Operation Insight

Bill had a belief that serving your country was important. After briefly considering joining the Marines and amidst strong opposition from family, Bill settled on the Air Force. Bill was stationed at Pease AFB for five months after joining. While there, Bill volunteered for Sentry Dog School. Bill said, “We knew by volunteering for Sentry Dog School, we were also volunteering for Vietnam.”
Dog handlers were in high demand in Vietnam, and Bill was assigned to Phan Rang Air Base. Bill served in the 35th Security Police Squadron. Phan Rang was located about six miles inland from the South China Sea and about ninety miles north of Saigon. "When I got to Vietnam, there was extensive dog training. The dogs were being trained, handlers were trained with the dogs, and there was sentry training." Bill served a harrowing nine months from February 1967 to November 1967 as a dog handler in Vietnam.

Paul “Bud” Haedike was a sixteen-year-old when Pearl Harbor was attacked in 1941. Like other young men, Paul was eager to join the military, but had to wait until he was eighteen. Paul got his draft notice on his eighteenth birthday and reported to Jefferson Barracks in St. Louis. In the inductee line, Bud's card was stamped “NAVY", but Bud had other ideas. He pleaded, and they finally changed his card to "ARMY".  Once in, Bud opted for the Army Air Corps. Bud wanted to be a P-51 fighter pilot but had to settle for bombardier on a B-17 Flying Fortress. Bud was shot down on his first mission, but safely crash-landed in Belgium. He went on to fly twenty-two more missions deep into enemy territory and three humanitarian missions, which Bud calls his most rewarding. Bud shares with us the harrowing life of a B-17 air crew member.

Welcome to the Dog Tag, Episode 2 of our inaugural season. This week’s show features exciting stories of local veterans told by two of the founding members of the museum. We will walk you through some of the exhibits and stories, starting with World War I through present day.
These are stories of local heroes who served our country. Renee and Jim explain the rich history of the county. As you enter the museum, you see a replica of the original Fort Zumwalt. Back then, St. Charles County was considered part of the Wild West, and Daniel Boone was an early settler.
In the World War I exhibit, you see many handwritten letters and documents along with “sweetheart art.”  Soldiers would craft and shape empty shell casings or parts of enemy planes into jewelry, picture frames, or a vase for parents or loved ones.
We have a large photograph on the wall in our Korea exhibit of the landings at Inchon Bay. The photograph shows U.S. ships and supplies stuck in the mud as the tide drastically shifted out. You’ll see the story about PFC Albert Koch of the 1st Cavalry who boarded a Japanese Ferry, the Toya Maru, and was hit by a typhoon with 118 miles an hour winds. The ship sank with more than 1,000 people losing their lives. Of the 57 Americans on board, including soldiers, women, and children, only one soldier survived. These stories in Korea remind us that we were fighting Mother Nature, as well as the North Koreans and Chinese.
United States Marine Corporal James Club and his wife Judy exchanged over 500 letters while he was in Vietnam, mostly on pink paper. While James safely returned home to Judy, many of his friends were not so lucky. Corporal Club explains his feelings through his letters.
You’ll read the story of Master Sergeant Matthew Sims, a Combat Medic who earned three Purple Hearts during a single deployment. You’ll also read letters from thankful parents and fellow soldiers thanking him for the opportunity to raise a family because of Matt’s devotion to saving lives.
Visit our website, sccvetsmuseum.org, for more of these and other stories. We hope you enjoy this podcast.

Welcome to The Dog Tag, a podcast by the St. Charles County Veterans Museum!
 
Our museum began with one man’s dream to honor veterans. That singular gentleman and visionary was World War II veteran Private Ralph Barrale. Seemingly, in another life, Ralph had fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was among the first troops to enter the Dachau Concentration Camp. Later in life, Ralph felt it was important to honor veterans of all wars and share their stories.
Ralph believed, “No one is ever gone as long as their memories remain.” Our museum is unique in that it tells the stories of local men and women who served. We honor them by preserving and sharing their stories. This week, we’ll share the beginnings of the museum on our 3rd anniversary, along with major projects and plans for 2022.