Stress On Our Troops, Fort Hood Notwithstanding
Posted: Saturday, November 07, 2009
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
War is an unholy, horrible thing. When one checks back, I don't believe you can find any period of time on record, when there were no wars anywhere on this earth. There have been but very few of our years since 1775 when we, ourselves were not involved in some way with some war. Check it out. But, that doesn't mean we are the warringest people in the world but we do get our share.
This was a war where the young men of our nation stood tall. Many had joined of their own free will to help end the war, but even those who were conscripted, served and fought nobly. Some of these men served for four years, almost all of it, in overseas combat. Many came home maimed, limbs missing, some had lost their feet due to frostbite and a great number suffered from what was then called shell-shock. It later became known as combat fatigue. Many married men came home to find their wife had gone to another man, some simply had been unfaithful and much mental stress was the result. Some developed mental illness and had to be placed in an institution. Of my four brothers, one had died, one came home to his wife and small son he had never seen and the other two remained in service.
Things changed a great deal after that. The draft was continued and a large army was maintained, although restrictions on health and abilities were tightened since there was no need for the massive number that had been during the past war. But peace was very short lived.
The Korean peninsula was a politically divided nation and as World War two was winding down, Japan (our enemy then) and Russian (one our allies then) troops were fighting and the Russians advanced to the 38th parallel about the time WWII was over and the United Nations formed. Negotiations for a unified Korea took place but were never successful, though Japan was conquered and Russian troops had gone home. But on June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea. The United Nations, and the United States took the side of South Korea and came to their aid, but as it has been since, the U.S. had to bear the load. The draft was re-energized here and I was called upon April 3, 1951.
It is difficult to imagine how a small country the size of Korea, could ever be the base of a long and dreadful war that took thousands of lives of American troops. I can tell you personally that I was blessed in that I was not ordered to go into Korea and into battle. I was chosen to be placed with an Anti Aircraft battalion and assigned to Battalion Headquarters Intelligence Department where I was trained as an Intelligence Aircraft Plotter. At this point in time, the war was truly raging in Korea and men were being brought home with the same identical problems incurred in WW2. No one, wanted to go and get into that fray. But twice monthly, our battery would be called out into formation and names would be read of those being pulled and deployed to Korea. That was possibly the most tense moments, I have ever spent.
The defense department had a set program for the draftee. Everyone was called up for a two year tour, and after you were in for 18 months, and had not been deployed to Korea, you would not be in that last six months. But it was a very stressful 18 months to reach that point. I even read names of a couple of men with whom I completed basic and advanced training who had been killed in Korea. But unless someone has gone through what our combat troops go through, it is unlikely you can appreciate them as they should be.
During training at Fort Bliss, Texas, I've often slept in a Pup-tent and thought about the roughly 2,000 miles back to my home and it would seem as though, I'd never be able to go back, week after week. When we finished our basic, and then advanced (AAA antiaircraft) training, there were no formalities of graduation and invitations for our families to come visit us, nor even a leave to go home. My first 5 day leave with a 2 day pass combined, was for New Years, 1952. (From April 3, 1951)
I have told all of this on my part simply because it is the only first hand experience I've had. But it carried with it some of the feelings that any young men must have when they are far away and especially facing unimaginable hardships and the possibility of death at any turn.
I hear people often say, well no one made them join up, and that is true but if they had not, many more would have been conscripted as I was and unless you have gone, thank those fine young people who have willfully dedicated their lives to protecting this country, so you won't have to.
But my main reason for writing this is to try and get across to those who are living it up here, while many of our young men and women, are in Iraq, on in Afghanistan or any other place where we have troops. They are assigned to a very unpleasant tour of duty. I don't know what length of time they are required to spend in those places, but I do know they are often sent back after returning home for a few months. And that must be the most difficult thing to do, that a human could imagine.
And now this thing at Fort Hood. Whether these troops were training, or expecting to be deployed to one of the places of combat, I don't know. But now, this can cause much stress on those who are not even overseas. Have you ever dreamed of being a long way from home and have no means of getting back? I have, and it caused some of the empty feeling a person gets when he is away from loved ones and home. I can recall my first few weeks in the army. We always attended church on Sundays when I was home and somehow, that was my roughest days, not to be able to be back there, and not knowing for sure whether or not I ever would be.
If you have friends or relatives in service, get in regular touch with them and let them know how proud you are of them. And if you don't, when you see a military person in a cafe, Wal-Mart, or where ever. Stop and thank them for their service. It will help make their day and you'll feel better for it
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More commentsA greatly inspirational and informative piece, Joel. Thanks for the reminder!Thank you Maureen, for the coment.
Wow! What a fantastic piece. Good writing too! My grandpa was in the second war (British) and he was wounded. Other than that my immediate family has been completely shielded from war (we are Canadians) and so I truly cannot imagine, the trials and tribulations that families such as yours have gone through. Tomorrow is Remembrance Day in Canada (does the US celebrate it on the same day?) and I will remember your family at the services.Thank you Jill, for your nice comment. Yes, we do remember the Veterans tomorrow here in the U.S. Thanks also for remembring my family. All are gone now except me and a baby sister. I wonder sometime how my poor mother was able to hold up, with four boys in service at one time and losing one of them. Then, my Dad died in 1950 and they drafted me the next year, leaving her alone with my baby sister."There, but for the Grace of God, go I," might be a suitable comment to describe your mother's life in those days. I am sure she has been reunited now with her lost child and husband. She has found peace.
Very peaceful, very nice article Joel. Thanks.
Best...........eThank you E., for reading and commenting.
No one would argue that war is a terrible business and that the cost is way too high. Unfortunately I also believe that cost of not maintaining a military is even higher in the long term. It is a terrible imposition but somebody has got to do it.Right on, Ralph. Unfortunately, we are frequently getting caught with our pants down. Few people realize just what condition we were in the day after Pearl Harbor. We had also let our guard down when we became quickly mired in Korea. When they drafted me, they were taking every male that could give a normal temperature reading, just about. In most cases, eight weeks after youwere inducted, you went to Korea.
I enjoyed reading this one.Thank you Andy for reading and commenting.
great great article!!!Thank you Alex, I appreciate your comment.
Hey.. that's very nice article, at least, I can take many lesson for your articles..good workThank you MT, for reading and commenting.
A thought provoking article Joel.Thanks for reading and commenting Gregory.
Wow, wonderful article and thank you for serving Our Country. Many do not realize that when these boys and girls leave our homes they come back very grown up. Thank you again for the wonderful read. I am now going to spend time with my teens and little ones!Thank you Debra, for your kind words.
Great article and a good reminder to thank the men and women in the service past and present as someone else said. I too thank you for your service.Thank you Linda , for your kind commnets. I appreciate them.
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