Our Warmest Wishes For The Holidays - Korean War Veterans ...

The Seoul Railroad Station in June 1951
Troops waiting to board plane for R&R (Thanks to Arnold G. Van Deusen)
The Imperial Palace in Seoul
Seoul Railroad Station, and depicts the building much as you did
in the article mentioned above. Apparently it remained intact from
the date I photographed the building in June of 1951 to the 1956
date you refer to in the article. The fourth photo is of the Imperial
palace which, as shown, exhibited some structural damage. Note
that the main gate has been demolished or blown away by some
means.
Perhaps my photos may contribute in some small way to the
overall impression of Seoul at that critical time in history. I do so
enjoy reading the articles in The Graybeards, and I appreciate your
effort in bringing the memories into clear focus to those of us who
survived the Korean War.
Harry J. Lynch, Jr., Vistanna Villas
9237 Aegean Circle
Lehigh Acres, FL 33936,
LynchEnterprise@aol.com.
(Mr. Lynch served with Co. B, 430th Eng. Bn. in Korea.)
“Nail biters” on the Globemaster
After reading about the legendary C-124 “Globemaster” and
some of the experiences related by K-vets as reported in the July-
August issue of The Graybeards, I could not resist telling about
two “nail-biting” flights I had during TDY trips I took from Seoul
to Tokyo in 1953.
The guys in my ASA outfit used to call the Air Force C-124
cargo/troop carrier “a warehouse with wings” because we thought
it remarkable that the huge, bulky aircraft could even get airborne,
Taking a picture of troops and a C-124 (Thanks to Arnold G. Van Deusen)
A C-124 (Thanks to Arnold G. Van Deusen)
despite its four powerful Pratt and Whitney piston-prop engines at
full throttle during take off.
Both flights were from K-16 (an island strip in the Han River
between Seoul and Yongdungpo) to Tachikawa Air Base, Japan.
Both involved aircraft malfunctions while landing at Tachikawa
and both occurred during hours of darkness.
Nail-biter No. 1 occurred when the pilot discovered that his onboard
ILS (Instrument Landing System) equipment wasn’t working.
There was a 100-foot ceiling at the time, and the pilot had to
be directed by radio into the final approach to the ILS runway by
the air controller in the tower. That’s after the pilot, in the interest
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The Graybeards November-December 2007