The FReeper Foxhole - Two Hills, One Nightmare, June 27th, 2004

http://www.amvets.org/HTML/news_you_can_use/magazine_summer2003_article2.htm ^

[snippy_about_it]

Lord,

Keep our Troops forever in Your care

Give them victory over the enemy...

Grant them a safe and swift return...

Bless those who mourn the lost.
.

FReepers from the Foxhole join in prayer
for all those serving their country at this time.


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Two Hills, One Nightmare



In separate actions, two GIs emerge as uncommon heroes in a common hell

Saving Lives Under Fire

The irony was not lost on Navy Corpsman William R. Charette. Having read about the near-cataclysmic events at the Chosin Reservoir in 1950, he found himself, surprisingly, assigned three years later to the same company that had fought there. Most of the men had rotated out of Korea by January 1953, when Charette joined F Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines. Now near Panmunjon, the company was located close to the site of the stalled peace talks.



Peace, though, wasn’t reigning anywhere near the three hills dubbed Reno, Carson and Vegas. One clear and freezing morning, Charette heard what he thought was thunder but, in reality, the roar was actually thousands of Chinese soldiers—attacking the 5th Marines that held the hills. In time, the hills fell, and, on March 27, Charette’s company was called to take part in a three-battalion assault on Vegas to recapture it.

The intensity of the fighting was unmistakable as Charette saw men entangled in the barbed wire where they had died. Immediately, he began treating the wounded as his company moved ahead. Life soon became chaos for the young man as the cries for “corpsman” came from everywhere. Disregarding his own safety amid a hail of small-arms and mortar fire, Charette answered them as best he could throughout the day and into the night, literally losing all sense of time. He later recalled, “The Chinese above us were rolling grenades downhill onto us. There were so many going off there was no way to count them. It was just a constant roar.”


Charette, like the Marine corpman pictured here, was “Doc” to the men he treated under fire in the fierce March 1953 battle.

Answering one of the calls for help, Charette came upon a marine in the point squad with severe wounds. A grenade landed near the corpsman and his patient. “I couldn’t see it in the dark. I knew it was there, and it was going to go off,” he said, describing how he used his medical bag to try to push the grenade away.

Knowing his patient couldn’t survive more wounds, the Ludington, Mich., native shielded the man with his own body. The blast, which blew Charette’s helmet off and knocked him unconscious with wounds to the face, had also left him temporarily blind and deaf. When his sight returned, he saw he was the least wounded of the five men around him. The man Charette had shielded was also alive—thanks to the medical bag taking the brunt of the blow.

Earlier Charette had given his coat to a wounded man, and now his medical supplies were nearly gone. Even so, he improvised, ripping his own clothes apart to make bandages and tourniquets, and pulled flak jackets from dead marines to cover their wounded comrades who were drawn to him like a magnet. Near dawn on March 28, the lead company was ordered to pull back.

Under cover of darkness, Charette and other marines began evacuating the wounded from Vegas. When they came to a trench that had been torn up by an explosion, he didn’t hesitate to stand and carry a severely wounded marine to safety—an action he repeated over and over until the men were safe. “I could hear the bullets zipping by my head, but I had no choice.” Charette said, “I couldn’t leave the guy there.” Casualties were heavy for both sides in the battle for Vegas, with the Chinese sustaining more than thirteen hundred and the Marines; 118 dead, 801 wounded and 98 missing in action.



Nine months after the armistice, Charette was still in Korea, working in a postwar MASH unit when the chief surgeon gave him the news that he was to receive the Medal of Honor. Like many who have received the award, Charette protested that he did not deserve it. Home he went nonetheless. After spending Christmas with his family in Michigan, he traveled to the White House for the presentation on Jan. 12, 1954.



After receiving the Medal of Honor, Charette finished out his days of service training new corpsmen at Great Lakes, where he met his wife, Louise, who was in the Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service (WAVES). After 90 days as a married civilian with a pregnant wife, Charette opted to make a career out of the Navy. He signed up for submarine school where, he said, “I found a home.”

In 1958, he was honored to select the remains of what would become the Unknown Soldier of World War II. “This was a tremendous honor for me,” Charette said. “My grandchildren and their grandchildren will be able to visit the Tomb of the Unknowns and realize I had a small role in this national monument.”



After serving during Vietnam and the Cold War, Charette retired in 1977. When a local newspaper honored veterans from WWI, WWII and Vietnam, Charette was shocked that Korean veterans weren’t included. “ I don’t understand that, because 54,000 Americans lost their lives in Korea.”

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Heroics in the Trench Line



Three outposts—Tom, Dick and Harry—protected the 3rd Infantry Division’s main position. On Harry, two platoons from the division prepared to withdraw. “Not a day went by while we were on Harry that we didn’t lose a couple of guys to enemy artillery,” recalled Ola Mize, who was serving as assistant platoon leader at the time with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 15th Infantry.



On the evening of June 10, 1953, Mize and four men had just returned to their positions after reconnoitering routes for the withdrawal the next day. A short time later, Chinese artillery fire began falling like hail on the finger-shaped hill. Huddled in their bunkers, the GIs dared not move during the thunderous barrage.

Mize—who requested a transfer to Korea after a two-year hitch with the 82nd Airborne—had been with the company only a few months. During that time, he had witnessed dozens of Chinese trucks unloading men and equipment less than 3,000 yards away. But his requests for artillery fire went unheeded, because no one believed him.



Learning of a wounded GI 150 yards downslope, Mize and a volunteer medic made their way to the man, returning him to safety. Enemy infantry had joined the attack. Mize gunned down several Chinese soldiers who were jumping into the American trenches as he made his way to the second platoon.

Along the way, he found a bunker almost completely collapsed from enemy shelling, where a few survivors were half-buried in dirt, wood and rocks. Mize pulled several men clear, then discovered that his weapon was the only one working. The others were clogged with dirt.

He posted himself in the shadows of the bunker door as more of the enemy began pouring into the trench. “I thought I’d bought the farm,” Mize recalled. “I just knew I was going to die. I knew it. I accepted it. All I wanted to do was take as many of them with me as I could.”

Mize threw a grenade down the trench, but the enemy persisted in their charge. Mize put his carbine on full automatic and began spraying the advancing Chinese. Pvt. Allan England and Cpl. James Kelly loaded magazines and passed them to Mize.

At one point, a group of enemy soldiers charged, and Mize opened fire. From the hand of one of them rolled a grenade. The blast blew Mize back into the bunker. Stunned, he groped for his carbine in the darkness, found it and returned to his post.

The barrage continued, and several of the rounds exploded near Mize, completely lifting him out of the trench. His helmet was gone, and his flak jacket was smoldering. Each time a blast hit, Mize suffered repeated wounds and concussions, but somehow he made it back to his position.

This lasted for more than two hours, when England told him they were running low on ammo. Mize waved the two GIs away from their post. As they left, the young private couldn’t help but to notice the pile of enemy bodies stacked up in the trench. Later, 47 dead Chinese were counted in that spot.



When the little group of men led by Mize came upon the platoon’s main bunker, they found only dead men, friendly and enemy. They did uncover some working weapons and ammunition, though, and even a radio. The group built a makeshift barrier, and Mize called for artillery fire.

“ Lay it on me,” he shouted. “Right on top of us!” When the man refused because there were GIs there, Mize yelled, “Not many. There’s a lot more of them than there is of us. Fire away!”

Within minutes, friendly fire broke over the hill. Mize deeply regretted that some Americans were killed, but it couldn’t be helped. His radio was damaged, and a sergeant trying to reach him told his lieutenant, “Everyone on Harryis dead. Only Chinese left up there now.” But it wasn’t true. Indestructible Ola Mize and about 15 others fought on. Mize moved among the men, encouraging them and urging them to keep up the fight.

By two the next morning, the enemy attack had slackened, and Mize ordered his men to withdraw. As they carefully moved down the hill, they heard voices—Chinese voices. The GIs had stumbled on a group of some 30 unsuspecting enemy. “It was hell,” Mize said. “I’m trying to shoot all these Chinese, and I keep stepping on this guy laying between my feet. I was afraid I’d fall down and they’d get us. Finally, I yanked him to his feet and we got out of there.”

The two returned to the platoon bunker, where they continued to fight off periodic enemy assaults. At dawn, the Chinese began pulling back from Harry, prompting Mize to once more move his men out. At 8 a.m., a friendly relief company arrived and swept over the hill. The scene was one of mass destruction. Not a bunker remained intact and most of the trench line had collapsed. Dead soldiers littered the landscape. Of the 40 Americans on Harry at the start of the battle, twelve survived.

Mize refused to leave Korea and Company K until, after a year, he was ordered back to the United States to receive the Medal of Honor. The ceremony took place in Denver at the summer White House on Sept. 7, 1954.


Third Infantry Division troops engage Chinese forces near the village of Uijong-Bu in 1951. Some two years later, they and Mize would be in the fight of their lives near Surang-ni. -Courtesy U.S. Army

Mize rejoined the 82nd Airborne and was commissioned, eventually rising to the rank of colonel. He served 20 years in the Green Berets, with four of them spent in Southeast Asia, where he was wounded three times. The soft-spoken Alabaman subsequently commanded the Special Forces Schools at Fort Bragg, N.C., until his retirement in June 1981.



Colonel Mize has also been awarded these medals:

Bronze Star - Good Conduct with Two Loops - National Defense Service - Korean Service with Two Bronze Stars - United Nations Service.

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Today's Educational Sources and suggestions for further reading:

Two Hills, One Nightmare, by Lane Phalen http://www.ophsa.org/OPHSA_Intro.htm

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UPDATED THROUGH APRIL 2004



The FReeper Foxhole. America's History. America's Soul

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[SAMWolf]

Like many who have received the award, Charette protested that he did not deserve it.

The real heroes never think they deserved their awards.

Great story Snippy.

[snippy_about_it]

Thanks Sam.

[quietolong]

Not like some others

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1144628/posts?page=38#38

[radu]

Good morning everyone!

To all our military men and women, past and present, and to our allies who stand with us,
THANK YOU!

[Aeronaut]

Good morning Snippy.

[GailA]

Good Morning.

[E.G.C.]

Morning, Snippy and everyone at the Foxhole.

[The Mayor]

June 27, 2004

Psalms, Incense, Praise

Read: Psalm 150

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. —Psalm 150:6

Bible In One Year: Job 8-10; Acts 8:26-40

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The well-known English preacher Charles H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) wrote something that would be good to remember at the start of each day: "Let your thoughts be psalms, your prayers incense, and your breath praise." Let's look at each of these phrases.

Let your thoughts be psalms. The 150 psalms have a variety of themes, including praise, God's character, and expressions of dependence on the Lord. Throughout the day we can turn our thoughts into psalms by meditating on God's holiness, His worthiness of our worship, and how much we need Him.

Let your prayers be incense. In the tabernacle of the Jews, incense was burned continually to offer a sweet savor to the Lord (Exodus 30:7-8). Our prayers are like incense to God (Psalm 141:2), bringing to His nostrils the pleasing scent of our adoration and need for Him.

Let your breath be praise. The book of Psalms concludes with the words, "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!" (Psalm 150:6). Talking about God and offering Him words of praise should be as natural to us as breathing.

Keep the Lord in your thoughts, prayers, and speech today. —Dave Egner

Worship, praise, and adoration
All belong to Jesus' name;
Freely give your heart's devotion,
Constantly His love proclaim. —Anon.

A heart filled with praise brings pleasure to God.

[The Mayor]

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. -Psalm 150:6

A heart filled with praise brings pleasure to God.

[The Mayor]

[Aeronaut]

Woah -- cool!

Good morning.

[The Mayor]

Love those Blue Angels..

Good Morning to you!

[Soaring Feather]

Good morning everyone.

[SAMWolf]

Morning quiettolong.

I had a Great Uncle that did 65 missions sitting in a B-17 over Germany-----Never talked about it

I have an Uncle that did three tours over in Nam ---- Never Talks about it.

After being a bar tender/ manager/ past commander of an American Legion post. You find out that those who talk the most...Did the least And that person who sits quietly over in the corner. Was one who was really in the S--T!

Kerry not only goes on & on about it. But took a camera back to reenact his event....Give Me A Break!....Scotty Beam Me Up....

You hit the nail right on the head!

[SAMWolf]

Good Morning Radu!! Nice to see you drop in. We were getting worried about you.

[SAMWolf]

Morning Aeronaut.

[SAMWolf]

Morning GailA. Add some hashbrowns and you have a perfect egg breakfast. :-)