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THEODORE C. YOKUM
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Theodore C.YOKUM Pvt. "F" Co, 503d PRCT K.I.A., Grubbs Ravine, Corregidor 22 February 1945 |
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I went back again, arriving just after Pfc James Wilson had cleaned out
the culvert. Wilson was first scout
of the second squad, and being a scout he was carrying a Thompson sub-machine
gun. He was on the other side of Maciborski and had crawled forward about twenty
feet after hearing Jap voices in the culvert. He reached over the edge of
the bank and slung a WP grenade into the culvert. As soon as it
popped, he jumped down into the stream bed and opened fire with
his weapon. As we moved forward and Yocum was crossing the road,
suddenly Yocum went down instantly,
as if he had been struck with a heavy blow. His legs were drawn up as he lay in
a foetal position on his right side. Then after several quivers his body
relaxed. As I saw his death, I thought of his two young sons and the love he had
expressed to them and his wife, his plans for his return, all the things I
had read in his letters which I had been required to read in the
distasteful job of censoring mail. More sadness!
Bill Calhoun |
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Where were our mortars? Looking back I saw them coming down the
rocky bed. Todd was on the other side of the bed, and we both yelled as loud as
we could for them to stop, but they came on. I really did not want to leave my
prone position by the side of the building, but I had to get to them and get
them firing. I rolled over and looked down again at George Mikel. He had not
moved since I’d last seen him. It seemed obvious that he had been shot by Japs
in or around the culvert, so I told him, for I thought him barely conscious,
that I was going to get his mortars into action, for him not to move, an I'd be
back shortly.
