Dale Richard Barnes is a victim, survivor, and hero in this true story of courage and endurance. When I met Dale at a local place in the community and he found out I did some writing, he shared he always wanted to tell his story. So we met several weekends and I documented and arranged this extraordinary tale. He requested that his real name be omitted to protect his identity.
“We were located in a DMZ (demilitarized zone) at the 38th parallel. The military is all about acronyms. Marches could be up to 20 miles over difficult terrain to move to a new position. Our weapons included the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR) and shortly after the M1 Garand. The BAR was replaced because it would freeze up in the wintery climate. You would have to piss on the receiver group so it would thaw enough to fire. The M1 Garand, also a .30 caliber weapon, had a clip that held 8 rounds of ammunition. After firing the last round, the clip would pop out with the distinct sound, “Ching!” The enemy would listen for it and then charge. If you were smart, you had another loaded rifle right next to you ready to go.”
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