St. Helenan finally receives honor earned in Korean conflict

By JOHN LINDBLOM
For the Register

On Tuesday, Jess Torres’ 80th birthday — and serendipitously Veterans Day — his past as a U.S. soldier in the Korean War caught up with him.

It all came together at St. Helena’s American Legion Hall in one illuminating moment in which Torres was presented a long-overdue Purple Heart in recognition of wounds suffered on the battlefield 57 years ago.

It was a proud moment as a spit-and-polished U.S. Army Captain Jack Faulkner presented the medal “on behalf of President Harry S. Truman.” But it was a bittersweet moment, as well, as Torres reflected on the grim circumstances that led to the Purple Heart, awarded only to those killed or wounded in battle.

“It happened in the northeast part of Korea where we were under a lot of heavy attack from the Chinese,” said Torres, a shy man of few words since his Army days. He did not elaborate.

“I can’t really describe how I’m feeling right now. I hope you understand that,” an emotional Torres told a full house of veterans and wives after the brief ceremony.

It was understandable. Torres didn’t know he was going to receive the long overdue Purple Heart Tuesday night. He was unaware of the covert campaign waged by fellow Legionnaire Dave Curtin.

Curtin was motivated to secure the medal for Torres out of respect for a comrade in arms, albeit in different wars — Curtin is a Vietnam-era vet. “I did it because no veteran in combat should be denied his Purple Heart for any reason,” he said.

A lifelong friend of Torres, Al Butala, presented the former Private First Class with a second medal that was also a lifetime overdue — the Combat Infantry Badge — and recalled how he and Albert Betz, another lifelong Torres friend, had gone through St. Helena schools together.

“Going through high school he was a great athlete,” Butala said of Torres. “He was the only one who made the St. Helena varsity as a freshman. He was a linebacker, but he had to stop (going to school) about a month short of graduation because his dad died and he took on the support of the family.”

After the friends graduated in the class of ‘47, “All three of us became the first to be drafted for the Korean War out of St. Helena,” Butala recalled. “We all rode the same bus to Fort Ord.”

Present among six Torres siblings, Mary Scheel, Jess’ younger sister by 11 years, talked about the changes she saw in her brother before he went off to war and after he came back.

“He was very gregarious,” she said. “After the war … 180 degrees. He was in battle; he saw a lot of stuff. I heard about it one Thanksgiving 10 years ago and it was very emotional. He saw a lot of carnage, a lot of friends being killed. He talked about it once and then never brought it up again.

“But I remember after he came back he was a different man.”

Drafted on Dec. 8, 1950, Torres went to Korea as a “BAR” — a Browning Automatic Rifle specialist. He had been in the Army 316 days when he was seriously wounded by mortar fire on Oct. 18, 1951.

In 1952, after he was quietly discharged, Torres returned to St. Helena, went on to drive for Slinsen Construction for 32 years and serve as a volunteer fireman for 20-plus years. He and his wife, Montie, had been married for 58 years at the time of her death. They had two children. Rick is a research scientist; Teresa an registered nurse.

And he had been forgotten by the U.S. Army.

How could the recognition of a soldier like Torres simply fall through the cracks?

Curtin suggests it may have happened because of his being separated from his combat unit and shipped back to the U.S.

“If he had stayed on with his unit there would have been a cohesiveness,” said Curtin. “But when you get separated, Lord, things happen in the military.”

Curtin said a casual conversation with Torres spurred his interest in righting the injustice.

“You need to understand that Jess is a quiet, humble sort of person,” Curtin said. “In the 30 years I’ve known him through the American Legion only once did I ever hear him say that he kind of regrets he didn’t receive his Purple Heart.”

The thought of Torres not being accorded the medal clearly vexed Curtin. “But I never really knew what to do about it,” he said. “Then, several months ago, lo and behold, this pamphlet came in from the Veterans Medals Unit of the U.S. Army, which went on to explain that it was in existence to assist veterans in many ways, including the replacement of medals.

“All of a sudden the light comes on and I said ‘I’m gonna drop a dime on this lady.’”

The lady was Tina Derrickson, the government worker who signed the letter. Derrickson instructed Curtin to obtain a copy of Torres’ DD214, a form more critical than the honorable discharge in proving military service. After Curtin was able to satisfy that requirement, Derrickson told him during an October phone call that Torres would get his Purple Heart and any other medals he had earned but not received as an American fighting in Korea. There would, however, be a four-month delay for processing.

But four days later, Curtin said, Derrickson called his home saying she had obtained the medal in addition to other medals due to Torres. Where should she ship them?

The Purple Heart, CIB and other medals arrived at Curtin’s address earlier this month, just in time for Veterans Day.

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