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Book Review 54 Dear Bill: Revisit to Korea. Gordon Clyde Southern. 213 pp. E-BookTime, LLC. ISBN 978-1- 59824-452-6 By Dr. Kris Barnett One can only imagine how many weary soldiers swore never to return to South Korea as they finished their tours and returned stateside after the Korean War. But, for some, the passage of years quieted resolute promises not to return, and the cooperation of the South Korean government and the Korean War Veterans Association has afforded hundreds of veterans the opportunity to revisit a much-changed country. Gordon Clyde Southern was one of the veterans who was eager to participate in a “Revisit Tour.” Southern expected to share the Revisit experience to Seoul, South Korea with his friend Bill Williams, who served in Korea from 1952 – 1953. However, Williams’ health prevented his participation in the revisit. His friend’s illness prompted Southern to keep a meticulous diary of events and share his extensive and insightful travelogue with Williams through a series of letters. Dear Bill: Revisit to Korea shares the particulars of the revisit, but the author extends the enjoyable commentary beyond the trip itself as he investigates military records and traces his participation in the war. Southern begins by attempting to capture one of the most significant aspects of the trip. He writes: “The return to the scene of battle serves to re-kindle old memories that have lain dormant for more than forty years. Although the tour was pleasant and adventuresome as planned, the natural camaraderie of veterans sparked conversations that resulted in the grim and somber realization that we may have a moral obligation to speak up and sound a clarion note of warning to the young leaders of today” (p. 9). The letters to Bill contain myriad details of Southern’s experiences during the Revisit, beginning with the journey from Los Angeles to Kimpo Airport. Southern describes the welcoming and appreciative attitudes of the many South Koreans who encountered the traveling U.S. veterans. Indeed, Southern and his traveling companions found a Korea that had changed much in the forty years since the war ended. They visited the several monuments that honor the United Nations forces who participated in the war. One of the highlights of the trip was to Freedom Village at Panmunjom where the truce was signed, which is located in a small tract between South Korea and North Korea. Also, the group toured Seoul, the Korean National Cemetery, and the Korean War Museum. The Korean War Museum was of particular interest to Southern, who had been a tank commander during his stint in Korea. Bits of his experiences during his tour pepper the travelogue, as the experiences during the revisit uncovered a wealth of memories. After his visit to the Korean War Museum, Southern writes, “My favorites were of course the M4A3E8 Sherman Tanks, which were TOE equipment for Regimental Tank Company in the 45th Division. I was the proud commander of twenty-two of these tanks….The tank on display sported serious damage to the Main Hatch, leading me to suspect that it might have been one of my own tanks. I remember well what damage a 120mm mortar can do to a tank turret….I could almost smell the acrid odor of thick smoke inside the fighting compartment.” (p. 65) During the revisit, Southern learned from fellow veterans that at the Federal Archives in Suitland, Maryland many declassified military records regarding the Korean War are now available. Thus, Southern made it his mission to later revisit Korea in a different way – through military archives. Once again, he chronicles his experiences through additional letters to Bill. Southern describes his thorough and tedious search to find records regarding his unit, the details of which he reproduces and shares with faithful reader Bill Williams – along with vivid and often contradictory, humorous details of the same event. For example, declassified documents reveal: “Miscellaneous Entry – General Taylor, General White, General Ruffner, General Ginder, and Colonel Carlson inspected 1st Bn and Co. B.” However, Southern elaborates that during the above-mentioned visit, he ferried General Ginder in a tank around the Bailey Bridge area because the General was “too scared to cross in a jeep.” Southern notes that he “…failed to completely close the hatch lid, which bounced up and down on the General’s steel helmet across the valley floor. He was mad as hell when we arrived….” (p. 140). Of course, none of this information is part of any official military record! Southern closes his book with a description of his repatriation process, detailing how on his trip back to the U.S., he was assigned to oversee a group of ex-POWs. Furthermore, Southern includes a series of letters written to him by one of the veterans, Hugh W. Ruckdeschel, who experienced the revisit in 1993 and was equally interested in researching the archives. Southern closes his simple, yet poignant, series of letters, written out of a combination of loyalty to a fellow veteran and the desire to preserve history for posterity, with these thoughts: “Sometimes I wonder if the real heroes all died in the war. Those of us who survived and were allowed to make the Korea Revisit were extremely lucky. I have thought more about the Korean War in the past three months, than I ever did during the previous forty years. Perhaps it is good that we can re-hash all those events, and hopefully transmit our memories to others who may benefit somewhere down the road.” (p. 196). March-April 2008 The Graybeards
POW/MIA Update Soldier missing in action from Korean War is identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is Cpl. Robert S. Ferrell, U.S. Army, of Dallas, Texas. His burial date is being set by his family. Representatives from the Army met with Ferrell’s next-ofkin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army. On February 12, 1951, Ferrell was assigned to Battery A, 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, then occupying a position about 70 miles east of Seoul, South Korea. The 503rd was providing artillery support for friendly units coming under heavy attack by Chinese Communist Forces. In danger of being overrun, the 503rd was forced to withdraw to the south. Records indicate that Ferrell was captured near Hoengsong, South Korea during the fighting. He later died in captivity at the Suan Mining POW camp located about 40 miles southeast of Pyongyang, North Korea. Between 1990 and 1994, the North Korean government repatriated what they claimed to be 208 sets of remains, including a 1991 turnover of several servicemen recovered near the Suan Mining POW camp. Ferrell’s remains, along with cold-weather clothing and uniform buttons worn by U.S. infantry, were included in the 1991 repatriation. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory also used mitochondrial DNA and dental comparisons in the identification of Ferrell’s remains. For additional information on the Defense Department’s mission to account for missing Americans, visit the DPMO web site at http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo or call (703) 699-1169. Remains of Pvt. Joseph Meyer Jr. come home after 57 years The Associated Press reported on March 8, 2008 that the remains of Pvt. Joseph Meyer Jr. of Wahpeton, SD will be coming home—58 years after he disappeared while fighting in the Korean War. He was declared missing in action in 1950. Ironically, Wahpeton is the home of MSgt. Woodrow Wilson Keeble, who received the Medal of Honor from President Bush on March 3, 2008 for his bravery in Korea. (See the story on page 26.) Keeble died in 1982. Pvt Meyer’s remains are scheduled to be flown home from Hawaii a few days before his funeral, scheduled for May 3. He will be buried with full military honors in a 2008 Army uniform. S. Korea, US to Sign Memo Of Understanding on Recovery of War Dead The South Korean and U.S. military have agreed to conduct joint recovery and identification of remains of their soldiers killed in action during the 1950-53 Korean War, the South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) announced. The MND Agency for Killed in Action Recovery and Identification (MAKRI) and the Joint Prisoners of War (POWs), Missing in Action (MIA) and Accounting Command (JPAC) affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense, will sign a memorandum of understanding in the coming months. Under the agreement, the two agencies will share information related to the recovery and identification of the remains of fallen soldiers and conduct joint operations on a regular basis. JPAC will also help train officials of the South Korean agency. South Korea’s Army launched its operations to recover the remains of war dead in 2000. The Army mission was transferred to the MND early last year when MAKRI was established. Since 2005, South Korea has found and handed over the remains of eight U.S. soldiers killed during the Korean War, while the United States has recovered the remains of three South Korean soldiers. MIA Army Sgt. Harry J. Laurence of Cleveland, OH identified The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office announced on March 26, 2008 that the remains of a U.S. serviceman, missing in action from the Korean War, have been identified and will be returned to his family for burial with full military honors. He is U.S. Army Sgt. Harry J. Laurence of Cleveland, Ohio. He was buried April 9 in Arlington National Cemetery near Washington, D.C. Representatives from the Army met with Laurence’s next-ofkin to explain the recovery and identification process, and to coordinate interment with military honors on behalf of the Secretary of the Army. Laurence was a member of L Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, then making up the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT), 7th Infantry Division. The team was engaged against the Chinese People’s Volunteer Forces near the Chosin Reservoir, North Korea from Nov. 27-Dec. 11, 1950. The unit was forced to retreat to the south due to intense enemy fire. Laurence was among many soldiers reported missing in action. In 2001, joint U.S. and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea teams, led by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), conducted two excavations of a mass grave near the Chosin Reservoir. The site correlates closely with defensive positions held by the 31st RCT at the time of the Chinese attacks. The teams recovered remains believed to be those of 11 U.S. servicemen. Analysis of the remains subsequently led to the identifications of three individuals, including Laurence. Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial evidence, scientists from JPAC also used dental comparisons in Laurence’s identification. 55 The Graybeards March-April 2008
Page 1 and 2:
Election Issue! Election Issue! Ele
Page 3 and 4: From the President Louis T. Dechert
Page 6 and 7: The Editor’s Desk Art Sharp 6 Do
Page 9 and 10: Ask the Secretary BUSINESS Quite of
Page 11 and 12: PRESIDENT CANDIDATES BYRON W. DICKE
Page 13 and 14: and the Disabled American Veterans
Page 15 and 16: Association New England. Of the 82n
Page 17 and 18: My conviction and support for the K
Page 19 and 20: ment into the U.S. Army on March 5,
Page 21 and 22: Eight Months with KWVA Refuting Op
Page 23 and 24: them. The standard of less is best
Page 25 and 26: Remembering Lt. James M. Schooley L
Page 27 and 28: the time Woody was shot twice in th
Page 29 and 30: “With Verizon, who knows where it
Page 31 and 32: Both the 1million signatures and di
Page 33 and 34: Korean War Monument Dedication in C
Page 35 and 36: An Unusual Story of a Unit and an O
Page 37 and 38: Before Pete left Korea, the members
Page 39 and 40: award went to Dr. Betty Perkins-Car
Page 41 and 42: members presented a Certificate of
Page 43 and 44: Many of them have suffered traumati
Page 45 and 46: 270 SAM JOHNSON [TX] Chapter Honors
Page 47 and 48: Total Volunteer Hours MEMBER # HRS
Page 49 and 50: ROK Veterans Host KWVA Chapters 215
Page 51 and 52: Tony Eilers stands by his 4.2 morta
Page 53: ...................................
Page 57 and 58: We arrived off the coast of Korea a
Page 59 and 60: James Edmiston, 25th Div Hq Co Cpl
Page 61 and 62: wounds by patching him up. The only
Page 63 and 64: Korean War project. He has previous
Page 65 and 66: Note: The crash to which the writer
Page 67 and 68: My outfit was the 79th Engineer Con
Page 69 and 70: Reunion Calendar 2008 To post your
Page 71 and 72: CERTIFICATION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR KW
Page 73 and 74: Bill Wray Sees Naval Action In Two
Page 75 and 76: with which we Army chaplains were o
Page 77 and 78: describes Dallas Mossman Sr. He is
Page 79 and 80: plus other cultural/industrial faci
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