Profiles

Wayne Balke, of Cole Camp, closed his eyes tight, clasped his hands together and rocked as he shared his Army experiences. For a brief moment, it was as if he had returned to the jungles of Vietnam where he nearly lost his life.

Editor’s note: These letters were found by Zita Marie Mahin Shackles in her father’s things. They have been kept through four generations. First by Roy’s father, Scott Mahin; his brother, Guy Mahin; his nephew, Clarence Mahin; and then by Zita, his great niece. Laura Val Mahin McCurdy, of Hughesville, compiled the letters into a book this year.

Billy Frank Simpkins, of Warsaw, achieved a huge milestone during his service. He is a centurion, a pilot who makes a minimum of 100 landings on the same aircraft carrier. Simpkins did his on the USS Ticonderoga.

Kenneth Grott, of Sedalia, discovered how war can force people to do desperate things. He was drafted into the service on Jan. 7, 1943.  After training he arrived in England around May 24, 1944. He was a member of the 561st Quartermaster Railhead Company. He worked in supply and they set up in southern Wales.

I was reminded of how much the little things can mean to others before the Christmas holiday. I took a day off work and went to Kansas City to finish up some last minute shopping.

D-Day, June 6, 1944. I remember that day well. The news was full about the invasion. I was only 14 years old. The reason I recall the date was because my older brother, Leo Koechner (1924-1993) was home from Army basic training. He had recently been drafted.

Leonard Semkin, of Sedalia, learned the importance of good driving when he served in World War II.

William Richards never imagined what he’d witness 14 months after he enlisted.

Verndean Brockman, 31, was the first Vietnam War veteran from Pettis County to be killed.

Friendship takes on a special relationship among soldiers, especially those involved in the life or death struggle of combat operations. Each soldier looks to his comrades for support as they engage the enemy in hostile action. The bond created from those special relationships can last a lifetime. For the 42nd year, Richard Strobel’s mortar platoon gathered for a reunion, this time at his farm in Concordia.

After the Battle of the Bulge, our division was attached to the 3rd Army under the command of Gen. Patton. We were the “Mysterious Division” so-called because all the markings on our vehicles were painted over so we could not be identified. This was done to confuse the Nazis.

Editor’s note: Retired Air Force Master Sgt. Ron Grundon, of Sedalia, was a radio operator with the 35th Engineer Battalion in Germany from 1954 to 1957.

Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had to take a gamble and hope the weather would hold on June 6, 1944.

Tuesday will mark the 45th anniversary of when Jim Clark, of Sedalia, was nearly killed in Vietnam. Though it was a difficult time for him, he’d do it again for his love of his country.

It all started in June 1954 and I was about to get a letter from Uncle Sam saying he would like to have me join him in the Army. I, along with about 30 other boys from around Sedalia, decided we didn’t want to go that route, so we joined the Marines. We were called the Sedalia Leathernecks.

After Walter H. Mosby and his family survived the Great Depression, Mosby wanted to lessen the financial hardship on his parents. He sought their permission to enlist in the service, since he was only 17. He chose the Marine Corps and began a three-year enlistment on Jan. 29, 1947.

John Lane, a resident at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg, could have gotten a deferment to keep him out of Korea. However, he decided against that.

Jack Long, of Perry, was drafted at the age of 22. He was sent to Florida to be evaluated and was chosen to go to radio school in Chicago. He graduated as a radio operator/repairman.

Jim Cramer, of Sedalia, wasn’t surprised to be drafted in 1942. He wanted to join the National Guard like his brother, but his parents wouldn’t let him because he was underage.

After seeing what the Japanese did to Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Bill Martin, of Sedalia, and eight of his friends decided they wanted to join the fight. They all attended high school together and played baseball. Martin was the only one of the nine who came back walking.

In 1952, Tipton resident Carl Houston was beginning to establish himself as a young man recently out of high school.

Filip Toric was excited when his history teacher gave him the assignment to interview a World War II veteran. Toric, from Croatia, is a student and basketball player at State Fair Community College.

Ernie Fischer Jr., of Warsaw, went from the farm to the front lines quickly in World War II.

George Hart, a resident at the Missouri Veterans Home in Warrensburg, rarely talks about his service in World War II.