By Jim Rhodes
Born and raised in the Upper Ninth Ward, Arthur always had a knack for making things work again, especially electronics. He learned through trial and error, working on discarded equipment until he understood how to repair it. He had learned his trade and earned what he called a master’s degree from UHK, the University of Hard Knocks. No formal training, just experience.
When the conflict in Korea began, Arthur enlisted in the Army. After basic training and additional testing, the Army selected his career field for him. As it turned out, they got it right. He became a radio operator in charge of a five-man team.
His one and only assignment was with the infamous Turkish Brigade. When Arthur and his unit arrived, the brigade had been without reliable radio communication for months.
Arthur tells the story of arriving with his team and learning about the communication problems. Looking around at the terrain, he quickly realized that all they needed was more elevation for the antenna.
He spotted a tree on a nearby hill and asked who controlled that area. When he was told it was under U.S. control, he drove over to the tree, climbed up and attached the antenna.
Problem solved. Radio reception was restored.
The Turks were supplied as well as could be expected, but their attached radio unit wasn’t quite as fortunate. Once again, they seemed to be forgotten in the realm of larger things. Their food came from the Turkish soldiers, which meant meals were naturally different from what the Americans were accustomed to. But one adapts quickly.
Arthur never received a government-issued identification card. Somehow, he was always one step ahead of the process. He also never received a Purple Heart for his combat wounds, even though he spent more than a week unconscious in a field hospital.
His truck had been struck by artillery fire, killing the other four members of his team.
Arthur speaks about that experience in a halting voice. You can see the pain on his face and hear the emotion in his quiet words.
I listen and try to remember the names he mentions in these stories.
One story takes place at Fort Polk, where Arthur was waiting to be discharged from the Army. He was traveling home for the weekend and offered a ride to a fellow soldier from the Marksville area.
His passenger was Roy Lemoine, whose family owned a grocery store along the highway and lived across the road from it.
When they arrived to drop Roy off, nobody was home or at the grocery store.
Arthur asked what he wanted to do.
Roy suggested they drive a little farther down the highway because he thought he knew where everyone might be.
They turned onto a narrow road that eventually opened into a field. There, they found the entire family gathered together.
Arthur got his first taste of Cajun life that weekend.
He never made it home.
Call it what you want: a police action, a conflict or a war. People were injured, mentally and physically, and others were killed.
Yet even today, history seems to skip over the Korean Conflict and move straight to Vietnam.
The war that care forgot.
Not many veterans from that era remain, and their numbers grow smaller every day. Those of us fortunate enough to know someone who served during that time hear their stories and are reminded of what happened.
Think about it. How many movies or books about the Korean Conflict can you name?
That’s a shame, because it happened, and it affected far too many lives.
You see, Arthur is my father-in-law, and he lives with us here in Natchitoches.
Arthur Louis Wisneski is 94 years old. He has his memories and a DD-214 to prove he was there. Most of his military service records were destroyed in a records fire years ago.
Veterans Day is Wednesday, November 11, 2026. There will be ceremonies honoring our veterans, but nothing particularly large or extravagant.
What a shame.
Remember that phrase, “Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness”?
We celebrate Mother’s Day to honor the person who gave us life, often with dinners and gifts to show our appreciation.
But the group that helped secure the other two, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, receives far too little recognition.
When you meet a veteran, don’t just say, “Thanks for your service.”
Thank them for the sacrifices they made so that we can enjoy the freedoms provided by this great country we have been blessed to live in.
God Bless America.
250 Years Strong.
Because of Veterans.
Editor’s Note: Editor’s Note: Anyone with information about the Lemoine family mentioned in this article is encouraged to contact the Journal. Information will be forwarded to the appropriate parties.