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A man from Texas died 2 weeks after I first arrived at the DMZ, from too much alcohol choking in sleep..he had enemies in a village. |
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The red and green braid is called a Fourragere and is for the Croix de Guerre earned by the 9th in WWI and awarded by the French goverment.. You can read all about it on http://www.manchu.org/WorldWar1/ THIS IS FOR iMJIN SCOUT AWARD AND PATCH AND CERTIFICATE Contributed by former Sergeant Ron Rice Recon Platoon HHC, 3/23rd, 2nd Infantry This is another picture of North Korean infiltrators who were KIA as a part of the Blue House raid. It's a bit hard to see but if you look at the picture you'll see an Imjin Scout sitting beside a foxhole and in the foreground a body. There is also a circle around a hand grenade that didn't go off. I'm not all that good on the computer yet but it really makes a difference if you print on photo quality paper. 1967-1968 KOREA So far way, so long ago, so etched in our memory ... Some don't understand, but you and I know. We could depend on on each other, we took care of each other. Our trust in one another was absolute, even if it meant personal sacrifice. We shared experiences and emotions that can never be expressed with words. You just had to be there. View Ridenour Collection It seems like a lifetime ago. Hell, it was a lifetime ago when I heard the words "Imjin Scout". I heard those words often and they became a part of my life for one year. "Imjin Scout" just stopped the day I stepped off the plane, Gone...like it never happened. For thirty-five years those words rolled around in my head reminding me of the freezing nights, scared like I had never been scared before. This site is about Imjin Scouts, but, I dedicate this space, especially, to the Scouts that attended Advanced Combat Training Academy at Camp Sitman, I've heard a lot about the requirements to become a Scout and all I heard was "what school". I can assure you there was a school!!! During the 1960's the army had only two schools that operated in hostile areas. One was Recondo School in Vietnam and the other was Imjin School, Korea. To finish either one of these schools you had to pull combat patrols as well as undergo three weeks of intensive training. At that time Scout School was considered to represent the 2nd Div. Ranger training and was often spoken of as such. When I returned to the States I was made a VIP driver. One day I went to pick up an officer with stars on his shoulders. I was told by his little lieutenant just to drive and not talk. When I opened the door for this officer, he hit me on my patch and said boldly "did they kick the crap out of you there, boy?" I replied, yes, sir, they did!! The lieutenant never got to speak the whole way back to the base!!! It was all about Imjin Scouts. Pissed that lieutenant off!! Now that I have met Scouts like Don Lopez, John Putt III, and many others who have worn the patch proudly, I feel it's important that we gather our history. For thirty-five years I've been alone. I am not alone now. Aloha Thomas Ridenour View Ridenour Collection These framed Imjin Scout patches were a gift to me from Thomas Ridenour. The patch on the left is the original Imjin Scout patch awarded for completion of the rigorous Advanced Combat Training Academy course. The patch on the right has "DMZ" on the bottom of it and is like the one I was awarded in 1969 for 20 or more missions in the DMZ. I will hang this in my office at Sonoma State University where I often talk to students about the Army and the reasons why they should serve their country. Thanks so much Thomas and, KEEP UP THE FIRE! Don Lopez WAYNE JOHNSON PHOTO COLLECTION Many pictures of the DMZ and Korea at the time of the "Axe Murders" at Panmunjom and Operation Paul Bunyan coming soon. |
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Sergeant Frank Burskey, 181st Signal Co., said the locals were sometimes North Korean agents. He remembers a houseboy who worked for a group of GIs for several months before disappearing. Burskey forgot about the boy until he was sent on a photo assignment to Panmunjom. Sitting across the negotiating table was the same former houseboy as a North Korean interpreter. (Firefights – Blaze on the DMZ, VFW Magazine, Pg. 32, August 1996) |
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