Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans

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Jim Walsh

Korea | D Company, 1st Battalion, 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division

It was on Hill 440 that Jim Walsh nearly got hit by an incoming round. It killed the two men next to him and completely deafened him for a while. Sent back to the MASH unit, he felt guilty for being there as he walked among the bloody wounded. (3:08)
President Truman had long ago given the order, but it was in 1951 that integration finally came to 35th Regiment in Korea. Two black GI's were assigned to Jim Walsh's squad and they proved to be tremendous assets. They were both miners and they taught the men how to better perform one of their primary tasks. (2:26)
Jim Walsh had the term "Killer From a Distance" applied to him by his squad leader, Ron Smith. Walsh had used his heavy machine gun to suppress Chinese fire and allow the squad to move forward. Later, Walsh would write a book with that title, referring to artillerymen on whom the infantry depended. Of all the weapons used in Korea, napalm was the most horrendous. (5:38)
When the snow finally melted along the front line in Korea, there was a grisly discovery along the supply path. There were also rats. Lots of them, big ones. Jim Walsh talks about the rats and other, little known aspects of life on the line. (4:32)
The stuttering truce talks in Korea were incredibly demoralizing for the troops, says Jim Walsh. Repeatedly, it seemed as if they would be going home and then, invariably, their hopes would be dashed. When he finally did return to America, everyone expected to see a festive hero's welcome. It was not quite that. (4:09)
Jim Wicker

WWII | 22nd Photo Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Photo Reconnaissance Group, 8th Air Force

He had qualified as an aircraft mechanic in the Army Air Corps, but Jim Wicker jumped at the chance for pilot training. He aced a test for those with no college and began flight school. It was a proud day for him when he graduated because he thought he had no chance to become a pilot. (4:20)
He was very satisfied to be a fighter pilot in training, but as he waited for gunnery school, Jim Wicker was moved into photo reconnaissance. There was more emphasis being put on intelligence and more pilots were needed. He went right into action in the run up to D-Day and on the afternoon of the 6th, the low clouds caused a very bad day for him. (5:56)
When he had to bail out, Jim Wicker was literally sucked from the cockpit when he released the canopy because of his high rate of speed. He was just a hundred miles inland a few days after D-Day and the Germans caught him almost immediately. As he sat in solitary confinement waiting for interrogation, he was comforted by his faith. (5:42)
The interrogator was cordial and not at all threatening. Jim Wicker had been shot down over France and was amazed at the information the Germans already possessed. It only lasted an hour and he was off to a prison camp, but he was curious about the man and it turned out that he had a very interesting story that continued after the war. (4:50)
When you got to your prison camp, you weren't immediately accepted by those POW's already there because the Germans planted spies in the camp. Jim Wicker was fortunate to find a friend from his hometown, so he was welcomed in. He was in Stalag Luft III, where the famous "Great Escape" had occurred. (6:01)