MISSING
A loss is not the same
as just not there.
And nowhere now
in the gray of waiting.
So, not noticed is
someone once there
then is not, not hiding,
not camouflaged,
but once he truly was
and mainly in the morn
while you shaved you
in the warmth, with lather
and with your pressed
green uniform folded
new upon a well slept
bed made up for two,
he is forever – as
forever is now known-
to be not over there,
where he was all new
and called upon.. and
called upon… along
a made for this world
road of return never.
– Charles Brady
North Korea has been in the news lately – you may have noticed. And perhaps you were surprised to discover that we are still in at a state of WAR with North Korea. That’s right – We have never signed a treaty to end the Korean War.
That thing started in the summer of 1950. My part began in September when my army unit, attached to the First Marine Division, landed at Inchon.
A side-issue to recent negotiations between minor representatives of the two nation is one of great interest to me – and to thousands of American families. The issue involves the identification of and return of the remains of Americans killed in Korea during the war.
It’s again in the news as the talks with North Korea are on again and off again. The subject of “Return of U.S. Remains” is of utmost interest to our government, and to our Armed Forces, but it of greatest importance to the families of military personnel who disappeared in Korea during the Korean War, especially those who went missing in the Winter of 1950/51 in the frozen North.
There have been Missing In Action statistics in just about every war, but the status of most of these were settled, usually when identified as Prisoners of War or Killed in Action. Some however, were simply never located. One can imagine the sorrow over the years as families hoped and prayed and eventually accepted that they may never be able to reclaim the remains.
When the Chinese intervened and descended in overwhelming numbers upon the U.S. Army and Marines during that “Coldest Winter” of 1950/51, they surprised troops who had been too far extended up one narrow road toward the Yalu. Bad weather set in and, for much too long, there was no chance for our superior Air Forces to assist.
It was bad, and there was confusion, and despite bravery by smaller units all along the trail back, we suffered terrible losses. Most of he wounded were recovered but there were many who just disappeared. Later, many were found to have been captured.
Recent goings-on in the world of international diplomacy have brought us to a subject we like to keep hidden. We can, sooner or later, speak of warfare and even of our men and women being killed in action. For many mothers and siblings and friends, however, there is a subject about which they can do little and that is this:
What happened to their son, husband or brother back in 1950 and 1951.
The subject so hard to talk about is “MISING IN ACTION” “Missing” has so many different meanings and when the status of one missing in action is clarified, the answer is often not satisfying.
In the Korea era, when a service member was Missing in Action, designated military personnel sent telegrams and those messages were hand-delivered to next of kin, or nearest other relative with that simple notice Sometimes the initial message is followed up with another saying the missing one was located or was confirmed to be a Prisoner of War or had been re-classified as Killed in Action.
Sometimes, despite every action by the Military, and to the ultimate sorrow of loved ones, the status of the missing Service Member is never known. There is no closure.
The subject of Missing In Action in Korea – especially for those missing in the Winter of 1950, remains partially unresolved because of the complicated nature of the battles involving Marines and Army personnel during a particularly frantic two-week period around the Chosin Reservoir. “The Coldest Winter!” in Korea in many years also complicated later searches for remains from those battles.
The US First Marine Division and a relatively small U.S. Army unit, located in a particularly difficult place to defend in winter time, with few options for movement or retreat, and little chance for reinforcement, were nearly lost completely when suddenly attack by six Communist Chinese Divisions.
You can read about this particular battle or you can Google several documentaries, some from 16 MM footage by Army and Marine Corps units during the battle. A well done version focusing mainly on the First US Marine Division but also covering the US Army units who were engaged on the Eastern side of the reservoir, may be viewed in its entirety on Youtube (Google: “Battle of Chosin Reservoir”)
My self-propelled Antiaircraft Artillery unit was attached to the Marine Division’s Third Battalion, Fifth Regiment. The Marines most northern advance had been to the West and South of the Reservoir.
Only two of my unit’s Batteries had accompanied them this far north. A Battery consisted of four light tanks with open turrets and twin 40 MM Guns, and four World War II halftracks with four, fifty-caliber machine guns which fired together, and were well loved by the Marines for their fire-power during attacks.
My unit was south of the main conflict, and my particular tank was the only vehicle, and our five-man crew were the only Americans, on one cold mountain top! (I was the right loader, responsible to load the four-shell clips into the right gun. (And I had been promoted to Private First Class, although I didn’t know it!)
I learned later that Major (his first name, not rank) Poole, already a Sergeant, and my best friend from Basic Training (Fort Jackson, S.C.), was a member of the US Army unit, and their advance had been to the east side of the Reservoir.
The North Korean Army had been totally defeated. But General of the Army Mac Arthur had ordered the drive up to the Yalu River.
As our Military paused at those locations, and during a brief improvement in the weather, arrangements were made fly in and drop fixings for a Thanksgiving meal, and the cooks did their best to make the meal festive.
Two nights later, to the surprise of the encamped men, the huge Chinese Army attacked from every angle, bugles blowing and illumination from Chinese shells. The Chinese had brought about sixty thousand men, and although each had bought but meager rations and was inadequately clothed for the weather and had no heavy artillery or air support, they were effective in the early stages of battle.
Near the end of one documentary, an old ex Marine who had fought at the Chosin Resevoir told of watching a group of captured Chinese soldiers, cold, ill-fed and with frostbitten feet and he expressed his admiration for his foe by saying, “If I saw one of those guys today, I would hug him like a brother”
Over the next few days the Americans had to fight every night against near impossible odds.. The Marine General requested reinforcements but none were available. He moved men here and there, rounding up mechanics, cooks, administrative personnel and everyone else to man a critical outpost. Finally the Marines fought their way inch by inch southward, joining up with their units. When joined by a small UN Force from the South, they began a slow retreat down the one narrow dirt road toward the Hungnam and the sea.
The Marine story is well told in documentaries filmed by servicemen at the time.
The story of the Army units, a hastily assembled group of 2,500 men into a Regimental Combat Team under an Army Colonel were in the vulnerable Easten side of the Reservoir. They were attacked by a Chinese force of about 120,000. Not a cohesive force, they nevertheless fought, sometimes hand to hand, and, because of their efforts and despite huge losses, this force most likely helped prevent the huge Chinese force from joining up with those attacking the Marines.
Their Commander and his Executive officer were both killed early on. Leadership finally fell to a Lieutenant Colonel (The original Commander was later awarded the Medal of Honor.) The few remainders from this force finally fought their way to join up with the Marines.
This rag-tag Army unit came under intense criticism because there were no cameras filming their heroism. Later, testimony revealed the extent of the forces they faced and the extent of their bravery. The unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation.
There were dead Americans lost at every battle site. Although the Marines initially loaded and took along their dead and wounded, many had not been located when battles ended and movement south had to begin.
The Army battles were equally hectic and (I’m guessing) less effective – if that is the word. Dead were often left where they fell, and an awful lot of living and wounded Americans were not immediately located and helped. Many wounded and able-bodied men wee forced to surrender and became Prisoners of War. Some who were known to have been captured were never reported by their captors and remain among the missing.
A particularly hard scene to watch is the US Marine’s mass burial of their dead comrades in the frozen earth near Koto-ri, a pausing place on the retreat, knowing there were not enough vehicles to transport the wounded AND the dead they had been attempting to bring home, they reluctantly buried a large number of their dead in a trench, blasted out of the frozen earth. I don’t know if their knowing this location helped in the recovery of remains, but I hope so. I do know, the failure to bring home their dead had a lasting effect on the US Marines.
Later, the two sides exchanged prisoners, but no real and final accounting was ever made.
The fate of my friend Major, who may have been killed, wounded or captured early in the fighting, remains unknown to this day. I remained in touch with his sisters for many years. He was initially reported MIA, and the family was periodically notified that the status was unchanged. Finally, he was declared Killed in Action, and that legal status became final.
The family held services and stayed in touch with Army authorities; they provided DNA and waited. with some hope, for the return of Major’s remains. However, his mother and both of his sisters are now deceased. He had not married and I am not sure who would be notified if his remains are ever identified and returned.
To pay my respects, I would like to know if he is finally located and returned, and I have told his family this, hoping that my request would be passed on to remaining family members.
It is probable that Major was killed in the early Chinese attacks. It is possible that he was taken prisoner at that time and either died in captivity (some of the prisoners did), and some were captured only to never be returned by the Chinese. The Chinese captors and later their government were never completely open on the matter.
There is something worse than a quick death in combat, and one of those things could be the effects upon loved ones of not knowing where their son, brother or father is at this moment. Overused is the expression “lack of cloture.”
