70th Anniversary of the Chosin.

[Innkeeper]

Today is the 70th Anniversary of the Chosin Reservoir Campaign of the Korean War.
Fought from 27 November 1950 until 13 December 1950 it is considered one of the most brutal fights in modern warfare.

17 won the Medal of Honor, 14 Marines, 2 Army and 1 Navy. 78 Service crosses were awarded from the Navy and Army. Plus all three major Units received the Presidential Unit Citation including the British. Only the Battle of the Bulge has more awards.

The 1st Marine Division, 31st RCT/7th ID, and the 41st Commando Royal Marines were the primary units involved. These units protecting the fallback of UN forces after the intervention of the Chinese in the war pushed UN Troops back as well as the supply lines.

These Troops found themselves surrounded by the Chinese and not only fought them to a standstill, but was able to withdraw with both their wounded and their dead. It was during this battle when the media asked the 1st MarDiv commander Oliver P. Smith about these trops retreat when he uttered his famous quote, "Retreat hell! Were not retreating were just advancing in a different direction".

I have been honored to have met 4 members of the "Chosin Few" 3 Marines and 1 Soldier. All were great men and very humble, one i worked wth many years ago he came across as a curmudgeon and many of the younger kids just looked on him as that. I learned he was a former marine and ee bantered back and forth the usual Army-Marine rivalry. He learned i had done time in Korea and that is when he told me some of his stories from the Korean War and when I learned he had been at Chosin. I worked with him for 5 years and talked to him many times after I moved on I always enjoyed just the casual chat when we ran into each other, great man.
The last I met was in 2019 he was playing in the Labor Day weekend Folds of Honor charity golf tournament. He was 91 at the time and was also being honored at the Banquet, still shoots within 3 strokes of his age which is better than me. He is also one of the most polite and Humble warriors it has been my pleasure to meet, still living life and enjoying every day he gets.
The old breed are few and far between and they were great men. Our world will be less full when they are all gone, hopefully the stories of them will keep them alive forever.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[DerBiermeister]

For a long time I've been waiting for a good movie to be made about Chosen. Of the Calibre of Saving Private Ryan or Band Of Brothers or The Pacific. I live very close to where Chesty Puller is buried. I pass his grave (on the grounds of Christ Church school), maybe 50 yards from the road, every time I go to my yacht club.

http://www.christchurchmiddlesex.com/Chesty-Puller/

[rice paddy daddy]

It was Puller who famously said, when told they were surrounded at the Chosin "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We have found him. We are surrounded. That simplifies things."

I knew his son, who was horribly wounded in Vietnam, through Vietnam Veterans of America. It was at a VVA conference in 1992 that he personally inscribed to me a copy of his book Fortunate Son. It was only a few years later that the PTSD he suffered took his life, by a self inflicted gunshot wound.
I treasure my copy of that book.

[Back Pack Hack]

I have a good friend who was there.