Oral Histories and Remembering the Forgotten War

 A reminder to talk to your relatives now.

It's great to get reader feedback. Over the years I have heard from several folks who read The Boldest Plan is Best who told me that their father or grandfather had served with the 509th Parachute Infantry Battalion during WWII. Unfortunately, they also shared that their relative passed away without telling them about their experiences.

Way back in 2008, I wrote a post about the National Day of Listening, sponsored by StoryCorps. I shared then about doing an "oral history" session with my own dad about his service with the 187th Airborne RCT in Korea. It wasn't easy to get him to open up about it. He never talked about combat when I was growing up. A familiar story, I know. But I worked at it. I made it kind of a formal thing and recorded our conversations. That seemed to work to a certain extent. Having served myself might have helped. But I encourage you to do whatever it takes to get the veterans talking.

Here's an article I wrote based on those talks I had with my dad a few years before he passed away. It was the first thing I ever wrote and got it printed in the reader submission part of the old History Channel Magazine. I hope you enjoy it.

Remembering the Forgotten War

Corporal Bob Broumley, Kumwha Korea, 1953

Most of us who enjoy history have heard the cliché that the Korean Conflict is known as the "Forgotten War." However, clichés are often based on truth and this instance is certainly a prime example.

Most Americans do not know about the intensity of that conflict, its importance as the first "limited war," or its significance as part of our overall Cold War victory over communism. Although termed a police action, Korea was not a trivial event; from 1950 to 1953, approximately 1.79 million uniformed service members went into that theater of operations; 36,574 died and another 103,284 were wounded. And according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, we lost more than 173,000 Korean War veterans in 2007.

One of these Korean War veterans is Bob Broumley from Fort Worth, Texas. When the North Koreans crossed the Thirty-eighth Parallel to invade South Korea on June 25, 1950, Bob was enjoying the summer before his senior year at Tech High School. He would not wait to be drafted and joined the Army after high school. He took great pride in the fact that the two-letter identifier on his service number was "RA," which stood for "regular army" vs. "US" for draftees and "NG" for National Guard members.

Practice jump in Japan, 1952

Upon completion of infantry basic training at Fort Ord, California, and airborne school at Fort Benning, Georgia, 19-year-old Pvt. Bob Broumley shipped out to Korea. He, like most of the new soldiers on his troop transport, moved up as replacements in units that had heavy combat losses. Broumley's first assignment was as a rifleman with the 2/279th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, which had been mobilized from the Oklahoma National Guard.

The 2/279th Raider Platoon was tasked with gathering intelligence that included raiding the enemy trench for prisoners. Although assigned to a rifle company as a BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) man, Broumley accompanied the Raiders on one occasion. A section of the enemy trench between bunkers was selected. Automatic weapons fire would isolate that section from the bunkers on either end. An assault team would then go into the trench and kill or capture any enemy soldiers found there. Quick, violent, and dangerous, the operation was over in minutes.

Ceasefire Declared

After two trips to the line and a stint guarding prisoners of war on the infamous Koje-Do Island, Broumley transferred to the 187th Regimental Combat Team (Airborne) in September 1952. The 187 RCT was being refit in Japan as a theater reserve under the command of Brig. Gen. William Westmoreland. Broumley was ready for the challenge.

Sgt Bob Broumley, Fort Bragg, 1954

Through the winter and spring of 1953, the "one-eight-seven" trained hard in Japan. The days were filled with physical training, small-unit exercises, and practice jumps. The unit was always aware that they might be needed again in Korea. 

The stalemated war continued while both sides jockeyed for position in the armistice for which everyone was waiting. As those talks came close to an agreement, the Chinese Communist Forces threw a massive assault against the line, overwhelming South Korean forces. The 187 RCT was rushed to Korea once again to plug the gap, and Broumley (now a corporal) went with them. 

About a month later, on July 27, 1953, the armistice was signed. 

Broumley had enough "points" to rotate home shortly after the ceasefire. He served the remainder of his time at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, with the 82nd Airborne Division. Staff Sgt. Bob Broumley left the service in 1954 and returned to Fort Worth. He got his job back in the grocery store where he worked during high school.