Local veteran keeps the memory of his fallen comrades
Every Nov. 11 we are reminded that we should recall and honor
the veterans who have served the country to provide us with the
freedom we enjoy.
We might spare a thought for vets on that day when we notice the
flags lining San Benito Street or watch a television report showing
aging war veterans attending a ceremony. Most of us, though, don’t
really reflect on how lucky we are, I’m guessing, except for
considering ourselves lucky to have the day off from work or
school.
Local veteran keeps the memory of his fallen comrades
Every Nov. 11 we are reminded that we should recall and honor the veterans who have served the country to provide us with the freedom we enjoy.
We might spare a thought for vets on that day when we notice the flags lining San Benito Street or watch a television report showing aging war veterans attending a ceremony. Most of us, though, don’t really reflect on how lucky we are, I’m guessing, except for considering ourselves lucky to have the day off from work or school.
People of a certain age grew up in a time of relative peace and prosperity, with the Cold War as a far-off threat and the Operation Desert Storm played out on CNN. We take our peace and freedom for granted.
Talking to Hollister resident Anthony J. Sota this week reminded me that those of us who were not called to serve should nonetheless never forget those who were.
The 85-year-old Marine Corps veteran holds Nov. 11 sacred, as it is a time for him to reflect on the soldiers who gave their lives serving their country alongside him in Korea and in other wars throughout our country’s history. It is also a time for the Purple Heart honoree to wish for peace.
The San Jose native joined the Marines in 1942, both to aid in the war effort and because it gave him a chance to go to college. Just as he was preparing to ship out for combat after officer school in Quantico, Virginia and training at Camp Pendleton, the U.S. dropped the atomic bomb and “everything stopped,” the platoon leader recalled.
Sota signed up for the reserves and was called into duty in Korea in 1950. As part of the group that landed on Inchon and secured freedom in Seoul, he and his comrades were expecting to head home when heavy combat erupted and they battled with North Koreans and Chinese in the hill country.
On Hill 1240, as it was called, Sota, a first lieutenant, was ordered by his captain to retake the hill off of which they had been pushed by “wave after wave” of Chinese troops.
Nearly 80 percent of the men in his platoon were killed during the battle.
“We got to the top of the hill and I didn’t have very many men left,” Sota said. “We formed a circle and lied on the ground. The fire from the Chinese was so heavy that all we could do was lay flat. Their automatic rifles were cutting the grass.”
The nighttime battle felt like it lasted forever, he said, with the Chinese firing and retreating, firing and retreating. Finally, one of Sota’s runners found a way out for the surviving troops just as a bullet ripped through Sota’s left knee.
“I tried to stand up and fell down,” he said, noting that he eventually was dragged down the hill lying on a poncho. After three or four days in a MASH unit, Sota was eventually flown out by helicopter, which had to dodge bullet from troops on the ground.
Though his kneecap had to be removed, Sota received a regular discharge in 1951 and returned to civilian life as an escrow officer in San Jose.
Much as was the case for veterans of the Vietnam War, Sota recalls no parades for vets who served in Korea.
“Korea was kind of a forgotten war,” he said. “There were no parades or nothing when we came back.”
The stress of wartime weighed on Sota for a long time.
“I could not talk about my time in Korea for 10 years,” he said. “When I first came back I couldn’t sleep; I was a mess. I eventually decided that I had to concentrate on my work.”
Sota couldn’t bring himself to attend a VFW event or a Disabled American Vets meeting for awhile “because I just couldn’t talk about it,” he said. “There were just so many body bags,” he added, his voice trailing off in reflection. “Out of a company of 200 we ended up with about 40 men on that last hill.”
Sota is proud of his service to his country and wears the half-dozen medals that he earned during his time in the military. He considers himself lucky.
“I’ve had a wonderful life,” he said. “I’m 85 years old; I have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I’ve been blessed. I can get around and can even play a little golf now and then.”
He was a brave and decorated soldier who now holds out hope that some day the “unfortunate killing” that occurs during wartime will end. He eventually came to grips with what he witnessed in wartime and reflects on the experience with hope for the future.
“I think Veterans Day should be a big deal,” Sota said. “I do hope people understand the real sacrifice our men and women make for us and remember those who lost their lives. A lot of them were 19- or 20-year-old kids who had dreams and ideas about what they wanted to be. All those dreams ended either by death or injury. I just want them to be remembered.”
Despite his bravery and selfless, patriotic service, the images of body bags lining the road outside the field hospital still haunt him.
“Frankly, I think war is stupid, having been in one,” Sota said. “The idea of killing another human being is unconscionable to me. When are we ever going to get civilized?”
Sota, who walked in last year’s Veterans Day parade downtown but was planning to be a spectator this year as his wounded knee was bothering him, talks about his wartime experiences “because I want my kids and grandkids know what grandpa did.”
“I realize that although we were taught to hate the enemy, they’re human beings and they have families, presumably, just like we do,” he said. “Their families are as concerned about them as ours are about us. In combat, you don’t think about those things.”
We thank Sota, along with all other veterans and current military men and women, for their service and honor them for their bravery. Sota proves that a person can be both a patriot and an advocate for peace.
Adam Breen writes a blog at http://thebreenblog.blogspot.com and is a reporter for The Pinnacle. He teaches newspaper and yearbook classes at San Benito High School and is former editor of the Free Lance.
