{"id":3579,"date":"2019-02-16T07:07:11","date_gmt":"2019-02-15T22:07:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nedforney.com\/?p=3579"},"modified":"2019-05-21T17:22:46","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T08:22:46","slug":"koreans-marines-friendship-korean-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nedforney.com\/index.php\/2019\/02\/16\/koreans-marines-friendship-korean-war\/","title":{"rendered":"Walking in the Boots of a Marine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t\t\t\t\"Johnny\n\t

“I have good memories of my time with the Marines.\u201d<\/p>\n

– Johnny Nam, interpreter and guide during the Korean War<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll always remember his first week scrubbing pots and pans for the Marines stationed near Yongchon, his hometown. \u201cI thought it might be a good way to learn English, get food, and maybe even earn a little money,\u201d Nam Choong-Il, or \u201cJohnny\u201d as the Marines called him, said in a recent interview. He had no idea what was about to unfold.<\/p>\n

From The Kitchen To The Front Lines<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The youngest of six children in a family plagued by poverty, Johnny had little hope for the future. \u201cYou can\u2019t imagine how poor Korea was,\u201d he recounted. His life, however, was about to change. By the summer of 1953, he would be a different person.<\/p>\n

After spending months with the Marines and being recognized for his hard work, quick wit, and ever-improving English skills, Nam went from washing dishes in a field kitchen to being a personal assistant, or \u201chouseboy,\u201d for Lt. Colonel John L. Hopkins, commanding officer of 1st<\/sup> BN, 5th<\/sup> Marines<\/a>. Hopkins was apparently impressed with the young Korean and allowed him to stay with the Marine infantry regiment even as they moved closer to the front lines. \u201cI had a lot of respect for Col. Hopkins,\u201d Nam remembers. “He was a good man.”<\/p>\n

\"Lt.

Lt. Col. John L. Hopkins, Commanding Officer of 1st Bn, 5th Marines, leads his men in singing the Star Spangled Banner during a memorial service for fallen Marines, June 21, 1951. (PC: US Marine Corps)<\/p><\/div>\n

Assigned to work with the Marines in A, or “Able,” Company, he soon earned their respect and was issued a uniform. “They gave me utilities, web gear, and a rifle,” he said. For the remainder of the war, he proudly wore his uniform,\u00a0even on the rare occasion when he returned to Yongchon on liberty. \u201cI felt like a real Marine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Serving on the Front Lines<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nam served with Able Company during some of the bloodiest engagements of the Korean War. He saw men blown apart by Chinese artillery rounds, struck by mortar explosions, and hit by small arms and machine gun fire. It was a nightmare like nothing he had ever imagined.<\/p>\n

He quickly learned how to protect himself from enemy artillery barrages. \u201cWhen you heard the whistling of an incoming artillery round you hit the ground face first – and you hugged the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n

“Many Marines were killed<\/a> from shrapnel,\u201d he remembers. \u201cAfter one of the worst attacks, I saw a trailer loaded with dead Marines . . . some of them had been my buddies.\u201d The most vivid memory of his time in combat was the day he watched a man scream as his intestines were pushed back into his body and his stomach sewed together. “The corpsmen were so brave,” he remembers. “They only thought about helping the Marines.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A

A Marine rifle platoon moves toward the enemy. June, 1952. (PC: US Marine Corps)<\/p><\/div>\n

Curse Words, Coffee, and Letters<\/strong><\/h2>\n

But there was down time, too. When they weren\u2019t on the front lines fighting the Chinese, the Marines tried to relax. \u201cI learned lots of curse words,\u201d he said with a grin. “They drank lots of coffee,\u201d he remembers, “and some of the Marines used improvised stills to make raisin alcohol.”\u00a0<\/p>\n

His fondest memories, however, center on the countless hours he spent listening to Marines talk about home. \u201cI learned so much about America,\u201d he said. “I wanted so badly to go to the United States.\u201d After the war, he dreamed of attending university in the US but couldn’t afford it. \u201cMy family was so poor. I only thought about my next meal. College in America was out of the question.”<\/p>\n

Some of Johnny\u2019s closest Marine buddies told their wives and sisters about him. Within months he was getting letters from America. \u201cThe letters helped me learn English,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI would write back, practicing my grammar, vocabulary, and spelling.\u201d For over two years, his number one pen pal was \u201cBarbara” from Sacramento, California. He only remembers her first name but still thinks of her often. \u201cI was hoping to meet her after the war,\u2019 he said nostalgically. It never happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He also received gifts. The wife of an Akron, Ohio, Marine sent him a winter coat, a Kodak camera, and an Oxford English Dictionary. \u201cThe Americans are so generous,\u201d he told me.<\/p>\n

\"Fire<\/a>

Fire Team, A Company, 1st Bn, 5th Marines. From left to right: Mel Oceen, Alabama; Fred Hanle, Clifton, NJ; George Donnelly, Fall River, MA; and William Odion, California. Winter, 1952. (PC: George Donnelly\/kwmf.org)<\/p><\/div>\n

Lucky To Be Alive<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Johnny left the Marines in 1953, shortly after the Armistice was signed. \u201cI never saw them again,\u201d he said. Although he didn\u2019t actually fight during his time on the front lines, he was with the Marines every step of the way. \u201cI\u2019m lucky to be alive,\u201d he recounted, shaking his head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to know every word of the Marine Corps Hymn,\u201d he told me a few weeks ago. \u201cI loved being with the Marines . . . and they liked me,\u201d he proudly said. \u201cI went from a naive high-school boy to a man, and I owe it to the Marines.\u201d<\/p>\n

Postscript<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Nam Choong-Il, now 84, eventually graduated from university, married, and became a successful businessman. He has traveled to forty countries, including many trips to the United States. He has three children, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Marines were so proud,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m proud.\u201d<\/p>\n

Semper Fi, Johnny!<\/p>\n

*Please click here<\/a> for the Korean version of this blog (translated by Johnny Nam).<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\"Johnny\n\t\tJohnny Nam (kneeling, far right) with other Korean interpreters who served with 5th Marines, 1953. (PC: J. Nam)\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\"2nd\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t2nd Lieutenant Pete McCloskey (back row center) with 1st Platoon, C Company, 1st Bn, 5th Marines Command Group. Front row: Platoon Guide E.J. Clark (left) and Runner Bob Boyle. Back row: Machine Gun Section Leader Phil Elson (left), McCloskey, and (right) Platoon Sergeant Del Klein. May, 1951. (PC: Pete McCluskey\/kwmf.org)\n\t\t\t\t\"Civilians\n\t\tCivilians during the Korean War. (PC: Public domain)\n\t\t\t\t\"Johnny\n\t\tJohnny Nam today\n\t\t\t\t\"1st\n\t\t\t\t\"\"\n\t