Montrose - Daily Press

Marilyn Cox

A huge thank-you today to each and every veteran. They, and their families, are true American heroes.

The Korean War (June 25, 1950 �“ July 27, 1953) is often referred to as “the forgotten war.” Today I want to honor and thank one of our local veterans from that war�”Richard Cook, as well as his brothers who served at the same time�”Alfred and Leslie Cook. Richard recently wrote some memoirs for his family, with one section regarding his experiences in the Korean War.

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Richard started out by saying, “When I graduated from high school in 1948, all young men age 18 and older were required to register for the ‘draft’�-I went to the Montrose County courthouse to register right after my 18th birthday.”

Richard wasn’t called into the U. S. Army until he was 21. In the meantime he attended two semesters at CSU in Ft. Collins before deciding he “really didn’t care for school that much”, but would rather help his dad and neighbors with farming. “One summer I was a grease monkey on a thrashing machine harvesting beans,” he wrote, “and one spring helped Fritz Donley lamb sheep.”

When his call came, he traveled by train to a military facility in Denver where he was given a physical examination, then was sent to Ft. Leonardwood, Missouri for basic training.

“�-the drill instructor was really strict, but I stuck with it,” said Richard. “I was then assigned to engineer training, learning how to assemble boats and equipment.”

In their meager spare time the recruits enjoyed talking with each other, telling jokes and listening to music on the radio. “We especially liked ‘On Top of Old Smokey,’ Les Paul and Mary Ford’s ‘Tennessee Waltz’, ‘Mockin’ Bird Hill’ sung by Patti Page and ‘So Long, It’s Been Good to Know Ya’, hit songs of the early 1950’s,” recalled Richard.

Following basic training, Richard was shipped to Korea to become a member of the 17th Infantry, Company G. Once they arrived at their outpost about ? of a mile forward of the main line of resistance, they dug their foxholes and burrowed in. “It seemed there was always someone getting killed or getting captured,” he said.

It was winter time with lots of snow and ice. Snow would blow into their foxholes, even their sleeping bags. The heat from their bodies melted the snow and Richard said, “�-we all got pretty wet.”

One night in May, 1952, a squad from their platoon was sent out for night patrol to intercept enemy soldiers, but did not return. The next day, Richard’s squad was sent to look for the missing men. They found where they had been ambushed, but no sign of the men. “Suddenly, mortar shells and machine gunfire began dropping on us,” he wrote. “I told my squad to take cover in the rice paddy ditches.”

They literally crawled out on their bellies with mortar rounds pinning them down. Three were hit, including Richard, who was wounded in his left side. When they finally reached safety, Richard counted his men and found he was one short, so he crawled back in to rescue the man who had become paralyzed with fear.

When Richard was honorably discharged following his tour of duty, he was told he had been awarded the Combat Infantryman’s Badge, a Korean War Service Medal and a Purple Heart. However, he didn’t actually receive the Purple Heart or Korean War Medal until his partner, Marilyn Hunter, went through political channels in 1997. The Purple Heart arrived by mail.

He received the Korean War Medal, along with a personal letter dated June 25, 2000 from Kim Dae-Jung, President of the Republic of Korea, who wrote, “We Koreans hold dear in our hearts the conviction, courage and spirit of sacrifice shown to us by such selfless friends as you, who enabled us to remain a free democratic nation.”

When we wonder “why” sometimes, we need to remember those words of Kim Dae-Jung, and think about what a difference our service people have made in the lives of others, while protecting the freedoms of our nation. Remember to shake the hand of men like Richard Cook who have quietly and valiantly done their jobs.

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