Korean War

​

On September 6th, 1950, Gaudette was called to active duty to support the war in Korea. Now a captain, he initially was assigned to command the 317th Quartermaster Reclamation & Maintenance Company at Camp Pickett, VA but was ordered to Korea in 1951. He arrived in Korea on July 9th, 1951, assigned as the commanding officer of the 15th Quartermaster Company, 1st Cavalry Division.

​

The 1st Cavalry Division had been in Korea for an entire year by the time Captain Gaudette arrived in country. A little over a week after his arrival, the division was rotated off the front line, engaging in rest and training, bringing replacements like Gaudette up to speed and allowing the veterans to take time to recharge. Training emphasized combat in rough, hilly terrain, preparing the men of the division for campaigns in the near future. The First Team returned to the front line on July 31st, establishing patrol bases beyond Line Kansas to probe Chinese defenses.

Gaudette’s primary concern was ensuring that supplies reached the front line and due to heavy rains in early August, was a nightmare. Rain water runoff caused streams to rise to depths of 10 to 20 feet, washing out a vital pontoon bridge spanning the Han River. Working with combat engineers from the 8th Engineer Company, a railroad bridge near the destroyed pontoon bridge was retrofitted to accommodate trucks and roads were created to restore the flow of supplies. Utilization of Korean porters augmented the around 220-man 15th QM Company, allowing the company to transport more supplies quicker.

​

The primary combat operation Captain Gaudette served in was Operation Commando/Polecharge, a 16-day long campaign to secure a series of hills to prevent the Chinese from mounting a large-scale offensive. This campaign required extensive logistical support, which fell on Gaudette’s shoulders.

The greatest issue of supply during the operation was a chronic shortage of artillery and mortar rounds. The G-4 report from 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment details that the battalion faced shortages of 81mm mortar rounds, 75mm recoilless rifle rounds, hand grenades, and trip flares. This battalion, and other units within the division, felt that additional supplies of ordinance was needed but also that the units of the 1st Cavalry Division expended much more ammunition than initially anticipated. Overall, all elements of the 1st Cavalry Division were adequately supplied, with water and hot rations always available for the infantry and not one unit exhausting all of their ammunition. Captain Gaudette was awarded the Army Commendation Medal for meritorious service with the 15th QM Company. He led the company through the remainder of the 1st Cavalry Division’s days of combat in Korea and during the early days of their occupation duties on the island of Hokkaido. On January 14th, 1952, he stepped down from command of the 15th QM Company to be appointed the 1st Cavalry Division’s supply officer. In May 1952, he was rotated back to the United States for demobilization, ending an 11-month tour of duty and the end of his second war.

​

Gaudette remained in the US Army Reserves until the mid-1960s, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel, having served for over 20 years in the military. In his civilian life, he worked as an engineering assistant working on radar equipment and as a real estate broker. He passed away on October 5th, 1999 at the age of 84. He is buried Saint Mary’s Cemetery in his Marlborough, Massachusetts.