It was freezing, he said Friday morning, shortly after arriving to Maintenance Center Albany aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany. The Americans, he said, were outnumbered by their Asian enemies.
“I was a mechanic in 40-below weather. ... Everybody was frostbit(ten),” said the 76-year-old. “I couldn’t touch anything.”
Clark was one of dozens of Marines of the Georgia Chapter of the Chosin Few (along with Marines from Florida, Texas and elsewhere) who traveled to Albany on a red, white and blue charter bus for a weekend reunion. It was the group’s third time aboard the base.
“They treat us like we’re heroes or something,” said an appreciative Jack McCorkle of Blairsville.
“It’s humbling to be able to share and exchange war stories, to hear about their struggles and be able to talk to them about history,” said Col. Daniel J. Gillan, commander of MCA.
The veterans toured the base Friday and on Saturday held a dinner banquet at which Col. C.N. Haliday, commanding officer of MCLB-Albany, was to speak.
“It’s a chance for us to get together and B.S. a lot, tell stories, lie,” joked McCorkle, who, upon arrival, notified media that “You don’t need to mike me. I was a drill instructor.”
The Chosin Few is a national organization of veterans who were part of the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir, in which 15,000 Marines and some army units faced about 120,000 Chinese troops. Some units are referred to as the Frozen Chosin.
About 3,000 Chosin Few survivors remain, said McCorkle.
“It’s mainly a tradition of brotherhood. We’re brothers, not friends,” said McCorkle, still fit and looking every part the Marine in pressed and creased denim pants, a blue polo embroidered with “Chosin Few” and a black braided belt with a shiny buckle on which the USMC emblem is enameled.
Battles of the Chosin Campaign, which, according to a base news release, “had a decisive impact on the future of the war,” were fought between Nov. 27, 1950 and Dec. 6, 1950.
“There were (120,000) Chinese. We fought our way back to the coast and took 45,000 of them with us,” said Sherman Lightle, who turned 78 Friday, of the Southwest Florida chapter of the Chosin Few.
“We’re really proud of what we did,” said Clark, tall with a full head of white hair.
“Freedom is not free; it costs,” he said, pointing to a T-shirt screened with a similar message.
“Some of us gave some and some of us gave all, and we appreciate the ones who gave all,” said Lightle, proudly showing off his Chosin Few pins and cap. “We’re fortunate to be here.”
For Memorial Day today, Lightle said he’ll don his dress blues and “escort mothers to put roses on wreaths.”
Like many in his day, Lightle was just a boy when he joined the Marines in 1948.
“I had to have my momma’s signature,” he said.
For Clark, one of seven children, the military was a way of life. His father served in World Wars I and II as well as the Korean war, and three of his brothers served in the Marines, United States Navy or United States Air Force.
Between the Clark men there are 110 years of volunteer military service, he said.
“We served proudly,” he said. “It was a tradition.”
For Marines such as McCorkle, the desire to serve God and country never fades.
“(Recently), I tried to go and (re-enlist) and was told I was too old,” said the 77-year-old, who still wears his uniform.
The Marines of yesteryear said they have the utmost respect for those of the present day.
“The kids nowadays, they are smarter than we were,” said McCorkle in reference to the Corps’ use of technology. “I’m very pleased and proud of the Marines of today.”
The feeling is likewise for those who on active duty.
“There’s different equipment and newer technology,” Gillan said, “but it all boils down to that hard-charging Marine.”
“Wherever they are,” McCorkle said, “they do their job.”