The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The 9th and 10th Cavalry

You know AntiJen, I getting a little sick of these "Anti-War" Fools.

Here an axiom and please tell me if I am right on this. These people are a bunch of commie-pinko American hating SOB's. When they protest the war they are also protesting those that have to prosecute the war. They call us baby killers and warmongers.

I wonder how much "peace and pacifism" would they have if someone was trying to rob them or rape their daughters? Would they fight or would they say stupid stuff like "give peace a chance"?

It galls me because they are prostesting me and my brothers and sisters in the armed forces. They are also protesting people like you that support the men and women that have to leave home got to some stinking sandbox to liberate people.

There is no such thing as a bloodless revolution. Sure they wave signs in protest, do they ever think about the men that fight and died to give them that right. The men of the 9th and 10th Calvary proved this time and again.

Men like my father SFC James T Clark during two hot lead filled nights in June 1953 was fighting for his life against the North Koreans and Chinese. Because of his courage and valor his country awarded him the Silver Star for galantry in action. This man grew up in abject poverty in Mississppi in the '30's and 40's. Now he didn't even have the right to vote during that time. A greater good in him and moral fiber made him do his duty. He didn't dodge the draft he accepted his responsiblity as a proud man, as an American. He also knew that despite the environment that he had to live under he believed in the possibilites of American. He passed these values and ideals onto me and my bothers and if he were alive today he would be proud of all of us.

So when the President sends me off to war I will fight not only for peace but for a man that half century ago was in the fight of his life. No one in those battles care about my father's skin color. They followed him into combat because he was a LEADER! In war there is no time for ism's there are no atheists or racists either.

The biggest lesson that my late father taught me is that nobody is going to give you anything especially freedom, you have to fight for it. He fought for freedom and respect in Korea and he got it too.

To the heavens and all that read this I proclaim with tears in my eyes. Thanks Dad for raising a man and I will do you proud and continue to follow your leadership, example and remember the things you taught me about life,death and war.

Love, your son LT Clark

This is why I fight, this is why I love my country. Thank God my ancestor were brought over here from Africa in order for me to have the opportunity to grow up and be free!

PEACE MOVEMENT EQUALS BOWEL MOVEMENT

Thanks, here is a little more infomation about SFC James T Clark. This is how I define heroism, not by carrying some sign in the street but carrying a wounded soldier and saving his life.

Sergeant James T Clark, Infantry Company "F" 7th Infantry Regiment, 3d Infantry Division, United States Army. During the early morning hours of 15 June 1953, in the vicinity of Chat-Kol Korea, Company "F" of which Sergeant Clakr was a squad leader had the mission of counterattacking and regaining control of positions overrun by the enemy in earlier action. The enemy detecting the position of his squad, layed in heavy artillery and mortar fire, inflicting friendly casualties adn forcing the squad to temporaly seek cover. Sergeant Clark with complete disregard for his personal safety, searched the area for wounded. Upon finding one man seriously wounded, he quickly administered first aid and carried him to safety. He then returned to the impact area and formed a defensive perimeter from which he directed intense and accurate fire forcing the enemy to retreat with numerous casualties. Sergeant Clark's outstanding gallantry and devotion to duty reflected great credit upon himself and the military service.

Now almost 50 years later his son may have to go back to Korea. The time is different but the mission is the same. Kill those who are trying to take away our way of life.

761st “Black Panther” Tank Battalion of WWII
Researched by James E. DuBose
Three Black American rank battalions were activated during World War II. They were the 758th, 761st and 784th. The 761st was the first of these to go into combat. The battalion was activated in April 1942 at Camp Clairborne, Louisiana. General J. McNair gave birth to the idea of utilizing Black soldiers in the Armored Force. Many were opposed to the idea. One such individual who was opposed was one of Americas’ most famous generals,- George S. Patton, Jr., tank commander of the Third Army. Orders were issued to organize the first Black tank battalion in our nation’s history - the “758th. A cadre from the 758the was then used to organize the 761st. Many thought it was enough to have Black men in the armored division. However, it became a battle to get into battle. During World War II, the army was segregated, but due to the tenacious efforts of Eleanor Roosevelt as well as prominent Black leaders and the Black press, the 761st was given the opportunity to go into combat. After nearly a year of intensive training at the Central Army Installation of Camp Hood, the 761st departed and following a brief stay at Camp Shanks, New York, were enroute to the European Theater of Operations. Ironically, General Patton had requested that the best remaining separate Tank Battalion be sent to him in Europe. He would then later tell the men that he had asked for them because he had heard that they were good, and that he had only the best in his third army. In October 1944, the 761st landed in France on the Normandy peninsula. True to their battle cry the courageous World War II Black Panthers came out fighting. During their first encounter with the enemy, the 761st had been in combat for less than two months, Major General M.S. Eddy, Commanding General of Headquarters XII Corps, issued a special memorandum to the commanding office of the 761st Tank Battalion Stating, “I consider the 761st Tank Battalion to have entered combat with such conspicuous courage and success to warrant special commendation. The speed with which they adapted themselves to the frontline under the most adverse weather conditions, the gallantry with which they emerged from their recent engagement in the vicinity of Dieuze, Morville, Les Vic, and Gruebling entitle them surely to consider themselves the veteran 761st.” It is a matter of record that, in the early battles in France and in countless others, the men of the 761st conducted themselves admirably under stress as well as under the relentless fire of the enemy. The fighting at Tillet, the heavy causalities sustained by both sides and finally, the retreat of the expert German 13th SS Panzer Division as the 761 pushed forward, turned the tide. The 761 Tank Battalion fought with valor in France, Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, Germany, and Austria as well as in the “Battle of the Bulge.” They even participated in the liberation of Holocaust victims held in Nazi concentration Camps. The 761st, with their M4 Sherman tanks, racked up more than 180 days of continuous combat - although the average lifespan of a separate tank battalion on the frontlines in Europe during World War II was only ten to fifteen days. In addition to receiving high praise from the War Department a total of almost 400 battle awards were bestowed upon the men of the 761st. It took years for the unit’s soldiers to receive the decorations they deserved. A recommendation for a Presidential Unit Citation was submitted in 1945. President Jimmy Carter awarded it in 1978. A 761st Platoon Sergeant, Ruben Rivers, was one of 7 black soldiers who, after examining their war records, was awarded the Medal of Honor, 6 of them posthumously, by President Bill Clinton in 1997.

I have been recently working at Ft. Bayard, NM, which was a Fort occupied by 3 companies of the 9th Cavalry in the 1880 period. As a result, I have been reading up on the history of the Regiment.

These brave men fought Indians, the elements, and racial predjudice, always with valor. The 9th accounted for 9 Medals of Honor in New Mexico campaigning. I think that the total CMOH count for the Regiment is somewhere around 27. This is remarkable considering the fact that these men were commanded by white officers, who were in turn commanded by white officers, and yet the paperwork for these awards went all the way to the top. The 10th Cavalry, by comparison, earned far fewer CMOH awards, but this may be due largely to the fact that there were possibly some in the chain of command who blocked a number of awards that should have been approved.

I have visited many of the places where these troopers served, in Kansas, Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. My hat is off to them.

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.