From:
Richard Gaines <gunnyg@hotmail.com> Save Address
Reply-To:
scuttlebuttsmallchow@topica.com
To:
scuttlebuttsmallchow@topica.com Save Address
Subject:
Book: The Last Parade...
Date:
Fri, 04 Aug 2000 06:52:02 -0700
Letter To Sam Lamb
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/dickg/vignettes17.html
By Jim Baxter
May 21. 1999
(#70)
Thursday 2/25/99
Dear Sam:
Well, my wife took a fall on the sidewalk last Friday, so,
I'm her
hands and feet for the next few days/weeks. Didn't break
anything
but she is in terrible pain. Can slowly get out of bed and
use a
walker - but that's about it. I'll take a little time now to
talk about
your wonderful contribution to Literature and History! No
joke - it's
a great book! I do not have a single criticism. Obviously,
everybody
out there has a slightly different view from where they were
- even
people side-by-side still often have a different perspective,
etc. But,
your book could well become a Classic. I've read a few on the
subject of Korea, but none have the breadth and depth of your
treatise. It would make a great multi-part TV series - or a
movie
script. But, we'll see - its future may surprise you, Sam.
Your attention to idealism, respect for the lives of
prisoners, the
regard for the values of the American Way, etc. is a value
lacking
in most Korean War stories...or other war stories in general.
But,
it is the fundamental, often unspoken, reason men are willing
to go
through the hell of war and the risk of life and limb. You
said it
for me, Sam Lamb. I regret that you were not present
[apparently]
when I confronted Causey when he said he was going over and
"kick the **** out of Goggins." It would have strengthened
your
case for our values as Humans, Christians, Americans,
Marines,
etc. if it were a part of your experiences in the book. I
told Big
Jim, " If you're going to try that, you'll have to go through
me to get
to him. I may lose, but I guarantee you, I will make it very
expensive
for you to get to him. I'm willing to give my life for a
Country that
values each individual - if that isn't true, I don't want to
fight for that
Country - but, it is true, so I am willing to risk it all.
I'm not going to
let you rob me of the very good reason I may die next week.
You
become my enemy. Let me know what you decide." He got up from
our card game and said, "I'll have to think about it." I
said, "Let me
know. I'll be here." He came back a little later and said,
"You're right.
I was wrong." I thanked him for his manliness. [He had
previously
talked about driving through New Orleans as a police officer
and
leaning out to hit a black man in the head and laughing as he
spun into
the street.] Later, he told me I had changed his life. And,
later, Joe
came to me privately and thanked me. I said, " Joe, it's the
reason
we are all out here doing this dirty work. We can't allow
anyone to
make Our Side like the enemy and his ways. And, you are
worthy."
He shook my hand with wet eyes. It would have been a good
support
in the book for your stated and repeated position on
prisoners, etc.
Idealism is very very practical in the very real world. I
recall that the
Company that killed all those prisoners in the swimming pool
in the
hotel in downtown Seoul had more casualties than any other
Company
in our Battalion...or the Regiment[?]
I vaguely recall your reference to being on liberty in Masan
and my
correcting Villa regarding his mistreatment of the local
natives. The
one incident I remember even more was the time Causey and I
went into town to drink beer and eat peanuts - we were
walking
down the street when out in front of us we saw a Marine go up
behind a native gook who was carrying a flat basket of
several
large fish on his head. The Marine grabbed one and started
beating
the gook with the fish. I grabbed the Marine and threw him to
the ground. He jumped up and he and I went at it for a couple
of minutes. He yelled at me that he was angry because he lost
a
lot of buddies over here. Where was I when they were fighting
alone at the Perimeter. I said, "Where were you during WW
II?"
"It's idiots like you that will cause my [future] sons to
have to
come back here again in 20 years and do it all over again."
He
was drunk and crying. I tossed him into a curb and beckoned a
passing weapons carrier to take him back to camp. They did.
Causey said, "Why didn't you flatten him?" I said, he's not
my
enemy - He just needs correction. [More idealism that would
have fit well in your book Wish you had been present and had
that experience for your book.]
In the book, you had me leaving for home before Villa was
killed:
Sorry, I was still there. He stacked 'em up with his BAR that
night on the nose of that hill. Those Chinese troops were all
wearing skirts of grenades...remember?I know he was
recommended for the Silver Star...did his family ever get it?
He
was from New Mexico is all I knew.
When we were on our way from Kobe to Inchon, Maiden came
to me and said he had put me in for Sgt. stripes, but, they
wouldn't
allow it because I had a different spec. number. He said,
"What
was that?" I told him my last assignment in the Corps in '45
was
Intelligence. He asked who I would recommend. I said, "Give
it
to John Carpenter. He's a good man, a career Marine." He was
my buddy; the best friend that I had made when we reported to
F-2-1 at Pendleton. [Do you remember the speech Chesty made
to us - standing on a jeep?]
Sam, I do remember several shots I made from a kneeling
position - perhaps, up to 500 yards. But, the one I really
remember
was the second or third day: We had raced over three hills in
a row.
The whole second battalion was strung out in a skirmish line
from
the Inchon-Seoul Highway on the left to the top of high
ground
on the right. Our platoon was on the extreme right with only
machine gunners on our right We reached the crest of the
fourth
hill and everyone flopped on their faces, worn out! I knew
someone
had to sit up and watch. A valley extended out in front of us
with
a flat-topped hill in the distance. I noticed what appeared
to be
a stick - no other shape - on top of the hill. It did not
move. I asked
the machine gunners to put their glasses on it. They looked
and
started yelling, "It's a gook! It's a gook! Get 'em! Get
'em!" I
swung my rifle [M-1] up and put the front blade on the stick,
raised
it slowly until I couldn't see the "stick" and squeezed it
off. I dropped
my piece and looked. Wham! It was a man, hit in the stomach,
- he
came tumbling down the hill! The whole battalion let out a
roar like
I had kicked a field goal against Notre Dame! All that, after
they
had spent the morning killing many North Koreans! The machine
gunners said their range-finder glasses put that target at
OVER a
thousand yards! Yikes! I never made such a shot in my whole
life.
They thought he may have been a Russian advisor...Who knows?
The night we finished the fight in Yong Dong Po, there was 'a
word'
out that Groff had killed a prisoner that evening. I don't
know. It may
have been true. The thing I didn't like about the Captain
was his
little card-board shack with the young Korean girl - all in a
combat
area. I thought he was a pretty fair field officer in combat,
but his
morals/ethics and example left much to be desired. I never
heard
him rant and rave. He was usually pretty quiet when I was
around
him. But, I tended to avoid officers. Most were a pain in the
rear
and not very knowledgeable - and often tended to put men at
risk
unnecessarily.
I was surprised you did not mention the field kitchen that
was
brought to us by General Lowe [Truman's Military aide] over-
looking Hoengsong while we waited for the ROKs to clear on
our left flank. Stepped into the galley-tent, turkey,
mashed-potatoes,
gravy, peas, corn, pie, etc. Stepped out of the tent: Frozen.
Good try!!!
Sam, I think you were the only one I said good-bye to. And, I
was
happy to leave the .45 with you, but, you gave me $25 bucks
for it!
Remember?
Sam, four books that I have about the Korean War are
excellent.
Perhaps you can locate them through a local library. I highly
recommend them. They are as follows:
1.] U.S. Marine Operations in Korea 1950-1953
Volume II The Inchon-Seoul Operation
by Lynn Montross & Captain Nicholas A. Canzona, USMC
2.] U.S. Marine Operations in Korea 1950-1953
Volume IV The East-Central Front
by Lynn Montross, Major Hubard D. Kuokka, USMC,
and Major Norman W. Hicks, USMC
[Also, there is a Volume 1 regarding The Pusan Perimeter,
Vol. 3 regarding the Chosin Reservoir Campaign
and a Volume 5 regarding the Operations in Western
Korea]
3.] Victory at High Tide; The Inchon-Seoul Campaign
by Robert Debs Heinl, Jr., Colonel, USMC
4.] The New Breed
The Story of the U.S. Marines in Korea
by Andrew Geer
These are excellent resources and wonder texts to leave with
your children.
After your book, The Last Parade, comes out, I'm sure I'll
have more to say. More in the way of reminders - not
criticism.
You have done very well without any additional input. As
usual,
my friend, I'm very proud of you.
Always Faithful
Jim
WW II and Korea
E-Mail: choicemaker@thegrid.net
****************
Note: The Book is now out
http://www.thelastparade.com/
Semper Fidelis and....
Take Care,
Dick Gaines
GySgt USMC Ret.
(1952-1972)
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