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CHRISTMAS CARGO
A Civilian Account of the Hungnam Evacuation
Dr. Bong-Hak Hyun

My account of these events is a personal remi-niscence rather than a historical analysis, but I hope that students of the Korean War will find my story of some value. My family had fled from Hamhung,North Korea in December 1945 as the Communists took over local governments in the North. Later, I was given the chance to help rebuild Hamhung when Maj. Gen. Edward M. Almond arranged for my transfer to the X Corps as his civil affairs advisor. Schools, hospitals and local governments had to be reorganized, and the general needed someone familiar with the area to advise him on dealing with civilians.

In late November 1950, the X Corps received disturbing reports that Chinese Communist forces had crossed the border and were moving south. I soon realized the U.N. Forces were retreating, and it didn’t seem fair to me that Korean civilians who had risked Communist retaliation by cooperating with the Americans might be abandoned; my only hope was to speak directly to Gen.Almond. Fortunately, his deputy chief of staff, Col. Edward R. Forney of the U.S. Marines, was sympathetic to my cause: by then he had developed friendships among Koreans he had worked with, including me. On Nov. 30, the colonel and I were able to see Almond. “You have people here who really believe in democracy, sir,” I said to the general. “They’ve fought against the Communists for the past five years. You must help them, sir.” “Sir, they have risked their lives by cooperating with us,” added Forney. “Agreed, but at this point, I’m not even sure our own troops can be evacuated,” Almond explained. Enemy forces were approaching Hamhung and Wonsan, and there were seven divisions of U.N. Forces, with over 100,000 troops to move out.

I visited Almond several times, pestering him about the civilian evacuation. Forney and Major James Short, chief of the historical section, argued for it as well. On December 9, the U.S. Army announced it would be unable to evacuate its Korean civilian employees.

On December 14, I got word from ROK Marine headquarters that two LST’s(Landing Ship Tank) would be at the beach the following day to move out Marine equipment; the ships would also be able to carry 4,000 refugees. The next morning there were no LST’s on the beach. I tried unsuccessfully to find out where the ships were and when they would reach Hungnam. It was already December 15, and the deadline for the evacuation of Hamhung had been set for 6:00am the next morning. The Chinese troops were now just outside the city, and the Americans were in a rush to pack their belongings.

That afternoon, Almond called me into his office. Forney and several other XCorps officers were already there, as well as the commanding general, Baik IlKim, and two other high-ranking officers from the I Corps of the ROK Army. “We’ll evacuate 4,000 to 5,000 civilians from Hamhung to Hungnam by train,” Almond finally said, much to my relief. No planes were available for civilians, which meant the only possible route was by ship from Hungnam harbor. Although there were no ships ready for civilians just then, it was decided the evacuation to Hungnam should be started, and we would worry about the ships later.

My job was to tell the civilians to meet in front of the Hamhung railroad station; a train would take them to Hungnam at midnight. They stared at me in disbelief when I told them about the evacuation. I didn’t have time to convince that we weren’t joking or spreading false rumors, since we had other stops to make. “Just get to the railroad station by midnight!” I shouted as we ran out the door. The next stops were the Central Presbyterian Church, the YMCA headquarters, then Nambu Presbyterian Church.

The Hamhung railroad station was packed with more than 50,000 people who wanted to escape; many were left behind. The train, which finally pulled out at 2:00am, arrived in Hungnam at 5:00am. Many of those who had been unable to board the train tried to walk through frozen rice fields and mountain roads to Hungnam. Many civilians did reach Hungnam including refugees from all over the northeast. The military was now faced with the urgent problem of feeding and housing the 100,000 people who had poured into Hungnam. The temperature dropped to –10°C. The sound of gunfire was getting closer, and no boats were insight for the civilians. As tensions grew, people started to complain about the cold, and I even heard some grumble that they should have stayed home because they were sure the Americans were leaving them behind after all.

Finally, on December 17 or 18, three LST’s sent by the ROK Navy arrived at Hungnam, followed by six or seven transports from Japan. The civilian evacuation began on December 19, with thousands of Koreans hurrying on to the ships, many of them pushing to get in front. The LST’s, which might normally carry 1,000 passengers, held at least 5,000 refugees (not counting children strapped to their mother’s backs) squeezed in between tanks and equipment; one was said to have left with more than 10,000 people on board. I was ordered to board the Sergeant Andrew Miller on December 21. I stayed on deck watching the evacuation from a distance. It was becoming more frantic as people panicked at the thought of being left behind. The enemy seemed to be getting closer, for U.N. guns could be heard along the mountain ridges. At night,the sky was filled with streams of bright yellow light from naval gunfire. If I hadn’t known the source, I would have thought it a beautiful sight, like shooting stars falling on the horizon.

On the morning of December 22, the Sergeant Andrew Miller left for Pusan. I realized that it was almost Christmas, practically my first thought unrelated to the evacuation since November. “What a way to spend Christmas,” was my initial reaction. Then I realized that our prayers had been answered, and thousands of Koreans had a chance for a free life, which was the best Christmas gift of all. The evacuation was completed on December 24: 105,000 troops, 17,500 vehicles, 350,000 tons of bulk cargo, and 100,000 Korean civilian refugees were evacuated by sea from Hungnam as Communist troops approached. The Hungnam evacuation has been described in many accounts of the Korean War as a successful military operation, but for the Korean civilians who were transported to safety in the South, it was a miracle

After retiring from Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in 1996, Dr. Hyun has been working at the Ajou University Hospital, Suwon, Korea, as professor of Clinical Pathology. Hyun has been actively involved with the U.S.-China Korean Friendship Association. He hopes to broaden the Association’s work related to North Korea, particularly the medical relief and education aid programs. Dr. Hyun has made three separate trips to the DPRK.

Generally described as an "amphibious operation in reverse", the evacuation of Hungnam encompassed the safe withdrawal of the bulk of UN forces in eastern North Korea. It was the largest sealift since the 1945 Okinawa operation. In barely two weeks, over a hundred-thousand military personnel, 17,500 vehicles and 350,000 measurement tons of cargo were pulled out. In comparison with the retreat in central and western Korea, little was left behind. Even broken-down vehicles were loaded and lifted out. Also departing North Korea through Hungnam were some 91,000 refugees, a large number, but not nearly as many as had gathered to leave.

The first major unit to go was the First Marine Division, which arrived in Hungnam on 10-11 December after its successful fighting withdrawal from the Chosin Reservoir area. The Marines were followed by Republic of Korea troops, the U.S. Army Seventh Division and Third Division. The ROK First Corps was landed at Mukho, on the Korean east coast below the Thirty-eighth Parallel. U.S. forces were mainly taken to Pusan, where the influx initially overwhelmed that port's capacity.

Though the Chinese did not seriously interfere with the withdrawal, the potential threat they represented necessitated a vigorous bombardment by aircraft, artillery ashore and ships' guns. Air cover was available from nearby Yonpo airfield until that was abandoned on 14 December. Thereafter, for the final ten days of the operation, Navy and Marine carrier-borne planes handled the job. Naval gunfire was provided by two heavy cruisers and a battleship plus several destroyers and rocket ships.

Additional Sources:

www.history.navy.mil
www.koreasociety.org
www.history.navy.mil

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Today's classic warship, USS Maine (BB-10)

Maine class battleship
displacement. 12,846 t.
length. 393'11"
beam. 72'3"
draft. 24'4"
speed. 18 k.
complement. 561
armament. 4 12", 16 6", 6 3", 8 8-pdrs., 6 1-pdrs., 2 18" tt.

The second USS Maine (Battleship No. 10) was laid down by William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia, Pa., 15 February 1899, a year to the day after the destruction of the first Maine; launched 27 July 1901; sponsored by Miss Mary Preble Anderson; and commissioned at Philadelphia 29 December 1902, Capt. Eugene H. C. Leutze in command.

From 1903 to 1907 Maine cruised along the Atlantic coast south to the West Indies, and she completed one cruise to the Mediterranean. On 16 December 1907 she left Hampton Roads with the rest of the Atlantic Fleet en route to the Pacific where she joined ships of that fleet for a cruise around the world. In company with the Alabama, she went to Guam and the Philippines, through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean, and returned to the Atlantic coast in October 1908, considerably in advance of the rest of the "Great White Fleet."

She decommissioned at Portsmouth, N.H., 31 August 1909. Maine was modernized, receiving new "cage" masts and other alterations that greatly changed her appearance. Recommissioned 15 June 1911, Maine operated along the east coast. During World War I, she trained engineers, armed guard crews, and midshipmen. Following the defeat of the Central Powers, she took part in the review of the fleet at New York 26 December 1918.

Maine operated with ships of the Atlantic Fleet until 15 May 1920 when she decommissioned at Philadelphia Navy Yard. Classified as BB-10 on 17 July 1920, she was sold to J. G. Hitner & W. F. Cutler of Philadelphia, Pa., 23 January 1922; rendered incapable of further warlike service 17 December 1923; and subsequently broken up and scrapped In accordance with terms of the Washington treaty limiting naval armaments.

"The shelling of the destroyer caused two more like explosions and where I once looked at the first United Nations flag flying, there was nothing but fire."

I'd pay good money to see that.
I'm in.

On This Day In History

Birthdates which occurred on October 15:
70 -BC- Virgil (Publius Vergilius Maro) Mantua Italy (Aeneid), poet
1542 Akbar Indian Mughal emperor (1556-1605)
1674 Robert Herrick Mass, British poet (Together)
1785 Jos‚ Miguel Carrera president of Chile (1811-14)
1829 Asaph Hall discovered satellites of Mars, Phobos & Deimos
1831 Helen Maria Hunt Jackson author (Ramona)
1844 Friedrich Nietzsche Germany, philosopher/anti-semite (Ubermensch)
1858 John L Sullivan Mass, heavyweight boxing champ (1882-92)
1881 P.G. Wodehouse British-American writer (Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves)
1896 Melville Cooper Birmingham England, TV panelist (I Got a Secret)
1900 Fritz Feld actor (Jack Benny Show, At the Circus)
1900 Mervyn Le Roy movie producer (Devil at 4 O'Clock)
1902 William Edmundson Spokane Wash, vocalist (Southernaires)
1905 C P Snow England, novelist/scientist (Death Under Sail)
1907 John Cardinal Dearden US cardinal (1969-88)
1908 John Kenneth Galbraith writer (Affluent Society-1958 Hillman Award)
1909 Robert Trout Wake County NC, newscaster (ABC)
1917 Arthur Schlesinger Jr historian/author (1946 Pulitzer-Age of Jackson)
1917 Jan Miner Boston Mass, actress (Crime Photographer)
1921 Mario Puzo author (Godfather)
1924 Colin Romoff NYC, orch leader (Andy Williams Show)
1924 Lee A Iacocca CEO (Chrysler Corp)
1926 Evan Hunter [Ed McBain], American writer (Blackboard Jungle)
1926 Jean Peters actress (Viva Zapata!, Apache, Deep Waters)
1930 Phillipe Leroy Paris France, actor (Night Porter, Leonardo da Vinci)
1932 Abby Dalton Las Vegas, actress (Ellie-Joey Bishop Show, Falcon Crest)
1934 Peter Haskell Boston Mass, actor (Bracken's World, Rituals)
1935 Bobby-Joe Morrow US, 100m/200m dash (Olympic-gold-1956)
1937 Barry McGuire Oklahoma City, singer (Eve of Destruction)
1937 Linda Lavin Portland Maine, actress (Alice, Barney Miller)
1939 Carmelo Bossi Italy, light middleweight boxer (Olympic-silver-1960)
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1942 Penny Marshall Bronx NY, actress (Odd Couple, Laverne & Shirley)
1945 Jim Palmer NYC, Oriole pitcher/sportscaster/jockey underwear salesman
1946 Richard Carpenter New Haven Ct, vocalist (Carpenters-Close to You)
1951 Roscoe Tanner tennis player (Wimbledon Finals 1979)
1953 Tito Jackson singer (Jackson 5-ABC, Never Can Say Goodbye)
1955 Tanya Roberts [Leigh], Bronx NY, actress (Charlie's Angels, Sheena)
1958 Jayne Modean Hartford Ct, actress (Nurse Hooter-Trauma Center)
1959 Sarah Ferguson [Fergie], Duchess of York
1966 Jeffrey Jacquet Bay City Texas, actor (Mork & Mindy, Whiz Kids)
1991 Owen Joseph Kline son of Phoebe Cates & Kevin Kline

Deaths which occurred on October 15:
1564 Andreas Vesalius anatomist, dies at 49
1813 Tecumseh dies in battle
1817 Tadeusz AB Kosciusko, Polish lt-general/freedom fighter, dies
1910 Stanley "Midnight Assassin" Ketchel HW boxing champ, shot & killed
1917 Mata Hari Dutch dancer/German spy executed by firing squad in Paris
1944 Philip Mechanicus, journalist, executed in Auschwitz-Birkenau
1945 Pierre Laval former premier of Vichy France, executed
1946 Hermann Goering Nazi Reichmarshal, poisons himself in prison
1958 John Hamilton actor (Perry White-Superman), dies at 61
1964 Cole Porter composer, dies (Still of the Night, I've Got You Under My Skin...)
1965 Carl Hoff orch leader (Music Hall), dies at 60
1968 Bea Benaderet NYC, actress (Kate-Petticoat Junction), dies at 62
1976 Carlo Gambino, US gangster, dies at 74
1981 Frank DeKova actor (Chief Wild Eagle-F Troop)
1983 Pat O'Brien actor, dies of heart attack at 83
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Reported: MISSING in ACTION

1965 SCHULER ROBERT H. JR.---WELLSBURG NY.
1965 SIMA THOMAS W.---HANNASTOWN PA.
[02/12/73 RELEASED BY DRV]

POW / MIA Data & Bios supplied by
the P.O.W. NETWORK. Skidmore, MO. USA.

On this day...
1501 English crown prince Arthur marries Catharina of Aragon
1520 King Henry VIII of England orders bowling lanes at Whitehall
1529 Ottoman armies under Suleiman end their siege of Vienna and head back to Belgrade
1582 Many Catholic countries switch to Gregorian calendar, skip 10 days
1641 Paul de Chomedy de Maisonneuve claims Montreal
1655 Jews of Lublin are massacred
1783 Jean Pilƒtre de Rozier makes captive-balloon ascent
1789 1st presidental tour-George Washington in New England
1842 Karl Marx becomes editor-in-chief of Rheinische Zeitung
1846 Dr William Thomas Green Morton 1st public use of ether
1860 11-year-old Grace Bedell writes to Lincoln, tells him to grow a beard
1863 Cliff House opens in SF (1st of many on the site)
1864 Confederate troops occupy Glasgow, Missouri
1866 Great fire in Quebec destroys 2,500 houses
1877 45th Congress (1877-79) convenes
1878 Edison Electric Light Company incorporated
1880 Cologne cathedral completed, 633 years after it begun
1881 1st American fishing magazine, American Angler published
1883 Supreme Court declares Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional
1885 Hoss Radbourne pitches his 60th win of the season
1890 Alabama Penny Savings Bank organizes in Birmingham
1892 An attempt to rob two banks in Coffeyville, Kan., ends in disaster for the Dalton gang as four of the five outlaws are killed and Emmet Dalton is seriously wounded.
1894 Capt Alfred Dreyfus arrested accused of espionage
1914 ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers) founded
1914 Clayton Antitrust Act passed
1917 Chicago White Sox beat NY Giants, 4 games to 2 in 14th World Series
1919 14 horses begin 300-mile race from Vt to Mass for $1000 prize money
1923 NY Yankees 1st World Series win beating NY Giants, 4 games to 2 (World Series #20)
1925 Pitts Pirates beat Wash Senators, 4 games to 3 in 22nd World Series
Gourmet Coffee Week Begins
1928 German dirigible "Graf Zeppelin" lands in Lakehurst, NJ
1933 Philadelphia Eagles play 1st NFL game, lose to NY Giants 56-0
1935 NHL's St Louis Eagles fold
1937 Ernest Hemingway novel "To Have & Have Not" published
1939 LaGuardia Airport opens in NYC
1941 Jews caught outside the Polish Ghetto walls could be put to death
1946 Enos Slaughter scores from 1st on a single in the 43rd World Series
1946 St Louis Cards beat Boston Red Sox, 4 games to 3 in 43rd World Series
1949 Administration of territory of Manipur taken over by Indian govt
1949 Billy Graham begins his ministry
1949 Tripura accedes to the Indian union
1951 "I Love Lucy" debuts on CBS TV
1956 William J Brennan Jr appointed to the Supreme Court
1959 "Untouchables" premieres
1962 Byron R White appointed to the Supreme Court
1964 Craig Breedlove sets auto speed record of 846.97 kph
1964 Kosygin & Brezhnev replace Soviet premier Nikita Krushchev
1964 St Louis Cardinals beat NY Yankees, 4 games to 3 in 61st World Series (NY Yankees appears in 14 & win 9 of last 16 World Series)
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1965 Dodgers & Sandy Koufax win 7th game of 62nd World Series vs Twins
1966 LBJ signs a bill creating Dept of Transportation
1969 Bank of America World Headquarters (555 California) dedicated
1969 Madison Square Garden TV Network begins (Rangers vs North Stars)
1969 Oriole Earl Weaver becomes 1st manager ejected in a world series (World Series #66)
1969 Vietnam Moratorium Day; millions nationwide protest the war
1970 Baltimore Orioles beat Cin Reds, 4 games to 1 in 67th World Series
1974 National Guard mobilizes to restore order in Boston school busing
1974 Washington Capitals 1st NHL tie, playing LA Kings to 1-1 tie
1976 1st debate of major-ticket VP nominees Mondale (D) vs Dole (R)
1976 Ringo releases "A Dose of Rock 'n' Roll"
1977 Arkansas' Steve Little kicks a record tying 67 yard field goal
1977 Debbie Boone's "You Light Up My Life," goes #1 & stays #1 for 10 weeks
1979 1st Monday night game from NYC, Jets beat Vikings 14-7 (Shea Stad)
1979 NY Knicks retire 2nd number, # 10, Walt Frazier
1981 Yanks defeat A's 4-0 & win 33rd pennant
1983 Black Hawks & Maple Leafs combine for fastest 5 goals (84 seconds)
1983 Columbia beats Yale 21-18 in football, will lose next 44 games
Gourmet Coffee Week Begins
1983 US Marine sharpshooters kill 5 snipers at Beirut Intl Airport
1985 Shuttle Columbia carries Spacelab into orbit
1985 Shelley Taylor of Australia makes fastest swim ever around Manhattan Island, doing it in 6 hours 12 minutes 29 seconds
1986 Longest post season game, Mets beat Astros 7-6 in 16 & win NL pennant
1987 NFL Players Assn orders an end to the 24 day strike
1988 Amnesty International's Global Concert Tour ends in Buenos Aires
1988 NCAA record rushing yardage (768 yards-Oklahoma)
1988 With 2 outs in bottom of 9th, an injured Kirk Gibson hits dramatic 2 run HR to gives Dodgers a 5-4 win in 1st game of 85th World Series
1989 Billy Graham is given the 1,900th star on Hollywood Blvd
1989 S Afr pres FW de Klerk frees Sisulu & 4 other political prisoners
1989 Wayne Gretsky passes Gordie Howes as NHL's all time top scorer
1991 Clarence Thomas is confirmed as Supreme Court Justice (52-48)
1993 - The Pentagon censured three U.S. Navy admirals who'd organized the Tailhook Association convention in 1991, during which scores of women had been subjected to abuse and indignities by junior officers.

Holidays
Note: Some Holidays are only applicable on a given "day of the week"

French Guiana : Cayenne Holiday
Tunisia : Evacuation Day
Alaska : Alaska Day (1867) (Monday)
National Pet Peeve Week (Day 4)
National Grouch Day.
Gourmet Coffee Week Begins
American Magazine Month
Gourmet Adventures Month
National Sarcastics' Awareness Month

Religious Observances
US : National Day of Prayer
RC : Memorial of St Teresa of Avila, 1st woman doctor of the church
Ang : Feast of Samuel Isaac Joseph Schereschewsky, bishop of Shanghai
Feast of St. Gerard Majekla, patron saint of mothers, "the saint of happy childbirth".

Religious History
1784 Birth of Thomas Hastings, American sacred composer. Hastings was an albino afflicted with extreme nearsightedness, yet from his pen came such enduring hymn tunes as TOPLADY ("Rock of Ages") and ORTONVILLE ("Majestic Sweetness Sits Enthroned").
1790 Ann Teresa Mathews (aka Mother Bernardina) and Frances Dickinson founded a convent of Discalced Carmelites (a contemplative working order) in Port Tobacco, Maryland. It was the first Catholic convent founded in the United States.
1840 In Melville, Missouri, the Evangelical Synod of North America was founded. It later became one of the branches of today's United Church of Christ.
1900 Pentecostal evangelist Charles Fox Parham opened Bethel Bible Institute in Topeka, Kansas. It was here on January 1, 1901 that the first Christian in modern times was reported to have spoken in tongues: student Agnes Ozman.
1948 American missionary martyr Jim Elliot wrote in his journal: '"They shall mount up with wings as eagles" (Isa. 40:31). These wings are not so typical of purity as they are of power -- strength to live above snares and everything ese...Thanks for wings, Lord.'

Source: William D. Blake. ALMANAC OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 1987.

Thought for the day :
"He walks as if balancing the family tree on his nose."

Question of the day....
What happens when you throw a green rock into the Red Sea?

It gets wet.

Murphys Law of the day...(Dunn's Discovery)
The shortest measurable interval of time is the time between the moment one puts a little extra aside for a sudden emergency and the arrival of that emergency.

Astounding fact #30,876...
The symbol on the "pound" key (#) is called an octothorpe.

Did I mention that Gourmet Coffee Week Begins...
Well it does

Nice read, Sam. That young sailor had a knack for narrative description.

Amazing how fast Korea went from triumphal victory to fighting for our lives against the Chinese Reds.

Nothing wrong with Starbucks, snippy. I like French Roast brewed strong. (No flames, please, French Roast does not come from France. Maybe it should be called Freedom Roast.)