Korean War veteran recalls send-off parade
Shawnee resident John Townsend recalls a day more than 50 years ago when he and his fellow U.S. Army National Guardsmen were treated to quite a send-off.
In September 1950, Townsend and others with Company D of the 180th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, were mobilized in preparation for overseas service during the Korean War. In a show of support, the Shawnee community turned out in the thousands for a farewell parade.
“The crowd was estimated to be between 2,000 to 3,000 people, along with the Shawnee High School band,” Townsend said.
The troops boarded a train at the Rock Island Railway Station on Bell Street and left for training at Camp Polk, Louisiana. Townsend said the train made several stops along the way to pick up more soldiers, and nowhere was there a send-off as big as the one in Shawnee.
About 60 to 80 soldiers from the Shawnee area marched in the parade down Main Street, which was organized by American Legion Post 16, Townsend said.
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