Tim Dixon, Korean War Veteran

In 2001, The Oldham County History Center joined with the Library of Congress and the AARP to begin a series of oral histories collected from veterans in our area.  Below is an excerpt from one of our oral histories transcribed by history center staff, Jan Jasper. 

The oral history interview was conducted by Paulette Carey and the recording operator was Shirley Orr.

 

The Veterans Oral history Project

Korean Veteran Tim Dixon

 

            Tim Dixon enlisted in the U. S. Army in November 1948.  Tim was from Cumberland, Ky. when he enlisted in the Army because jobs were scarce.  “The only job available would be in a coal mine, and I had seen what it would do to people, including my dad.  It made a seventy-five year old man out of a young man; breathing all that coal dust.  So I didn’t want any part of that coal mine and I dropped out of high school and joined the Army.”

            “I served in the Korean Conflict.  That’s what they called it – a conflict.  But to me it was an all-out war. My job was machine gunner in the Korean War.  We had 30 caliber machine guns and also a water tank on that.  In the winter time we had to use that and put antifreeze in there to keep our weapons from freezing up.    If it froze up, it wouldn’t fire.  I was in Korea 15 to 16 months; the tour of duty was one year.  We just couldn’t get enough replacements to fill in the ones who lost their lives. [There were] ..a lot of casualties, about 50,000 of them.”

            Tim recalled how his platoon operated. “Like I said, I was on machine guns.  A platoon consists of four squads and we had eight machine guns, four for the winter and four for the summer.  And we would lie down on a hill if we done took that hill from the Koreans, we’d lie down and dig in pretty close together.  And we had a real good laugh out of this.  Everything that the Koreans eat, they put garlic in it.  The main food is fish and rice and soybeans and garlic.  We would be in our foxholes at night and we had made up what to do if they tried to slip up on us. And they were good at it too.  They ate so much garlic that when they perspire, it would come out on their clothes.  We could smell them before we could see them.  Who ever smelled the garlic first passed it down the line.  When it got a little bit slow, we would just open up and fire the devil out of them and tell the count the next day.  I don’t think they ever figured out what happened to them.  The alert, and everything you know, was we would smell that garlic, we sure did.”

            Tim went on to say the food rations were minimal.  “What little food we did get was C-rations….. There are the times we were following the North Koreans so fast that we went off and left our supplies and we would have to wait.  Sometimes we need the ammunition and we couldn’t go forward; we didn’t have enough ammunition.  And we averaged one meal a day, I would say.  And the water was extremely important.  The only water we received came from a Navy ship, a de-salting ship.  They took the salt out of ocean water and had tanker trucks at the dock to haul it in to us, but you could only wait so long if you’re real thirsty. We crossed this one river and our sergeant told us, ‘Do not drink this water because there are dead bodies in there.’. Right in front of us, I seen this one dead soldier.  I was so thirsty; I just walked out holding my canteen in the water. I don’t want to die from thirst or die from a bullet. I filled that canteen up and took a drink of it and filled it back up and went about my business.  We had chlorine to put in it; chlorine to put in it to purify it.  You’re supposed to wait 24 hours to drink it.  I didn’t even use it.  You couldn’t drink the water if you put it in there.  It might have been ready in 24 hours, but my thirst was calling for it right now.”

            Tim received three Purple Hearts for injuries received during combat. “We were attacking this hill, and I guess I was holding my rifle up ready to fire at one of them  and a bullet hit me in the left wrist ricochet out and broke my wrist and they sent me back to Japan.  I was there about five or six weeks; I thought I was coming home.  But they said, ‘Naw, we are already short. It’s hard to get replacements.’  They couldn’t train them fast enough to come up to Korea and get killed. The second Purple I received, this Korean got awful close to me, and I don’t know how he did. He threw a hand grenade in and that shrapnel broke my legs.  This time I just went back to the MASH Unit.”  After that Dixon was ready to go home but his sergeant said he couldn’t leave until his replacement came.  “For the third time, I got wounded was with the artillery shell coming in.  I could hear it coming but I didn’t know where it would hit.  I was talking to our First Sergeant. At that time, that thing hit right between us and blew that sergeant half into in his back.  He died instantly.  They took my right hip off with a big piece of shrapnel and also a big piece under my arm.  I crawled quite a way and we had an Aide Station sitting back there the artillery couldn’t hit it.  ……  I was laying there with part of my pants gone, and I felt something wet in my shoe and it was my blood that filled my shoe up. I told the Medic, “You’d better come here.” I wasn’t in pain because they fill you with morphine. He said, “That’s no problem”. I told them, “I’m bleeding to death! You gotta get me outta here.”  And he looked me over and said, “Well, I’ll send you on the next flight out.” And so he did. And I got to Japan, and the Captain brought another Purple Heart.  I said, “I don’t need any more, I’ve already got two.”  He said, “Well, you’ve got three, now.” 

            Tim Dixon passed away on July 4, 2003.  His wife Rosa lives in LaGrange.  They have 4 children and 4 great-grandchildren.

 

 

U. S. Highway 42 was one of the most traveled routes in the United States because it was the connector between Cincinnati and Louisville before the Interstate 71 was opened in1970.  There were many road houses, motels and restaurants located along the Hwy. 42 corridor.  Chicken Trail Inn was a very popular restaurant noted for its delicious steaks and fried chicken.  The following is taken from

from the history center’s cookbook, History by Food: Stories and Recipes about the Food and Families of Oldham County, Kentucky which is on sale at the Oldham County History Center gift shop:

 

Chicken Trail Inn

 

            Anyone and everyone who lived in Oldham County during the 1940s through the 60s still remembers the great steaks (Rib Eye dinner @ $4!) served at Chicken Trail Inn.  The Roquefort Cheese Dressing is a classic- if you can just find someone to share it with (makes up a gallon!!!!)  The beautiful farm house with it’s inviting front porch is till standing (Located by The Bank and close to Hillcrest Elementary School on Hwy. 42.) 

            The restaurant was owned and operated by Ruth and Ted Heyser. Ruth Heyser was a long standing resident of Oldham County.  She was very active in her community and church.  She volunteered at the hospital and served on the Cooperative Extension Board.  She was a member of the Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels in 1971, helped organize the Crossroads Homemakers Club, and also supported and served for many years, senior citizens in LaGrange and Oldham County.  Ruth also owned a business for several years and taught ceramics at the Chicken Trail Inn.  Ruth was well known for her cooking and honored in April 1988 with a 2nd place win of the American Dairy Association with her pasta recipe, Noodles Southern Style.  She will always be remembered for her Barbecue Meatballs at large family gatherings.

            Ted Heyser was a native of Leitchfield, Kentucky.  Ted graduated from Jefferson School of Law and was a practicing attorney in Louisville for several years.  In 1942, he and Ruth  purchased a farm at Prospect and began the well-known “Chicken Trail Inn Restaurant” which they owned and operated they retired in  1969.  He was also a great lover of thoroughbred horses; which he bred, raised, and raced. 

 

 

 

Ruth Heyser’s Meatballs and Sauce

 

Meatballs

2 lbs ground beef

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup cracker crumbs

2 eggs

½ cup chopped onion

½ teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons of salt

2 teaspoons of chili powder

Mix all ingredients together and shape into walnut size meatballs.  Can be frozen.

 

Sauce

2 cups ketchup

1 cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon liquid smoke

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ cup chopped onion

Mix sauce ingredients together.  Can be frozen.

 

When ready to use meatballs and sauce:

Mix meatballs and sauce together in a roaster.  Cook in 350 degree oven  for 45-60 minutes.

 

 

Chicken Trail Roquefort Cheese Dressing

 

1 ¾ cup Treasure Cave brand blue cheese (cut in small chunks)

About 10 drops of Tabasco sauce

About 10 drops of garlic juice

2 tablespoons of Worchester sauce

1 pint buttermilk

2 ounces apple cider vinegar

Mayonnaise

 

Stir first four ingredients gently until thoroughly mixed.  Do not beat!  Leave very lumpy.

Stir in gently the buttermilk and vinegar.  Gently fold in enough mayonnaise to make the mixture measure a gallon.

Better refrigerated three or four days before using

 

 

 

 

Stanton Pierce Bryan was born in 1827, the son of Dr. Edmund and Lettie Pierce Bryan and had 14 siblings. Three of the 15 children followed their father’s profession and became medical doctors, Bryan being one of them. At 22, Dr. Stanton left his family home in Wayne County and traveled to Louisville in hopes of entering medical by earning money for his tuition teaching at a country school. He found a job in Oldhamsburg (now Skylight) for a summer term and there he met a student who would become his future wife, Adelaide Thomas. He was admitted to medical school for the season of 1851-52 and received his degree in medicine. He and Adelaide Thomas were married in 1853.
In January of 1854 Bryan took over the practice of Dr. Kellar in Brownsboro and was the practicing physician there for the next 40 years. The following are some stories and excerpts from diaries and stories from the Bryan’s experiences in Oldham County that were compiled by his granddaughter, Adelaide Bostick.
“On one dark night, Dr. Bryan was trying to reach a place somewhere near Buckner. He was riding, he thought, on the right trail when suddenly his horse stopped short and no amount of urging would induce him to take another step. There was nothing to do but to give him the reins. The animal immediately turned in the opposite direction, and finally their destination was reached. Next morning, the doctor went over the same ground and found that he had ridden to the very verge of a point where another step would have precipitated both horse and rider to probable destruction.”
The lack of dentists also expanded Bryan’s practice into dentistry and he took a special course in dentistry and fitted his office with full dental equipment. One of the doctor’s favorite stories was about a slow-spoken, old gentleman who announced to the doctor: “Doc, you know I’m a pore [sic] man and we can’t afford a mouthful of gold plugs like some; but I’m willing to do my part by my family, and I’ve told my three girls they can have one apiece.”
To further his education, Bryan took a trip to Europe for six months to attend lectures and clinics at a number of different hospitals from November 1856 to May 1857. The following are some letters written by wife, Adelaide to her husband in Europe about news from Brownsboro:

Feb. 21, 1857
(excerpt) Mrs. James Allen is sick, has the chills. They have not called a physician. Mrs. Allen says she wishes very much your were here and said I must tell you to come as quick as possible for her benefit. Feb. 22 (continuation of same letter) Josie has been right sick all day –has a severe cough, pain in her breast and side. I put a mustard plaster on her breast and have been giving her some cough drops you left. I have given her enough cough drops to vomit her and she has breathed easier since. I did not go to church today. Brother went. Cousin John Milton and his little girl took dinner with us and little Fannie had a chill. So you see we need you at home badly, yes very badly. Feb. 24th (still same letter) We are alone tonight. Brother (went to Westport) and has not gotten home and it is too dark and rainy to send for Mr. Caldwell. I am a little afraid to stay here without some gentleman in the house. However, I will try to be brave and not think of fear…Lou Carroway is very sick. Dr. James says she has Winter Fever. Cousin John Milton thinks she has pneumonia, and is talking about sending for some other physician—he is wishing very much you werer here.
March 23rd…..Tuesday evening I went up to Mrs.Bottorff’s on the omnibus and a rough ride we had. Bettie [infant daughter] was afraid of the cars and seemed badly frightened when they whistled. I have been gardening today, planted peas, radishes and lettuce and set my onions. Mr. Barrackman has promised to plant my Irish potatoes tomorrow. He broke up my garden while I was in Indiana.