S-1. ST. MARTIN, JUDE P. “Jude P.” was an original member who came from Company I. He was on the tail end of his first three-year hitch and due for discharge in January 1951, so he ended up with the ‘Truman Year” (involuntary extension). Jude P. left the unit before inactivation. He returned to his hometown of New Orleans and worked in the Post Office until retirement.
S-2. ST. THOMAS, ROBERT. St. Thomas was a original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. He was a veteran of WWII who had served sixteen months overseas when he volunteered. St. Thomas, a rifleman, was killed in the firefight at Majori-ri Village on 14 January 1951. No surviving family members have been located. A memorial service was held for him at the cemetery in Bloomfield, NJ.
S-3. SCOTT, CHARLES D. Scotty was an original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. Scotty trained as a rifleman in the 1st Platoon. He was on a three-year hitch when he was killed in the firefight at Majori-ri Village on 14 January 1951. No surviving family members could be located.
S-4. SIMMS, WILLIAM. Simms was an original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. He was on the tail end of a three-year enlistment when he volunteered. Simms left the unit before inactivation. Herc saw Simms in the 1952 to 1954 period, at Birdland, a night club in New York City; he had re-enlisted in the Air Force. He has not been seen since that time.
S-5. SMALL, WHEELER S., JR. Wheeler was an original member who came from Company K with Joe Wells, who enlisted at the famous Whitehall Station, in New York City. After rotation he returned to the 3d Battalion before shipping off to the 4th ID in Germany. He was discharged in November 1954, then almost re-enlisted, before his mother said, “My only child is not going back!” Wheeler always liked to dress up sharply, so he went into the men’s clothing business. He was promoted and managed a store from 1962 to 1983, where he learned all aspects of selling, fitting, tailoring, pressing, and buying. Wheeler later worked in the Post Office and married Tina. Both are very ardent supporters of RICA and the 555th. They now reside in Enfield, NC. Wheeler has recently been appointed as Assistant National Treasurer of the 555th.
S-6. SMITH, ROBERT L. “Smitty” was a member of the 32d Infantry, 7th ID, when he sought to transfer into the unit. He had boosted his age and enlisted at 14. He retired after more than 24 years of service. Smitty served three tours in Korea and two in Vietnam. After his first rotation from the 7th ID, he served briefly in the 511th AIR at Fort Campbell, KY. On his second tour with the 7th ID he was an advisor to the Ethiopian Battalion, attached to the division. He has served as an ROTC instructor and in the Army Exhibit Unit, where he modeled the current, new, Army Green uniform. Smitty married Ann and they settled in Florida. He went into the real estate business and was a principal coordinator in the establishment of Medal of Honor Park in Sebring, FL. Smitty and Ann retired a second time to Gilbert, SC, near Columbia.
S-7. SMITH, SCHERRELL. Scherrell was an original member who came from 80th AAA Battalion. He was on a three-year hitch and had served eight months overseas before volunteering. He made Corporal before inactivation. There has not been any contact with him since rotation to the 187th ARCT in Japan.
S-8. SQUIRES, HOWARD. Squires was an original member who came from 80th AAA Battalion. He was on a three-year hitch and due for discharge in December 1951. Squires was one of the physically big Buffalo soldiers, and he could easily handle his BAR. He was one of those soldiers you like to have around when “the going gets tough.” He could carry two basic loads of ammunition. He went to the 187th ARCT upon inactivation and was last reported to be living in Pittsburgh, PA.
S-9. STROTHERS, STEWART. “Doc” Strothers was one of two enlisted reservists (ERs) called up to active duty who joined us in the marshalling area, prior to the Munsan-ni jump. Doc was a leg replacement and non-Ranger type. He had been a pre-med/dental student from the black enclave in Pittsburgh, PA. He was quiet and reserved but fit right in. He completed a weeklong jump school in the marshalling area by making three jumps; his fourth jump was into combat! Doc received the Bronze Star for his actions in June 1951. He remained with the unit, then went to the 187th Medical Platoon. We have heard rumors that he finished dental school and was practicing in Pittsburgh, PA, but we have been unable to contact him.
S-10: SUTTON, RALPH. A member of the replacement Platoon that arrived in Korea during March 1951, Sutton was killed in action on Hill 581 on May 20, 1951.
T-1. TATE, BILLIE. Billie was an original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. Billie returned to school after leaving the service. He became an elementary school teacher in Orlando, FL. Billie’s famous picture was saved for him by Herc. He married Rosa and has become a golfer, according to George Jackson from Silver Spring, MD, who is the only RICA member who has met him on the tee.
T-2. TAYLOR, JAMES. A member of the Replacement Platoon that came over with Lieutenant Anthony. He came from the 80th AAA Battalion. He went to the 187th ARCT upon inactivation. After service in the Rangers Taylor re-enlisted in the Navy. He served several years as a Gunner’s Mate before joining the SEALS, one of the first blacks to enter this elite group. He later married Juanita; they had two daughters, and settled in Chester, PA. James reported that he was awarded the Navy Cross for secret missions along the Vietnam-Cambodia border. James worked in the VA security service. Big Jim Queen visited him before his death and was the guest speaker at a 1996 dinner-dance held in Taylor’s honor by the Philadelphia Chapter of the 555th PIA. However, James was too ill to attend, and he made his last mission in late 1996.
T-3. THOMAS, GEORGE. George was an original member who came from Company I. George’s status was unique because he had a Korean War draftee serial number of “57” but he was a regular Army enlistee for three years, having enlisted in November 1949. George Thomas left the unit at inactivation, and no contact has been made with him since that time.
T-4. THOMAS, WILLIAM E. “Doc Rabbit” was the original Company senior medic. He came from the 3d Battalion Medical Platoon under Lieutenant John Cannon; before that he was a member of the 558th Ambulance Company in the Spring Lake area, where he had served with Sergeant First Class Baker. Rabbit was fearless in his care of the wounded and was awarded a Bronze Star for bravery. After the first firefight he began to carry a carbine for protection. When he rotated to the States he went to Fort Sam Houston, TX. Later, at an 82d A/B event, his First Sergeant said that Rabbit got married but had later died in an auto accident. Rabbit died before the RICA or 555th Associations were formed. There has not been any contact with his surviving family members.
T-5. TUCKER, ORRIE. The original and only Support Sergeant of the unit. He had been Supply Sergeant for Company K, 3d Battalion. Orrie was one of the few married Rangers. To date, he hasn’t revealed what happened to the Class 6 rations (booze) the officers left in the Company field desk in Japan. Orrie became an auditor and resides in Framingham, MA. He and his wife Catherine have one son and were active in RICA and 555th events until he recently experienced some serious illness.
T-6. TUCKER, WILLIAM. An original member from Company L. After rotation Bill went to the 11th A/B at Fort Campbell, KY. He left the service after eight years and took two full-time jobs, at the Post Office and Wonder Bread Bakery Company. Bill married Norma and they had two sons and three daughters. In the 1980s, he became active in RICA. Tucker was wounded on his birthday (21 May 1951) in the firefight on Hill 581. His closest buddies were Marion Alston, Donald Felder, Herc Dias, Gerard Germain, and Jim Freeman. He lived in Lawnside, NJ, (historically, a predominantly black township) until he died suddenly in 1994 after his second retirement from the Post Office. Tucker was a full supporter of RICA and the 555th PIA.
V-1. VAILS, ROBERT A. He was a replacement who came through the replacement pipeline by himself without attending Ranger training. It appears he was shipped to the unit because he was a black paratrooper. Bob came from Company I, 3d Battalion and joined the Buffalo Rangers from Company F, 187th, while the units were in the marshaling area at the apple orchard, just nor
th of the Taegu Airfield. (This was an unsolicited transfer from the 187th ARCT, which may support the rumor of that unit’s preference for non-minority replacements before General Trapnell assumed command in Japan.) He remained on active duty longer than any other member of the Company. His last tour was with the Recruiting Command in New York City, where he often ran into William “The Ghost” Washington. He was perhaps the last person to run into “The Ghost” before he disappeared for good. Bob received his Ranger Tab at his retirement ceremonies at Fort Hamilton, NY, because of the work by Ranger Bill Weathersbee, through the Ranger Command at Fort Benning. He married Dorothy late in life and they reside in Jamaica, NY. He became an active member in RICA and 555th.
V-2. VALREY, CLEVELAND. Valrey was an original member who came from Company L. He was one of four of the 2d Airborne Rangers inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 2005 for heroic actions in combat. Valrey graduated as an Army aviator in 1958 at Fort Rucker, AL., served two tours of combat duty in Vietnam in 1964 and 1968, and was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001. There has only been very limited contact with him since he rotated from the 187th ARCT. He still lives in Oakland, CA
V-3. VAN DUNK, WILLIAM. Arrived from the Replacement Platoon. An American Indian from the Ramapo tribe of New York, he served as a medic with 2nd platoon and was killed in action on Hill 151 at Munsan-Ni on March 23, 1951.
V-4. VICTOR, JULIUS. “Po White Boy” was an original Company member and came from Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion, where he was the driver for Major Tenza, Battalion XO. It is said that he remained on jump status for over twenty years. Julius returned to Japan and married a Japanese woman. He has a taxicab concession at the Los Angeles, CA, airport. He lives with family in Huntington Beach, CA.
W-1. WADE, VIRGIL. Wade was a member of the group of black-leg replacements designated for the 7th ID. He was originally designated to be a driver in the 17th Infantry before he volunteered to join the Buffalo Rangers. He advanced rather rapidly and he was a Corporal and a qualified jumper by inactivation time, in just four months. Wade came to the 187th ARCT but no contact has been made with him since that time.
W-2. WALKER, JAMES T. “Dude” was the one and only 2d Platoon Sergeant. Dude came from Company K, and he was famous for his use of words (particularly those with the initials “MF”) in an emergency, crisis, or just plain conversation. Dude took a discharge and went to work as a tool and die maker for an instrument maker. He married Ninetta and it is known that they had one daughter. They lived in San Jose, CA. Dude came to the RICA and 555th events. Dude passed on to that Great DZ in November 1991.
W-3. WASHINGTON, WILLIAM. “The Ghost” was an original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. The Ghost was a streetwise young man from New York City who became a very versatile soldier. He could weave a story around almost anything, if given the right opportunity and circumstances. But he promoted himself illegally one too many times, and was caught in the 187th ARCT, Counterfire Platoon. He was put in the Big-8 stockade in Japan. Ranger Vails later saw “The Ghost” in New York City, but all contact has been lost with him since that time.
W-4. WATKINS, ROBERT O. Watkins was the original third platoon sergeant who came from Company L. He was a veteran of WWII and was on an indefinite enlistment. He had served 25 months overseas before volunteering. Watkins was slightly older than most of the men. He was a steady hand and was our painter. He could slap a new marking on moonlight-requisitioned vehicles in a matter of minutes. Watkins designed a multi-colored parachute wings insignia for the Buffalo Rangers’ steel pots (helmets). Watkins was promoted to Master Sergeant before inactivation and went to the 187th ARCT. Buffalo Winston Jackson reported that he saw him in Washington, D.C., after the Korean War. He had opened a sign painting shop and did the sign work on Jackson’s barbershop window. However, no contact has been made with Watkins since the formation of RICA and the 555th PIA.
W-5. WEATHERSBEE, WILLIAM. “The Greaser” was an original member who came from the S-2 Section, Headquarters Company, 3d Battalion. The Greaser was a lifer who remained in the Army for twenty years and retired as Sergeant First Class. Weathersbee returned to Japan for a second tour with the 509th ARCT, which had replaced the 187th. He served in the Special Operations Command at MacDill Air Field, Tampa, FL (his hometown), before leaving the service. He was the Buffalo Ranger who discovered that 2d Ranger Company had been left off the list of 7th ID units receiving the Korean Presidential Unit Citation. His intervention prompted Major General Singlaub to present this award to Jim Queen on behalf of the Company in Colorado Springs at the 1984 RICA reunion. Weathersbee worked in the Post Office until his second retirement. He is married to Alberta and they have five children, including three sons who have served in the Army. The Greaser has been the Company Coordinator since 1993 and is responsible for the newsletter, the administration of award requests, and transcriptions for and editing of the manuscript for this book.
W-6. WEBB, BURKE. Burke was an original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. He was a veteran of WWII who was also on a six-year hitch. Burke had served thirteen months overseas before volunteering. Burke was also a BAR gunner of short stature. He left the unit before inactivation and no contact has been made with him since that time.
W-7. WELLS, JOSEPH, SR. Joe was one of the original members who came from Company K with his buddy, Wheeler Small. Joe was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor in the Battle for Hill 581 in May 1951. After leaving the service he began a career in law enforcement in the tough New York City Police Department. Joe returned to his home community and maintained his ties to the Catholic Church. He married Mildred and they became faithful attendees at RICA and 555th events. Joe moved to Southern Pines, NC, before he passed on to the Great DZ in June 1994.
W-8. WEST, DONALD. Donald was an original member who came from Company L. He had moved up rapidly and was a Buck Sergeant on a three-year hitch when he volunteered. Donald left before inactivation and has not been contacted since Korea.
W-9. WEST, LAWRENCE D. “Top Kick” was the original and only First Sergeant in the Company. He came from Company M, where he had the same position. Top was a steadying influence in the Company and often cautioned the men about going off “half-cocked” on some rumor or prejudicial remark made by a white officer. The details of Top’s action in clearing out the assembly area of enemy on the Munsan-ni drop were not fully realized until the information for this book was being compiled. It was rumored the Top had a post-Korean War stress-related condition and was hospitalized by the VA before his death. He will never die in the hearts of the Buffalos.
W-10. WEST, RAMON. Ramon was a member of the Replacement Platoon trained and brought to Korea during the first week in March 1951. He volunteered from the 80th AAA Battalion. He soon made Corporal before inactivation. He has not been seen nor contacted since being in the 187th ARCT, but was known to have once lived in Elizabeth, NJ.
W-11. WHITE, LEROY. “Eyes” was an original member who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. Initially Leroy was perhaps the only Ranger with a camera. Eyes was a veteran of WWII who was on a six-year hitch. He had already served 24 months overseas before volunteering and was slightly older than the average Corporal. He made Sergeant and Assistant Squad Leader before inactivation. You always had to make sure that he had his glasses before going out on patrol. He went to the 187th ARCT but has not been heard from since Japan. His hometown was New York City.
W-12. WHITMORE, JOSEPH. Whitmore was a member of the Ranger Replacement Platoon who came from the 80th AAA Battalion. He enlisted in the service in March 1950 for three years. Upon inactivation he went to the artillery at Camp Woods. There has not been any contact with him since that time.
W-13. WILBURN, VINCENT. “Vince”/“Willie” was the original and only 2d Platoon Leader. He came from Company I. Willie enlisted in the 9th (Horse) Cavalry, Jefferson Barracks, MO, just before WWII. He became Company Clerk of Troop B, 9th Cavalry, at Fort Clark, TX. He went to the North
African Theater when the unit was converted to the 127th QM Truck Battalion (Mobile) and was promoted to Sergeant Major. Willie’s unit hauled supplies from the Port of Naples, Italy, for the 5th Army. It left Naples and sailed to Okinawa’s Yellow Beach—3, when the atomic bomb was dropped on Japan. He left the Army briefly from December 1945 to April 1947, but the spirit of adventure led him back. Willie attended OCS at Fort Riley after WWII. On 7 September 1947 he married Dorothy, sister to Miles Davis, the great trumpet player. They had a son, Vincent Wilburn, Jr., who is nicknamed “Li’l Buffalo” (reflecting his daddy’s military service). Willie rotated to the 188th AIR, 11th A/B, at Fort Campbell, KY. He went on to serve in Germany with the 5th ID, 11th ABN Division in 1956. Willie was RIF’d from the officer ranks back down to enlisted status by the Eisenhower Era Policy to reduce the Army’s size. He went on to a successful ten-year career as a Recruiting Sergeant in Chicago. Big Jim Queen visited him as he went about with Peter Dickerson, formerly 366th Infantry and 3d Battalion, rounding up enlistment prospects. After retirement, Willie went on to a successful career in the Chicago municipal government. Dorothy passed in May 1997. Willie spends his winters in Arizona and summers in Chicago, with frequent visits to his son in Monterey, CA.
W-14. WILLIAMS, ADKINS W. Williams was an original member who came from the 80th Battalion. He was on a three-year hitch and due for discharge in June
1952 when he volunteered. He was promoted to Corporal before inactivation and went to the 187th ARCT. There has not been any contact with him since that time.
W-15. WILLIAMS, LAWRENCE J. “Poochie” was an original member who came from Company M. He enlisted in 1949 for three years. Williams was a member of the Third Platoon. He was slightly wounded while on patrol around Tanyang in early January 1951. He was killed in the firefight at Majori-ri Village on 14 January 1951.
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