slowly to earth with his buddies. What a vantage point he had for the rest of the ride! With the canopy open pushed by moderate winds, he felt as safe as in his Ma’s loving arms. Below lay a newly plowed field, void of trees or power lines. The Army plowed the field, ensuring soft landings for the novice jumpers. Kentuck perceived the whole world, horizon to horizon. For a few minutes he reigned, the king of the world overlooking his realm. The common soldier is king of the world only briefly. Soon Kentuck glided to the earth with both feet and knees together, tumbled, rolled the chute, and scampered away. Pray another jumper doesn’t land on yoU.Soldiers weigh a ton. What a ride! The most frightening rides are always the most fun.
Since parachuting is merely a means of commuting to work, the soldiers carried their tools with them. Kentuck’s company prepared for combat as they floated to the ground. The airborne infantryman carried a full field pack, rifle, and two “laundry bags.” A soldier carried his water, food, shelter, medicine, weapon, ammunition, as well as any personal items he wanted. With so much to carry, few personal items were desired. The great number and weight of the required martial implements left little space for mementos. A picture of a loved one from home made the sum of the personal items carried by most soldiers. A measure of a man was expressed by what he valued enough to carry with him.
Jump training continued for a month When Kentuck leaped from the plane he screamed, “Wheeeeeeeeee!” This anthem disguised Kentuck’s fright from his company, and maybe, Kentuck faked himself too. His wheeeeeeeeee scream controlled what was difficult to control. As the days flew by, jumping became fun. In his bunk at the end of a day of wild excitement Kentuck prayed. Then, as he closed his eyes to sleep, Kentuck delivered his own eulogy. He prayed that when he drew his last breath, his last utterance would be “Wheeeeeeeeee!”
Meanwhile, the events erupted in Korea. The battle-hardened invaders enjoyed great success. For many years the North Korean People’s Army or In min-gun fought with Mao in the Chinese Communist Revolution. Now, after years of combat experience, and with the massive T-38 Russian tanks, they expected to defeat the Republic of Korea within six weeks. On June 28, 1950, Seoul fell. On July 5, the U.S. Army entered the fight. Some Americans thought that the North Koreans would retreat upon seeing that first American uniform. They didn’t. The downsized American Army was unprepared for a foreign war. Soldiers from all over the world migrated to Korea. The Army sent men straight from Basic Training. Realizing his first combat jump may soon fall on Korean soil, Kentuck trained hard.
The company parachuted until each soldier obtained the minimum number of jumps required for airborne certification. Upon certification they became official members of the Death from Above Club. The members of the Airborne received the winged parachute emblem for their uniform. It was an emblem worn with pride. More importantly, as long as Kentuck maintained his certification for Airborne, he received the bonus fifty dollars each month. Certification maintenance required one jump per month.
Although Kentuck did not know it at the time, two months of Airborne pay was all the Airborne pay he would receive. Contrary to the promises of the recruiter, the Airborne pay evaporated. For the next year, Kentuck served as an infantry rifleman. At the front, Kentuck never jumped. Within a short time, he lost his airborne qualification. After that, Kentuck didn’t receive his extra pay.
At last, Kentuck graduated from Jump School. His birthday paled in comparison to the glory of that wonderful day. Kentuck was Airborne. The spirit, training, and confidence of the Airborne transformed a common soldier to one of the elite fighting men of the world. In addition to this military designation, Kentuck earned his wings, achieving the unachievable goal of his childhood.
Upon graduation, he left Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Kentuck carried orders becoming an All American, a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. Best yet, he was a replacement for a unit based in Japan. His Airborne buddies felt fortunate because exotic Japan seemed fantastic. Many of the married men planned to bring their wives to the Japanese isles. The single men felt confident that they could find companionship and adventure in Japan. So most of the men dismissed the Korean War altogether. They imagined that if deployed to Korea, it would be for a few days. The Airborne performed some important commando raid before returning to beautiful Japan. The beautiful women of Japan provided companionship to the Airborne waiting for their next vital duty. The Airborne—the elite—performed special missions not everyday combat.
Kentuck packed to leave Fort Bragg. He stuffed his kit into a duffel bag, the serviceman’s suitcase. Dressed in his khaki Class B uniform with his “C” cap, Kentuck walked to the post depot. The cloth “C” cap, standard part of the Class “B” uniform, lay flat on a table. On the head, the hat resembled a boat. The soldiers thought that the boat-shaped hat had a look-alike in nature. So the “C” cap derived its name from a four-letter slang description of a delicate part of the female anatomy.
What a train journey from Fort Bragg! The youthful recruits rode a troop train from North Carolina to Seattle, Washington. For most, the end of the line was Korea. After the numbing boredom of training, the ride proved a wonderful respite. Twenty weeks of pay fueled the fun because nobody spent much of the money earned in training due to lack of opportunity. The young, reckless, and relatively wealthy soldiers drank, smoked, talked, and played cards all the way across the country.
During the day, the old sergeants craned to the right and left, viewing the sights while the young privates snored, oblivious to the passing scene. At noon, the whole car of catatonic privates appeared as if every soft head had been struck with a wooden mallet. At night, the old sergeants retired while the privates partied. Though several fights erupted in this bawdy environment, no one was disciplined during the trip. No one was going to prevent a soldier from doing his duty over a minor slugfest. Even the pugilists didn’t hold a grudge for more than an hour. On that train, Kentuck’s company lived like lords.
When Kentuck exited the train in Seattle he felt horrible. His twenty-eight weeks of clean living softened Kentuck for five days and nights of nonstop partying on the train. Kentuck suffered from a terrible hangover; his aching body longed for sleep, his lungs choked full of smoke, his irritated eyes delirious, and his mind exploded. But those woes soon disappeared like shadows in the bright lights of Seattle. Immediately, Kentuck longed to explore the enormous Emerald City.
A six-hour pass was granted to each soldier. Before sailing overseas, the men received liberty for fantasy night in the Emerald City. Upon receiving a pass, Kentuck and two fellow soldiers walked to the waterfront. Staff Sergeant Brooks sought women. Kentuck’s other companion, Corporal Riley, demanded beer. The intrepid trio discovered Lana’s, a dive. In Lana’s, both of Kentuck’s companions fulfilled their objective.
Lana’s featured dancing girls. Kentuck had a preconceived mental image of the dancing girl. In his mind, he saw Veronica Lake. Unfortunately, the dancers of Lana’s resembled the Great Lakes. The bawdy, unattractive women, the soldiers, and intrepid locals enjoyed the wild scene. The dingy place overflowed with soldiers who escaped Mama, the church, and their hometown officials for the first time in their lives. Drinking was the order of the day.
Kentuck’s pass expired at eleven p.m., but eleven came and went with the stalwart revelers occupying barstools. Finally, Kentuck urged his mates to leave, fearing the inevitable trouble. A few minutes after leaving the bar, trouble arrived in a jeep. The MPs swept the streets, looking for late soldiers. Kentuck was arrested.
A night in the stockade dulled all enthusiasm for the Emerald City. Orders came the next morning to report to the commanding officer. The three infantrymen were as meek and shy as newly shorn sheep. Worry accompanied the three defendants as they slunk into the office of the CO (“Commanding Officer”). Anything could happen and most options were bad. The two sheepish NCOs (“Non-Commissioned Officers”) feared losing a stripe. Having only one stripe of the Private First Class on his sleeve, Kentuck didn’t have much to lose. Yet that stripe cost intense effort and he dreaded losing it.
The old colonel thoroughly explained the cause of his irritation. Quickly, the listeners gained an enlightened point of view. After the preaching phase of their trial ended with a stony glare, the dreaded punishment phase of their trial commenced.
“You men are due to ship out today for the East?” asked the colonel, his eyes hard.