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FORREST LEE 'SONNY' OVERALL

FORREST LEE "SONNY" OVERALL

Forrest Lee "Sonny" Overall of Farmington was drafted into the US Marine Corps in 1951. He was deployed to Korea as a member of the Company F, Second Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment, First Marine Division in 1952. He measured up to Marine standards and was even chosen as a member of an honor guard for Gen. Lemuel C. Shepherd, Commandant of the Marine Corps. He wrote his family that "we all got new clothes, boots and everything had to be spotless." Forrest also wrote that "the men who were selected had to be near the same size and over six foot tall."

By 1952, the Marines were operating from Combat Outposts or COPs and fighting small unit battles with the Chinese Communists while negotiations were ongoing to end the war. Forrest or "Slim", as named by his buddies, participated in ambushes and patrols against the Chinese and helped to repel Chinese raids. The Marines and the enemy had positions in close proximity. In a letter home to his sister, Pauline, and family he said that "we only catch a patrol or an ambush every fourth day and only catch the outpost once every two weeks for two days." He went on to say that "the outpost is the bastard-the gooks are on three sides of it and when you have to take a crap you have to do it in a box and throw it out of a trench and they shoot the box." In looking at his pictures you can see the toll that the constant contact with the enemy was having on the young Marine. In his pictures from Korea you can see the "thousand yard stare" of a combat veteran.

On Feb. 3, 1953, the Fifth Marines launched a successful raid, Operation Clambake. The raid taught the Fifth Marines that careful planning ensured smooth coordination of infantry and supporting arms. The Marines maintained a flexible schedule of fires by fire, artillery, and tanks. Building on this success, the Fifth Marines planned another major assault, Operation Charlie, for Feb. 25, 1951. The raid was to be conducted by two reinforced platoons of the Fifth Marines, Company F, commanded by Captain Harold D. Kurth, was given the mission.

Forrest was proving his mettle as a Marine and wrote that he would be promoted to Corporal when his unit went back in reserve. In anticipation of this promotion, Pfc Overall was chosen as a Fire Team Leader in the assault.

Operation Charlie was launched before dawn and smoke was used to screen the Marines from the enemy. Supporting arms preparatory fires were again carefully plotted and included precision aerial bombing of enemy positions. However, bad weather prevented use of almost all of the planned pre-D-Day and D-Day air strikes. Upon reaching the object, the assault Marines "found the majority of enemy installations were relatively undamaged, even though subjected to heavy bombardment by other supporting arms."

Soon thereafter, Mr. and Mrs. Paul A. Overall received the following:

"I deeply regret to inform you that your son, Private First Class Forrest Lee Overall USMC was killed in action 25 Feb 1953 in Korea in the performance of his duty and service to his country. Please accept my most heartfelt sympathy in your bereavement. Sorry no details available at present. Our Marines who lose their lives are returned home for burial soon as possible. Any additional information received will be promptly forwarded. Details regarding national cemeteries and reimbursable expenses being mailed at a later date.

Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr.
General, USMC
Commandant of the Marine Corps."

A more eloquent and personal letter was received from his Company Commander:

"Dear Mr. Overall,

The death of your son, Private First Class Forrest L. Overall, United States Marines Corps, is a source of great sorrow to me and his many friends in this Company. Please accept my deepest sympathy in your loss.

"I'm sure you wish to know the circumstances surrounding the death of your son. Forrest was a Fire Team Leader with a Platoon that had been assigned the task of destroying a key enemy position on a hill close to enemy lines. During the assault, he was struck by enemy fire and died instantly.

"Forrest won many friends during his time with us. His actions, both personal and military, evoked a warm admiration from all with whom he was associated and his death leaves us with a tremendous sense of loss. I realize that mere words can do little to console you in your grief, but I earnestly hope that knowing your son is keenly missed by his many friends may in some way alleviate your sadness.

H. Richard Kurth, Jr.
Captain U.S. Marine Corps
Company Commander"

Forrest's parents later received a letter clarifying the circumstances of his death. They were told that "he lost his life as a result of a shell fragment wound sustained while he was engaged in combat at Panbu-dong, Korea on 25 February 1953." Forrest had his own "honor guard", Sgt. James H. Fry, who escorted his remains from Oakland, CA to Farmington. He was awarded the Purple Heart for his actions and the Marines named a parade field in Korea "Overall Field" in his memory.

An unknown author penned the following for his parents:

An Honorary Marine

He accepted the call of his Country
In beautiful garments of green
And proudly we hailed our only son
A stalwart and courageous Marine
"Sonny" he was to his family but
His buddies gave him the name of "Slim"
His humor was just as his courage
It made him a favorite with them
He was sent to the land of Korea
And in the battle at "Panbu-dong"
He fought side by side with his buddies
Of heroes that are still unsung
With a detail of eight of his comrades
An enemy outpost to find
Bravely they left their detachment
And crossed the enemy's line
They found the object they sought for
They wiped out the enemy's den
But the Great Master called for our Sonny
And he answered the high call to him
And now in the land of Korea
There's a marker that stands so tall
And thereon is the name of our Sonny
PFC Forrest L. Overall.

Published by THE DAILY JOURNAL, Park Hills, St. Francois Co. MO, Nov. 13, 2000.

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