Jul/Aug 2008 - Korean War Veterans Association

visited the country with the Gate 1 Tour Group. He informed the
Group Leader, Harkan Basem of Istanbul, that one of the main reasons
for his coming to Turkey was to place a flower wreath on the
Turkish Korean War Memorial in honor of the Turkish soldiers with
whom he fought alongside in Korea.
Harkan arranged for his assistant driver, Mr. Haleim, to take
Sbarra to a florist and then to the Turkish Korean Memorial to place
the wreath on it. A long time dream had come true.
Mr. Sbarra had mentioned to the authorities in Turkey that he
would like to see a Civic Group or Tourist Organization raise funds
to have a nearby florist place a floral wreath on the Turkish Korean
War Veterans Memorial on the first week of each month in memory
of all the Turkish soldiers who fought in the Korean War.
“It will give life to the
Memorial,” he said.
News release prepared by
Former Staff Sergeant Patrick
Sbarra and Ibrahim Kurtulos,
Turkish Liaison Representative
to the Korean War Veterans
Association. Cpl. Allan
Kivlehan Chapter. Kivlehan
was the first soldier from New
York City killed in Korea.
Patrick R. Sbarra, 220
Brainard Avenue, Cape May
Point, NJ 08212, (609) 884.
6652, Fax # 608. 884.7216
(Call home number first to turn
on fax machine), j.sbarra@
comast. net
SSgt Sbarra, in uniform, stands next to
the Turkish Memorial Wreath, at the
50th Anniversary of the end of the
Korean War
SSgt Sbarra delivers a well-deserved salute to the Turkish forces
LOUSE PATROL
By J. Birney Dibble, M.D.
J
anuary of 1951. With the Marines of the Third
Battalion of the Fifth Marines. In Korea, somewhere
north of the 38th parallel. In the mountains that ranged
along the eastern coast of the peninsula.
Battalion Surgeon Robert Kimbal didn’t look at all happy.
Surrounding him in a tight semicircle were the regimental
surgeon, the C.O. of the Third Battalion, the Marine
Division’s epidemiologist, and two regular service company
officers. From the dour look on everyone’s faces, I could
only conclude that Kimbal had somehow committed some
heinous crime.
He had. And this is what had happened:
At about 1400 the previous day, Kimbal had gotten a call
from a front-line company corpsman. Two Marines coming
from the shower point down by the Soyang-gang River had
told the corpsman that they had discovered body lice in the
clean clothes they had exchanged for the filthy rags they had
worn in combat for the past three months.
Kimbal concluded that the newly issued clothing had
become infested. He closed the showers. This effectively
closed the regimental clothing issue. This closed the entire
division clothing issue.
Now the question was: who saw the lice? The service officers
who had closed the showers? No. The medical officer
(Kimbal) who had ordered the shower closed? No. Only the
two men themselves.
So, find the men and check them. They were gone—headed
for Japan for rotation home. That’s why they were taking
a shower in sub-zero weather in the first place.
We were ordered to examine the entire company from
which the two men had left. We crawled along the front-line
trenches, went into every bunker and every fighting hole.
Examined everyone. Stripped them down in this same subzero
weather. Turned their underwear and outerwear inside
out.
Found no lice.
We reported to the colonel. He was livid.
“You, Dr. Kimbal, usurped my authority with that stupid
order.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Not only that, but you also usurped the authority of the
commander of the First Marine Division.”
Kimbal answered with the kind of a blank face that Jack
Benny used when he was told by a gunman, “Your money or
your life!”
“Yes, sir,” Kimbal answered, “That’s almost as bad.”
The colonel stared at Kimbal for several long seconds,
then roared with laughter and said, “Get out of here, doctor!”
53
The Graybeards July - August 2008