Page 71 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2019- Online Magazine

Korean War

deep water, carrying everything they owned in a John married in 1963 and raised two sons, Larry (of
duffel bag. Lubbock) and Bobby (of Austin).
The Army had stopped the North Koreans at Taegu In 1993, John met with some adversity when his
and had established headquarters there. John was 30-year marriage ended, and, a week later, he was
assigned to a Longline diagnosed with cancer. He had to
Signals Battalion near retire from his beloved farming.
Tajon, which enabled The cancer returned in 1998,
communication across all and John endured chemo for
of South Korea. A base seven months. “That tears your
camp had been set up at body up.” But he speaks highly
the bottom of a nearby of the care he received at the
mountain, but John’s unit VA hospital; he has now been
had to hike a mile and a cancer-free for 20 years. Two
half up to the peak. Their back surgeries have slowed him
accommodations were down a little, but John Walden
meager – a Quonset hut, still has a great outlook. He
secured with cables over stays in touch with his sons, his
the top so it wouldn’t blow grandson and his three brothers
away during a typhoon. - Bill in Hereford, Paul in Olton
The crew consisted of and Travis in Waco. He loves his
eight men plus a cook. church and credits God’s grace
The Army had installed for getting him through the hard
antennas on both sides times. “Don’t forget God. Don’t
of the mountaintop – one leave Jesus out of your life,” he
for receiving, one for counsels. It appears the veteran/
transmitting. Their job farmer knows what he’s talking
above the clouds was about.
to keep the equipment
operational. John never
had to discharge his weapon, but there was still
an element of danger. It was terribly cold, rained
much of the time, and the high winds during a
typhoon would literally pick the Quonset hut up
off the ground while the men were in it. He served
11 months at that base and two years of reserves
before being relieved from active duty. John went
back to farming in Olton and served four more
years of inactive duty before being discharged
in 1966. He might have been called back up, but
fortunately, he filled out some paperwork that
eventually exempted him from service because
farming was a “critical civilian occupation”.

Lubbock Senior Link 71