Missouri's Jerry Corp Memorial Highway

State of Missouri Revised Statutes.

Effective August  28, 2015

Chapter 227

227.417

JERRY CORP MEMORIAL HIGHWAY DESIGNATED FOR A PORTION OF U.S. HIGHWAY 160 IN OZARK COUNTY.

The portion of U.S. Highway 160  in Ozark County from the bridge that crosses Bryant Creek to a location two and a half miles east of such bridge shall be known as the "Jerry Corp Memorial Highway."

The costs for such designation shall be paid by private donations.

--Cooter

Jerry Corp on the Vietnam Wall

From the Wall of Faces site of Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.

JERRY MARSH CORP

A picture of him accompanies this.

Honored on Panel  11W, Line 30 of the Wall.

Wall Name:  Jerry M. Corp

Date of Birth:  4/14/50

Date of Casualty:  4/21/70

City / County of Record / State:  Tecumseh, Ozark County,  Missouri

Branch of Service:  Army

Casualty Province: Quang Ngai

Rank:  PFC

He is buried at Sallee Cemetery, Ozark County, Missouri.

The Good Die Young.

Vietnam Service of Tom Dier

Yesterday, I wrote about this man giving a talk at the Northbrook, Illinois, Memorial Day service and he was going to talk about his buddy, Jerry Corp who died in Vietnam.

Tom Dier himself was drafted at Christmas 1968 and served ten months and 29 days in Vietnam.  he won a Silver Star there for gallantry.  Moving to Tennessee in 1972, he worked as a house painter and raised three boys.

As was the case of many Vietnam veterans, at first he tried to distance himself from the memories, but later wrote a book about his experiences titled "Miss Li Thi Van & Other Stories of Vietnam."

"I wasn't a great fan of the war, but I have never felt that the country owed me anything because there were a lot of guys who didn't come home."

A picture accompanied the article of Tom Dier in Vietnam in 1970 and Tom Dier today, who is standing next to Jerry Corp's mother, Irene Corp.

--Cooter

Remembering the Fallen: Jerry Corp, Vietnam War

This was not written yesterday I was just getting home from Indianapolis.

From the May 27, 2019, Chicago Sun-Times "Memorial Day is to the fallen" by Neil Steinberg.

"The Jerry Corp Memorial Highway is not long.  A section of U.S. Highway 160, it runs 2 1/2 miles through Ozark County, Missouri, 250 miles southwest of St. Louis.

"A green highway sign flashes by, the name registers and some drivers may feel a passing curiosity:  Does anybody remember Jerry Corp?"

"Tom Dier remembers him.

""We weren't really close or anything like that, said Dier, 70.  "He wasn't in my platoon."

"A mortar platoon in Company C, First Battalion, 52nd Infantry.  Corp was a radioman attached to the command post in Quang Ngai province, Vietnam."

" 'We got to know each other that way,' said Nier, who grew up in Nortbrook and has returned home to speak at the northwest suburb's Memorial Day commemoration after the parade Monday.  'You didn't really get close to people too much.' "

This will be continued on my Not So Forgotten: War of 1812 blog and will finish in my Down da Road I Go blog of this date.

The 1918 Flu Epidemic Hits Chicago-- Part 2

By mid-November, Chicago had experienced 38,000 cases of it and another 13,000 had its deadly companion, pneumonia.  In the end, some 10,000 Chicagoans had died.  The epidemic began in the city September 8, 1918,  when several sailors reported sick at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station.

Military bases had been jammed across the country after the U.S. had entered World War I and these proved breeding grounds for the highly contagious disease.  By September  21, the commanding officer of the base said they had 800 cases.

The September 28, Chicago Tribune said that Fort Sheridan, the Army's base in the Chicago area, had logged 120 cases that day alone, making a total of 300 cases.

Every theater and public hall in Waukegan and North Chicago closed  In North Chicago, schools shut down.  However, the Chicago schools remained open.

Then, the incidences of the flu exploded.  On October 8, the Tribune reported  135 deaths and 1,342 new cases.  The next week, the paper reported  more than 2,000 new cases were happening every day.

--Cooter

The 1918 Flu Epidemic, Called the Spanish Flu, Hits Chicago Hard

I have begun to find mention of the flu in DeKalb County, Illinois.

From the October 18, 2014, Chicago Tribune  "1918 influenza epidemic struck hard, fast" by Ron Grossman.

The Chicago Tribune had pictures in the October 2, 1918, paper of a nurse and a street sweeper wearing face masks to protect themselves from the disease.  The rapidly spreading disease was already overtaxing Chicago and the nation's hospitals, doctors and nurses.

Officials downplayed the 1918 pandemic, early warnings were missed or ignored, much-needed medical supplies ran short.  The article went on to say how hard the city's hospitals were being hit.  At a west side hospital, there were 25 cases of it among the nurses and 3 had already died.  There were 12 cases at Michael Reese Hospital.

The city was running out of beds for the afflicted.

Historians estimate that 30 to 50 million died worldwide  It killed quickly, sometimes in as little as a day.  It attacked not only the weak or elderly, but young health people as well.  Half the world's population was affected by it.

--Cooter

Jacob H. Smith Buried at Arlington National Cemetery-- Part 2

Continuing with posts and positions held by him.

Assigned to 19th U.S. Infantry 15 December 1870
Major, 2nd U.S. Infantry, 26 November 1894
Lieutenant Colonel, 17th U.S. Infantry 20 June 1898

Colonel 17th U.S. Infantry   20 October 1899
Brigadier General, U.S. Volunteers, 1 June 1900
Brigadier General , U.S. Army, 30 March 1901

Breveted Major , 7 March 1867, for gallant conduct in the Battle of Shiloh, Tennessee, 6 April 1862

Retired 16 July 1902

Quite a Career for a Questionable Guy.  --Cooter

Jacob H. Smith Buried at Arlington National Cemetery-- Part 1

Jacob Hurd Smith, who I have been writing about this past week for what he did on the island of Samar in the Philippines.   is buried at Arlington National Cemetery which has a lots of military positions in which he served.  It is quite expansive.

JACOB HURD SMITH  of Ohio.

Appointed from Illinois, 1st lieutenant , 2nd Kentucky Infantry, 5 June 1861
Captain 28 January 1862
Honorably mustered out 29 June 1863

Captain, Volunteer Reserve Corps, 25 June 1863
Honorably mustered out 21 October 1865
Captain, 13th U.S. Infantry  7 March 1867

Unassigned 25 May 1869
Major, Judge Advocate, 25 May 1869
Appointment of Major Judge Advocate Revoked 10 December 1869

But Wait!!  There's More!!  --DaCoot

10 Quotes from Experts Who Were Proved Wrong-- Part 2:

5.  Communication satellites won't be a thing.   Tunis Craven  Communications expert.

4.  Cell phones won't replace wire systems.   Martin Cooper, Motorola.

3.  Nuclear power isn't possible.    Albert Einstein

2.  Alternating current is a waste of time.    Thomas Edison

1.  Online shopping will flop.  Time Magazine

Like I Said, "I Will NEVER Pay for My TV.  --RoadWrong

10 Quotes From Experts Who Were Proved Wrong-- Part 1:

From the May 14, 2019, ListVerse.  For more information on each one, go to the site.  I'm just giving what was said and who said it.  But, interesting.

10.  Nobody would want a home computer.    Ken Olson, founder of  the Digital Equipment Corporation in 1977.

9.  Television is just a fad.    Daryl Zanuck, executive producer of 20th Century Fox.

8.  The telephone is of no use.  William Orton, president of Western Union.

7.  High-speed rail is not possible.   Scientist Dionysius Lardner in 1823.

6.  Horses are here to stay.    The president of the Michigan Savings Bank in 1903.

--DaCoot

And, my own little quote.   "Pay for my TV shows.  Absolutely NEVER!!"

Jacob Smith's Wounds

By the 1902 court martial, Jacob Smith had received three wounds during his war service:

**  Scar from a saber cut on the head which he received  in July 1861 in Barboursville, Virginia.

**  April 7, 1862, wounded by Minie ball in hip.  It was still in his hip in 1902.

**  Still had a bullet in his body  from a wound at El Caney in Cuba during the Spanish-American War.

A Walking Bullet.  --Cooter

Jacob Smith in Later Life

He retired to Portsmouth, Ohio, and also did some world traveling.  With the coming of World War I, he volunteered his service,  but was turned down due to his old age (and likely what happened in the Philippines).

He died in San Diego on March 1, 1918, and in interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

I had never heard of him before, but he is definitely an interesting character.  I will write about his Civil War service in my Saw the Elephant blog.

--DaCoot

The Court Martial of Jacob Smith

In May 1902, Jacob Smith faced his own court martial.  He was , however, not tried for murder or war crimes, but for "conduct to the prejudice and good order and military discipline."

He was found guilty and sentenced "to be admonished by the reviewing authority."  Now, what exactly did that mean?

In the meantime, word of the atrocities committed under Smith's orders spread in the United States, causing a huge outcry.    Secretary of War Elihu Root recommended that Smith be retired and President Theodore Roosevelt accepted it and ordered Smith's retirement from the Army.

There was no additional punishment.

Surprising.  --Cooter

The Court Martial of Major Littleton Waller, USMC for Actions in the Philippines

Major Littleton Waller acted as a major subordinate in carrying out Jacob Smith's orders on Samar and was afterwards court martialed for the executions of  eleven mutinous Filipino porters.

Waller's defense did not mention Smith's orders directly, but used  provisions of the Civil War's  General Order  Number 100 (also called the Lieber Code).  This order dictated how Union soldiers were expected to conduct themselves in relation to enemy military and is considered a precursor to the Geneva Conventions.

The General Order permitted the killing of POWs in reprisal for  violations of the rules of war by the enemy and also provided for the summary execution of spies, saboteurs and guerrilla fighters.

Jacob Smith was called to testify about his orders but perjured himself and denied that he had given any special orders to Waller.  In response, Waller  revealed Smith's order and produced three officers to corroborate it.  Waller said he had been ordered to take no prisoners and to kill every Filipino over the age of ten.

The court martial board voted 11-2 to acquit Waller.  It was later stated that an Army court had no jurisdiction over a Marine officer.

But, this case led to the court martial of Jacob Smith.

--Cooter

Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 6: A Reign of Terror

The exact number of Filipino civilians killed by U.S. troops will never be known.  Littleton  Waller, the head of the Marines on Samar, in a report said  that over an eleven-day period, he and his men had burned 255 dwellings, shot 13 carabaos (water buffalo) and killed 39 people.

A British researcher in the 1990s made an exhaustive research and put the figure on Samar about 2,500.    Filipino historians put the number around 50,000.

The American abuses on Samar outraged people in the U.S., especially anti-imperialists.  The judge advocate of the Army said that only the good sense of Smith's subordinates kept things from being much worse during the reign of terror.

Because of  this reign of terror, Jacob Smith became known as  Howling Wilderness" Smith.  He also had another nickname, "Hell-Roaring" Smith because of his use of swear words.

Smith would be court-martailed for this.

Don't Mess With Jake.  --Cooter

Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 5: "I Want No Prisoners"

With orders to suppress the uprising, Smith had carte blanche to do as he pleased, and he intended to make the Filipinos on Samar live in a "howling wilderness."  they were to be hurt in excess.

He gave orders to Major Littleton Walker of the USMC, who commanded a battalion of Marines sent to help Smith these orders:  "I want no prisoners.  I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn the better it will please me.  I want all persons killed who are capable of bearing arms in actual hostilities against the United States."

When asked  at what age did Filipinos pose a threat, Smith replied:  "Ten years.  Persons of ten years  and older are those designated as being capable of bearing arms."

A sustained and widespread massacre of Filipino civilians followed.  Food and trade to Samar were cut off.  Widespread destruction was used to try to turn the civilian population away from supporting the guerrillas..  Troops were used in sweeps across the interior of the island.  Americans columns marched inland destroying homes and shooting people and draft animals.

--Cooter

Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 4: The Belangiga Massacre

Because of his bravery in Cuba during the Spanish-American War, Smith was promoted to the rank of brigadier general by Philippine's  governor William Howard Taft. It was with the thought that Smith would then retire, but that didn't happen.  Smith remained in the Army.

In 1899, Smith boasted to reporters that  he was going to use Indian tactics against the Filipino insurgents and would be really harsh with them.  Then, there was a situation in Luzon where Smith's actions angered the locals.

But, by far the worse thing that happened was the Belangiga Massacre where 51 American soldiers of Company  C of the 9th U.S. Infantry were killed.  This provoked shock and anger in the United States and newspapers called for reprisal.  Military governor of the Philippines, Major General Adna R. Chafee, received orders from President Teddy Roosevelt to pacify the island of Samar where it happened.

He appointed Jacob Smith to do this.  This proved to be a mistake.

And Then It All Happened.  --DaCoot

Gen. Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 3: A Checkered Past

And, there were other questionable aspects to Jacob Smith's affairs.  there were other military problems as well.  (Read the Wikipedia article for more information on these.)

Then, there were lawsuits for debt against him.  Then, there was a $7 harness case against Smith that dragged on from  1871 to 1901.  In 1885 he was  court martialled for  for "conduct unbecoming and officer and a gentleman."  In 1891 he was charged with using enlisted men as servants in his home.

It was just one thing after another with Jacob Smith.

Then came the Philippine-American War in which Smith was posted to the Philippines.

--CootSue

Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 2: Questionable Business Ethics

CIVIL WAR SERVICE

Jacob Smith enlisted in the early days of the Civil War but was disabled at the Battle of Shiloh.  He tried to return to duty that summer but the wound did not heal properly so he became a member of the invalid corps where he served out the remainder of the war in Louisville as a mustering officer/recruiter for three years.  His  service record says he was particularly good at recruiting "colored" troops.

After the war he was active in the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States.

MISCONDUCT?

After the war, he married  Emma L. Havrety.  Her father, Daniel,  was accused of fraud by bankruptcy and the investigation believed Daniel had transferred large amounts of money to others.  Then they noticed that Jacob Smith's assets had grown, during the war, from $4,000 in 1862 to $40,000 in 1865.

Smith claimed ignorance in the transference of money, but said he had made his money during the war by a bounty brokerage scheme.  Eastern states were offering recruits as much as $700.  Smith and a group of eastern recruiters made plans to use Midwest recruits (who were paid $300) to fill the eastern quotas and pocket the rest of the money.

Smith claimed he didn't know this was illegal.  He had also taken $92,000 the eastern recruiters had deposited with him  and made speculative investments in whiskey, gold and diamonds and turned a huge profit.

--CootIDidn'tKnow

General Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 1

Back on May 1st, I wrote about the American reprisal following the Belangiga Massacre, which definitely was not one of our prouder moments, thanks in large measure to the actions of this general.  I had never heard of him before, but his is quite a story.

From Wikipedia.

GENERAL JACOB H. SMITH  (January 29, 1840 to March 1, 1918)

United States Army officer notorious  for ordering an indiscriminate attack on Filipinos in the Philippine-American War  (Philippines Insurrection) following the Spanish-American War.  American soldiers killed anywhere between 2,500 and 50,000 civilians.

His orders included:

"Kill everyone over the age of ten."

"Make the island a howling wilderness."

He was court-martialed for this, but nothing happened.  However, the press took to calling him:  "Hell Roaring Jake" Smith,  "The Monster", "Howling Wilderness Jake"  and "Howling Jake."

--CootHowl

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 5: After 2017 Years, the Bells Are Back in the Philippines

Efforts to have the bells returned began in 1957 when the Franciscan monks of the Catholic Church said the bells were owned by them and should be returned.  In 1987, the government of the Philippines got involved with returning the bells.

It was discovered that two of them were at Francis E. Warren AFB in Wyoming, but the Air Force refused to give them back.  They continued to try to get them returned during the Clinton administration,   but were told the bells were U.S. property and it would take an Act of Congress to return them.

After that, there were a whole lot of efforts, both U.S. and Philippines to have the bells returned but all failed.  Finally, in 2018, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis was given the authority to make the decision and he decided to return the bells, the two in Wyoming and one in South Korea.

The bells arrived in the Philippines on December 11, 2018, just five months ago.  On December 14, they arrived in Belangiga.  On the next day, a Sunday, one of the bells was rung for the first time since 1901.

A Happy Ending To A Sad Moment in Time.

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 4: Talking About the Cannon Which Was Also Taken

In 1979 it was discovered that the small bronze cannon that was also taken from in front of the church had been cast in  London in 1557 and bore the monogram of Mary I of England.  So, it is a 400-year-old Falcon cannon.  It is located at Fort Warren.

OK, so then what was a Falcon cannon?  A new one to me.

From Wikipedia.

A Falconet, or Falcon, cannon was a light artillery piece developed in the late 15th century.  The barrel would be around four feet long and it used a half pound charge of black powder to fire a one pound round shot 5000 feet.

--Cooter

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 3: Taken As War Souvenirs

After the massacre, the town was recaptured on September 29, 1901, by Co. G, 9th Infantry.  They departed town the same day and were replaced by Companies K and L of the 11th Infantry.  When the 11th left the town, they took the bells from the destroyed church and a cannon from the plaza in front of it.

The reason for taking them was that one of them had been used to signal the attack that became the massacre.  The smaller bell was the one that started the massacre and  before the 9th shipped off for home, the 11th Infantry gave it to the 9th and it was taken to the Madison Barracks at Sackets Harbor, New York where a brick pedestal was built to display it.

In 1918, it was moved to Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Washington, and later ended up in South Korea at an army base.

The 11th Infantry had the two larger bells and took them with them when they redeployed to Fort D.A. Russell in Cheyenne, Wyoming.  In 1905, the two bells and cannon were displayed by the fort's flag pole with a sign about their significance.

In 1927, Fort Russell was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren which later became Francis E. Warren Air Force Base.

Next, Recovery Attempts.  --Cooter

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 2: Reprisal, "Howling Wilderness"

The first bell was cast around 1853, the second around 1889 and the third, and smallest, was acquired in 1895.

On 28 September 1901 a group of Filipino villagers from Belangiga ambushed Company C of the 9th U.S. Infantry while they were at breakfast, killing 48 and wounding 22 of the 78 men.  Supposedly, one of the bells had been used as the signal bell to launch the attack.

In reprisal, General Jacob H. Smith ordered Samar to be turned into "a howling wilderness."  Any Filipino above the age of ten was to be shot and this resulted in the most widespread slaying of Filipinos during the entire war.  There was also massive destruction on the island.

The Americans seized all three of the bells as war trophies.

General Smith and Marine Corps Major Littleton Waller  were both court-martialled for the severity of the reprisals.  Both were acquitted.

I'll be writing some more about the general who was quite an interesting character.

--DaCoot

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 1: Taken As War Trophies

Last month I wrote about the Belangiga Massacre which took place during the Philippines Insurrection in 1901.  That was in relation to Fort Russell in Wyoming where two of the bells ended up as war trophies.  That traced back to Francis E. Warren, a powerful senator from that state and a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient.  This was all part of one of my Road Tripping Through History.

From Wikipedia.

The Belangiga Bells are three bells that were taken by the U.S. Army  from the Church of San Lorenzo  de Martir in Belangiga, Eastern Samar, Philippines, as war trophies following the Belangiga Massacre in 1901.  One ended up at base camp of the 9th Infantry in South Korea and two others at the former base of the 11th Infantry at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

People representing the Catholic Church in the Philippines, the Philippines government and the residents of Belangiga have tried since the 1950s to get these bells returned and they were returned on December 11, 2018, after 117 years.

A Story With a Happy Ending.  --Cooter