Heidi Garrett, Jamie Moyer,

Bryan Horst, Chris Jensen

Corona

US History per.3

5-30-05

ESLR # 1,2

CS# 11.7

Colonel Ben Boyd Biography

 

For years the men and women of our country have lined up to serve and protect. Everyday they defend our freedom and earn the respect of millions. They are put into dangerous situations, moments of utter fear, and unbearable physical and mental anguish. In most circumstances their bravery is appreciated and they are recognized in acts of heroism. Among these brave men and women is a veteran by the name of Ben Boyd. Serving in the military for nearly 30 years, this man has seen it all and has overcome adversity that most of us cannot even begin to imagine.

            Born and raised in Oklahoma, Col. Boyd had high hopes of joining the military. He attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, one of the most prestigious of military schools and training. Upon graduating in 1946, Ben Boyd had great expectations and excitement as he entered into the military, which would forever change his outlook on life.

            In 1947 Boyd received his first duty assignment as an infantry Platoon Leader and Company Commander in the 6th Infantry Division. In January of 1949 a political decision was made to withdraw all tactical units from South Korea. When North Korean Communist forces launched an attack in June of 1950 and went into the capital of South Korea, the war had begun. Since the war began, as the 13th Platoon Leader to command his platoon in the 8th Cavalry Regt of the 1st Cavalry Division, they captured the capital city of Pyongyang in North Korea.  On the night of October 31st near Unsan about 25 miles from that Yalu River, Chinese communist forces crossed the river and attacked Boyd’s Battalion. Many of these brave men suffered tremendous casualties. Among these men, Ben Boyd was one of those many who were wounded. He was forced to play dead and moved from place to place at night, always in fear of capture. Eventually a North Korean man found him hiding with a bunch of pigs under a house and saved not only his life, but another American Lieutenant. Col. Boyd shared that, “this is one of those experiences that you don’t like to talk about and you would like to forget but you just can’t.” This man was truly an angel sent from God to save the lives of these two officers. He used his only oxen to take these men to the nearest MASH unit.

            Sometimes soldiers that are in a war will question themselves and their leaders. At one point in the Korean War Boyd asked himself, “Why are we in Korea? Because we didn’t want the communists to overrun the innocent.” As Boyd began reflecting back on his experiences he remembers most that, “War is hell.”

One good thing about Korea, before the war he met his future wife Elli. Ellie volunteered for Korea to serve with the American Red Cross. She organized soldier participation shows and was a disc jockey with Armed Forces Radio. They returned to the states and got married in 1949. Col Boyd returned to Korea in 1950 to fight the war. Col. Boyd and his wife just recently celebrated their 56th wedding anniversary, have four sons, 14 grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

            After serving 27 years in the United States Army, Col. Boyd retired on July 31st, 1973. He soon began working and partly managing activities in the building of the Alaskan Pipeline. After four years with the Exxon Oil Company, he began work for the Ralph M. Parsons Engineering Construction Company in Pasadena. In 1979, Col. Boyd had an experience on a desert in Saudi Arabia when he developed a strong, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

            Although most of these men and women like Ben Boyd will never consider themselves to be heroes, in all of our hearts they will always be the bravest and most courageous of us all. These men and women stand for what our country is about and represent dedication and hard work and fight for what they believe in. We will always remember these veterans, heroes and especially the fallen heroes and as students we enjoyed hearing about the experiences and hardships that these brave men and women had to endure. Colonel Ben Boyd firmly believes that if we keep God first in our lives everything else will fall in place.