Special KWVA "W in Your Dream Vacation Fund-Raiser" Information ...

told it was very difficult to place such a call—and very costly. In
the end, I always felt such a call would cause a “bout of lonesome.”
Many years later I learned there was a MARS station in the
very next compound.
What helped me on a day-to-day basis were prayer, church,
and letters. With respect to things tangible, nothing was more
important than letters. If I didn’t receive several letters a week, I
knew something was up or someone was ill.
What I did know on a daily basis was how blessed I was that
the fighting was over, thanks to all who suffered and died for us.
James Foley,
224 Sanderson Ave.,
Olyphant, PA 18447
Another lost camera
The article by Dick Nooe in the Jan/Feb 2009 issue, “The
Bolsey,” pp. 22-23, about the loss of his camera caught my attention,
as I lost my camera in Korea also.
I was in I Co., 8th Regt., 1st Cav. Div. and went on R&R to
Japan, where I bought a camera. I returned to Korea around 1
Oct. 1951. The next day we moved out on a major offensive and
came onto what was probably the Chinese MLR.
Our artillery and air support were pounding their positions, so
I took quite a few positions, and kept the camera in my back
pack.
On 8 Oct I was wounded and taken to a hospital in Pusan. My
pack was on the hill when I left. It would be a nice surprise if
someone found and still has the camera—or the pictures.
James Haw,
1615 Westmont Lane,
Reno, NV 89512
How The Graybeards helps
Editor’s Note: We were privy to this exchange between two
KWVA members, Leroy Rogers and Marvin Reed. It is a perfect
example of how The Graybeards helps Korean War veterans keep
in touch.
First, Marvin dropped Leroy a line.
Hi Leroy,
Enjoyed seeing your picture and letter in The Graybeards. I
was on a quad 50 one-half ton truck. Don’t remember mud, but I
do remember dust and snow! I was 24th I.D. 66AAA.
We moved around a lot—until Dec. ‘51, when stuck upon a
ridgeline for December and January. It was so cold several days
that we had to have the engine running all the time.
Best Wishes,
Marvin Reed, 2900 Right Hand Cyn. Rd., Palomino Valley, NV.
89510, RA Army Jan 1951-1954, Korea-June ‘51-Feb. ‘52 Japan
Feb. ‘52 to Dec. ‘52–Camp Irwin, CA–Jan ‘53 to Jan ‘54!
Leroy responded quickly. As he wrote to the “Feedback” editor,
“I have just now gotten though writing him a letter asking
him to give me a phone call after 9 p.m. eastern time, and I will
call him back.
Who knows? Maybe someone who reads The Graybeards
might know him. As fast as we are passing on, any contact with
anyone who served in the “hell hole” is good, I think.”
Leroy Jones,
413 Belle Meade Drive,
Maryville, TN 37803-6701,
(865) 982-6030,
LeroyRogersUSA@hotmail.com
Aircraft designations can be confusing
Since there is quite a bit of mention of the B-26 in this last
issue of The Graybeards, I thought I would try to unscramble
some confusion about this valuable aircraft.
I mentioned to a WWII fighter pilot who flew in North Africa
and the Mediterranean area that B-26s flew night reconnaissance
missions out of Kimpo Airbase. He wanted to know why we were
using that old dog.
I explained to him that he knew it as an A-26 during his war.
He commented that that was a good plane. I hope I was right.
I understand that years after I was discharged the designation
was restored to A-26 and served many years after the “Korean
Police Action.”
Gene Highsmith,
aehighsmith@sbcglobal.net
More Douglas vs. Crawford
I’m sure you are up to your armpits and other places with the
Paul Douglas, Broderick Crawford story. Here’s another tidbit.
In Born Yesterday, Paul Douglas played the role of the junk
dealer on Broadway opposite Judy Holliday.
That was the same role Crawford played in the motion picture.
Small world.
Jim Conway,
conatlanta@comcast.net
EDITOR’S NOTE: Douglas, who created the role of Harry Brock
on stage, turned down the chance to play him in the movie adaptation
because the part had been reduced considerably for the
film. (Source: IMDB, internet movie data base, http://us.imdb.
com/title/tt0042276/)
Douglas was married five times
Paul Douglas was married five times. Wives were: 1)
unknown, 2) Elizabeth Farnsworth, 3) Geraldine Higgins, 4)
Virginia Fields, 1942 – 1946, 5) Jan Sterling, 1950-until Mr.
Douglas’s death of a heart attack.
Douglas was a leading sports announcer and worked as a news
commentator. He also did radio comedy, working with Jack
Benny, George Burns & Gracie Allen. He starred in his own
sports series in the 1940s for Fox-MovieTone News, which I
remember, called “Paul Douglas Sports Review.”
Also, he was briefly a pro football player with the
Philadelphia team, the Frankford Yellow Jackets, after college.
He is interred in Saint Paul’s Churchyard, London, England
with his wife, Jan.
“Bud” Landrum,
tlandrum@yahoo.com, CID 102,
Imperial Valley, USS Oriskany,
(CVA 34)
63
The Graybeards
May – June 2009