2013 09 Gem Lake News - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

Gem Lake News Page 3 of 6 Gem Lake Resident Vern Grundhofer Served in Korea His service began with a draft notice. He was 22 years old and standing in an enlistment line. He was grabbed by the marines, who really were looking for a few good men. The encounter probably increased his chances of coming home safely. His training was superior. When he got to Korea, it also became clear that the marines were often better equipped than their counterparts in the U.S. Army. The fighting took place over hilly terrain and the objective was simply to take one hill after another, or prevent the enemy from gaining the high ground. Each hilltop represented a potential artillery placement for one side or another. To do the job, his company had Browning Automatic Rifles, which fired off 450 rounds per minute. When a hot-spot was located, the generals always “called in the marines.” As a result, his squad moved around a lot and often engaged in long combat situations. In the Marines, men were then organized into squads of 12. Within a squad, there were three “fire teams.” Within a fire team, one marine served as a scout, one served as the BAR man, (for Browning Automatic Rifle), one served as assistant rifle-man and one served as the fire team leader. Vern’s fire team leader became a good friend. His name was Richard Bustle of Indianapolis. Sadly, Richard was killed July 25, 1953, only three days before the Korean War Truce was signed. Vern was on his way home when Richard died and heard the news when he landed in San Francisco. At 22, Vern was older than many of the marines he served with. They called him “Pops” and “Old Man.” Age and experience made him more cautious than some of the 18 year olds he served with. “Some of them who felt more invincible than I did,” says Vern. Vern was assigned to the main line of resistance in Korea. In marine lingo, this is always referred to as the “MLR.” The strategic nature of the area increased the ferocity of the fighting. One fire fight in particular stands out from all the many others. His squad and some reinforcements (27 men in all) were defending an area called Outpost Dagmar. The Chinese shelled the outpost relentlessly until 2 a.m. one morning. In the end, four were killed, 17 were wounded, and Vern was only one of seven left to defend the hill. The result was that the marines held on. “The Browning Automatic Rifle is the only reason I am able to talk to you about this today.” During the fighting, he carried a wounded marine about 800 yards through a “no-man’s land” in order to get him medical aid. With this battle over, Vern bedded down right on the main line of resistance and slept. In the morning, Vern’s squad had to load the back of a flat bed truck with the bodies of dead enemy soldiers. He realized that he had recently faced them in battle. The memory remains chilling. After discharge, Vern went on to college on the GI Bill. He studied aircraft mechanics in Los Angeles. When he came back to Minnesota to live, he married Mary Ann Tessier, whose family lived in Gem Lake. They had five children. Each Veterans Day, Vern thinks about the guys who died in Korea. “They never had a chance to come home and get married and have children and grandchildren. They gave all of that up for us.” Vern was a real treasure and will be missed by friend and family, which includes seven grandchildren.