It was worth a million dollars, but
By MICHELLE BOSWORTH
Staff photo
"I knew if something happened to me, they wouldn't leave without me," recalled Lewis Hagen of the Marines in his unit. Stationed in Korea on the front lines near the 38th Parallel, Lewis was a long way from his home and family in Hillsboro.
Before traveling across the Pacific Ocean, he graduated from Hillsboro High School, worked at his father's gas station, and drove an 18-wheeler. At the age of 21, Lewis and a friend decided to join the Marines. Although his parents didn't want him to enlist, they were supportive of him nonetheless. After his boot camp in San Diego, they visited him for a week. He then went through infantry training at Camp Pendleton, Calif., before shipping out to Korea.
Lewis spent the next four months and 10 days on the front line with bullets whizzing past him, splintering trees. He saw his first casualty and the cruelty of war. He learned to dig foxholes in rock and carry 75-pound backpacks up high hills. He realized he never wanted to see war fought on American soil, with women and children in peril.
Leo Ensz, the friend who had enlisted with him, one day came to visit Lewis at the front. He asked if Lewis wanted to be moved to the rear lines and work with the motor pool. It wasn't long after that Lewis was ordered to pack up his gear and prepare to leave.
In order for Lewis to move away from the front lines, someone had to volunteer to take his place. A man from Arizona did so. Five days later, he was hit by enemy fire and severely wounded.
"That made me think. How come I got through with nothing
His parents wrote letters often. At the end of each letter, they would say, "We're praying for you."
His niece baked cookies and mailed them to Lewis. When the soldiers in his unit realized who was sending homemade cookies, they raided any packages that came from her, leaving Lewis few morsels for himself.
Working in the motor pool, he hauled troops and supplies to the front lines in a convoy. Although his group never was attacked, Lewis savored the camaraderie of the Marines.
"If you're injured, they'd do everything possible to get you out of there," said Lewis. "If you ever join the Marines, you'll always be proud of it."
After serving in the Korean War during the early 1950s, Lewis was moved stateside. He joined the Marine Band because he had been an accomplished trumpet player in high school. The band traveled, performing at fairs and special events. They also played at a governors' convention in Seattle, Wash., where governors from every state were in attendance. The Marine Band led parades that occurred every day of the week-long event. One parade snaked along the streets for five miles.
Lewis also played the Scotch drum. It is like a bass drum, but narrower, with mallets with long tassels.
To further entertain the crowds while playing, he twirled the mallets like batons and continued to keep the beat of the song the band was playing.
"I enjoyed that! It was a lot of fun," recalled Lewis. He still uses his musical abilities. Often his is the trumpet sounding "Taps" at the end of each Memorial Day service in Hillsboro's Memorial Park.
After being exposed to so much suffering during his war-time experiences, Lewis has strong feelings about his country and her flag. "It burns me up when people don't want to salute the flag," he said. Being in Korea was a learning experience
"It taught me to love my country and all the freedoms we've got here. That, to me, is worth an awful lot," sighed Lewis. "It was worth a million dollars, but I don't want to do it again."
