Special KWVA "W in Your Dream Vacation Fund-Raiser" Information ...

58
Doing something big for Fred
By Staff Writer Arthur G. Sharp©
We don’t often have a lot of
records left by Korean
War—or any other war—
service members. As a result, they
do not often receive the credit and
honors they deserve. One of the
exceptions was Hospital Medic 3rd
Class (Navy Corpsman) Fred Dale
Helems, who was killed in action on
9 June 1951.
Helems left behind a record.
Well, he didn’t leave the entire
record. His mother saved a lot of his
letters home, and other people provided
information as well. There
Fred Dale Helems
was enough information about Helems, in fact, that helped some
folks put together a program to honor him in May 2007. There was
one thing missing: a Purple Heart for shrapnel wounds to his legs he
had received just two days before he was killed.
(Ironically, the 12 July 1951 edition of the Akron [OH] Beacon
Journal that announced the arrival of Helems’ body in the U.S. also
carried a story of a second local Marine who was wounded twice. He
was Cpl Anthony Macchiarole, a member of G Co., 3rd Bn., 1st Regt,
1st Marine Division. He was injured in the winter of 1950 an on 3
July 1951.)
When Helems died he was a member of C Co., 1st Eng. Bn., 1st
Marine Division. He was accompanying an anti-tank mine clearing
detail near Sanghanjon-ni, North Korea the day he was killed. Some
Marines were wounded when enemy troops poured mortar fire into
Charles Marshall, Fred Helems, Unknown Fred Helems in the field, Korea 1951
their midst. Helems was tending to them when he died. He didn’t
have to be there.
Helems joined the Navy at Columbus, OH on 24 November 1947.
He was discharged honorably on 21 November 1950. There was a
note on his DD-214, “Recommended for Reenlistment.” He took it to
heart. Helems reenlisted on 11/22/1950. His bonus was $360.00.
There was a great outpouring of sympathy for Helems after he
died. Geneva Whittington, a church friend of his in San Diego, CA
wrote in a 9 July 1951 letter:
It was just like a funeral the Sunday our pastor announced his death.
Not a dry eye and some so broken over it. We (my family) can’t believe
it hardly yet. And we talk of him so much and all 3 just cry.
She added some insight into his character:
We were talking to one of Fred’s boy friends at Youth for Christ
Saturday night.
He was saying how Fred was anxious to go across [to Korea]. Said
maybe he could take the place of some unsaved boy and give him
another chance to know the Lord. That sweet unselfish way was what
attracted us all to him…
Originally, he was buried in the United Nations Cemetery,
Tanggok, Korea. His Company Commander, Lester G. Harmon,
wrote a letter praising Helems, as did Chaplain William E. Leonard
of the 1st Engr. Bn., 1st Marine Division. Another interesting letter
came to Mrs. Helems from a friend of Fred’s and fellow Corpsman,
Charles Marshall.
A couple excerpts sum up Marshall’s feelings about Helems:
Your son was one of the finest boys I have ever met. I very seldom get
attached to someone like I did Freddy….Please try to understand that
we are all very sorry the tragic thing had to
happen.
Marshall also tried his best to explain
that Helems died quickly
Fred was moving along with his platoon of
engineers when they got a barrage of enemy
mortar fire. He and seven other men of his
platoon were injured. Fred died almost instantaneously.
He never regained consciousness,
so therefore I know he never suffered.
There was no doubt that he would be
awarded the Purple Heart for that event.
There was some doubt regarding his earlier
injuries. LT J. W. Sturgis, Head, Branch
THREE, Enlisted Services and Records
Division, Department of the Navy, forwarded
a letter to Mr. & Mrs. Helems dated
24 September 1951 in which he said the
Purple Heart awarded after his death was
coming under separate cover. That didn’t
help with the first one.
Helems had written an undated letter to
his mother and father from “17 miles above
May – June 2009
The Graybeards