Re: National Guard

[<Cfbernard@aol.com>]

Gene Wallis,
Hugh and the rest of you from "Love" company

I may have offended a few of the Korean War's crowd with a quote from one of my brothers who was in a guard unit during WWII.  He came home with a quote: "I'd druther have a sister in a cat-house than a brother in the National Guard."  He had been posted to "F" Co of the 148th Regiment after being drafted from high school.

My note to the association you about the quote from a brother who served in the state of Ohio's 148th Infantry Regiment of its 37th Infantry Division for 27 months in the Pacific during WWII was lighthearted.  Ed was wounded in the face at Bougainville, repaired in the unit and stayed with its "F" Company for the rest of the war.  

Another brother went to Korea with the 224th (?) Regiment of the California Guard as a combat medic.  He earned a Soldier's Medal there that came with an interesting citation.

"Lighthearted" is a deliberate comment that was a part of the survival of my own rifle company in Korea, "L" Company of the 21st Infantry.  We deliberately picked the title Love, Labor, and Laughter for our own book about our year there.  As some of you may know, our casualties were enormous but we accomodated the world we were in with a light-hearted approach.  One of our chapters is titled: The Second Death of a Rifle Company.  Relieving the tension of a grim world with even doubtful humor is a welcome and important gift.

Best regards,

Carl Bernard