The 2d Lt.

What Bill Calhoun did regret was that, for over 45 years, he did not know the name of this officer. The strongest possibility he had was that the unknown officer was commanding a unit attached to William "Moose" Campbell's 3rd platoon to aid in the attack.

Who was the officer? What unit was he with? John Lindgren often needled Calhoun about it, consistently and kindly. Assuming, quite reasonably, that the list of officers recorded in Templeman's "Return to Corregidor" as killed in action is correct then his name must be listed here if he was a member of the 503rd RCT, he opined. John, with his usual persistence to find out everything, began the painstaking process of determining the day and circumstances of the death of every lieutenant on the list of KIA's. This took quite a bit of researching records, writing and talking to everyone he felt could help. After considerable time and effort only one name remained unaccounted for. That was the name of 2nd Lt Dorval R. Binegar.

By now Calhoun's interest was fully aroused. So Lindgren and he began the effort together. They first dealt with the assumption that the officer might be a liaison officer from an air or naval unit sent to observe for supporting fire for the attack. Any stranger could have been put down as a officer from regiment, or a mortar officer, or such. In any event they set out to find out if it was Binegar. Questioning others at reunions brought no results. Finally Calhoun put an inquiry in the the 503d Association Newsletter asking for information about the date and circumstances of Binegar's death.

Within a short time Robert A. Boundy, East Ely, Nevada, replied with a letter. He knew Binegar. Boundy was a bazooka man in the 2nd Section, Demolition Platoon, Regimental Headquarters Company. Binegar was his section leader. Binegar had joined them in Mindoro not long before the jump. Binegar was killed "not many days after the jump". Another officer was killed by a Jap sniper, also, when Binegar was killed. (He did think this officer lived a couple of hours, and it could have been 2nd Lt Ball.) *

The exact details of Ball's death on 23 February were already known, and there was no connection with Binegar there. Boundy did recall that Binegar was killed shortly before their section sergeant, Sergeant Richard H. Harley was killed. He said another replacement had joined the unit in Mindoro at the same time that Binegar did. This was Charles E. Breit. Coincidentally Campbell too had joined the unit in Mindoro, shortly before the jump.

Included in his letter were names of other members of the section who might be able to furnish information. These were: Woodrow "Woody" Wilson, Thomas Carroll, Milton Bowman, Charles Bowman and Dixon Hamner along with Charlie Breit. Calhoun got off letters to these troopers.

Woody Wilson phoned from California. He did not remember much about the incident, nor did he really remember Binegar. He remembered Sergeant Harley's death vividly. The sergeant was hit in the neck by a dum-dum bullet. They managed to keep him alive by using artificial respiration. After he was put on a truck and taken to Topside he died.

Lindgren and Calhoun agreed that Charles Breit had to be the key. Here was a man who very probably knew both Campbell and Binegar. Then there was one necessary requirement. He must have a good memory.

Suddenly the much hoped for breakthrough happened. About 2:00 PM., Saturday, June 16, 1990, Calhoun answered his ringing telephone. The caller was Charles Breit. Calhoun was so surprised and hopeful that he was almost afraid to ask questions for fear that Breit wouldn't remember. But Breit had an unusually clear memory. In addition to that he'd been on Corregidor the previous November with General Jones's dedication group. He knew the sites.

Breit knew both Campbell and Binegar. He said that one night in Carmel while they were at Fort Ord awaiting embarkation, he and several friends went into a large niteclub. They they struck up a friendship with an officer, Lt Dorval Binegar. They had no place to stay, so Binegar let them stay in his room.

Breit was sent to New Guinea and from there, to Mindoro. Some of his group went to the 11th Airborne Division. He arrived at Mindoro at the same time as Campbell and Binegar.

Breit was a nineteen year old flamethrower operator, but did not carry a flamethrower that day. Instead, on the morning of 17 February, he carried satchel charges in support of an attack on Battery Wheeler. They were told at the briefing that we had taken the battery the day before, but the Japs had reoccupied it during the night.

He recalled that two unidentified officers had been hit in the head by Jap snipers at about the same moment, almost simultaneously. They had raised their heads above the threshold of the berm once too often in the same place.* He said the troops hastily withdrew, under the command of the platoon sergeant, carrying the bodies. Four others carried the other body. When his group picked up the body at Wheeler, it was lying face down. He held one arm and shoulder, another trooper held the other arm and shoulder, and two men held the legs. They carried the body across the parade ground to the aid station, face down. When they reached the aid station they laid the body down and turned it over on its back. Despite the head wound and blood he immediately recognized that it was Binegar. *** He spoke of the sadness which almost overwhelmed him as he thought of the happy, high spirited Binegar that night in Carmel. Even today, it remained a source of sadness to him.

So here's to you, Dorval R. Binegar, our fallen brother. Though we did not know you in 1945, we do today. And we thank God for it.

Corregidor Then and Now	Don Abbott	The Lost Road	Battlebook - Corregidor	Bulletin Board / Feedback Forum



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