Chosin
They Pray Like Angels and Fight Like Demons
“The Puerto Ricans are proud of their heritage, and on top of that, the soldiers of the 65th Infantry are very proud of their Regiment . . .” – William W. Harris, Commanding Officer, 65th Infantry Regiment Fought in sub-zero temperatures, brutal terrain, and knee-deep snow, the Chosin-Hungnam campaign, the most costly and potentially disastrous four weeks…
Read More1,010 Days of Hell
“They closed in steadily on us. There was no rush, no storming our positions. We kept knocking them down like ducks in a shooting gallery but they kept coming.” – Marine SSgt James Nash Chosin: Hellfire Valley Throughout the horrific night of November 29, 1950, Major John “Jack” McLaughlin and his men fought off wave…
Read MoreFighting and Dying in a Frozen Hell
It’s a pivotal event of the 20th century. The Battle of Chosin, or “Changjin” as it’s called in Korea, a two-week-long bloodbath pitting 30,000 US, ROK, and British troops against 120,000 Chinese soldiers, was a defining moment of the Korean War. Fighting in the winter of 1950 in bitter cold and brutal terrain, men endured…
Read MoreOn the East Side of Chosin
As the helicopter took off and disappeared over the North Korean mountains, Lt. Col. Don Faith, watching from his desolate, wind-swept command post at Chosin Reservoir, threw his newly awarded Silver Star into the snow. After enduring a horrific night of fighting against overwhelming Chinese forces, his commanding officer had just ordered him and his…
Read MoreOn a Hill Far Away
We’ll never know the terror 18-year-old Marine PFC Edward “Eddie” Thorn experienced in the final minutes of his life, but we do know that what he and hundreds of other Marines went through at the Chosin, or “Changjin,” Reservoir was unimaginable. Shivering on a wind-swept, snow-covered hill on the night of November 28, 1950, PFC Thorn…
Read MorePhysically and Emotionally Frozen
Sixty-seven years ago, on November 27, 1950, one of the most monumental battles in US history began in the desolate, unforgiving mountains of North Korea. What occurred over the next two weeks was nothing short of a terrifying, grisly, and frozen nightmare. Chosin, as the savage fight between US and Chinese forces is now called,…
Read MoreRemembering Chosin
It’s a pivotal event of the 20th century. An experience so monumental that it has come to represent, even encapsulate, the ongoing struggle between the forces of oppression, tyranny, and authoritarianism and those who believe in freedom, justice, and democracy. The Chosin Campaign, correctly called “Changjin” in Korea, was a defining moment in history. The two-week…
Read MoreThe Underestimation Game
As US soldiers and Marines moved closer to China in November of 1950, General Douglas MacArthur – and many top American military and government officials – refused to believe Mao. The Chinese leader had repeatedly warned that dire consequences would befall American forces threatening his border. Few listened. And those who did had no sway…
Read MoreWho Would Have Guessed?
When my cousin Alice told us she’d be coming to Seoul for her first trip to Korea, we were thrilled. After somewhat randomly agreeing that she’d arrive on June 23rd and stay until the 3rd of July, we patiently waited for the big day. We had everything planned out. Or so we thought. What we…
Read MoreHome Again, Home Again
My whirlwind trip is over. I’m back in Seoul. After traveling nearly 13,000 miles in a 3-day period, it’s good to be home! It’ll take a while for everything to sink in, but for now I’m just trying to recall the moments that made the trip such a memorable experience: talking with President Moon in…
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