GUARDIANS OF FREEDOM
Saluting Those Who Served in the U.S. Army
Bud Roggenbuck in Korea
by Janis Stein

Life changed for Bud Roggenbuck when he joined the United States Army; it changed a bit more when he stepped foot on Korean soil. Join me as Bud shares his story - one that will make you laugh and pull at your heartstrings. We begin with fond memories of shooting bumblebees in Basic Training!

Barthol "Bud" Roggenbuck had been working on his family's farm in 1951 when a letter arrived one day in the mailbox that changed his life forever. The draft notification arrived in May and indicated Bud needed to report to Bad Axe, and he and several other young men were then transported to Detroit before arriving at their final destination: Fort Custer in Battle Creek. At the age of 22, Bud joined the United States Army, and it would prove to be a journey that strengthened his character and toughened his skin.

Bud and the other new recruits remained at Fort Custer for three days, during which time the men were processed through the system. Before long he found out his next stop would be Fort Riley, Kansas, where he would spend seven long weeks in Basic Training, and an additional seven weeks in tactical training. All the manual labor the farm required was paying off at least; Bud was in pretty good shape, so the physical training didn't bother him too much. Everything was so new and different, but soon enough he learned the Army's many procedures, including how and whom to salute.

At first Bud didn't know anyone at all in his outfit, but after a few weeks he became acquainted with some other Huron County natives and, together, they trained as if their lives depended upon it. And in fact, it soon would. Though the privates were not privileged to the information of where their orders would take them next, the Korean War was raging, and soldiers were gearing up to fill the lines. Bud was an infantryman, and he would very much need to take his job seriously.

During the second seven weeks of Bud's training, Kansas was hit with the worst flood in 99 years. Roads and streets quickly turned into rivers, and the water rose so high, it reached the top windows of the barracks. At the time, Bud and his buddies were tenting up on high ground. Kansas was miserably hot, and Bud soon found the heat was a torture in and of itself. Though steamy temperatures rose over 100 degrees, the soldiers most often were required to wear long sleeved-shirts, though they were sometimes allowed to wear just a t-shirt. As a result of the intense heat, the men faithfully took their salt tablet with every meal. Without electrical power because of the flooding, there wasn't a whole lot to do in the area, but the men saw firsthand how Mother Nature waged a war of her own.

Because of the flooding, the seven weeks of tactical training turned into ten. Tactical training essentially consisted of fighting mock battles. Soldiers were divided into two groups: the Red Army and the Blue Army. The men then set out into the area's fields and woods, and the war games began. While some of the soldiers stood guard, the others used their talent and expertise to capture the enemy's headquarters, which was their ultimate goal.

During the tactical training, the soldiers learned to guard their tent sites. Two men shared a tent, and while one was sleeping, the other soldier stood guard. To Bud at the time, it all seemed completely crazy, but in the months ahead Bud would realize his superiors had provided him with excellent combat training - others who didn't have such top-notch tactical experience would later wish they had.

Throughout the combat training, the soldiers were still classified as privates and not yet specifically trained in any one area. A great deal of time was spent familiarizing themselves with the Army's arsenal of weaponry: M1s, M2 carbines, pistols, rifles called bazookas and grenade launchers. Soldiers spent hours on the range, practicing and practicing some more. Though Bud was a good marksman, the Army couldn't prove it because all the records had been lost in the flood. So many records had been destroyed, the United States Army needed to ask its soldiers what they did and what they accomplished. A soldier lacking a conscience could say just about anything, and some did just that!

The soldiers ate all their meals in the field during the tactical training phase, just as they would in combat. The Army-issued C-Rations consisted of two cans: one wet and one dry. Different foods were offered in the wet can. Pork and beans were everybody's favorite, and spaghetti with meatballs, corn beef hash and beef with noodles all tasted just fine as well. The dry can included items such as a chocolate candy bar, crackers, cigarettes and toilet paper. Soldiers traded their rations to suit their palate, and trained their stomachs to eat what was offered.

Though the soldiers worked hard during their combat training, Bud couldn't help but have a little fun along the way. During their war games, the soldiers were issued blanks to shoot the "enemy." Many of the men didn't want to shoot their weapons, however, because their rifle barrels would become blackened from shooting blanks. Keeping that in mind, wild artichokes grew very tall and in great abundance. Bumblebees were as numerous as the artichokes, and Bud would take any ammunition his fellow soldiers did not want, shooting the bees and watching them explode!

In the evening, the soldiers returned to camp, lining up to have their rifles inspected. The first soldier's rifle was as clean as a whistle, proving his weapon hadn't been fired, and the officer was unimpressed. Bud's barrel, on the other hand, was as black as tar. To teach the first soldier a lesson, the officer in charge gave him Bud's rifle to clean, a very good example of how the Army handled people. Bud had all the fun of shooting, and the other poor sap got stuck cleaning the blackened barrel. No doubt the officer wouldn't have been quite so proud had he known Bud's enemy had been the bumblebees!

After 17 weeks of training, Bud returned home in October to visit his friends and family; Huron County never looked so good. The 15 days passed far too quickly and, before he knew it, the day came for him to say good-bye once more - a good-bye that was a bit more difficult because his orders were to report to Fort Lawton in Seattle, Washington, before joining the Far East Command. Bud was going to Korea.

Bud arrived in Seattle and would spend the next ten days at Fort Lawton. Each day the soldiers were required to report for muster, but if they weren't on orders, the soldiers had the day to spend as they chose. Bud's friend had a sister living nearby, so the pair put in time one day, traveling 40 miles by ferry to see her - a welcome diversion to keep their minds off what lay ahead.

On November 5th, Bud boarded an Army troop ship, the Marine Lynx, along with almost 1500 other soldiers, bound for Japan. The boat left Seattle, and it took the better part of the day to travel through Puget Sound before the troop ship faced the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The beautiful fall scenery captured the soldiers' attention, another good distraction to take their minds off their revolting stomachs!

The Marine Lynx was equipped with 500 bunks, so the 1500 soldiers aboard constantly rotated, each having eight hours to spend in their bunk. Everything in the Army was done alphabetically, it seemed, and the bunk assignments were no different. It made little difference to the soldiers whether their time in the bunk came during the day or the night, since the troop ship was lit up brighter than Vegas, with people constantly coming and going. Bud was doing just fine…until he got sick. First he turned blue, then he turned green, and finally a nasty shade of yellow!

The Marine Lynx crossed the International Dateline on November 13, 1951. In the morning, he and some fellow soldiers were thinking of Chet Roggenbuck who was getting married that Saturday back home in Huron County. Bud went to bed on Friday night, November 12, and woke up Sunday morning, November 14 - he never had a Saturday because a whole day was skipped at the crossing - yet another experience Bud filed away in his mind. After 14 days, the Marine Lynx landed in Japan, and Bud wasn't the only soldier ready to disembark!

Upon arriving in Japan, Bud was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division, and he and the other soldiers remained there for a mere four days before they were loaded onto a very large troop ship. Though the General Polk was a troop ship designed to hold almost 4000 men, the boat was only about ¼ full when it left Japan. After just two days, Bud landed in Inchon, which was located on the west coast of South Korea and, there, he was transferred to the 24th Infantry Division. The front line was losing a tremendous amount of soldiers. Therefore, Bud, like so many other American soldiers, was bounced around to fill the holes. Finally during the first week in December, he was assigned to the 5th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), known among the troops as the Red Raiders. And for Bud, the real business of war began.

The 5th Regimental Combat Team had been fighting on the front line just north of Inchon, on Korea's west coast. At the time, the enemy lines were ten miles apart and running between, the area known as no man's land. A few days prior when Bud had hooked up with the Red Raiders, the United States Army issued him a Browning automatic rifle and, in Bud's opinion, it was the most miserable weapon the Army had in its arsenal. Too heavy and too clumsy, those soldiers weighing less than 200 pounds found the rifle more than a little cumbersome.

Though there was a great deal to adjust to, Bud's combat training took over immediately, as did the rush of adrenaline. He was glad the tactics training back in Kansas had been so intense - in the months ahead, he would rely on all he had learned, hoping it was enough to serve his country and save his own hide in the process. On the front line, or 'on line' as it was more frequently referred to, Bud and another soldier shared a sleeping bag, one slept while the other protected. Although the winter snow covered the ground, the temperature was bearable, and each Sunday the soldiers were assigned a new buddy to share their sleeping bag. Bud also began to eat C-Rations on a daily basis and, before it was over, he would be eating them for two solid months.

Although there was little quiet time to wonder how his family was doing half a world away, Bud couldn't help but think of them, especially when he sat down to his Christmas dinner. Instead of the usual C-Rations, the soldiers welcomed the sights and smells of roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, shrimp, mixed nuts and oh-so-soft rolls.

Be sure to look for the continuation in next month's issue as Bud relives his days of fighting in the Korean War.

© 2006 Janis Stein