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At midmorning John got out of the taxi
near the intersection of 17th Street and
Independence Avenue. The sun beat down
from a blue and cloudless sky. “Gonna be
another scorcher,” the driver said, a heavy
black woman whose T-shirt was already
wet under the arms. “Hottest summer I ever
seen.” He struck out across a long grassy
expanse of the Mall toward the tent city,
beyond which was the memorial and the
site of the dedication ceremony.
He hadn’t planned to come. He was
unhappy that the U.N. flag had not been
included in the memorial. And he didn’t
want to risk the revival of disturbing memories.
But then he was notified of a deposition
to be taken in Baltimore two days
beforehand in a case in which he was
involved. So with some misgivings he had
changed his mind at the last minute and
decided to stop over and attend. It was the
27th of July, 1995, the forty-second
anniversary of the signing of the armistice
at Panmunjom.
He saw unending lines of people streaming
toward the tent city from Independence
Avenue and across the Mall from
Constitution Avenue. He could easily spot
the veterans. They had to be at least sixty,
and most were older-looking. Some were
accompanied by family members—women
who appeared to be their wives, along with
sons and daughters, now grown and
approaching middle age, and grandchildren.
Some of the men, wearing the special
pins issued for the day, were being pushed
in wheelchairs. Here and there was a blind
man with white cane or guide dog.
In the suit and tie he had worn from
Baltimore, he was not dressed for the
steadily mounting heat and humidity, and
not in sync with the style of the crowd.
Minimal clothing was the order of the day;
shorts, T-shirts, and sundresses abounded
among all ages. Comfort obviously overrode
concerns about appearance.
As he came in among the tents, band
music filled the air. John Philip Sousa’s stirring
pieces alternated with the sad and
haunting music of Korea, music he had not
heard for over forty years. In his mind’s eye
he saw rice paddies, thatch-roofed houses
clustered in small villages against high
hills, women in flowing white dresses, old
men in billowy trousers with black birdcage
hats; he smelled the night soil of the countryside.
Past him moved a gaggle of Korean
children, herded along by a Korean woman,
like a mother hen with a brood of chicks.
This new generation of Koreans, whether
here in the United States or in Korea, would
know nothing of the country that lived in
his memory. That country was gone, and in
its place was a land of high-tech industry,
high-rise buildings, multi-lane highways,
jet airports, and global trade.
To be continued...
(This novel will be in print mid-February.
Details of purchase will be in a later issue
along with more extracts.)
The Brush of Angel Wings
By Vernon R. Hudder
My thoughts during a hazardous time of
my life. For a six month period, I flew as
navigator on a B-29 crew, flying combat
missions over North Korea. My protector
was The Lord! When the sky was permeated
with flak, so thick, I wondered how it
was possible to fly through it unscathed;
and knowing I had no control over it, I
placed my trust in The Lord. When many
searchlights roving the dark sky were intent
on seeking out our aircraft, to illuminate us
and make us an easy prey for the MIG
fighters; I knew there was nothing I could
do to stop them so I placed my trust in The
Lord. My experience in the Korean War,
revealed my weakness as a mortal man and
thus increased my dependency on God.
Through all the trials of those combat missions,
I developed an intimacy with The
Lord that I never experienced before. That
friendship has endured and grown to this
day. The fellow crew-members of “Hearts
Desire II”, will always be remembered.
There is a bond that unites a crew flying
combat missions together, especially when
danger is ever present. The pride of flying
with the famed 98th Bomb Wing will never
diminish. This wing flew the pink B-24
“Liberators” in the North African campaign
during World War II. And the 98th also flew
the historical Ploesti Oil Field mission of
the “big war.” In Korea, the 98th was
instrumental in achieving the destruction of
all strategic targets in North Korea. But, I
write this personal account to honor The
Lord for His protective grace extended to
me during this dangerous period. Thank
You Lord!
The Brush of Angel Wings describes the
major events of the Korean War and especially
the role played by the B-29
Superfortresses. Little has been said of the
B-29 missions during the war, even though
they flew every day or night of the war,
weather permitting. The havoc wreaked on
the enemy offset the enormous advantage
in manpower by the communists and may
have been one of the reasons we defeated
the enemy in Korea. Price is $11.50 (this
includes the shipping and handling).
Contact: Vernon R. (Bob) Hudder, 517
Ouachita Ave., Mountain Home, AR 72653
(870) 424-5108
Korean War Veterans National Museum & Library – Tuscola, Illinois
Application for Membership
Name: __________________________________________Phone: ____________
Address: ____________________________________________________________
Enclosed is $_______________ for the membership catagory indicated below:
Individual veteran or spouse – $25 Sponsor – $100
Veteran family – $30 Life member (one persaon only) – $1000*
General public (individual) – $35 Patron (one persaon only) – $5000*
General public (family – $40 Founder (one persaon only) – $10,000*
Corporate or Civic – $50
This membership is paid one time only. All others are renewable yearly. If applying member
is a veteran (regardless of time period), please indicate years of service, division or unit, and
other information you wish to have on file in the Korean National Museum & Library.
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
Mail to: Merle Sims
2441 Longwood Dr.
Decatur, IL 62526
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