Three generations honor, remember the 'Forgotten War'

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Imagine being surrounded by enemy forces and having orders to retreat through a foreign land, fighting through the mountainous terrain in frigid temperatures for 78 miles, with little or no food, water and supplies.

Many Korean War veterans experienced this and more in what has become known as the 'Forgotten War.' The 9th Annual Ruck March held at the Air Mobility Command Museum Feb. 2 here commemorated those veterans.

Four-person ruck march teams, comprised of Air Force, Army, Marine and civilian competitors, walked or ran 6.2 miles to finish the race, each carrying 30-pound rucksacks.

One competitor was retired Army Cpl. Charles Yetter, 23rd Infantry Division, Co. I, who served in the Korean War.

"I don't go lookin' into the memories," said the retired corporal, who shared a few words about a war he said he didn't want to remember. "It was bitter cold with a lot of snow."

"I received medals from the war, but I wasn't worrying about those or anything else at the time, I was worried about getting out alive," he said, overcome by emotion. The corporal served in a war that took nearly 37,000 American lives in three years.

"I surprised my father with this trip as part of a healing process for everything he's been through," said Senior Master Sgt. James Yetter, the 166th Maintenance Squadron fabrication branch chief of the Delaware Air National Guard, New Castle, Del. "My sons knew how emotional it was for their grandfather to discuss about the war and I wanted them to learn more about it and what it meant to their grandfather."

This was a unique event because three generations of a single family competed as one team. The team of Charles Yetter, his son Sergeant Yetter and the sergeant's two sons, Luke and Alex Yetter all wore the number 15. Charles Yetter's number was pinned to the back of his wheelchair.

Sergeant Yetter said his sons were very dedicated because they knew that when they entered the race, there was no quitting or backing away from the challenge.

"The first challenge we went through was with my father's wheelchair. We hooked the rucksack on the handlebars of his wheelchair and tied the straps down. We had to stop several times along the way because a strap would keep getting caught in the wheel," said Sergeant Yetter. "Carrying the rucksacks represented the pain and anguish of what the veterans went through, you have to keep going to finish what you started."

Another challenge arose for the Yetter family.

"My son, Alex, fell behind us because he had blisters on his feet," said the sergeant. "I told him there was no quitting because the most important thing was finishing the race as a team."

Despite the pain, the 15-year-old boy took off his boots and continued to march down the blacktop.

"A passing lieutenant said she saw my son walking without his boots on," said Sergeant Yetter. She knew she couldn't quit after seeing how determined Alex was - trying to finish the race for his grandfather. I told my son I was so proud of him for not giving up."

After about the first mile, Sergeant Yetter said they passed up a group of four people.

"It was incredible. Everyone was cheering us on. Col. (Steven) Harrison (436th Airlift Wing commander) even yelled to my dad, 'Way to go, nice job!' which was a big deal to my dad, and he mentioned the fact that everyone was nice and supportive. That says a ton about how much it meant to him," said the sergeant. "Having served and still currently serving twenty-seven years in the military, it never ceases to amaze me that no matter where you are, people from all over the world support one another and can lean on each other."

"My boys have been around the military all their lives, still they've definitely learned some life lessons from this event," said Sergeant Yetter. "This was a great way for our family to show my father, who raised six kids and never complained, how much we honor and appreciate him."

Crossing the finish line in one hour and 48 minutes, the Yetter family may have set a record of many firsts. No one asked could remember a 436th Security Forces Ruck March where a Korean War Veteran participated in a wheelchair with a three-generation team.

"This was a very emotional event for all of us, especially for my father. Someday, my children will be telling their children about finishing the march for their grandfather," said Sergeant Yetter. 


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