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Published by www.EPlusPromotes.com www.TheCatoctinBanner.com The Catoctin Banner Newspaper January 2018 Page 37
Our Neighborhood Veterans — Continued from page 36
footprints meant that the Japanese shops in Gettysburg. The Caldwells
had come through their camp moved to Lake Dallas, Texas, in the
unseen. early 1970s, where Chuck had the
“It made me think that somebody promise of steady work.
was not guarding our camp too Things didn’t pan out quite as
well,” Chuck said. “That’s when I he had expected, and the Caldwells
started sleeping on my back with my decided to move to Gettysburg in
K-bar next to me.” 1980. Chuck came first and got his
On November 14, Chuck was small shop in the Old Gettysburg
awakened by nearby explosions, just Village established. He had been
after midnight. The Japanese ships visiting the town for most of his
had turned their large guns on the life and was excited to finally call it
island and were shelling it. home.
“Coconut trees were splintered Over the years, he has sculpted
and falling everywhere.” more than 15,000 miniature
As the shelling continued, Chuck soldiers, musicians, and sports
realized that it was too heavy to stay figures. This doesn’t even count the
in the foxhole. He needed to get to thousands of even smaller figures
the air raid shelter. he crafted to fill the stadium models
He started counting how long it that he built.
was between the time a gun fired Jackie died in 2007, after sixty-
and when the shell hit. The time “Our gun crew around the gun after firing all day.” — Chuck Caldwell two years of marriage, and Chuck
between firing from the ship and decided that it was time for him
hitting the island was consistent. with supplies. He and the other sand as it moved outward from to retire. He still makes some
When one shell hit nearby, Chuck Marines carrying supplies were ground zero. miniatures from his home.
took off running. Apparently, one popular targets for the Japanese, At age ninety-four, Chuck is
of the shells came in quicker than because they were out in the open On His Own still healthy and living on his own
expected. A coconut tree exploded and couldn’t fire back. In 1968, with four children and in Gettysburg. He still visits with
near Chuck, sending wood splinters Near the end of three days of a wife to support, Chuck decided friends and hosts holidays for his
into his right knee, left chest, and fighting and almost no sleep, Chuck to strike out on his own as an family, which has grown to include
wrist. collapsed. It turns out that he had artist. He quickly found work, four grandchildren and two great-
Chuck yelled as he hit the ground contracted malaria, most likely on including selling miniatures to grandchildren.
and rolled. He saw blood, but he Guadalcanal.
wasn’t feeling pain at the moment. He returned home for a thirty-
He couldn’t rest out in the open. He day leave in 1944, but after another
got to his feet and hobbled on. He bout of malaria, he wound up
would eventually receive a Purple extending his time. While recovering
Heart for this wound. in a Navy hospital, he met Jackie
Chuck eventually got off Murphy, a WAVE (Women Accepted
Guadalcanal, but he was transferred for Volunteer Emergency Service)
to the Second Division Marines nurse, who would eventually marry
and sent to Tarawa a little more him the following year.
than a year after he had arrived at
Guadalcanal. Although the fight Nuclear Bombs
there was shorter, it was just as After the war ended, Chuck
fierce as Guadalcanal. earned his art degree and took
The Marines met heavy resistance a job in Oak Ridge, Tennessee,
as they landed at Tarawa. They designing displays for the American
reached the beaches, but could Museum of Atomic Energy. He
barely hold that position. Later eventually transferred to a different
waves of Marines took heavy department, doing technical
casualties even before they reached drawings, which turned out to be
the shore. Ammunition ran low, very boring.
and the Marines had to scavenge Anxious to escape his boredom,
ammunition belts from the dead. he volunteered to spend the summers
The water was chest deep as of 1957 and 1958 in Nevada, setting
Chuck started wading ashore. He up atomic bomb tests and collecting
held his rifle above his head. The data after explosions. He saw
Japanese peppered the water with dozens of bomb detonations.
bullets. Chuck was excited to see his
“We lost three hundred men in first atomic bomb detonation. He
500 yards,” Chuck said. expected an ear-shattering explosion.
Chuck tried to ignore the men “It wasn’t that noisy, but what
suddenly floating face down in happened afterwards is that this
the water around him. He dove doughnut rolled out from the center
underwater and swam, hoping to and knocked you on your ass if you
escape the bullets splashing around weren’t kneeling down,” recalled
him. Chuck.
His job at Tarawa was to offload The doughnut was the concussive
the ships that made it to the dock force of the explosion stirring up
