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By Root 1354 0

we were located near the Punchbowl, which was off limits to all civilians, we kept finding young Korean girls living in caves not far from Division Headquarters. The mystery: how did the girls get past security and into our headquarters area? The answer: when the kitchen water truck, and trailer, went back to the civilian area to get fresh drinking water, the guys would put the girls in the water tanks. The girls would be in water up to their necks, and during the night the guys would take them out and move them to the caves. Only an American GI could be so creative! However, it did not take long until all the girls were rounded up and taken back to the civilian zone. Needless to say, all of us soldiers quit drinking the water and wrote home telling our loved ones to start sending us juice and bottled water.

Korea was hell, but I was lucky to serve my tour without a scratch when so many of my buddies were wounded or killed.

* * * * * *

In 1963, I became an Army Chaplain and served in the Vietnam War in this capacity. After Vietnam I was given many promotions and great assignments around the world. In 1989, as a Colonel, I retired from the Army.

I thank God for a great life as a soldier and as a soldier’s pastor.

~~Seventy-Two~~

Jerry Cunningham

15th Infantry Regiment

3rd Infantry Division

U.S. Army

In August of 1952, there were many young men being processed through the Army reception station at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Some had volunteered, some had been drafted. Waiting in line were two young African Americans who had volunteered; Rudolph Randall and myself.

Rudolph and I began talking to each other. He was from Tampa, Florida and I was from Fort Lawn, South Carolina. This was the first time either of us had been away from our families. On that August day, while standing in line, we became friends.

After everyone had gone through processing, we then were shipped to different army installations across the country. Around 4:30 AM one morning, the processing First Sergeant began calling names of those that were to be shipped out that morning. Rudolph looked at me and said, “I guess this is where we will separate from each other.” Luckily, our names were not called.

Again at 1:00 PM, this procedure was repeated. I told Rudolph, “This might be the time we will say good-bye to each other.” As the sergeant began calling out names, he called my name first, then Rudolph’s; then the names of other soldiers. We were being assigned to Indian Town Gap, in Pennsylvania—we were still together. At 4:00 PM we headed for the train station in Columbia, South Carolina.

The following day, around 5:00 PM, we arrived at Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where we were greeted by Army buses waiting to pick us up. After arriving at the base everyone was assigned to companies and barracks. Again Rudolph and I were still together and assigned to the first platoon and the first floor—each barracks had two floors. As we were putting our bags down, I told him, “God must have meant it to be this way.”

He replied, “Yes. It has to be the Lord’s will for us to still be together.”

Our twelve weeks of basic training was ready to begin.

Finally, basic training was over and graduation day was here. For the first time, we got to dress in our Army Khaki uniforms and look like proud soldiers. For me it was a dream come true. Now came time for every graduate to receive orders for their new assignments. Guess what? Rudolph and I got our new assignment—Korea.

I already had a brother there; he was in the Air Force. We both agreed not to tell our mothers, so we decided to tell them we were to be stationed in Japan. I don’t think mom believed me; however, she let on like she did. She said, “I’ll still be praying for you and your friends.”

After a seven day furlough to visit home, we had to report to the main terminal at the train station in Chicago, Illinois. The long troop train, carrying three-or-four thousand soldiers departed Chicago headed for Seattle, Washington.

Upon our arrival in Seattle, we were taken by Army buses to the Debarkation