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11th September 2011

Korean War 7th Cavalry veterans gather in Gatlinburg

Every year since the mid-1970s, members of the 7th Cavalry Regiment get together all over the U.S. This week they gathered at the Glenstone Lodge, traveling from as far away as Alaska and California.

The group are veterans of the Korean conflict, serving from 1950 to 1951. At their yearly reunions they catch up, sharing memories and war stories.

"The 7th Cavalry veterans come from practically every state in the nation," said Robert Jones, president of the group. "It was a group of Korean vets from the central part of the U.S. who started the organization and decided to have reunions. We enjoy getting together — visiting, talking and remembering old times. I've made a lot of friends and renewed acquaintances."

Throughout the week the veterans took in the sites, visiting local attractions, restaurants and business. But, most importantly, they talked.

For Jones, who spent 11 months in South Korea in 1951 as an ammo bearer for a .57mm recoil rifle, this is his favorite part.

"A lot of the general population doesn't understand the camaraderie and relationship of guys who have been in combat together," he said. "(They) have no concept of what war really is. It changes you. When you go through combat, you change. You can't help it. It will be in my memories forever."

Joseph McAnany from San Clemente, Calif., was also a rifleman and spent one year in South Korea. Like Jones, he likes to meet up with everyone once a year, sharing stories, laughs and jokes.

"It's interesting," he said. "You can talk about different things. Everyone has their own story. It's nice to see the guys and see how they are doing. The camaraderie (is my favorite). You get to meet people you fought in the war with."

Though he enjoys spending time with his comrades, McAnany tries not to reminisce about the war.

"The day I got out of the Army, I forgot it all," he said. "It doesn't bother me. I'm one of the few guys who have wiped it clean. The war is over as far as I'm concerned. I never think about it any more."

On their final evening in town, the group holds its annual banquet. At this formal dinner they host a memorial service to remember those they lost during the war.

"I'm one of the fortunate ones," Jones said. "I made it back. Even though I was wounded, I was able to make it home."

During the war Jones sustained a gunshot wound to his right knee. Though he had to have surgery on it, the injury wasn't life-threatening.

"The good Lord was looking out for me that night," he said. "They patched me up and told me I was good as new."

In addition to those the group lost in Korea, several members die each year. Currently there are about 425 members left, most of which are in their late ’70s and early ’80s. Only 41 veterans and their spouses made the trek to Gatlinburg this year.

"As the years roll on, our numbers have dwindled due to age and health problems," Jones said. "As you can tell by looking around the room, we're not getting any younger. We're all getting older. It thins (our numbers) us out. Ten years ago, we'd have double the people here. Because of the economy, age and health problems, our attendance is down."

McAnany adds, "We lose so many guys each year. If it keeps going like it has, we'll lose five or six guys before next year."

Though the memories will always follow Jones, like many of the other veterans, he chooses to think about his time in Korea positively.

"It was an interesting time in my life," he said. "The U.S. has given South Korean, over the years, a lot of assistance. It's paid off."

By: The Mountain Press



10th September 2011

Korean War veterans gather in Gatlinburg

John Cauley's first day in Korea in 1950 was not a good one. He saw something that gave him pause and sent fear rattling through his bones.

Cauley was with the U.S. Army's 7th Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division in the Pusan Perimeter, a spit of land at the very southern tip of Korea where U.S., United Nations and South Korean troops had been pushed. Practically surrounded by North Korea forces, the end seemed near just weeks after the war began.

Cauley, 81, of Ocala, Fla., is one of about 40 Korean War veterans who have been at the Glenstone Lodge in Gatlinburg this week participating in the annual reunion of the 7th U. S. Cavalry Association.

Although regimental chapters have been meeting in various sections of the nation, the old soldiers have never come to the Volunteer State, home to many of the regiment's Korean War veterans.

Cauley said he had landed in what is now South Korea Aug. 20, 1950. Korea was parched by a drought. Beneath a broiling sun, the regiment was sent to the front lines of the Pusan Perimeter to help stop the North Korean army's seemingly unstoppable advance. Seoul, Korea, had fallen to the North and now it appeared the entire country would surrender.

"We were headed toward the Nakdong River (near the Port of Pusan) where the heaviest fighting had taken place already," Cauley said.

As the regiment marched to the sound of the guns, he looked up to see a heavy-duty U.S. Army truck lumbering along the narrow road.

"We were going down the hill and the truck was coming up the hill. It was filled with bodies. American soldiers. That was enough to scare hell out of you," he said.

Since joining the Army, he had worried that he had been assigned to the 7th Cavalry.

"Everybody knows that was Custer's regiment," he says, referring to Gen. Armstrong Custer, who got the regiment annihilated in the Battle of the Little Big Horn in 1876.

"We fought all night," Cauley said of his first battle. "And finally they had to throw artillery on top of us to save our lives. We had 250 killed.

"We were up north with the Marines. My captain was wounded but he shouted for me to grab a bazooka and knock out the (T-34 Russian) tanks."

And Cauley did just that, running through a blizzard of bullets, finding a bazooka and blasting a menacing T-34. He then shot another, blocking other North Korean tanks.

For his action, Cauley won the Silver Star, the nation's third highest military award for combat heroism.

In January 1951, Cauley was wounded and returned to the United States.

"The war is never out of my mind. I always think about these things and the good friends and what happened to them," he said.

The regiment's final banquet is set for tonight at the Glenstone Lodge. There will be no speeches, just old soldiers remembering their war in Korea as their numbers slowly dwindle.

by: Fred Brown Knoxnews.com [Knoxville News Sentinel Co]



9th September 2011

Korean War Vets say they're closer despite smaller numbers

"I was an infantryman in the fox hole, dodging bullets, shrapnel, and mortars, living from one minute to the next minute," said Korean War Veteran Leroy Rogers of Maryville.

The Army's 7th Cavalry regiment are all in Gatlinburg to share their stories.

"Mostly we're talking about our past experiences. We are survivors. 54,000 did not survive the Korean War," Rogers said.
Rogers is a local but the rest hail from 21 other states. Wilbur O'Brien made the trip from Alaska.

"We all have a lot of memories. Some good, some not so good," said O'Brien.

There's an air of sadness for some who notice that the group gets smaller every year.

"At one point, we had 1,173 men on our roster and we had 400-500 people coming to the reunions," said organizer, Richard Mitchell. Now they're down to 40 men.

"You miss them when their gone," he said. The group says it has only made them closer. "Combat veterans have a closer bond than blood kin," said Rogers. They plan to meet as long as they're able. The group meets every year in different cities across the United States.

Submitted by: Online News