Decorated, but humble

Clarence Russell Corbin isn’t the type of man who seeks the limelight. In fact, he’s quite the opposite.

With Corbin’s lengthy military service during World War II, Korea and two tours in Vietnam, he’s got a lot to talk about.

The charismatic 83-year-old Culpeper native faced the enemy on both land and sea, earning the prestigious Silver and Bronze stars and the Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam.

But he won’t accept the hero label.

Corbin, who served nearly 21 years in the military, says that title belongs to his youngest son, Mathew, 18, who died at home on Oct. 24 from complications due to cerebral palsy.

“He was my hero,” Corbin said. “He went through more than the average soldier had to go through with all of those surgeries. He was a wonderful child.”

Corbin drove his son to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. on a weekly basis where he witnessed fellow veterans from all branches of the military suffering from various types of war-related injuries.

“I haven’t done nothing to deserve the recognition that they should get,” said Corbin, who uses a cane to get around now.

And don’t look for the 6-foot-3-inch father of five at any of today’s Veterans Day observances either.

Instead, Corbin has plans to spend a quiet day with his wife, Kay, 57, at their cozy home in Madison County.

Outside a tall pole with an American flag at the top waves as visitors pull into the couple’s driveway symbolizing Corbin’s everlasting patriotism and love of his country. Inside, the family’s den is more like a small military museum showcasing Corbin’s 15 honorable medals, a plethora of military certificates and a handful of badges.

“I’ve always wanted to be a military person,” said Corbin, sitting in his home last week.

Corbin said he used to be involved with numerous veterans’ organizations over the years, but had to turn his attention to caring for his disabled son, who attended Madison County High School.

A humble hero
When Corbin recently mentioned that he wanted to move all of his military memorabilia from his den to the basement, his younger brother A.C. Corbin, 78, chimed in and offered his own suggestions.

“If I had all of those medals, I’d be driving around with them showing them off,” the younger Corbin joked.

In 1944, Corbin was 17 years old when he joined the United States Navy where he served two years during World War II.

Aboard the PGM32 — a Navy patrol gun motor boat — Corbin and crew served as minesweepers during the invasion of Okinawa and assisted U.S. warships into Japanese harbors.

“Our ship was in charge of sweeping the waters to clear them of mines,” said Corbin, a U.S. seaman first class at the time. “We were there for support.”

By the war’s end, Corbin had enough points to leave the military and returned to civilian life where he worked odd jobs including construction, farming and a brief stint as a corrections officer.

Corbin returned to the military in 1950, but this time he enlisted in the United States Army assigned to the 82nd Airborne. And he had a good reason for switching military branches.

“When you start to get shot at, you can’t dig in a hole on a ship,” he said. “And in the Army, I can dig a foxhole.”

Corbin received Ranger training at Fort Benning, Ga. and became a master parachutist in the Army, in which he served almost 19 years.

Army Rangers are an elite Special Operations Force trained to conduct direct action maneuvers during combat.

After three years in the states, Corbin was transferred to Korea for 18 months, where he saw little combat activity.

By 1963, Corbin was an assistant instructor for the ROTC program at the University of Virginia.

A year later, he submitted a request to return to Vietnam after becoming fed up with students refusing to wear socks.

During his second tour in Vietnam in 1966, Corbin was shot in the upper right thigh just below his buttocks.

“I violated all the rules because you should get down when you fight,” Corbin explained. “Well, I got teed off and I was shooting at this sucker in a foxhole and I couldn’t hit him.

“So I got up and sat down and when I sat down he hit me there,” Corbin said, pointing to his inner thigh. “If I was laying down he would have hit me in the head. So I guess I was lucky.”

Corbin was taken to a field hospital and to area hospitals before being airlifted to Walter Reed.

After being wounded in action, Corbin earned the Purple Heart.

Born in 1926, Corbin attended Jefferson High School, but left school early and earned his GED before entering the military. Twice married, Corbin has three children: Joyce Ann, Joseph Wayne and Susan Kay, from his first marriage. He has two sons, David and Mathew, with his second wife.

Celebrated hero
While serving as the Operations and Intelligence Adviser in the Hoai An District of Vietnam, Corbin earned the Bronze Star for leading U.S. troops into combat and rescuing two trapped Americans.

“Without Sgt. Corbin’s immediate action and outstanding display of courage, the entire group of Americans might have been annihilated,” states a military letter of recommendation.

The next day, Corbin was responsible for rescuing more than 100 people from drowning during a devastating flood in Vietnam in 1964.

Equipped with a large rubber life raft and a long bamboo pole, Corbin paddled in the darkness against the strong currents for more than 12 hours until he reached a waterlogged store.

He loaded five 220-pound bags of wet rice into his raft before delivering them to people stranded on rooftops and in trees.

Meanwhile, Corbin was defending his raft from snakes, rats and other varmints.

During this mission, Corbin had collected enough rice to feed 200 trapped people and an additional 350 refugees at a nearby village church.

“The courage displayed by the 883rd RF Co. on this occasion was due to a degree to the influence by Sgt. Corbin and his outstanding display of soldierly, conduct, courage and fortitude,” the letter continues.

Corbin, who also ranked as high as master sergeant, retired from the Army as a platoon sergeant in 1968.