Mar/Apr 2013 - Korean War Veterans Association

me to accompany him. I was the only
other Army officer on the Board who had
served a full career, and he knew I had the
“bells and whistles” uniform wise!
While we were standing in the ballroom
of the Chinese Embassy, the new Chinese
military attaché came over to me. He
pointed to the 187th crest on my Mess
Dress jacket and knew it as identifying the
187th Airborne Infantry Regiment. He
asked if I was with the regiment in the
winter of ‘50-‘51. I replied that I was. He
asked me if I was at Punji Pass that winter
and, if so, what was my position.
I told him that I commanded “K”
Company, and that we were the left flank
company holding the high ground above
the pass. He asked if we were on line the
entire period (ten days) before we were
relieved by the 5th Marines. When I
answered in the affirmative (by the way,
he spoke perfect English), he threw his
arms around my shoulders and hugged
me. I didn’t know what to do and Stilwell
motioned it was okay.
In a minute, he stepped back, keeping
his hands on my shoulders, and said he
had commanded the Chinese company
directly opposite me on the line. There
were tears in his eyes, and he asked
Stilwell and me to remain after the reception.
We did, and engaged in conversation
for over an hour.
He explained how almost 50% of his
troops died of exposure that week plus.
They were even worse off than we were
as far as clothing and rations were concerned.
And, they had no ability to have
“warming tents” behind their lines.
He served two years as the Chinese military
attaché and then went back to command
their equivalent of our Infantry
School at Fort Benning. We stayed in
touch until he died in ‘98.
That explains “why” for this vignette
about the Korean War!
Reach Bill Weber at eagle187@
hughes.net
NOTE: This article has also appeared in
AIRBORNE QUARTERLY and SHIM-
BUN, the 187th ARCT magazine. Col
Weber suggested that our readers would
enjoy the article as well.
Did He Do It?
By Robert V. Echelbarger
Ispent most of 1951 on the line in Korea,
climbing hills and playing tag with 82mm
mortars. While there, I engaged in the
Chinese Spring Offensive, Operation Ripper,
Operation Killer, the Punch Bowl battle, and
the fights for Hill 812 in September and Hill
886 in November.
(Just a side note here: on November 10,
1951 the Marine Corps Birthday, the 5th
Marines became the first regiment in history
to relieve another regiment (1st Marines) on
the line by helicopter.)
A strange event happened during the late
spring of l95l on the rim of the Punchbowl in
Korea. We Marines of Fox Co., 2nd Bn., 5th
Regt. (F-2-5) were close to completing 74
days climbing hills. We made contact with
North Korean and Chinese soldiers, often
with firefights resulting in casualties.
Short rounds and 83mm Chinese mortar
attacks were a constant threat. My platoon
lined up on the rim and then hooked to the
right down another ridge. While setting up
we dug foxholes and level spots for our shelter
halves. The ground sloped at an angle of
about 45 degrees. The enemy had withdrawn
back into the huge dormant volcano crater.
I picked up a rifle grenade from my pack
setting by my shelter half and began walking
towards my foxhole. All of a sudden there
was a loud “whooshing” noise. Before I
could react there was a loud explosion about
eight feet down the slope from me. The concussion
blew me backwards and I found
myself upside down in a deep foxhole.
I started yelling for help, because only my
feet were sticking out of the foxhole. My
buddies grabbed me by the ankles and pulled
me out. I sat doubled up on the ground with
my head between my knees catching my
breath and waiting for my eyes to stop rattling
around in my head.
A corpsman came running down the line
to see if anyone had gotten hit. My foggy
head cleared a little and I started checking
my body for any new holes. I noticed blood
was trickling down my left arm. I said to the
corpsman, “Hey, doc, I think I sprung a
leak.”
He looked at my arm, stuck on a bandage,
and gave me a couple of APCs (aspirin).
Then he said, “Here, take these and don’t call
me in the morning.” He looked sort of disappointed
as he walked back up the ridge.
I crawled into my sleeping bag and didn’t
wake up until the next morning. I looked at
the place where I had been standing, the shell
crater, and the foxhole. I noticed the shell
crater. My shelter half had shrapnel holes and
the tree I was next to was scarred with shrapnel.
I couldn’t figure out why I hadn’t been
killed. I found out later the short round came
from a 4.2 inch mortar round that had been
fired by U.S. Army troops that were setting
up to cover us. Now for the rest of the story.
l met my wife at Buena Vista College in
Iowa in 1948. We became close friends with
another couple. He was a farmer and she was
attending Buena Vista College too. He got
drafted during the Korean War and was a 4.2
inch mortar gunner. I received a letter from
my wife stating our good friend was set up at
the Punch Bowl to support the Marines at
about the same time I was there.
When I read the letter, I wondered if he
was the one who dropped that 4.2 round
down the tube that almost blew me away. To
this day I still wonder why l wasn’t KlA. I
never did find out if it was him.
Strange things do happen in a war.
Robert V. Echelbarger, 201 S. Taylor Rd., Lot
74, McAllen, TX 78501
70
National KWVA Fund Raiser Flower Rose of Sharon
The Rose of Sharon is the National KWVA fund raising flower. The Rose of Sharon
is sold by the dozen.
r Sample order is 4 doz. @ $12 plus $6.35 S/H.
r Minimum order is 20 doz. @ $60 plus $12.35 S/H.
r Orders for 21 to 100 doz. @ $3/doz. plus $16 45 S/H
r Order for 400 doz. or more qualify for a special discount
Write or call: Earl House, 1870 Yakona Rd., Baltimore, MD 21234
Phone 410-661-8950.
Make Checks payable to: KWVA Maryland Chapter 33
70
March - April 2013
The Graybeards