OLDNAVYMCPO
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
Throughout the annals of USMC history, there have been countless highpoints of demonstrated heroism, dedication and perseverance under the most intense and severe conditions. To my mind, one of the most heroic episodes of the many is that of that entire "Frozen Chosin" campaign of the Korean War.
An unusual, yet heroic individual of that campaign died this year on Mar 3, 2014 at the age of 88. He was the very first Asian/American regular (as opposed to reserve) NCO in the USMC and became the first non-white Commissioned Officer in the history of the USMC.
Born on Jan 21, 1926 in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents, eldest son of six children, Kurt Chew-Een Lee was one of three brothers who would be decorated for heroism. At the outbreak of WWII, Kurt was a high school student. Kurt wanted more than anything to serve in combat for his country. To him being KIA would not only be a great honor but the $10,000 Gov Life Insurance would be of great benefit to his parents. His first thought was to be an Army Air Corps pilot. To this end, he joined HS JROTC. When drafted in 1944, Kurt couldn't pass the flight physical because of a lack of depth perception.
At 5 ft 6 in, 130 lbs, Kurt decided to enlist in the Marines. The recruiter, taken aback by Kurt's diminutive physique, didn't believe he was capable of humping a ruck. Kurt proved otherwise by hauling two with ease.
At boot camp his first three MOS choices were Para-Marines, armor and scout/sniper. Uncle Sugar had different ideas and Kurt got sent to Japanese language school to become a linguist. He ended up being stuck at language school as an instructor. Kurt eventually was promoted to Sgt and was the first Asian NCO in the MC. He never saw combat in WWII, instead he spent the years during and after the war, interrogating Japanese POWs.
In 1946, Kurt was selected for OCS and upon graduation became the first non-white officer in USMC history. He was reputed to be extremely hard nosed and held high standards not only for his men but himself as well. His efficiency reports of the period reflect the fact that his standards were even stricter than USMC standards, this often created friction with his fellow officers.
At the start of the Korean conflict, the US was caught with it's pants down with regards to military preparedness. To react to the NK invasion, reservist, many having never attended boot camp, were activated. Whole reserve and National Guard units were activated, busted up and individual members assigned to active duty units as needed to fill them out. As you can imagine, this played havoc with morale and overall readiness.
LT Lee was thrown into this mix with the 1st Batt, 7th Marines, 1st MAR DIV. Aboard transport ship headed for Korea, Lee constantly force fed tactics and military skills training to his men. This caused a great deal of resentment among his young charges as well as among some fellow officers. The results were that once the fighting began, his troops performed better than the others.
At the Sudong Gorge, Lee was wounded after wiping out an enemy squad of twenty men, single handedly. After the fight which won him the Navy Cross, Lee was shot in his right elbow by a sniper. While in sickbay, Lee pulled a George Patton and assaulted an unwounded soldier who he accused of being a coward. With his right arm in a cast and sling, Lee was scheduled to be evacuated to Japan. Instead he and another Marine went AWOL , stole a jeep and tried to rejoin their unit. They ran out of gas ten miles from their camp and had to hike the remainder of the way, knowing the MPs were searching for them.
Lee was chosen to lead the hike thru the mountains of North Korea in the dark to rescue Fox Co which was guarding the MSR ( dirt road that was the route of retreat from the Chosin Reservoir). With outdated Japanese maps of 1:50,000 scale, compasses that wouldn't function in the cold, lack of food and sleep and surrounded by Red Chinese, Lee was successful. He earned the Silver Star for his efforts. He was wounded again in his right arm and was forced to fire his M-1 carbine single handed in his left hand. They came to be called the Ridgerunners.
After Korea, Lee remained in the Marines attaining the rank of Major before retiring.
An unusual, yet heroic individual of that campaign died this year on Mar 3, 2014 at the age of 88. He was the very first Asian/American regular (as opposed to reserve) NCO in the USMC and became the first non-white Commissioned Officer in the history of the USMC.
Born on Jan 21, 1926 in San Francisco to Chinese immigrant parents, eldest son of six children, Kurt Chew-Een Lee was one of three brothers who would be decorated for heroism. At the outbreak of WWII, Kurt was a high school student. Kurt wanted more than anything to serve in combat for his country. To him being KIA would not only be a great honor but the $10,000 Gov Life Insurance would be of great benefit to his parents. His first thought was to be an Army Air Corps pilot. To this end, he joined HS JROTC. When drafted in 1944, Kurt couldn't pass the flight physical because of a lack of depth perception.
At 5 ft 6 in, 130 lbs, Kurt decided to enlist in the Marines. The recruiter, taken aback by Kurt's diminutive physique, didn't believe he was capable of humping a ruck. Kurt proved otherwise by hauling two with ease.
At boot camp his first three MOS choices were Para-Marines, armor and scout/sniper. Uncle Sugar had different ideas and Kurt got sent to Japanese language school to become a linguist. He ended up being stuck at language school as an instructor. Kurt eventually was promoted to Sgt and was the first Asian NCO in the MC. He never saw combat in WWII, instead he spent the years during and after the war, interrogating Japanese POWs.
In 1946, Kurt was selected for OCS and upon graduation became the first non-white officer in USMC history. He was reputed to be extremely hard nosed and held high standards not only for his men but himself as well. His efficiency reports of the period reflect the fact that his standards were even stricter than USMC standards, this often created friction with his fellow officers.
At the start of the Korean conflict, the US was caught with it's pants down with regards to military preparedness. To react to the NK invasion, reservist, many having never attended boot camp, were activated. Whole reserve and National Guard units were activated, busted up and individual members assigned to active duty units as needed to fill them out. As you can imagine, this played havoc with morale and overall readiness.
LT Lee was thrown into this mix with the 1st Batt, 7th Marines, 1st MAR DIV. Aboard transport ship headed for Korea, Lee constantly force fed tactics and military skills training to his men. This caused a great deal of resentment among his young charges as well as among some fellow officers. The results were that once the fighting began, his troops performed better than the others.
At the Sudong Gorge, Lee was wounded after wiping out an enemy squad of twenty men, single handedly. After the fight which won him the Navy Cross, Lee was shot in his right elbow by a sniper. While in sickbay, Lee pulled a George Patton and assaulted an unwounded soldier who he accused of being a coward. With his right arm in a cast and sling, Lee was scheduled to be evacuated to Japan. Instead he and another Marine went AWOL , stole a jeep and tried to rejoin their unit. They ran out of gas ten miles from their camp and had to hike the remainder of the way, knowing the MPs were searching for them.
Lee was chosen to lead the hike thru the mountains of North Korea in the dark to rescue Fox Co which was guarding the MSR ( dirt road that was the route of retreat from the Chosin Reservoir). With outdated Japanese maps of 1:50,000 scale, compasses that wouldn't function in the cold, lack of food and sleep and surrounded by Red Chinese, Lee was successful. He earned the Silver Star for his efforts. He was wounded again in his right arm and was forced to fire his M-1 carbine single handed in his left hand. They came to be called the Ridgerunners.
After Korea, Lee remained in the Marines attaining the rank of Major before retiring.
