 add the distance thunder of war and the loneliness of a dream that's our story saturday hero taken from the files of john steve adventurer john steve back with a story that's as timely as tomorrow's headlines you know some people you can know for years and they never surprise you then there are others who are full of surprises well joe trasky was that kind of guy just when i thought i had him slotted away in a convenient cubby hall he'd let go with a new wrinkle that i'd never even knew was there but it took a complete stranger to really introduce me to joe all this sound like double talk well you just stick around and listen to his story maybe you'll get what i mean joe i don't know why i did it when the last war was over and the time came for getting out i stayed in maybe it was because the army was the only job i know maybe it was because it seemed like the thing to do i don't know but i did it and a funny thing happened i felt like i've been locked in the stadium after the football game was over or it was still the same army all right but somehow was different it was different without the old excitement turning in your stomach which made you jump where your brains clicked you know they were using real bullets it was different without the guys the guys that laughed with you jumped with you i thought with you there were many of them around and one morning i wandered into the mess hall and some joe and there's waving his jaw about korea later on that day i found that he wasn't just waving his jaw and a couple of months later the outfit shipped to japan and business was picking up joe what time it was five i must have fell asleep but you're doing a little barracks during duty hours that things were slow johnson said i might as well get some sacked tell johnson i said the next time he should ask me should and don't forget sure and what's eating you what do you mean i don't know you've been sounding off like a top kick all of a sudden how come because that's what i am yeah i know but before you was never like this maybe i should have been back in the states you always used to say where do we get overseas it's all the time you used to now we're over here and you're worse than before call us overseas oh it's japan is that bad where do we get up with a doing some shooting you'll see me i like it here you would you think i want to be here i just won't be back in the states no medals for me japan hey uh how'd you like to be stationed in brooklyn right now the ball season be about half over brooklyn what there's more than one okay the dodgers ought to be in first place by now and every day there's a game and all the kids hang out at the gas station i'll bet for that why so they can catch the home run to get in a ballpark for free and dang nothing but dang i don't know where they stay all winter but come summer and they're walking all over flat bush they are and then there's a guanis canal oh i can just see it i can just smell it who are you trying to get the dirtiest collection of water this side of the suede it is so approved i'll get my cute brother to send me some water right out of the guana sergeant prasky reports to major steel immediately sergeant prasky reports to major steel immediately and it's all i wonder what anyone i'll see you later you wait and see i'll prove it it's prasky yes sir lieutenant harvison sergeant prasky howdy-dozy this is the man i was telling you about that's me do you lieutenant's from demolition prasky demolition uh-huh you've been beefing for a chance to get up front how'd you like a job what do you mean okay lieutenant you know your men major okay joe ever hear of an f-86 saver sure jeff fryer or one was shot down the day behind enemy lines in korea it was the first saver that's fallen into enemy hands naturally there's a lot of information the communists can gather by studying the plane or the wreckage demolition the lieutenant means right you'll be dropped behind enemy lines tonight in the approximate area where the saver went down your job is to find it and blow it up you want it yes sir lieutenant hardison will fill you in on the details can you be ready in a half an hour yes sir you wanted our best man hardison there he is thank you major you've been in combat before joe i don't have to tell you to be careful now sir you're ready in a half hour that's all yes sir sergeant yes sir be careful yes sir now this was more like it no more sitting around while the other guys went up into the fighting i was going to get my crack at it too half hour later i was back at the strip climbing into a c1 19 that was warmed up and waiting major steel rode up forward with the pilot and me and the lieutenant back in the cargo hold the c1 19s built to carry 40 or 50 troopers seemed funny to be rattling around in that big ship alone and the pilot revved the engines we rumbled on the strip we were airborne first me and the lieutenant didn't talk much but then you never do the first half hour of the mission there were two cigarette butts on the floor between my feet when he finally spoke where are you from sergeant pennsylvania i'm from kansas uh first jump yeah i see i'm not worried just wish you'd give me a little more training in this kind of everything i'll go around i'm not worried what were you thinking about when after we took off i was watching it what i always think home i was trying to remember if i packed my shoot right oh where was that saber shot down lieutenant we're gonna be working together for a couple of days why don't you call me sit we'll work better if i don't okay there was a plane shot down on kumshan it's about 40 50 miles north of soul we occupied the town last summer north of the parallel about 10 miles but until he can say the natives are 70 friendly if we're lucky yes what's the plan we'll have three days and when i lose we report to the rendezvous point get picked up by copter when i lose that's right we'll find it those are orders we'll find it what you're doing civilian life draski but minor oh yeah father a minor no how'd you come didn't have no father was raised by my big brother oh i was raised in a farm big one corn as far as your eye could see it went but that's the way it always goes you sit alone for a while thinking your thoughts and somebody starts to talk and you have to leave yourself and help them that's the only reason they do it because they jumpy it helps them let off steam parlor cigarette stops diva feet grew while i kept counting by seven half of them over the left half of the right the 15th one fell in the middle they ground it out and left it there and the lieutenant kill well i just couldn't see it under the circumstances i said look belly there they were the word you wait for stand up and hook up that's when you start to sweat i reached out and clipped my static line of a plane lieutenant was staring at the floor i reached over and snapped his line of the plane two minutes two minutes we were on our feet now moving slow to the rear and the two open doors from the side my hands were moving over my equipment checking automatically the lieutenant was looking straight ahead one minute one minute i held it to him to watch the lights over the door i didn't know if he heard me with a rush of wind in the roar of the plane maybe he didn't the green light was flashing lieutenant frozen the doorway i put my foot in the chute and shoved him out of the plane then i took a deep breath and stepped out after him there's no sensation of falling but your common sense tells you the job when you feel a sharp pain in your harness you know your shoots open plane fades away in the night above you you start thinking about the ground hope me and the lieutenant to fall together with if he was near i couldn't see him time to worry about him later the ground would be coming up with me before i knew i had to be ready they strained my eyes from the black below me but there was nothing and just before i hit i saw it smooth and shiny i knew it was water the chute settled around me as i rolled in the mud i got it in and it's so perfectly still sure there was lieutenant splashing around a couple of hundred yards away i thought about the sound stopping once or twice to get my direction two or three minutes i found him he climbed out of a muck and buried our chutes yeah what a mess at least it was easy dick i think they find a way to grow rice hollow water come on all the career to jump we gotta land in the rice field at least we're down yeah what's next i'm trying to plan i guess just like that how would you do it we only got three days that's right you could walk around for a month and never find it yes we were lucky nice they don't i don't hear nothing i thought i saw something move ahead of us let me take a look see anything to you where did you get any ideas what do you mean intelligence said the natives were friendly 70 same thing the plane crashed within 10 miles you hear this guy ought to know it no we gotta do his ass no why not too risky we only got three days i know you got any better ideas forcing is not friends it's a three to one shot no what are you gonna do walk around for three days i don't know well i'm not fast we're here to blow up our plane and i'm gonna do it first i said no trashy that's an order you do your job and i'll do my lieutenant i've been waiting for you you've been waiting for us how much wait a minute he's letting me a candle it is so i have seen you fall to earth i did loss of touch on water i have been waiting for you it's your place i do not understand the farm the farm is it yours it is the land of my ancestors what kind of we're americans old man this i know i want to help you there is only one health and that is in each man for himself you don't understand we want to bring peace to your land that is the wish of all men but first there must be peace in the house let me take over lieutenant you know what an airplane is i do not an airplane you know flies in the sky make a lot of noise you know airplane we're looking for one you look for one yeah one crashed around here someplace please one crack how do you say crash fancy fell to earth one one fell to earth around here someplace we want to find it ah this is crash yeah you know where it is you believe him i don't know well i don't why but plane crashing your neighborhood do you think you know about yes he's lying what hurt you if you tell us where it is i do not under you can't do that can i just watch me i said tell us where the airplane is we won't hurt you it is written in the book that has become whole each year water and no more so it is with pain if i know the answer i would tell you now what i don't know but if you were doing the honor to share my house when the sun rising i will help you find that which would seem what do you think well at least it's a roof yes old man will stay please use as i wish there have been many flowers in the valley since the house of my ancestors has been visited by the old man stare the fire and brought out some food and all the time he was talking that lingo about the book and his ancestors i began to get warm and then i realized how long it had been since i slept i looked across the table with the lieutenant he was sleepy too then the old man stood up and let us over to some straw in the corner of the room i was asleep almost before i laid down next thing i remember somebody was pulling on my shoulder somebody kicked me get up draski somebody turned us in while we were asleep the old man wasn't his ancestors let us outside and load us on a truck couple of chinese soldiers got him back on this knee i was going to kick me got in front my head was aching like a rupees back after a 40 mile hike lieutenant was holding his head between his hands and i figured he felt the same way dope the old guy with a fancy word that slipped as a korean mickey and we'd fallen for it he drove us to a town eight or ten miles away and then we were unloaded led into a mud brick building with a fetched roof the officers sat down at their desk and the soldiers left their room sit down gentlemen who really says draski this will not take long a few routine questions i gotta handle this sergeant according to my information you were dropped by parachute sometime around two o'clock this morning that is correct answer me my name is sydney b hardison my rank answer me sergeant i'm the superior officer present i'll answer for the sergeant this information is correct is it not my name is sydney b hardison my rank is first lieutenant my serial is 0155 9168 it is not fitting that one officer should strike another a most deplorable situation but you must understand that any airborne activity is of extreme importance it is my duty to discover the mission of such activity i'm required to give only my name right yes yes i know i am familiar with international law but there are times when the situation demands that the good of many thousands of men be placed above the life of one or two do i make myself clear my name is syd you have made your point lieutenant stunning that will be all lieutenant no sergeant you will stay see you later name rank and serial number that's all no sergeant you were dropped by parachute around 12 o'clock this morning that is correct is it if you know what he asked me for it is correct yeah i'm glad to see you are sensible what was the purpose of your mission my name is joseph sergeant those tax my patience we have other ways of persuading you to reveal information less pleasant ways you would please do not forget you are a spy and that's what you want to dig the maximum okay do i make myself clear now the purpose of your mission must to secure information concerning troop strength in this area correct no information which was needed to support the new american offensive correct no an offensive which the americans have been preparing since may no by the way sergeant that is an interesting shoulder patch what i've not seen in korea how long have you been in combat so i love that so nothing that i have said is true yes no and what was the purpose of your mission you were seeking information concerning troop strength in this area no information which would enable the americans to predict our offensive strength no perhaps troops have been withdrawn from this sector to help on the central front no by the way sergeant have your superior officers told you about the new shifting strength what it will hold up supplies for career aligns it is unfortunate not true your life is not true but no matter what was the purpose of your mission sergeant answer me the name is joseph american dog all right right guy what the heat value you want to blow your head off you know what me's going to do we're going to walk right out that door and the first guy makes a move to help you you're going to get a big fat slug on the back of your neck first i gotta find something out you want to know what we're doing here i'll tell you we're looking for an airplane see an f-86 saver and when we find it we're going to blow it to kingdom come now where is it where is it this is the purpose of your mission why don't the gun oh yes it's quite empty i keep it for just such occasion i didn't see the lieutenant for the rest of the day guess it was part of the treatment kept us apart so we couldn't compare notes sometime during the night a guy came and led me down a hole he stopped at the door and the lieutenant was brought out and the two of us were marched outside this is the way it happened in the middle of the night he took out some deserted field the wire they tied your wrists with ends up as exhibit a an award trials court five years later right about it an intelligence report but it was hard to believe it might happen to me and then we turned a corner led into another building down a hole down some stairs to a cellar into a dark room the door closed behind us we were alone i thought that was it and me too hope i never come any closer yeah i wanted to yell i thought i could think of just yell i wanted to run those bris would learn more american cussing at two minutes hey cool off huh gotta sit down if it's a home something i gotta tell you i know i spell the beans i know trisky oh those things happen i guess tricked me he had an empty gun i know he told me all about it five guy happened to you today not much they found out why we were here they kept pumping me for more dope no more to give no they bother bother to feed no you need it by the way if we ever get out of this that jerk in the monkey suit's name is sin cool and he's a major sin cool i won't forget you know what today is no July 3rd so my girl's birthday center of wire sure i am moscom what's her name mary happy birthday mary you know i've been thinking that this is all that there is to trisky you know something no listen he's in here with us over there come on here he is just hurt yeah uh hey hey buddy we know now who are you name's george priar right this captain he thinks we're reds we're americans prior how'd you get your name is george priar we're ganks fella you know four score and seven years ago how'd you get here you're a flyer yeah saber yeah that's it where's the where's the plane that's it what's that what is he dead exertion i guess oh come on let's get out of here what let's get out of here did you hear what i just said huh the guy's dead stay here and cry over him if you want to i'm getting out of here i got a job and listen to me i'm sick and tired of standing around and watching you operate there's something meaning you trisky and i know what it is you want to be a hero that's all the army means to you just a chance to be a hero wait i'm i'm sure he doesn't see your kind guys who think every mission is going to get their names in the papers back home and they go on sticking their fat heads out till somebody chops them off you know what you remind me yeah that's it i bet you played football when you were in school sure you're a big star weren't you what if i had trouble with you never got all the being a saturday hero i got the same thing in the army if we'd work together as a team maybe we wouldn't be in the mess we're in now everything of that trisky what are you going to do when peace comes and there's no more chance to be a hero or you're the kind of jerk that it'll be sorry when it's over i'll sit down try and figure out what's the right thing to do yes there was only one thing that might work we'd prop the dead flyer against the far wall and then call for the guard yeah that was we'd tell the guard the captain was sick if he came in the room we both hit him at the same time they'd if he fired he'd shoot at the captain that gives the time we needed besides we were both sure the captain like knowing he gave us a hand it's pretty much the way it worked out said the guy never had a chance to shoot i guess a little tenet had played a little football too they got another uniform from a guard upstairs two of us looked like we just been equipped by chinese quarter master nothing fit must have been good because we slung a couple of rivals on our shoulders and walked out past everybody move slowly we were out of town and we're both into a steady truck keep to the main road ahead and sound we think we cover well maybe a little more probably said two miles didn't he yeah he's getting bushed they gotta keep moving find those two guys tied up they don't know where to look for us yeah i swear if i ever get my stuff back yeah bring off the road down there yeah maybe that's it all right let's move in to keep down right you see anything it's like a field over there you understand them a little yeah wait a minute somebody said something about a ceasefire what till it runs the day on the radio ceasefire that's what they said what do you know wait a minute yeah it's a field all right the plane's right out there doubling a guide what do we do now i don't know if the ceasefire is on the level we're not gonna shoot anybody you know just blow up a plane come on lieutenant we do it's just between you and me come on wait for the guy to make his time okay all right now it cover me yeah these guys see us it'd be like Saturday night in Chinatown around here and it almost done come on were you come on we got a date with a cop yes sir yes lieutenant climbed up in the plane set the charge and we took off and the plane was completely destroyed yes sir nice work man uh major what's this about a ceasefire nothing definitely nothing definite no but we're keeping our fingers crossed i know you're both tired just one thing because of the situation securities clamp the tide live on your mission highly confidentially understand yes sir i know how you feel but that's war i'll go hit the sack yes sir man life you're back thank you thank you sir hi this is just where i get off joe yeah been nice knowing you ah name's sid any idea what you'll be doing after it's all over won't you look me up when you get out joe yeah maybe i'll do that sit yeah maybe i will saturday hero the story of a soldier who faced his biggest battle within himself well friends if you like joe's story why not come back again next week i'll have a man who is the world's greatest listener who nearly pays with his life for listening to the wrong party i like to call it slight unseen so until next week this is john steele saying a life of adventure is yours for the taking wherever you find it only don't look for it it may find you well goodbye and good hunting john steele adventure is produced by robert Monroe written and directed by elliot drake phil sterling was heard as joe also in our cast were alan stevensson jack edwards and beryl firestone john steele is don douglas musical effects were created by doc whipple and your announcer has been ted malley this program came from new york for the shadow where an invisible crescent strikes fear into the 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