{"id":3311,"date":"2018-12-19T12:02:18","date_gmt":"2018-12-19T03:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/?p=3311"},"modified":"2019-05-15T11:38:49","modified_gmt":"2019-05-15T02:38:49","slug":"hungnam-evacuation-korean-war-timeless","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nedforney.com\/index.php\/2018\/12\/19\/hungnam-evacuation-korean-war-timeless\/","title":{"rendered":"A Christmas Miracle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\"Civilians\n\t

Thousands of refugees, huddled at the water\u2019s edge and anxiously waiting to board\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n

US and ROK collaborators, Christians, anti-communists, and anyone deemed a \u201csympathizer\u201d would be rounded up, interrogated, and punished. Many would be shot. Others would be sent to gulags or work camps where they would spend the rest of their lives as prisoners of the communist regime. Some would simply disappear.<\/p>\n

The only hope for the North Korean civilians at Hungnam was the US military.<\/p>\n

Attacking In Another Direction<\/strong><\/h2>\n

With Chosin<\/a>, the most epic battle of the Korean War, coming to a dramatic conclusion in the early days of December 1950, the men of 1st<\/sup> Marine Division and thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen, found themselves trapped at Hungnam, a port on the east coast of North Korea.<\/p>\n

Having fought their way 70 miles through knee-deep snow, fierce winds, and sub-zero temperatures, the Americans, cold, hungry, and exhausted, had only one way out: the sea.<\/p>\n

On December 10 they began boarding US Navy and Merchant Marine<\/a> ships for their withdrawal to the South. Taking all their weapons, ammunition, vehicles, and supplies with them, they would soon be ready to fight again.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s only half the story.\u00a0In the final days of the historic evacuation, a dramatic and unprecedented event occurred, one that is now referred to as a \u201cChristmas Miracle.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Marines

Marines depart Hungnam, December 1950. (Photo credit: David Douglas Duncan)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Refugees<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Tens of thousands of North Korean civilians, hoping to escape from the approaching Chinese army, were also at Hungnam.\u00a0Hearing rumors that the retreating Americans were allowing small groups of refugees to board ships, they had trekked through mountain passes, snowdrifts, roadblocks, and enemy troop formations to reach the port.<\/p>\n

With bags, sacks, crates, and in some cases, babies, strapped to their backs, mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, and everyday citizens from villages and towns across the region had said goodbye to families and friends and promised to return in a few days.<\/p>\n

Despite the journey’s constant dangers, it was worth it. They had lived under communism for five long years, and many wanted no part in China\u2019s takeover of their country or Kim Il-sung\u2019s regime.<\/p>\n

\"North

North Korean civilians making their way towards Hungnam. (public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n

An Unprecedented Humanitarian Operation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Waiting on the frozen beaches and docks of Hungnam, the refugees hoped and prayed for safe passage to the South. Hyun Bong-hak, a Korean doctor working for the US Army as an interpreter, would help make that happen. Repeatedly advocating for his fellow countrymen, he eventually persuaded the top brass to take the stranded civilians.<\/p>\n

With US Navy battleship Missouri<\/a><\/em>\u00a0and destroyers and cruisers pounding the surrounding mountains and US Marine and Navy fighter planes constantly dropping bombs, the Chinese were kept at bay. There was still time to save the refugees.<\/p>\n

\"The

The USS Missouri firing her 16\u2019 guns into the mountains around Hungnam. (Photo credit: US Navy)<\/p><\/div>\n

Marine Colonel Edward H. Forney<\/a>, the evacuation control officer, and US Navy Admiral James Doyle, the top Navy commander at Hungnam, went into action. With their teams of naval and amphibious experts, the two men worked around the clock to ensure the refugees were loaded as quickly and efficiently as possible.<\/p>\n

In a remarkable testament to American ingenuity, teamwork, and dedication, by December 24, the final day of the operation, 100,000 refugees had been rescued.<\/p>\n

The Greatest Rescue By A Single Ship<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Of the many ships that participated in the evacuation, SS Meredith Victory<\/em><\/a>, a Merchant Marine cargo ship designed to carry only a handful of passengers, loaded 14,000 refugees into her cargo holds. Her record-breaking voyage to Geoje-do, an island off the southern coast of Korea, became the\u00a0\u201cgreatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind.\u201d\u00a0One of the ship\u2019s officers later said, \u201cWe were just young men doing our jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Refugees

Refugees on Meredith Victory\u2019s weather deck, December 1950. (Photo credit: Bob Lunney)<\/p><\/div>\n

The Best Christmas Present<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On Christmas Eve, the last day of the Chosin-Hungnam saga, the lead story in The<\/em> New York Times <\/em>read:<\/p>\n

Evacuation of Hungnam Completed . . . UN Fleet Brings Out 105,000 Soldiers and 100,000 Refugees<\/em><\/p>\n

The largest amphibious withdrawal of the Korean War, and the greatest military evacuation of civilians, under combat conditions, in US history, was over.<\/p>\n

President Harry Truman\u00a0was ecstatic. \u201cI thank God for the success of the Hungnam operation. It is the best Christmas present I\u2019ve ever had,<\/em>\u201d he proclaimed after receiving a 1 a.m. Christmas call from Omar Bradley, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<\/p>\n

Remarkably, there are an estimated one\u00a0million descendants of those rescued<\/a>\u00a0at Hungnam who now live in freedom in South Korea, the United States and other countries around the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To this day, the refugees continue to express their appreciation. As Mr. Sohn Yang-Young (aka: Kimchi 1<\/a>) said recently:<\/p>\n

All these years I\u2019ve been telling my children to think about the life I\u2019ve lived and what it was like to be a refugee. I also tell them to think about how the Americans came to a strange land, gave their lives, and rescued so many people . . . we should not forget the sacrifices of the young soldiers. Their lives were just as precious as ours.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Postscript<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This Thursday, December 20, from 8-10pm, NBC will be airing the finale of \u201cTimeless<\/a>,\u201d a science fiction time travel drama series. In the second half of the two-part episode, the series\u2019 stars will travel back in time to the Hungnam Evacuation.<\/p>\n

The episode, entitled \u201cThe Miracle of Christmas,\u201d will be the last hoorah for the \u201cTimeless” team, which had a loyal following of millions during its two-season run.<\/p>\n

Thank you to the \u201cTimeless\u201d team for choosing to share the dramatic story of the Hungnam Evacuation with millions of viewers this Thursday.<\/p>\n

Enjoy the show!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Former\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\tFormer North Korean refugees from Hungnam at a reunion at Dongcheon Church in Seoul, December 2018. (Photo credit: Ned Forney) \n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"Computerized\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\tComputerized depiction of SS Meredith Victory made for the blockbuster Korean film, Ode To My Father. (Photo credit: Ode To My Father)\n\t\t\t\t\"Map\n\t

Top\/Feature photo<\/strong>: Refugees loading at Hungnam. (Photo credit: US Navy)<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t