Today I had the pleasure to interview a World War II Veteran, Korean and Vietnam veteran named Bob Chisolm. Bob was born in Dallas, Texas on June 23 1925 and grew up with his two older brothers and his two step sisters. In high school, he remembers having heard about the conquest of Germany in Europe but as young teenager, he didn’t really pay attention. After the attack on the Pearl Harbor and the fact that his two old brothers were already in the army, Bob decided to enlist in the army on 27 august 1942. At only 17 he was attached to the 82nd Airborne Division, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, I Company. After 6 weeks of military basic training in Camp Walter, Texas Bob received radio operator training because he had an aptitude to learn code. In Nov 1942, he was sent to the parachute school for more physical training and to learn how to jump from a C-47. Airborne was new at this time and many men didn’t make it. During the night of June 5 to 6, Bob landed in a Normandy field surrounded by hedgerows quiet far from the 508th drop zone. It was probably due to the fact that the inexperienced pilot climbed to an higher altitude when he saw the German flak. Until he rejoined his unit, he fought during a couple of days with the G company, 505th PIR. On June 23 1944, the day of his 19th birthday, Bob was wounded during a patrol by a German machine gun. He stayed a few weeks at the hospital but left before the end of his medical care to go back to his unit. One of his two brothers landed on Utah Beach with the 357th Infantry Regiment, 90th Infantry Division and survived the war. On September 17 1944, he performed his second combat jump over Holland and was slightly wounded by flak fire. With all officers and non commissioned officers casualties, Bob assumed the command of his platoon and other nearby units. After Market Garden operation, he took part in the Battle of the Bulge and he was wounded for 3rd time and sent back to the States. The military referred to this as a “Million Dollar Wounded” because for the person received this wound was sent back to America. Bob was sent to the William Beaumont General Hospital in El Paso, Texas. He remembers that hospital was quite crowded and he was given a bed on the balcony. After he recovered his injuries, he was transferred back to the 508th PIR stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. During the Korean War, Bob commanded Love Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. His company fought one of the last major actions of the Korean War which was the Battle of Outpost Dale and Outpost Westview. It wasn’t the last action for him because he also fought in the Vietnamese conflict. He was a MAAG Adviser to the South Vietnamese Army. He was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB) with 2 stars because he had fought in 3 conflicts. Less than 400 hundred have received that award.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Nov 2014 04:06:42 +0000
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