Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
2:39 | During a snowy night patrol in search of a prisoner, Lieutenant Gary Wilder decided to take the initiative and grab a Chinese soldier in the trench line the men had been observing. Gun fire soon broke out and Thielke and his men had to help Wilder to safety.
Keywords : Gary Wilder night patrol prisoner trench
Upon landing on the beach in Sochori, Thielke and his platoon joined leader and former Washington Redskins quarterback Eddie LaBaron to begin patrolling. When the platoon lost LaBaron, twenty year veteran Orle Bergner came to the forefront and led the men across the Soyang-gang River to find the enemy. The men open-fired and eventually had to call in air support and artillery to suppress the heavy gunfire.
While riding in open trucks on the way to Seoul, Thielke and his men endured extremely harsh weather. They adapted to the bitter cold by retooling their C-rations and canteens, but many of the men, including Thielke, suffered from frostbite. Unfortunately for one man, the frostbite had permanent effects on his body.
While Thielke and his comrades were back in reserve, they used a helmet to wash their socks. A British soldier came upon their invention and praised their ingenuity. A few days later, the men were cooking a stew over a fire, and when the same British soldier realized what the men were using to cook their stew, he ran off in disgust.
