Page 78 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2022 - Online Magazine
P. 78
Buck Whitaker How He Learned
Patriotism
by Larry Williams
“I attended hill, and I looked over and saw a
high school in group of Turks. They all had long
Throckmorton. I sharp knives, and they looked
played football, mean! They had a big fire going
basketball and, in that lit up the entire countryside.
my senior year, we After that, I was sent to the
finally got baseball 3rd Medical Battalion, which
equipment, so I furnished medics to the DMZ.
played that, too. It seemed like everywhere we
I graduated in moved was on trains and trucks
1950 and attended with blacked-out windows.”
Midwestern
University in Wichita “I found out that tryouts were
Falls for 2 1/2 being held for the 8th Army
years. While there, Honor Guard for General
I worked part-time Maxwell Taylor, in Seoul, Korea.
at Wichita State I went to the tryouts, and to
Hospital. I got to my surprise, I made it! We had
where I could give some really sharp uniforms with
shots and do lots of silver helmets.” General Taylor
medical things.” was a WWII hero who had led
the 101st Airborne Division
The Korean War from Normandy to the defeat of
ended in the summer Germany. He then commanded
of 1953, and Buck the U.S. Forces—Far East from
was drafted in 1953 to 1954, and the U.N.
February 1954. “I Command in 1955.
was sent for my
atriotism is not automatic, basic training to Ft. “When I got to Seoul, I got to
and Nathan “Buck” Bliss in El Paso. Because of my see the capital. It was levelled,
PWhitaker didn’t think medical background, they sent and there were very few cars on
much about it while growing up me for medical training at Fort the road. Most of the buildings
in Throckmorton County, Texas, Sam Houston in San Antonio, had been destroyed. The people
near the small town of Woodson. and then they flew us on a prop of the city were so poor they
He was born to Alphus and plane to Ft. Lewis,
Louella Whitaker in 1933. His Washington. We
dad, a Throckmorton County shipped out to Sasebo,
Commissioner, worked as a Japan, by way of the
heavy equipment operator for the Aleutian Islands. I was
famous Swenson Ranch. sent to the Repo Depo
(Replacement Depot)
Buck said, “I could ride a horse at Inchon, and they
when I was young and loved said, ‘You’ve got guard
to read Zane Grey novels, so duty.’ They had me
everyone got to calling me guarding the furthest
‘Bucky.’ As I got older, it was outpost in the world!
shortened to Buck.” I heard a strange
chanting noise over the
78 Lubbock Senior Link
