Memorial-Day, Presentation, for Students at Posse High School:

Good morning Students, as you all know I’ve been asked to talk to you guys about my experience as a combat soldier that served with the U.S Army’s last all Black Combat Unit, the 24th Infantry Regiment Combat Team, formerly know as Buffalo-Soldiers during the Korean war (1950/51)

As a former combat infantry soldier I can speak to you of my personal experiences. Once there I was quickly informed that
“we (African-Americans) were  fighting for our lives and the only chance we might be successful is with teamwork and fire power. The fight for liberty, freedom and justice (we were then fighting for the Korean to have) will be another fight for those of us that survived this war, so keep up, if you drop back and become a straggler we want go back to look for you  other then that keep your weapon clean and follow orders.”

That was the  welcome speech we received from our platoon sergeant  it was December 4, 1950. We were six replacement that was assigned to G-Company, 2nd Battalion of the 24th Infantry Regiment, of the 25th Infantry Division.

Life on the front line, after witnessing so many death not only from my own comrades but thousands innocent civilians that always seem to be caught in between us and the enemies became a living nightmare.. I wouldn’t left the 2nd day if it had been humanly possible. After coming to the realization that I could very well be killed I like every other soldier attempted to be even more careful, but being careful doesn’t mean much when there’s thousands of small and large pieces of metals whizzing past your body as you engage your enemies days and nights and it’ll only take one pieces of metal to end your life or tear off a limb or maim you for life..

After a while you come to the conclusion that you might as well kill as many of them as you can, before they eventually kill you.. Our war in Korea was the last conventional war, meaning in most engagements we were face to face with the enemy. So close that at time (summer months) we could smell each other’s body odors.   

After awhile on realizing we could die at any second, we sometimes took daring chances, like volunteering for patrols when its not our turn, or to be point-man during patrols or worse yet, to take out enemies machine gunners, which meant you’ve to get close enough for them to see you and in most cases to get off the first shots. If you’re successful, you’ll earn the title of hero and even awarded a metal  for bravery, although at the time of action that’s the least of your thought. Its more so about how you die.. Or how you’ll like to be remembered by your comrades,, which is very important during war. It’ll be your comrades last memory of you as a soldier, as a man.. What the hell, the chances were you are going to die anyway. Like why shouldn’t  you get killed when you’ve killed and witness so many others death..

Its when life and death on the front becomes even a bigger  mystery, like why should you continue to live and others not?  I guess that’s about the time when religious teaching come to mind, like if there’s a God, why don’t he stop this war? And why should you be spared when fighters on both side believe and acknowledge that there’s only one God… No matter what title we give him?

The bottom line to me and other combat-soldiers was how we would prefer to die, if we were to die here and since it would be the last memory our comrades, who survive the war would take away with them.. And perhaps someday in the future and  by chance meet a family member of ours and tell them how we died..  “Hey!  I remember your husband, brother, father, grandfather, uncle, nieces, nephews or  cousins and  tell them how we died. He died to spare our lives, for another fight, another battle. He died like a soldier, like a warrior like the hero he was..  And always will be in our memories.

Strange as it may be to the readers of this article, but such feeling was and is, very important to combat soldiers.

I’ll leave you guys on this note; WARS, are not like those made in Hollywood.

End speech, And now the best part;  if there’s time for  Q & A.

If not, I thank you all for inviting me and for your attention.

Excerpts from Korean war memoir:

http://books.google.com/books?id=Qsh_IadOKEcC&pg=PA109&sig=hZnBUBq41jf1wwdJ2IpIGqjM7h4&source=bmap&bkcxt=15&q=%22Ashiya%22#PPP1,M1