Jan/Feb 2008 - KWVA - Korean War Veterans Association

62
OPINION
Reasons for awarding a Korean War Victory Medal
By Achilles Anthony Granato
After reading about who should get the Korean War
Victory Medal in the January February issue of The
Graybeards magazine, I realized something was missing.
June 1950 was a stepping stone in my life. I had just received
a pink slip from my construction job, and I was in the process of
looking for work. Then, on June 19th, 1950, I received a letter
from Selective Services (I still have it) classifying me for the
draft. I was thinking of what to do next when, on June 25th,
North Korea attacked South Korea. That outright act of war
made up my mind for me. I immediately re-enlisted in the Air
Force.
I was given a week to get my affairs in order, was sworn in,
and left immediately by train to Lackland A.F.B. for processing
and assignment. At Lackland, I was assigned to the 325th Bomb
Sqdn., 92nd Bomb Group, Far East Air Force (F.E.A.F.) Bomber
Command, APO 328, c/o San Francisco, California.
They issued us field equipment, including an M1 carbine etc.,
and put us on board a C-54 military transport aircraft. About 3
or 4 dozen of us airmen boarded it. After refueling stops in
Hawaii, Johnston Island, Kwajalien Atoll, and Guam, we
reached our destination, Yakota A.F.B., Fusa, Japan. We immediately
went to work. Our group flew maximum effort and saturation
bombing missions while waiting for the rest of the group
to arrive.
Then, the reinforcements started to arrive, including UN
Forces. With the help of the reinforcements and the impetus provided
by the Inchon landings, we began to push the enemy back.
At the time, we were all restricted to base. A few weeks later our
sister group, the 98th Bomb Group, arrived. They were originally
scheduled to go to Puerto Rico, which was a far cry from
Korea. Luckily, the guys always had a sense of humor; they
needed it, because many crews were lost.
Later, we found out the Russians and Red Chinese flew missions
for the North Koreans. In a lull between missions, a blood
mobile came around and I decided to donate blood. I was then
registered as a blood donor with the 406th Blood Bank in Tokyo,
Japan. I hope I helped some GIs. There was a sort of feeling with
us and the ground forces—a comradeship in arms, so to speak—
and it got stronger as time went on.
The missions continued as the Army and Marines worked
their way north up the peninsula. Together, we were nearing the
Yalu River, the border between Korea and China, and the war
seemed to be nearing the end. Ominously, though, we began to
hear reports from some crews that observed sizable Red Chinese
forces and equipment and armor on the other side of the Yalu. I
don’t think they were for ornamental purposes.
All the bridges between Manchuria and North Korea were
intact, which practically sent an open invitation for the presumed
enemy to attack. We were all aware of this, so it seemed
Ground forces suffered thousands of casualties,
many of whom were left dead and
dying on the ice at places like the Chosin
Reservoir. Their warm bodies melted the
ice underneath them, creating small pools
of water that eventually froze—effectively
imprisoning them in the ice.
strange to us when we received orders for our group to return to
the States, leaving the 98th Bomb Group at Yokota. This was in
November 1950. What happened next is just what we figured
would happen. This was the second attack in less than a year,
definitely an act of war, not a police action. Regardless of what
the attacks were called, they were both premeditated. When the
Red Chinese came across the line, it was sudden. We were not
prepared and we were greatly outnumbered.
What happened next greatly disturbed us airmen. Ground
forces suffered thousands of casualties, many of whom were left
dead and dying on the ice at places like the Chosin Reservoir.
Their warm bodies melted the ice underneath them, creating
small pools of water that eventually froze—effectively imprisoning
them in the ice. Retrieving them later must have been a
nightmare. They couldn’t be lifted from the ice manually, but
only by a combination of man and machine. We heard the details
of men desperately retrieving the frozen bodies by tying ropes to
the limbs of the bodies and pulling them out with the aid of
motor vehicles. They virtually tore their bodies from the ice,
leaving clothing and sometimes flesh embedded in the ice. We
never got over visualizing these episodes after we heard about
them.
Meanwhile, the 92nd was at Fairchild A.F.B. in Spokane,
Washington. Shortly after the Chinese intervention, as it was
called, many of us airmen had our records screened for a new
mission. Those of us who passed were to be trained for the position
of Electric Gunners on B-36 aircraft. This was a giant modified
bomber carrying a 16-man crew. The training manuals and
instructions were all dated April 1951.
I was told to fill out a form, which I did, giving power of
attorney to my mother. (I still have that form from the notary
public, State of Washington.) I completed my last course of electrical
gunnery school at Rapid City Air Force Base in Weaver,
South Dakota. I returned to Fairchild A.F.B., where for the first
time I saw a B-36 bomber. The fuselage was 162 feet long, the
wing span was 230 feet, and it had 6 4360 pusher type piston and
4 J47 jet engines. It had a range of 10,000 miles, and could travel
at 435 mph.
There were 16 M24 20mm cannon mounted in 8 computerized
retractable turrets. The tail gun used an APG 36 radar sight
January-February 2008
The Graybeards