Coldest Days

When and where were the coldest days that you have experienced? Maybe, bone chilling colds that you feel you are losing most of your manual dexterity and are become concerned about frostbite?

On November 2, 1966, North Korean infiltrators ambushed an American patrol and killed 6 Americans and a KATUSA (Korean Augmentation to the U. S. Army) assigned to the patrol. The only survivor was a 17-year-old who was left for dead. This incident was part of the Korean DMZ Conflict, a series of skirmishes along the DMZ from October 1966 to October 1968 resulting in 75 Americans, 299 South Koreans, and 397 North Koreans being killed. The Korean DMZ Conflict occurred about 13 years after the Korean War Armistice was signed.

My unit was stationed on the DMZ, and we were sent out to try to locate and eliminate the North Koran infiltrators. That operation lasted longer than normal operations and at one point my hands become so numb that I became concerned that if I emptied the magazine in my M14 during a firefight with the North Koreans infiltrators, would I have the manual dexterity to load another magazine and pull the bolt back to chamber a round? Hey, they didn’t issue us any grenades, so that option was out. That operation increased my admiration for the soldiers fighting during the Korean War. Many of the soldiers did not have proper cold weather gear, especially during the early stages of the Korean War.

Almost exactly one year later I would be arriving in Vietnam to “enjoy” a hot weather combat experience with the Mobile Riverine Force, where I would eventually be wounded during an enemy counterattack.

Many combat veterans eventually realize that finding a new “purpose and meaning” can help control some of the PTSD symptoms that they experience. Creating and participating in Operation Gift Cards – Assisting Our Wounded Troops has been a “purpose and meaning” that has helped me. Besides, I would like to think that my buddies who died while trying to keep as many of us as possible alive, would be smiling down at me and the other survivors with the realization that we did not waste our lives, and tried to do something to help our military and veterans, or improve the lives of others. And, that we would not be satisfied with providing lip service and showing bumper stickers in order to support any program. If you need help in finding your “purpose and meaning” you can always rely on prayer to give you guidance. We just have to teach ourselves how to listen to the guidance the Lord provides!