The history of the Korean War will be the focus of the our meeting this Saturday, February 12th, at 9 am at Western Dakota Technical Institute in Rapid City.
School of Mines professor emeritus Chuck Thielen will recount the grim combat he faced as an infantry rifleman with the 1st Division, 7th Marines. At one point Thielen’s unit was overrun, wiping out everyone at his position except for him and another who were bayoneted as they pretended to be dead. “Sometimes under fire we had to line up wounded Marines in the
snow overnight,” he recalls while fighting in North Korea near Chosin Reservoir. “You could tell the ones still alive in the morning because they were the ones without frost buildup on their faces.” Thielen was the only college graduate in his unit.
A moment-of-silence will also be observed at the meeting for Korean War Marine Herbert A. Littleton who was awarded the Medal of Honor after being killed in action on April 22, 1951. Littleton entered the service from Black Hawk, went to school in Sturgis, lived in Spearfish, and worked in Rapid City.
Editor’s Note: For many of us the only mention of the Korean War was watching M*A*S*H* on television. The fact is that many Americans fought bravely and honorably on Korean soil and their stories have not been told. I urge you to attend this event and to hear of the sacrifices made on our behalf by these brave heroes.
My Uncle fought bravely in the Korean War. And he was a liberal Kennedy Democrat. The guys in his company didn’t seem to mind, in fact he was surrounded by like thinkers. But that was back in the day, before extreme partisanhip divided our country. God bless him, and everyone who fought.
I join you in appreciation and respect for the service of your uncle. Our brave ing forces deseve our respect and appreciation and our constant prayers. A JFK Democrat is far closer to a current conservative than the progressive socialists in control of the Democratic Party. By the way, there was much partisanship “back in the day” too.
Professor Thielen gave a great talk, it was both informative and humorous at the same time. These folks that fought in the Korean war were absolutely brave and when an opportunity presents itself to listen to living history one should take advantage. After the professor spoke other veterans put in their comments and it added to an enlightening morning. God bless them all and I hope I wish I had half of the fortitude that these fellows have!
PH
Thanks for the report, Patrick!!!