163-180

HANSEN, CRAIG HAYES

JENKINS, STANLEY JR

JENSEN, MYRON ORAL

JOHNSON, KIM W

KEOWN, BLAIR LOGAN

KING, DENNIS DUANE

LAZARUS, ROBERT

LEAVITT, RAY HUNT

LITTLER, JAMES III

MASON, BERNELL A

MEINERS, PAUL A

MOULTON, L NEAL

MOWER, GARY RUEL

NEWELL, GREGG A

PEDERSEN, KENNETH R

PERCIVAL, ALTON DEE

PORT, HYRUM BARRY

POWELL, LYNN KESLER

       This was an 18 miler, getting ready for my marathon in a month. I was able to run all of these name and honor all of their sacrifices with a sacrifice of my own. I carried this list with me so that I wouldn't forget any of the names.

           The weather was amazing, and I picked the most scenic route. I was able to really enjoy being outside. I took a video on the edge of Provo Airport by the Lake to show how amazing the day was.

              I'm grateful for the sacrifice of these men. They served, fought, and died for us. I can live in peace and enjoy the beauty of Utah, or Colorado, or Mississippi, or anywhere else because of what they did. I hope my running in some small way honors these men. I'm inspired by them and am determined to make life better for those around me.

              Spring is here, bringing with it promise, hope, and anticipation for an incredible year. So many great things can happen if we all look around and help others. Please take a moment and find someone around you whose life you can make better.

159-162

FALCONER, PAUL III

GOLDEN, M DENNIS

HALES, RAYMON D

HALL, REED JAMES

144-158

BACON, KENNETH JR
BEHUNIN, JOSEPH W
BITTON, GARY W
BOONE, CHARLES LEE
BRAGG, FRED G JR
BRETCHES, RAYMOND D
BROWN, MICHAEL G
CHIPMAN, RALPH JIM
CRANDALL, GORDON C
DECELLE, ROBERT II
DEWAAL, HOWARD J
DUCE, ROGER LAVON
DUFFIN, REY LAMAR
ENOS, LEONARD ARVIN
EVERT, L GERALD

I did all 15 of these names on one run, in preparation for a marathon in April. It was a beautiful day and a beautiful run. It took a lot of dedication and endurance, but I was happy doing it for these guys. Because there are so many names, I'm going to start posting more individual profiles as separate posts as I get more and more information.

Glen Roy Draper

  
      Glen Roy Draper had a short tough life. His mother and siblings were killed when he was 5, and he only had his father to count on for the rest of his life. Glen only got 24 credits at BYU before he was drafted and entered a Marine unit heading to Korea. He was assigned to the Communication Section, which sounds like it should be a safe place.

     Early on, he made a distinct impression on the soldiers around him. He bolstered the faith of many. Jim Carmickle, the Sergeant in charge of the message center said:

    "Draper was a full-blown Mormon. He carried 

     his Mormon Bible with him at all times. When 

he had free time he read it. He lived it, he 

believed it. He was fully religious without 

being obnoxious to others about his beliefs."

         

     Carmickle explained that Glen's death was a religious trial for him, because until then he had trusted that God would protect him. However, after seeing Glen's devotion and death Carmickle realized that faith and devotion do not guarantee survival. He was later told by his unit Chaplain that God wanted Glen in Heaven where most of his family already was. He was taken up to Heaven because he was so good and believed so firmly. 

         Death is part of God's plan. It's the way that we return to Him, and the way that we escape some of the pain, trial, torture, and evil of this world. It would be inappropriate and misguided to believe that faith will protect us from all harm and evil. While speaking at a funeral Elder Anthony W. Ivins, an Apostle of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said:

"This is what the gospel gives us-not immunity from death, but victory over it through the hope we have in a glorious resurrection...It is a pleasure, and it is a satisfaction and joy to know that men lay down their lives in righteousness, in the faith, true to the faith."

Glen Roy Draper

135-143

BUSHMAN, WARREN M

DRAPER, GLEN ROY

JOHNSON, L LAVAR

MATTHEWS, ARNOLD JR

SCHOFIELD, THEODORE

STEVENSON, MAX B

TANNER, MARLIN A

TIBBS, DON E
WILKINS, KIRK CHASE

        I've been sick for a few weeks and haven't been able to run. This morning though, with a lot of encouragement, I went 9 miles. I was planning on 8, but it was pointed out to me that one extra mile would finish the names from the Korean War. I couldn't walk away from such a small extra effort when these guys gave it all. 

       Every name on this blog belongs to a hero, but as I transition to more recent wars, it's easier to research each name and find out exactly what made them a hero. Every picture I see, every letter I read, every story I hear lead me to admire these men more and more. I'm inspired daily by their examples of living righteously, and of living courageously.

       Warren Bushman attended BYU for only one semester before enlisting in the Army. From Navajo Arizona, he enlisted into the 7th Cavalry Regiment. On the boat to Korea he conducted church services and truly lived his religion. 

Warren Bushman

He took part in the fierce battle of Heartbreak Ridge, so named for a month long offensive which resulted in 3,700 American and French dead and many other Korean dead with only a few small hills to show for it. He survived the battle, but was killed in action a few weeks later.


     Colonel Lorin Lavar Johnson was a legend. A hero of WWII and member of the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame, he fit the mold of a dashing pilot. Born in Payson Utah, he graduated from BYU and after 4 years in the national guard entered the Army Air Corps. 

Colonel Lorin Johnson

          Colonel Johnson participated in the first mass flight of land-based aircraft across the Pacific Ocean. In this flight the 18th Bomb Group flew from San Francisco to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. He then commanded the 392nd Bomb Group and personally flew 37 combat missions. In WWII, bombing was incredibly dangerous and as a commander, he wasn't obligated to fly many missions. Colonel Johnson led by example though, and showed his troops that he was willing to put his life on the line for them. He led the first daylight raid on Bremen and his unit enjoyed incredible success. He was later killed in action during the Korean War.

          Donald Tibbs was born in Indianola Utah. He played football at Brigham Young High School and attended BYU in 1948. Growing up, he was very close to his brother Robert, who served in the Air Force during WWII. When the Korean War broke out Robert was deployed again, while Don became a mechanic in the Utah National Guard. Don's unit was called up to deploy right as Robert was coming home, and they only spent one day together before Don had to leave. As soon as Don got to Korea he was given an M-1 rifle and told to go to the front lines instead of his original duty assignment as a mechanic. He was sent directly to the battle of Heartbreak Ridge, as they needed more men desperately.  He wrote a letter to his friend that said he had been at the bottom of a hill for 3 days without moving an inch. On September 24, 1951 Don Tibbs was killed, after only a few days on the front lines.

          Heartbreak Ridge was exactly that- a heartbreaker. It's a classic example of using misguided benchmarks and outdated tactics in a war. The Allied forces would pound the hill with planes and artillery all day, then order their troops to take bunkers built into the hill which had been largely unscathed by the previous shelling. The Allied troops would make a frontal assault uphill and fight tooth and nail during the day to conquer this series of hills, only to be swept off of it by fresh Korean troops during the night. Day after day, they would endure the heartbreak of seeing their friends and brothers killed in a grotesque version of King of the Hill. It paralleled the Korean War at large which, after all of the fighting, returned the political lines right back to the 38th parallel. Sometimes you wonder what their sacrifice means. I don't pretend to have all of the answers, but I do know that over 60 years later the citizens of North Korea are suffering from incredible human rights violations, and those who our soldiers were able to protect in the South are doing alright.
      
         There are too many names and too few resources, but it has been incredible to learn more and more about my heroes. One of the names that I didn't get to is Glen Roy Draper. The Next Post will be dedicated to him.