The Battle of Yoke Ridge

June 25, 1950

There is forceful knock on the front door of the LaFleur home. Joseph, being the only one
available, walks to the door. There is a man dressed in an army uniform standing alone there with
a briefcase.
Hello young man, , the visitor said, are you Joseph Lafleur?
Yes I am; you do you ask?
The man replies, My name is General Aldrich Richards. You have been drafted to fight
in South Korea against the North. South Korea has summoned the UN to combat Northern
intruding forces. You have three days to gather your belongings and to say goodbye to family.
Joe holds back his emotions and steadily says, Understood. I am pleased to hear this
Mister Lafleur, I will be back in three days. The man turns around walks off, to what Joe
assumes is the next person drafted, and he shuts the door.
Joe was devastated. He had just become and adult, and in an instant, his life was brought
to a halt. What am I going to tell my parents?, Joe mumbles to himself. He walks into the
kitchen to break the news to his household.
Who was that, dear? Joes mother asked. I have been drafted to fight in South Korea.
I have to leave in three days. No!, his mother shrieks, I cant let them take you! You might
die!, she sheds a tear, I dont know what I could do without you. I know mom; I dont know
what Im going to do too.

Those next three days to Joe, couldnt have been quicker. To him, it had felt as long as an
hour. Three days pass, General Richards returned to cab him to an airport, to where he wouldnt
know when, or even if he would return to see whom he loved again.
So, Mr. LaFleur, do you have any special skills that could help with the war?, General
Richards asked.
Actually, I have taken a class on aeronautics, but I have never flown. I know a couple of
maneuvers though., Joe answered. General Richards takes a moment to process.
We are actually in need of many pilots. And with your increased knowledge, I dont
think you will have to take the full course on flight. Thats good to know. Where will I be
training at? I believe you will be training at Fort Knox., General Richards answered.
The Fort Knox? Thats incredible! The stuffy cab ride ended and they arrived at an
airport, from which there they went to Fort Knox. Training then began.
From there, Joe learned all the routines of army skills. From there, Joe had shown an
interest in becoming a fighter pilot. He applied for a specialist program which from there he
became a pilot. It took almost a year for him to become ready to fight the war. When his first
mission came along, he had a constant sinking feeling. In August 31, 1951, he participated in his
first battle, the Battle of the Punchbowl.
The morning came, Joe awoke on camp. It was raining. He pulls his sleeve up and checks
his watch. He wipes the dust off of it and reads, 5:00. He begrudgingly rolls out of his cot and
hobbles out of the muddy tent. He sees that the camp is alive and everyone just talking to each
other and eating. He takes some food and crouches down into the old bench and begins eating. A

cheery jingle plays over the loudspeaker. Joe hears the microphone receive feedback and a man
begins to speak.
Today is a valiant day soldiers. Today we bring the fight to the North and claim back
South Koreas land. We will leave camp at 10, get all firearms loaded, all tanks stocked, and all
jets fueled. We need to be prepared for any ambushes on our way there so make sure to be on the
lookout on our way to Yoke Ridge.
Joe hopped up and took a look at the fighter he would be piloting. An F-86 Sabre. Joe
thought about it and he knew that people would die today. He would be killing people. The
machine that he would be operating was designed to kill.
Bullets pound the left wing of the jet. The engine engulfs in flames and the jet begins to
spiral downwards. There had been an ambush. As soon as American troops entered Yoke Ridge,
they were expecting them. They had mortars in place and fighter jets ready to launch. Joe had
shot down 2 of the 6, but one flanked him and now he is falling to what he thinks is his inevitable
death.
Joe realizes what he is fighting for. Not for him or even his country, but for others. People
he doesnt know in a land he is unfamiliar with. But he now know he will die for it. He doesnt
want to be remembered like that. He rips the eject cable and flies out of his plane. His ejected
chair tilts towards the ground. Americans are hiding in cover and attempting to combat the
Koreans. A few peek out to retaliate but instead they are shot straight through the head and land
in a swelling pool of displaced brain and blood. The parachute on the chair opens and vigorously
jerks Joe backwards as it catches the wind. He less than gracefully slams towards the ground in
the middle of a fire fight. Directly in the middle.

Joe sprints towards his comrades, they are shouting his name. In his sprint, he screeching
and violent noise hits him in all directions. It is hit jet crashing into the ground. He briefly turns
around to see the wreck of whats left his now broken weapon. It is a burning ball of flames that
he can feel faintly feel from 70 feet away. He however forgets that the North Koreans can see
him too. A bullet grazes his arm, a second sinks into his shoulder. He continues to run, blood
dripping down his arms. His vision goes blurry, he feels light headed. A third bullet goes straight
through the back of his leg, shattering his patella and his tibia. He hisses in pain. He falls over
into the hard rocky ground.
Joe wakes up in a hospital bed. You took quite a beating out there. Huh Wha,
Joe said in a daze. You shattered you knee and the bottom of your femur. Youre young though,
you are going to walk again. the nurse reassured. You are going to be in here for a while. As a
matter a fact, you have already been in the infirmary for 3 days. Joe attempts to look at his
broken leg, it is in one solid cast made of plaster. He doubts that he will walk. The nurse leaves
the room, leaving Joe to his thoughts. He misses his family.
Joe was not able to re-enter the army due to his severe injuries, so he was able to leave
the Koreas, and was let home much earlier than expected. He flew back to Fort Knox to
deregister himself from any military groups. After that, he flew back home in Rhode Island, and
he then took the anxious taxi ride home. He didnt know what his family would think of him,
knowing that he killed people. He almost didnt want to see them. His stop was next. His mother
was in the garden, watering flowers. She was confused by the taxi in the front, she thought that
he would be gone for at least 2 years, or at least thats what Joe told her. He stood up and looked
around. He was home. His mother ran to him, she was ecstatic. Now she was home too.