Column, August  91

Way back when I began to write this column I was desperately searching for material about which to write (and I still am) I had heard a rumor (you know all about rumors) that the 503rd drop on Corregidor was one of the so-called "classic" military maneuvers discussed in the curriculum at the Military Academy at West Point. Supposedly the Corregidor jump was a prime example of the military art of "vertical envelopment." For some strange reason my faith in rumors has been completely shattered, and with a desire to pass on to all of you only "the beautiful truth" I wrote to the Military Academy at West Point for verification, or denial, of the inclusion of this particular part of past history in the current curriculum.

I received the following reply.

The Department of History
Department of The Army, 
United States Military Academy, 
West Point, New York 10096-1793

Dear Mr. Reynolds,

The following is in response to your enquiry on our military history instruction here at the Academy. As part of our two semester course in military history (which is mandatory instruction for all cadets), we devote one lesson to discussion of MacArthur’s Southern Pacific Drive. As part of this, we cover briefly the airborne drop onto Corregidor. However we are currently in the process of updating our military history instruction to include a four lesson seminar on selected campaigns of the Second World War. One of our instructors is offering as his seminar the campaign for the Philippine Islands which may include segments on the 503rd’s actions.  As soon as his syllabus is submitted, I will be back in contact with you. Thankyou for your interest in military history instruction at the Academy. If we can be of further instruction, please contact me. 

Sincerely, James H. Embrey, 
Captain, IN, 
Assistant Professor, 
Department of History.

It was interesting to learn and in my mind a little disappointing that MacArthur's Southern Pacific Drive was covered in just one lesson, but I guess that just fails in line with the decision back in WWII to allow 10 percent of the war effort to fighting the Japanese. Anyhow. I am appreciative of the fact that my inquiry received an answer. Just thought you all would like to know. And, of course, I will pass on to you any information I receive in the future concerning the military history curriculum conducted at the Military Academy at West Point.

Many of you were not in attendance at the 50th reunion in Washington to hear Charlie Rambo tell his Australian joke.  So l am going to pass it onto you since many of you have been to Australia. It seems that an American tourist went to Australia for a vacation and was involved in a terrible automobile accident. The Yank regained consciousness in an Australian hospital. As he gradually became aware of his surroundings he saw that most of his entire body was wrapped in bandages, hoses were coming out of and going Into him at many different places. He was being given blood, he was the recipient of glucose. HE WAS A MESS.  His eyes were finally able to focus on a person bending over him. She was an Australian nurse, and the American asked the nurse, "Did you bring me here to die?" and the Australian nurse answered, "No. We brought you here yesterdie."

Some things creep their way into columns of this nature that you don't really plan and sometimes you intend to put things in that get left out. Like, for instance, several months ago I had intended to include a little piece of trivia and somehow it just got lost in the shuttle. Way back in February while attending the Deep South Corregidor mini-reunion, I had a chance to get back to the Infantry Museum in Fort Benning. Museums, of course, are places you can walk swiftly through and say that you have been there. Or they are places that you can lose the entire day in exploring.

Anyhow, on this particular visit I found a display of the recipients of the Triple CIB.  That is, those people who have been awarded the Combat Infantry Badge from three different wars. Do you have any idea how many people have been so honored? I counted 72 names engraved in recognition. One name was that of Larry Okendo, a member of the 503rd PRCT WWII Association. If there were others from the 503rd I did not recognize their names. All of those listed served in WW II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The Triple CIB display is not in a very prominent place. I missed it the other time I was in the Infantry Museum. It maybe should be placed where it couldn't be missed.

The search is on for the youngest person who served in the 503rd PRCT and to show you we don't believe in age discrimination  also the oldest. It you think that may be you,  write me ~ Write me about something, anyhow.

  READ ON.../2