The clouds on I-88 look like cotton balls as I tune the radio to the “70s on 7” during the drive to the village where I grew up for the latest reunion. I am back again for another reunion. I sing along way too loud and way off-key.
On the way into town, I stop at the memorial park honoring the past military service of our fathers.
We added a plaque for my father to the three walls there earlier this year. He “took a break” from college in 1949 to join the Army. I never asked why he did it when he did, but now I suspect he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, who served in Burma, and his brother-in-law, who landed at Anzio and fought his way into Germany.
Which is how my father ended up in Korea working with a Signal Corps battalion as the Army yo-yoed its way north then south then north again until the 1953 armistice established the 38th Parallel border. And also why there is a plaque here today.
I start with him, then notice how many of my classmates have fathers and uncles on these walls.
Allan Markert served in the Navy during the Korea and was a light heavyweight boxer. Anne Cribb’s dad was one of three brothers who served in the Army and Air Force. Her uncle Thomas was a pilot who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. Brian Champlin’s dad was a Marine who served during WWII. He was an air radar technician and later served as on honor guard for Marine burials at Arlington National Cemetery.
Pete Stoop’s dad served in the Field Artillery and was at the 38th Parallel when the armistice began. Ralph Alexander’s dad entered active duty in the Navy nine days after Victory in Europe Day serving on the USS Fargo. Margaret’s dad was younger than my father. He served in the Navy and Naval Reserve beginning in 1958.
Gail Cole’s dad served in the 15th Infantry Regiment from April 1951 through March 1953. The 15th served with the Third Infantry Division and fought in eight major campaigns during the Korean Conflict.
Tina Omahen’s dad fought on the USS Santa Fe, known as “The Lucky Lady.” Its mission was to fight in the Northern Pacific “From Attu to Tokyo.” Rich Dickson’s dad served on an aircraft carrier during the beginning of the Korean conflict. The plaque also describes Rich’s service in the Air Force.
Two plaques honor Tina Patrick’s family. Her father fought in Korea as part of the 351st Infantry Regiment. The service of her father, uncles, and cousins shown on these plaques spans sixty years.
There are uncles of other classmates too. Julianne’s uncle “Zeke” is here. He served in the Navy for the entirety of the Second World War and was leaving Battleship Row on a troop transport heading for San Francisco on December 7, 1941, when the attack on Pearl Harbor began. Bill’s uncle Rosario was a MP assigned to the 28th Infantry Division, which played a crucial role during the Battle of the Bulge.
Former teachers are here as well. Edward Abbot served in the Navy from 1962 to 1966 after attending Brown University, and his son spent four years on a destroyer in the 90s. Francis Redmond was a clerk typist assigned to the 79th Troop Carrier Squadron, which participated in the D-Day operation, delivering the 101st Airborne Division paratroopers to France.
I never spoke with my father about his time in the Army or the role he played in the Korean Conflict. Instead, after he died, I pieced together his journey through Korea from letters he wrote to his brother. Those letters tell of the destruction and loss caused by war, as do many of the stories now written on the walls of this park.
These plaques tell of sacrifices made before families were started in this small village on the banks of the river that passes just beyond where this memorial stands.
Which is why this place is special, and always will be.
Finding North 