Ernest Edward "Eddie" Doyal
October 14, 1926-December 24, 2008

He will not be forgotten!

Service

His service was held
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
01:00 PM
DFW National Cemetery in Grand Prairie, TX (address is a Dallas address)

Dallas-Fort Worth
National Cemetery
2000 Mountain Creek Parkway
Dallas, TX 75211
Phone: (214) 467- 3374

The cemetery has a computerized grave locator in the first shelter.

In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations in his name can be made to:

Marine Corps League
(Marines Helping Marines no longer has a separate website)

https://www.mclnational.org/

In the comments section, you can indicate that it is a Memorial Donation for Eddie Doyal

Eddie Doyal...

Retired letter carrier and member of NALC Local #226

A Marine, who served in the Korean War First Marine Division, at the Chosin Reservoir

Member of the Chosin Few

Member of the Marine Corps League Mineola Detachment 1278

Born October 14, 1926, in Gould, OK to Clarence Doyal, and Cecile Stinchcomb Doyal

To read the article about Ernest E. Doyal getting wounded in Korea, originally run in the Fort Worth Press March 21, 1951, then re-printed in the Chosin Few News Digest March/April 1997,
Click here
(PDF format, should print okay with most computers.)

To save to your PC instead, right click and choose "save target as"

Here is an article written by Ed Miller of the Chosin Few:
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Ed Miller Remembers Eddie Doyal

The following information was provided by Ed Miller who served in Korea with Ernest ‘Eddie’ Doyal.

Eddie and I joined the ‘C’ Battery Marine reserve group in Texarkana, Texas in 1948. On July 27, 1950, the unit was activated due to the North Korean Army invasion of South Korea. We left Texarkana by train and joined up with the reserve unit in Fort Worth on our way to Korea with short transition stops in Camp Pendleton, California and Japan. We made the Inchon/Seoul landing on September 15, 1950. The Marines advanced through Seoul and other parts of South Korea and almost totally destroyed the North Korean Army who had only months before invaded South Korea. At that time, we thought we would be home for Christmas. The Army continued their ground assault north, while the Marines returned to Wonson by motorized vehicles and boarded LSTs for a trip around Korea to Hungnam Harbor, North Korea. There, we were issued cold weather gear which later became totally inadequate for the coldest winter in the history of the mountains in North Korea. From Hungnam, the Marines continued North along narrow mountain roads to Udamni, which was just south of the Yalue river and not far from Manchuri. This was the Chosin(Chaingin) Reservoir area, which the Marines named the Frozen Chosin.  In this area, in late November 1950, we encountered the Chinese Army which had arrived to support North Korea.

During our time in Korea, Eddie and I found ourselves in many foxholes together, both in North and South Korea.  We were part of the security unit that guarded and protected the 155 Howitzers (the “big” guns). I specifically remember sharing Thanksgiving dinner November, 1950, with Eddie.  I remember our being served a hot meal that had been delivered by air, but  it froze before we could eat it.  We laughed and agreed that it was still better than ‘C’ rations, even though it was frozen.

Shortly after Thanksgiving, 120,000 Chinese crossed the North Korean border.  After Eddie was transferred to the infantry, I lost contact with him. I understand he received two purple hearts, was wounded severely, and was sent back to the states for rehabilitation.  Many years later, I received a telephone call from Eddie that re-established our friendship, and we continued those many telephone calls through these later years until he was unable to communicate effectively due to his illness.

Whatever we were in that frozen long-ago and whatever we are now, we are bound as one for life in the exclusive fraternity of honor. The only way into our ranks is to have paid the dues of duty, sacrifice and valor by being there in that frozen land in the winter of 1950-1951. The cost of joining, in short, is beyond all earthly wealth.

YES, EDDIE PAID HIS DUES AND WAS A CHARTER MEMBER OF THIS EXCLUSIVE FRATERNITY OF HONOR, THE CHOSIN FEW.

Eddie Doyal was a great Marine.

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Also contributed by Ed Miller is this article about the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir:

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Battle of the Chosin Reservoir

On the east side of the mountains, U.N. troops advanced north to the Chosin (Changjin) Reservoir, some 78 miles of twisting narrow dirt road from the coastal city of Hungnam.  There, about 30 miles below the Yalu River, the 1^st U.S. Marine Division (Reinforced), two battalions of the U.S. Army’s 7^th Division and a force of British Royal Marine Commandos, comprising about 15,000 men of the Tenth Corps, were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese troops.

The CCF had isolated the trapped forces into four main groups and set up road ;blocks all along the road.  The battle was fought in minus 30-degree weather beginning November 27, 1950, until the U.N. forces had fought their way through one road block after another, reaching Hungnam on December 11.  The Marines continued to fight, as platoons were reduced to squads.

The tents used for sick bay were not nearly large enough to hold the wounded.  The less critical were heaped outside in piles and covered with canvas and straw.  Doctors and surgeons worked in frenzy over the wounded.  Blood plasma was frozen and could not be used.  Surgeons and Navy Hospital Corpsmen were burdened by having to wear gloves and the morphine syringes could not be used unless held in their mouths.

As impossible as it may seem, the Division managed to fight its way to the sea, bringing its dead, wounded and equipment.  In this epic battle, the 15,000 allies suffered 112,000 casualties including more than 3,000 KIA, 6,000 WIA, plus thousands of severe frostbite cases, while the enemy sustained more than 45,000 casualties.

A total of 17 Medals of Honor, 70 Navy Crosses plus many Distinguished Service Crosses were awarded for the campaign, the most for a single battle in U.S. military history.  Survival of the ground troops was due in great part to the gallant air strikes by the U.S. Navy, Marine, and Air Force fliers under the most adverse weather conditions.  By December 24, the Tenth Corps was successfully evacuated to South Korea by the U.S. Navy and U.S Air Force along with nearly 100,000 North Korean civilian refugees.

To read the New York Times article, originally run December 11, 1950
Click here
(PDF format, should print okay with most computers.)

To save to your PC instead, right click and choose "save target as"

More information

Please email andreabarnett@mail.com.  If you have any photos, or stories, or comments about Eddie Doyal, we would be glad to have them to consider placing here.

Maple Leaf Parade 2005, Carthage, MO

Chosin Few Float
Left to right, Eddie Doyal, Richard Gordon, John Alumbaugh

Eddie and Eva

Eddie Doyal as a child