|
This took place about the first week of May, 1951. Capt Lincoln, my CO, sent out a small patrol to check the area in front of us, as we were about to "dig" in for a few days.
At the time, I was the company clerk/Act First Sgt. of M Co. with the rank of PFC when not on the MLR with the machine gun squad I was really assigned to. I was the only one in the company who knew office procedures and could really type. I had learned that all during my first tour in the army.
I got the CP tent up, phone lines laid just as the patrol came back with a cow in tow in to the CP area. I asked the group what were they going to do with the cow and was told they were going to shoot it, then have the kitchen cut it up into steaks. Lets ask the CO first was my suggestion.
I went into the CP and told Capt. Lincoln they we had a cow and would he okay the shooting of it and the kitchen cutting up steaks for the company?
He said, "Sure, go ahead and call the kitchen so they are aware of what we are going to do."
The cow was tied to a back of a jeep, so I took my carbine, stood in the back of the jeep and fired one round at the white spot on the cow's head, except the bullet bounced off. I fired again and again the bullet bounced off. Now the cow broke the rope and took off down the road with men in the jeep firing at the cow with an M-1.
The cow was done in just out side a MASH unit, when everyone came running at the sound of the shooting out of the unit to where the cow was. One of the doctors wanted to know what our intentions were with the cow. He was told it was to be cut up by our kitchen, except the doctor with a big smile said that we cannot eat any foreign food without it being checked by the medical unit for safety. The men came back to inform the Capt. that they had to leave the cow for inspection.
About an hour later, the phone rang and it was for Capt. Lincoln. All I heard him say was, "you mean now" and hung up. Yelled at me to get his jeep and driver ASAP.
I asked him what was up and he said that the MASH unit was having steaks tonight and he was invited to supper with the doctors. Those medical people eat our cow that night.
John Sonley Korea 1951
|