Paid In Full: Tales of Bravery & Sacrifice

By Ken Byerly

Step back in time to an era when the nation was torn asunder by conflict, and the unforgiving Vietnam War exacted a toll too heavy for the human spirit to bear. In this compelling narrative, you'll be introduced to eight exceptional graduates of Pennsylvania Military College, men whose stories have defied the test of time.

Thes

• Language: English
• Publisher: The Paper House
• Release date: Mar 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798869228505

Book preview

CHAPTER 1:

PENNSYLVANIA MILITARY

COLLEGE

Before these brave eight men served and gave their lives for this country, they were introduced to military duty life while attending Pennsylvania Military College, PMC. They learned almost everything needed to prepare them for their time in service as leaders and team members who depended on each other when times were difficult.

For all of us graduates of PMC (I was in the Class of ‘68), no one can ever forget our Rook (freshman) year...Ugh! As a Rook, we were the lowest of the low; we weren’t even actually considered a man when we entered PMC around the age of 18. Early life as a Rook was chaotic for a while until the upperclassmen arrived and our lives changed. We had a Cadre made up of a sergeant, usually a junior, and a first lieutenant, a first classman (senior), who was the Executive Officer of the Company. They were our teachers and caretakers...and I say that lightly. Who could forget the 2:00 am mattress checks, hitting the walls, duck walks around the dorm hall, squaring around the hall, preparing for Saturday morning inspections, waxing the floors, white glove inspections including unscrewing the light bulbs and looking for dust, bouncing a quarter off your bunk to see if it was made properly and how high it would go, hospital corners, uniforms properly displayed and underwear displayed via 1x 5 cardboard slats in the clothes locker. Running everywhere, drop and give me 10 (push-ups), sitting at a brace, and eating square meals, How’s the cow? (Pass the milk). We can all remember running through the streets of Chester, PA, singing our Army running songs...mostly the clean ones...LOL.

If you are currently having flashbacks, don’t worry; so did I, as I tried to remember those glory days. Depending on the time you attended PMC, your memories may differ slightly but close to these. When I look back on our Rook year, despite all its demands on our time, it made us better Cadets because if you could make it through your Rook year, you could make it through almost anything. I didn’t mention our drilling or marching on a daily basis, our ROTC Army military staff guiding us via our Military Science Classes under the constant eyes of the school military staff. In our Rook Class, that was Major General Biddle and others. How about the squad or platoon in attack training in Chester Park or Washington Park? I know there are things I am missing, but you get the idea. PMC was military training 24/7 through the school year, especially for the Rooks.

But if you made it through until May of your Rook year, you were recognized as Old Men by the upperclassmen...you made it! Your Rook year was demanding from three perspectives. One, it was physically demanding. Two, it was academically challenging trying to adjust to college and PMC military life. Three, it taught you how to manage your time as effectively as possible, this becoming a better person.

The rest of your time at PMC involved many challenges, especially in the ‘60s due to the Vietnam War, a public that did not support the military or the War, and the constant threat of being drafted. A Cadet at PMC was trained by exceptional military staff members who tried to guide him in the right direction. However, despite their efforts and preparedness, it was a difficult time for all: our uniforms, the pride of following in the footsteps of former Cadets from years past, the Esprit de Corps, the comradery in the Corps, being in a unique fraternity whose members were in exclusive company, etc., were all factors in our uncertain future. In our four years at PMC, some of the Cadets had already decided to make the military a career, and the training they received at PMC prepared them well to be effective leaders of the men under their command. Others, like me, started out as Rooks with the mindset of making the military a career; but, that changed when the Vietnam War became a reality and hit home personally. In addition, at the end of our sophomore year, we could see PMC changing direction with the addition of Penn Morton College, a civilian school, to which we lost quite a few Cadets after they switched colleges for whatever reason(s).

In the ’60s, PMC was definitely in the beginning stages of transitioning from a military college to a civilian one. However, it did not affect the outstanding preparation we received for our roles as officers in the military, mainly in the US Army but also in the Marine Corps and a few in the Navy. As a PMC Cadet, four years trained you to be an effective leader, fair yet stern, making on-the-spot decisions for the betterment and safety of your men, clearly leading by example, and not asking your men to do something you wouldn’t do yourself. It didn’t matter which branch of the service you entered. As a PMC graduate, you were trained to be a leader. This training was quite evident during the summer of basic training at Indian Town Gap, PA. Some of our PMC Cadets were cited for exceptional leadership qualities versus the other schools represented.

In the ’60s, US troop deployment to South Vietnam increased, and the war began to divide the American public, which affected those going into the service and those already on active duty. When we were commissioned, we signed the blank check we all heard about. Unfortunately, some of those checks should have been marked paid in full!

ALL GAVE SOME,

SOME GAVE ALL!

For the eight graduates who paid the ultimate price, for other PMC Cadets, it was time to graduate and be commissioned. With the Vietnam War looming, the future was uncertain one. It would take them down roads not often traveled, but they were expertly and effectively trained and ready to