When leaving Wal-Mart the other day, I was behind an older couple who were moving a little slower than other customers. I patiently followed the couple out of the store and down the same parking isle. They stopped about two cars before mine. As I followed them out of the parking lot, I noticed the license plate for a Korean War Veteran, US Army. I wished I had noticed it before. I would have said hello to him and convey that Dad had been in Korea, too. I would have thanked the gentleman for his service, and hoped that we could have shared a moment on behalf of Dad. There aren’t very many Korean War Veterans left. Seeing his license plate reminded me of Dad’s experiences, many of which we did not know about until his last few years. Dad was at Chosin Reservoir in 1950 and survived.
Dad was a lifetime member of the U.S. Army Chapter of the Chosin Few having served in C Company, 1st Battalion, 32nd Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division. He joined the US Army in May 1950 when he was seventeen years old. By November 1950, he was in Korea.
I continue to learn about the Korean War. Two books I have read include The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam and East of Chosin: Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950 by Roy E. Appleman, Lt. Col., AUS, Retired. I watched the DVD entitled Task Force Faith: The Story of the 31st Regimental Combat Team produced by Julie Precious and Vincent Gaines.
I watched the DVD with my Dad once and took notes as we paused and discussed where he was and what he was doing each step along the way. You might think he would not remember the details, yet when an Army buddy (someone he had not seen since Korea) called him out of the blue on August 27, 2006, my step-mother had the wherewithal to record the conversation. I listened to the conversation. The details they remembered were astonishing. I cannot go into all the details of this battle, but if you would like to learn more, check out Nightmare at the Chosin Reservoir.
The more I learn about the war, the hardships, and the unreal demands on the soldiers there during that campaign, the more amazed and appreciative I am that Dad actually made it home alive. He was shot on Hill 1221 during the breakout at Chosin Reservoir. In East of Chosin, Appendix E is a chart showing “Number of Enlisted Men of Units for Duty, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry, 7th Division” before and after action against the Chinese. The chart indicates that on the morning report for November 27, 1950 there were 150 enlisted men in C Company. The chart indicates that on the morning report for November 28, 1950 there were 21 of the original 150 (Appleman, 344). Appreciative indeed.
He continued in the US Army as a career military man (survived Viet Nam as well), met and married my mother, and had children. He served for twenty years, was a decorated soldier, and retired as a 1st Sergeant (E8) after his last assignment teaching ROTC at what was then the State College of Arkansas. 
He continued his life after retirement as a husband, father, carpenter, mechanic, grandfather, and always the hero to his family.
I know Memorial Day was four days ago. Seeing the license plate reminded me again how proud and thankful I am for the service he and others like him gave. If he had not survived the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, unlike so many who did not, then none of this life I have would be in existence.
Rest in peace, Dad. Never forgotten.
Citations:
Appleman, Roy E. East of Chosin: Entrapment and Breakout in Korea, 1950. College Station: Texas A&M
University Press, 1987. Print.