Chosin Reservoir Survivor

[VaTom]

On the way to get a haircut this morning I was behind a nice Ford pickup on the neighborhood road. His Va State license plate identified him as a Chosin Reservoir survivor (Korean War). At the stop light I just happen to be in the land next to him. Tooted the horn and rolled down the window and the white haired gentleman did also. I thanked him for his service and gave a thumbs up. he gave a big smile and thank you. Maybe I can spot him in the neighborhood and talk to him in the future. The highlight of my day.

The Marines and Army soldiers at the Chosin suffered great hardships, cold and overwhelming numbers of Chinese troops. These vets are aging and if you get a chance to thank one do so.

 

[steelslaver]

my uncle who died 2 yeaes ago was also there. not a good place to have been.

 

[dockmurgw]

Now that would be a fascinating conversation if you even have the chance. As a young lad I was brought up by, and influenced by the WW2 and Korean War generation. The older folks at the time were the WW1 generation. One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't have the interest...in THAT stage of my life...to sit and talk about their experiences. Now I am, but their all gone. I learned to late that one of my uncles, a man I thought never left the farm, served in one of Patton's tank crews...he never talked about it and I never knew it. I hope your able to track him down and sit for awhile.

 

[Dave_n]

The 1st Marine Division knew how to fight an infantry battle whereas the Army troops in Korea did not at that time. That is why the marines came out in reasonable order, the Army troops did not!!Most of the senior and middle level (05 upwards) were armor leaders in NW Europe and had no idea of how to fight Infantry battles until Ridgeway took over. Dave_n

 

[fordson]

A fighting withdrawal- in the long and heroic history of the 1st Marine Div, this action has to be their finest hour.
For those interested, a good read is "Chosin" by Eric Hummel. The book covers the full story of the Chosin battle - Marine and Army units as well as the Royal Marine Commandos (41 RMC) assigned to the 1st.

 

[Wrangler Rich]

My Uncle (passed 3 years ago) received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained at the Chosin. He said many times that it was the coldest winter he ever endured. He never talked much about the battles, but he was instrumental in forming The Honor Guard in which I serve. I feel that I honor his memory at each funeral we do.

WR

 

[redlevel]

My Uncle landed at Inchon, and retreated from Chosin . His fingers and toes always hurt in cold weather. He was sort of typical, I guess, of many young men of that era. He ran away and joined the Marines after playing a couple years of minor league ball. He and I were very close for the last ten years of his life, but he never really opened up about his war experiences. He always said he saw more action in a cathouse in Marseille, France than he did in Korea.

 

[Sistema1927]

I knew a man who was there. He had nightmares about it almost every night until he died about 10 years ago. He carried the awful memory of what he had seen and heard along with his survivor grief. I don't know if I have ever known a better man.

 

[ancient-one]

I got to know a Chosin survivor when we were both eating at Golden Corral most every day. During the time that I knew him he was still paying the price. He had one surgery and was missing for several weeks. He came back and then was having another surgery on both arms and hands. I never saw him again.
He gave me a bit of advice that I never took. He told me that he had a girl friend and that I needed one. Any woman stupid enough to latch onto an old goat like me would either be crazy or looking for a nest egg.

 

[6518John]

As I have posted here before one of my dad's VFW buddies told me he fought at Frozen Chosin for only 17 days, but he spent the rest of his life trying to thaw out.

http://smith-wessonforum.com/140470880-post13.html

 

[rwsmith]

Good read.....

A fighting withdrawal- in the long and heroic history of the 1st Marine Div, this action has to be their finest hour.
For those interested, a good read is "Chosin" by Eric Hummel. The book covers the full story of the Chosin battle - Marine and Army units as well as the Royal Marine Commandos (41 RMC) assigned to the 1st.

It's as close as I ever got to Chosin. Thank the Lord. My Dad was in Korea but he went from tanks to communications early on and avoided being in the wrong places at the wrong times.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

Forgive me, but I would like to see what some of our liberal countrymen's views would be like today if their rear ends had been at Chosin Reservoir. Peace unto all of our veterans. My father, may he rest in eternal peace, was drafted for Korea, but Stalin had the decency to die in time to cancel his orders to ship. Instead he spent most of his service time at Yuma Test Station where I was born.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

My old Army Buddy Milt was forward up North, not sure how close to Chosin but they did get overrun by the Chinese.
He was involved in a up close night gunfight, but managed to get away.

 

[rufgr]

I shoot trap every Friday at 2 pm and the last five or six weeks we have been joined by an elderly gentleman. The first week he joined us I noticed a USMC plate on his car. After I talked with him for awhile I asked him when he was in the USMC. He replied that he was in during the Korean war, but that he only served 9 months there during the winter. I wanted to ask him a little more about his service but did not think I knew him well enough yet.

Last week he and I both arrived early and I was telling him that I was a real optimist as I was getting a new 2 year old bird dog at 70 years old. He replied that if this really bothered me I could leave him the dog in my will. We both had a good laugh about this.

 

[raljr1]

My father in law's neighbor Robert Kirchner was with the Marines at the Chosin. He is quoted in one of the documentaries and a book. I spoke with him every chance I got, mostly about guns, but a few times about his experience. He said he was asleep when they were overrun and fought for two days without shoes on. He spent two years getting his lower legs put back together. He always had issues with cold weather.

He also is quoted about meeting with the family of a fellow marine who died in the battle. He went to apologize because he had taken refuge behind his dead comrade and that marine's body stopped dozens of bullets and helped Bob stay alive.



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[BearBio]

Not a Chosin story but an interesting "old timer" story. My wife and I decided to move and a friend from the NWTF told us he had a house to rent. We moved in and the old guy next door introduced himself over the fence. We started trading veggies and fruit over the fence. Real soft-spoken old guy.

Woody (our landlord and hunting buddy. He eventually flew to Washington to escort me when I got my Master Mason Degree) told me Andy's story: Andy had helped defend a Hungarian bridge from the SS at age 12 (Kept the SS from retreating until the Americans got there). Then he had participated on the '56 Hungarian Uprising. Two years in prison, then he escaped by killing two Red Guards. Broke his back while fleeing to France and spent a year in the hospital. Moved to Canada, then to the US, where he became a machinist. Very patriotic and anti-communist!

 

[CScott]

Another great book on the subject is "On Desperate Ground" by Hampton Sides. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down.
The book does talk about the Marine who had no time to get his boots on because he had to start shooting.
The book is very critical of Douglas MacArthur.

 

[Vbk76]

Several years ago.. heck probably 10 or so..I was at a friends barbecue. I noticed a car with Chosin reservoir survivor tags. I walked over to the elderly man who I believed to have owned the car. I approached, put out my hand, and asked him if he was one of the Chosin few. He shook my hand and said," you know what that is?" At the time I was in my early thirties. I said of course and thanked him for his service. He started crying. I told him some have not and will never forget what he and his brothers had done. He passed a few years later..

 

[VaTom]

Another great book on the subject is "On Desperate Ground" by Hampton Sides. Trust me, you won't be able to put it down.
The book does talk about the Marine who had no time to get his boots on because he had to start shooting.
The book is very critical of Douglas MacArthur.

Two other Great books about the Marines at Chosin are "The Last Stand of Fox Company" and "One Bugle No Drums". The latter book is by William B. Hopkins who was a Captain in the Marine Reserve Unit in Roanoke, Va. (My hometown). The unit was called to active duty at the outbreak of the Korean war. A number of the Roanoke Marines served at Chosin. I understand that many young Marines in reserve units joined after WWII and had never been to full basic training and ended up in combat at Chosin. One of our PD Sargents who was the range officer years ago was a Marine Vet and was at Chosin. I only learned this after his death a number of years ago.

The Army Reserve Unit here was also called to active duty and formed the basis of the 780th FA Battalion known as "The Cavalier Red Legs". They went to Korean in the early spring of 1951. My dad was a Sgt in the unit.

Korean was indeed the forgotten war and we should not forget those veterans as they age.

 

[jimbo728]

Several years ago.. heck probably 10 or so..I was at a friends barbecue. I noticed a car with Chosin reservoir survivor tags. I walked over to the elderly man who I believed to have owned the car. I approached, put out my hand, and asked him if he was one of the Chosin few. He shook my hand and said," you know what that is?" At the time I was in my early thirties. I said of course and thanked him for his service. He started crying. I told him some have not and will never forget what he and his brothers had done. He passed a few years later..

I feel badly he came to tears that you knew about the Chosin Reservoir. It was for too many, "The Forgotten War".
Those men were great men.
One of my first shooting mentors was an Army mortar man.
Didnt talk much about it except during a visit to his home he was so happy that a fellow Korean War vet had sent him a copy of a book he had written about his experiences and mentioned my friend Bennys` name remembering how his mortar shells saved the day, more than once. Benny passed in 2013.
My late brother in law ,Marine, was also there and survived being stranded in a ditch during an attack for days. Almost shot the Marines that found him. It must have been hell. When he married my sister he was the kindest,soft spoken man I ever knew.
Thanks to all that remember the "Forgotten War" Veterans.
Jim