Valleys of Death (32 page)

quitting

radios, condition of

replacements

revenge, killing as

rice melee incident, POWs

rice paddies

Richardson, Robert (Lieutenant)

Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.).
See also
Bromser, Paul (Lieutenant); Giroux, Frederick (First Lieutenant); Hall, Robert (Corporal); Heaggley, William (Private First Class); Johnson, Harold K. (Lieutenant Colonel); Korean War; McAbee, Filmore (Captain); prisoners of war (POWs); prisons; Roberts, Gordon (Sergeant First Class); Unsan (North Korea); Vaillancourt, Albert (Sergeant First Class); Walsh, James (Corporal)

ammunition risk by

battalion, forming the

battle drills

career after Korean War

Charge of Quarters (CQ)

Chinese heard near Camel's Head bridge

Chinese wounded, helping

C rations

57 recoilless rifles

First Corps Support Command (COSCOM)

foxholes

German POWs and

infantry, telling officers about

Korean refugees and

magazines for Vaillancourt's friend

memorial service and

“mobile defense” strategy of Walker

movement to the Far East

night compass course

night training exercise

occupation duty, U.S. Army

Officers Candidate School

pagoda situation and

Palmer and

Project Delta in Vietnam

promotions of

Pusan

Pyongyang

replacements and

safeties-on lesson

section leader

soldiers reaching out to

Special Forces and

“stand or die” order of Walker

sumps

survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) and

Thanksgiving in Tokyo

truck rescue

visiting families of deceased

weapons and

welcome home for

World Series (1950)

wounded (leaving), decision

wounded Americans and

wounds of

Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.), family

Bill Herron “Uncle Bill,”

Cathy (Bill's father's wife)

children of

Claire (Bill's wife)

Dottie (Bill's sister)

father

Frank Richardson (Bill's uncle)

Jean “Mop Top” (Bill's sister)

John (Bill's brother)

mother

thinking of as POW

Tom (Bill's brother)

USO European trip by father

Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.), personal

adrenaline and

arrow wound infection incident

athleticism of

background of

beer and

boredom, enemy

bravery

brotherlike bond with crew

cinnamon rolls and coffee banquet

cleaning up

cockiness of

death, invisibility of

defense work at factory

discharge from U.S. Army

discipline, life and death

drunk and penny incident

education of

entertainment background

extension of service duty

fear, thoughts about

hubcaps stealing incident

leg shaking

letters to home

lightning rods (television antennas)

mallet and teacher incidence

nightmares

Philadelphia cheesecake and

revenge, killing as

rice paddies and

Rose (girlfriend)

soldier vs. student

time, strange thing in combat

war, experience of

whorehouse incident

Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.), POW.
See also
Doyle, Vincent “The Renaissance Man” (Master Sergeant, POW); prisoners of war (POWs); prisons; Smoak (Sergeant First Class, POW)

born again

calmness of

control, giving up

crabs joke

escapes by

family, thinking of

humanity, finding pieces of

humor, keeping sense of

interrogations about experiences as

intimidation and

kimchi stolen by

leadership by

map stolen by

mind as key to survival

missing in action status

onions stolen by

Philadelphia memories

photograph (half) of Claire

sleep deprivation

suffering, part of human experience

sunshine and

survival mode

tooth broken, corn

torture of

walking recovery by

Roberts, Gordon (Sergeant First Class)

baptism of fire

battalion, forming

death of

movement to Far East

POW

Richardson and

Rock of Gibraltar

Russia.
See
Soviet Union

sabotage by POWs

safeties-on lesson

San Francisco Airfield

Sea of Japan

Second Armored Division

Second Battalion

Second Platoon

Seoul (South Korea)

SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, and escape)

sergeants group, POWs

Seventh Cavalry Regiment

Seventh Division

shui
(water)

Siegfried Line

Silver Stars

sleep deprivation

Smoak (Sergeant First Class, POW)

Andersonville (Civil War) and

death of

escape plans

morgue (hospital)

propaganda by Chinese

Richardson and

wounds of

soldier vs. student

South Korean Army.
See also
Korean War

Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA)

North Korean soldier abused by

Taegu

Soviet Union (Russia)

artillery doctrine of

Communist China and

expansion desires

T-34 tanks

Spartacus
(Fast)

Special Forces

St. Lo (France)

“stand or die” order of Walker

Strait of Gibraltar

suffering, part of human experience

Sunnyside Up
(movie)

sunshine and Richardson

survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE)

survival mode as POW

Suwon (South Korea)

T-34 Russian tanks

Tabu-Dong

Taedong River

Taegu (South Korea)

Taegu Road

“tagging” soldiers by medics

tankers

Taylor (soldier)

telephone wire stolen by POWs

“Tennessee Waltz, The,”

Thanksgiving in Tokyo

Third Battalion, Eighth Cavalry

Third Battalion, Seventh Regiment, Third Division

Third Platoon

38th parallel

Thirty-fifth Infantry Regiment

“This is the Infantry” (film)

364th Infantry Regiment

tide, turning

timber accident, POWs

time, strange thing in combat

timelines.
See
map(s)

Tokyo (Japan)

Tony (KATUSA)

tooth broken, corn

torture of Richardson as POW

trapped, Unsan

trench foot

Truman, Harry S. (President).
See also
Korean War; United States of America

Communism in Korea and

Inchon invasion and

propaganda by Chinese

U.N. Security Council

United States Army.
See also
Korean War; Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.)

casualties

Combat Infantryman's Badge

Expert Infantryman's Badge

hurry up and wait

Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA)

M-24 tanks

reduction after World War II,

replacements

United States of America.
See also
Korean War; Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.); Truman, Harry S. (President); World War II

airmen and propaganda

capitalistic vs. socialistic system

Civil War

collaborating with enemy, hearings

Communist Party of the

corruption, propaganda

Korea, lack of interest

public reaction to soldiers

Unsan (North Korea).
See also
Korean War; prisoners of war (POWs); Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.)

ammunition shortage

Australian bombers

breakout

Camel's Head bridge

Chinese at

dying one by one

maps

night attacks

one more night, decision

“on your own,”

trapped

trucks (fired up)

wounded, leaving behind

Vaillancourt, Albert (Sergeant First Class)

baptism of fire

battalion, forming

dark days of summer

death of

Heaggley and

magazines for friend

missing

POW

Pusan

replacements and

Richardson and

Vallejo (CA)

Vietnam, Project Delta

visiting families of deceased

Walker, Walton H. (Lieutenant General)

walking recovery by Richardson

Walsh, James (Corporal)

baptism of fire

battalion, forming

Camel's Head bridge

dark days of summer

death of

dying one by one

Heaggley and

Korean refugees and

memorial service

movement to Far East

Pusan

Richardson and

Thanksgiving in Tokyo

38th parallel, pursuit to

tide, turning

Unsan

war, experience of

water for POWs

weapons and Richardson

welcome home for Richardson

White-Haired Girl, The
(Chinese show)

white phosphorous (Willie Peter)

whorehouse incident

Winn (Lieutenant)

Witt (soldier)

Wollack (Sergeant)

work crews, POWs

World Series (1950), listening to

World War II

barracks

Camp Stoneman (CA)

defense work during

Japan and

reduction of Army after

“This is the Infantry” (film)

trains

veterans in Korean War

wounded.
See also
casualties

crying for their mothers

helping Chinese by Richardson

impact on Richardson

leaving behind, POWs

leaving behind, Unsan

POWs

Wray, Charles (POW )

Yale & Towne (Philadelphia)

Yalu River

Yokohama ( Japan)

Colonel William “Bill” Richardson, USA (Ret.)
was a master sergeant with the First Cavalry Division in Korea. Commissioned in January 1957, he served eight years with the 82nd Airborne Division, and commanded the 1st BN 325th Airborne Infantry. Richardson spent seven years with Special Forces as an A-Team leader during Operation White Star in Laos, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was the first and third commander of Project Delta in Vietnam; attended the U.S. Army War College; and commanded the First Corps Support Command for fifty months, at which time he provided the logistical support for six thousand soldiers who invaded Grenada. As his final command, he was garrison commander at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he ended his thirty-nine-year career. He is currently CEO of Richardson & Sons Construction, Inc., the vice president of the Military Ex-Prisoner of War Foundation, and the former president of the 1st Cavalry Division Association. Richardson was elected to the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in Fort Benning, Georgia. He and his wife, Claire, have been married for fifty-six years and have five children.

 

 

 

Kevin Maurer
is an award-winning reporter who has been embedded with the 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan.