Sep/Oct 2005 - Korean War Veterans Association

The Editor’s Desk
Art Sharp
12
A Tale Of Two Jacks—And An
Opportunity
Ironically, as I sit here writing these
comments, I am listening to Camille Saint-
Saens’ 3rd Symphony, known as the
“Organ Concert.” To me, it is the most
powerful symphony ever written. In fact, I
have told my wife Betsy that Saint-Saens’
Third is the last piece of music I ever want
to hear as I am transported to my final duty
station wearing the asbestos suit I will
surely need. That piece of music is entirely
fitting as I contemplate the bittersweet
death of my oldest sister, Pat, who died on
September 26th, 2005.
The death of a sibling is a bitter thing.
But, there is always something sweet to
counter the bitter. In my case, it was
encountering at her funeral for the first
time in fifty years an old friend and
Korean War veteran.
Pat was eleven years older than me. She
took her older sister responsibilities seriously.
Pat gave me a lot of opportunities to
enjoy new experiences, meet new people,
try new things…all the things an older sister
should do for her younger brother. I
always relished our oldest sister-first
brother relationship, which continued after
she wed John L. (“Jack”) Cavanaugh, Jr.,
who served in Korea with the1st Marine
Division.
Jack’s best friend was Jack Cassidy,
who served in Korea as well, I believe
with the 7th Cavalry. (He also belonged to
the KWVA at one time, but severed relationships
with the organization a couple
years back. It is my job to get him back in.)
The two Jacks went their separate ways on
their circuitous routes to Korea.
Fortunately, they both survived, and they
revived their friendship when they
returned to the U.S.
After Pat and Jack married in 1955,
they built their own house, with the considerable
assistance of Jack Cassidy. I was
a mere lad of 14 or so at the time. My
brother-in-law was an electrician by trade,
and a very handy guy all-around. I am not
sure what Jack Cassidy did for a living, but
he too was very handy. He could fix everything
but cats and dogs (although I’m sure
So, in a way, [my sister] Pat’s death
was a sweet thing. I got reacquainted
with an old friend, heard some stories
about Korea that I had not heard
before, received an opportunity to
bring a disgruntled member back into
the KWVA fold,...
he could have done that too if there were
no veterinarians around). The two Jacks
worked hard on the house. They even let
me do a few things to let me prove how
inept I was with a hammer and/or nails.
I will never forget how nicely these two
battle-tested veterans treated me. They did
not even crack a smile when I drove a nail
through my thumb or dropped a pile of
shingles on my toes. Rather, they simply
offered me a beer and made me swear I
would never try to fix anything but a horse
race for them. Yes, my brother-in-law was
the person who introduced me to beer.
That began a life-long relationship that is
still going on (always in moderation)—
and I have never dropped a beer.
I lost track of Jack Cassidy over the
years. I simply lost Jack Cavanaugh. He
died 13 years ago. So, it was a joy to run
into Jack Cassidy again after almost half a
century.
He was as affable as ever. He told me a
couple stories about his time in Korea.
That opened up the door for a couple of
Jack Cavanaugh’s siblings and kids to
share stories about his experiences in
Korea. Neither Jack was much for talking
about their war experiences when they
were younger. And I
never asked.
Apparently, my brother-in-law
did tell his
siblings one or two
tales, though. One in particular amused
me.
Jack (Cavanaugh, that is) was driving a
truck near Panmunjom when the peace
talks were going on. Apparently, he fell
asleep at the wheel, and almost ran over
some dignitaries. (I infer they were of the
North Korean persuasion.) In the process,
he almost set off an international incident,
since they took exception to his driving.
(He was a rather feisty individual, and setting
off incidents, locally, nationally, or
internationally, was not out of character
for him.) Somebody placated everyone
before the situation got out of hand. Even
though the details were fuzzy in the
telling, I found the story amusing—especially
because of my affinity for Korean
War history and my relationships with the
men and women who fought the battles.
So, in a way, Pat’s death was a sweet
thing. I got reacquainted with an old
friend, heard some stories about Korea that
I had not heard before, received an opportunity
to bring a disgruntled member back
into the KWVA fold, and heard Saint-
Saens’ Third Symphony once again. If she
had not died, I might not have gotten to do
the first three. Once again, she provided
me with an opportunity. The biggest one
she ever provided me, though, was the
opportunity to know her. And, I hope she
got one of her own: to hear Saint-Saens’
Third when she reported to Saint Peter.
Copyright by Arthur G. Sharp 2005 ©
National KWVA Fund Raiser Flower Rose of Sharon
The Rose of Sharon is the National KWVA fund raising flower. The Rose of
Sharon is sold by the dozen.
❒ Sample order is 4 dozen @ $10 plus $3.00 S/H.
❒ Minimum order is 20 doz. @ $50 plus $5.00 S/H.
Order from: Earl House
1870 Yakona Rd.
Baltimore, MD 21234
Phone 410-661-8950
Make Checks payable to: Maryland Chapter – KWVA
September - October 2005
The Graybeards