YORKTOWN, Va. – During the Memorial Day season, Americans reflect on the memory of those lost during our nation’s wars. On Memorial Day weekend 2007, Soldiers of the 81st Regional Readiness Command (RRC) honored a member of our “Greatest Generation” in a more personal manner in Yorktown, Va.

Members of the 81st RRC traveled from Birmingham, Ala. to Yorktown, to meet retired Sgt. Lee. R. Lumpkin, 86, a local resident. They came to present Lumpkin his canteen cup, shot-up in THe horrors of batde 63 years ago on the Island of Peleliu.

Lumpkin was part of the 81st Infantry Division that served in the Pacific theater during World War II. The “Wildcat” Division saw action on Angaur and Peleliu Islands before finishing up the war occupying Japan after the surrender.

On the cup was the name Lee R. Lumpk (the “in” was blown out by shrapnel). The cup was found during casualty excavations on Peleliu by Mr. Kageyama (first name not available), the son of a Japanese major who was killed in the battle. When Dan King, a Japanese military historian in the United States, learned of this he requested the cup so it could be returned to its one time possessor, Lumpkin and he could arrange some sort of presentation. Through contacts in the 81st Infantry Division Association, King was able to determine that Lumpkin was alive and living in Virginia.

Prior to the ceremony, all had the opportunity to mingle. Soon, the presentation of the cup became the secondary purpose of their visit, however, as the current 81st Soldiers became enthralled by the stories of their 81st ancestral Soldier.

Several of the 81st RRC Soldiers visiting Lumpkin had seen combat in Iraq, but the stories he told seemed unimaginable even in light of the horrors they witnessed there. Dr. (Lt. Col.) John Boyd, 81st RRC historian and an Iraq War veteran stated, “When Sgt. Lumpkin and the 81st Infantry hit the shores of Peleliu, they were racing an enemy that was dug in. They were in caves and concrete pill boxes waiting for them. It is a true testament to the courage of Sgt. Lumpkin and his fellow Soldiers that enabled them to triumph is the face of tremendous chaos and adversity. Nothing we face in today’s warfare can compare to that,” said Boyd.

The fierceness of the warfare the “Wildcats” experienced is still reflected in Lumpkin’s voice. “It does bother the that my best buddies that I was with for three years got killed and I was the lucky one that didn’t. I could have gotten killed so easily,” he said. Lumpkin’s voice cracked as he talked about the loss of his comrades, Soldiers he too was paying homage to during this time of remembrance.

Everything about Lumpkin’s demeanor exemplified the “greatest generation.” He was a true patriot worthy of high admiration. As they drove up to his house, they were greeted by his red, white and blue mail box. Inside his home, his medals earned on the hellish beaches years before were proudly displayed. He recited the 81st Infantry fight song he learned 60-some years prior as he trained for his deployment to the South Pacific. And yes, the bullet-riddled canteen cup, that may have saved his life, was proudly displayed.

But what made Lumpkin great was his humbleness. Though the 81st Soldiers were there to recognize him, he repeatedly thanked them for their service. He thanked them for taking time out of their schedules to come and present him with his battle-tarnished cup. He even got choked up when he spoke of interacting with today’s Soldiers.

“Every time I see some service members, I’ll go up and shake hands with them because that’s what we have to do, to be behind them to do their job,” Lumpkin said. “You young fellas keep up the good work. I know you will.”

As the morning wore on, the 81st Soldiers formally presented Lumpkin with his holey canteen cup, dug up during casualty excavations on Peleliu. The cup was returned to Dan King, a Japanese military historian from a Japanese friend who discovered the cup while searching for Japanese was dead.

They offered other tokens of their appreciation as well, but none seemed adequate for what they were trying to say to this old 81st Soldier and the millions of other service-members they wanted to honor with their actions that day. The opportunity to share stories, some amusing and some sad, helped all Soldiers bond regardless of when they served.

As it turned out, a simple hand-shake and a thank-you was all this Wildcat, or any Soldier wants.

“I was never as surprised in my life as the day I got this cup. The fact that you wanted to come up here and present it to me means so much,” said Lumpkin.

By Maj. William Ritter

Public Affairs Office

81st Regional Readiness Command

(Editors note: Maj. William Ritter was one of the 81st RRC Soldiers that presented Sgt. Lumpkin with his WW II canteen.)

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