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Contact Info
Home Town Bleiberville, TX
Last Address Conroe, TX
Date of Passing May 31, 2005
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Wanda Fick of Conroe; sons, Mark Fick and wife Brooke, Terry Fick and wife, Janet, all of Montgomery; sisters, Elsie Zalesky of Houston and Otillia Franke of West Virginia; grandchildren, Benjamin Fick and wife Keri of Austin, Amy Swanson and husband Tim of Montgomery, Collins Dyer-Pitts and fiancé Matthew Haynie of Montgomery, Walker and Virginia Fick of Montgomery; great grandchildren Hayley, Hannah, and Leroy Fick of Austin, Emily, Ally, and Ella Swanson of Montgomery. Numerous nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends survive.
During World War II, Leroy Fick worked at Brown Shipyard in Houston as a welder, working at night and attending school during the day. After that, Leroy served in the Merchant Marines during World War II, where he had a chance to see numerous distant and exotic places. One of his assigned ships was the USS Eagle, a square rigged sailing vessel, which is still sailing today. He also served on various Liberty ships. After the war, Leroy was given the opportunity to ride in a German army staff car and toured parts of war torn Russia.
After coming home, Leroy made his living as a carpenter, a skill he learned from his father and grandfather, until he volunteered for the U. S. Army during the Korean War and served from 1950 to 1952.
Following basic training, Leroy volunteered to be a member of the U.S. Army Rangers (10th Ranger Infantry Company) and then the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team. He received training for both of these at Fort Benning, Georgia, becoming a member of the first Airborne Ranger outfit in its history. Afterward, Leroy went to Korea where his Ranger Company was involved in numerous dangerous, high-risk operations, many of which were behind enemy lines.
While in combat, Leroy earned the Combat Infantryman Badge, Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. He was most proud of his Combat Infantryman Badge earned by those infantrymen who satisfactorily perform their duties and are personally present and under fire, engaged in sustained active ground combat.
Leroy earned the Silver Star when he was behind enemy lines during an action near Kaesong, Korea, then as a member of the1st Ranger Company. Leroy took command of his unit when the commanding lieutenant was severely wounded. Leroy, with the help of another soldier, carried him for 17 miles back to the U. S. lines (the Kansas line), not knowing if he was alive or dead. Leroy left the Army at the rank of Sergeant 1st Class.
After leaving the Army, Leroy worked in construction first as a carpenter and then a builder in Houston and Conroe where he raised his family. He built many homes and commercial buildings and established a solid reputation for his extensive knowledge of construction. He was an avid hunter and enjoyed the outdoors, especially the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Leroy’s grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a special joy to him. Leroy believed in and lived commitment, both to his family and to his country that he so loved. He believed in eternal life through Jesus Christ.
On 23 June 1951 Jacob Malik, Deputy Foreign Minister of the U.S.S.R., made a statement in a recorded broadcast in New York implying Chinese and North Korean willingness to discuss armistice terms to end the Korean War. When Communist China indicated that it also desired peace, President Truman authorized General Ridgway to arrange for an armistice conference with the North Korean commander. Both aides agreed to begin negotiations at Kaesong on 10 July 1951. The chief delegate for the U.N. at the conference was Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy. The enemy delegation was led by Lt. Gen. Nam Il.
It was agreed at the first meeting that military operations would continue until an armistice agreement was signed. However, neither aide was willing to start any large-scale offensive while peace talks were in progress. U.N. military action in this period was limited to combat patrolling, artillery and air bombardment, and the repulsing of enemy attacks.
In August of 1951 the strength of all U.N. ground forces under Eighth Army command totaled 549,224. This included 248,320 U.S. ground troops, Army and Marines, 268,320 in the ROK Army, and 32,874 in the ground units of the seventeen other United Nations.
Truce negotiations were broken off by the Communists on 22 August. Van Fleet then launched a series of limited-objective attacks to improve the Eighth Army's defensive positions. The U.S. X and ROK I Corps in east-central Korea fought for terrain objectives five to seven miles above Line KANSAS, among them Bloody and Heartbreak Ridges, to drive enemy forces from positions that favored an attack on Line KANSAS. By the last week in October these objectives had been secured.
Along the western portion of the front, action in September was characterized by local attacks, counterattacks, and combat patrols. By 12 October five divisions of the I Corps had advanced the front three to four miles to a new Line JAMESTOWN to protect the Ch'orwon-Seoul railroad. The IX Corps followed with aggressive patrolling toward Kumsong. On 21 October it seized the commanding heights just south of the city.
On 25 October armistice negotiations were resumed at the new site of Panmunjom.