HomeMy WebLinkAboutGerald L. "Jerry" Atmar, Brazos Valley Hero.' 1 ;
Gerald L.
By Bill Youngkin
Special to The Eagle
Gerald L.'7eny "Atmar of College Station has a lotto be
thankful far, but he will forever be thankful for 1st Lt. Pak Ho
Rim of the Republic of Korea Army. Atmar, who was born in
Wichita Falls on April 16, 1929, lived in several places with
his family before they settled in Bryan.
"I was twelve when we moved to Bryan and I started
school at Lamar Jr. High, Atmar said. "I graduated from
Stephen F. Austin High in 1946 and entered A &M that fall.
I was a member of the Class of'50, but graduated in 1951.
1 also received my commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the
Army upon graduation. I was ordered to active service in
August 1951 andattended Artillery Officers Course at Ft. Sill,
Oklahoma. I had been in the artillery at A &M, and after my
training at both places, I felt very confident in my ability to
do myjob.
"Before I left for Japan and Korea, I was home in
Bryan attending church at First Methodist when someone
expressed their concerns about my bad luck and hoped I
would not be sent into combat. I explained that if I didn't go
and do the job I had been trained for, someone else would
have to go in my place, so I would go and do my part"
Atmar would be sent to Japan andthen Korea, arriving in
Korea on April 30,1952 where he became a forward observer
with Battery 8, 176th Armored Field Artillery Battalion.
"I was required to leave the Battery and go tq forward
observation sites with various units," Atmar said. "Those
positions were usually about three miles in front of our
primary defensive position. Myjob was to locate and direct
artillery fire on targets of opportunity. We were usually
there for about two weeks before rotating back to my unit.
"I also was sent to be an aerial observer, flying in a L19
observation plane. I liked that a lot better because I could
sleep in my own bed each night. We would fly over enemy
positions attempting to locate targets. Sometimes we
became the target of the enemy ground troops. I remember
one shot that went through the plane just behind my seat.
"My next duty was to be a forward observer with a
Republic of Korea (ROK) infantry unit. When I worked
with them, I was assigned an interpreter and he would
usually be the only person in the unit who spoke English.
On September 28, 1952 1 was sent to an observation post
with a ROK unit near Kumsong, North Korea. That night, the
Chinese brought an artillery barrage on our left and then on
our right. Then they concentrated their fire on our position.
I was directing fire back at them when I was informed that
a Chinese infantry battalion was attacking our position.
Before the attack, I was informed that the CO of the ROK
unit was leaving with some men. My interpreter asked if I
wanted to go with him. I told him I would stay with those
being leftand do myjob."
"I was calling in fire on the approaching Chinese when I.
Was told they had overrun our positions to our left and right
and they were now behind us. When I (ailed in a fire request
behind our position, our guys radioed-back that my request
Atmar
was behind our position. I said,'I know, now fire away' It
was shortly thereafter that a grenade was thrown into my
bunker. The explosion burst both of my ear drums and sent
fragments into my lower legs, thighs, face and in my eyes. I
could barely hearand was partially blinded in both eyes.
"1 was dazed and it was extremely difficult for me to
open my eyes. I was lying in the bunker when some soldiers
took me to Lt. Pak who had previously been my interpreter.
He helped me get out of our trenches and along with some
of our ROK soldiers began to try to reach our lines. I was the
last man in our file with Lt. Pak in front of me, leading me.
I became entangled in some barbed wire and all the other
soldiers disappeared, including Lt. Pak. When he realized he
had lost me, he came back and found me. It was now just
the two of us.
"When we were overrun and I was wounded, it was just
before midnight on the 28th. We did not reach our lines until
approximately five a.m. on the 29th. Our route had led us
through enemy positions. Twice Lt. Pak heard movement
and we stopped. I couldn't hear any of this. I was completely
dependent on Lt. Pak. Without him I would have been killed
or captured which probably would also have meant my
death. He did not leave me until after we reached our lines
and he was certain I was being cared for properly.
"I was transported to a MASH unit where they worked
on me for a while extracting fragments from my body. I
eventually was delivered to a hospital in Japan for further
treatment. It was in Japan that I wrote my report about
Lt. Pak saving my life. I was awarded the Purple Heart and
the Bronze Star for just doing my job. I hope he received
something for his help that night and I hope, that he too,
survived the war."
Atmar would return to the U.S. where he would undergo
further surgeries on his eyes to remove more fragments and
would be discharged in 1953. He married Patricia, who
wouldn't agree to many him before he left, because she
didn't want to become a war widow. He continued his
education, eventually receiving a Phd from North Texas. He
entered academia but his primary career was working forthe
Corps of Engineers where he retired in 1994. He and Patricia
moved back to Brazos County in 1995. He is thankful to be in
Aggieland again and he is thankful for soldiers like Lt. Pak.
For more information, to make a contribution to the
Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, or if you know a WWII
or Korea War Veteran whosestoryneeds to be told, contact
the BVVM at www.veteransmemorial.org or Bill Youngkin
at (979) 776 -1325.
A ceremony honoring the 60th Anniversary of the
Korean War will beheldlune25at 10 a.m. at the Veterans
Memorial. the ceremony will commemorate two statues
to be sculpted and installed at a later date of a Korean
and an American soldier from the Korean War Period. The
memorial is possible because of significant donations by
appreciative Korean individuals. All citizens are invited to
attend but a special invitation is extended to all Korean
Veterans and their families.
The Eagle
See more stories of Brazos Valley veterans on
"Veterans of the Valley; with host Tom Turbiville,
on KAMU -TV each Saturday at 6 30 pm and Sunday at 5:30 p m. MUUm". au