Category: DMZ

In the late night darkness of the Korean DMZ on April 14, 1968 one of the deadliest incidents along this tension filled border would occur.  That night four UN Command personnel would lose their lives after a deadly North Korean ambush of their truck. Here is how the Stars & Stripes would report the story:

ALONG THE DMZ, Korea — Observers at the scene of Sunday night’s bold ambush by Communist North Koreans who machine-gunned and killed four United Nations Command soldiers reached one conclusion: “I don’t see how anybody survived this.”

About 20 bullet holes could be seen in the shattered front windshield of the truck. Both headlights were blasted out. Three of the tires were punctured and at least 40 rounds had ripped through the truck’s rear canvas cover. Two UNC troops survived the attack, but were wounded.

A pool of dried blood, a severed wristwatch, glass fragments and discarded bandage wrappers were scattered around the ground near the truck.

A U.S. Army spokesman said parts of a Soviet fragmentation grenade were found.

Lt. Col. M. G. Engle, chief of the UNC Joint Observation Team, found several empty North Korean ammunition clips and numerous spent rounds of Soviet-made 7.62-mm bullets near the ambush scene.

Engle had arrived here to meet with a North Korean delegation at 6 a.m. Monday to investigate the ambush, but the Communists failed to show up. They had been asked by Rear Adm. J. V. Smith, UNC senior member of the Military Armistice Commission, to participate in a Joint Observer Team (JOT) investigation.

Meanwhile, Lt. Col. Herman A. Praeger, commander of the 8th U.S. Army Support Command Advance Camp three miles south of Panmunjom, described the machine-gun fire which cut down the relief guards as “deadly accurate and delivered from close range.”

Praeger, one of the first U.S. officials to arrive at the scene, shortly after 11 p.m. Sunday, said about 200 rounds of machine-gun fire came from both sides of the dirt road.

The three-quarter-ton truck, lights on and flying a white flag in accordance with armistice rules, carried three men in the cab and three others in the back under cover of the canvas top, according to Praeger.

The UNC guards were carrying .45-cal. pistols but it was not known whether they returned any shots, Praeger said.

The dead and injured were taken by helicopter to the 121st Evac. Hospital in ASCOM after the ambush.

The truck and guards were from the support element at the Advance Camp, not from the 2nd Inf. Div. as previously reported.

By Craig Garner, S&S Korea bureau
Pacific edition, Wednesday, April 17, 1968

Of interest is this ambush occurred at the same time that the US was negotiating for the release of the crew from the USS Pueblo that had been captured back in January 1968. Additionally President Lyndon B. Johnson was meeting the next day with ROK President Park Chung-hee in Hawaii to discuss the USS Pueblo Incident and the sending of an additional 50,000 ROK soldiers to Vietnam.  Arguably the North Koreans were sending a message about their resolve for US capitulation on the USS Pueblo issue and give Park reason to not send more troops to Vietnam.

 

Conclusion

This ambush of the vehicle was one that followed a series of deadly North Korean provocations during the late 1960′s to include an ambush of Camp Liberty Bell, the Camp Walley barracks bombing, along with other attacks; most notably the Blue House Raid. This period of increased North Korean attacks  would eventually come to be known as the DMZ War.  This period of American military history is little known, but had important strategic consequences for the US military that unfortunately the four UN Command soldiers killed in the truck ambush would never live to see.

You can read more DMZ Flashpoint articles at the below link:

• gerry
  12:38 pm on March 31st, 2009 1

I remember in 1980(?) an incident at the DMZ that ocurred during the turmoil after Pak Chung Hee was assassinated. An ambush in the DMZ that was emphatically denied by the North Koreans, even though the evidence of spent shells and NK hats(?) were found.

It would seem that the KCIA at the time had planned the ambush to implicate the North and bring the US closer in supporting the new military regime in South Korea. The south was in tumoil at the time with riots and many killed in demonstrations,(est 200+) by the military, at Kwang Ju (?)

What does that have to do with this article? I don’t know, but it jogged my memory.

• Sapper05
  12:07 am on April 2nd, 2009 2

One of the best reads on this subject was written by then Major Daniel Bolger. He is now Major General Bolger and the CG of 1st CAV. His Leavenworth Paper Number 19, Scenes from an Unfinished War: Low-Intensity Conflict in Korea, 1966-1968, is well worth the read. It can be found at: http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/resources/csi/Bolge…

• Alex Kovac
  12:19 pm on July 5th, 2010 3

To: Moderator, TD

A writer sent a comment regarding Agent Orange drums being used/stored in ASCOM Eighth Army during his tour, I believe 1968/1969 he did not leave an E-Mail address, I would appreciate communicating with anyone who served at ASCOM who could help other Vets with similar Agent Orange exposure claims, I also served there from 1967-1969 and could help.

Respond to Diplomattoo@gmail.com

• Alex Kovac
  12:20 pm on July 5th, 2010 4

To: Moderator, TD

A writer sent a comment regarding Agent Orange drums being used/stored in ASCOM Eighth Army during his tour, I believe 1968/1969, I would appreciate communicating with anyone who served at ASCOM who could help many Vets with similar Agent Orange exposure claims, I also served there from 1967-1969 and could help.

Respond to Diplomattoo@gmail.com

• Joe Herber
  9:53 am on January 6th, 2011 5

yes they did store it there and sprayed it on the Fence and south tape area south of fence .

Was there saw that done and nothing grew then

• marge hatley
  8:26 am on March 23rd, 2011 6

my husband was in korea at the time 16 men died and they could not fire back they had no ammo in thier weapons. After this episode they were sent to the DMZwith a .45 and an m14.

• MIke Johnson
  3:26 pm on December 29th, 2011 7

I was home on leave waaiting to go to Korea on the night the truck ws ambushed. I saw the news report on tv. When I arrived in Korea I was assigned to JSA and replaced the Sgt. who was killed on the truck that was ambushed. There were firefights every night during that year along the DMZ. It was truly a forgotten war.
MIke Johnson
Sgt. E5
JSA Apr-Oct 1968

• Jerry Coleman
  10:19 am on November 29th, 2012 8

Served @ the 121 and remember these incidents well. Remember the Agent Orange also.

• Jerry Coleman
  10:21 am on November 29th, 2012 9

I served there in 68-69.

• Jerry Coleman
  10:24 am on November 29th, 2012 10

The C.O. of the Hosp. was Maj. Simpkins and X.O. was Capt. Stephen Mumford. Capt. Ilert was the next C.O..

• John Butler
  9:53 am on February 19th, 2013 11

This story was distorted by the Army from the very beginning. I suspect that they wanted to minimize things due to the Viet Nam War having priority. There were about 10 or 11 people in that vehicle. Unbelieveably, the driver survived the initial attack and was later killed after begging for his life. One guy in front survived by playing dead. Another 2 in the back. SSgt. Robert Hawkins, A Co. 1/38 Inf. put together how it was done. 3 North Koreans, an L-shaped ambush with grenades and AK-47 fire. Hours afterwards they were trailed by blood hounds into Freedom Village. SSgt. Hawkins decided not to trail the NK’s into the village for fear of civilian harm.

Sgt. John Butler A Co. 1/38 Inf.

• Jeanette Eaton
  2:11 am on August 3rd, 2013 12

My brother, LeRoy R. Jacks, Jr. was one of the surviving American soldiers that were in that jeep that day. There were only 6 people in that jeep, according to him. When the jeep was fired upon, the jeep stopped and the driver stood up saying “We surrender” and then they were immediately fired upon. My brother said that he got hit and one of the soldiers fell on top of him, which is probably what saved his life. He said they got close enough to take his gun out of its holster. He knew they were not taking prisoners so he just “froze” there. When he was able to finally come “home”, he showed us slides of the jeep and the clothes they had on. It was really a miracle that anyone lived that day. He also showed us slides of the “alleged” peace talks at Panmunjom where they were discussing the incident termed “The Pueblo Crisis” While they were supposed to be concerned with human lives, the two sides were trying to upstage the other side as to “which side had the higher flag”. Every day there were taller flags. This was nothing but “Trivial Pursuit” at a time when the lives of our servicemen were in jeopardy. My brother passed away 10 years ago of cancer. He was only one week away from his 55th birthday which was on July 29. He was never “proud” of the incident .

• Paul Cantrell
  6:36 am on September 21st, 2013 13

Your date is incorrect. It happened on 14 April 1968 not 17 April 1968. It happened on Easter Sunday morning. Look up Easter Sunday in 1968 and see what date it fell on. I remember the date because I was assigned to the US Army Support Group, JSA at the time. One of my worst days in the Army.

• W GENE SOWA
  7:10 pm on November 12th, 2013 14

I WAS ON CHECK POST 3/THE BRIDGE/ THE DAY OF THE ATTACK WHEN THINGS BEGAN TO HAPPEN 1 A SGT E5 WAS THERE WITH A JEEP VISITING A FLUKE WHEN THE N KOKEAN COVERED 3/4 TON CAME ACROSS THE BRIDGE MY JOB WAS TO OBSERVE, LOG AND GUESS HOW MANY OCCUPANTS AT 25MPH TODAY THEY STOPPED THE JEEP CAUGHT THEM BY SURPRISE AND THEY DIDNOT LIKE IT I WAS HEADING OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT THESE ASSHOLES WERE UP TO BUT WAS ORDERED TO STAND DOWN AND STAY PUT LOTS OF YELLING AND RUNNING AROUND OUTSIDE AND AN OFFICER DIRECTING TO SLASH ALL 4 TIRES WHICH THEY DID AND LEFT INTO JSA CALL TO MOTOR POOL SGT AND JEEP LEFT NOON CHOW RELIEF TRUCK /THE TRUCK/ WAS LATE I CALLED IN TOLD TO WAIT THELL CHECK 1 HR LATER CALLED AGAIN TOLD TO KEEP THE LINE CLEAR AND REPORT ANY THING STANGE? SOON THE TROOPS ARRIVED IWAS TOLD NOTHING REPORT BACK TO ADVANCE CAMP MY 45 TAKEN AWAY THEY WERE AFRAID OF REPRISALS AND BACK TO SEOUL IN 12HRS WE WERE TOLD NOTHING NEVER QUESTIONED AND I ALWAYS THOUGHT IT WAS COVERED TILL NOW AND THE INTERNET I FIRMLY BELIVE THE GUNS AND THE MEN THAT KILLED OUR TROOPS WERE IN THE BACK OF THAT TRUCK

Prelude to Attack

There have been many flashpoints on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) over the years with patrols being ambushed and even an American barracks being bombed, but there has probably never been a North Korean attack as brazen as the ambush on Camp Liberty Bell.  On the afternoon of August 28, 1967 soldiers of Charlie Company 76th Engineer Battalion had just returned to Camp Liberty Bell for dinner after a hard day of working on improving the main road that travels north to the Korean armistice village of Panmunjom located 2.3 kilometers north of the camp.

Map of the DMZ via The Advocate website

Chow Hall Ambush

Some soldiers were sitting down on tables eating while many others were still waiting in line to get their food. As the soldiers went through their daily ritual to get their chow shots suddenly rang out and bullets smashed into the chow hall tent. Soldiers ran for cover and others turned over the chow hall tables in hopes they would provide adequate cover from the incoming bullets.

Hill overlooking Camp Liberty Bell where North Korean commandos attacked the camp in 1967.  Image via the 2ID Association website.

The soldiers outside also raced for cover and spotted the gunmen on a 100 meter hill overlooking Camp Liberty Bell firing down on the American soldiers. The camp’s quick reaction force (QRF) raced to prepare a counterattack against the enemy. With shots still ringing out, the quick reaction force advanced up a road leading to the top of the hill to intercept the gunmen. The QRF took two casualties as they advanced up the road when one of the American soldiers stepped on a landmine planted by the North Korean commandos.  By the time the QRF was able to get to the top of the hill the commandos had fled. The QRF estimates that they saw about 9-12 North Korean commandos on the hill and found over 1,000 rounds of unspent Soviet 7.62 ammo left at the firing position on the hill. The QRF followed the commandos’ tracks leading from the position and determined they had successfully crossed back over the DMZ to North Korea.

In this modern day Google Earth image you can see the hill that rises above the current Camp Bonifas where Camp Liberty Bell at the time time of the attack was located.  The proximity of the DMZ fence made escape very easy for the North Korean commandos. 

The aftermath of the attack saw Camp Liberty Bell with pools of blood splattered across the compound mixed with the shouts of pain and suffering from the wounded. Unfortunately three soldiers could not shout out in pain because they lied dead on the ground after the North Korean attack. The initial dead included one American, Specialist Michael Vogel and two Korean KATUSA soldiers that died in the unprovoked attack. Private First Class Curtis Rivers was seriously wounded and would later die of his wounds raising the death toll further.

Attack Aftermath

The attack was considered the most serious attack since the signing of the Korean armistice agreement in 1953 that involved an area south of the demilitarized zone. The attack followed two North Korean ambushes launched on August 10, 1967 that killed three US soldiers.

Photo of the Camp Liberty Bell front gate in 1973 via The Advocate website.

The attack on Camp Liberty Bell proved even more deadly with four soldiers dead and many more wounded. In total twenty-six people were wounded in the attack that included fourteen US soldiers, nine South Korean soldiers, and three Korean civilian employees. The United Nations Command made the usual protests against the North Koreans during a meeting a Panmunjom and of course the North Korean communists denied all knowledge of the attack. This attack would be one in a long series of attacks that would occur against frontline forces stationed in Korea in what would eventually come to be known as the “DMZ War“.

For more DMZ Flashpoints articles please click the below link:

An old icon of the DMZ is being moved:

“It’s very sad to see this kind of history rot away in the DMZ,” said Han, 80. “But I’m very happy for what they are doing today.”

On Monday, a crane lifted the locomotive on to a flatbed truck and took it to Imjingak, where it will be spruced up in accordance with its standing as a South Korean national cultural property.

Workers will spend up to two years preserving what is left of the train, but they will not be restoring it to its original condition.

To do that they would probably have to replace most of the original material, which is heavily corroded after 56 winters of inactivity.

“We will use chemical techniques to maintain the locomotive as it is, to slow down corrosion,” said Jeong-seok, Cultural Heritage Administration spokesman. “This will preserve it for the next generation to see.”

The locomotive will be treated in a public glass enclosure at Imjingak, the Imjin River train station that now serves as a tourist park. Imjingak is only about a mile from the restricted access Tong-il “Unification” Bridge, which leads to Camp Bonifas and the United Nations Joint Security Agency.

The locomotive will then be returned to the DMZ, one bridge away from the final South Korean checkpoint and one mile from the military demarcation line that separates the two Koreas.

Here is an interesting article in the Stars and Stripes about life at the Joint Security Area at Panmunjom:

It is a war zone littered with minefields and 160,000 yearly tourists.

It’s also where 38 soldiers with the 8th Army and under the United Nations Command Security Battalion/Joint Security Area work six days a week on a base cut off from the rest of South Korea by the restricted “Freedom Bridge.”

It’s not for everybody, they freely admit. But some of the soldiers handpicked for this duty voluntarily spend several years at Camp Bonifas, a stone’s throw — and be careful where you throw that stone — from the Demilitarized Zone.

If you live in Korea and haven’t been to the JSA you really should. If you are in the military the easiest way to go is to take an MWR tour that is scheuduled monthly. You must wear your class B’s though. If you are not in the military you will need to get with a Korean travel agent to line up a tour. You will have to leave your Megadeath shirt at home though because there is a dress code. It is worth dressing up though to see this last frontier of the Cold War.

Over the past weekend I attended the Imjingak Peace Festival located near the Korean Demilitarized Zone just outside the small city of Imjingak along the Imjin River:

Here is what I learned during the Imjingak Peace Festival that is an English translation of one of the poems on display at the festival:

I still rise, you can record me with severe force, lies in the history, I don’t care if you trample over me with slander, I still rise… It is a form of a video poem with the background poem of America’s representative hostess, Maya Angelou who gave a congratulatory speech at US President Bill Clinton’s inauguration. This poem is dedicated to the children that went through pain and died from the chemical weapons that was used by the US Army at the US & Iraq war.

The poem doesn’t translate very well into English but the last part about the US Army using chemical weapons on the Iraqis I found absurd. Even at a Peace Festival there has got to be a cheap shot taken at America. I wonder how many kids there read this and went home thinking those horrible Americans used chemical weapons on Iraqi kids. Absurd. However, as absurd as this is, the Imjingak Peace Festival really isn’t all the bad of an event to check out.

Imjimgak Peace Park with train station in the background.

The Peace Festival is being held in the city of Imjingak which is located on the south side of the Imjin River near the Korean War truce village of Panmunjom and the border with North Korea. Imjingak is actually closer to Kaeseong, North Korea than to Seoul. From the park that the festival is located at you can still see the current reality of the tensions on the border. The military presence is heavy in the area with regular guard points and lots of barb wired fencing along the river banks. However, it did feel odd to have such a nice park and also a carnival sitting so close to the heavily militarized DMZ. But this is reality in the modern day Korea.

Guard post along the Imjim River.

One of the first exhibits you will see is located in large white circus tent that included the before mentioned poetry which I found very boring, some videos about North-South relations which were all in Korean, African art display, and pictures from East Timor. I found all of these displays uninteresting.

From there it was on to the Paju Soybean Museum. I didn’t know what it was at first. I was hoping it was some kind of DMZ display. That is what I came here to look at. It may not have been a DMZ display but I did learn about all the wonders of the Paju Soybean. The Paju Soybean at the museum is referred to as a “world famous” soybean product. I must be out of touch because this is the first time I have heard of the “world famous” Paju Soybean.

Next I got to see a performance from a Nigerian dance troupe:

They actually were entertaining watch. However, the first thing that popped into mind was if they were the ones kicked out of the Hollywood Bar last week. Also for some of my commenters that say all Nigerians are here in Korea to sell drugs; none of the Nigerian performers tried to sell me drugs.

Anyway from there I proceeded to find the photography display of Yann Arthus-Bertrand I had seen an article in the Chosun Ilbo about his display of aerial DMZ pictures and I really wanted to go check it out. I was not disappointed by the display. In fact the display featured more of his international photos then his Korea photos. His international photos I found to be more intriguing than the DMZ photos. I really wasn’t to impressed by his DMZ photos when compared to his other works. There was a few good DMZ pictures that I liked but most of his pictures were taken during the winter which is Korea’s most unphotogenic time of year because everything is very gray and brown. Here is a picture that was in the Chosun I liked:

This is a picture of the old North Korean Worker’s Party building in old Chorwon. Chorwon for those who haven’t been there is an interesting tour to see the DMZ infiltration tunnel and the old city of Chorwon which features many old abandoned buildings such as the Worker’s Party building destroyed during the Korean War.

There are books available for sale of Arthus-Bertrand’s work. There is a large picture book that costs 58,000 won and a smaller book for 25,000 won. I was impressed enough with his photography to buy the smaller book. The books are all in Korean unfortunately but I can read enough Hangul to read where the pictures are taken. The ajushi selling the books told me that major bookstores in Seoul carry the English version of the book.

Click Here to check out more of Arthus-Bertrand’s international pictures. Unfortunately he doesn’t have pictures from Korea posted yet. He is a very talented photographer and I recommend anyone interested in photography to check out his work.

International Pictures

Korea Pictures

The final thing I did at the festival was check out Freedom Bridge where the South Korean POW’s crossed over after being released from North Korea at the conclusion of the Korean War.

Old Freedom Bridge

Freedom Bridge

The bridge has since been turned into a well maintained park. The far end of the bridge facing North Korea has been sealed and is covered with unification messages.

Unification messages left on the end of Freedom Bridge

New Unification Bridge across the Imjin River used today.

If a DMZ history lesson is not what your looking for at the Peace Festival you can always just go to have fun at the amusement park.

DMZ Carnival

Yes that is right there is an amusement park adjacent to the DMZ. I don’t know if this makes this the World’s Most Dangerous Amusement Park, but a novelty none the less.

So if you have time and live in the Seoul area the Peace Festival is worth a visit if you are interested in DMZ history and photography. Plus the ride out to Imjimgak is a scenic one through the Korean country side which is something I always enjoy. Plenty of fresh air and the crowds are manageable. Beats hanging out in the city all weekend, so if you are in the area go check it out.

To get to Imjimgak just take highway 1 North from Seoul by car or take a train to Imjimgak from the Uijongbu train station. The Imjimgak train station is located adjacent to the Peace Festival, you can’t miss it.

29 years ago today, Operation Paul Bunyan was launched in response to the brutal axe murders of two US Army officers stationed on the Korean demilitarized zone at Panmunjom.

The two officers, CPT Arthur Bonifas commander of the security company at the JSA and his executive officer 1LT Mark Barrett on August 18, 1976 led a 5 man Korean Service Corps detail along with a six UNC soldier guard force to trim a tree that was obscuring the view of a guard shack located at the Bridge of No Return.

Here is an account of the incident from the book Hazardous Duty:

At 10:30 that morning, the KSC workers set up two ladders and started pruning branches. Five minutes later, a North Korean truck rolled up and disgorged two North Korean officers and nine enlisted men. The senior Communist officer was First Lieutenant Pak Chol, a veteran JSA guard known to have provoked scuffles with UNC personnel in the past. He asked Captain Kim what work was in progress and was told that the KSC team was only pruning branches. Lieutenant Pak muttered, “That is good.”

In their normally officious manner, the North Koreans began to coach the South Korean workers on the proper method of branch pruning. This was an obvious attempt to usurp the authority of the American officers, so Captain Bonifas told the men to simply get on with their work. Twenty minutes passed, and then, for no reason, Lieutenant Pak marched up to Captain Bonifas and ordered him to halt the trimming.

Bonifas refused, adding that his men would complete their job and leave. Lieutenant Pak shouted that anymore branch trimming would bring “serious trouble.” Captain Bonifas and Lieutenant Barrett had heard such threats before. They ignored the Communists. Still strutting and shouting, Lieutenant Pak sent away for reinforcements. Ten more Communist guards arrived by truck, and six more came trotting up from nearby guard posts. There were now thirty North Koreans surrounding the thirteen UNC soldiers and five KSC workmen. Lieutenant Pak was screaming now that any additional trimming would mean “death.”

The UNC Quick Reaction Force was monitoring the situation by radio and photographing the scene with a telephoto surveillance camera.

Captain Bonifas turned his back on the angry Communist officer to make sure the workers continued the pruning. He did not see Lieutenant Pak remove his watch, wrap it in a handkerchief and stick it into the pocket of his trousers. Nor did he see the other North Korean officer rolling up the sleeves of his jacket. An American NCO strode forward to warn Captain Bonifas.

At that moment, Lieutenant Pak screamed, “Chookyo!” Kill!

North Koreans Attack the Tree Trimming Detail

What proceeded to happen after that is the North Korean soldiers attacked the two American officers with their own axes and mattocks. The two officers were bludgeoned to death and the attack was only stopped when the driver of a two and half ton army vehicle drove at the attackers and over the mutilated body of CPT Bonifas dispersing the attackers. The North Koreans then quickly proceeded to run back across the Bridge of No Return. Overall two US officers were killed, 4 US soldiers injured, and 4 ROK Army soldiers were injured in the melee.

The North Koreans at the time had been committing a series of aggressive attacks on US and ROK soldiers. The North Koreans were trying to provoke a war by creating a US backlash. In 1976 the US had by then down sized the US commitment of soldiers to defend Korea by withdrawing the 7th Infantry Division leaving only the 2nd Infantry Division which remains today to help protect Korea. Plus the US was just coming out of the humiliating withdrawal from Vietnam that had greatly sapped the morale of the military and the American public. All during this time the North Koreans had undergone a large build up of forces themselves to the point where they had a two to one advantage over the UNC forces.

Kim Il Sung felt he could militarily defeat the UNC Army at this time, but he needed the UNC to attack him first to secure the backing of world opinion. If the US conducted a bombing campaign or any other direct show of force on the North Koreans war would of broke out and Kim Il Sung could blame the Americans for it and legitimize his invasion.

Kim Il Sung got his response from America which demonstrated America’s resolve in protecting Korea’s freedom with Operation Paul Bunyan.

Something substantial had to be done in response to the North Korean aggression but war was something the US did not want to be responsible for starting. However, if the North Koreans wanted war the US was making preparations for it. All the forces in Korea went to the highest state of alert DEFCON-3. Soldiers in the both the US and ROK Armies moved North to their battle positions, extra naval power was brought in, SR-71 flights were increased over North Korea to monitor troop movements, and F-111 bombers capable of dropping nuclear munitions were flown overnight from the United States to Korea.

This massive show of force by the United States had the desired effect of causing the North Koreans to take a defensive posture. SR-71 reconnaissance photos showed the entire North Korean country preparing for invasion. This had to have a psychological effect on the North Koreans because they had always trained and prepared for an offensive against the South Koreans and now here they were back on their heels.

With the military build up complete something had to be done about that tree. That tree stood as a challenge to all free men. It was decided that the tree must go. Here is more from the book Hazardous Duty:

Every operation needs a name and General Stilwell’s was appropriate: Operation PAUL BUNYAN. The key elements were surprise, speed of execution and withdrawal, and avoidance of direct engagement with North Korean troops. Our forces would include soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division, as well as ROK Special Forces and Recon troopers of the 1st ROK Division. Altogether, a force of 813 men would be involved. Task Force VIERRA (named for Lieutenant Colonel Victor Vierra, commander of the USASG) would conduct the actual tree cutting. The unit would include sixty American and ROK guards, divided in two platoons, armed with sidearms and pickax handles. The ROK men were Special Forces; each man was a Black Belt in TaeKwonDo. They would guard two eight-man engineer teams who would actually cut down the tree with chain saws. A truck-borne ROK reconnaissance company, armed with M-16 rifles, mortars, and machine guns, would be prominently deployed just outside the JSA: crack South Korean troops defending their own soil. They would be beefed up with American tube-launched optically tracked wire-guided (TOW) anti-tank-missile teams.

Vierra’s troops were backed up by other elements of the division, including a reinforced composite rifle company from the 9th Infantry Regiment, which would be orbiting aboard twenty Huey helicopters a few hundred meters south of the DMZ, supported by twelve AH-1G Cobra gunships. Tank-busting F-4 Phantoms would be prowling at a slightly higher orbit. F-111 medium strategic bombers would orbit still higher, and be clearly visible to North Korean radar.

To complete the demonstration of firepower, three batteries of American 105mm howitzers were to be moved across the Freedom Bridge north of the Imjin River. Another three batteries of ROK heavy artillery would be positioned just south of the river in clear view of North Korean positions. The gunners, Stilwell said, would have “rounds in the tube and hands on the lanyards.”

Operation PAUL BUNYAN was scheduled to begin at exactly 0700, the morning of Saturday, August 21, 1976.

At that precise moment, a massive flight of B-52 bombers from Guam would be moving ominously north up the Yellow Sea on a vector directly to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang. In the Sea of Japan, Task Force 77.4’s aircraft carrier, U.S.S. Midway, would launch forty combat aircraft that would vector north above international waters.

The ROK Army Tae Kwon Do black belts were specifically selected by South Korean president Park Chung Hee himself to deal with any possible North Korean interference in the tree cutting.

UNC Soldiers Trim Tree Near the Bridge of No Return

A total of 13 chainsaws wielded by soldiers from the 2nd Engineer Battalion were used to cut down the tree. The first branch of the tree was cut at 07:18 and the entire tree cutting was complete by 07:45. Saving face is a very important social factor in Asia and after the tree cutting all that remained was the stump to remind the North Koreans of the extreme loss of face that had just received by the US and ROK soldiers.

In fact days later the North Koreans would offer a statement of regret for the incident and a plan was worked out to remove four North Koreans guard points south of the Military Demarcation Line. The massive US and ROK show of force had made the North Koreans back down, make concessions, and lose face. This was definitely not the result Kim Il Sung had expected.

Today where the stump once stood is marked with a plaque and the part of the tree that was cut down was once housed in the 2ID Engineer Brigade headquarters which this summer has deactivated and the tree was planned to be moved to either the Ft. Leonardwood Engineer Museum or the 2ID Museum on Camp Red Cloud.

Though today tensions may not run as high as they were on the DMZ in 1976, however the Panmunjom Axe Murder Incident should still serve as a reminder of the nature of the North Korean regime and the commitment of the United States military and the ROK Army to protect freedom and democracy on the Korean peninsula. The sacrifice by CPT Bonifas and 1LT Barrett is just another example that freedom is in fact not free, especially here in Korea.
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For more on Operation Paul Bunyan check out the following books: