{"id":3874,"date":"2018-03-28T15:59:31","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T19:59:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/?p=3874"},"modified":"2018-03-28T15:59:31","modified_gmt":"2018-03-28T19:59:31","slug":"an-intrepid-hero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/?p=3874","title":{"rendered":"An Intrepid Hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

A young vet on a float waved in a smiled at me at a recent Memorial Day parade. I smiled and waved back. He carried me back sixty-six years when I was with Company L, 15th Regiment, 3rd<\/sup> Infantry Division in Korea.<\/p>\n

Our company was in the rear awaiting replacements for our casualties. It was a brutally hot and sunny day in June when a short, thin, freckle faced kid named, Wayne Caton came to replace our platoon\u2019s wounded medic. After we exchanged our biographical data, he anxiously edged towards my cot and whispered,<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019ll do when we move up to the line if I\u2019m scared shit here, in this squad tent.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll of us are frightened, I replied.\u201d It\u2019s normal. After you meet our men you\u2019ll feel more comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wayne and I became inseparable. He was Catholic, I was Jewish. He didn\u2019t finish high school, I planned on going to college, yet the gel that bound us during the early days evolved into cement as the days had passed. But as we went through our training, I noticed that Wayne had lost his zest.<\/p>\n

\u201cDan, I haven\u2019t heard from my girlfriend since I came to Korea. She\u2019s a cute cheerleader. She\u2019ll have no trouble finding other guys.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet me help you write to her. Maybe you\u2019ll get an answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

We wrote: When I shave and look in the mirror I see your pretty face, not mine, and I\u2019m very careful to avoid cuts. Since I haven\u2019t damaged you, would you please write me?<\/em><\/p>\n

No response. He didn\u2019t expect one.<\/p>\n

Wayne performed well in our training exercises. He became an integral part of the 2nd<\/sup> platoon.<\/p>\n

Lt. Sidney, our company commander, was ordered to move the company up to the MLR (Main Line of Resistance). Wayne and I occupied a bunker overlooking the Imjin River in the Chorwon Valley. It was a peaceful landscape marred by mutilated trees overlooking a carpet of barbed wire.<\/p>\n

After a few days of relaxation, Company commander Sidney assigned the 2nd<\/sup> and 3rd<\/sup> platoons to attack the Chinese-occupied Hill 121.<\/p>\n

Our dry run the previous night convinced us that the operation would be a walk in the park.<\/p>\n

We stomped through a hidden path towards our jon boats scattered along the bank of the Imjin River. Charley, our point man pulled on an overhead rope bringing four men to the opposite bank.<\/p>\n

What am I doing here? Going to a hill to kill Chinese? Why should I try and kill them? Who will return? Will I return?<\/em><\/p>\n

We sat and waited for all the men to cross the river, and then we assembled around Lt. Sidney.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe valley is wide. We should have no problem getting there. Make sure your weapons are on lock.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Centurian tank fired its cannon then showered the hill with .50 caliber bullets. A forward observer was accurately zeroing in the 105mm howitzers<\/p>\n

As we approached, a searchlight company illuminated the hill to make it appear like a mangled wedding cake. What\u2019s going on here? This wasn\u2019t in our dry run.<\/em> We\u2019ll be flickering like Sabbath candles when we attack the hill. Which of us will be blown out?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

We came to a halt. I fired a flare; a signal to cease the supporting fire. Lt. Sidney moved his fist forward to attack. Wayne and Sgt. Flaherty were ahead and to my left. We gave each other a \u201cthumbs up\u201d then crawled up the hill.<\/p>\n

A concussion grenade exploded where I thought Wayne and Sgt. Flaherty might be. I anxiously waited for the area to clear, and then I crawled to the ditch but no one was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Gus. Did you see Flaherty or Caton?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCaton\u2019s probably treating the wounded down the hill. I didn\u2019t see Flaherty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lt. Sidney signaled to withdraw. When I reached the bottom of the hill I saw Sgt. Flaherty lying on a litter. His jaw, resting on his chest, resembled a bloody sock.<\/p>\n

Where was Wayne? I ran for the jon boats that brought us across the river. To my far right Ed Heister was carrying a mortally wounded Truman Bastin on his shoulders. Upon reaching the jon boats, I was relieved to see Wayne. He was in a heated dispute with the GI in charge of the jon boats. Truman, unconscious and bleeding heavily was draped on Ed\u2019s shoulders. Wayne asked the GI to release a boat so that Truman could get across quickly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI need three more guys before I release the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wayne removed his pistol from its holster, placed it into the GI\u2019s gut and said,<\/p>\n

\u201cIf he doesn\u2019t get into the boat now, you\u2019re a dead man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Truman was quickly ferried across.<\/p>\n

Our platoon returned to the battalion headquarters tent for a debriefing.<\/p>\n

A roar of a truck brought me running out.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey Gus, did you see Wayne?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, but he might be on the next truck.\u201d<\/p>\n

There was no next truck.<\/p>\n

Mrs. Caton received a telegram that Wayne was Missing In Action.<\/p>\n

Two years later, when the truce was declared, Mrs. Caton sent photos of Wayne to the repatriated prisoners. Perhaps they could identify him. No one could identify him.<\/p>\n

Fifty-three years later, prodded by Wayne\u2019s niece, I called Ed Heister.<\/p>\n

\u201cEd. Do you remember the night you carried Truman to the jon boats?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYes and the GI who was assigned to the jon boats told me to wait until three more men came to fill up the boat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you know what happened to Truman?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

Yes, I said. Truman was ferried across the river and, after three years at Walter Reed Hospital, he was discharged. He lived until he was 79 years old.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut what happened to Wayne?\u201d I asked<\/p>\n

\u201cHe went back to Hill 121 to see if any wounded were left behind,\u201d said Ed.<\/p>\n

Wayne was declared Killed in Action three years later.<\/p>\n

That was Wayne, a selfless INTREPID HERO who, unfortunately was never recognized for his heroic valor.<\/p>\n

Wayne\u2019s photo rests on my night table. We were so young; now I am 88.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A young vet on a float waved in a smiled at me at a recent Memorial Day parade. I smiled and waved back. He carried me back sixty-six years when I was with Company L, 15th Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division in Korea. Our company was in the rear awaiting replacements for our casualties. It was… Continue reading An Intrepid Hero<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3874"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3874\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3875,"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3874\/revisions\/3875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.danielwolfebooks.com\/danielsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}