[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 20296-20297]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO JAMES RITCHIE

  Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, today I wish to pay tribute to James 
Ritchie, of Somerset, KY, a brave Kentuckian who was honored by his 
community on Veterans Day. He was the feature of a newspaper story in 
the Commonwealth Journal, which detailed his life and his honorable 
career in the military. The article was a community's effort to thank 
him for his service to our country.
  In 1947, James decided to join our Nation's military. Seeking to 
enlist in the Navy, James walked in the wrong door and was convinced 
instead to join the marines. After his training, James was deployed to 
join the 1st Marine Division Air Wing in Pusan, Korea. However, the 
trip to Korea by way of San Diego proved treacherous when James' 
transport collided with a steamliner.
  Once he made it to Korea, James was responsible for providing 
protection for the Marine air base. Against North Korean and Chinese 
guerillas, he bravely faced the harsh realities of war. After his 
enlistment and am honorable discharge, he returned home. The same 
month, however, James felt the call to serve once again, this time in 
the Air Force. Eventually returning to Korea, he helped in the U.S. 
effort to transfer responsibilities to the South Koreans.
  In 1961, James chose to retire from military and answered another 
call, this time to serve as a minister. With his wife, Wilma, James 
raised five children. I would like to take this opportunity to thank 
James for his military service to our country, and I urge my colleagues 
to join me.
  Earlier this year the Commonwealth Journal published an article 
detailing Mr. Ritchie's service to our Nation. I ask unanimous consent 
that the article be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

           [From the Commonwealth Journal, November 11, 2017]

                  The Heroic Life of a Nomadic Soldier

                           (By Cline Calhoun)

       During a somewhat nomadic life with his divorced mother, 
     James Ritchie, born in Ellington, S.C., made it through high 
     school in Alexandria, Va., as he jokingly says: ``In the 
     front door straight through the back door.''
       After three years in the seventh grade, he found himself 
     turning 17 years old in the ninth grade. One day his 
     basketball coach made him mad, so in 1947 he found himself in 
     Washington D.C., looking for a military recruiter. He had his 
     mind set on the Navy, but when he found the recruitment 
     center, he stuck his head in the door of the Marine 
     recruiter's office to ask direction to the Navy. The Marine 
     recruiter said; ``Come in here boy, I want to talk to you.'' 
     He went in the door asking directions and came out the door a 
     marine.
       After eight weeks of basic training at Paris Island, S.C., 
     he was off to Camp Lejeune, N.C. With its 14 miles of sea 
     shore, it is perfect for training in unloading the troops and 
     equipment of shore landing military units during invasions. 
     That was the job of the unit James was assigned to: The 
     Pioneer Battalion.
       In 1948 James was reassigned to the 1st 90 mm AAA (Anti-
     Aircraft Artillery) Battalion USMC on the Pacific Island of 
     Guam. No training here; OJT (on the job training) as a 
     gunner. Near the end of his enlistment he was transferred 
     back to Camp Lejeune. With an honorable discharge he was 
     given inactive reserve status, subject to recall in case of 
     war. Guess what? War. North Korea with help from China, 
     invaded South Korea.
       James says he hardly had time to get out of uniform before 
     he found himself back in it. Discharged in February, called 
     back in June. The entire reserve unit was called up and 
     trained for duty in Korea, being attached to the 1st Marine 
     Division Air Wing

[[Page 20297]]

     in Pusan, Korea. But first you have to get there. One Marine 
     didn't, and several were seriously injured.
       James' unit was on a troop train going from Camp Legume, 
     N.C. to a port in San Diego, CA. for transport to Korea. 
     Following are excerpts from Associated Press and United 
     Press:--``Lettsworth, La. (AP)-(UP) Aug. 1951--A New Orleans-
     bound streamliner and a troop train carrying 288 marines 
     toward the Pacific collided head-on in a Louisiana swamp 
     Friday and the Kansas City Southern railway reported at least 
     eight dead and one missing. The crash happened about 7 a.m. 
     (CST) on a double bend some miles northeast of Baton Rouge. 
     Marines piled out of the wreckage and gave first aid to 
     injured passengers of the New Orleans bound Southern Belle, 
     as well as to their own. Rescue workers had to hack a road 
     through the swamp to the wreck--most of the marines escaped 
     because they were eating breakfast at the back of the 
     train.''
       At that time, troop movements were classified, so when the 
     news hit the wires, Camp Lejeune was swamped with concerned 
     family members wanting to know the status of their sons, 
     husbands, fathers and brothers. The uninjured marines finally 
     boarded undamaged railcars and went on to port in San Diego 
     to a troop ship taking them on to Korea. Because of the 
     delay, the troop train was given priority clearance to 
     California.
       Upon arrival in Pusan, S. Korea, it was the job of the 1st 
     90 mm AAA Battalion to provide protection for the Marine Air 
     Base located there. Their four artillery batteries with 
     twelve 90 mm guns were stationed on the mountains 
     approximately 40-50 miles from Pusan. Transport vehicles 
     carrying ammunition, generator fuel and supplies were 
     constantly subjected to sniper fire.
       James said the primary concern for the troops were the 
     constant attempts by North Korean and Chinese guerillas to 
     invade their air defense locations. He said one of his 
     scariest times was when off duty and the alarm goes off. He 
     grabbed his rifle and ran to his fox hole, only to realize he 
     forgot his ammunition. Fortunately, his comrades prevented a 
     breach of the compound or he would have really found out what 
     hand to hand combat was really like, because he wasn't about 
     to run back to retrieve the ammunition!
       After 5 months, the Marines wanted him to reenlist and he 
     would get some quality time, maybe in Hawaii. Upon learning 
     he would probably come right back to Korea, visions of home 
     took front and center and James decided to go home.
       He was honorably discharged in June of 1952 but found he 
     still had the desire to serve his country, so in the same 
     month, June 1952, he found himself at the Air Force recruiter 
     in Alexandria, VA. But this time he didn't ask for directions 
     from the Marine recruiter. The Air Force sent him to 6 months 
     of training as a Petroleum Specialist and he was off to Ladd, 
     AF Base, Alaska, fueling jets in 55 degrees below zero 
     weather for two years.
       In 1955 he was transferred to Kirkland AF Base in New 
     Mexico, where, one year later guess what? Back to Korea. He 
     served at Osan and Kunson Air Bases because the protection of 
     South Korea was being turned over to the South Korean 
     military and the P51 Mustang were being replaced by the F86 
     fighter jets.
       James said that promotion through the ranks in the Air 
     Force seemed to be more political than proficiency driven. 
     So, in 1961 he decided against a military future, said 
     goodbye to the Air Force, and once again headed home. 
     Besides, he felt he had a greater calling as an independent 
     minister of the gospel.
       James met his wife Wilma in Albuquerque, New Mexica in 
     1955. After a whirlwind romance, they were married after only 
     7 days. Love at first sight does work--they were married for 
     60 years. James lost Wilma to cancer in 2014. They raised 3 
     boys and 2 girls. James is enjoying his golden years in his 
     home just outside Somerset, KY.
       For every infantry combat soldier, there are at least 10 
     others in the background supporting him with food, 
     ammunition, fuel, air-artillery, communications, intelligence 
     and armor cover. These are the unsung heroes we seldom hear 
     about.

                          ____________________