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Contact Info
Home Town Evansville
Date of Passing Feb 11, 2019
Location of Interment Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery - Evansville, Vanderburgh Co., Indiana
My Homepages: Turn on your sound, several pages.
http://webspace.webring.com/people/ws/sweettater33/bobsplace.html
My Tribute Pages,Turn on your sound, there are 3 pages.
http://webspace.webring.com/people/ws/sweettater33/mytribute.html
My Army Site: army.togetherweserved.com/army/servlet/tws.webapp.WebApp
My Tribute Page for Lt Col Henry Hampton:
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Was in the home and apartment construction business for 50 years. I have been retired since 2003 along with "The Light of my Life" (my wife of 64 years).
I spend a great deal of my time working around my house and yard. My Kids kept telling to get a computer but I said I lived without a computer for almost 70 years, But I finally gave in and bought one. WOW!!!, I wish I had bought one years ago.
I am on it a good deal of time each day (especially in the winter). I am getting involved in a lot of things going on in the world, Government, and Ancient Roman and Greek history, EBay, etc. It has sure been a way of keeping my mind active.
I received thirteen weeks of Basic Training with Company C, 13th Armored Infantry Battalion, Combat Command A, 3rd Armored Division at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Then, I got 30 days leave at home. Then, I traveled to Seattle for shipment overseas.
On a side note, there was three of us who boarded the train in Evansville to Seattle. One was another buddy from Evansville (Bob Willett) and one from Oakland City, and one just up the road (Ralph Jenkins). We were traveling on Military Vouchers. We had to change trains in St. Louis. When we got there, another trainee from Fort Jackson South Carolina. joined us. The only thing available was a 4 person suite on the Streamline train named "The City of St Louis" and the conductor let us have it. WOW!!! We had a steward in the car that we called back to order ham sandwiches. When we gave him a tip of $5 (back in those days a great tip), he really took care of us for the entire trip. We got to Seattle two days early, and we were pretty well broke. We didn't want to go to the base early as we wanted to see some of Seattle. So, we got our pennies together, and had enough for me to call home and have my Mom wire us some money to Western Union in Seattle. We reported in base on time.
I shipped out on the USNS General Patrick for Yokohama, Japan. We could tell two days out of Japan that we were close, because of the smell it was awful. Since, I had joined the Army with Armored Cavalry as my preference, I thought I would be assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. I was sent by train to Sendai, Japan. I remember pulling into the station where men were urinating in outside urinals, and thought, "Oh boy, what have I got into?" In Japan, at that time, they used human waste to fertilize the rice paddies, and transported it in what American's called a' honey bucket' cart so the old saying if you drove a vehicle of any kind was, "Go off the road, drive into a ditch or hit a tree before you crash into a Honey Cart" .
I was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division G-3 (Operations). When the Korean War broke out, we were moved to Gotemba at the base of Mount Fuji for maneuvers and amphibious landing training. The 7th Division had been stripped of a lot of officer and NCOs to augment the Divisions already in Korea. We were augmented with Republic of Korea troops. At the time, they were not worth much. When we boarded the troop ship to head to Korea we were assigned threemen to a bunk, that's how crowded it was. When I got down to my rack there were two ROK soldiers sitting on it eating dried squid which stunk to high heaven. I managed to get it to them that they were not going to use my rack and they had to sleep on deck. I noticed later that one of them left his Japanese made Kodak camera on the bunk. I never did find him and still have the camera to this day. We made an amphibious landing with the 1st Marine Division at Inchon, early in September 1950. But, that is another story. In Korea, I participated in the following: �
Amphibious Landing at Inchon
1st taking of Seoul
Amphibious landing at Iwon
United Nations Summer Offensive
Chosen Reservoir campaign (drive to the Yalu)
Thank God I was not caught in that trap. I made it down the main supply route (MSR) before the Chinese cut it off and encircled the troops at Chosen Reservoir.
From what I recently saw in the news and read online, it appears VP Joe Biden on his way home recently from his trip to China, made a stop in Hawaii. While there he made a speech to some of our Military troops, in which he claimed the present US military forces were the best that ever served this country. It seems the Vice President, when speaking, has a hard time keeping his foot out of his mouth.
As a Korean War Veteran, I have always supported our military to the fullest extent, and I think our men and women in the military today are doing a fantastic job under very difficult circumstances. But, to say they are the best ever is a bit much. Albeit they are probably the best trained, best eqipped, the best supported by the people than any other War since WWII. Ie, armored vehicles, armored vests, sophisticated high tech weaponry on the ground/air/sea, etc, and are an all volenteer force.
The troops in the Korean War (The Forgotten War), didn't have the above and fought in horrendous conditions in the mountains of North Korea, In less than 3 years they took casualties, (KIA, WIA, MIA, almost 8000 that have never been accounted for), that would dwarf the numbers lost in 10 years of the Iraq & Afghanistan wars put together.
The War in Vietnam was longer than the Korean War but the same applies to the troops that fought there. Yet, they were spit upon, vilified, and called baby killers, by the people, when they came home. Which will always be one of the greatest acts of shame the people ever administered to the Armed Forces of this country. At least when we came home from Korea we were not spit on, vilified, or called names, instead we were just forgotten, because it was the first time the US Armed Forces were not allowed (by the Politicians), to win a war in the history of this country.
Having said all this, I still give great credit and honor to my brothers and sisters, and their families who are equitting themselves with courage, skill, and honor, in the wars of Iraq & Afghanistan, plus all the other little places the American people don't know about.
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Other Comments:
Notes: I served in the U.S. Air Force reserves from 1955-1968, as 1st Sergeant (E-7) with the 71st Troop Carrier Squadron for 13 years.
Best Friends Took my basic in Co C, 13th Armored Infantry Bn, Combat Command A, 3rd Armored Division
Worst Moment At Fort Knox there were a long line of parade fields adjacent to our barracks. I remember one Sunday a bunch of guys took a blanket and was putting 1 guy in the blanket and the rest of them were all around the blanket and they would flip the guy up in the air.
I was in the latrine washing socks and underwear, when they came and wanted me to come down and join them. I of course, being the smallest in the platoon, was a prime candidate for the blanket party. I went down and rolled into the blanket and they really gave a big throw and I went so high I could see across the top of the 2 story barracks. I decided right then, it was not for me, but that I would help do the throwing.
There was another small guy named Stevenson who rolled into the blanket, and we pitched him up at least as high as me. But when he came down we had stretched the blanket too tight and it split like it wasn't even there. Stevenson hit the ground with a big thud. And he rolled over and he was twitching like maybe we broke his neck.Of course the ambulance came and took him to the base hospital
Our platoon Leader Lt Michaelson told us all to get in class A uniform and line up outside the orderly room that the CO wanted to talk to us. I was about 5th in line, and as each guy came out They looked more and more scared.
When I reported to the CO he talked very calmly and asked me if I was part of the blanket party, I said Yessir. He asked what I was going to do if Stevenson died, man my heart sank and I said I don't know Sir. Then he stood up and yelled "Well I do, your going to Fort Leavenworth Army prison for 20 years."
When I left the orderly room I thought my God I just ruined my life. I laid down on my bunk which was a lower bunk, Stevenson had an upper a couple bunks down, and I could see his bunk from mine. I was totally devastated and fell asleep. When I woke up I thought I was seeing things but it was Stevenson asleep in his bunk.
Needless to say for weeks all the guys really watched out for Stevenson, we didn't want him having any relapses.
