Evening star., 1953-07-17
317th Regiment Ends
Drama-Packed War
Al Camp Pickett
BY ChorIes J. Yorbroueh
Star Stoff Correspondent

CAMP PICKETT, Va, July IT. !
The colonel handled a bazooka. |
captains were used as riflemen !
who took orders from Sergeants
and the executive officer rained
f1our-sack bombs on his own
troops. !
A captain who had wintered !
on Korea's Heartbreak Ridge di-
rected enemy" operations and
a Nisei veteran jammed the field |
radio with japanese commands.
That was the tactical situation |
as Washington's much decorated |
317th Reserve Infantry Regiment |,
wound up its summer war here |
last night.
That also is the way the 317th |
turned manpower shortage in |
to advantage.
The primary problem for the |!
S17th's two-weeks maneuvers in |
these hot, dusty woods was pres !
ervation of the Nottoway Dam |
from destruction by enemy
troops.
Defenders Save Dam.
SO With a serious manpower
shortage. particularly at the |
squad level, they saved the dam
about midnight. The colonel !
still was a bazooka man and a
tall captain still lugged the bar |
rel of so caliber machine gun.
The 317th, with four unit cita- !
tions on its seven battle flags |
one Of them for fighting for the
101St Airborne around Bastogne !
went to its summer war here
about so per cent undermined. |
Col. Norborne P. Beville. as
sistant regional manager of the
Veterans Administration, had
about $50 in his command when
the Nottoway dam race started.
That was why he carried a ba-
zooka. That is one reason at
least. The other is that the
LIOOpS IONSQ IL.
That also is why Capt. H. T.
Beuermann, 80. of 2445 Fifteenth
street NV. veteran of World
War lis Battle of the Bulge, was
taking orders from Sergt. Frank
lin E. Reingruber, a 23-year-old
non-veteran of 5606 Birch ave-
nue., Falls Church.
And it is the answer to Capt.
James F. Forts handling Of the
so caliber machine gun. Capt.
Fort, who saw duty with the 40th
Infantry Division in the Pacific
during what the troops call the
middle war;" lives at 3445 Mar
tha Custis drive, Alexandria and
is an attorney with the War
Claims Commission.
Flour Sacks Rained Down.
In Yesterdays closing battle
when the troops needed bombing, l.
Executive Officer 1t. Col. John
w. Otterbein went aloft with
Capt. John J. zirkle as pilot and
rained down the flour sacks.
When communications were
getting too easy over the new,
lightweight FM field radios, Col.
Neville put 1t. TAX Noda of 1701
Rhode Island avenue NV, a
Nisei veteran and Georgetown
University dental student, on to
mix japanese into the conversa-
ton.
Back in the sun-baked woods
was 1t. Nathaniel H. Smith. 27.
of 1880 D street NE. who
brought Red steel and lead back
from Korea's Old Baldy last year
in his legs and side.
Up ahead, another Korean
veteran was making things as
tough as he could for the
friendly" troops trying to get
to the dam. Capt. William Hoi-
ter, 80, of 1850 North Thirty
third road, Arlington. was using
methods the Communists en-
ployed in Korea to give the 3l7th
a good idea of what the new war
is like.
The Big Reason.
Capt. Hotter is the man who
wintered on Heartbreak Ridge,
at one time commanding a rifle
company; at another in COM
mand of a heavy weapons COM
pany. There were a handful of
other Korean veterans back in
those steaming woods yesterday.
You want to know the big reason
why? Capt. Hotter has it:
III give you the same an
swer I give every one" he said.
Il signed on in the indefinite
reserve because I know if a big
war came along I'd want to be in
1t anyhow. |
II figure that in the next one
we'll be protecting our own fam
lilies" !
NAl