Posted on 11/29/2009 6:24:18 PM PST by Saije
This weekend marks the 59th anniversary of one of the most courageous battles in military history. It happened in the early stages of the Korean Conflict, often called the forgotten war. Thousands of marines fought against the North Koreans, the Chinese and another enemy - the weather,
Now 85 years old, Joseph Owen was a young first lieutenant in November 1950, when he and nearly 20,000 other American fighters, trying to gain ground against the surging North Koreans and Chinese Army, were outmaneuvered, trapped behind enemy lines at North Korea's treacherous Chosin Reservoir. The American's were out-gunned 10 to 1.
"We were there and they weren't going to take us out because it was cold outside," Owen said. "There were nights as cold as literally 30 below. And on top of this we're fighting in blizzards."
The Americans had to fight their way out, battling non-stop for 14 days, killing more than 30,000 Chinese as they trekked 70 miles to safety. Along the way, rescuing 100,000 refugees. But their courageous escape came at a severe cost.
More than 3,100 Americans, nearly a third of them marines, were killed and 13,000 wounded. Owen lost one of his closest friends.
"Right as we're talking, a bullet must have gone by. A dark spot appeared right underneath his helmet and Joe's eyes went empty," Owen said. "So I left Joe back there dead in the snow - my pal."
For their valor, the military awarded 17 Medals of Honor and 70 Navy Crosses. Still, few Americans know this heroic tale.
"You look at some textbooks, some have a sentence on Korea," said Anton Sattler...
Anton Sattler and Brian Iglesias, both Marines and Iraq war veterans, are trying to change that, producing the first documentary on the battle, "Chosin."
(Excerpt) Read more at cbsnews.com ...
Not everybody there was a Marine ~ most everyone was, but not everyone ~ the 1st and 15th U S Army Infantry "held the door" for the final Marine withdrawal.
That's probably the first, last and only time the Army Infantry did the honor of escorting the Marine Infantry, but any documentary has to include the materials in the DOD and DIA files concerning that "small" part of a far larger event.
We ought to have nuked the Chinese crossing the Yalu River!
“We ought to have nuked the Chinese crossing the Yalu River!”
Doug, is that you?
When asked about that action, a Marine said, "Retreat? Hell No! We just advanced in a different direction!" :-)
Another time in US history when the brass decided lives of American soldiers were less important than politics. That is on large reason that this was not immortalized in poem, song and movie.
BAND OF BROTHERS CHOSEN
The Americans had to fight their way out, battling non-stop for 14 days, killing more than 30,000 Chinese as they trekked 70 miles to safety. Along the way, rescuing 100,000 refugees. But their courageous escape came at a severe cost. More than 3,100 Americans, nearly a third of them marines, were killed and 13,000 wounded.The Chinese losses during their year-long invasion of Korea were monumental -- and that was no accident. US troops just outfought the bastards, and of course had air and artillery superiority.
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