SEARCH RESULTS

Al Thielke

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During a snowy night patrol in search of a prisoner, Lieutenant Gary Wilder decided to take the initiative and grab a Chinese soldier in the trench line the men had been observing. Gun fire soon broke out and Thielke and his men had to help Wilder to safety. (2:39)

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While riding in open trucks on the way to Seoul, Thielke and his men endured extremely harsh weather. They adapted to the bitter cold by retooling their C-rations and canteens, but many of the men, including Thielke, suffered from frostbite. Unfortunately for one man, the frostbite had permanent effects on his body. (2:06)

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While Thielke and his comrades were back in reserve, they used a helmet to wash their socks. A British soldier came upon their invention and praised their ingenuity. A few days later, the men were cooking a stew over a fire, and when the same British soldier realized what the men were using to cook their stew, he ran off in disgust. (1:38)

Al Varner

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Al Varner describes the "hang fire" issue that could occur to battleship turrets, and the dangerous job of disarming them. (2:39)

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Al Varner remembers watching Marines invade Guam from aboard his Navy ship, and remarking at how different their situations were during the war. (:47)

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Al Varner describes his job as a naval gunfire liaison aboard the USS Idaho. (:53)

Alan Lertzman

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Alan Lertzman went from a comfortable Ohio State fraternity house to the bitter cold of a Kentucky Army base when he was drafted in 1951. He had attended military school and had a college degree so he was a natural for Officer Candidate School. He didn't mind the hazing but getting left in the desert with a compass and a canteen of water was an ordeal. (7:03)

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It was the best duty he ever had, recalls Alan Lertzman. The newly commissioned 2nd Lieutenant was assigned to Air Defense Command and stationed at Swarthmore, a girl's school in Philadelphia, but that ended all too soon as he was put on a plane for Korea and on the job training as a Forward Observer. As a Forward Observer, he had to quickly learn how to call in artillery strikes on Chinese positions, and avoid being taken out by Chinese patrols. (5:47)

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The call came soon after Alan Lertzman targeted his first strike as a new Forward Observer on the Korean front lines. The shells were hitting around U.S. tanks. Just before he was transferred to a radar station, he heard bugles and heavy artillery in the middle of the night. The battle of Pork Chop Hill was on. (7:28)

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He had thought about an Army Career, but Alan Lertzman's experiences in Korea led him back to the civilian world. Later in life, there was a side effect to his war service that began with free cigarettes in the C-Rations. (3:07)