Charles “Chuck” Volk was barely out of his teens when he was sent into battle in the Korean War in 1950. At 93, memories of the ferocious fighting remain clear in his mind.
“We were in battle after battle to hold off enemy troops and take hills,” recalled Volk, of Acworth. “We just did what we had to do and didn’t think twice about it. The firing was nonstop; we were fighting for our lives and each other. I don’t know how any of us survived. And, of course, some of us didn’t. We went through hell.
“I should be dead several times.”
Credit: Elissa McCrary
Credit: Elissa McCrary
The war between North Korea and South Korea was fought from 1950 to 1953. More than 36,000 American soldiers died in the war, and 100,000 were wounded. Nearly 7,500 still are listed as missing.
A native of Indiana, Volk was 17 when he enlisted in the Marines. He was so young, his parents had to sign for him to join. After being stationed on several military bases around the country, he was sent to Korea.
There, Volk was a member of the Baker Company of the 1st Battalion 5th Marines. The Baker Bandits, as the company came to be known, fought in some of the most brutal battles and inspired one B Company commander, Gen. Charlie Cooper, to come up with his “Band of Brothers” leadership principles, which were used widely in the Marine Corps for many years. A book written about the Baker Bandits refers to the company as “Korea’s Band of Brothers.”
As perilous as combat was, it wasn’t the only hazard that troops faced in Korea.
“The weather was hellish, no matter what season we were fighting in,” Volk said. “I asked my mother to send me a small thermometer, so I could see what the temperature was in our foxholes one winter. One morning, it was 30 below zero, the next day, 40 below. Summers, just the opposite. We burned up.”
Volk had many close calls during the war, including being shot in the chest during combat.
“I was once hit in the chest by a bullet and didn’t realize it until I was really sore the next day,” he said. “I saw a hole in my jacket and started looking. The bullet had gone through my parka, a jacket, a sweater and stuck in my skin. Luckily, it was a spent bullet and didn’t have the power to go any further.”
Volk’s time in the war ended in 1952, when an enemy grenade exploded at close range, sending shrapnel tearing into his lower right leg.
“I was knocked six feet into the air,” he recalled. “I kept trying to get up and move forward, but I kept falling down. Every time my heart would beat, blood would shoot up. I would take two steps and fall flat on my face. And when I tried to put my heel down, pain shot up all the way under my arm. A doctor later told me I was lucky to be alive.”
Because of his injury in battle, Volk was given a disability discharge and awarded the Purple Heart.
“I was going to make a career in the Marines,” he said. “Korea ended that.”
Volk returned home to Indiana and for 43 years was a wrecking engineer for Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Co. He moved to Acworth in 2007 at the urging of family.
“And I got tired of all the snow,” he added.
While Volk’s days as an active Marine are behind him, the Marine Corps still is a large part of his life. He attended annual reunions of his company until a few years ago, when the number of surviving soldiers dwindled and few of those still alive were able to attend. He also has been an active member of the American Legion, including Post 304 in Acworth, for 71 years.
His living room walls are filled with pictures of him with his Marine buddies in Korea and framed military awards.
His couch is draped with his cherished Quilt of Valor a handmade treasure gifted to him by the Quilt of Valor Foundation.
“Though we may never know the extent of your sacrifice and service to protect and defend the United States of America,” a message accompanying it reads, “as an expression of our gratitude, we award you this Quilt of Valor.
Credit: Elissa McCrary
Credit: Elissa McCrary
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