Jesse Woodrow Park.

J. W. Park, the son of Dr. A. D. and Ida Smith Park, was born and raised in Rockport, Ky. He graduated from Rockport High School in 1928. He attended Western Kentucky University for three years and then received a B. S. degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. He later received his M. S. degree from Indiana University. He started teaching school at Rockport in 1934.

Woodrow Park served in the U. S. Army, in World War II, from 1943 until 1945. When he entered the service, world wide communications, and especially the war theater communications were paramount to the war effort. Although communications were not new to a war effort, the technology was rapidly escalating. One major problem with field communications, in any war, was the ability of the enemy to intercept messages and vice-versa. Enter a new field of "Coding and Decoding" or the secrecy of sending messages where words, letters, or symbols make up a secret message. The "Decoding" is the ability to take these secret messages and unlock their meaning. When he entered the service, Mr. Park was older and better educated than most of the other war recruits and was selected for training in a new and relatively unknown career field. He became a member of the Signal Corps and was sent to Lexington, Kentucky to learn the developing process of coding and decoding. The Signal Corps was authorized as a separate branch of the Army by act of Congress on March 3, 1863. However, the Signal Corps dates its existence from June 21, 1860, when Congress authorized the appointment of one signal officer in the Army, and a War Department order carried the following assignment: "Signal Department--Assistant Surgeon Albert J. Myer to be Signal Officer, with the rank of Major, June 27, 1860, to fill an original vacancy."

The music MIDI file playing was the "Battle Song" for the US Army Signal Corps during the Civil War. Some of you reading this paragraph and listening to the music may not enjoy the tune, but I will bet that Mr. Park knew it well. The music and the lyrics of the song have changed a little since inception, but for the present time, I am unable to find a midi file of the current Signal Corps Fight Song.

After completing the Signal Corps school in Lexington, Mr. Park was sent to the "China-Burma-India Theater" or "CBI Theater" and became a member of the 988 Signal Corps Battalion stationed at Ramgarh, Burma. He served his military obligation in that area of the world. His previous education, dedication to the Corps, and the career of "Coding and Decoding" enabled Mr. Park to "Make Rank", quickly and every time that he was eligible for a promotion. He, along with the rest of his Signal Corps members, received a meritorious service award from the Country of Burma. He was discharged as a Technical Sergeant, after the war, and returned to Rockport to follow his chosen career field in education. In the education field of work, he rose to the top of his profession and eventually became Superintendent of Ohio County School system.

I enjoyed being in Mr. Park's classroom as well as on the basketball court when he was coaching. In his classes, he would occasionally talk about his time in the service and some of the places that he served. From what I can recall, his service time was mostly spent in the China-India-Burma Theater and his fight was against the Japanese, as they had occupied Burma a few years before their attack on Pearl Harbor. Although, I am sure that he had knowledge of some fierce battles, he never talked about the horrors of war. He was there and he served admirably, but his concern was to always speak about the positive aspects of the war.

After returning from the war as a "War Hero", J. W. Park married Juanita Kennedy, also a Rockport, Ky. native. Those two remained in the education field and help make Rockport and Ohio County a better place to live and to raise a family. Thanks to those two for many jobs well done. A special thanks to Juanita Park for the military picture of Woodrow Park.

Thanks Woodrow for your service to our country.

See you.........
jrd

:~)

Woodrow Park USA Army.
World War II Soldier.