Approximately 33,652 Americans died in combat during the Korean War, according to the Pentagon’s Service and Casualties in Major Wars and Conflicts publication in 1994.

On Nov. 12, at 12:30 p.m. the men and women that served in the 138th Engineer Pontoon Bridge Company under the National Guard will hold their annual reunion at Jack’s Fish House.

In 1950, about 140 people in the area—some as young as 17 at the time—were called upon to go to Korea and join our troops, Glyn R. Dubuisson, soldier in the 138th Engineer Pontoon Bridge Company said.

In fact, the entire Picayune Memorial High School football team at the time loaded up on a train and went to support the nation, Dubuisson said.

“We were just interested in helping,” Dubuisson said. “At the time, war was kind of all that was on everyone’s mind and we all wanted it to end. We looked forward to being able to contribute to that and to help our nation.”

For a handful of years, the members of the 138th Engineer Pontoon Bridge Company met to socialize, catch up and laugh about the memories they share.

“We all have this bond that just cannot be broken. Picayune is a small town and we all knew each other before we went to Korea, so it wasn’t a lonely experience for any of us. Then we spent a year, some even two or three, out there dedicating our lives at the time to a bigger cause, and that togetherness really brought us close,” Dubuisson said. “We are all just close friends and we’ve never broken up.”

As part of the 138th Engineer Pontoon Bridge Company, Dubuisson said they built a 1,000-foot floating bridge, which served as part of the main route for supply trucks to maneuver. However, once every vehicle made it across the bridge, the men were then asked to dismantle it, salvage the main parts and work on the next bridge to prevent enemies from having access to the route.

Out of the original 140 members, Dubuisson said there are about 22 people from the 138th Engineer Pontoon Bridge Company who are still alive or living in the area today.

“These reunions are pretty important for all of us,” Dubuisson said. “It’s like keeping up with all of your life-long friends. We are not sure how many more we can do so each one seems to matter more as we go year-to-year.”

To celebrate what they accomplished for the United States of America and to maintain their inseparable friendships, the 138th Engineer Pontoon Bridge Company of the Picayune National Guard will hold their 66th anniversary reunion.

Anyone interested in joining the event can contact Dubuisson at 601-799-3520.