Charles Layton; phony Korean War POW

Someone sent us a link to the story that Charles Layton told to KFOR4 in Indiana about his time serving in the Korean War with the 22nd Ranger Battalion, the 7th Infantry Division, the 2d Infantry Division and his 18 weeks as a POW.

In the early 1950s, he spent four months in captivity in the bitter cold, suffering daily beatings.

“The pain was so intense,” said Layton. “I couldn’t speak for several days. I wish I could rip it from my memory, out of my head. Even with shoes on, I can still feel the pain.”

The memories, now 65 years old, haunt him still.

“I knew I had to do it for us to escape. I had no alternative but to kill the guards,” he said. “Taking somebody’s life is not a happy memory, and I felt tremendously guilty and carried that guilt a long, long, long time.”

He thought he was going to die.

“They were butchers,” Layton told CBS4. “They would slap you. They would hit you. They would punch you. They would kick you.”

He survived, and so did dozens of others because of his heroism. He led a group of POWs into the fight for their lives.

“When the guards came on duty and got warm and they were intoxicated, we made a noise at the back guard. And he came in and we took him down,” said Layton.

It took more than 60 years for the hero to share the story. No one knew, including his wife and children, until he wrote it in his book.

Yep, the stories didn’t start until he wrote a book “Escaped with Honor” about his experiences as a soldier and a POW.

Lucky for him, it looks like his records were destroyed in the famous National Archives records Fire of 1973;

Even Senator Richard Lugar’s office couldn’t help;

They were able to confirm that Layton served;

Someone we know was able to read his book and they tell us that the timeline of the events are fairly erratic. He was drafted in November and by March, Layton was on his way to Korea. Between November and March, he supposedly went through basic training, infantry training and then he went to Ranger School (which was 60 days in 1951) and graduated as a Military Operative – such a Military Occupational Specialty didn’t exist in the 1950s.

Layton also claims in his book that on the boat ride to Korea, he and another soldier decided to take a dip in the ocean while the ship was underway – they dived over board and then climbed back on the ship. Totally legit.

In the book, he claims that in Korea he was assigned to BOTH the 2nd Infantry Div AND the 7th Armored Division. The 7th Armored Division was inactivated on October 11, 1945 in New York City. In the article, he claims he was assigned to the 22nd Ranger Battalion. The Ranger Association says that there has never been a 22d Ranger Battalion.

Layton claims that he was awarded a Purple Heart for his wounds (hit in left forearm, right leg, and torso according to the video at the link), that the pain from those wounds haunt him every day. But not enough to ask the VA for treatment. He filed for proof of his service for compensation for his sole injury in 1994 – hearing loss and tinnitus;

No one can find any proof of his Purple Heart award. In his book, Layton claims that his family was notified that he was Missing in Action, but the DPAA lists only one Layton who was Missing – Robert Van Layton whose remains were recovered in 2004 and returned in 2006;

If his family had been notified, there would be some kind of record somewhere in the Defense Department, but there’s not.

Here are some screen shots of his claims from the video;

The point of the article is that Layton is looking for the other 3 dozen POWs he helped to escape, but he doesn’t know the name of even one, because they were dirty and bearded. Apparently, people who are bearded and dirty don’t share their names with each other.

To me, it looks like he discovered that his records were lost in the 1973 fire and set out to create a record for himself.

Category: Phony soldiers, Valor Vultures