My Bunch in the 15th Infantry Battle Patrol

MK comments (04 Mar 2003):  When John H. Clark (#64) told me he had some photos sent to him by Don Booth (#76) and offered to snail mail them to me, I jumped at the chance and here are copies (scanned by me with inferior equipment ) along with some information I learned from Don.

Don is trying to recall the names that go with these hazy faces (to your left) from his time in Co E of the 15th Inf Rgt, before he volunteered for the 15th Infantry Battle Patrol. Can anyone help him out?

Don says that this photo is of his squad after he went to the 15th Infantry Battle Patrol and that the names of its men were: 

Rear:
"Doc" Whittaker - Leborgne - Jones - Kerlin - Booth  - Hanville

Front:
Okan - May - "Polak" - Whaley.

About the Battle Patrol, Don told me: It was formed in late Dec 1951 or early Jan 1952. It's prime operations were ambushes, raids, contact patrols, and recon patrols. All of its members were volunteers, most of whom were returning from hospitals in Japan and many of whom were from the 187th Airborne Division. Then, Don emailed me this:

      "The Battle Patrol Rock was painted after I left,  but the photo of it was sent to me by Bill Whaley.

   "The rock is supposed to have the names of all its members painted on it, but, when I checked the photo, many names were missing.

    "I am uncertain as to the exact location of the rock, but think it is fairly near Hill 355, Little Gibraltar.

    "We spent a lot of time working out of the Australian  area by using their free lane ("safety" lane) out and back. I always enjoyed their sense of
humor and general outlook on things. We usually let them know whenever we were coming back in, and they would  pop some flares out behind us. That would give us a little down time to rest on our way back up the free lane."

Don said that this photo is of Harold Guinn, Bill Whaley, and "me" on R&R in Osaka, Japan, and added, "It was a great time for us."

It was a  great time for all of us, Don, for ALL of us.

After I ran this page by Don for his approval, he emailed me:

    "I think the page is great and sure hope it reunites me with some old friends I have been trying for years to find between different books.

    "Each year, I take those photos and put them up in the Hospitality Room  at the 3rd Div reunion - but, so far, no luck.

    "It's too bad that we out of Korea didn't stick together like those out of Nam. We all seem to have come home, went back to work, raised our kids, and now, damn it, in our older years, are trying to find old buddies with whom, at one time, we were so very close and thought we would always be that way.

    "If you don't need those photos, pop them into an envelope and send them to me so that they can go up in the Hospitality Room again as usual - this year that'll be in St. Louis in September."

Can do, Don, can do. MK.

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