Podcast 27
As we venture into 2019 I want to extend a personal challenge to my listeners and readers. Learn who you are. Learn why you feel the way you do politically. To begin your journey I would like to share mine with you. To do this I am going to share an experience I had on January 1st. I traveled along with 7 other members of my family to Winston, Georgia. In Winston, I met a man by the name of Leon McClung. The conversations and stories I had with Mr. McClung were enough to drive the fire’s to take a stronger stand for America that I believe in. Podcast 27 will discuss knowing your history and our meeting with Mr. McClung.
Mr. Leon McClung
Let me begin by giving you background information on who Mr. McClung is. Leon McClung is originally from Lookout Mountain, Alabama. He is a 1948 graduate of Fort Payne High School. This was a more rare event in DeKalb County Alabama for a male in the 1940’s. An era where young boys typically did not finish school due to the necessity of having to help work on their family’s farm.
Before I build this bridge I want to add why I visited Mr. Leon McClung with my family. My grandfather died when my dad was 16 years old. I grew up, therefore, having to find a connection with my grandfather through people’s stories. Often times in my life I have been told that not only do I resemble him in looks but in mannerisms. I have always been driven to learn more about this man.
Mr. McClung, My Family, and Korea
The story begins with Mr. McClung ‘s connection to my family is with my grandfather Lamar Marks. My grandfather and Mr. McClung, along with a gentleman named Mac McCollum were all drafted during the Korean War. These three gentlemen met in Ft. Payne, Alabama where they boarded a train that would take them to Washington state for their next orders. Mr. McClung stated that “We all knew that we were going to Korea. Washington was the hub to be sent on to fight in the war.”
The train was to carry them to Texas, then on to Chicago, and from Chicago to Washington. However, the train had a wreck on its way to Chicago. This incident changed the course of the assignment these men would have. Mr. McClung stated, “I felt this was God’s way of taking care of me.” The wreck, however, caused the men to be delayed, something the military did not appreciate. After having the train engineer write these men a letter stating the incident to keep from being labeled as AWOL, they were then sent on to Washington.
When arriving in Washington they were prepping to then depart for Korea when they learned they were reassigned to the Anti-Aircraft division in Sausalito, California. For the next two years these men, and eventually their wives would call Sausalito and Berkeley California home. Mr. McClung stated that the three families were like “family.” He told stories of how my grandmother and his wife’s kitchen windows were very close and they could communicate with each other via the window. They built bonds. Bonds that would forever connect Mr. McClung and my family.
The Past Generations
The story that I would like to tell how our country has changed can be given by the life and example of this past generation. America and its military was a different country.
