[lit-ideas] Re: Punitive Expeditions

Not sure how Robert Paul knows I've "seen combat."
I "saw" it from 28,000 feet over North Korea in 1952 when
some flak burst a bit of a ways down and off too starboard. 
Other than that we bored holes in the midnight sky for a total
of 10 missions and then they called our war off.

Unfortunately, we lost our radar man, a good friend of mine from
Glen Cove, Long Island when he was breaking in our sister crew's
radar guy on their first mission. Shot down near Sinuiju (sp) on the
Yalu.
Other than a few sea lane surveillance missions along the coast of
Siberia, I can't say I saw much of any war, except a sick feeling in
briefing
before the mission. "If you're shot down in the Sea of Japan in January,

you've got two minutes to get your ass in a dingy before you die." Some
guys wore their survival suits under the flying suit for good measure.

That's all the war stories I' ve got. Had some good arguments in the bar

at Yokota Base in the Officer's Club though. No medals for that though.

Yeah, war is hell.

William Ball
Norma Ball 


-----Original Message-----
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Robert Paul
Sent: Monday, May 08, 2006 1:30 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Punitive Expeditions

Eric wrote:

> Lawrence is probably the only person on this list who knows what war
is 
> like, how terrible and chaotic.

This is an astonishing statement, unless you mean that Lawrence has some

special insight into the terror and chaos of war denied the rest of us. 
Lawrence was in the Marines, true. But others on the list have also 
served in the military, and at least two, John Wager (who posted about 
his reaction to hearing of the Kent State killings, while in Vietnam, 
just days ago) and Bill Ball, have actually been in combat.

Robert Paul
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