Posted: 2/23/2013 5:39:06 AM EDT
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I finally watched the documentary Chosin, on netflix. I put it off for a long time, because my grandpa was a Korean War veteran and I still have trouble dealing with his passing. He was more of a dad to me than grandparent, due to my mother's situation after my parents divorced. He would always tell me funny stories about the stuff he and his buddies would pull over there and made it sound like a camping trip. Shortly before he passed, he started suffering from dementia. During his clear episodes he started telling me more about his wartime experience. It was no camping trip.
At one point in the film, one of the veterans mentioned that Republic of Korea would sponsor Korean War veterans trips back to Korea. I would like to get some more info on this. It is too late for Grandpa, but my wife's uncle is also a veteran of that war. I think he would be interested. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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My former Father-in-law was a Marine in the Battle of the Frozen Chosin.
He lost his left leg to an RPG fired by a Chinese soldier (he said). He watched the guy fire, felt pain and watched his leg just below the knee roll off down the hill. He was VERY lucky to live. He described the conditions and the battle, and it was not a pleasant situation. He was a great man---sadly, he is now deceased. |
| We had a family friend from church who was a Marine at Chosin. He never really talked about his time in Korea, but as he got older he would fall asleep at church. When he was asleep he would dream and I could recognize from his movements as he dreamed; he was marching. Still marching away from the Frozen Chosin. Sad to say we lost him to cancer last fall. |
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I have an Uncle who was there and an ex-father in law that was there. Both infantry, FIL was AW&S, Uncle was recoiless rifle operator, both survived. My FIL was wounded by grenades but made it through. By both their accounts, that was a nasty fight.
ETA: My Uncle with his recoiless. At the onset of Chosin he was out on patrol and sat several days in a sewer drainage ditch counting Chinese headed towards Chosin. He would count back to where a thousand men would be and rest until the line he ended at got in front of him, then count back a thousand more. After several days and counting tens of thousands, he made it back to report what was coming. His report was simply another conformation of what was headed their way. All those guys were heros, every one of them. And, that same man in the picture holding the recoiless, also drove a tank under Patton in WWII and saw action from Italy into Germany. 
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Quoted:
Chosin Korean for "Balls of Steel" http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1971/2152/400/102736/chesty2.jpg Ten Chinese divisions surrounded Col. Lewis Berwell Puller's 1st Marines. The indomitable "Chesty" Puller saw the situation with his own brand of logic: "Those poor bastards," he said. "They've got us right where we want them. We can fire in any direction now!" |