Jan/Feb 2010 - Korean War Veterans Association

inform the American public about our veterans’ many contributions
and sacrifices.
The Congress, by Public Law 106-195, has authorized and
requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance of
the 50th anniversary of the Korean War, and by Public Law 104-19
(36 U.S.C. 127), the Congress has designated July 27, 2000, as
“National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day” and has authorized
and requested the President to issue a proclamation in observance
of that day.
Now, Therefore, I, William J. Clinton, President of the United States
of America, do hereby urge all Americans to observe the 50th
Anniversary of the Korean War and do hereby proclaim July 27,
2000, as National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day. I call upon
all Americans to observe these periods with appropriate ceremonies
and activities that honor and give thanks to our distinguished
Korean War veterans. I also ask Federal departments and
agencies and interested groups, organizations, and individuals to
fly the flag of the United States at half-staff on July 27, 2000, in
memory of the Americans who died as a result of their service in
Korea.
In Witness Whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-third
day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand, and of the
Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and
twenty-fourth.
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register, 12:47 p.m., June 26,
2000]
MEETINGS from page 19
sonnel in the NCA are veterans, and all personnel take great pride
in their work.
Defense Prisoner of War/Missing Personnel
Office (DPMO)
The DPMO, overseeing POW/MIAs, held a similar meeting on
Sept. 18, 2009 in Arlington, VA, led by Acting Director Charles
W. Henley. Their continuing dedication to the task of seeking the
remains of our unaccounted POWs and MIAs is remarkable.
Every effort is made to return remains from WWII, Korea,
Vietnam and anywhere else we have missing military personnel.
To that end, they feel an obligation and commitment to continue
maintaining lines of communication with countries such as
Russia, North Korea, China, and Vietnam. This is slow and arduous
work, as it depends on the cooperation they receive from
those governments. Success is rated on the few remains they
receive and the months and years it takes to identify those
remains. Their message to the VSOs is that the search continues
and will not be stopped.
I was honored to be your representative from the KWVA and
for President William Mac Swain. I hope this information is useful.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Robert S. Banker, 2nd Vice President, 516 Millwood Dr.,
Fallston, MD 21047-3021, (410) 877-1935,
RobertBanker@comcast.net
A Lion in a Foxhole
n Combat with a little humor in
Naktong River, Pusan perimeter,
August 1950
By Paul Spescia
The UN Forces were spread very thin
because of a lack of troops. My platoon,
the 3rd of Company C, 14th Combat
Engineers, was occupying a company
front. Each squad was covering a platoonsize
area, which meant that all of us were
in one-man foxholes.
For days up to the point of this incident
we observed enemy vehicle traffic on the
other side of the river. We all knew that
sooner or later the North Korean Peoples
Army (NKPA) would be coming across
the river. Now and then our forward
observer (FA) would request a fire mission
on several of the areas to our front. At
night, no one moved. Everyone stayed in
their foxholes, except to get out when
nature called.
At the time, most of the company was
down with dysentery, and we had very little
food. We had to send out water patrols,
as there was no water available in the
immediate location. Each squad designated
one man every day to make the mile or
better trip for the water. Rations were sent
to us by A-Frames. Most times, if it was
breakfast, we received it by supper—and
it was COLD!
This had been going on for several
weeks. The mental condition of the unit
was shot. Soldiers had bad tempers. It was
hotter than hell, dusty, and there was no
place to wash. Our bodies smelled to high
heaven. To top it all off, my assistant
squad leader, Sergeant Mize, was a veteran
of WWII.
Sergeant Mize saw an NKPA soldier
behind every tree, rock, or other type of
cover. He was always harping to us young
troops that the attack was coming any
minute and we had to be ready. This went
on for weeks. Except for Mize’s harping,
it was super quiet. It was so quiet, in fact,
and our nerves were so shot, that at night
we could hear two flies having sex. Yes, it
was that quiet.
On one particular night, Mize got hit
really bad with dysentery and he had to
leave his foxhole. In the deep silence of
that night Mize started alternately screaming,
hollering, yelling, cussing, throwing
rocks and hollering more: “Get out...get
out.... get out...“ All of us thought that
maybe an infiltrator had snuck into Mize’s
foxhole—until we also heard the growling,
screeching and hissing.
By this time, the entire platoon was
locked and loaded, figuring that the NKPA
were on our hill. It turned out that while
Mize was out of his foxhole, a mountain
lion decided that he wanted the hole worse
than Mize did, and he was putting up a
fight for it.
Mize did everything he could, except
shoot the cat. After a long battle, the cat
gave in and left Mize the foxhole.
For a very long time after the incident,
Mize heard a lot of “Cat Calls.“ Yes, even
in the most unpleasant situations, humor
can be found.
Paul S. Spescia, 1720 Fairway Lane,
Rockledge, FL 32955
(321) 636-1148, CSMEngrs@cfl.rr.com
23
The Graybeards
January – February 2010