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.

A Short History of the 187th Infantry Regiment (Airborne)

 

Bob Broumley (my dad) at Kumwha, Korea.

I've always thought that the 187th Airborne was another seriously underappreciated parachute infantry unit in American military history. Especially for their service in Korea. I was even more amazed at the dedication of these paratroopers after I read Edward Flanagan's "The Rakkasans: The Combat History of the 187th Airborne Infantry." Not only did they make two combat jumps, but the theater's strategic reserve was used as a stopgap to avert disaster on more than one occasion. As some of the regular readers know, my dad is a Korean War veteran who served with the 187 Airborne Regimental Combat Team (RCT), as did one of my uncles. Pictures in this article are courtesy of his photo album.

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The 187th Infantry Regiment (Airborne)

"Rakkasans"

Shoulder Sleeve Insignia of the 187 RCT.

Soldiers of the 187^th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) have the distinction of belonging to the only airborne regiment that has served in every conflict since the inception of American airborne forces. Today, the First Battalion (1/187) and Third Battalion (3/187) of the 187^th carry on the tradition while assigned to the 3^rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) of the 101^st Airborne Division. The 3d BCT carries on the nickname “Rakkasans,” the nom de guerre of the 187 Airborne.

The Regiment was constituted on November 12, 1942, and activated on February 25, 1943, as the 187 Glider Infantry Regiment (GIR) at Camp MacKall, North Carolina. The two-battalion regiment was assigned to the 11^th Airborne Division for the duration of World War II.

The first major milestone for the 11^th Airborne Division, which along with the 187^th Glider Infantry included the 188^th Glider Infantry and the 511^th Parachute Infantry, was to convince the War Department that the divisional airborne concept was viable. Airborne operations during 1943 in Sicily and the Italian mainland had not gone well. The 11^th and 17^th Airborne Divisions conducted the Knollwood Maneuvers in late 1943 and early 1944 that demonstrated to observers that an airborne division could be flown at night, land on their planned drop zones, be resupplied by air, and hold their objective until relieved. The success of the Knollwood Maneuvers was a major factor in the approval of future parachute operations during WWII.

Paratroopers of the 187th Airborne RCT
on a training jump in Korea, circa 1953.

The 187^th Glider Infantry and the rest of the 11^th Airborne Division embarked for the Pacific Theater out of Camp Stoneman, California in May of 1944. Their first combat action was to join the campaign in New Guinea on May 29, 1944. The regiment joined the fight in the Philippines, landing on Leyte on November 18, 1944. The 187 GIR then landed on Luzon on January 31, 1945. The regiment, along with the 188^th GIR, entered Luzon by making an amphibious landing on the enemy-held Lingayen Gulf in order to flank the Japanese lines. The 187^th Glider Infantry fought in other notable actions on Luzon, like “Purple Heart hill,” Tagatay Ridge, Nichols Field, and Mount Macelod. As part of the 11^th Airborne Division, the 187 GIR was one of the units instrumental in liberating the Philippine capital of Manila. The regiment was given the honor of garrisoning the city. Moreover, the 187th was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation for action at Tagatay Ridge and later a Philippine Presidential Citation for valorous combat performance in the liberation of Luzon and Manila.

At the end of WWII, the 11^th Airborne Division was selected as the first troops to enter Japan on occupation duty. On August 30, 1945, flew to Atsugi Airfield in Yamamoto, Japan. The 187^th Infantry was the first American occupation troops, and the first foreign military force to enter Japan in more than 2,000 years. It was in Japan that the regiment earned its nickname. The regiment had been converted from glider infantry to the 187^th Airborne Infantry Regiment. The Japanese had no word to describe these soldiers falling from the sky, so they used the made-up Japanese word “rakkasan” to describe what the American soldiers did. The literal translation means “falling down umbrella men.” The locals started calling the troopers “Rakkasans,” and the name stuck.

The 11^th Airborne Division, along with the 187^th Airborne Infantry Regiment, was returned to the United States in 1949. The 11^th Airborne Division was stationed at Camp Campbell, Kentucky. Along with the 82^nd Airborne Division, the 11^th was part of the strategic reserve of the American Armed Forces. In February and March of 1950, the Rakkasans took part in Operation Swarmer, the largest peacetime airborne maneuvers ever to be conducted. Their performance in these maneuvers was instrumental in being redesignated an Airborne Regimental Combat Team on August 27, 1950. The 187 Airborne RCT returned to Japan to serve as General MacArthur’s airborne forces during the Korean War. While attached to the 1^st Marine Division, the 187 RCT followed up on the success of the Inchon Landing, clearing the Kimpo Peninsula between the Han River and the Yellow Sea.

Training jump during the Korean War Era

On October 20, 1950, the 187 Regimental Combat Team made combat jumps near the towns of Sukchon and Sunchon in North Korea in an attempt to cut off fleeing communist forces. The Rakkasans fought named engagements at Suan, Wonju, Kaesong, and Inje. In Operation Tomahawk the 187^th Airborne made the second combat parachute jump of the Korean War at Munsan-ni on March 23, 1951. The regiment returned to Japan to serve as the strategic reserve in June 1951. In May 1952, the Rakkasans were ordered to quell a North Korean and Chinese Communist prisoner of war (POW) uprising on the Japanese island of Koje-do. The 187 was inserted into the line on two other occasions, in October 1952 and June 1953, as a stop-gap against Chinese offensives at Wonton-ni and Kumwha.

During their time in the Korean War, the Rakkasans were awarded a Presidential Unit Citation and two Korean Presidential Citations, as well as earning five more Battle Streamers for their flag. Three soldiers from the 187 were awarded the Medal of Honor: Lester Hammond, Jr., Rodolfo Hernandez, and Richard Wilson. Their success in Korea re-energized the belief in using paratroopers as a strategic response. Soon after, the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina was reactivated.

During the early 1960s, the Rakkasans were part of a series of transfers and redesignations to help experiment with new division formations for the Cold War. This included being part of the 11^th Air Assault Division (Test). By 1964, the 3/187^th Airborne was the only battalion of the regiment on active duty. They were assigned to the 3^rd Brigade of the newly reactivated 101^st Airborne Division. The 3^rd Brigade, which included the 1^st and 2^nd Battalions of the 506^th Airborne, deployed to Vietnam in December 1967. The Rakkasans spent the next four years in Vietnam, fighting in twelve major engagements. They earned two Valorous Unit Awards and two Presidential Unit Citations for the battles at Trang Bang and Dong Ap Bia Mountain. The latter is better known as “Hamburger Hill.” Another Rakkasan, Captain Paul W. Bucha, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions near Phuoc Vinh in March of 1968. The 101^st Airborne, along with the 3/187, returned to Fort Campbell in 1972.

By the Persian Gulf War in 1990, the 101^st Airborne, along with the Rakkasans of the 3^rd Brigade had converted from airborne to air assault troops. During that 100 days of ground combat, the 1/187 Infantry conducted an air assault 155 miles behind enemy lines to Objective Weber capturing over 400 Iraqi soldiers on February 25, 1991. The operation into the Euphrates River valley cut off the retreating enemy out of Kuwait. The Rakkasans had advanced further than any other Allied unit, proving the viability of the air assault on the modern battlefield, and did so without a single soldier killed in action.

As part of the Global War on Terror (GWT), the Rakkasans deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in December 2001. As such, the 3^rd Brigade, 101^st Airborne became the first Army brigade to deploy in the ongoing war on terror. The Rakkasans fought against the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan, which included Operation Anaconda in March 2002.

Seven months after their return from Afghanistan, the 3^rd Brigade deployed to Kuwait for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF1). On March 20, 2003, the Rakkasans led the 101^st Airborne Division into Iraq, establishing Forward Area Refueling Points (FARPs) to support deep attacks into Iraq. They seized the city of Hillah and participated in the liberation of Saddam Hussein International Airport before going on to occupy portions of Baghdad. The BDE then moved to western Ninewah province along the Syrian border for the remainder of the deployment, establishing fledgling governance and reconstruction projects for the betterment of the local population, while continuing operations against insurgents.

The 3^rd Brigade, 101^st Airborne Division returned to Fort Campbell in early 2004 and was reorganized under Army Transformation as the 3^rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT). The 3BCT then began a train up for returning to Iraq. They deployed in September 2005 for OIF rotation 05-07. During this year-long deployment, the Rakkasans fought the growing Sunni insurgency in Salah Ad Din Province, which included Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Tikrit.

The Rakkasans deployed again to Iraq for OIF 07-09 as part of the Iraq Surge in September 2007. This rotation took the 3BCT to southwest and southern Baghdad between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. This time the brigade was deployed for 15 months and conducted operations against both Sunni and Shia insurgents.

The Rakkasans returned home in November 2008. After their fourth refit and re-training period since 9/11, the 3^d Brigade Combat Team deployed again in January 2010. This time they went to Afghanistan in support of OEF 10-11 as part of Regional Command-East near the Afghan-Pakistan border. The Rakkasans were home in early 2011 but redeployed to Afghanistan again in September 2012. They came home to Fort Campbell in May 2013 and are again preparing for their next deployment.

The banner under the distinctive unit insignia of the 187^th Infantry Regiment (Airborne) bears the Latin words Ne Desit Virtus, meaning “Let Valor Not Fail.” The soldiers of the 187 Infantry from every era have certainly upheld their motto.

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