7 / 24
The Pinecone
|
November 2016
• 7 •
A Veterans Day Salute
In 1943, Joe Scott was drafted into the
U.S. Army; his rank was Private First
Class (PFC). He was 18 years old. His
basic training was at Fort Benning,
Georgia. In 1944, he was sent to the
Army Specialized Training (Program
(ASTP) and, meeting all of the
program requirements, was promoted
to Corporal and assigned to the 86th
Infantry Division. His Division was
sent to Europe, landing in LeHavre,
V A L O R – C O M M I T M E N T – P R O T E C T O R S
Dr. Joeseph Scott
Continued, page 8
Joe Scott, April 1945, Germany
Corporal, U.S. Army, WWII
France. They joined with troops in 1st,
3rd, 7th, and 15th Armies and passed
through Holland, Belgium, Austria, and
Germany. Fighting was fierce and under
heavy shelling, soldiers took refuge in
trenches and fox holes. Allied Forces
prevailed in their intention to destroy
Hitler’s Nazi regime and its Axis allies.
Victory was declared on May 8, 1945.
With completion of their mission in
Europe, the 86th Infantry Division was
sent home; but after a 30-day leave,
they were on their way to the Orient
where battles with Japan continued to
rage. In 1945, President Harry Truman
gave orders to drop the Atom Bomb on
Nagasaki, followed by a second bomb
on Heroshima. Japan surrendered on
May 8, 1945. World War II was over.
The U.S. casualty count in Europe
was an estimated 300,000 killed and
600,000 wounded.
Joe was discharged in 1945. He was 20
years old. In recognition of his service,
the Army awarded him the Bronze Star,
the European Theater Medal, the Asian
Pacific Medal, Good Conduct Medal,
and the American Theater Medal.
The G.I. Education Bill paved the way
for Joe to attend Georgia Tech to earn
his BA Degree in Engineering and,
then, attend the University of Tennessee
for his M.D. Degree. Ophthalmology
was his area of expertise and Joe spent
50+ years in private practice as an
Ophthalmologist. He retired at 80 years
of age.
Dr. Charles Parrott
2nd Lieutenant, U.S. Army, Korea
At 21 years of age, Charles Parrott
enlisted in the U.S. Army to fight in
the Korean War. Becoming one of
many men who would benefit from the
KoreanWar Bill of Rights that promised
servicemen a four-year college
education when their tour of duty was
completed. Charles was selected for
Officer Training School and graduated
with the rank of Second Lieutenant.
Sent to Korea, he served in the 25th
Division, 14th Infantry Regiment, 3rd
Battalion, L Company.
Unlike other Wars (e.g., WWII, or
Vietnam) the Korean conflict was a
Police Action, the first politico/military
struggle of the Cold War (a state of
political and military tension short of
open warfare), between the U.S. and
South Korea vs. North Korea, China,
and Russia. The 38th Parallel defined
South Korea and North Korea. When
North Korea and China invaded South
Korea, U.S. troops, that included
Charles Parrott’s Regiment, were
among the-on-the-ground defenders
of U.S. interests. Fighting was fierce,
trench warfare a new “norm” for the
troops; Charles admits to a self-inflicted
wound (nasty cut on the back of his head
when he dived into a trench to avoid
heavy artillery fire). U.S. troops faced
suicide missions - forays with 100%
probability of getting killed, especially
when taking or re-taking strategic hills
that North Korea had booby trapped
with camouflaged explosives in order
to kill as many U.S. assault troops as
possible.