Please remember this Christmas Day....

[Clint Dixon]

Those men and women, past and present, who have served, protected, and fought for us - from the soldiers, to the firefighters, to the paramedics, to the orderlies, and everyone in between. May we never forget their sacrifices.

Pictured is my father Loren Lee Dixon, on the left, and my uncle John Rex Dixon, on the right. The photo was taken in Korea in the fall of 1952 or in the spring of 1953.

In 1951, both men joined the Illinois National Guard, the 123rd Field Artillery Battalion, Battery B. out of Aledo, Illinois. They trained on 155mm Howitzers. In Korea, they served in the 424th Field Artillery Battalion, Battery B. There, they were assigned to four 8-inch Howitzers in the Battery. Both served together for the majority of the time they were over there, sometimes on the same gun crew. This was never supposed to happen after the tragedy that befell the Sullivan Brothers during WWII. There were newspaper articles at the time that talked about my Dad and Uncle Rex being stationed together.

In the photo, Dad was 20 years old. Uncle Rex was 27 years old. My Uncle Wayne, the oldest brother, had already served in WWII and was wounded in the hedgerows of Normandy. Today, Loren and Rex are 80 and 87 respectively. Wayne was five years older than Rex. He passed away a few years ago.

[Tom Petroff]

Excellent Point Clint.
Let us never forget.
My Dad served Korea also.
Merry Christmas my Friend!

Oh ,And I can sure see the resemblance!

TGP

[CSCameron]

Thanks for the reminder Clint. My Dad was a B-17 pilot in WWII, a B-29 pilot in Korea, and made the Vietnam war too. He passed about 10 years ago but is not forgotten.

Merry Christmas to all!

[Ron in Indiana]

My dad served in Korea also in an armored division. He took many pictures and had them made into slides which are preserved in a metal box. He used to bring them out once in a while when I was young. I have no idea where they were taken but some are beautiful countryside shots. My dad passed away in 1988 at the age of 56 from cancer. I turned 57 this past July. WE must never forget what those men and women did for the service to our country. Korea always seems to take a back burner to the other wars. Thanks for the picture Clint, wish I had one to post.

[Gordon Maney]

Clint, your father must have left his engineer's cap back in the truck....

[Hobcobble]

You Won't Believe This Clint....

Clint,
My Uncle Max Thomson could've towed that Howitzer for your dad & uncle.
He was with Battery B, 424th FA Bn. Max also ran the mail using this truck
in the photo. My uncle passed away in '92. He lived his entire life up in
Kingsley, IA. Another fellow by the name of Ken Harthun contacted me a
couple years back and spoke with me on the phone about his time in the
424th with Max. Ken was going to send along a photo or two of he and
my uncle while they were on leave but never did. I was lucky enough to
view a really nice collection of photographs that Max took while in Korea.
He & my grandfather were big time shutterbugs. I'm sure my Aunt still has
those pictures stored away. This particular photo was taken by a friend of
Max's using his camera .... somewhere near the front lines in Korea. Some
years ago, I had the National Records & Archives send me some After Action
Reports to go through. Pretty interesting stuff. They sure lobbed a lot of
ordinance!

My dad served in the Navy during the Korean War. He was a Machinists
Mate 3rd Class and spent some time on the Carrier USS Bataan CVL29.
He used to warm up and pre-flight Corsair fighters. He remembers the
very first Navy [F80 Type] jets too. Dad will turn 81 this year and he and
my mom are in very good health which I'm thankful for.
John

[Clint Dixon]

Clint, your father must have left his engineer's cap back in the truck....

I think the tendency skips a generation. Dad never liked wearing caps. When you saw him at a Rally wearing a cap, that was just a recent thing. My nephew does not like caps either. But Grandpa wore one. What is commonly called and "engineer cap" now, was known as a utility cap back when. The hickory stripe ones are still quite common. The fisher stripe, and the blue denim ones, are getting next to impossible to find.

[Hobcobble]

I think the tendency skips a generation. Dad never liked wearing caps. When you saw him at a Rally wearing a cap, that was just a recent thing. My nephew does not like caps either. But Grandpa wore one. What is commonly called and "engineer cap" now, was known as a utility cap back when. The hickory stripe ones are still quite common. The fisher stripe, and the blue denim ones, are getting next to impossible to find.

You might try:
http://www.pointerbrand.com
Although they don't list a fisher stripe hat, they do have
a "wish list". Perhaps you could see if they'd make one up special.
Pointer Brand does have some other fisher stripe items....
Made in the U.S.A. since 1913!
John

[Hobcobble]

Clint,
If you think of it.... ask your Dad and Uncle if they
remember my uncle Max Thomson or his pal Ken
Harthun. I still can't believe your Dad and Uncle
were also in the 424th Batt B. Its a small world.....
John

[Clint Dixon]

Clint,
If you think of it.... ask your Dad and Uncle if they
remember my uncle Max Thomson or his pal Ken
Harthun. I still can't believe your Dad and Uncle
were also in the 424th Batt B. Its a small world.....
John

I asked Dad last night. He did not recall the name, but I will take the image of your Uncle to show him. Maybe he will recognize your Uncle. He did remember the 6-tons pulling the Howitzers. He left Korea in the early summer of 1953, after having been there about a year. He said the 424th was there longer after he left, so their stay may not have overlapped. Do you know the general time frame?

I have been keeping close tabs on the Pointer site for a while now. I want a fisher stripe jacket in a size that they currently don't have in stock. I may settle for a hickory stripe jacket. I never thought about inquiring about special orders. Good idea.

[Hobcobble]

Clint,
I'm pretty sure my Uncle was there from late Summer '52 at least through
the July 26, 1953 Armistice. I do know from talking with Ken on the phone
that he and my Uncle were often assigned to "motor pool" duties which
involved assisting in the break down and set up of the Howitzers as well
as towing them. My Uncle was also called upon to run the mail as well.
He did his basic [Artillery] training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma.

FYI....Pointer Brand is running a 15% off sale through the end of 2012.
John

[Hobcobble]

I asked Dad last night. He did not recall the name, but I will take the image of your Uncle to show him.

Clint,
Did you have a chance to show your dad the picture
of my Uncle Max?
John

[Clint Dixon]

Clint,
Did you have a chance to show your dad the picture
of my Uncle Max?
John

Yes I did. He did not remember the name or recognize the image. He said that he did not have much contact with the guys moving the guns, but chances are that they crossed paths on occasion.

We lost Dad to Leukemia, a few days after he saw your pictures, on January the 5th. Going through papers for Mom, we have found about 75 photos from Korea - photos that we never knew existed. We thought that all had been said that needed to be said, and that all the questions had been asked, before he passed away. Now, we have so many questions that will never knew we had and these will never be answered.

[Clint Dixon]

This is a picture of me when I was 20. I chose to share this picture because, like Dad, at 20 I too was ready for battle - only a whole different kind of battle. He fought so I would have the freedom to do what I enjoy.

I also chose this one because people l think I looked like him when he was that age. I guess I can see it.

[Gordon Maney]

Yes I did. He did not remember the name or recognize the image. He said that he did not have much contact with the guys moving the guns, but chances are that they crossed paths on occasion.

We lost Dad to Leukemia, a few days after he saw your pictures, on January the 5th. Going through papers for Mom, we have found about 75 photos from Korea - photos that we never knew existed. We thought that all had been said that needed to be said, and that all the questions had been asked, before he passed away. Now, we have so many questions that will never knew we had and these will never be answered.

Clint, I am very sorry you lost your father. I do remember the day we all first met here, and always enjoyed the times I did get to visit with him. It is very nice that you have this appreciation for his history.