In God We Trust
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U.S. Representative from New York's 15th Congressional district 1971-2011. Served in Korea with the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. The 503rd was an all-Black unit. He fought in the battle of Kunu-ri in 1950, and for leading a group of soldiers out of a Chinese Army encirclement during that battle, he earned a Bronze Star with Valor device. He also earned a Purple Hear for receiving shrapnel at Kunu-ri.
Influential Chrysler/racing engineer. Lawrence "Larry" J. Rathgeb, Detroit, Michigan, died March 22, 2020, at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital at age 90, a victim of COVID-19. He was born February 12, 1930, in Harrison, New York. His family later moved to nearby New Rochelle, and he worked as a mechanic at a local garage. In 1948, he joined the Army and was part of Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur's motor pool. He also became a member of the general's honor guard, serving in the Korean War, Jeff Rathgeb said. He noted that his father kept an autographed photo of the general in his home office. Rathgeb and his wife married after he got out of the Army. He later came to Michigan and Chrysler through the Chrysler Institute of Engineering after attending what was then the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. Larry was the lead engineer for the car that on March 24, 1970, broke one of racing's most significant milestones, the 200 mph closed-circuit track lap. By the mid-60s, he was head of Chrysler's "Special Vehicle Group," according to the Hall of Fame listing. The effort that led to the ground-breaking Charger Daytona was spawned by a battle to outdo Ford and its Torino Talladega, driven by Richard Petty, in the 1969 NASCAR season, according to Mopar. Larry was a good family man who was a friend to everyone and apparently a bit humble about his contributions. His son said those included convincing Dale Earnhardt Sr. to stick with racing after Rathgeb hired him to test the Chrysler Kit Car and his dad's work as a suspension and alignment consultant on the Dodge Viper.
Senior Judge for the State of Nevada. Senior Judge John W. Ray passed peacefully on September 03, 2016 at age 85. He is survived by Geniel, his wife of almost 66 years, 3 children, 3 grandchildren and his sister, Peggy. "Jack" grew up on ranches in Colorado and Kansas and served in the Navy during the Korean War. After the Navy he drove cattle trucks and served as a Police Officer in Pueblo, CO; moving his family to Carson City in 1965, where he worked in law enforcement for the State of Nevada before becoming Special Master of the Juvenile Courts. Jack was first appointed and then twice elected as Justice of the Peace in Carson City. He always said that he was lucky to have been elected with majority votes as being the Judge meant "he could only make half of the people happy at any one time". He was subsequently appointed as a Senior Judge for the State of Nevada. The Nevada State Supreme Court recently acknowledged his work with a special commendation for his years of service and reputation for empathy and fairness. Jack was a member of the LDS church and when not working, was a "hands on" father before it was the norm. He enjoyed working with the Eagle Scouts, family camping and four-wheeling trips, working with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, working as a Trustee for the local library, participating in the local Masonic Lodge, and reading mystery novels. He retired to a quiet life with family and close friends in 2005. Services will be held Saturday, September 10, at 1pm at the LDS Stake Center in Carson City, 411 N. Saliman Road, to be followed by graveside service at Lone Mountain Cemetery. Published in Reno Gazette-Journal on September 8, 2016.
Film maker. Joel Melvin Reed, Manhattan, New York, died April 14, 2020 of coronavirus in a hospital in Queens. He was born December 29, 1933 in Brooklyn, a son of Albert and Gertrude Harris Reed. He was survived by brothers Elliott and Michael. After completing high school he served in the US Army in Korea. Mr. Reed gained fame as a soft-core porn and then splatter-horror filmmaker. His most famous film was the misogynistic film, "Bloodsucking Freaks".
Minor League baseball player. He was serving in the US Air Force when he was killed in a plane crash at Panama City, Florida, on December 11, 1953. (George C. Von Reeden)
Senior Scientist at Goodyear Atomic/Martin Marietta plant for 36 years. During his career he was awarded four U.S. patents for inventions in the atomic research field. Born August 26, 1929, at Sciotoville, Ohio. He received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Ohio University in 1951. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force as a 1st Lieutenant from 1951-53 during the Korean War. He died July 2, 1989 in Waverly, Ohio.
Musical accompanist of movie star Debbie Reynolds for many years. Born on July 1, 1929, Rudy lived in Terre Haute, Indiana before moving to Hollywood. In 1949 he was on his way to a career in Hollywood, having a hit recording, "Sneakin' Around." He was suddenly drafted during the Korean War and was stationed at Ft. Ord, California in Special Services. According to Curtis W. Long, after his duty hours Rudy was a pianist and conductor for the musical group that was playing at "The Rose Room", a recreational club for "colored" soldiers at the time. Bill Reynolds, brother of Debbie Reynolds, was stationed at Ft. Ord the same time Rudy was. When Debbie came to Ft. Ord to put on a show at the base recreational facility, she met Rudy and they became lifelong friends. After leaving the military Rudy appeared in the Joan Crawford film, "Torch Song." He returned to Indiana to complete his master's degree and then returned to Hollywood when Debbie Reynolds offered him a job as director of music for her traveling show. He remained in California after that.
Community college department chairman. Born April 25, 1929 and died May 14, 2015, Repetski was the first chairman of Niagara County Community College's newly formed math, chemistry and technology department. He held that position from 1968 to 1982. He enlisted in the USMC and served in the Korean War as an air intelligence officer with Marine Fighting Squadron 441 (VMF-441). He retired from the USMC reserves as a colonel.
Trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice. He rose to chief of the special trial section in 1958. Reycraft served as a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and the US Air Force during the Korean War. He died March 01, 2004.
Conservative host of the 700 Club, one of the largest television ministries in the world, Pat Robertson was born March 22, 1930. During the Korean War he served in the Marine Corps, stationed in Japan and Korea, but he was not a combat Marine. Robertson is the author of numerous spiritual, social and political books. He founded Operation Blessing in 1978. The non-profit has provided nearly $500 million in aid in 50 states and 71 foreign countries. Pat Robertson also put an unsuccessful bid in for the U.S. Presidential nomination as a Republican in 1988. The following biographical sketch explaining Pat Robertson's Korean War service was found on his website:
Growing up as I did during World War II, I attended military schools. In 1948, when President Truman re-instituted a military draft, I had the choice of enlisting in the Marines as an officer candidate or being drafted as a private in the Army. I took the Marine option, which let me finish college so long as I attended two summers of boot training for officers at Quantico, Virginia, first with the rank of corporal, then as sergeant. I graduated from Washington & Lee, Magna Cum Laude, and at my graduation for the first time in the history of the school, a graduate was formally commissioned a second lieutenant in the armed forces of the United States. In June of 1950, I enrolled at the University of London for a survey course called "The Arts in Britain Today." On occasional weekends I crossed the English Channel to France. Sitting at a sidewalk café in Paris in mid-June of 1950, I read of "La guerre dans Coree." Then as I read on, I learned that the United States was calling the "fusiliers marines" into active service. That meant me. On October 2, 1950, a couple of weeks after my return from Europe, I was ordered to report for duty at the First Special Basic Class for young Marine Corps officers at Quantico, Virginia. In January of 1951, I shipped out from San Diego to Kobe, Japan. I spent four months at a camp near Kyoto, Japan doing rehabilitation training for Marines wounded in Korea. We did long, grueling marches to toughen the men, plus refresher training in firearms and bayonet combat. In May of 1951, I was transferred to Korea where I ended up at the headquarters command of the First Marine Division. The Division was in combat in the hot and dusty, then bitterly cold portion of North Korea just above the 38th Parallel, later identified as the "Punchbowl" and "Heartbreak Ridge." For that service in the Korean War, the Marine Corps awarded me three battle stars for "action against the enemy."
[KWE Note: Robertson's version of his military service greatly differs from versions of other Marines who knew him during his time in the Marine Corps. They note that Robertson was not a combat Marine. He was in the 5th Replacement Draft en route to Korea when his influential father, a senator from Virginia, used his connections to get Pat reassigned to duty in Japan to avoid the dangers that awaited 2nd Lieutenants going into the combat zone in Korea. When Robertson was eventually sent to Korea, he was assigned to Headquarters at Masan, some 300 miles from the front lines.]
Republican politician from New Hampshire. Warren Rudman served two terms as a senator from New Hampshire. He was also the Attorney General of New Hampshire from 1970-1976. Born on May 18, 1930, he received a BS from Syracuse University in 1953. He received a law degree from Boston College Law after serving as a platoon leader and company commander during the Korean War. He was wounded in action in the war and was a recipient of the Bronze Star. Rudman authored the book, "Combat: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate." He died November 19, 2012.
Writer & Historian who authored a number of works of military history including Line of Departure: Tarawa (1967) and Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea (1999). Russ based his research on extensive interviews with living veterans of the military campaigns & battles he wrote about. Russ served in the 1/1 Battalion of the 1st Marine Division with the rank of Sergeant. In one incident, Russ and his platoon were pinned down in no man's land. He wrote 'During the barrage, I tried to draw my entire body up into my helmet like a fetus.' Russ served in Korea for seven months in 1953. He kept a detailed diary which was strictly against regulations and when an officer questioned what he was doing, Russ pretended he was writing letters home. After the war, Russ used his wartime diary as the basis for his first book The Last Parallel, a memoir of his experiences in Korea. Published in 1957, the book reached No.8 on the New York Times bestseller list and the film rights were sold to director Stanley Kubrick but the film was never made. Martin Russ was born February 14, 1931 in Newark, New Jersey. He died December 06, 2010 in Oakville, California. [Submitted to the KWE by Peter Hill, Australia]
Former Detroit Recorder's Court judge and lawyer. Before his legal career, the judge served in the Korean War as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army. He graduated from the University of Detroit and got his law degree at the University of Detroit Law School in 1951.