Operation Insight

”The Forgotten War”- Korea, The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir

The Korean War was fought from 1950 until 1953 and pitted the United States, South Korea, and their U.N. allies against North Korea and the Chinese Communists. The invading North Korean troops captured Seoul within three days. That marked the first of four times the city would exchange hands. The tide turned that September due to a surprise amphibious landing that General MacArthur executed behind enemy lines at Inchon, the port for Seoul. When U.N. troops then pushed deep into North Korea, rumors began to swirl that they would be home by Christmas.
When China entered the war in October in support of North Korea, American troops began the longest retreat in U.S. military history. The U.S. troops were never able to recover. The Korean War was one of the deadliest wars in modern history, with nearly 40,000 U.S. soldiers killed and another 100,000 wounded.
Tonight, our guests are Terry C. Bryant, Commander of the State Korean War Association, and Marine veteran Harry Hope, who was at the Chosin Reservoir.

Gateway Blue Star Mothers

Nearly 200,000 U.S. Troops are deployed around the world, many in harm’s way. For every troop deployed, there are multiple family members including mothers, stepmothers, grandmothers and foster mothers trying their best to support and comfort the troops. Blue Star Mothers concentrate on providing emotional support to its members. Even when we are not at war, military families often deal with stresses such as frequent moves or the absence of a parent. Deployment to war creates additional issues for a family to handle. A Blue Star Mother knows, “the hardest battles” are often fought on the home front and are emotional, and much harder to win. And any parent will tell you, there are no safe places to be deployed. 
Our guests today are Kathy Schulte and Tracy Lee, the local Blue Star President. Tracy and Kathy know first-hand what emotions and stress our troops and their families experience while serving.

Machinist's Mate Fireman Joe Mulitsch- Surviving the U.S.S. Frankie Evans

On June 2nd, 1969, the Navy destroyer U.S.S. Frank E. Evans was cruising through the calm, moonlit waters of the South China Sea.  Just days before, the Evans was on the gun line, throwing countless shells at targets in South Vietnam supporting ground troops.  The Evans had just earned its second Vietnam Service Medal for combat operations in 1969.
On this night, the Frank E. Evans joined forces with SEATO naval forces to conduct war games and a show of force in the South China Sea.  It is normal practice to run dark and zigzag during war games.  Sailors are highly trained for these types of maneuvers.
During the mid-watch, at 0315 hours, the Australian aircraft carrier, HMAS Melbourne, a much larger ship, collided with the Evans.  The smaller, Frank E. Evans, was literally cut in half.  The bow section of the ship would sink beneath the waves in ten minutes.
This is the story of the collision as told by a survivor. MMFN Joe Mulitsch. The Evans was his first ship.  Joe escaped, but 74 of his shipmates perished that night, fifty-three years ago.

Ella’s Fearless Heroes Lemonade Stand

Ella Mateja was eight years old when she began selling lemonade as a way to raise funds for our brave veterans and first responders. She was inspired by her grandpa Ken and his brothers, all of whom served in the military. Ella has dedicated herself to running the lemonade stand every year until she graduates. In the last seven years, Ella's little lemonade stand has helped raise funds for the Missouri Military Memorial Foundation, Fallen Heroes Dream Ride, Missouri Patriot Guard, St. Charles County Veterans Museum, BackStoppers, and the local VFW.
It has been amazing how the community has come together to raise nearly $120,000 to remember her heroes; our fallen military personnel and first responders. One hundred percent of all donations go directly to the organizations.

William ”Bill” Fisher- Vietnam Dog Handler

Bill had a belief that serving your country was important. After briefly considering joining the Marines and amidst strong opposition from family, Bill settled on the Air Force. Bill was stationed at Pease Air Force Base for five months after joining. While there, Bill volunteered for Sentry Dog School. Bill had become good friends with a guy at Pease Air Force Base who accompanied him to Sentry Dog School. Bill said, “We knew by volunteering for Sentry Dog School, we were also volunteering for Vietnam.” Dog handlers were in high demand in Vietnam, and Bill was assigned to Phan Rang Air Base in Vietnam. Bill served in the 35th Security Police Squadron. Phan Rang was located about 6 miles inland from the South China Sea and about 90 miles north of Saigon. When I got to Vietnam, there was extensive dog training. The dogs were being trained, handlers were trained with the dogs, and there was sentry training.  The combat training was how to engage the enemy and succeed in a combat situation. Bill continued, “By succeed, it didn’t necessarily mean survive. Of course, that is what you always want, but your objective is to neutralize the enemy.  Bill served a harrowing nine months from February 1967 to November 1967 as a dog handler in Vietnam. Tonight, he’ll share what it was like to be a dog handler in Vietnam.

Paul “Bud” Haedike- WWII B-17 Bombardier

Paul “Bud” Haedike was 16 when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941.  Like other young men, Paul was eager to join the military, but had to wait until he was 18.  Paul got his draft notice on his 18th birthday and reported to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis.  In the inductee line, Bud's card was stamped “NAVY.”  But Bud had other ideas.  He pleaded, and they finally changed it to the Army.  Once in, Bud opted for the Army Air Corps.  Bud wanted to be a P-51 fighter pilot but had to settle for bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress.  Bud was shot down on his first mission, but safely crash-landed in Belgium.  He went on to fly 22 more missions deep into Germany and three humanitarian missions, which Bud calls his most rewarding.  Tonight, Bud will share the harrowing life of a B-17 air crew member.
Next week's show will feature Airman Bill Fisher, a Vietnam-era Dog Handler.
Bill Fisher was an Air Force Sentry Dog handler at Phan Rang Air Base during the Vietnam War.  Each night, they would go out beyond the fence line with their guns on their back, trying to detect the enemy.  They had three objectives:  Detect the enemy, call it in to the tower, and survive if you can.  Here he recounts several stories of how his dogs, Wolf and Rex, each saved his life while on patrol.

”Our Favorite Stories”

Welcome to the Dog Tag, Episode II, season 1, a podcast by the St. Charles County Veterans Museum.  Our podcast airs on Tuesdays, at 6:00 PM.  This week’s show features exciting stories of local veterans told by two of the founding members of the museum. We will walk you through some of the exhibits and stories starting with World War I through present day. 
These are real stories of local heroes that served our country.  Renee and Jim explain the rich history of the county.  As you enter the museum, you see a replica of a War of 1812 Fort (Zumwalt).  Back then, St. Charles County was the “wild west” complete with Indian uprisings. One of our famous early settlers was Daniel Boone.   The county was very conflicted during the Civil War with both sides trying to gain control. 
In the World War I exhibit, you see many handwritten letters and documents along with “sweetheart art.”  Soldiers would craft and shape empty shell casings or parts of enemy planes into jewelry, picture frames, or a vase for parents or loved ones. 
We have a large photograph on the wall in our Korea exhibit of the landings at Inchon Bay.  The photograph shows U.S. ships and supplies stuck in the mud as the tide drastically shifted out.  You’ll see the story about PFC Albert Koch of the 1st Cavalry who boarded a Japanese Ferry, the Toya Maru, and was hit by a typhoon with 118 miles an hour winds.  The ship sank with more than 1,000 people losing their lives.  Of the 57 Americans on board including soldiers, women, and children, only one soldier survived.  These stories in Korea remind us, we were fighting “Mother Nature” as well as the North Koreans and Chinese.
United States Marine Corporal James Club and his wife Judy exchanged over 500 letters while he was in Vietnam mostly on pink paper.  While James safely returned home to Judy, many friends were not so lucky. Jim explains his feelings through his letters.
The art of letter writing is vanishing.  Through letters, we learn, the veteran’s hopes and fears.  We preserve the veteran’s stories through their letters. 
You’ll read the story of Combat Medic Master SGT Matthew Sims who earned three Purple Hearts on one Deployment.  You’ll also read letters from thankful parents and fellow soldiers thanking him for opportunity to raise a family because of Matt’s devotion to saving lives. 
Visit our website, sccvetsmuseum.org for more of these and other stories. We hope you enjoy this podcast. 

Welcome to The Dog Tag

Welcome to the DOG TAG, a podcast by the St. Charles County Veterans Museum.
Our podcasts air each Tuesday at 6:00 PM.  A museum in St. Charles County, Missouri, began with one man’s dream to honor veterans.  Private Ralph Barrale, a veteran of World War II, who landed on Utah Beach on D-Day, fought at the Battle of the Bulge and was among the first troops to enter Dachau Concentration Camp. Ralph felt it was important to honor veterans of all wars and share their stories. 
 
Ralph believed, “No one is ever gone as long as someone has memories of them.”  Our museum is unique in that it tells the stories of local men and women who served.  We honor them by preserving and sharing their stories.  This week, we’ll share the beginnings of the museum on our 3rd anniversary, along with major projects and plans for 2022.