GUARDIANS OF FREEDOM
Saluting Those Who Served in the U.S. Army
Bud Roggenbuck in Korea, Part 3
by Janis Stein

Join me in the continuation as Bud Roggenbuck relives his days fighting in the Korean War and deals with the grief of losing his buddy.

The North Koreans favored using the many caves tucked away in the mountainside for protection and, sometimes the only way to get the enemy out was to go in after them. Bud found himself in just that situation on more than one occasion, crawling through cracks and crevices. When those soldiers fighting under the flag of the United Nations used napom, a jellied gas bomb, on those hills, Bud would swear no one could survive, but then, just like ants, the North Koreans would scurry out from the crooks and crannies of the mountain.

Each soldier carried two grenades, a weapon, and two bandoliers, which held the ammunition. In the heat of combat, Bud threw many a grenade, always in a defensive position. Perched on the side of the mountain, Bud pulled the pin and lobbed grenade after grenade at the approaching enemy. (Months and years after the dust settled in Korea, bureaucrats would argue whether this was a war or a conflict. The men on the front line could have easily answered the question.)

Throughout the Korean War, the Chinese were assisting the North Koreans. Bud, along with the other solders fighting for the United Nations, had gone head-to-head in battle with the Chinese during the winter months. The North Koreans were much more vicious than the Chinese as the allied troops found out during their battle at Heartbreak Ridge. To further complicate things, a U.S. soldier could not tell the difference between a North Korean and a South Korean any more than he could determine whether someone hailed from Huron County versus Sanilac or St. Clair by just looking at him.

Though Americans had suffered many casualties during the brutal blood bath at Heartbreak, it was not their flag that waved on the front line. Rather, the allied soldiers fighting on behalf of South Korea worked together under the blue and white flag of the United Nations. Covering Bud's right flank were the Gurkhas from India and on his left, the Turks. Because it was custom that the most important flag always flew to the right, back in the United States Army camps, the United Nations' flag flew to the right, while the American flag flew to the left.

Those soldiers on line were fighting at the main line of resistance, while other troops in reserve were positioned two or three miles behind. After just three days of joining the battle for Heartbreak Ridge, Bud and his fellow soldiers began picking up a tremendous amount of artillery fire. On the third day, Bud's heart broke when his very good friend from Wisconsin, Earl Aiker, was severely hit. A helicopter was called in to evacuate Aiker, and no words could describe Bud's emotions as he personally loaded his buddy in the chopper. The helicopters were small and designed to carry just two people, one on each side. When only one injured party was hauled away, stones were loaded on the other side to provide balance. Bud kept his feelings in check, reassuring his buddy that he would make it. The thick smell of battle and blood combined with sight of Aiker's broken body consumed Bud as medics pumped blood in as fast as Aiker's gushed out. Could a body bleed so much? With a final word of encouragement, Bud stepped back knowing he would never see Aiker again; no one could possibly survive the injuries he had sustained…

And Bud went back to fight.

June proved to be a difficult month to say the least. American losses were catastrophic; about 1/3 of Bud's outfit had died, mostly suffering from artillery or mortar fire. Many more were wounded, reducing the 5th RCT to half its original strength. The Koreans used quite small mortars in their continuous attack, shooting the mortar right off their knees. The Americans didn't have anything like that; rather they fired their mortar from the ground.

The North Koreans proved to be a formidable opponent. The mountains in the area were extremely steep, and American artillery couldn't hit on the back side of the mountains. In addition, the enemy used flame-throwers. Though the United Nations were down, they were far from out, and relief came in the form of many nationalities. Quite a few times, Bud called in the Australian planes, which were providing direct support. Four in number, these twin-engine plywood planes were a welcome sight to the American soldiers below. In the end, the allied forces claimed their victory at Heartbreak Ridge, though their glory was bittersweet. The North Koreans' main line of resistance had been strong, and the Marines had paid dearly.

As July rolled around, the day-to-day fight calmed down a bit; both sides could see the other's line was so fortified, no one would be going anywhere any time soon. Soldiers living together in such an intense environment developed strong bonds with one another, and Bud was no different. Bud had met a fellow by the name of Paul Plummer in Basic Training, a fellow Michigander hailing from Davison, near Lapeer, and together they found their way in Korea. Plummer always carried a rabbit's foot for luck, and continually showed Bud he still had it. Both soldiers were Corporals at the time, and when Bud ran into him on the 4th of July, Plummer was ecstatic - he had just been promoted to Sergeant!

On Sunday morning, July 13th, 1952, Bud received a call from Grave Registration to go down and identify a body. Bud hung his head in anger and regret. Plummer's rabbit's foot had finally let him down. Soldiers had a habit of trading dog tags, a tradition designed to bring good luck, and since they knew Bud was a good friend, they wanted to confirm the body was indeed Plummer before they indented his teeth on his dog tag. Bud sadly wrote home to tell his parents about the loss of his friend. Though Bud had built up somewhat of an immunity against the death and devastation he faced day after day, Plummer's passing had been almost too tough to take.

A soldier hung on to anything positive during the war, and Bud thoroughly enjoyed the day his cousin, Vincent Roggenbuck, came to visit him. Vin was also in Korea, and a familiar face was like a breath of fresh air.

Since Bud was in the Communications Section, he knew where many of the soldiers were located and could contact them as needed. Likewise, because he was the company's operator, he always sat in during the briefings so he knew what was going on. One day he obtained information that a good friend, Jerome Vogel, was passing through, and he and his comrades were bivouacked between Bud's location and a MASH hospital some 40 miles to the rear. Bud had the opportunity to travel past Jerome's camp, so he stopped at the guardhouse to gain entry. Since few were supposed to know a particular soldier's exact location, Bud was denied access, however, he was granted a phone conversation instead. While a face-to-face visit would have been better, Bud was thankful for the brief reunion.

By this time, Bud had accumulated 24 points: A soldier with 24 points was eligible to rotate and return to the United States. For the most part, once a soldier reached this level, the Army no longer assigned jobs that were too dangerous. Though Bud was ready to return to American soil, there was just one problem. A soldier needed a replacement before he was sent back to the States and, since so many U.S. soldiers had been lost, the Army was having difficulties replacing all of them. Bud's unit wasn't up to strength either, so the Army kept him where they had him.

Not long after, the Company Commander called Bud into the orderly room, saying the Chaplain had requested permission to speak with Bud. The Chaplain wanted Bud to become his assistant, and with not too much time left to spend in Korea, Bud thought it would be as good a job as any. Bud's Company Commander guaranteed Bud would become a Sergeant within a month if he stayed right where he was, but Bud wasn't concerned with rank. What he did care about was going home in the near future, preferably alive.

Be sure to look for the continuation next month as Bud Roggenbuck shares memories of his duties working as the Chaplain's Assistant.

© 2006 Janis Stein