Pride and pain: Jesup family accepts deceased soldier’s medal

JESUP (MCT) — After 57 years, a portion of the wrong was finally made right.

In January 1952, Dick Youngblut took a bullet in his back while fighting with the U.S. Army in Korea. His regiment had battled its way from the port of Pusan past the 38th parallel.

Despite his injury, Youngblut never received recognition. He returned to his home in Jesup after the war. He lived his life, tended his farm and raised a family — a large one at that.

Though never diagnosed, Youngblut reportedly suffered for years from post-traumatic stress disorder and lingering pain from his wounds. He committed suicide in 1993.

Some measure of solace arrived Tuesday when Youngblut’s wife, Rosie, and their 10 children accepted a Purple Heart from U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley. The presentation was at Jesup High School and represented a step forward after years of grief.

“It’s a long time coming,” said Shelly Curby, a daughter. “I always knew my dad was a hero, but I just never knew the extent of it.”

Youngblut left the battlefield a wounded warrior — physically and emotionally. Some days it hurt to walk, to think or to sleep, his family said. But he never uttered a word.

“Back in those days, you just didn’t talk about it,” Curby said.

Curby and her sister began working on getting her father’s medal in June. She has a book of information she faxed back and forth to military officials.

One of the hardest parts, Curby said, was talking to servicemen from the Fifth Regimental Combat Team. The unit experienced some of the most intense fighting during the Korean War, and Curby wasn’t sure if the men wanted to resurrect those memories.

“I didn’t know if it would bother them,” she said.

One of those men was Ken Onstad, a lifelong family friend from Minnesota. Onstad frequently visited Youngblut and his family. During the war, Youngblut reached the rank of master sergeant. Onstad said men respected Youngblut, in part because of his leadership style.

When away from the battlefield — which was rare — Onstad said Youngblut loved baseball. Most of all, he loved pitching. After the war, Onstad said he always expected to see Youngblut pitching in the majors.
Growing up, Curby said she and her siblings asked few questions about their father’s time in the military. But his scar was visible, so sometimes their interest was piqued.