The Graybeards - Korean War Veterans Association

YEAR IN HELL from page 43
Once we landed at Inchon we walked
into Seoul (capital of South Korea). In
Seoul I was assigned to G (George)
Company, 38th Regiment, 2nd Division. I
couldn’t believe it because the first time I
was in service I was in I (Item) Company,
38th Regiment, 2nd Division. At this time
the 2nd Division was up north and had
gotten the hell kicked out of them at a pass
called Kunu-ri, this was the entrance of
the Chinese into the Korean War. This
attack to the rear by the 2nd Division
occurred between the 28th and 30th of
November. The 2nd Division lost 25% of
their men and 90% of their equipment,
tanks, guns, rations, ammo Etc. The 2nd
Division was ordered to fall back on
Wonju, a town straight east of Seoul. All
the reinforcements left Seoul and started
for Wonju, walking of course. Somewhere
along the way I got transferred into
“HOW” Company and into the 81 Mortar
Platoon.
The 2nd Division was made up of 3
Regiments. The 23rd, 9th & 38th
Regiments. Each Regiment had about
2500 men. Each Regiment was made up
of 3 Battalions, 1st, 2nd, 3rd with each
Battalion having 4 Companies, each
Company having 4 platoons. A platoon
was comprised of about forty men. The
1st Battalion had Able, Baker, Charlie &
Dog Companies, 2nd Battalion had Easy,
Fox, George & How Companies, 3rd
Battalion had Item, King, Love & Mike
Companies. The first 3 Companies mentioned
of each Battalion were Rifle
Companies and the 4th, Dog, How &
Mike were Heavy Weapons Companies.
Each Heavy Weapon Company was made
up of a Machine Gun Platoon, 81 Mortar
Platoon, 75 MM Recoilless Rifle Platoon
and the Headquarters Platoon. These
Heavy Weapons platoons supported one
of its Battalions rifle companies when so
ordered and if in a defensive position supported
the whole Battalion.
At this time I was a lowly ammo and
81 mortar tube carrier. I was assigned to
the 81 mortars and everyone was an
ammo carrier. We had sleeveless vest type
carriers with 2 pockets in front and 2
pockets in back, each pocket held an 81
mortar shell. The 81 mortar consisted of a
base plate, tube, bipod and sights. The platoon
consisted of two sections, each section
had two squads and each squad had
their own mortar. A squad consisted of 8-
10 men. We not only carried our ammo
and a part of the mortar we also had to
carry our weapons. Most of us didn’t carry
an M1 rifle. We carried a 30 caliber semiautomatic
carbine, we had two banana
clips that held 20 rounds each and taped
together for ease of using, we also were
issued a 45 and a holster, we also carried
bandoliers or extra shells in our holster
belt.
Now I want you to know I was scared
to death and I wasn’t alone. In this march
not one of us had ever seen combat and no
body had the slightest idea of what to
expect, many thoughts went through my
head as I walked from Seoul to Wonju. We
arrived in Wonju about the 10th of
December. About this time the 2nd
Division which had just run the gauntlet
through Kunu-ri started to arrive. My
fears really escalated when I saw what a
mess these people were in. Luckily after
the whole Division arrived we were
ordered into reserve to await more reinforcements,
guns, ammo and training.
During this period a Battalion of Dutch
was attached to our Regiment. It was during
this time that I first met Big Ed
Baugher. We were in the same squad and
pup tented together. Ed was drafted and
arrived in Korea just as Kunu-ri was happening
and was taken along with other
men up to Kunu-ri to see if they could
help. Big Ed would turn out to be my best
friend in Korea and one of my best after
Korea. The Division spent the next few
days getting re-equipped and in training.
WONJU I & II
About the 20th of December we moved
back up on the line. The 38th Regiment
was given the task of defending Wonju.
By New Years day we had moved north to
Hoengson, about 30 miles north of Wonju,
walked of course. The temperature at this
time was 20 below zero. January 5th we
were ordered back to Wonju. Returned to
Wonju and proceeded to get ready to
defend the town, was ordered to withdraw
slightly. On January 7th all hell broke
loose, this was my first encounter with
immediate combat. The prior 15 days we
were exposed to combat but not immediate
combat in that we were not looking the
Gooks right in the eyes. The North
Koreans had broken through the front
lines and were about to overrun the 81st
Mortar platoon. I can remember laying in
a rice paddy, it was dark but there was a
moon and I could see a little bit. I heard a
rifle fire and one of our people holler
“Medic!’ this happened two or three
times, when I looked up on the roof of a
building I could see what looked like a
person, shortly I saw a flash and another
person hollered. I knew the person on the
roof was a Gook sniper and I knew I
should bring him down but I just couldn’t
do it. About that time another shot and
another soldier hollered, I stood up and
turned my Carbine on the Gook and he
rolled off the roof. I couldn’t believe I had
shot a man, but I justified it at the time and
did numerous times after that, it was them
or me. Shortly after this our Platoon
Leader hollered get those guns and get out
of here. I jumped up, grabbed my mortar
tube and beat feet out of there. This was
the action that I was awarded the Bronze
Star for. I didn’t think I was the only one
that jumped up and grabbed their part of a
mortar and got out of there but I was one
of three that was awarded the Bronze Star
for this. You can see what little you have
to do to get a Bronze Star. Never in my
life did I think that a little Bronze Star
would create such a commotion back
home.
A large part of the time I was in Korea
my Dad was sick in bed with what was at
the time an unknown sickness, it is what
we know today as congestive heart failure.
Unbeknown to me the Army sent a
news release to the Metamora Record
(local newspaper) concerning my Bronze
Star and also a release to Mom And Dad.
I first heard from Mom saying that Dad
was very disturbed about the chances I
was taking not knowing that if I thought I
was taking a chance I would have stopped
all by myself. Soon I heard from Dad and
in no uncertain terms he told me to knock
it off, because of this I subsequently
refused another Bronze Star and a Silver
Star. I will talk about them when the time
comes.
The fighting for Wonju continued for
Page 62
The Graybeards