Hero of the Week 119

Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

Moses Harris

Moses Harris is believed to have come from either the states of South Carolina or Kentucky. Much of his early life is undocumented. Some believe that he was a former slave who escaped to freedom. By the 1820s he was working as a trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company. Through his experience as a trapper, Moses Harris eventually became a mountain man. Little did he know that his life and experiences would help transform the future of the United States of America.

In 1824, Harris was with a group of 26 men who ventured west across the American Continent into what was called, "the Great Divide". Their intention was to scout and plot outposts across the frontier that led to the territory of California. These outposts would be used to hunt game and trade with Native Americans. The next year, Harris began acting as a guide for immigrants that were beginning the long journey to California. Ten years later, he and other mountain men constructed Fort Laramie in the Wyoming territory, present-day Torrington, Wyoming. 

The construction of this fortification would be the beginning of a significant change in American history. In 1839, large groups of American citizens began to immigrate across the Great Divide. Their destinations were, the California and Oregon territories. Henceforth, this route would be forever known as, the "Oregon Trail".

Like many other mountain men, Moses Harris acted as a guide for many of these immigrants. He began in 1836, when he guided the Whitman-Spaulding party to Oregon. By 1841, he had led thousands of immigrants through the territories of Idaho and Nevada to California and Oregon. Three years later, Harris guided more than 500 people from Missouri all the way to Oregon. After a four month journey, this group settled in the Willamette Valley. Harris's knowledge of the trail is widely credited with enabling the wagon trains to arrive without serious incident.

Moses Harris's defining moment came in the year 1845. That year, a wagon train belonging to the Meeks Party had become lost while attempting to cross the high desert. Harris was the only mountain man that was brave enough to venture into the desert to rescue the survivors. He found them and successfully guided them out of the desert and to The Dalles, Oregon. 

Harris continued to guide wagon trains along the Oregon Trail for the rest of his life. He tragically died on May 5, in Independence, Missouri, during the cholera pandemic of 1849. By then, he had successfully guided thousands of immigrants to California and Oregon. Today, his legacy has mostly been forgotten by the American public. Like almost every mountain man who worked on the Oregon Trail, he did so much and received very little in return. Never the less, his work ultimately helped shape the future of the United States. As a direct result, thousands of American settlers were able to make new lives on the West coast of America. His story is definitely one that deserves to be remembered.

MosesHarris_1822.pdf

http://gregnokes.com/2017/04/03/black-harris-northwest-mountain-man-of-mystery/

http://www.mman.us/harrismoses.htm

https://historicoregoncity.org/2019/04/02/black-pioneers-and-settlers/

Brown, Daniel James (2009). The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride, William Morrow, New York.

Hero of the Week 118

 Welcome back viewers

This week's hero is...

David Bleak

David Bruce Bleak was born on February 27, 1932, in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He grew up working on ranches and railroads (he wasn't very good at school). His time working on the farm turned into a very tall and muscular man. When he enlisted the US Army in 1950, many in his family were concerned that his large size would make him an easy target in combat (Bleak stood six feet five inches tall and weighed 250 pounds). He rose to the rank of a sergeant and became the medic of his squad. Although many soldiers considered him to be a "gentle giant", all of that changed on June 14, 1952.

That day, Sergeant Bleak was with a squad of 20 soldiers from the 40th Infantry Division (Sunburst Division). The squad was probing enemy lines along the 38th Parallel for potential prisoners to capture for interrogation. A handful of Chinese soldiers had been spotted on a sparsely vegetated hill designated, Hill 499. As the squad began to ascend the hill, the Chinese opened fire from hidden positions around 499.

The 20-man squad had walked into a deadly ambush. They found themselves severely outnumbered and receiving fire from three sides. Almost every man was hit within seconds. Sergeant Bleak was the only one who wasn't hit in this burst of fire. He immediately ran to the nearest comrade and provided first aid. He worked his way towards the men in the front (they had been hit the worst). As he began treating the wounded, he was shot at by enemy soldiers from the crest of Hill 499. 

Sergeant Bleak charged the crest and jumped into the enemy trench. Almost immediately a Chinese soldier charged him with a fixed bayonet. He evaded the thrust, grabbed the man's face, and snapped his neck. Another enemy soldier charged him, Bleak grabbed his throat and crushed his larynx (windpipe). When a third enemy soldier came at him, Bleak pulled his trench knife and dimembolwed him. 

After this, Sergeant Bleak immediately returned to his fallen comrades (who were beginning to retreat off the hill). He was able to treat all of the wounded so that they could evacuate. As they were retreating, more of them got hit by Chinese soldiers who had snuck behind them. One man got hit so badly that he could not walk and got left behind in the confusion. Bleak instantly turned around and headed back up Hill 499. 

As he reached his wounded comrade, an enemy bullet shattered one of his legs. However, he ignored the wound and picked up the fallen American. As he was carrying him down, an enemy grenade landed nearby. Bleak dove on top of his comrade and intercepted the blast. He then continued to carry his comrade down the Hill 499. Before he could rejoin the squad, two more Chinese soldiers charged him with bayonets (forcing Bleak to drop his comrade). He once again, evaded the thrusts, grabbed the two soldiers' heads, and smashed them together (crushing their skulls). He then picked up his comrade and carried him down the hill. An airstrike was then called in that obliterated the enemy fortifications of Hill 499.

When it was finally over, all twenty American soldiers had been hit by enemy fire. But directly due to the valor of Sergeant David Bleak, no American lives were lost. He had successfully treated all of the wounded and enabled them to escape the ambush. For his incredible valor on June 14, 1952, he received the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart. He was one of only three servicemen from the 40th Infantry Division to receive the medal (and the only survivor).

After being discharged from the Army, David Bleak returned to Idaho where he worked as a rancher and a truck driver. He was an active member of the Mormon Church and seldom spoke of his military service. He died on March 23, 2006, at the age of 74. Today, he is remembered as one of the bravest and heroic soldiers to have ever served in the US Army.

https://www.wearethemighty.com/popular/sgt-bleak-korea-medal-honor/

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2006-mar-31-me-bleak31-story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2006/03/27/soldier-david-bleak/d0548ecd-828a-4964-add5-07aec37a825a/