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thedrifter
07-24-06, 07:48 AM
Redmon rose to occasion during Korean conflict

BY MICHAEL HAYS

“I was not sure I was ready, but I was told that I was.”

Fred Redmon wrote that in 1951 during the Korean War.

Leader of the G Company, First Marines, Redmon spoke of a particularly dangerous battle fought on a steep hill in Korea. Just six months prior to this conflict, he had been hauling wheat in Kaholtus, Wash.

“We got word to move out one afternoon and set up before sunset,” Redmon, now 79, recalled.

He wrote, “We were now on a long ridge line with a far reaching valley to our front and to our rear a rather peaceful looking river over which the Army Engineers had constructed a first-class bridge.”

Knowing Chinese forces were nearby, sleep was not a good prospect that night for Redmon and his platoon. Nearby, a fellow Marine spotted a conspicuously looking haystack.

He said, “Hey, I looked at that thing an hour ago and now it's moved.”

As it turned out, the haystack was actually a Chinese tank in disguise attempting to position itself to take aim.

“It had a structure built around it covered with hay - pretty good camouflage,” Redmon said.

After attacking the tank with a mortar grenade, Redmon's platoon focused on the plan for advance over the bridge. Serving as the rear guard, his second platoon would march “doubletime” (much faster) over the bridge once the first and third platoons crossed. Visibility was poor, as clouds of smoke and dust from launched rockets hung above them.

Once Redmon's platoon successfully crossed the bridge, the Army Engineers had been instructed to blow-up the structure.

As it turned out, a contingency plan was needed.

“I heard this terrific explosion. What the hell are we going to do now?” Redmon said.

He wrote, “Our route south had suddenly turned into two smoking piers on each side of the river. We realized that we did not have any radio or other means of communication with the company.”

For a reason unknown to him, the bridge had exploded too soon.

Sending a squad wading across the 30-yard wide river in chest-deep water, the platoon joined the main body of their company within 45 minutes.

“We were lucky as hell we didn't lose a soul,” Redmon said.

For his bravery over challenging terrain and in the midst of intense enemy fire, the U.S. Marine Corps awarded Redmon a Silver Star.

The Marines' commanding general at the time, in the name of President Truman, wrote in a letter, “Second Lieutenant Redmon ... displayed outstanding skill, courage and aggressiveness in the performance of his duties ... He inspired his men to effectively return the enemy's fire by continually exposing himself.”

Redmon, who enlisted at the age of 17, remains humble about the whole experience.

“I'm not claiming to be a hero, I'm just a patriotic American. The main thing I'm stressing is talking about this stuff,” he said.

“To let people know what we went through. I want people to understand.”

A native of Yakima, Wash., Redmon lives in Lake Havasu City with his wife Patricia. He has one son Fred, who is an environmental architect in Washington, and two daughters Christine and Kimberley Ann. They reside in Nevada and Washington, respectively.

Gaining 35 pounds while at war, Redmon said he didn't have any problems with military life, but added, “It shakes you up.”

“After awhile, you realize it's you who has changed. It's me who has done the changing.”

You may reach the reporter at hays@havasunews.com

Ellie