Clemson honors Rock Hill war hero
The Punchbowl in Korea and Clemson’s Memorial Stadium are both crater-like depressions in the earth, but they couldn’t be more different.
Herman Knight was recognized last Saturday for his contributions at both the Punchbowl, where he was nearly blown to bits by a North Korean mortar shell in 1953, and Clemson’s perhaps less aptly named Death Valley, where Knight played on the Tiger football team from 1950 to 1952.
The 87-year-old’s moment in the limelight was part of Clemson’s Military Appreciation Day, during its 54-0 win over Syracuse.
Jimmy Wallace, the former Northwestern football coach who befriended Knight at the YMCA Wellness Center in Rock Hill, wheeled him out to midfield for the opening coin toss. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, wearing camouflage fatigues with his normal Clemson gear, greeted Knight and said a few words to him while 80,000 fans looked on from the stands. Knight also was joined by his granddaughter Carlie Cauthen, a freshman at Clemson involved in ROTC, just like her grandfather.
“To see the hospitality and respect given to him, it was so amazing to be able to witness,” she said.
$2.50 to graduate
Clemson has changed a bit since Knight was suiting up for Frank Howard’s Tigers in the early 1950s. Those teams played in two Gator Bowls and an Orange Bowl. Knight lined up at offensive guard. He broke his nose once despite what then was recent improvements to equipment and facemasks.
During an interview at the Knights’ home Thursday in Rock Hill, Jane, his wife of 60 years, whisked away then returned with what looked like a framed check for $2.50. It was the amount each senior had to pay in 1952 to graduate after a Senior Day prank went awry.
Clemson was a military school and there were tanks on campus for training purposes. A group of seniors took advantage of their access to such heavy firepower and decided to take a joyride through campus. A local veteran’s car was crushed and each of the roughly 500 seniors’ diploma was held ransom by the school until the damage was paid off.
Knight graduated from Clemson in January and reported to Fort Hood, Texas. Then it was off to the Korean War. He flew from San Francisco to Hawaii, then landed in Korea and was off to the front line, arriving too late in the day to join his comrades in the 140th tank battalion. He slept alone in a pup tent that first night; it snowed so heavily that the tent caved in on him.
‘A big hole in my helmet’
It was a much warmer day in June 1953 on one of the elevated rims overlooking the Punchbowl, a depression amid the Korean peninsula’s mountainous midsection. Knight and two others motored up Hill 812 to check malfunctioning radios on a trio of tanks. The checks were completed and Knight and company headed back to the Jeep when a mortar launched from the North Koreans exploded just in front of the vehicle.
Knight was tossed from the Jeep into a ditch, with shrapnel embedded in his chest and head.
“I tried to move and my helmet fell off, and I saw a big hole in my helmet,” he said.
A South Korean medic stopped to check on him but moved along, he said. Knight was conscious, and was eventually evacuated down the hill and taken by helicopter to a MASH unit, and then on to a hospital in Tokyo.
A telegram sent to Knight’s family spelled out his near-death experience. Several weeks passed before more news arrived in Rock Hill. Knight finally returned home and was discharged shortly thereafter.
“He almost gave his life,” Jane said. “They told him he’d never walk or talk again when they brought him down to the MASH unit. When you’ve gone through such a traumatic experience, it’s hard to understand people that just don’t love this nation and respect this nation. We have privileges, things in this country that nobody else has.”
First salute
Clemson didn’t hold back last Saturday, scheduling Tiger Tailgate and radio show appearances for Knight, and treating him and his family lavishly during the game, with the help of the Letterman’s Club and IPTAY boosters.
“Every one of these that I get to do are special to the honorary captains,” said organizer Bob Mahony. “Military Appreciation Day is always a step up because these guys, they just appreciate being recognized for what they did. Not just playing football here, but serving in the military, so it’s kind of extra special.”
On a day when Knight was so grateful to be honored for deeds done in service of his country, Cauthen’s involvement added an extra special touch and deepened their connection.
“It was just so amazing. It was a very sentimental moment,” she said Thursday.
A lifelong South Carolina Gamecocks fan, Cauthen was moved by her grandparents’ delight when she was accepted to Clemson, which made her consider a school she normally would have rejected. She decided to honor her family’s involvement in the military by joining Clemson’s Air Force ROTC.
Cauthen hasn’t yet earned a uniform, but since she would be standing at midfield in front of thousands of people last Saturday, she was allowed to dress in blue Air Force duds. Cauthen was obligated to salute senior officers, including her grandfather. He was her first official salute as the crowd roared.
How Jane met Herman
Jane Knight’s first date with the man who would become her husband was - surprise - a trip to a Clemson football game.
Herman had played football at Rock Hill High - the Bearcats were undefeated his junior and senior seasons - and earned a scholarship to Clemson College, at that time a military school. Jane’s best friend dated Herman and the two lost track when Jane headed off to Mary Washington College in Virginia.
The Rock Hill natives reconnected when Herman returned from a short but harrowing stint in Korea and hit it off pretty quickly.
They were married in 1956 and, with a burgeoning young family, had a house built off S.C. 274 five years later. They’ve been there 55 years.
This story was originally published November 10, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Clemson honors Rock Hill war hero."