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1、1Military Life of Dennis L. Pavlik October 14, 1952 - July 20, 1954Kumsong SalientMy military life began on October 14, 1952, when I was inducted at Fort Omaha, Nebraska. But let me go back a little, to the events leading up to that time.I graduated from Elba High School, Elba, Nebraska, in May 1950
2、 with a class of ten students. At that time I really did not know what I wanted to do with my life. I felt the only thing I knew was farming and I was afraid to try that because I would need help from the folks and I did not want to put a burden on them.Anyway, I rented 25 acres of wheat ground that
3、 was called the Olsen place. I sewed the wheat with Dads tractor, plow and seed, and used my neighbor, Axel Keldsens drill. When it came time to harvest, Dad said I could have the use of the equipment for helping all summer.While this was going on the Korean War began on June 25, 1950. I remember di
4、scussing the war with my younger brother Norman as we were going to Farwell to get parts, and told him then that I thought I would have to go into the service.Shortly after the war started, a sailor from St. Paul, named Bydalik was swept overboard from his ship. This was the first Howard County Kore
5、an causality.In the fall of 1950 at a Saturday night dance in Elba, I overheard Ralph Coufal (a WW II veteran and a reservist from Cotesfield, NE) tell someone he was called up for active duty. He was a ranger and was killed on June 6, 1951. He was killed near Singo Li. This was Howard Countys secon
6、d war casualty. There may have been some wounded men from Howard County but I do not remember them.In December of 1950, I went to work in the Union Pacific Railroads signal department. The first day that I worked it was about 15 below zero. Herb, a long time friend and I started working on the railr
7、oad together, digging ditches between the tracks. We had been cold the night before so after work we went and bought some warm blankets. That sure put a crimp on our eating money till payday. I worked in Columbus, and later bid to get into the Grand Island shops, where I worked for about six months
8、before getting bumped. From there I went to the Omaha Signal shops until I was drafted into the service. My uncle Ed Svoboda harvested the crop in the summer of 1952. After paying for the expenses, there was but $200 left. I made a decision right then and there that I probably could not make a livin
9、g as a farmer.2I went for my army physical in June 1952. While this was coming up, I went to an Air Force recruiter two or three times, but could not see spending four years in the service. As it ended up, that could have happened anyway.I should say here that I did not really want to get attached t
10、o any girl, as my gut feeling was that I would not return from overseas.I worked in Omaha on the railroad until leaving, driving home every weekend and playing town team baseball. I lived up every weekend, and by Friday I had recouped enough for a repeat performance. Several of us were in the same s
11、ituation.On the Monday before my draft notice arrived, the Six Fat Dutchmen, a polka band from New Ulm, MN, played in the Elba dance hall. Elba had a population of about 200 and never had seen anything like this before. Junior Barnes from Elba had just been released from the service after spending h
12、is time in Korea with the Artillery. Alvin, my older brother and Norma, his wife, and I went to the dance after working all day. The only thing I can say is that was sure a long night, and also a long day at work, but I was glad we went, as we still talk about it.Having come home for the weekend on
13、Friday night, I checked my mail where Mom always put it and found my notice for induction. On Saturday morning, I worked in the field helping Dad pick potatoes. He was working in the southeast corner of the quarter, or next to the curve of the road as we called it before it was straightened. We work
14、ed for a while and later took a break. While we were sitting there I told Dad that I had to go into the service. He did not say much, but he may have had a feeling of some rough times ahead. He told me later when I came home that every time he went into that field; it reminded him of our conversatio
15、n.I left Omaha, after being sworn in and headed for Camp Crowder, MO. Bob Jacobson from Dannebrog, a guy from Farwell whose name I do not recall, and I left together. Bob Jacobson and I ended up staying together through basic training. He was in Japan working with the repatriation list when the iden
16、tity of the freed prisoners were coming through, and told me later he gave out a holler when he saw my name on the list. The last I heard he was living in Hawaii. The fellow from Farwell passed away a few years ago.We spent three days in Camp Crowder, which was later closed. While there, we received our first clothing issue, and experienced our first taste of marching. We encountered the good feeling of
