November 8, 1950

 

Henry Holds His Rate In Fighting 1^st Cav.

By Cpl. Pat Murphy

 

WITH THE 1^ST CAV. DIV. IN NORTH KOREA-Henry wiggled out of his sleeping bag, set his six-sizes-too-big cap squarely on his bristle-haired pate and commanded: "Hokay.  Getcha out bed."

It was a big day for Henry.  He had been promoted from a 1^st Cavalry Division corporal to master sergeant, and he was making sure his men knew his authority. 

No orders had been issued on Sergeant Henry, nor could he have passed any of the Army's entrance requirements.  For Sergeant Henry is a casualty of war; a South Korean orphan adopted unofficially and cared for by a group of young American soldiers.

It's fairly difficult to remember when Henry was picked up, but Cpl. Jack Folds, of LaGrange, Ga., the man who's been appointed official guardian, thinks it was near Taegu in South Korea.

"A bunch of us guys were sitting around a fire one night," Corporal Folds drawled out, "when some South Korean kid walked up with Henry hand-in-hand and said, 'Presento.'  He just gave him to us.  And we've had him ever since." 

Henry's new guardians don't know too much about his past, but from what they can get through interpreters, Henry's mother was murdered by Communists and his father was killed while serving with the South Korean army.

Since joining the American Army, seven year old Henry has acquired a multitude of Western habits.  "He's a pretty cocky kid," Folds said, "but it's because we've taught him to stand on his own feet.

"He's not much at speaking English, but he's catching on fast.  Henry's learned most of the GI terms like 'chow' and 'mess kit' and 'Get on the ball.'

"But don't get me wrong," Folds warned, "we've taught him lots of things a real gentleman should know.  He's well mannered, so it hasn't been such a hard job.  Every morning, he gets up and says 'gud mo'ning' and starts to help the boys with cleaning up and packing their tent rolls.

"And we haven't had any trouble with his personal habits," 21 year old Folds said.  "Right from the beginning, he's taken a real interest in his cleanliness.  He washes his own clothes and bathes by himself.  We don't even have to wash behind his ears."

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