FROM MY DESK: I received the following email from Eddie Arechiga SqdLdr 1stSqd 3rdPlt- 11/51-9/52. REFLECTION: "Shifty, for some reason the latest emails from you and the newsletter put me in a reflective mood. I spent lots of time yesterday thinking back on my Korean experiences and the fabulous guys I served with. I was Squad Leader of the 3rd Squad, 1st Platoon, some of these guys, not all, were in my squad. I realized that so many of them probably never received the kudos they deserved and I certainly never had the chance to tell them what I thought of them. If you think back to those days, most young guys would have found it embarrassing to tell another Marne how great he was. With your permission I'd like to make small comments about a few of the folks that served with me. 1. Herb Aldous: Good-looking guy with the best smile in the outfit. He was a joy to be around and always had a positive attitude. On the Hill 104 fight, 28May52, he came across my buddy Alfeo who was down and bleeding profusely from a grenade damaged leg. Lefty, as we called him, stopped and put a battle dressing on Alf and stopped the bleeding. Shells falling all around, he dashed off to find a Corpsman and stretcher to get Alf out of harms way. Aldous stepped on a mine and lost his leg. He probably saved Alf's life and damned near lost his in the doing. He was one hell of a Marine. 2. Alvin Berg: Al was in my squad (I believe). He was a muscular blonde |
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headed guy that was among the most dependable guys around. A solid Marine and excellent BARman. I'm not sure how many purple hearts he was awarded but I'm sure it was more than one. On Hill 104 he made it almost to the top. He spotted some gooks coming at him and he opened up with his BAR, a grenade went off right in front of him and the fragments & stones smashed into his face and he went down. He was temporarily blinded and other Marines killed the attacking gooks. Al's bandages covered his eyes so he never knew who led him off the hill. This was one tough fighting Marine and he fought his way up that hill with bulldog tenacity.
3. George Blair: Georgie was a BARman in my squad. I was 18 years old and he was the only one younger than me, by a few months. He was quiet and unassuming. He did his job well and without theatrics. On Hill 104 he made it half way up before taking a hit on the face. Prior to his hit he raked the gook positions with deadly fire and never faltered in our charge up the hill. He was dependable and I always knew I could trust him to carry out his tasks well. 4. George DeSha: Oh man, this guy is what Marines are all about. He led the 2nd Squad and he led them well. DeSha was the model for gung-ho Marines. He took his squad up the center of the horse shoe shaped Hill 104 and made it to the top. At one point he outdistanced his squad and found himself fighting alone. I distinctly remember seeing him blasting away and hurling grenades as he moved up. He seemed oblivious to the intense fire directed at him. Later in June52 he volunteered for a snatch party and was wounded in |
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an arm. He appeared fearless and led by example. I held him in high regard, as did his men.
5. Bob Hanley: Bob was in Communications and saw as much action as us riflemen. He was a common sight to us because he was always strolling around hostile country laying comm wire. His providing us with the wherewithal to communicate from OPs, listening posts, patrols, or in a fight was priceless. He was dedicated and many times went into hot dangerous places to get the wire down. He'd risk incoming to hook up the sound powers or rush out, under fire, to find and repair breaks. He was an inspiration to us all. He took great pride in doing his part to assure the success of our various missions. Hats off to Hanley, the fearless and greatest lineman in the Corps. 6. Robert E. Huff: Huff was in my squad and I was damned glad to have him. He joined me on the East Coast and took part in the actions we had against the North Koreans around hills 673 and 884. He was the smallest guy in the outfit, even smaller than me and I stood a mere 5'5" (if I stretched). He was hard as a rock and muscular. He had the endurance of an ox and the tenacity of a bull. The perfect makings for a Marine. I remember that on Hill 104 we needed to get our air panels out in order to give the Marine Corsairs a reference point for their air strike. I believe it was Huff that was carrying the tube that contained the colored air panels. I called to him and I was surprised that after fighting our way up that hill and the ensuing counterattacks, he still held on to the air panels. He got them out and eventually the air |
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Semper Fi |