Not everyone forgot about Korea...
Over Memorial Day, I performed a historical tribute to the USMC in the Korean War at our local Missouri Veterans Home. The uniform and gear dates from WW2/Korea and represents a Marine during the Inchon landing. I also have a pretty complete set of winter uniforms as worn by the Marines in their fight out of the Chosin Reservoir.
Steve Cox
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Jessie Perry in Korea
Here is a picture of my father in law in During the Korean war. After this he was called the canteen kid. I sent this to my son a third generation Marine, a year ago while he was in boot camp for motivation. and his DI's enjoyed it.
Semper Fi Paul Garrison 79-91
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USMC
loved your news letter and would love to suscribe to it , i come from a marine corps family my father was a p o w on sipan during ww ii ,my oldest brother was a hellcat pilot on the yorktown shot down in battle of midway ,i lost another brother on guadacannal ,and i had two sons that served honorably , and iam a chosin resevor survivor , ,the best thing i ever did was join the marine corps , there is a lot of truth to once a marine allways a marine ,and the pride instilled in me at parris island boot camp i will carry to my grave , i work a lot with veterens and its sad our boys comming home cant get there needs fulfiled ,because of budeget cuts we just got 18 vans shut down to get these boys to hospitals etc. my pet peve is why we as a country turn our backs on our veterens ,someone tell me why after severing two or three tours
in afghanistan our boys have to pay for there own transportation home this sticks in my craw
if it was up to me they would all have a brand new car waiting for them , your doing a great service sgt, grit proud of you continue your good work sincerly Sgt edwin runner
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Korea 1950
Winter Sports, North Korea, 1950
In early December, 1950 at Yonpo Airfield, North Korea, I was assigned as a member of a team taking a Portable Radar set to the Chosin reservoir. After loading the equipment into a jeep and trailer, we drove over to the squadron mess tent to pick up some C-rations. It was about 8pm at night. At the mess tent we were told to stand down as the Marines at the Chosin were cut off due to other military units retreating, exposing the Marines flank.
The next day the Marines at the reservoir requested more air support. We had Marine Corsairs at Yonpo, but no fuel or ordnance. MGCIS-1 had trucks for hauling our Radar equipment, all International Six by Sixes, with convertible tops! Shortly, our trucks were on the way to Hungnam for bombs. I rode shotgun for the first trip; the road was covered with sleet. We picked up nine one thousand pound bombs, fuses and fins and headed for Yonpo. Arriving at the Yonpo flight line, with no unloading equipment, we rolled one bomb off the truck to see what would happen; it bounced a couple of times on the frozen ground, but did not explode. An Air Force Sgt came over and told us their P-51’s could not carry a 1,000 lb bomb, the Marine Corsairs on the other side of the field needed them. With no equipment to reload the bomb, we headed across the field with eight bombs in the truck and dragging one with a log chain! Arriving at the Marine flight line, the Air Wingers had those bombs on Corsairs and in the air immediately. We unloaded them from the truck by backing up and hitting the brakes, thus dumping them all at once! For the next several days MGCIS-1 hauled fuel and ordnance for the Corsairs, using the same unloading method!
December 14th we shut down our GCI radar operations, loaded our equipment and moved to Hungnam for evacuation. Arriving at Hungnam, I and two other technicians were sent back to Yonpo to operate and maintain the identifier friend or foe (IFF) set and ADF we had left with operations. With no facilities left at Yonpo, we were told to pick up something to eat at the mess tent. All I could find was a gallon of cheese and a gallon of raisins. This was my diet for the next several days.
On Christmas Eve a Marine transport plane came in, loaded up and got ready to leave. They were the last plane out, so we destroyed the remainder of our equipment and boarded the aircraft bound for Itami Air Base in Japan.
Christmas day, 1950 I took my first shower in almost four months and first real meal in a long time. In Korea the unit did not have laundry, showers, resupply of clothing, usually no potable water and very poor chow, by the time supply’s reached us, they had been picked over very thoroughly! My weight going to Korea was 185 lbs, on return in nine months I weighed a whopping 150 lbs.
(In October 1998, General G.C. Krulak, Commandant U.S. Marine Corps, signed a letter that stated, “Besieged by enemy small arms fire, handicapped by shortages in men and equipment, hampered by topography, the unit aided some 26,000 Marine and Air Force planes through the radar of MGCIS-1—a welcome beacon to guide the aircraft to safe landings. Whatever the weather, no matter how rugged the terrain, despite its personal privations, the squadron managed to bring their aircraft home.) We also controlled aircraft to and from the front, and guided fighter aircraft to their targets!
1950-51 MGCIS-1 Awards: Army Presidential Unit Citation, Two Navy Presidential Unit Citations, Korean Campaign Ribbon-3stars, United Nations Ribbon, two Korean Presidential Unit Citations, and later Marine combat action and Korean War combat medals were added. Jim Reed S/SGT, USMC 1948-52, USMCR 1954-55
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Thank you
As a young man I successfully made an attempt to get away from my father by joining the Corps. I managed to get one of my “connected” friends get me a forged birth certificate, because I was only 16 years old, and as soon as I got it I went down to the Marine Corps recruiting office at the main post office in Chicago, Illinois and enlisted. I was subsequently sent out to MCRD San Diego where I completed my boot camp early in 1952 and went to Camp Pendelton with the 1st Marines for advanced infantry training. Immediately after that I shipped out to Korea in late 1952. I served in Korea until the spring of 1953 when I was wounded and sent home.
Arriving back at Camp Pendelton after my recovery from the wounds I had received I was selected to go to DI training for almost three months and then assigned to MCRD San Diego as a junior DI under World War II S/Sgt H. D. Herrington or Bangor, ME. S/Sgt Herrington was an excellent example of what Marines should be, and he taught me how to become a better Marine and train Marines which the Corps could be proud of.
After a couple of years of this I was enlisted for guard company and eventually ended up at Great Lakes Naval Training Center on the North shore of Chicago, my home town. My father was totally unaware of how close I was to home and during one of my leaves to the city I ran in to him and he was totally shocked at how much I had grown up and matured since I had last seen him. He tried to fall in to his old pattern of physically abusing me, but when he swung on me I grabbed his wrist in a vice like grip and drove him to his knees, as I was taught, and told him that his days of abusing me were over.
I thank the Marine Corps for the values I have today and for the experiences which they afforded me. Now that I am retired I willingly volunteer at the local VA hospital in an effort to give back to our men and women in uniform and who served bravely in all of the conflicts we have been involved in. It will be my pleasure to have two of them join me for Thanksgiving dinner and to share what I have with them for their service and their sacrifice.
I have met a young Marine with the 3rd Marines who has just returned from Afghanistan, and thanks to you I was able to get him an Iraqi Freedom ka-bar for Christmas, when he will be coming home to Southern California to be with his whole family.
When I lost all of my medals and ribbons while going through my divorce, I am now able to replace them little by little each month. I will soon have all of them organized once again so that I can mount them in one of your display case.
Semper fi,
S/Sgt I. J. Oshana, (Ret)
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Point of Interest Are Reunion Anti/ Tank Co 5th Marines
Point of interest, At are reunion Anti/Tank Co.5th Marines ( Korea ) Sept.18 at Quantico,National Museum, Marine Base. Going thru the Museum I ran across a Picture that was taken Feb. 7 1953 of myself and my tank driver Norm Bodway carrying out one of the 6 Marines we were able to help. It was at the Samichon Valley also know as 76 alley
Norm Bodway Red shirt
Chuck Batherson tan Shirt
Would like to see in Magazine
Thank you
Chuck Batherson
Life Member
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Korea Cold Weather Gear
Sgt Grit: Enclosed is result of contact between G. Robinson and myself, regarding a prior article I had written. With all the current reference of Korea, thought you'd like to see the resulting pictures.
Thanks for the quick reply, Top.
I thought you might enjoy seeing pictures of the vest I referred to plus the USMC long parkas. First the parka:
Then here's the alpaca vest I picked up last week:
It has your name over a breast pocket and is the only one of these I've ever seen with a pocket. And it has what looks like Korean language characters printed on the loop of cloth at the collar.
Rear of the vest with your name and service number
I've seen the so called "pile liners" for the M1943 field jacket. They had pieces of woven string that hooked over the buttons for closure of the jacket. It was an Army item and never knew that the Marines used those. Is this the jacket you referred to?
So you were an 0141 assigned to Army X Corps? I guess when the 1st Marine Division was pulled out after the Chosin Reservoir campaign you were among them?
The fella who sold me the vest thought you were in a Marine tank outfit. He even said he had two jackets that belonged to you both of which had artwork on the back depicting Marine tankers and had the name of a Marine tank Bn. I assume that was a total fabrication.......or was that a later assignment during your career?
So what did you do after Korea? I assume you spent some time in Southeast Asia before you retired?
I live in the Atlanta area. I spent six years in the Marine Reserve from 1967 until 1973. I was trained at Camp Pendleton as an 0141 but was re-trained as a truck driver when I got to my Reserve unit. I drove the 2 1/2 ton 6X6's.
Been to Las Vegas a couple times but prefer Lake Tahoe when I'm out your way. That's a nice area.
Semper Fi
Greg Robinson
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My Korean Buddies 1950-52
I am looking for any of these guy's that were in the Motar Squad that I was in in Korea in 1950-51
Group is A CO.,1st. BN.,5TH. MAR.
View more of Bill's photos
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First ANGLICO Marine
Sgt Grit,
Found this photo of me taken in N. Korea July 27, 1953 right after the truce was signed. Then Cpl. Max Sarazin, 1st ANGLICO. Promoted to Sgt 6 mos later.
Past Cmdt Det 955 MCL,
Pound Keeper Seadog Pound 338 MODD,
PDD Max Sarazin
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Chosin Reservoir
Sgt Grit,
My Dad, Retired SgtMaj John Swindle was in Korea
from Aug 2, 1950 to Dec 4, 1950. He was in A-Battery
1st Bn 11th Mar Div. He was wounded on the 4th of Dec
1950 at the Chosin Reservoir and received the Purple
Heart. I'm including a photo of him, from a book called
"This is War" by David Douglas Duncan. My Dad is the
Marine in the center looking down. I'm real proud of
my Dad.
Donna Swindle
Proud daughter of Chosin Reservoir-Korea Vet
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Hector A. Cafferata School Ground Breaking
Students, teachers Chosin Few Members, and Hector A. Cafferata MOH, attending.
Wally
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Just sharing some pics...
I was in the Corps from 91-98, and in '03 I joined the Army Reserve, and in '05, I went active duty Army and got shipped off to Korea. Well, I'm out of the Army now due to a torn up knee, but I really miss the "good ol' days." They didn't have digital cameras when I was in Okinawa, but I didn't blow my chance when I got to Korea. I knew the tight relationship and history between the USMC and the ROK Marine Corps, and when our KATUSA's (Korean Augmentation To U. S. Army) learned that I had served in the Corps, I got alot of attention. I learned that even though the Korean people are peace-minded and tend to shy away from military actions, they have an intense pride in the ROK Marines. There's ROKMC souvenir stores everywhere, and every one I visited had ROKMC veterans hanging around swapping stories. Sound familiar?
ANyway, I went on a DMZ tour and toured the Korean War Museum while I was there, and I have probably over 1,000 pictures on my computer from my year there. Here's three that I like alot. The first one is at OP Dora, overlooking the DMZ and into North Korea. The other two are in the Korean War Museum in the ROKMC Memorial Room.
Just as a bit of info, military service in South Korea is mandatory, but they have a choice as to where they want to go. Most young men just want to do their two years in the ROK Army and go back to college. But service in the ROK Marine Corps is strictly voluntary, and their boot camp is as tough as Parris Island (only 5 times colder in the winter). Another thing: ROK Marines consider US Marines their brothers...they also celebrate November 10th. Must be a Marine thing...
Robert Johns Jr.
Lawton, OK
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June 21, 1951
Sgt Grit. A friend on mine gave me this Post Card from USAA. It is a Memorial Service held after the Bn came off line. Each time we would come back to a Reserve Area we would hold a Service for all the Marines we lost in the last engagements.
I would guess that the Marines at Present Arms were the Squad or Fire Team Leaders representing the KIA. I did not know if you would like it and maybe add it to your News Letter or a filler for one of your Catalogs .
Semper Fi.
Floyd D. Newkirk, Wpns.Co. 1st Bn 1st Reg Korea 51-52
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PI Graduation
PI graduation, April 1953, with most scheduled for Korea, but since that ended a few months later, never knew what happened to anyone. A couple of us, reluctantly, sent to Montford Point, Supply School and then off to fight the paper wars. Got out at the end of my tour, and because of my training at Supply School----NOT!----I put 40 in Law Enforcement.
J. E. M.
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Yesterday
Camp LeJeune (2nd Mar. Div) - 1949 - cleaning my BAR - lost it on forward slope of a hill March 2, 1951 courtesy incoming mortar fire. Went over the wall at Inchon Sept. 15, 1950 ... served under Lewis "Chesty" Puller at Hagaru at the reservoir.
This aside: just prior to the Inchon landing my fire team leader Cpl Boyer, who had served under Puller in WW2, gathered us one evening in the cafeteria of the ship - says "Well children, it goes this way, the 7th got Litzenberg, the 5th got Murray ... and we got Puller." Noticing the puzzled looks, he tossed in " Puller will enter with a death wish, and will take as many of us with him that he can."
At the makeshift airstrip at Hagaru the man would stand in clear view of the nearby hills and scan the area ... maybe not a death wish but surely the fearless warrior he is portrayed as.
George Elsasser - 1949-52 - discharged a buck sergeant.
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