A Ranger Story From the Korean War

[Currahee 3-4]

Didnt know exactly where to post this so feel free to move it to another forum or do with it as you see fit.

When i left for Korea from Ft.Benning i picked up a book for the long flight.The title of the book was"Rangers in Korea" and it was probably the first military book i ever read.It was written by Robert Black who was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 1995.He served in Korea and Vietnam.

There are many great stories of heroism in the book but there was always one story that stuck with me.

A Ranger company commander was captured and taken to a NK interrogation center that few returned from alive.This is the story that was passed along by two Americans who were with him during his time in captivity...

"They told how the communistskept the captain tied up ina hole,questioning him at night and harrassing him all day,trying to break him down.Each day at dawn he was forced to climb mountains with a bag of rice on his back:at night,when not being questioned he would be bound hand and foot and thrown into a pit.When the rains came,he would be left lying in deep mud.They would tie him by the arms and pas a line around his throat then over a beam.The slightest movement would choke him."

"Still the Ranger Captain would not break.He told the communists over and over again'you've got my name,rank and serial number-thats all you'll get"

"When dragged out of the mud pit to resume his torture,he would hold his head high and proudly tell the other prisoners NOT TO GIVE IN!"

"After 11 MONTHS of this torture failed to break his spirit,the communists killed him."

Although it was a terrible ending I took so much away from this account of this Ranger.How many lives might he have saved when his men saw him beaten and tortured and he still would stand up and tell them to not give in.

When i arrived in Korea to start my real learning about the Infantry i always carried that account of Ranger Carrier with me:if he could hold his head high through all of that,who was i to whine or cry about what i was doing.When i felt down or demoralized or cold or tired or hot or wet or miserable,the thought of Ranger Carrier would snap me out of it.

Its been 13 years since i read that book and while in a bookstore recently i couldnt help but buy it.Ive told the story above many times to fellow soldiers but especially civilians who have no clue of the sacrifices of soldiers.

I think this book would be a great read for all of the DEP's not just because of how it portrays war but what it says about a generation and more specifically what it says about an elite group of warriors.

I hope all of you take great pride in being of the same lineage as the Ranger Companies of the Korean War.

[Earthpig]

Good story, Currahee. I'll check it out.
RLTW
EP

[Slowpoke]

Besides being a great Ranger Historian, Col. Black is a fantastic writer. His descriptions make you feal as if you're there.

[BRanger91]

My wife got me that book for Christmas and I just finished reading it and it was excellent.