Returning home from active duty, he was traveling by train across the northern plains when the train jumped the track. Dick helped pull some people out of the wreckage and went back to find a gold watch for an old fellow. He went into the inactive reserves and thought it was all over.

In 1950 (I was also inactive reserve), the Korean War broke out on the 25th of June. I was called to install and operate a radio station at the headquarters of Virginia Military District, 900 N. Lombardy St., Richmond, Virginia. My service date is 14 Aug. 1950, which I was told was the earliest one known--if this is any distinction. The reason being all other qualified people were assigned to units. I talked to Dick about being re-called, and he said: "I just got back, they don't want me."

In the next room to me was the Reproduction Department where all the orders were printed. I knew the Sergeant and we had a deal that he would knock on the wall when any Richmonders were involved. One day the knock came and there was Dick's name. He was sent to Fort Campbell, Kentucky and trained as an Infantry replacement. He shipped out for the west coast and went back to Japan.

He did further training in Japan and was on board a train going to the port for Korea when his name was called and he was asked: "Can you operate a Teletype Machine?" He answered, "yes," and got a job in the Communications Section in Gen. MacArthur's Headquarters in Tokyo. Dick had been working for the Division of Motor Vehicles sending out Teletype messages to the Virginia State Police.

Dick told me he knew of several on that train who didn't make it back. After that, we both got out of the Reserve Corps.

Published and Copyrighted, March 1, 2000 © Betty Naff Mitchell.