426wedge
NES Member
A few of you folks on this site have offered condolences of one form or another about my brother who went MIA in North Korea. I appreciate that. I have done a lot of research about the circumstances around his death and stumbled on old buddy's of his from that time. We have been in contact and as a result of that one of the guys ( He enlisted with my brother in '48) guided me to get a stone erected at the Agawam Veterans's Memorial Cemetery. He happened to be a funeral guard at the cemetery.
another fellow had actually been able to put together the events leading up to his death. I am glad our mom has passed as she had no idea what happened. Nobody did. Anyway I will post the letter here for your interest. One thing that is burned in my mind is the day that the names of the missing and dead were being read off on the radio. When Remi's name was mentioned, it was terrible. The crying and disbelief is what I remember the most. I was young at the time and did not quite understand what happened but it sank in quickly.
Vail: Remi and I used to fish together in the Westfield River over where the railroad bridge crosses from Elm to North Elm St. Met Remi in Tokyo at the snack bar in the PX., he had been down in Eta-jima school command attending a school and when the Korean War started the military closed the school and sent all the students back to their units, Remi was heading back to the 31st. Infantry Regiment, heavy mortar company, 7th. Infantry Division up in Northern Japan, Sendai. He stayed over night at my unit in Tokyo, then left the next day to report in to his unit. During his stay with me we had pictures(portrait) taken and when I got back to Westfield I took a picture of him and gave it to his mother, who at the time lived on W. Silver St. in a house across from Noble Hospital. It probably is around somewhere. My unit got to Korea ahead of his unit and when his unit got to Pusan Harbor on troop ships designated to the invasion of Inchon Harbor. I recall talking to a 7th. MP down on the docks in Pusan and mentioned Remi's unit to him and he pointed out the actual ship that the unit was on. Unfortunately I did not go out to see him as I figured I would see him up the line sometime. Never did. Remi was in the Inchon invasion and later was involved with the Chosin Reservoir operation. Where Remi's Regiment had 4 Chinese Divisions roll over them. If you do any reading and can get the book titled East of The Chosin, author Roy Appleman you might find it interesting. Talked a few years back to Remi's First Sgt(now dead) in Phoenix AZ. He told me that Remi had been shot in the chest and loaded with the other wounded in a truck and the truck in attempting to run a Chinese roadblock the truck was stopped, shot up and burned by the Chinese with all the wounded aboard. Trying to ascertain that Remi was on the truck I made contact with another guy from Mississippi in Remi's unit and he told me that he remembers giving Remi a cigarette on the truck just before the roadblock incident. Remember this all occurred in an area where zero degrees and no snow was considered a good day. Keep in touch, see if whoever has that portrait of Remi. Regards: Bill Mahar
another fellow had actually been able to put together the events leading up to his death. I am glad our mom has passed as she had no idea what happened. Nobody did. Anyway I will post the letter here for your interest. One thing that is burned in my mind is the day that the names of the missing and dead were being read off on the radio. When Remi's name was mentioned, it was terrible. The crying and disbelief is what I remember the most. I was young at the time and did not quite understand what happened but it sank in quickly.
Vail: Remi and I used to fish together in the Westfield River over where the railroad bridge crosses from Elm to North Elm St. Met Remi in Tokyo at the snack bar in the PX., he had been down in Eta-jima school command attending a school and when the Korean War started the military closed the school and sent all the students back to their units, Remi was heading back to the 31st. Infantry Regiment, heavy mortar company, 7th. Infantry Division up in Northern Japan, Sendai. He stayed over night at my unit in Tokyo, then left the next day to report in to his unit. During his stay with me we had pictures(portrait) taken and when I got back to Westfield I took a picture of him and gave it to his mother, who at the time lived on W. Silver St. in a house across from Noble Hospital. It probably is around somewhere. My unit got to Korea ahead of his unit and when his unit got to Pusan Harbor on troop ships designated to the invasion of Inchon Harbor. I recall talking to a 7th. MP down on the docks in Pusan and mentioned Remi's unit to him and he pointed out the actual ship that the unit was on. Unfortunately I did not go out to see him as I figured I would see him up the line sometime. Never did. Remi was in the Inchon invasion and later was involved with the Chosin Reservoir operation. Where Remi's Regiment had 4 Chinese Divisions roll over them. If you do any reading and can get the book titled East of The Chosin, author Roy Appleman you might find it interesting. Talked a few years back to Remi's First Sgt(now dead) in Phoenix AZ. He told me that Remi had been shot in the chest and loaded with the other wounded in a truck and the truck in attempting to run a Chinese roadblock the truck was stopped, shot up and burned by the Chinese with all the wounded aboard. Trying to ascertain that Remi was on the truck I made contact with another guy from Mississippi in Remi's unit and he told me that he remembers giving Remi a cigarette on the truck just before the roadblock incident. Remember this all occurred in an area where zero degrees and no snow was considered a good day. Keep in touch, see if whoever has that portrait of Remi. Regards: Bill Mahar
