Ep. 28 - Donald Chase - The Poet Warrior who turned down Million Dollar Wounds in WW 2 and Korea

Donald Chase understood that freedom isn’t free. He defended his country in two wars, WW II and the Korean war, and in doing so received 4 purple hears and 2 bronze stars. In both wars, soldiers often wished to receive a “million dollar wound” – a battlefield injury that would send the soldier back home away from fighting, but not one that was bad enough to kill them or leave them permanently maimed. Chase received at least two million dollar wounds, but each time he begged his commanding officers to send him back to the front. As an infantryman, he was fiercely loyal to the men he served with and couldn’t leave their side as long as they were in danger. After the war, Chase found it easier to share his painful memories in poems. This podcast tells the story of Chase’s service in two cataclysmic wars.

Young Donald Chase

Donald Chase in uniform

Donald Chase in his later years

Korean War