Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:43 | When country boy Paul Deverick went to boot camp at Parris Island, he ran rings around the other recruits. This did not endear him to the drill instructors, who tried to put him in his place.
Keywords : Paul Deverick Walton WV Parris Island Drill Instructor (DI)
After boot camp at Parris Island, Paul Deverick went first to Quantico, where he worked at the Officer Candidates School. His next stop was Cherry Point, where he went to MP school and then served as an MP on base. He had two brothers serving in combat, which kept him out of action in the Pacific.
When the Korean War broke out, Paul Deverick was in the active Marine Reserve and he got the call. He went with his unit, which was designated as an engineering company, but he didn't get to build anything. His first assignment was transporting prisoners from North to South.
The guards heard something. The giant lights were switched on to light up the Korean night and everyone was on the line. Paul Deverick was surprised and relieved when he saw what caused the ruckus. In another incident, the noise he heard turned out to be an enemy.
Paul Deverick's experience at the Chosin Reservoir was mostly one of observation. From a high vantage point, he saw wave after wave of Chinese troops mowed down. He wasn't immune from artillery fire, however, and he had to cram into a hole frequently.
The 155 mm rounds were coming. You could hear them. Paul Deverick and his buddy dove for a hole by the stream on a cold Koren mountainside. He was in the hole first, and that saved him from getting hit, but it was his friend who was really lucky.
It was a pleasant surprise. After being relieved on the line in Korea, Paul Deverick was headed home. On the ship, they slept on those great Navy blankets and some of the guys tried to make souvenirs out of them. They didn't get away with it, but they did get discharged early.
