Jan/Feb 2013 - Korean War Veterans Association

60
ices people,” Hinrichs said. “He dedicated
his services to them. It’s going to be hard to
get somebody to follow his shoes.”
Hinrichs, a Vietnam veteran, added, “He
was a good friend.”
Legion members will form an honor guard
at the visitation and perform military rites at
the funeral.
Frank Atwood, post commander, credited
Lee with drawing attention to veterans’
issues, not just those affecting Korean War
vets.
“Everything he did had something to do
with the veterans, something to be proud
of,” he said. “He was there to show what the
veteran stood for and that they should be
honored.”
Lee also made sure the 60th anniversary
of the Korean War was recognized, and
donated items for a display at the Danville
Public Library. He was named a Department
of Defense ambassador for the anniversary,
2010-13.
In addition, he served on the committee
that established the Korean/Vietnam memorial
on Hazel Street, which was dedicated in
1986.
After that, he joined a group supporting a
national monument. He also helped bring in
the airplane that sits near Gilbert and Main
streets from Chanute Air Force base.
Lee was trustee with the Illinois Korean
Memorial Association, based in Springfield.
Besides caring about veterans’ issues, Lee
also was founder of the Fairchild Grade
School Cornerstone Project and established
the school’s annual reunions. He was a
graduate of Eastern Illinois University.
Lee spent most of his working years in the
field of supervision and management for
Allied Signal.
Were There Enemy Female
Combatants In The Korean War?
Did the North Koreans and/or the
Chinese utilize female combatants
during the Korean War? If so, were
they effective fighters? Was there a
way for UN troops to distinguish them
from male troops? Please send any
information regarding the presence of
female North Korean or Chinese
troops to GB Gender Editor, 895
Ribaut Rd. #13, Beaufort, SC 29902.
Hill 395 - The Pride Of The ROK Army
Coming across some of my Korean war
photos, I spotted the nearby photo of
me standing on a mountain ridge in
September 1952. The location is the
Chorwon area, approximately 20 to 25
miles north of the 38th parallel on line
Wyoming. I am facing north, looking
across a wide valley at Hill 395, which has
a fairly smooth ridge line.
The hill is held by units of the ROK 9th
Infantry Division. The camera with which
the photo was taken is looking south at the
flatlands of the abandoned community of
Chorwon. In the coming month, during
the first week of October, the Chinese
army will make a major thrust to capture
Chorwon. A fierce, bloody nine-day battle
will take place on that mountain, primarily
involving the ROK 9th Infantry
Division, aided on the left flank by the
U.S. 7th Infantry Regiment, plus artillery
and other support units from the U.S. 3rd
Infantry Division and the U.S. Air Force.
The ROK 9th Infantry Division suffered
nearly 3,500 casualties. The estimate
for the Chinese army was over 10,000
dead. Due to the heavy coating of sulfur
and other explosives from bombs, rockets,
artillery, etc., that covered the surface of
the ridge line of the mountain, it resembled
a white horse lying on its side. For
Ù A view part way down from the ROK 9th
Inf. Div. memorials, looking south toward
Chorwon
Joe DePalma near Chorwon in 1952
the history books and the record, it will be
known as the Battle of White Horse
Mountain.
The three additional photos nearby
were taken during my 2010 visit to Korea
and a trip back to the location on the ridge
on which I was standing back in 1952.
Today, it is a venerated place and a sacred
memorial for the South Korean people,
thousands of whom visit it yearly. It is also
home base for the ROK 9th Division. And,
it has many memorials and a museum
detailing the battle and memorials to the
U.S. and ROK units that were engaged in
the battle and for the ROK army and its
casualties.
The battle proved that a properly
trained and equipped ROK military could
stand with pride next to—and with—all
the United Nations units.
Joe DePalma, 217 Woodbridge Dr.,
Unit A, Ridge, NY depalj57@aol.com
Looking across the DMZ at White Horse
Mountain
Ù
Base of the way up to the memorials on
the ridge near White Horse Mountain, with
the village of Chorwon in the background
Ù
January - February 2013
The Graybeards