Wages of War

Recognizing and Honoring the Military Service of J.R. (Chief) Wages

By Julie Senger

Upon entering American Legion Post 201 in Alpharetta and awaiting the arrival of J.R. (Chief) Wages to speak with him about his long military career, his fellow veterans were quick to note that he is the only one of them who can still fit into his original issued military uniform that he received when he was 17 years old. Now 89, Chief is in excellent condition, walking expeditiously and completely unassisted as he makes his way around the facility and its grounds, especially for someone who served his country in 3 major wars (WWII, the Korean War and Vietnam) and received a Purple Heart during the course of his more than 20 year military career.

Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the start of WWII, Chief enlisted in the Navy in 1944, even though as the son of an Oklahoma sharecropper, hed never even seen the ocean before. After basic training at Stevedore Training Port in Hueneme, CA, and obtaining visual signal training at Treasure Island in San Francisco, CA, he became a signalman on the U.S.S. General M.M. Patrick, passing through Calcutta, the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal.

When on one of his first missions as a signalman, Chief noted, In route to Guam, we were forced to pass the Japanese held Truk Islands. Enemy submarines were a constant fear while at sea, as we were a prime target due to our valuable human cargo of 5000 combat-ready troops. We had destroyer escorts and had to maintain a complete, utter silence during our passing to avoid the sensitive, sonic listening capabilities of the enemy subs. Any crewman making the slightest noise aboard the ship was severely reprimanded by his superior; he could even receive a court-martial. We would have to go for 3-4 days at a time without speaking and trying not to move.

Over the course of the next two years, this young man, who had previously never been out of the United States, would end up travelling around the world five times. Two months after returning home from WWII, Chief enlisted in the Army. He would then serve in the Korean War and later finish out the remainder of his armed forces career as a military government officer in Vietnam, retiring as a 4th Level Chief Warrant Officer in 1966.

The Purple Heart Chief received was because of wounds he incurred while working inside a building that was bombed by the enemy, embedding a large piece of shrapnel into his stomach, leaving a permanent, vertical scar, which stretches from below his navel to about the middle of his rib cage, just below his chest level. But he is quick to diminish the significance of this award and the recognition he received from it, saying, You have a guy whos 19 years old, from a little town in south Georgia; he gets killed in action; they send a Purple Heart to his mom and dad in the mailand thats the end of it. Its just not right. Well, I call up the parents and tell them that we want to put a brick in the Walk of Memories for their young man. Constructed on the grounds of Post 201, the Walk of Memories is a tribute to those who have paid the ultimate price for our country. Chief came up with the idea, conducted all of the research and led all fundraising efforts (raising nearly $800k) to make this mission a reality.

The Walk houses a brick for every Georgian soldier who lost their life during any war since the attack on Pearl Harbor. It is free and open to any member of the public whod like to pay their respects. Up until very recently, Chief was still getting down on his hands and knees to personally place each of the bricks commemorating a fallen soldier. There are currently over 7,400 dedicated bricks, and theres room for about 7,000 more, which Chief hopes will never have to be installed. When asked what specifically inspired the Walk of Memories, Chief said, I just feel that more should be done for those who gave their life than has been done for a wounded warrior like me. Someone who gives their life for their countrythey should be remembered.