Declared Dead At War, He Returned Alive To Get His World Had Managed To Move On Without Him
Declared Dead At War, He Returned Alive To Get Their World Had Managed To Move On Without Him
Walter Dixon and his son Russ Dixon at their StoryCorps meeting in Waynesville, Mo. Modupeola Oyebolu/StoryCorps hide caption
Walter Dixon and his son Russ Dixon at their StoryCorps meeting in Waynesville, Mo.
StoryCorps’ Military Voices Initiative documents tales from people of the U.S. military and their own families.
Walter Dixon was in fact married just for five times as he shipped down to Korea for their 2nd war implementation.
In regards to a 12 months later on, at age 22, he had been announced dead. Whenever their obituary ended up being posted within the paper that is local their spouse back home in Waynesville, Mo., had absolutely no way of understanding that the news headlines had been early.
The truth is, Dixon ended up being alive behind enemy lines.
A 90-year-old veteran of three wars, spoke to his son Russ Dixon about how, after a case of mistaken identity, he returned home to find that his world had moved on without him in an interview at StoryCorps last month, Dixon.
Dixon had been serving into the Army’s 38th Infantry Division when, he claims, he had been captured while attempting to assist their other troops.
He had been of a half-mile from their post as he saw five males from their product down get shot by the artillery round. “One of ’em’s legs were both broken, therefore I took my industry jacket and covered around their feet to hold them together,” he claims.
As he gone back to their tool, Chinese forces giving support to the North Koreans came up behind him.
“When i acquired captured, https://rose-brides.com/russian-brides those dudes for the reason that opening with my industry coat there, they simply got blown all to heck,” Dixon claims.
As soon as the systems had been later discovered, Dixon’s coat, which carried letters from their spouse when you look at the pockets, ended up being the piece that mistakenly linked him up to a deceased soldier that is fellow.
“I’m certain that is why they reported me personally dead rather than captured,” Dixon claims.
For the following two . 5 years, he had been held prisoner in A north korean camp.
It had been a harrowing experience, Dixon recalls. To keep hot, he’d shop around for lumber to burn and, often times, prepared rats as sustenance. 1 day, a guard thought he strayed too much.
“we began to make better headway and also this guard hollered I didn’t,” he says for me to halt, but. “therefore, he stuck me personally along with his bayonet. Sorts of a rough time appropriate here.”
Dixon escaped five times, but each time he was caught, and penalized. Whenever fighting stumbled on a halt, the Red Cross found the camp and notified the prisoners of the launch.
Home, because Dixon have been reported killed, their spouse had managed to move on. She remarried along with youngster with another man.
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During the time, Dixon claims, he don’t have much to express.
“we can not blame her. I became dead. Then she discovered I happened to be alive. The only real apparent thing to do would be to divorce one of us.”
Dixon and their spouse would divorce. But he could not resent her, he states.
“Anger do not would you any good on something such as that, you cannot do absolutely nothing he says about it. “You simply gotta handle it the easiest way you understand how.”
Despite every thing he experienced, Dixon made a decision to stay static in the armed forces. It is a choice that their son Russ nevertheless wonders about.
“It ended up being my entire life,” Dixon stated. “you ain’t frightened of absolutely nothing. once you undergo all that,”
Russ said he could be happy with their dad, whom proceeded to provide in Vietnam. “we tell lots of people regarding your seven Purple Hearts and all of that, and I also brag he told his father about it just about every day.
In terms of Dixon himself, he claims he could not care just just exactly how other people remember him. It is sufficient he made for him alone to know the sacrifices.
“I am able to keep in mind me,” he states. “I do not have any desires or requirements of memory. I simply enjoyed my armed forces solution . I would try it again. And I also’m happy with it.”
In terms of that neighborhood writer that is obituary? Dixon finished up marrying her and achieving three kiddies together, including Russ.
Sound produced for Edition by Kelly Moffitt weekend.