Platoon were Platoon Sergeant Earl Higgins (4th Company) and Sergeant Howard Squires, Section Leader (2d Ranger Company). Colonel T.J. “Eagle Eye” Trapnell was promoted to Brigadier General while CO.
“I have been postponing this letter until I could give you a date to expect me,” Captain Allen began a letter to Mary on 10 August. “We are now assigned to the 187th ARCT, in Japan. I am pretty high on the rotation list here; however, I don’t know when I will actually get home. Colonel Trapnell, who was the commander of the 505th Regiment, now has this unit,” continued Allen. “He said that he was glad to see the men and me from the 3d Battalion. I am assigned as one of the Regimental Assistant S-2s.” Allen concluded his letter: “There are so many people here from the 82d A/B; it looks like old home week. Would you like to come to Japan? Colonel Trapnell asked if I wanted to stay.”
Queen’s Assignment
All of the 2d Ranger Company officers except “Big Jim” Queen were assigned to Camp Chickamauga. “Big Jim” was assigned as Reconnaissance Officer (XO), Company H. Lieutenant Rich MacAfee, Ranger, battlefield commissioned with the 5th Rangers, was the 81mm Mortar Platoon leader under Captain James “Hog” McPherson. Captain Mac was an old 504th Weapons Company CO from the 82d during WWII. Lieutenant MacAfee had been a Mortar Platoon Sergeant in Company H, 505th, at Bragg. Sergeant Gus Georgiou from 3d Rangers was the Reconnaissance Sergeant. The 2d Battalion CO was Lieutenant Colonel Christenson, with Major Musick as the Battalion XO. First Sergeant West took over Company B with a Hispanic commander. Captain Allen was later sent down to take over Company L. Ranger Winston Jackson, 2d Ranger Company, finally got his light duty assignment as a clerk under Captain “Moon” Mullins, in Regimental S-4.
The regiment began a heavy and steady training cycle, starting on the platoon level. The local training area was Mount Mori, located in the hills northeast of Chickamauga about seven miles distant. Blank ammunition could be fired there and there was no need to police the brass shell casings because the local Japanese scroungers were there to collect them almost as fast as they were fired. The Japanese melted the brass shells down and made items to sell, such as ash trays, belt buckles, and lamps.
Some of the men who joined the units at Camp Woods reported that they received a less-than-cordial welcome. William “The Ghost” Washington was assigned to the Regimental Counterfire Platoon. Queen, who had been awarded the Senior Parachute Badge in the 82d, saw a chance to build up his jumps for the Master Parachute Badge by volunteering to be a Rifle Platoon Umpire during the Army Training Test at Mori. The heavy weapons platoons were undergoing platoon training, so Captain Mac released him for this special duty. The exercise was about thirty-six hours long. It started at camp and involved taking a train ride up to Ashiya Air Base, jumping north of Mori, and making a cross-country march of about ten miles to arrive for a dawn attack in Mori. There were twenty-seven rifle platoons in the regiment, and “Big Jim” jumped with about half of them. He was awarded his Master Wings in the 187th ARCT. Later, the regiment had a regimental-size exercise in Mori, and Queen was captured along with the mortar platoon.
Queen and Captain Mac were roommates in a small BOQ. “Big Jim,” “Willie” (Vince Wilburn), and “Lieutenant Rich” hung out together. On Fridays from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. the Officers’ Club had Happy Hour, a military custom during which all drinks were half-priced. This trio could usually be found at the end of the bar, trying to see who could drink the most vodka in that hour before going to supper. They drank vodka because it didn’t leave a headache or trigger a hangover the next
morning. Like Trapnell, Rich had also been a Japanese POW at the end of WWII and spoke the language very well. The Officers’ Club bartender was a young Japanese named Tiny. He knew how to keep the trio supplied and when to skip payment. Rich liked to sing a Japanese folk song when he got drunk. No Japanese girlfriends were allowed in the club, but could be met at the bar that Lieutenant Colonel Christenson had selected.
There were a couple of hotels up in the hills about two to three miles from town by bus. Willie and Jim went up there on a weekend for a good meal and some rest, away from the very small town with its one main street leading down to the wharf. According to Japanese custom, guests at the hotels were to leave their shoes at the door; but once a soldier had his boots stolen he soon learned to take them into the room and sleep with them nearby, or he would have to walk back to camp in stocking feet. Sergeant Barbee had the medic jeep drop them off at the hotel. Somehow they lost all of their money and almost had to walk back to town. Luckily, they had stashed some money in “Big Jim’s” boots for just such an emergency, and were able to ride the bus back to town.
Waiting To Go Home
On 19 August, Captain Allen broke the news to Mary about the new and “unfavorable” rotation policy: