To Manila and back
Courtney Luke
It was hundreds of miles to the nearest ocean and thousands more to the Pacific, but for 18 year old Herbert Luke who had spent the majority of his childhood in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas, that was his destination following W.W.II.
Luke entered into active service on January 9, 1946, five months after the Japanese surrender. He and his twin brother Herman received their basic training at Camp Crowder in Neosho, Mo. In June of that year, he was certified as a medical technician.
He was transferred to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. where he served as a med tech.
Being accustomed to moving quickly, Luke generally walked briskly through the hallways. On one such occasion, he was pushing his medical cart down a set of stairs. At a sharp turn, he came upon an officer and almost knocked him to the ground. The officer said, "Go on son, get where you are going." Luke realized the officer was General Dwight Eisenhower, the man who later became the 34th President of the United States.
During this portion of his enlistment, Herbert and his brother Herman had been separated. Their father did not like this idea and thought since they were twins and had never been apart for long periods of time, they should still be together. He went to the courthouse in Greenville, Mo. and spoke to a government official. Interestingly enough, he listened. Herman was soon transferred to the D.C. area.
The two young men were eventually transferred to the Philippines to participate in the U.S. peace keeping endeavors following the war. They boarded a ship in New York, sailed south through the Panama Canal and on to the South Pacific.
While serving at the 248th General Hospital in Manila, Luke supervised enlisted men in operation of two wards, maintained supply and patient records, administered injections and medicines and treated minor injuries.
Occasionally, a scouting expedition would be necessary. Deep in the jungles, Luke and his unit would come upon native Filipinos with shields and spears. These people were in need of medical care and that is what they were given.
When their enlistment was over, the two Missouri boys headed home. After landing at San Francisco Bay, the brothers, as well as three other friends, bought a truck and headed east. Along the way, each young soldier was dropped off at his home town. By this time, the Luke family had moved to Malden and that is where Herbert and Herman landed.
Luke took a job with Caterpillar Tractor and was sent to Peoria, Illinois. When he would come back to visit his parents, Luke would also stop in at Norrid's City Drugstore where his brother's girlfriend, Laura Mincey, worked as a soda jerk. Another attractive, young soda jerk working behind the counter caught his eye and he and June Allen began to date.
Eventually during a visit to Illinois, Herbert popped the question and June accepted. In August of 1951, they were married at a minister's home in Piggott, Arkansas with family and friends looking on. For the next few decades, the couple made their home in Moeqwa, Illinois. There, the couple raised their children and worked in their local church.
Upon retirement, the Lukes moved back to Malden. They built a home on several acres nestled on Crowley's Ridge.
Their daughter JoBeth Wiseman resides in Malden and has previously worked as a special education teacher in the Risco School District. Their son Kevin lives in Jonesboro, Ark. and works in the quality control department of American Railcar Inc. out of Paragould. They have five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
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