A soldier’s story
Grants man shares war memories on YouTube

Judson Henperley, 88 of Grants, talks about his experiencs, in this video capture, as a World War II combat medic in a video appearing on YouTube. [courtesy photo]

Judson Hemperly during World War II

By Jim Tiffin
Cibola County Bureau

GRANTS — Judson Hemperley is sharing his World War II experiences as a combat medic in the European Theater with the world.

He said he hopes to be able to help other veterans deal with the experiences of combat and its toll after they return home and in doing so has been recorded on DVD, a video that is one of YouTube’s featured videos.

The video is also playing on the Republican National Committee’s portion of YouTube as one of five that are competing to be shown at the convention in the fall.
Video veterans

The creative media program at New Mexico State University-Grants, has recorded, edited and placed the video on YouTube.

Doug Bocaz-Larson, head of the Creative Media Department at the college, said he wants to video other veterans and their stories, not only to be placed on YouTube, but to be able to help those who face difficulties re-entering society after coming home from Iraq, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Korea or World War II.

The You Tube video is three minutes long and can be seen at www.YouTube.com/dbocaz.

“YouTube selected this as one of its featured videos,” Bocaz-Larson said. “We need people to view the video on the GOP Web site and vote so it will be shown at the convention,” he said. The GOP Web site is: www.youtube.com/gopconvention2008.

“If the video does not show immediately, click the next box until you see it.

“There are only five videos showing, so it’s pretty easy,” Bocaz-Larson said. The winning video will be shown at the convention and the winner and family are invited to attend.
Bocaz-Larson said his crew videotaped Hemperley for four hours and are working on a longer video that will be entered as a documentary in festivals this and next year.

The longer video will show Cho Larson, Bocaz-Larson’s father; Lewis Bennett; and Zero Aakil-Berg, both of Grants, in a panel discussing their Vietnam, World War II and Iraq experiences.

Combat medic

“I just talked about my experiences as a medic,” he said. “I was in the Army in 1944 and 1945 and 1946.”

He said he was in Austria, Germany, France, northern Italy and Switzerland as a combat medic

“I was a sergeant in charge of an aid station on the front lines, without a doctor,” he said. “I was glad they put me in the medical section because I went over there to save lives not take them,” he said, “and I saved a lot of them.”

He said when he returned from the war it was pretty bad, but with the help of his wife, he was able to adjust and return to work.

“I was not able to work in oil production because there were no jobs, so I started driving a truck. Driving those trucks kept me busy and I didn’t have a lot of time to think about the war,” he said.

“One night I came home and my 5-year-old son started crying.

“We asked him what was wrong and he said ‘who is that strange man with my mommy,’ ”

It was at this point that Hemperley quit driving trucks and found a job in oil production in Wascom, Texas, so that he was able to be home every night with his wife and son, Judson Hemperley Jr.

Today, Hemperley’s two sons, Judson Jr. and Michael work in Oregon and in Santa Fe, respectively.

Bocaz-Larson invites any veteran who has been involved in major incidents, or who may have unique experiences in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Afghanistan or Iraq from the current conflict, and whom would like to share their experiences, to contact him at the college at (505) 287-6656.

Hemperley said he was happy to share his experiences and hope they help others.

He said when he heard the war was over he was at the Rhine River in Germany and the scuttlebutt among soldiers was that his 232nd Infantry Regiment was going to be an occupation force in Japan.

“So, I was able to transfer to another outfit and come home,” he said.

Information: (505) 285-6656.
On the net: www.youtube.com/dbocaz or www.youtube.com/gopconvention2008.

To contact reporter Jim Tiffin call (505) 285-4560 or e-mail: jtiffin.independent@yahoo.com.