Appendix B

THEN AND NOW

James Beeler—leader of Second Platoon. Beeler, a charismatic and athletic former all-American football standout, was killed in action.

 

Jim Byrne—rifleman, First Platoon; member of the second replacement draft. Bryne started a family and became a successful high school teacher and historian who painstakingly preserved George Company’s history over the years.

 

Jesus Roberto “Bob” Camarillo—After serving in Vietnam, Camarillo later became a Los Angles County Deputy Sheriff and continued his education. He earned a PhD in criminal justice, a subject that he then taught. He has since retired.

 

Richard Carey—commanding officer of First Platoon. Now a retired lieutenant general of the Marine Corps, Carey currently teaches Sunday School and has a family. He is actively involved in helping veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq deal with post-traumatic stress disorder and other issues.

 

Jack Daniels—ammo bearer and later machine gunner, Third Platoon. After the war, Daniels started a family and currently resides near his ancestral home in South Carolina.

 

Douglas Drysdale—colonel and intrepid commander of 41 Commando, which led Task Force Drysdale. Under his daring and heroic leadership, the operation of Task Force Drysdale was a remarkable success.

 

Orace Edwards—rifleman, First Platoon. Edwards first worked at the Lone Star Arsenal after returning from Korea. He later earned his mechanical engineering degree and worked for a number of different companies as an engineer. He raised a family, sang with a gospel quartet, and continues to be active in his church.

 

Tom Enos—machine gunner, Second Platoon, later moved to First Platoon. Enos started a family and a successful engineering business after the war.

 

Bruce Farr—ammo bearer and later machine gunner, First Platoon. After being wounded in 1951, Farr returned to Tennessee, where he started a family, worked for the state, and later became an independent contractor. He spent many years reuniting the members of George Company and honoring the fallen. He also maintains contact with current members of 3/1, believing firmly, as he so perfectly expressed it, that their experiences are “interconnected.”

 

Sergeant Garcia—third machine gun section,Third Platoon.

 

Mert GoodEagle—ammo bearer, First Platoon. GoodEagle remained in the Marine Corps, retiring as sergeant major. He fought in Vietnam and carried Bobby Hallowell’s watch through that war. He later started a family in Oklahoma; he was the only member of George Company to actively seek his “warrior’s feather.” He died in 2008.

 

Ed Green—ammo bearer in the machine gun section attached to First Platoon.

 

Bob Harbula—ammo bearer and later machine gunner, First Platoon. Harbula honorably served in the Marine Corps in several of George Company’s major actions, including 902.After the war, he returned to Pittsburgh, had a family, briefly worked for the railroad, and later founded a highly successful business in which he helped change countless lives.

 

Jimmy Harrison—member of the forward observer team. Harrison, the most “southern” member of his unit, was killed in action.

 

Fred and E. C. Hems—Fred retired from the Marine Corps, had a successful career, and started a family in Bristol, Pennsylvania. His twin brother, E. C., stayed in the military.

 

Clark Henry—sergeant, forward observer team. Henry retired as a colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps. He started a family in the San Francisco area. He is actively involved in the lives of 3/1’s modern Marines who have gone to Afghanistan and Iraq. He is also writing mystery and adventure novels.

 

Dick Hock—rifleman, First Platoon. Following months of agonizing surgeries, Hock recovered from his wounds and resettled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he started a family and his own plumbing contracting business. He’s currently battling cancer and winning. “I’ve seen much worse,” he says.

 

Spencer Jarrnigan—leader of Third Platoon. Red-headed Jarrnigan was killed in action.

 

Douglas MacArthur—general and commander of UN and American forces during 1950 and the early part of 1951. He was relieved of command by President Harry Truman on April 11, 1951. MacArthur arrived home to a hero’s welcome, and his dismissal led to a Congressional investigation spearheaded by the Republican Party. He died in 1964.

 

John N. McLaughlin—colonel. McLaughlin survived Chinese captivity and retired as a lieutenant general. He later inspired his nephew Colonel Preston McLaughlin to become a Marine. Preston now serves as chief of staff of a Marine brigade in Afghanistan.

 

Frank McNeive—assistant squad leader, First Platoon.A private first-class, McNeive became assistant squad leader. He later served as a first sergeant during the Battle of Khe Sanh in theVietnam War. He retired as a sergeant major and raised a family.

 

Mao Tse-tung—ruthless leader of Communist China until his death in 1976. His revolutionary ideas forever changed China and modern warfare. He was responsible for the suffering and death of millions of Chinese citizens.

 

Red Nash—assistant machine gunner, third machine gun section, Third Platoon.

 

Steve Olmstead—rifleman, First Platoon. Olmstead rose through the ranks from private and retired from the Corps as a lieutenant general. Currently, he’s actively involved with various nonprofit organizations.

 

John Partridge—lieutenant colonel and legendary Marine engineer. Partridge worked miracles at Hagaru’s airfield and later bridged the Funchilin Pass. He retired from the Corps as a colonel in 1965 and died in 1987. Remarkably, he was awarded only the Bronze Star for his extraordinary efforts.

 

Peng Dehuai—leader of all Chinese forces in Korea. He fell out of favor with Mao after criticizing his policies. He was publicly humiliated and brutally tortured on Mao Tse-tung’s orders during the Cultural Revolution. He was nearly killed, but ultimately survived. He died of cancer in 1974. In 1978, four years after his death and Mao’s, the Chinese communist government finally cleared Peng and exonerated him of all wrongdoing.

 

Tom Powers—ammo bearer and later machine gunner, Third Platoon. Powers remained one of the lowest-ranking members of Third Platoon because his rap sheet was “longer than Jesse James’s.” A retired police officer, Powers later became an active member of the George Company Association. He is actively pursuing the matter of Zullo’s Medal of Honor. After writing a letter recommending Zullo for the Medal of Honor and reading it to other members of George Company, Powers was so moved that he openly wept.

 

Chesty Puller—First Marine commanding officer. Puller later became the assistant commander of First Marine division. He rose to the rank of lieutenant general and received an astounding total of five Navy Crosses. He died in 1971.

 

Harrell Roberts—reservist from Savannah, Georgia; rifleman, First Platoon. Roberts started a family in his home state of Georgia. He worked for the state of Georgia and was responsible for the design of various roads, bridges, and other infrastructure projects. He is currently president of the George Company Association.

 

Carl Sitter—George Company’s second commanding officer, who led them to victory. Sitter retired from the Marine Corps as a colonel. He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions with Task Force Drysdale and on East Hill. He eventually became an ordained minister. He died in 2000.

 

Oliver P. Smith—commanding general of First Marine division. Smith was promoted to lieutenant general in 1953 and retired in 1955 at the honorary grade of four-star general. He died in 1977.

 

Gerald Tillman—sergeant, First Platoon. Known as the “ultimate Confederate warrior” and Lieutenant Carey’s right-hand man,Tillman was killed in action.

 

George Westover—captain, the original commander of George Company.Westover later retired from the Marine Corps and started a family. He happily remarried at the tender age of 90.

 

Harold “Speedy” Wilson—legendary non-commissioned officer in Third Platoon.Wilson later received the Medal of Honor for his heroic actions on Hill 902 in the spring of 1951.

 

Ron Wyman—Wyman started a family and retired from the Marine Corps as a sergeant major.

 

Rocco Zullo—first sergeant and the heart and soul of George Company. After spending years in military hospitals and undergoing countless operations, Zullo lost track of George Company. Nearly every Marine thought he was dead.While recovering on an operating room table, Zullo met the love of his life and his future wife, whom he married during his recovery. Zullo retired from the Marine Corps and dedicated his life to the education of children. He dedicated his work to the man who was wounded and paralyzed from the waist down while administering first aid to Zullo during Taskforce Drysdale. Zullo later became a high school principal. During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Zullo sent a letter to the commandant of the Marine Corps and requested reinstatement. He did the same during the Vietnam War. At the age of 92 years young, Zullo still loves the men of George Company and the Marine Corps.And the men of George Company, as well as the author, firmly believe he deserves the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Chosin Reservoir.