That's quite a story. I love it. It immediately put a lump in my throat when I saw his tombstone.
I love those stories and they always make me think of my grandfather's story in Korea as wel. Brings a lump right up in my throat when I think of my grandfather. I've typed it in here before...but I don't think I want to type it all in right now....
I've heard the story from my dad and then interviewd (and still have RECORDED), in 1992, for a class while I was in college. The class was called "Soldier's Story, retold" through the military science department.
Here is the abridged version...
John H. Stiegler was a machine gunner for his unit in Korea. His unit was being overrun by the Chinese and they were retreating under heavy fire and casualties.
He layed down cover fire for each of the two units that were there together. He was the last one to retreat.
His barrel melted as he retreated. He only had his pistol. He was shot through the buttocks and groin by Chinese automatic rifle fire.
He went down and was BADLY wounded. He lay on the battle field.
The Chinese were coming through and bayonetting the wounded. They flipped him over. He didn't move. He played dead.
They touched his eyes with the bayonette tip (like you do your deer or elk when you approach a downded animal).
He didn't move. He could barely breath and he had lost so much blood they couldn't get a pulse.
They did NOT bayonette him. He layed there for several hours.
Later on, the Americans came back through and were looking for wounded and taking the slain Americans back home.
They put my grandfather in a body bag. They began to zip it up. He flicked his eye. It's all he could do to signal to them. Someone spotted it and they thought it was just nerves until he did it again.
They did everything they could for him and brought him back to their unit base to the MASH unit, where they stabilized him for transport to Japan. Those MASH units were what gave so many Americans a ticket home. They were the REAL DEAL.
He spent 2 years in military hospitals in Japan, San Fransisco and Fort Lewis Washington.
I know for sure he was at Madagan Hospital (sp?)
I have a picture of him with his parents when they visited him at Fort Lewis, WA.
I cannot FATHOM what it took for him to go through that. He survived until February 1998. He survived the battle, the slayings, the hospital, night terror and PTSD. He suffered from his injuries, both physical and mental for the rest of his life.
It's because people like Roy Benevidez and John Stiegler...that we can sit here on this internet forum or do whatever else it is that we do in this world.
Grandpa, you are a damn hero!!! I miss you very much. I love you.
--Scott
