Listening to Our Better Angels

Civilians evacuating at Hungnam

“I have always thought of Christmas as a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time.” – Fred, the nephew of Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol With the holiday season once again upon us, Americans from all walks of life – and every race, creed, and religion – become observers, and in many cases, active…

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Honor, Courage, Commitment

Chief Tomich, center seated, with fellow Chief Petty Officers

He never forgot the sight. Passing through Pearl Harbor on his way to the Marshall Islands during WWII, 17-year-old J. Robert “Bob” Lunney witnessed, for the first time in his life, the carnage of war: capsized and damaged ships, oil-stained water, and battle-scarred buildings. As a young sailor from the Bronx, his brief time at…

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They Pray Like Angels and Fight Like Demons

Borinqueneers in the Korean War

“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…

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A Christmas Miracle

Civilians evacuating at Hungnam

Thousands of refugees, huddled at the water’s edge and anxiously waiting to board  American ships, knew what would happen if they were left behind. The Chinese, massing in the nearby mountains, would storm into Hungnam and make an example of anyone who had defied them. US and ROK collaborators, Christians, anti-communists, and anyone deemed a…

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An Eternal Brotherhood

Marines making their way out of the Chosin Reservoir towards the port of Hungnam in early December 1950. John Lee was with them every step of the way.

On a cold, starless night deep in the snow-covered mountains of North Korea, John Lee, a Korean interpreter with 1st Marine Division, watched as about twenty people cautiously entered a small building. Worried that the suspicious-looking North Korean civilians might be communist sympathizers plotting to infiltrate American units at Chosin, he made his way silently…

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He Never Forgot His Captain

Capt. Leonard LaRue, 1950

On December 14, 2017, I’ll have the privilege of joining J. Robert “Bob” Lunney at a lecture about the Hungnam Evacuation being held at The Korea Society in New York City. It’ll be a memorable event, one that I’ve been looking forward to for months. During two and a half years of researching and writing…

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Long Live the Lane Victory!

She’s a survivor. SS Lane Victory, one of 534 “Victory” class cargo ships built during World War II, has a proud and storied history. From trans-Pacific operations during the final months of World War II, to rescuing over 7,000 North Korean refugees in December 1950, to delivering supplies throughout the Vietnam War, Lane Victory and…

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