John “Moose” Creighton
Mitch Steinberg
I first became aware of the Brotherhood of the Chosin Few shortly after enlisting in the Marine Corps. This was after the Korean “Police Action” ended in a stalemate and armistice. During our training we studied the Korean “War” to extract the lessons to be learned from the conflict. That’s why when given the opportunity to meet one of the Chosin Few of Korean War fame I looked forward to getting the details and “straight scoop” on the action. That was eleven years ago when several of us stood with long time Saddlebrooke resident and Marine (Once a Marine always a Marine), John “Moose” Creighton, a driving force for the founding and establishment of STS—originally called Tucson Troop Support–-a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to caring for and supporting our military service members, veterans and their families. Before we explore Moose’s role in building the highly effective STS let me share with you the significance of being “One of the Chosin Few.”
First we need to review the situation leading up to the battle of the Chosin Reservoir.
On June 25, 1950, 100,000 Russian trained and equipped North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) forces invaded South Korea. They quickly overwhelmed the “green,” lightly-armed Republic of Korea (ROK) forces and the few US troops deployed from the Japan Occupation forces. The US was ill-prepared to respond…
Due to space limitations the full article cannot be presented here. To view the story of a local resident’s role in one of the greatest sagas in military history visit the STS web page at www.sts-1.org.
If you would like to join Moose in his ongoing efforts in support of our Troops and their families contact the STS President George Bidwell at 818-2389.