ROD OHIRA'S PEOPLE
Veteran of two wars still going strong

By Rod Ohira
Advertiser Staff Writer

Thomas Jefferson Jelf, chief court officer for Honolulu District Court, gets out of his chair and moves slowly toward the door. The limp in his stride is hardly noticeable.

Honolulu District Court chief court officer Thomas Jelf served in the Army in both the Korean and Vietnam wars. Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser

A retired first sergeant who spent 26 years in the Army, Jelf came out of the Korean War with a Silver Star and Purple Heart. He also served in Vietnam.

He cannot recall ever being in a violent confrontation before going to Korea in December 1950 at age 27. But on a battlefield near Hudong-ni on Aug. 17, 1951, he didn't hesitate to put his life on the line.

"We were going up a hill, looking for enemy," he recalled. "I didn't know about the bunkers. I was just looking in trees (for snipers). All of a sudden, shots rang out and everyone hit the ground.

"We didn't know where the shots were coming from," Jelf said. "A kid on my left side raised his head to look and 'bang' there's a hole right through his helmet. I guess that's what got me angry."

The Army's citation accompanying his Silver Medal reads:

"After deploying his men to cover him, Sergeant Jelf, with complete disregard for his personal safety, exposed himself to the enemy and moved to within 10 feet of the bunker in an attempt to make the enemy surrender. When his attempt failed, he destroyed the bunker with grenades and killed its occupants. He then moved to another bunker and silenced it with grenades.

"Reorganizing his platoon, he led them in an assault against enemy positions until the hostile force was routed and the hill captured. After setting up a defense perimeter, he assisted in evacuating the wounded."

Whenever he thinks of that day, Jelf is reminded of the "kid" who was killed. "I think the bullet was meant for me because I was acting platoon leader," he said. "The young kid died for me."

Two weeks later, Jelf was wounded in combat at Chupa-Ri. "After we secured the hill, the medic put a big bandage on my leg," he recalled. "When they cut my calf open later, they saw too many pieces so they just closed it up."

Maj. Gen. P.W. Clarkson, Pacific Army commander, pinned a Silver Star on Master Sgt. Thomas Jelf during ceremonies March 29, 1952. Cory Lum copy photo • The Honolulu Advertiser

He took a stenography class in the Army hoping to be assigned clerical duties. "Generals and colonels always had a choice, me or the blonde," Jelf said. "So guess who they chose. I ended up in supply and got assigned to Japan."

After a short stint in Japan, Jelf was sent to Korea as an infantry supply sergeant. "When I got there, they told me 'we don't need you anymore.' The position was filled one day earlier," he recalled. With only limited training, Jelf soon found himself in combat.

"Now I had to worry about getting shot," he said.

Before retiring from the military, Jelf volunteered for duty in Vietnam.

"My No. 4 son got shipped to Vietnam and because he was small, they made him a tunnel rat," Jelf said. "The old lady (wife Marian Margaret Ribera) told me to get over there so Bernard can come back. So I went over to be supply sergeant and they pulled him off the front line."

When he got out of the service in 1971, Jelf struggled to make the adjustment to civilian life in Hawai'i. He had a wife, six children — three of whom are from her previous marriage — and no job.

"There were a lot of college grads applying for any kind of job, and they were hiring them first," Jelf said. "I was looking for something security-related or involving paper work. There was nothing."

So he decided to apply for a custodian's job at Honolulu Airport. "I got off the bus, walked to the building and saw a long line that went around the block," Jelf said. "There were hundreds of people applying for 17 openings. I thought to myself, 'I can't even be a custodian.' "

But he waited in line and got the job. "I figured with 17 openings, they needed some women to take care of the women's restrooms, some young guys to do the heavy work and some mature workers who would not call in sick on Mondays because they were still drunk from the weekend."

A short time later, he landed a job with the Judiciary. In the days when District Court was at 842 Bethel St. and there were no Department of Public Safety sheriff's deputies in local courthouses, bailiffs were responsible for locking up cells and for supervising people held in custody.

"We didn't have the drug problem then that we have today so they were not as violent," Jelf said. "They would mostly just try to run away." He recalls chasing more than a few people fleeing from court down Fort Street.

Today, Jelf is the most senior of District Court Administrator Calvin Ching's 18 officers.

"Having gone through what he has in life, he brings a lot of maturity to the table," Ching said of Jelf. "He won't let little things bother him."

Claiming an IQ of 147, Jelf said he found school boring and was "invited to leave" Kamehameha School. After a year at Iolani, he dropped out of school and went to work at Pearl Harbor. Jelf later earned a general equivalency diploma.

May has been designated as "Military Appreciation Month" in Hawai'i by the Military Affairs Council and Chamber of Commerce; Saturday is Armed Forces Day. It's a good time to appreciate the contributions of veterans such as Jelf and those still serving today.