Freedom’s Voice The Monthly Newsletter of the Military History Center 112 N. Main ST Broken Arrow, OK 74012 http://www.okmhc.org/

“Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History”

Volume 8, Number 2 February 2021

Black History Month Important Date – March 18

Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day

The MHC will hold its 2021 Vietnam Veterans Recogni- tion Day on Thursday, March 18 at the MHC. The muse- um will be open from 10:00 to 4:00. Admission will be free. We will be showing Vietnam Era related videos throughout the day. Vietnam War recipient Willard Parrish will be at the museum to visit with veter- ans and to answer visitors’ questions. Please mark your calendars and plan to come by and visit the MHC on March 18.

Troopers of 10th Cavalry Regiment – Buffalo Soldiers

In September 1866, the 9th Cavalry Regiment was activated Museum Hours and Admission Fee at Greenville, Louisiana, under the command of COL Edward Hatch. The 10th Cavalry Regiment was activated the same year Tuesday – Saturday: 10:00 – 4:00 at , , under the command of COL Ben- Closed Sunday and Monday and major Federal holidays jamin H. Grierson. In the spring and summer of 1867, the 9th Adults – $5.00 and 10th cavalry regiments moved out to the western frontier, Members and Children under 18 – Free where they began more than two decades of continuous ser- vice at remote outposts, often in extremely harsh conditions For more information, call (918) 794-2712 engaging in numerous campaigns and skirmishes with Plains Indians, who gave them the name, “Buffalo Soldiers”. www.okmhc.org COL Grierson and the 10th Cavalry accompanied MG Phillip Sheridan on January 8, 1869, when he staked out the site of Camp Wichita. When the camp was made permanent, it was renamed Fort Sill for Sheridan’s friend, BG Joshua W. Sill, who was killed in the Battle of Stone’s River (also known as the Bat- tle of Murfreesboro) in Tennessee on December 31, 1862. While the 10th Cavalry was posted to Fort Sill, the Buffalo The Buffalo Soldiers served in the during the in- Soldiers constructed many of the stone buildings still in use surrection of 1899-1902. During , the Buffalo Sol- surrounding the old post quadrangle. dier regiments remained in the to patrol the southern border during the Mexican Revolution. In 1940, the 9th and 10th cavalry regiments were posted to the 2nd Cavalry Division, but remained mostly in the United States during World War II. They were sent to the Mediterranean Theater in 1944, but were organized as rear area support units. The origi- nal Buffalo Soldier cavalry regiments were deactivated in 1944. Most people are unaware that there were two original Buffalo Soldier infantry regiments, the 24th and 25th. They survived until after the during which, they were desegregated. The regiments remain deactivated. The only current active unit of the 10th Cavalry is 4th Squadron (battalion), an armored cav- alry squadron of 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colorado. Three squadrons of 9th Cavalry are components of 1st Cavalry Division, posted to Fort Hood, Texas. The 10th Cavalry Regiment was inducted into the Oklahoma Two of the buildings constructed at Fort Sill by Buffalo Sol- Military Hall of Fame in 2002. diers are (above) the oldest barracks, constructed in 1870, and (below) the guardhouse constructed 1872-73.

Crest of the 10th Cavalry “Buffalo Soldiers” Regiment

The Last Buffalo Soldier

As a 1st Lieutenant, John J. Pershing commanded a troop of the 10th Cavalry on the frontier. In Cuba during the Spanish- American War, he was regimental quartermaster of 10th Caval- ry. His nickname, “Black Jack”, derives from his service com- manding black troops.

Tomie Louis Gaines

Tomie Louis Gaines was born in Leon County, Florida, on November 3, 1922. He served March 1943-December 1945 with the 27th Calvary, an all-black regiment. The regiment was formed at Fort Clark, Texas, on February 25, 1943, and assigned to the 5th Cavalry Brigade of the 2nd Cavalry Division. The regi- ment shipped out for Algeria on February 28, 1944. The 27th was formally disbanded on December 12, 1951. Trooper Tomie Louis Gaines, recognized as the last Buffalo Soldier, died at Simpsonville, South Carolina, on February 14, 2016. He was laid to rest in M. J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cem-

etery at Anderson, South Carolina. 10th Cavalry in Cuba – 1898 This Month’s Featured Exhibit

The exhibit is a selection of Oklahoma African-Americans who have served and are serving in the armed forces of the United States from World War II to the War on Terrorism. Beginning in the top row (L. to R.) are SSGT Ruben Rivers (Tecumseh) World War II; 1LT Joseph D. Ellsberry (Langston) World War II, Tuskegee Airman; CPT Riley Leroy Pitts (Fallis) Vietnam; SSGT Melvin Morris (Okmulgee) Vietnam; second row, SP4 Joseph Minor Thomas (Tulsa) Vietnam; LTC Bennie Charles Oulds (Tulsa) Cold War; SPC James Edward Marshall (Tulsa) Iraq; PFC Jaron Duvall Holliday (Tulsa) Iraq; third row LCPL Lamont Noah Wilson (Lawton) Iraq; SPC Ezra Dawson (Oklahoma City) Afghanistan; LTC Sherri Lynette Galloway (Oklahoma City) Afghanistan; MG Michael C. Thompson (Oklahoma City) Kuwait/Iraq, Adjutant General of Oklahoma.

On Duty at the Tombs of the Unknowns

Every minute of every hour of every day The MHC Needs Your Support

Over the past year, the Covid pandemic has been hard Marine Corps Recruits Visit MHC on a great many people and businesses. The MHC has been no exception. We have had to cancel several of our On Saturday, February 20, Gunnery Sergeant Baca brought fund-raising events including planned Vietnam Veterans about thirty new Marine Corps recruits to the MHC for a tour. Recognition Day concerts for this and last year. We are asking for your financial support to help us continue our ongoing mission of promoting patriotism and recognizing the sacrifices made by our veterans, past and present, to keep America free. We believe the MHC provides a valuable service to the local community, espe- cially to veterans and students, by “Promoting Patriotism through the Preservation of Military History”. For more information, please contact the Military His- tory Center at (918) 794-2712 to learn how you can be a financial supporter, or click on the link below to go to the MHC website at www.okmhc.org/donate/. We are thank- ful for all contributions whatever the amount. Monetary donations are tax deductible, subject to IRS regulations. Enter your deduction on Schedule A of Form 1040 as MVA, Inc. dba Military History Center.

Oklahoma’s Fallen Heroes of the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars

SPC Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez Jr. SPC Ryan Scott Michael Dallam

Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez Jr. was born February 4, 1984, Ryan Scott Michael Dallam was born at Norman, Oklahoma, at Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico. Sometime in his youth, his par- on September 22, 1982. He graduated from high school in Ari- ents immigrated to the United States and made their home in zona, where he lived with his mother. He attended Oklahoma Oklahoma City. Briseno-Alvarez graduated from U. S. Grant City Community College before enlisting in the Army. On April High School in 2003. He joined the Oklahoma National Guard 6, 2007, he was a Specialist in 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regi- on September 11, 2003. He was assigned to E Co. 700th Brigade ment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, when Support Battalion, based at the Stillwater Armory. On Septem- near Baghdad, an IED exploded near his vehicle killing him. SPC ber 25, 2011, now a member of 1st Battalion, 179th Infantry Ryan Scott Michael Dallam was interred in Fort Sill National Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, he was killed in Cemetery, Comanche County, Oklahoma. Laghman Province, Afghanistan, from injuries suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using an improvised explosive de- vice. SPC Francisco J. Briseno-Alvarez, Jr. was laid to rest in Resthaven Gardens Cemetery in Oklahoma City.

PVT Lamont Noah Wilson

Lamont Noah Wilson was born May 16, 1984, location un- certain. His family was living in Lawton, Oklahoma, when he

SSGT Lance Michael Chase joined the Marine Corps in June 2003. Wilson was deployed to Iraq with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Divi- Lance Michael Chase was born at Oklahoma City on Sep- sion, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force. On September 6, 2004, tember 6, 1973. He was a 1991 graduate of Midwest City High he was killed by a car bomb in Fallujah. He was twenty years School in Midwest City. He worked as an Oklahoma County old. Sheriff’s Office Detention for twenty months in 1994-95. Four miles of I-44 north of Lawton have been designated Staff Sergeant Chase was a member of D Co., 1st Battalion, 12th LCPL Lamont N. Wilson Memorial Highway. The Lawton Com- Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Divi- munity Foundation endowed a JROTC scholarship for Lawton, sion. He was killed by a roadside bomb while riding on a tank MacArthur and Eisenhower high schools in his memory. in Baghdad on January 23, 2006. SSGT Lance Michael Chase is Lance Corporal Lamont Noah Wilson was laid to rest in Fort interred in Arlington Memory Gardens in Oklahoma City. Sill National Cemetery.

Korean War – Eighth Army Counterattacks of the weather at the time. The recent, unusually cold weather in Oklahoma will provide good context, except it was worse in The Chinese prosecuted the Korean War in what they called Korea. In the first two weeks of January, air temperatures fell phases. To review the war to date, Phase 1 opened on October to as low as thirty degrees below zero at night, and up to a foot 25, 1950. It was more of a probing attack than anything else. of snow covered the ground. By the beginning of February, it The CCF wanted to see how the Americans reacted and fought. was relatively better. There was less snow on the ground, but After inflicting defeats on American forces at Unsan and other ice still prevailed on the roads and hills. Temperatures hovered locations, the CCF abruptly ended Phase 1 on November 6, ap- around zero during the day. parently because of logistics issues. Ridgeway fully expected the CCF to counterattack once they Phase 2 opened on November 25 with massive attacks resupplied and reorganized. Intelligence reported heavy CCF against Eighth Army in western Korea and X Corps in northeast movement eastward into the central corridor. That’s where Korea. The result was a complete rout of Eighth Army that last- Ridgeway expected them to concentrate their attack. X Corps, ed until December 24. X Corps was forced out of northeast commanded by MG Edward Almond, was responsible for the Korea in a difficult but orderly, fighting withdrawal to the port central corridor front. city of Hungnam, where it was evacuated. Almond was a controversial figure during the Korean War. On The CCF and the reconstituted NKPA opened their Phase 3 one hand, he was aggressive, always ready to take the fight to offensive on New Year’s Eve 1950. That was when PVT Cletys the enemy. Ridgeway highly regarded him as a corps com- Idell Nordin of Adair County, Oklahoma, 19th Infantry Regiment, mander. On the other hand, Almond had several serious flaws 24th Infantry Division, was wounded and captured on January 1, as a person and as a commander. He regarded black troops as 1951. (See the September 2017 newsletter for his story.) Phase naturally sub-standard soldiers. He was dismissive and distrust- 3 seemed like more of the same, as UN forces fell back in the ful of the black regiments under his command. He never took face of overwhelming numbers. In several instances, soldiers seriously the abilities of Chinese soldiers, even in the face of abandoned crew served weapons and vehicles as they fled the their successes since they had entered the war, and as such, he battlefield. Ridgeway ordered an orderly withdrawal from exposed his own soldiers to unnecessary and often fatal risks. Seoul on January 5, and it was duly carried out. UN forces re- He was frequently abusive to subordinate officers. He was even treated to Suwon about fifteen miles south of Seoul, Wonju in condescending to General Walker, who outranked him, but the central corridor and Samcheok on the east coast. The battle MacArthur protected Almond, so could get away with it. If he line stabilized, and UN forces held. decided he didn’t like an officer for whatever reason, he would One of the CCF’s most serious weaknesses was their lack of use any excuse to get rid of him. Almond’s combat aggressive- an efficient logistics system. Because of their acute shortage of ness was often viewed as reckless by fellow officers. He had vehicles and UN air superiority, all ammunition, food, medicine less interest in intelligence than Ridgeway and most other and other supplies were transported from the Yalu River on the commanders. He often ordered subordinate commanders to backs of the soldiers and conscripted Korean civilians, on bicy- advance into dangerous situations such as at Chosin Reservoir, cles, Mongolian ponies and even camels, in the hours of dark- without regard to what might be in front of them. (One of Al- ness only. When they launched an attack, soldiers carried all mond’s aides was CPT , a future Secretary of their food, mostly rice, and a supply of ammunition. Therefore, State in the Reagan administration.) their attacks were short-lived, five or six days at most. With the When X Corps began its advance up the central corridor, exception of the Eighth Army rout, this prevented them from Almond committed an incomprehensible and serious error by thoroughly exploiting their breakthroughs. assigning ROK units to lead the attack. To date, only one or By January 5, the CCF had outrun their logistics capability two ROK divisions had proven themselves, and none were in X and thus were unable to press their initial successes. In late Corps. Given his racial attitudes, this action is even more inex- January, intelligence found that the CCF had abandoned their plicable. True to form, when the CCF and NKPA struck with battle lines and withdrawn to Seoul and along a line running their Phase 4 offensive on February 11, the ROK units crum- generally east and southeast from there. Ridgway ordered a bled. With some exceptions, the ROKs had always seemed to reconnaissance-in-force, Operation Wolfhound, named for the have been terrified of the Chinese and seldom put up a fight, 27th Infantry “Wolfhound” Regiment which conducted the re- rather they invariably panicked, threw down their weapons and connaissance, to locate the enemy line. Upon confirming the fled south. The CCF hit hardest toward the village of Hoeng- th CCF withdrawal, Ridgeway ordered Operation Thunderbolt, song, a few miles due north of Wonju. The 38 Infantry Regi- nd which began on January 25. I Corps cautiously advanced all the ment, 2 Infantry Division was positioned at Hoengsong. As the way to the Han River opposite Seoul and drove the NKPA off ROKs fell back, Chinese and NKPA soldiers streamed around the the Kimpo Peninsula east of Seoul, recaptured Kimpo Airfield UN units, as little of the high ground had been occupied by UN and Inchon. In the meantime, X Corps recaptured Wonju, an forces. Elements of various U.S. infantry, artillery and other important transportation crossroad. (Except for geographic units supporting the ROKs were bypassed and isolated as the reference, none of the Korean villages had any importance to ROK soldiers fled the battlefield. One such example that ended th UN forces unless they were in strategic locations, or a railroad catastrophically was that of the 15 Field Artillery Battalion of nd passed through or near them or they were useful land trans- 2 Infantry Division. The battalion had encamped for the night, portation crossroads.) relying on ROK infantry for protection. When the Chinese at- It might be interesting to readers to have an understanding tacked in the dark, the ROKs fled, and the Chinese swarmed over the 15th FAB’s position. Some 204 artillerymen ultimately The Chinese were taken aback by the strong defense of the died, in one of the most concentrated losses of American lives village. In a critique of the battle, they wrote: “In the conduct in the war. of the .... battle command, we have underestimated the ene- The worst concentrated loss of American life occurred in a my. In view of their past characteristics in battle, we expected narrow, twisting valley just north of Hoengsong. An estimated the enemy to flee at Chipyong-ni after the enemy at Hoengsong 2,000 CCF had occupied the high ground on both sides of the was annihilated.”. The CCF withdrew on February 16. valley creating a strong fireblock. As UN forces passed a Chi- Almond didn’t like Freeman because he sometimes ex- nese strongpoint, more Chinese closed in behind them. The pressed divergent opinions to Almond regarding some of his CCF blocked the road in several places by concentrating on the battlefield decisions. Almond accused Freeman of being too vehicles. Once a vehicle was knocked out, they concentrated cautious and was determined to get rid of him. Freeman was machinegun fire on it to prevent a new driver from moving the wounded in the calf of one of his legs by a piece of shrapnel vehicle. At one point, a tank threw a track blocking the road. during the battle. When he learned of it, Almond ordered At another place, a truck towing a 105-mm howitzer was hit by Freeman to relinquish command. Freeman stalled as long as he a mortar, jackknifed and flipped over further blocking the road. could without committing outright insubordination. When the All vehicles and artillery behind the blocks were abandoned. 5th Cavalry reached Chipyong-ni, he relinquished command and Ridgeway was infuriated by the equipment losses, especially was flown out. Freeman, one the unsung heroes of the first the artillery, and he ordered an investigation. As the survivors eight months of the war, never returned to the Korean War. reached Hoengsong, they joined others withdrawing south to He went on to a distinguished career and retired with four Wonju. stars. When the 7th Marines came into the area on March 7, they Army historian, COL Roy Appleman, wrote of the defense of were shocked at what they saw. The valley was covered with Chipyong-ni: “Chipyong-ni changed the nature of UN action for hundreds of dead, frozen as they were when they died. "Every- the future. It was the first time the Chinese had been defeated one looked into the valley and saw the smoke twisting toward since their intervention in the war in late October 1950. It was the sky," wrote marine and future author, Bill Merrick. "The the first time that an American and UN force of regimental or smoke came from overturned trucks and jeeps. They had larger size had stood in a perimeter defense and defended it- burned so long only the frames remained. The area looked like self successfully, turning back a much larger Chinese force. It an enormous graveyard with the bodies unburied. The troops was the first signpost of the Korean War that marked what was lay in the road, in the rice paddies and in the cabs of the trucks to be the American practice in the future. It was the event that that had not caught on fire." The marines erected a sign along solidified morale of the American and UN Eighth Army to one the body-strewn road. It read: "Massacre Valley, Scene of Harry of confidence that it could meet the enemy and hold its own. S. Truman's Police Action. Nice Going, Harry!" After Chipyong-ni, the war entered a new phase”. Chipyong-ni (now Jipyeong-ri) was a village a few miles northeast of Wonju. It was an important transportation and communication hub. A railroad passed through the village and three roads converged there. Almond sent COL Paul Freeman’s 23rd Infantry Regiment reinforced with artillery, tanks, engi- neers and the French Battalion to hold Chipyong-ni. The CCF bypassed Chipyong-ni at the outset of their Phase 4 offensive. Freeman had about 5,600 men to defend against an estimated 25,000 Chinese, who soon surrounded the village. When he realized he was being surrounded, Freeman asked permission to withdraw, but was refused. Ridgeway wanted the position defended. He wanted to find out if Eighth Army could stand up and fight if surrounded by numerically superior forces. He promised Freeman that he would be saved if necessary. The initial Chinese bypass gave Freeman time to organize a strong defense. He placed his artillery, with a large supply of ammunition, in the center of the perimeter. He had almost enough wire to surround the perimeter and an adequate sup- Soldiers of the 23rd Infantry Regiment at Chipyong-ni – February 1951 ply of land mines to intersperse in the wire. Freeman personal- The village is in the center of the photograph. ly oversaw much of the preparations. He had the engineers create a small airstrip so that wounded could be evacuated. Sources: The defenders would be supported and resupplied by air, Appleman, Roy E., Ridgeway Duels for Korea, Texas A&M University which in the end was spotty because many of the drops landed Press, College Station, Texas, 1990 outside the perimeter. Blair, Clay, The Forgotten War, Times Books, New York, 1987 The battle began on February 13, and after two days of fero- Barren, Leo, High Tide in the Korean War, Stackpole Books, Mechanics- th cious combat, twenty-three tanks of a unit of the 5 Cavalry burg, Pennsylvania, 2015 Regiment fought their way through the Chinese to Chipyong-ni.

2021-2022

Memorial Day Banner Project

2021-2022 Application

All applications must be returned to the Military History Center at Main Street and College Avenue in Broken Arrow, OK, by May 10, 2021. The Memorial Day banner will hang in downtown Broken Arrow in the Rose District, for a period of approximately two weeks in conjunction with Memorial Day for two years. Upon completion of the two-year term, we will contact you for renewal. After the two- year term is complete, the banner is yours to keep or to renew for another two years. The veteran must be deceased. If you have questions, please call the MHC at the telephone number at the bottom of the application.

NAME OF APPLICANT ______APPLICANT ADDRESS ______APPLICANT PHONE ______APPLICANT EMAIL ______SUBJECT’S NAME ______SUBJECT’S RANK______YEARS OF SERVICE/OR THEATRE ______

SUBJECT’S BRANCH (circle) U.S. ARMY U.S. NAVY U.S.M.C. U.S. AIR FORCE U.S.C.G. U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES MERCHANT MARINES

A pictures of the deceased veteran in uniform is required to be turned in with your application and payment of $200, which covers the applicant for two-years. A high-resolution digital copy is preferred. If you do not have a digital copy you must submit a photo to be digitized when you turn in your application and payment. We will return the photo to you within an appropriate time frame. Email your digital photo to [email protected]. Banner locations will be selected at random.

Please return the application and payment to

Military History Center 112 North Main Street Broken Arrow, OK 74012 918-794-2712

Credit cards are accepted.

“Lest We Forget”

Chinese photograph of American prisoners of war in Korea. The exact date and location are unknown, but the prisoners are probably from 25th Infantry Division. The large number of black soldiers, likely from the predominately black 24th Infantry Regiment of the 25th ID, suggests the men were captured during the retreat from the Chongchon River on November 29-30, 1950, where many men of the 25th ID were reported missing. The men’s appearance, showing them in good condition, fur- ther suggests they were photographed shortly after capture. Although President Truman had signed an Executive Order in 1948 to integrate the armed forces, the Army and Marine Corps had made very little progress. The 24th Infantry Regiment’s enlisted men were all black, while the officer corps was mixed black and white with some black platoon and company officers and at least one black battalion staff officer, a major.

Freedom is not free.

Freedom’s Voice is the voice of MVA, Inc. dba Military History Center, a 501(C)3 private foundation, as a service to its members and supporters. Contents may be reproduced only when in the best interest of the Military History Center. Please direct comments or suggestions to the Editor at [email protected]. Ken Cook, Editor