In the spring of 1953 his outfit was sent to the rear to get some rest. Their company commander came up with the idea of putting two teams together for a baseball game – with a sudsy twist.As he said in the article, the Korean War really was a forgotten war. But war is war, and the escape from it in an organized drinking game stuck with the man for over 60 years.
“They brought these cases of beer and stacked them at every base, including home plate,” Forbes recalled. “If you got a hit and got to first base, you had to chug a can of beer before you could go to second, and another from second to third, and third to home.”
After a few hits from the bats and cans, “it was pretty wild. Guys were running around, bumping into one another, falling down and laughing like mad,” he added. “To this day I don’t know which team finally won that game, and I don’t really care.
“I guess the idea behind the whole thing was psychological. It got us relaxed so we could forget for a while the war going on around us,” he said. “For many of us, it worked.
“I know that for a short peaceful time that day, playing a wild and carefree game from more normal times . . . I lost the mingled feelings of fear and horror we had to live with daily.”
Friday, February 7, 2014
Korean War Drinking Game
A Marine photographer from the Korean War reflects on his experiences, including a game of beer baseball:
Labels:
Beer and other gifts from God,
US history,
War
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