SIGNIFICANT EXPERIENCES Sgt. Vondra was activated 10/1940 for 12 months.  He was waiting to be discharged after 14 months when Pearl Harbor occurred.  He was sent to San Diego and then to Arizona to recruit Apache Indians for the Marines.  He was then sent to American Samoa for 23 months in guarding shipping and Australia.  When he arrived on Guadalcanal he reenlisted for four years.  Vondra was in the invasion of the Marshall Islands.  He had two years to go when the war ended and was sent to China to supervise weapon warehouses for Generalissimo Chiang Kai-Shek. After two years he came back to the U.S.  and became an Active Reservist. He and Pat were married in July 1950 just after the outbreak of the Korean War.  Within a month he was on his way to Korea with the Marines and landed with McArthur at Inchon and participated in seven frontal assaults when he was withdrawn to go around the peninsula to Wonson.  There he and his Marine buddies boarded trains headed for the Chosin Reservoir and one of the bloodiest and most difficult battles in Marine Corp history.  Surrounded by several Chinese and North Korean Divisions, outnumbered by over 100 to 1 The Marine Corps 1st Division fought their way to Hungnam and evacuation by the U.S. Navy.  It was snowing heavily and the temperature was 50 below zero as the Marines fought their way some 80 miles to the coast.  That group of Marines are called "The Chosin Few" and are looked upon as the bravest Marines ever to wear the uniform.  Miles was wounded in November 1950 in that epic battle and evacuated to a hospital in Japan.  He returned to the U.S. in mid 1951.   He and his wife, Pat, lived in the Villa Homes during the winter months.

Miles Vondra passed away at Lexington in 1999.  He is buried in Des Plains, Illinois with full military honors.  A special Marine Corps unit was present.       To view picture in larger format please click on the picture. To return back to page please click on the browser back button.