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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJohn J. "Jack" Millender, Korea The Forgotten War w u i k a sir t „,,, , . .. .: .„,,,..,..... ,:.,. . . o '. 19Oji • 1 Re th e m be ri n g th F o r go tt en 9 W ar ii te r” x� '"" �*8 ��$ ' `�� r ' F one m e series of trib to members of " The >Forgotterl W a r " , F ;i s Whc ?sewed our country during The Korean War ZSt „wr' rSi a� s^^^���g g ' Ff % Ss Z xf ..? 3,r :u^"n' . �FB�y% Y i WARY4 4 % . �u E ' f YS Y s g i .. `%, :.:.:K41:::.. . x & L ffi ,»fix ''' ' ': s "f Ow E. Y f ' D l �{ �w .:; off' ti( .v John J. "Jack" Millender By Bill Youngkin I was going to be a forward observer. This was another Special to The Eagle bad sign to me. Part One of Two "When we landed in Korea, I was sent to Charley Battery, 171st Field Artillery. I was immediately sent to John J. "Jack" Millender is one of bluest of blue blood Love Company, which was located on a mountain top on Aggies. The 1952 graduate of A &M is part of a fourth the east coast of Korea. I was driven to where the road ended and told I had to walk the rest of the way. After generation Aggie family that first enrolled at A &M in an exhausting climb and as I neared the summit, I was 1908, with his last grandson who graduated in 2004.That is almost 100 years of A &M and involvement in the Corps greeted by a sign saying "You Are Now Under Enemy is moss. Observation!' My first inclination was to look around to see if I could see them, I couldn't but they apparently It is also a family that has served its country from could see me, a rather uncomfortable feeling. WWI, his father and uncle, WWII, his two brothers, Korea - °The enemy, I found, was about 800 yards from us on Jack, and Afghanistan, his grandson. Jack's Uncle J.E.L. the next ridge of mountains. The bunkers and trenches "Lindy" Millender, a yell leader and class of 1912 wrote had been built for some time and you soon settled into a a book about his experiences in the Great War, WWI routine. We kept our heads down during the day because entitled "A Year and A Day". In the foreword of the book of snipers and listened for mortars. You could always is a passage that all generations of the Millender family expect mortars when it was chow time and everyone have come to know personally. started bunching up. The foreword states, "To our joys and sorrows; to °There was also an enemy gun emplacement right our ups and downs; to the friendships formed and the in front of our bunker. The North Koreans had tunneled fellowships experienced; to the days of hardship; to the through their ridge and each morning they would roll memory of things we can never forget:' It is a passage the rocks away that covered the opening and fire several that could exist in every combat veteran's book. rounds at us. When I saw the rocks rolling away I would Jack was born in Houston on May 20, 1930 and have our artillery open up on them and they would pull graduated from Reagan High School in 1948. He began back. This was repeated each and every day. classes at A &M that fall, but had to live and attend °One day, I was able to obtain fifty rounds from an 8 classes at the Bryan Air Force Base. As recalled by Jack, inch gun using fuse delay shells. I pounded that position, "We lived in tar paper shacks, twenty freshman to a shack thinking I had plugged the hole in the ridge and that was with a latrine out back. Whenever we did go on the A &M the end of the enemy artillery position. They next day, campus, the sophomores were waiting for us. the rocks rolled away and they were firing at us again. "When the Korean conflict started in 1950, my junior Thankfully they never hit our bunker. year at A &M, our artillery training became a lot more "Part of the routine was the infantry slept during the intense. I was in an artillery unit at A &M and that was day and went on patrols at night. I had to monitor their what I received a commission in when I graduated. I did positions because when they made contact with the all of my officer basics at Ft. Sill, where I was trained as enemy, I often had to block the enemy from their retreat an observation officer, which meant I would be assigned with our artillery fire . to battalion headquarters where I would map out enemy • positions and missions' "I was not able to sleep very much because we had a "We were ordered to the west coast to Camp Stoneman lot of dignitaries, congressmen and such, visit our position with all kinds of officers who were also being shipped to during the day. They wanted to see us fire at the enemy, Korea. One day in formation, all artillery officers were so I would pick out a rock or position on the enemy's asked to fall out. We were assembled to the side and told ridge and fire away. That always seemed to satisfy the that artillery officers were in such demand, we would be dignitaries:" flown over on a commercial Pan American plane instead Part two of Jack's story will detail how his unit was of by ship. We all knew this was a bad sign. overrun and his action that led to him being awarded the "On our way to Korea our assignments were called Bronze Star for valor. out to us. When they called my name, they had assigned For more information, to make a contribution to me to Love Company, 45th Infantry Division. I told them the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, or if you know I was an observation officer and not a forward observer a WWII or Korea War Veteran whose story needs to be with the infantry. I was told in short order that in the told, contact the BVVM at www.veteransmemorial.org States I might have been an observation officer, in Korea or Bill Youngkin at (979)776 -1325. A.,„,-4 itirtiz, ., .„ , ,o, ,, . -.4.fr,.,„. . . -. ., , . 4 z g s� c a.. E>t John J. "Jack" Millender fr By Bill Youngkin valley past our location and then come charging up the Special to The Eagle ridge in the middle. It got messy in a hurry. Company B lost most of their men in the initial attack. I know Part Two of Two this because the CO of B Company and a few of his men made it to our headquarters bunker. The Chinese Jack Millender has the traits of a person who has surrounded us and we were too few to hold out for very served in the artillery as both ears have hearing aids. long. It's a condition common to those who served in the "We had our bayonets fixed and had grenades artillery in the military. Jack hearing loss occurred in our hands. We thought they would be breaking during his service in the Army in the Korean War, but into our bunker at any moment. Our only hope for he almost lost his life there too. survival was to call in our own artillery on top of our Jack had been assigned as a forward observer headquarters bunker. One of my forward observers with the infantry. As the job description indicates, a was there with me and between the two of us we set forward observer is an artillery officer who is forward our coordinates and told everyone still remaining in of the lines where he can observe the enemy and direct the bunker to hunker down. When I called in the fire artillery fire on the enemy positions. If you can see mission, the safety officer answered back that it was them, chances are, they can see you. on top of our position. I told him I knew that, but it was In part one of Jack's story he was assigned to Love our only chance for survival. They used fuses that went Company,-45th Infantry Division on the east coast of off twenty yards in the air and fired onto our bunker. Korea. As recalled by Jack, "I received word that I was It worked. Those shells exploding in the air above the to attend the Generals' Mess, which is a fairly formal Chinese broke their advance on our bunker and our dinner, military style which was held behind our line. infantry was finally able to control the ridge. Since I was the lowest ranking officer there, a 2nd "The guys in our bunker survived and I was able Lieutenant, I sat at the very end of the table away from to live to tell this story. As a result of what happened the General's head table. that night, Lt. Schwartz and I were awarded the Bronze "During the dinner, the General stood and Star. It didn't mean much to us at the time. We were welcomed everyone and then started walking my way. real happy to be able to get a hot shower, shave and He stated in a loud voice that this was his Generals' some clean clothes to wear for the award ceremony. Mess and that one person attending his mess was The photo of me in my uniform was taken the day of out of uniform. When he finished that statement he the award ceremony. was standing directly behind me. He then said "Lt. "The amnesty was signed shortly thereafter but Millender, you are the one out of uniform because you twelve hours would pass before the cease fire was to have incorrect brass on your uniform. Please stand." take place. In that time, the Chinese fired everything at I did, scared to death and then the General handed usandweatthem. Shells were falling from everywhere me the silver bars of a 1st lieutenant. Everyone had a and we suffered a lot of casualties. Then it stopped." good laugh at my expense, but it still meant a lot to Jack came home, was discharged and entered me that the General and my fellow officers took the civilian life. He began a coffee service business with a time and trouble to arrange what turned out to be good friend. The business was named Ag -Horn Coffee my promotion party. But I was still the lowest ranked and Food Service. Yes, the partner was a Longhorn. person at the party. Jack provided coffee service for the A &M athletic "Shortly after the promotion, I received orders to department and his partner did the same for Texas. He the Chinese sector as the Battalion liaison officer with sold the company a few years ago and moved back to three new forward observers now under my command. Aggieland. We were located on a ridge way in front of our lines. When asked about his experience, Jack stated, The ridge was shaped like a T with the Chinese on their "I have a special feeling for our troops in Iraq and end of the ridge, with a dip in the middle, and us on Afghanistan who have to serve several tours. I don't the other end. know how they handle having to go back." "We were pretty much under constant fire from the For more information, to make a contribution to Chinese consisting of artillery, mortars and sniper fire. the Brazos Valley Veterans Memorial, or if you know One night it became particularly active, so active that a WWII or Korea War Veteran whose story needs to be our Battalion was overran by the Chinese. told, contact the BWM at www.veteransmemorial. "Their tactic that night was to go down in the orgorBillYoungkinat (979)776 -1325.