Heroes in our midst: Four Franklin veterans recall their wartime experiences
By Donna O'Neil, Staff writer
doneil@williamsonherald.com
Four veterans who never served together gathered around a table in the sunroom at NHC Place in Cool Springs where they live, to discuss their experiences in World War II and Korea.
With regard to the upcoming observance of Veterans Day, the men talked about their service to this country and the branches in which they willingly served.
The most senior of the quartet is First Sgt. Birney Alphin, who will turn 90 years young on Nov. 22. Alphin served in the U.S. Army and spent much of his tour in Bermuda. He is joined by U.S. Marine Sgt. Theron J. “Terry” Rice, who served from 1943 to 1946 in the South and Central Pacific regions. The most reserved of these men is Charles McKinney who served in the U.S. Army beginning in 1952. He is also well known in this area as a football and basketball coach for many years at Hillwood High School in Nashville. He taught U.S. history for 32 years prior to his retirement. Rounding out the group is Dean J. Abernathy, who started out wanting to be a Naval fly boy, but due to the fact that he is colorblind, a condition that prevents him from becoming a pilot, he switched military branches and was able to serve with the U.S. Army, where he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Birney Alphin
“I was drafted before the war,” said Alphin, who was referring to World War II, “I was supposed to go in for one year of training and then return to Raleigh, NC to work for the Farm Commission. I was just about to complete my training and go forward and I was classified out of the group and was told I was going to South America for intel(igence). Then Pearl Harbor happened and I was loaded on the first boat going overseas.”
“The boat had room for 50 more soldiers. Somehow we fit 60 on the boat. I don’t know where the extra 10 guys slept, but I had a bunk,” he said with a smile and wink. “And we were shipped off to Bermuda.”
He served his tour in the Bermuda Islands, where he began as a private and achieved the rank of First Sergeant.
U.S. Marine Sgt. Theron J. “Terry” Rice
When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Rice was a 19-year-old George Washington University student who worked for the school newspaper. Thinking that he could soon be called to duty, Rice took his post-war opportunities into consideration when choosing a branch of service. His professor played a hand in his choice, when he offered the young Rice a position at the copy desk of the Washington Evening News. His journalism professor was the assistant city editor at the Washington Evening Star. Soon after that Rice was called to duty as a Marine combat correspondent.
“I wound up in the Marshall Islands,” he said, “During my service 21 planes were shot down and we recovered 12 pilots who didn’t get hurt.”
In a brief recollection of his days in the Marines, titled “Memoir: Dec. 7, 1941-Jan. 6, 1946” he wrote, “I make no claims of greatness for my three years of World War II service as a Marine sergeant. I saw no serious combat. I suffered no serious wounds. And I returned safely to my wife and family.”
These words are not atypical of many who served during that time, claiming it was their duty and responsibility to serve. These members of what Tom Brokaw called “The Greatest Generation” are a humbled collection of heroes. That notion transcends to the third man in the quartet of veterans gathered in the sunroom.
U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Charles McKinney
McKinney, a member of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne, strived to be better than a good student during his last days in school before being drafted.
“As long as you were in the top fourth of the class then you were allowed to stay in school,” he said.
When he graduated from high school in the current Metro District of Nashville, he served during the Korean War.
“I missed World War II by a little bit,” he said.
He was one of seven who stayed behind when his unit shipped out from basic training.
“I was in clerical work,” he said. “I talked for 21 months.”
When his service was complete he went back to school through the auspices of the G.I. Bill and earned his Master’s degree. He retired in 1991 after 32 years of teaching in Davidson County. Many students learned U.S. history from a man who lived it. He was also a well-respected and winning coach for many years at Hillwood High School in Nashville.
Col. Dean J. Abernathy, U.S. Army
Abernathy began his military service wanting to fly, however, colorblindness kept him grounded and steered him toward the U.S. Army. In 1943 he was at Camp Wolters in Texas where he attended Cadre training twice. First along with others and then to help train others in the weaponry, which included M1 rifles, Browning Automatic Rifles, light and heavy machine guns.
He was sent to Europe as a member of the 2nd Armored Division of the 41st Armored Infantry Regime.
In 1945 he was wounded in Belgium, a near death experience which saw him transfused with blood platelets within moments of the ravages of shrapnel getting the better of him. For his meritorious duty and for being injured in the line of duty he received a Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.
Today he lives at NHC Place with his wife of 64 years who he met on Mother’s Day in 1945.
Posted on: 11/5/2009
|
