The Graybeards - Korean War Veterans Association
The Graybeards - Korean War Veterans Association
The Graybeards - Korean War Veterans Association
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Could I bring myself to fire my machine guns at those<br />
refugees in order to keep them from crossing the Naktong<br />
River?<br />
because the multitude on the bank continued<br />
to grow, and they didn’t dare stop moving<br />
while the battle lines continued to draw<br />
nearer in the west.<br />
<strong>The</strong> mental anguish of those couple of<br />
hours ... sitting alone in my cockpit as I<br />
played ‘God’ to those thousands of homeless,<br />
defenseless dregs of humanity, was the<br />
heaviest burden I had ever been forced to<br />
bear ... or ever would!<br />
It had been one thing to discuss various<br />
wartime tactics, distasteful or not, in a<br />
hypothetical context while seated in the<br />
detached atmosphere of the Operations<br />
Office ... such as all agreeing that the<br />
refugees “must be stopped” if we were to<br />
save our position at Taegu. But, believe me,<br />
it was quite another matter to be sitting in<br />
the cockpit of a heavily-armed F-51<br />
Mustang, looking through the gunsight and<br />
searching my conscience for moral justification<br />
to pull the trigger on them.<br />
I prayed, fervently, that none of the<br />
refugees would challenge my warnings or,<br />
if they did, I hoped some would suddenly<br />
uncover a machine gun or rifle and start firing<br />
at me ... for only then would I have my<br />
needed justification.<br />
I had often strafed enemy foot troops,<br />
and I’d blasted their tanks and trucks with<br />
my rockets, without giving a second<br />
thought to the moral arguments of war and<br />
the “killing of fellow man”. <strong>The</strong>y were the<br />
enemy ... they were paid to try to kill me at<br />
the same time that I was attacking them.<br />
But the refugees in their white costumes<br />
... they were something else; unknowns.<br />
Membership Number<br />
First two letters reflect<br />
membership type<br />
Check Your Mailing Label<br />
<strong>The</strong>y appeared defenseless, but were they?<br />
How many had rifles and sub-machine guns<br />
hidden under their long white gowns, ready<br />
to attack our troops from the rear?<br />
I couldn’t know ... I had to just bear the<br />
anguish of uncertainty as I made pass after<br />
low pass, firing an occasional warning burst<br />
to keep them on the west side of the river ...<br />
and hoping.<br />
As our fuel level ran low, I called<br />
Mellow Control to inform them that we still<br />
had our bombs and rockets aboard, and<br />
should go look for more lucrative targets<br />
along the battle line, if they could get another<br />
flight to take over our refugee patrol<br />
along the river. <strong>The</strong>y did so, and we were<br />
shortly able to go hit some trucks and<br />
artillery pieces along the road near<br />
Yongdon.<br />
<strong>The</strong> Red troops were shooting at us as<br />
we went in to bomb and strafe, and I almost<br />
felt glad ... there wasn’t any question in my<br />
mind as to whether they were enemy or not!<br />
Our refugee river patrol was maintained<br />
for the rest of that day, primarily by flights<br />
returning from bombing missions along the<br />
front. Each would patrol for an hour or so,<br />
firing warning bursts as necessary, to keep<br />
the river clear. And, as we figured, by the<br />
time darkness came, the stream of whiterobed<br />
humanity resumed their crossing<br />
without hindrance from the air; but by that<br />
time the Army had set up checkpoint controls<br />
to deflect the masses away from our<br />
Taegu airbase and transport routes.<br />
My prayers ... and those of the refugees,<br />
were answered that early August day in<br />
Membership Dues Expiration Date. <strong>The</strong> example<br />
shows a dues date of January 1st, 2001<br />
*************************************************5 Digit<br />
RO12345 01/01/01 *4<br />
JOHN J. JOHN 320<br />
12345 MAIN ST<br />
SMILEY NY 01234-5678<br />
DELIVERY POINT BARCODE<br />
Check your name and address ( Apt./Bldg/Lot No.). Notify the Membership<br />
Chairman if you find an error. If your zip code does not contain 9 digits<br />
(zip+4), your address is not correct according to the USPS. Contact your local<br />
Post Office for proper format.<br />
Important: If<br />
barcode does not<br />
extend across<br />
full label, your<br />
zip code does<br />
not have 9 digits<br />
and your address<br />
is not correct<br />
according to the<br />
USPS. Contact<br />
your local Post<br />
Office for proper<br />
format.<br />
1950.<br />
To my knowledge, no one fired at those<br />
on the ground, because none defied our<br />
warnings. By the following day the problem<br />
had become ‘academic’, because the<br />
crossings were being controlled by our<br />
Army troops. Thousands of refugees settled<br />
in all available open spaces around our base<br />
at Taegu, but by then the base security<br />
forces could handle the situation.<br />
<strong>The</strong> question again became hypothetical...<br />
would I fire upon refugees to protect<br />
our base?<br />
“I will never know .....<br />
Duane E. ‘Bud’Biteman, Lt Col, USAF, Ret<br />
“...one of those OLD, Bold Fighter Pilots...<br />
“<br />
Next Issue: Dual Dinghy Dents<br />
Just how much coincidental luck can one outfit<br />
handle….?<br />
Update<br />
Korea Revisit<br />
Dear fellow veterans and friends,<br />
I have just returned from Korea celebrating<br />
the 50th anniversaries of the<br />
“Pusan Perimeter” and the “Inchon<br />
Landing.” Both the Republic of Korea<br />
and the US Forces Korea did a wonderful<br />
job of commemorating the great sacrifices<br />
that the veterans made to keeping<br />
Korea out of the Communist sphere of<br />
influence in 1950. That was a tough<br />
time as Korea nearly fell in July of<br />
1950. Without the help of the United<br />
States, as well as the other United<br />
Nations troops, it would be an entirely<br />
different country.<br />
After the commemorations I<br />
remained in Seoul for another two days<br />
and met on the Revisit Program for next<br />
year. Once again, we have been assured<br />
that the 2001 quotas will be higher.<br />
Consequently, please get you application<br />
for return in the mail as soon as possible.<br />
As you know, it is the policy of<br />
our President, Harley Coon, that we<br />
award space in order of the registrations<br />
being received in our Alexandria office.<br />
Please use the Revisit application found<br />
elsewhere in the <strong>Graybeards</strong>.<br />
My sincere regards,<br />
<strong>War</strong>ren H. Wiedhahn<br />
KWVA Revisit coordinator<br />
September/October, 2000 Page 63