The Graybeards - KWVA - Korean War Veterans Association

Pennsylvania Remembers
Korean War Memorial, Buck’s County, Doylestown, Pa., 37 names who
gave their all. (Thank you Frederick T. Quedenfeld for photos.)
Illinois Remembers
Each year the Rockford Park
District of Rockford, IL host lighted
Christmas Displays in it’s
Sinnissippi Park located on North
2nd Street. This year the
Committee Chairman Mr. Joseph
Marino invited the Greater
Rockford KWVA Chapter 272 to
participate with an exhibit. The
photo at right shows the finished
product which went on display
December 15th and was taken
down on January 2nd, 2003.
Illinois State
Korean War
Memorial
Located in
Springfield,
Illinois.
(Thank you Jack
F. Philbrick and
George Sharpe
for photos and
letters.)
George Sharpe of Eatonville, WA standing in front of Illinois Korean War
Memorial. Tablets are dedicated to those that died and MOH Recipients.
LETTERS HOME from page 43
One squad of the second platoon pulled back and some “Chinese” got
on the hill and split the 1st and 2nd Platoons from the 3rd. The 4th was
overrun. Sgt. Storms fired at a group of heads peeping over a grave. A
grenade landed on his mortar base plate. He ducked and rolled. He vas
unhurt but his mortar was destroyed. Pvt. Armon (a mortar man) grabbed
his carbine and pistol and began firing point blank from the top. An enemy
mortar round landed and took off his foot. They carried him down the
mountain. He asked to be shot. He was very brave however and only
complained when the men carrying him on a shelter half slipped and fell
on some ice.
Lt. Fife saw an enemy soldier trying to pull a pin out of a grenade. He
emptied his clip into him. We continued to keep pulling on the pin so Fife
beat him over the head with his rifle butt. The rifle butt broke. Pvt. More
saw a grenade land in his hole. It would have killed both himself and Corp.
Ferguson, and so he put his hand on it. His hand was blown off, but they
were both saved.
Corp, Chickinanga saw someone jump in his hole. He turned to see who
it was and came face to face with a Chinaman. The Chinaman yelled
something and leaped out of the hole. Corp. Raines, a machine gunner,
waited until they were about 10 yards away and then opened up. They
seemed to crumble and pile like cord wood. A flare went up (one of our
trip flares) and our men could see them as plain as day. The enemy was
swarming up the hill like flies. Raines burned out the barrel and had to
change it on his gun. He fired. six full boxes. “M” Co. (2 machine guns)
fired 14 boxes of ammo. In the 1st Platoon area, Sgt. Jackson was hit in
the leg and walked down to the aid station. Sgt. Bannister was hit in the
head and died instantly. Pvt. Hitchcock had three tracers (U.S. ammo
given to China in ‘45) go through his chest. He died instantly. Sgt. Cole
was hit in the arm (his second time in the Korean War.) He walked out but
has never been seen since. Sgt. Yoshikou was hit in the arm (his second
time in the war). He continued to direct. Pvt. Clark was hit in the nose. (his
second time in the war). Sgt. Adams was killed instantly by a concussion
grenade. Both he and Cole had only been back a week from hospital.. Both
were hit before on September 17th near Waegwan on hill 268.
When every man in the first platoon and part of the 2nd on that hill had
used up all his ammo the platoons withdrew down the back side of the
hill. The 3rd Platoon remained in position and kept firing. Also part of the
2nd and part of the “I” company road block were there. They all kept up
a steady fire. Only two men were hit.
Confusion was the big problem. Pfc. Butts heard some Korean spoken
and fired. He hit one of our own R.O.K.’s. One of the men in the 3rd saw
a figure coming up the hill. It was one of the “I” Co. roadblock. It was too
late, however, and he was shot in the leg by mistake. Finally Bn. called and
ordered “K” Co. to pull off the hill. “L” Co. had pulled back before. We were
to pull back at 8 that morning anyway. They took the wounded with them.
Some “I” Co. men went back for wounded. The enemy had withdrawn
from the hill when we did. They gave up trying to take it. They (‘’I” Co.
men) saw 50 dead Chinese bodies in front of one machine gun. A liaison
plane later counted 300 bodies on the hill. “K” Co. had 29 casualties, 5 of
them were seen killed and 1 is missing. All 6 are considered missing. We
were not allowed to go back for bodies.
We all then pulled back to Pakchon. Hope this is a clear picture.
Love, R
Page 62
The Graybeards