First Hand Story

Marines in Korea 1953

Pfc Richard Newman, of the First Recon Company, First Marine Division, from St. Louis, MO joined the Marines for the simple reason that he did not wish to be drafted.  His Drill Instructor at Parris Island had told the newbies, “… forget that individualistic bullshit.  You jerks are going to learn to act as a team and it might save your life if you get to Korea!  If one of you screws up, everyone is going to pay the price!”  That’s what he said and that’s what he meant – Newman’s indoctrination would soon prove to him that the D.I. , without any college degree, was a bona fide psychologist.  “When Platoon 70 left that hole known as Parris Island, we were a team.”

On Christmas Eve 1952, while out on a typical patrol, the enemy had their loudspeakers going full blast – all propaganda.  Then they’d play Christmas songs and tell the guys they were all going home in body bags.  The patrol kept getting closer to the Chinese and then, WHAM, they opened up.  The men on both sides of Newman were hit.  But they returned home and the recon men would go out to no-man’s land many more times after that.

I believe this picture is self-explanatory.

“Recon was all volunteers.  You could go to another outfit if you so desired.  Many of our men were and fast anticommunists.  There were all kinds.  We had several refugees from central Europe who had come to America after the Communists took over their native countries.  We had Japanese and Chinese – you name it and we had it.”

On 15 January 1953, Pfc Newman went out on his last patrol.  For reasons unknown to him, they were were going out at full strength.  This included the cooks, bakers, clerks – virtually anyone who could walk – and it was daylight.  The Chinese troops seemed to sense the unit’s advance on the skirmish line and reinforced their positions.  That’s when the air power came into action.  With the patrol only a couple hundred yards from the enemy, the napalm dropped.

Australian stretcher bearers; approx. the same time as this story.

A mile from the MLR (Main Line of Resistance), the Marines were pinned down in a ravine by enemy fire and someone yelled, “Okay, we’re going up that hill!”  Newman didn’t necessarily want to go with him, but if that’s what he wanted – that’s what he was going to get.

So, they started out and Newman was carrying a BAR, the first and only time he carried one in Korea, and firing as he went.  He could actually see the enemy looking down at him.  He was carrying his weapon in the cradle of his arm, no tripod,”… and then the gooks opened up with those damn mortars.”

“Well, they say you never hear the one that hits you, and it’s true.  The next thing I knew, I was in a field hospital behind the lines.”

Field hospital, Korean War

A few months later, Newman met a buddy who was also injured on that hill and he learned what happened that day:  It turned out the cooks and clerks were along on patrol to be the stretcher bearers.  There was one, Leo Succhi, that he never got along with, turned out to be the one guy to see him go down and yelled for help.  No one wanted to leave the ravine they were cornered in, so Succhi picked up a rifle and yelled, “You better get up here and pick up Newman!  If you don’t, I’m going to open up on you!”

Newman was dragged back to the ravine and put on a stretcher to be carried back a mile or so to the field hospital and he never saw Succhi again, but Newman did put in his story – Leo, shalom.

Pfc Richard Newman lost his leg from the knee down, but he returned home, went to the University of Pennsylvania, married and became CEO and President of Buckingham Co.; a liquor distributing company.

Click on images to enlarge.

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Farewell Salute – 

Joseph Bryjak – Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII

2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Forces, Korea

William Blocker – W. Pullman, Chicago, IL; US Navy, WWII

James Farho, Jr. – Omaha, NE & Lighthouse Point, FL; US Navy, 20 years, WWII

Horace Johnson – Panama City, FL; US Army, Co. A/511th Regiment, WWII

Patrick Mason – Lawrence, MA; US Army, Vietnam

Douglas Rapley-Devonport – New Zealand; 2nd NZ Expeditionary Force, 2nd Battalion, WWII, No. 32567

Joseph Tinerella – Norridge, IL; US Army Vietnam

Evans Wilshere – Holtsville, NY; US Army, WWII, 187th RHQ/11th A/B Div.

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Personal Note – I have been having serious internet connection issues lately.  Should I appear late in reading your sites, answering your questions, or seem to drop off the face of the earth for a few days – please don’t be surprised or offended!  Have a great day__gpcox

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