A wounded soldier on a hospital ship in Incheon, Korea eats Thanksgiving dinner, in 1952. ( National Museum of Health and Medicine/Flickr ) via the Atlantic.
For this week’s #TBT, we’re going a little more lighthearted. Marilyn Monroe, one of the world’s more famous actresses, appearing with the #USO Camp Show, “anything Goes,” poses for the shutterbugs after a performance at the 3rd U.S. Inf. Div. area.1954. (U.S. Army photo by Cpl. Welshman.) [USFK Facebook page]
For some of you that served in the Korean War or had family members who did maybe you can help identify some of the people in these photos:
More than 5.7 million Americans served in the Korean War from 1950 to 1953. The U.S. Department of Defense chronicled America’s involvement through photographs, a collection of which found its way into the care of Air Force veteran Betty Perkins-Carpenter, a resident of Penfield, New York. Now, Perkins-Carpenter would like to pass on these original photos, which remain in excellent quality, to the men and women pictured in them or their families.
The Democrat and Chronicle, owned by the same parent company as Army Times, has teamed up with Kodak Alaris to share the photos with a wide audience. Digital files scanned by Kodak Alaris have been used to create this website.
Keep an eye open for people or places you might recognize. You can search the gallery for a name, hometown, battle or date by using the search bar below. Click a photo to view it in a larger format and access a link to email Perkins-Carpenter to inquire about a photo. [Army Times]
Considering that last year the North Korean government spent a lot of money renovating a Korean War cemetery honoring North Korean veterans of the Korean War; I would not be surprised if the Chinese leadership were unhappy that their cemetery did not receive the same treatment:
North Korea has begun renovation work on a cemetery in the North’s capital for Chinese soldiers who were killed during the 1950-53 Korean War, China’s state media reported Tuesday.
China’s ambassador to North Korea, Liu Hongcai, attended a ceremony in Pyongyang to celebrate the start of renovation work, the Chinese Communist Party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, reported on its website. [Yonhap]
Korean War Service: 2-19 Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division
Posthumously recognized with the Medal of Honor in 1951.
Picture of Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. in his US Army uniform. Picture via FreeRepublic.com.
Introduction
For soldiers that receive orders to the 2nd Infantry Division located near the Demilitarized Zone in South Korea one of the camps that all soldiers will eventually visit or at least hear about is Camp Red Cloud. This camp is located in the commuter city of Uijongbu just north of South Korea’s capitol of Seoul. Camp Red Cloud is home to 2ID’s division headquarters and other support units. Though every soldier in the 2nd Infantry Division knows of Camp Red Cloud very few actually know who the camp is named after. I can remember when I once had a lieutenant ask me if the camp was named after the sunsets seen from the camp over the mountains in the evenings. What many people do not realize is that Camp Red Cloud is actually named after a person and not for any red clouds seen in the air. The person the camp is named for is Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. who was recognized with the Medal of Honor for combat actions during the Korean War.
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. was born on July 2, 1924 in Hatfield, Wisconsin on the traditional lands of the Winnebago Native-American tribe to Mitchell Red Cloud Sr. and Lillian Winneshiek. Mitchell Jr. was the oldest of three boys that the couple would have. As a boy Mitchell Jr. was well known for his outdoor skills that he perfected while going on hunting and fishing trips on the reservation. Mitchell Jr.’s schooling began at the Clay and Komensky Rural School before moving on to the Winnebago Indian School for a year. For high school he enrolled in the Black River Falls High School before deciding to drop out at the age of 16.
Red Cloud During World War II
Mitchell Jr. made the decision to drop out of high school because he wanted to pursue a career in the US military. Just one month after his 17th birthday he received permission from his dad to enlist in the Marine Corps. Red Cloud’s enlistment date into the Marines was on August 11, 1941. Due to his outdoors skills and physical conditioning honed from growing up on the Indian Reservation, Red Cloud excelled at boot camp and became an outstanding Marine. His first duty assignment was at Camp Elliot in San Diego when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After the bombing Red Cloud was assigned to the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion and deployed to the Pacific to fight in World War II. In November 1942, the then Private First Class Mitchell Red Cloud found himself in heavy combat on the island of Guadalcanal which was the scene of some of the most ferocious fighting of all of World War II.
Red Cloud spent a month in the jungle with the Raider Battalion fighting the Japanese on the island. After the US military was able to secure Guadalcanal from the Japanese, Red Cloud like many other personnel that served on the island became sick with the tropical diseases malaria and jaundice. He suffered extreme weight loss and was sent back to the US for medical evaluation in January 1943. The medical personnel recommended a discharge for Red Cloud but he refused. Red Cloud’s refusal to accept a discharge saw him redeployed to the Pacific theater again just in time to participate in another brutal fight against the Japanese; this time on the island of Okinawa. On May 17, 1945 while serving as a radio operator during the Battle of Okinawa PFC Red Cloud was shot in his left shoulder. He was medically evacuated to Guam for treatment before being shipped back to the US.
Picture of Mitchell Red Cloud in his Marine Corps uniform during World War II. Picture via Wikipedia.
With World War II over Red Cloud accepted his discharge from the Marines on November 9, 1945. The Marines gave him an honorable discharge and $56.70 before he returned to the Winnebago Indian Reservation in Wisconsin. While on the reservation Red Cloud got married and his wife gave birth to a daughter. Despite these personal developments in his life outside the military, Red Cloud decided after only two years on the reservation to reenlist in the US military. Red Cloud decided this time to not join the Marines, but instead the US Army in 1948. I wasn’t able to find anything definitive on why Red Cloud reenlisted in the military, but maybe he just grew restless after experiencing so much combat during World War II? Maybe it was just the more practical matter of providing for his family that caused him to reenlist in the military? His younger brother who had enlisted in the Army had just did in a peace time training accident; so maybe Mitchell enlisted in honor of his brother? Finally maybe he enlisted because after spending two years away from the Army he realized he is a true warrior and the military was his calling? For whatever the reasons were the US Army was getting an experienced soldier that was badly needed in the US military that had lost the vast majority of its combat veterans due to the post-World War II drawdown.
Red Cloud During the Korean War
The first unit Red Cloud was assign to was E company, 2 battalion, 19 Infantry Regiment of the 24th Infantry Division. The 24 ID at the time was responsible for conducting peacekeeping duties on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. The assignment to Japan must have seemed like easy duty for Red Cloud compared to what he had been through during World War II. However, the relaxed time he spent in Japan didn’t last long when on July 3, 1950 the 24th ID was deployed to the Korean peninsula to stop the communist backed North Korean military that had invaded South Korea. The North Korean military crossed the DMZ that separates the two countries on June 25, 1950 and appeared to be on its way to reuniting the country that had been divided by US and Russian occupation forces after World War II. US President Harry Truman however decided to militarily intervene to stop the communist invasion of the Korean peninsula and the only troops immediately available to deploy to Korea were the peacekeeping troops located in Japan. Most of these troops were draftees that had not fought during World War II and had little combat training while stationed in Japan. Though these troops were eager to fight in what was being called a “police action” at the time; it would be up to hardened World War II vets like Mitchell Red Cloud to get these guys ready for battle. Red Cloud at the time of his deployment to Korea was a 25 year old Corporal who was respected by the men in his unit due to his prior combat experience. He had the nickname “Chief”, was easy going, and was quick to give advice to the younger troops that all looked up to him. They would soon learn to respect him even more.
Taskforce Smith soldiers arrive in Daejon during the Korean War, picture via Wikipedia.
Of the four US military divisions stationed in Japan, the 24ID was chosen to be the first to deploy to Korea. The first element of the 24th Infantry Division to arrive in Korea was the ill fated Taskforce Smith that first saw action against the North Korean military just south of Osan. The light infantry unit found themselves in battle against a foe with Soviet provided tanks and due to the superior firepower Taskforce Smith was soundly defeated. You can read more about Taskforce Smith at the below link:
Defeat would become a reoccurring theme for the other 24th ID units who were thrown into combat against the North Koreans with little to no weapons to combat the North Korean tanks. The battlefield chaos for the 24th ID reached its climax when the Division Commander Major General William Dean was captured during the Battle of Taejon. You can read more about General Dean at the below link:
This was the chaos that Corporal Red Cloud found himself in that most have been vastly different experience for him compared to his time in World War II. During that war he had fought in many successful battles against a much more dangerous enemy and now just a few years later he was part of one of the greatest military debacles in US history.
The 24th ID may have been soundly defeated by the North Koreans, but it and the other divisions from Japan that were thrown into battle, did enough to slow down the North Korean invasion until more troops from the US could arrive to help hold the Pusan Perimeter. Red Cloud and the rest of the men in the 2-19 Infantry Regiment saw combat soon after arriving in country on July 12, 1950. The unit saw combat during the defense of Daejon and then moved south towards Taegu and held part of the line along the Pusan Perimeter. Eventually General Douglas MacArthur would execute his famed Incheon Landing Operation that changed the course of the war and threw the North Koreans into a massive retreat. This allowed the 24th ID to reconstitute itself and soon enough Corporal Red Cloud and the rest of the personnel in the division were crossing the DMZ into North Korea to finish the war. In November 1950 the US military and its United Nations allies who had recently deployed troops to Korea, had advanced deep into North Korea when unbeknownst to them the Chinese military had decided to come to the aid of their communist ally North Korea. The unexpected attack by the Chinese caused the US and UN forces to a massive retreat that was quickly turning into yet another military debacle. This was the state of the war that Corporal Red Cloud now found himself in as he sat in a listening post on a hill north of the Chongchon River in North Korea on November 5, 1950.
The Chongchon River can be seen at the very bottom of the map which is located just north of the North Korean capitol city of Pyongyang. To the northwest of the river the positions of the 19th Infantry Regiment on November 1, 1950 can be seen. Map via Wikipedia.
The UN forces were in retreat and the bridge across the Chongchon River was a critical asset to support the southward movement of friendly forces. The 27th British Commonwealth Regiment which had just recently deployed to Korea and Red Cloud’s 19th Infantry Regiment were both positioned on the north side of the river to defend the bridge on November 2, 1950. Due to the shortage in personnel there was a five mile gap between the two units that was to be patrolled to prevent infiltration by the Chinese. However, the patrols ended up proving ineffective as the Chinese were able to successfully probe and discover this gap between the two units.
On the night of November 5, 1950 a 1,000 Chinese soldiers from the 355th Regiment were able to follow field telephone lines laid down in this gap to the positions of the 19th Infantry Regiment. Fortunately for E Company they had someone in a listening post that night that was awake and very attentive in looking for any Chinese infiltrating towards their position on Hill 123. That man was Corporal Red Cloud. A friend of Red Cloud’s in the company, Private First Class Ed Svach would later tell how Corporal Red Cloud had once told him that he could smell the Chinese coming. Red Cloud said, “It’s like hunting those Wisconsin deer. I can smell them coming.”
Red Cloud had been in a listening post that night with his assistant machine gunner on a ridge below the company command post. Red Cloud also knew how the Chinese liked to attack. The Chinese would launch a small frontal attack to draw attention that way but the main attack force would actually be infiltrating from the sides and rear. That is why Red Cloud set up his listening post to the side and rear of the company command post. At 3:20 AM in the morning Red Cloud let out a cry when he spotted Chinese infiltrating towards the E Company position who were following the communications wire leading to the command post. After being spotted the Chinese charged Red Cloud’s position from a 100 feet away and shot and killed his assistant machine gunner. Using his Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), Red Cloud stood up out of his listening post and unleashed direct fire into the advancing Chinese. Red Cloud’s direct fire slowed the Chinese assault and bought time for the Company Commander, Captain Conway to wake everyone up and consolidate the defense of the E Company position. Unfortunately Red Cloud’s warning was not enough to alert everyone in the company in time because the Chinese were able to shoot some of the US soldiers in their sleeping bags. E Company was getting over run and one veteran of the battle is quoted in John McCain’s book, “Why Courage Matters” as saying:
“I wanted to bug out. I just couldn’t figure out how”
While Red Cloud was holding off the initial Chinese assault he was shot twice in the chest. One of the E company medics, Perry Woodley went to Red Cloud’s position and applied pressure bandages to his two chest wounds. Red Cloud seemed fine and continued to fire his BAR at the Chinese. Woodley left Red Cloud to go help other wounded soldiers. He returned a short time later to check up on Red Cloud again. He found Red Cloud surrounded by about a dozen Chinese bodies and more severely wounded than from when he last saw him.
Position of the 2-19 Infantry Regiment north of the Chongchon River where Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. was killed in action. Notice the area that the Chinese infiltrated through just west of the 2-19th’s position to get into their rear area. This was the gap between them and the British 27th Brigade which was mostly composed of Canadians that was supposed to be patrolled by both units to detect the Chinese. Map via Wikipedia.
Woodley told Red Cloud that he had to get off the mountain or he was going to die there. Red Cloud refused medical evacuation from his position and instead propped his wounded body up on a tree to continue firing at the advancing Chinese with the BAR. One soldier at the bottom Pete Salter said that he actually used a web belt to tie Red Cloud to the tree so he could stay up right to keep firing. Something not widely known about this battle is that another man, PFC Joseph Balboni stayed in a position near Red Cloud that created a crossfire that pinned the Chinese down enough for other men in the company to try and escape down a draw to the south.
After Woodley and Salter left the position they could hear the BARs from Red Cloud and Balboni continuing to fire on the advancing Chinese. The battle lasted for about an hour before Corporal Red Cloud and PFC Balboni would eventually be killed by the advancing Chinese. However by this time the men of E Company were well alert and retreating off the hill side from the massive Chinese assault to supplementary fighting positions a 1,000 yards to the south. From there the regiment was able to consolidate and make a defensive line to hold off any further Chinese attacks. There four quad 4′s with .50 cal machine guns were used to clear the hillsides of Chinese troops chasing the E Company survivors down the draw. Other units in the battalion would not be as lucky as E Company, if you can call E Company lucky. The nearby A Company would be nearly wiped out as many soldiers were killed while sleeping in their foxholes due to the surprise Chinese attack. E Company soldiers that survived that battle said that their unit likely would have been wiped out too if it wasn’t for Corporal Red Cloud holding off the Chinese attack.
The next morning with the sun out which provided air cover, the battalion was able to return to the old E company position to retrieve the bodies of the deceased. They found that the dead Americans soldiers had been stripped to include Mitchell Red Cloud. The only deceased soldier not stripped was 1st Lieutenant Leslie Kirkpatrick who had all of his clothes and gear on except for a missing West Point ring. Kirkpatrick had been killed while coming to the aid of a wounded soldier during the battle. His body was found with his head lying on his helmet as if he was sleeping. It is believed that one of the other lieutenants in his company placed his body like that after recovering his West Point ring to give to his wife. However, that lieutenant had been killed as well during the battle and the Chinese stripped his body and took the ring. Kirkpatrick was a 1949 graduate of West Point. Of the 670 cadets that graduated that year, 41 of them to include Kirkpatrick were killed in action during the Korean War.
Picture of Leslie Kirkpatrick as a cadet at West Point. Picture via SidneyLanier.org.
Red Cloud’s stripped down body was found lying near the tree where he died. He had been reportedly shot a total of eight times. All around Red Cloud were the bodies of Chinese soldiers. It was reported that over 30 Chinese bodies were found around Corporal Red Cloud’s position. Corporal Red Cloud’s recovered body would eventually be laid to rest in the United Nations Cemetery in Pusan. The other BAR gunner PFC Balboni would be credited with killing 17 enemy soldiers before being killed himself. PFC Balboni would posthumously be recognized with the nation’s second highest honor, the Distinguished Service Cross. In all the battalion estimated that about 500 enemy soldiers had been killed on the hill that day.
Post-Korean War Honors
A few months later in April 1951 the Congressional Medal of Honor was presented to Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.’s mother during a ceremony held at the Pentagon. She was presented the medal by General Omar Bradley. Here is what his Medal of Honor citation says:
At the Pentagon in April 1951, Lillian “Nellie” Red Cloud, mother of the late Cpl. Mitchell Red Cloud Jr., is handed the Medal of Honor awarded her son for his “dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice” against Chinese forces in North Korea the night of November 5, 1950. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is at left. ” – See more at: http://korea.stripes.com/base-info/cpl-mitchell-red-cloud-jr-annual-ceremony-planned#sthash.AZOcG1Oc.dpuf
Cpl. Red Cloud, Company E, distinguished himself by conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action against the enemy. From his position on the point of a ridge immediately in front of the company command post he was the first to detect the approach of the Chinese Communist forces and give the alarm as the enemy charged from a brush-covered area less than 100 feet from him. Springing up he delivered devastating pointblank automatic rifle fire into the advancing enemy. His accurate and intense fire checked this assault and gained time for the company to consolidate its defense. With utter fearlessness he maintained his firing position until severely wounded by enemy fire. Refusing assistance he pulled himself to his feet and wrapping his arm around a tree continued his deadly fire again, until he was fatally wounded. This heroic act stopped the enemy from overrunning his company’s position and gained time for reorganization and evacuation of the wounded. Cpl. Red Cloud’s dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice reflects the highest credit upon himself and upholds the esteemed traditions of the U.S. Army. for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty in Chonghyon, Korea, 5 November 1950.
At the Pentagon in April 1951, Lillian “Nellie” Red Cloud, mother of the late Cpl. Mitchell Red Cloud Jr., is handed the Medal of Honor awarded her son for his “dauntless courage and gallant self-sacrifice” against Chinese forces in North Korea the night of November 5, 1950. Gen. Omar N. Bradley, then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is at left. ” Photograph via the Stars & Stripes
In 1955 his family was able to get his body moved from the UN Cemetery to the Ho-Chunk Cemetery on the Winnebago Indian Reservation back in Wisconsin so he could lay in rest with the rest of his tribe. His friend Ed Svach escorted the body back to the US where he remembered his friend being buried in the custom of the Winnebago people. The sides of his coffin were removed so his soul could escape, a bow and quiver of arrows was laid next to him so he could hunt in heaven, and bowl of fruit was laid next to him so head would have something to eat during the journey.
Mitchell Red Cloud Jr.’s grave in Wisconsin. Picture via FindaGrave.com.
In John McCain’s book, “Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life” he includes quotes from veterans from the battle that say they owe their lives to Mitchell Red Cloud. One of the survivors, Pete Salter said that during the battle he prayed to God in his foxhole to let him survive this fight and he would live a better life. He said his prayers were answered by Mitchell Red Cloud who sacrificed his life so many other men could survive. Salter in the mid-1960’s would take his kids to the Winnebago Indian Reservation to see the grave of Corporal Red Cloud. Salter broke down crying at the site of the grave of the man who had saved his life. Inscribed on Red Cloud’s grave are these words:
“The son of a Winnebago chief and warriors who believe that when a man goes into battle, he expects to kill, or be killed and if he dies he will live forever.”
Picture of marker above Mitchell Red Cloud’s grave site in Wisconsin. Picture via FindaGrave.com
Since Corporal Red Cloud’s death, the US military has made efforts to ensure that his memory does live forever by naming various military installations and equipment in his hnor. The first thing that I could find that was named after Red Cloud was when Camp Red Cloud in Uijongbu, South Korea was named after the Medal of Honor recipient.
Mitchell’s Club on Camp Red Cloud is named after him as well. There is also a rifle range on Ft. Benning, Georgia that is named after him. On August 7th, 1999 the newly commissioned strategic sealift ship, the USNS Red Cloud was launched from its dock in San Diego in honor of the fallen warrior. His daughter Annita Red Cloud, his granddaughter Tris Yellow Cloud, and other dignitaries from the Ho-Chunk tribe were there for the ceremony. Kenneth Kershaw, a veteran of E Company, 19th Infantry, who was able to survive the battle that night also attended the ceremony. He simply told the crowd that he attended the ceremony because “If it were not for the alarm sounded by Mitchell Red Cloud, I would not be here today.” The last commemoration I can find for Red Cloud was on the 50th anniversary of his death in 2000. The Korean War Commemoration Committee held a ceremony in honor of Red Cloud at his grave site in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. The committee presented Red Cloud’s daughter Annita with the Republic of Korea War Service Medal that had recently been authorized by Congress for Korean War veterans to wear.
Despite these attempts by the military to honor Corporal Red Cloud within the American public and even the US military his story is widely unknown. Red Cloud’s life story is why I have continued to advocate for Hollywood to explore using stories from the Korean War as movie material. A movie based around E Company with Mitchell Red Cloud as a main character and climaxing with the Battle of Hill 123 would make for a great movie. Red Cloud’s life is one to be remembered not just for his Korean War service, but for his service in World War II as well. There probably are not many US military servicemembers that fought at Guadalcanal and Okinawa during World War II and then the Busan Perimeter and then finally against the Chinese during their intervention into the Korean War. Clearly Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. is not only a Hero of the Korean War, but one of the nation’s most heroic military heroes that unfortunately few people know anything about.
Note #1: More stories about Heroes of the Korean War can be read at the below link:
Note #2:During my research I found only the two above photographs of Mitchell Red Cloud. If anyone knows of more photographs of Red Cloud please leave a link in the comments section.
Note #3:If anyone knows where to find a picture of PFC Joseph Balboni I would like to post his picture here as well.
Note #4: If anyone knows of any other buildings or site named after Mitchell Red Cloud Jr. please leave a comment and share it with everyone else.
While reading through his memoirs about his time in Korea he provides an extensive and very interesting history of how the naming of Camp Red Cloud in Uijongbu came to be:
Did I tell you the story about the naming of Camp Red Cloud? Well, I think this is worth telling. My compound there, the corps headquarters, had always been called Jackson Six, which was our telephone exchange. That seemed to me a rather inadequate name. I told somebody — my G-1, I guess, or PR officer, whoever it was — to start digging and find some people in this corps who got a Congressional Medal of Honor during combat and let’s name our compound here, our headquarters, for the most worthy. They came up with several names, and they had a couple of lieutenants. One of them was the Lieutenant Shea that I mentioned, who had just reported to my division and was killed on Pork Chop Hill. She was sort of a favorite of mine, because he held the two-mile record at West Point, about 30 seconds faster than I had held it 30 years before. I had a great feeling for Shea and when I went back home had a review and presented the decoration to his mother. Shea was one of the names, and there were two or three other lieutenants. I finally looked this list over and spotted the name of Corporal Mitchell Red Cloud. I thought that was interesting; what did he do. I got the citation, and Mitchell Red Cloud had done about everything a soldier could do; he charged a bunker and knocked off about 20 of the enemy and finally — even after he was badly wounded, tossed a grenade in a bunker before he died. So what about Mitchell Red Cloud? Well, Mitchell Red Cloud’s mother was the daughter of a chief of the Winnebago Indian Tribe. I said, “Now let’s get hold of all the records we can, and we’ll put in and get this camp named Camp Red Cloud.” I was thinking of the relationship between a native American and a native Asian. We did this, and I had a brass plaque made. I put the brass plaque on a tremendous rock on the more or less flat sloping side in front of I Corps (Group) headquarters, where it is today. We put it in front, right at our flagpole. On Armed Forces Day, 1957, I decided that we had the authority to redesignate and announce it at the Armed Forces Day meeting.
It was a lovely May day; I had all the Diplomatic Corps, President Rhee and his wife, Ambassador Dowling and his wife, General Decker, I believe, or White — all the Americans. We had about 150 people that were there for the ceremony and then for lunch at my club, which I had built or greatly extended across the street. They were sitting there. General Lemnitzer came over; he was always great because my wife had remained in Tokyo, so he brought her over. She was sitting in the front row of seats next to Mrs. Rhee. The President was standing there on one side of this curtain. I was going to say something about Camp Red Cloud, draw the curtain, and expose this plaque, and then the President was to make some remarks. This all happened; we pulled the cord and it worked, fortunately, and the brass was there, so I read what the brass plaque said. Then I said, “How wonderful it is that an American, a native American, an Indian whose ancestors lost their country to us, came over here to fight for the freedom of the native men of Asia.” I went on and built this one up for a little bit, and emphasized that he gave his life for the freedom of Asian people. I then turned it over to President Lee. Well, he said excitedly what a great thing this was. Mrs. Rhee was getting itchier by the moment because she knew that he frequently went of on tangents, and my wife was keeping her calm, saying, “Never mind everything is going to be alright.”
The President launched into this one. He said, “Yes American Indians are exactly like Asian people. I think American Indians came from Asia.” But then he said, “Why is it that all the time you have American movies over here, you show soldiers and cowboys killing American Indians? Asian people don’t like to see white men killing American Indians.” The he said, “Never again will a motion picture be shown in Korea that has the American soldiers or cowboys killing American Indians.” And they never have, but this doesn’t mean that our compound cannot. There was quite a “to-do,” Mrs. Rhee was so upset. I said, “This is nothing. What he said is true, but this happened more than a hundred years ago.” Of course to them this could be happening today. The dates aren’t shown frequently, and they think this is still going on out in the West. It is bad psychology.
Before I left there to come back to the United States at the end of that year, the end of 1957, I wrote back to G-2 and I said, “Listen, you have got to go out and get me tow of the finest pictures, portraits, grand portraits of American Indian chiefs that you can get for me to present to President Rhee.” Mrs. Trudeau and I were invited there for dinner at Chung Mu Dae, now the Blue House, with President and Mrs. Rhee. He presented me with another Korean decoration and then I said, “Your Excellency (or Mr. President), I have a presentation I would like to make to you.” He said, “Certainly.” So we went into the next room. The portraits were on the wall. I had this all planned with his people bringing him in and then we were going to flip the covers back. I said, “Mr. President, you remember the day we named the I Corps Headquarters Camp Red Cloud for Mitchell Red Cloud, the American Indian who came to fight for your freedom in Asia?” He said, “Oh, yes, I remember”. “Well,” I said, “I want to show you, I want to present to you a pair of portraits of other famous American Indians who are high in our esteem in our country also.” I’ve forgotten which ones they were, but I presented them to him; he thought it was tremendous. Goddam it, they looked more like him than he did himself, if he had a headdress on. It was terrific!
This was a very interesting read and I have to wonder what ever happened to those two portraits? I wonder if they are still on display in Cheongwadae?
Note:You can read more GI Flashbacks articles by clicking on the below link:
Private First Class Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano via Army.mil.
Introduction
The Korean War saw people from many countries come to the peninsula and fight and die to protect the Republic of Korea from communist aggression. Some of those people who came to Korea to fight were Americans from the Hawaiian Islands. In downtown Honolulu the Hawaii Korean War Memorial can be seen that lists the names of all 456 residents of Hawaii who died fighting in the Korean War. The memorial is about a 100 feet in length, 6 feet high and made of polished granite and black lava rock. On each of the rock squares is the name of each Hawaii resident that died during the war.
Early Life
One of the names on these blocks is Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano from the Hawaiian Island of Maui. Kaho’ohanohano was born in 1930 to a family with 5 other brothers and a sister. This large family lived in a two bedroom house in the village of Wailuku in Maui. Anthony graduated in 1949 from St. Anthony High School where he played both football and basketball and was known as the “humble giant”. After high school he like all of his other 5 brothers joined the military; three of his other brothers joined the active Army, one other brother served in the Marines, and the last brother served in the National Guard. Anthony initially enlisted in the Hawaii National Guard, but later joined the active Army on February 5, 1951 to fight in the Korean War.
Picture of Kaho’ohanohano as a high school football player via Wikipedia.
Korean War Service
Anthony Kaho’ohanohano was later that year deployed to South Korea where UN forces were battling communist aggression against the Republic of Korea. By 1951 the war had changed dramatically from what appeared was going to be a rout of the North Korean military by the UN forces after the successful Incheon Landing Operation. With the North Korean forces largely defeated the Chinese military secretly infiltrated across the Yalu River into North Korea where they launched a massive surprise attack against the UN forces. The effectiveness of the Chinese surprise attack caused a full scale UN forces retreat back across the 38th parallel into South Korea. The retreat was only halted in February 1951 when soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division and their attached French Battalion under the command of two Heroes of the Korean War, Colonel Paul Freeman and Lieutenant Colonel Ralph Monclar stopped the Chinese advance at the Battle of Chipyong-ni.
The Chinese would attempt to regain their battle field momentum when they launched the “Chinese Spring Offensive” in April 1951. However, United Nations units such as the British Gloucestershire Regiment commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James P. Carne, the Philippines Expeditionary Force To Korea (PEFTOK) commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Dionisio Ojeda, and the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry commanded by Lieutenant Colonel J.R. Stone were able to stop the Chinese advance. After the failed “Chinese Spring Offensive” the Korean War had largely turned into a stalemate near the 38th parallel where the opposing Army’s battled over hilltops that gave each side increased leverage during the Armistice Negotiations that had begun July 10, 1951 at Kaesong.
This is the war that Private First Class Anthony Kaho’ohanohano found himself entering in 1951when he was assigned to Company H, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. In August, 1951 the 7th Infantry Division was deployed along the frontlines in the area north of Hwacheon which is an extremely mountainous region in the central area of the Korean peninsula.
This mountainous area made the control of high points extremely important in order to call for indirect fire and to better control the few roads in the area. The 7th Infantry Division launched an operation on August 26, 1951 that would come to be known as the Battle of Chup’a-ri. The small village of Chup’a-ri was located in one of the main valleys in the area and the 7th Infantry was attempting to seize five key hills to the east of the village that would allow them to better control the valley and the road that ran through it. Additionally the control of these hills would put the UN forces in a better position tactically to reclaim the Kumsong River located two miles north of Chup’a-ri.
The 17th Infantry Regiment of the 7th Division that PFC Kaho’ohanohano was assigned to was tasked to secure three of these hills. On August 26th the regiment began combat operations to secure Hill 461 that overlooked the valley and its access road, Hill 682 that was a mile to the east of 461, and Hill 851, which was one more mile east of 682. For the next five days the regiment battled the Chinese 81st Division for control of these hills. PFC Kaho’ohanohano’s company was part of the 2nd Battalion which was tasked to assault Hill 682. By this point in the war, Anthony had found himself as the leader of a machine gun squad within his company. On August 31, the unit was able to secure the hill, but the Chinese launched a massive counterattack against the 2nd battalion. The fighting was ferocious with the Chinese blowing whistles to signal the next human wave attack against the American positions. The overwhelming Chinese attacks eventually caused the 2nd Battalion soldiers to begin to withdraw off of Hill 682 the next day.
During the initial Chinese assault Kaho’ohanohano was wounded in the shoulder, but continued to fight on. When his company began their withdrawal PFC Kaho’ohanohano ordered his squad to take up better positions lower down the hill while he provided covering fire for them. Kaho’ohanohano gathered a satchel of grenades and extra ammunition to use against the on coming enemy. His last words were reported to be “I’ve got your back” as he headed back to a position to hold off the Chinese attack. The extra ammunition would not be enough though as Anthony eventually ran out of ammo and had to turn to his entrenching tool to fight off the enemy until he was killed. He had fired so many rounds from his rifle that it had actually melted and was found bent. Seeing his final stand against the Chinese, Kaho’ohanohano’s comrades charged back up the hill and defeated the Chinese onslaught. When his unit re-secured the hill they found 11 dead Chinese bodies around Kaho’ohanohano’s position and two more found dead inside his position apparently killed by blunt force trauma to the head from Kaho’ohanohano’s entrenching tool.
By September 4th, the 7th Infantry Division had captured all 5 hills in the vicinity of Chup’a-ri, but PFC Kaho’ohanohano was far from being the only person killed during the battle. In just his unit 17 other soldiers died defending Hill 682. In total the 7th Infantry Division lost 175 soldiers with 594 more wounded in the Battle of Chup’a-ri. What did the lives of all the soldiers gain the UN forces? Well if you look at a map of South Korea it ultimately helped the UN forces consolidate about 10 square miles worth of territory. Think how many more lives the Chinese lost trying to defend that territory? Life was definitely cheap back then.
Kaho’ohanohano for his actions received the Army’s second highest decoration for combat, the Distinguished Service Cross in 1952. However, his family believed that he deserved the nation’s highest honor, the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the Battle of Chup’a-ri. Considering that another soldier in his battalion Corporal William F. Lyell was awarded the Medal of Honor for doing nearly the same thing as Kaho’ohanohano did during the battle, it would seem his family had a strong case. However, it would take 60 years before the Kaho’ohanohano family would see Anthony be recognized with the Medal of Honor. US Senator from Hawaii Daniel Akaka requested in 2004 that the Pentagon review Kaho’ohanohano Distinguished Service Cross documentation to see if it should be upgraded to a Medal of Honor. Senator Akaka has long been an advocate for veterans from Hawaii. In 2000, he was able to get 22 veterans of Asian and Pacific ancestry to include 20 of them from the famed 442 Regimental Combat Team the Medal of Honor for combat actions during World War II. Many advocates for these veterans believed that these minorities may have been overlooked for the Medal of Honor by commanders that were prejudice against minorities.
President Obama presents George Kaho`ohanohano, the nephew of Army Pfc. Anthony T. Kaho`ohanohano, a posthumous Medal of Honor during a White House ceremony.
The President of the United States Barack Obama, who was born in Hawaii himself, must have agreed as he upgraded Kaho’ohanohano’s Distinguished Service Cross to the Medal of Honor. On May 3rd, 2011 at a White House ceremony President Obama presented PFC Kaho’ohanohano’s family with the Medal of Honor.
George Kaho’ohanohano, a retired Maui Police Department captain, also said it was a relief that their hard work had come to fruition. He added that he had a “lump” in his throat when he received the medal from Obama.
“When I looked at the family when I got it from the president, I saw couple of the family members crying; I saw a couple of family members with a broad smile. It was a wide range of what the family was going through,” he said. [Maui News]
Here is Private First Class Anthony Kaho’ohanohano’s Medal of Honor citation:
The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, takes pleasure in presenting the Medal of Honor to (Posthumously) to Private First Class Anthony T. Kahoohanohano (ASN: RA-29040479), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy of the United Nations while serving with Company H, 2d Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division. Private First Class Kahoohanohano distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action against enemy aggressor forces in the vicinity of Chup’a-ri, Korea, on 1 September 1951. On that date, Private Kahoohanohano was in charge of a machine-gun squad supporting the defensive positions of Company F when a numerically superior enemy force launched a fierce attack. Because of the overwhelming numbers of the enemy, it was necessary for the friendly troops to execute a limited withdrawal. As the men fell back, he ordered his squad to take up more tenable positions and provide covering fire for the friendly force. Then, although painfully wounded in the shoulder during the initial enemy assault, he gathered a supply of grenades and ammunition and returned to his original position to face the enemy alone. As the hostile troops concentrated their strength against his emplacement in an effort to overrun it, Private Kahoohanohano fought fiercely and courageously, delivering deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the onrushing enemy. When his ammunition was depleted, he engaged the enemy in hand-to-hand combat until he was killed. His heroic stand so inspired his comrades that they launched a counterattack that completely repulse the enemy. Coming upon Private Kahoohanohano’s position, the friendly troops found eleven enemy soldiers lying dead before it and two in the emplacement itself, beaten to death with an entrenching shovel.
Pfc. Anthony T. Kaho’ohanohano [KA ho OH hano hano]
– Killed in Action Sept. 1, 1951 in Chupa-ri, Korea
– Age: 21 years, 2 months
– Unit: Company H, 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division
– Years of Service: 3 years, 3 months, prior service with Hawaii National Guard. Enlisted with the U.S. Army Feb. 5, 1951
– Awards: Purple Heart (posthumously), Army Good Conduct Medal (posthumously), National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Korean-Korean War Service Medal, The Republic of Korea’s Wharang Distinguished Military Service Medal with Silver Star (posthumously), Combat Infantryman Badge, Republic of Korea-Presidential Unit Citation
Anthony Kaho’ohanohano is buried at the Makawao Veterans Cemetery on the slopes of Maui’s gigantic volcano called Haleakala. In February 2012 the US military replaced his headstone to signify that he is a Medal of Honor recipient. This replacing the headstone was the ultimate closure for Private First Class Kaho’ohanohano’s family who had fought for so long to see that he received the recognition he deserved as a Hero of the Korean War.
Note: You can read more of the ROK Drop featured series Heroes of the Korean War at the below link:
Tokyo, Japan, February, 1953: Gen. Mark Clark, left, head of the United Nations Command, and Gen. James Van Fleet, outgoing commander of the U.S. Eighth Army and U.N. forces in Korea, rush between events at Clark’s headquarters at Pershing Heights in Tokyo’s Shinjuku district. Van Fleet, 60, was being honored on his way home to retirement after turning over command of the war effort to Gen. Maxwell Taylor. Van Fleet was called “the greatest general we have ever had” by President Truman.
War heroes are typically thought of as the guys that kept cool under fire and fought heroically against the enemy. Other war heroes were leaders that were able to inspire their soldiers to victory against overwhelming odds. Then yet you have other heroes that through cunning, detailed planning, and motivation were able to turn a defeat into a victory. A war hero that is less heard about are servicemembers who became heroes simply being a humanitarian. Being a humanitarian may not at first glance seem to be the proper criteria for someone to be called a war hero, but I think by the end of this narrative everyone will agree that Chaplain Russell L. Blaisdell is without a doubt a Hero of the Korean War.
Background
After the allies successful landing at Incheon and the recapture of Seoul in September 1950, thousands of Korean children in Seoul had been left parentless and homeless due to the North Korean capture of the city that led to many parents either dying in the fighting or being executed by the North Korean occupiers. These orphans lived in the rubble of the many destroyed buildings in the Korean capitol and subsisted on what little food they could beg from people passing by and particularly American soldiers.
These orphans wore rages, were filthy, and disease ridden which over time would only get worse as they lived in the rubble of Seoul with the rats that had become fat and happy from nibbling on all the dead bodies lying on Seoul’s destroyed streets. As American servicemen patrolled the streets of Seoul the bodies of dead orphans could increasingly be seen on the side of the roads as they died from cold, hunger, and disease. With the heart of winter approaching those that weren’t yet dead would soon be if help wasn’t provided for them soon.
Dead orphan pictured on the streets of Seoul during the Korean War.
When American forces re-established air operations at the Yeoido Island airfield near downtown Seoul, the airmen stationed with the 5th US Air Force began to take in some of the cuter looking orphans onto the base to serve as unit mascots. Most of these orphans were aged around 4-7 years and received clean clothes and medical care on the base. Soon approximately 100 orphans were living on the Air Force base and proved too be many for the base to properly care for. A donation drive was held in order to raise money to create a new orphanage in Seoul to house the children in. $1,600 was raised and a prior orphanage was renovated in Seoul in order to move the children into. This orphanage could only house the 100 children and far more money and resources were needed in order to find homes for the approximately 6,000 more orphaned children roaming the streets of Seoul. Obviously much more needed to be done.
The Air Force chaplains spearheaded an effort to work with the American Red Cross, the Korean Red Cross, YMCA, Catholic Missions, Protestant Missions, and what was remaining of the local Seoul government to establish a large facility to house orphans. Seoul Mayor Lee Kyu-bong provided the Air Force with a large school to house, clean, and care for orphans in. The idea was that this would be a temporary location to process and care for the orphans as orphanages around Seoul were repaired and staffed to eventually move them to, to be housed permanently.
Chaplains from the 5th Air Force drove through the streets of Seoul daily picking up orphans to bring back to what became known as The Seoul Orphan Center. The center could process 50 orphans a day which meant it was going to take many weeks to process all the orphans remaining in Seoul’s streets. It was literally a race against the clock to find and process all the orphans before winter hit the country. One of the chaplains out there working hard to locate the orphans was Chaplain and Lieutenant Colonel Russell Blaisdell.
New arrivals at the 5th Air Force’s Seoul processing center for orphans, before evacuation to Jeju Island on Dec. 20, 1950. With them are Chaplain Col. Wallace Wolverton, left, and Chaplain Lt. Col. Russell Blaisdell. (Courtesy of U.S. Air Force)
Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/asia_pacific/operation-kiddy-car-keeping-a-korean-war-hero-s-memory-alive-1.476030 Source – Stars and Stripes
The Surprise Chinese Offensive
As Thanksgiving of 1950 approached it appeared the war was wrapping up with the United Nations forces quickly moving in and occupying most of North Korea. However, a new menace was lurking in the surrounding hillsides waiting to attack. The Chinese had secretly moved hundreds of thousands of soldiers into the North Korean hillsides in preparation for a surprise attack against the allied forces. The Chinese military launched a massive offensive on Thanksgiving and caught the allied forces totally by surprise. Casualties were heavy as US forces retreated south down the peninsula from the Chinese invaders.The Chinese forces were barreling down on Seoul and the city was on the verge of being captured by the enemy.
At this time the Seoul Orphanage Center and the Yeouido Airfield had approximately over a thousand orphans housed between the two locations. Something had to be done to get the orphans out of Seoul in order to save them from being caught up in yet another battle to retake Seoul. Chaplain Russell Blaisdell would be the man that would figure out how to get the orphans out of the city. Blaisdell was able to get a small number of orphans out on what little space was remaining on convoys leaving the city and heading south. To get the rest of the orphans evacuated from the city Blaisdell made arrangements with Lieutenant Colonel Dean Hess who was an Air Force advisor training the new Korean Air Force, to house the children at a US Air Force airfield on the Korean Island of Jeju-do island.
The first plan was to ship the children by sea to Jeju-do on a Korean boat leaving the port at Incheon to transport cement to Jeju Island. Once the children reached Jeju-do LTC Hess would pick them up and take them to the airfield to be housed. On December 15, 1950, Chaplain Blaisdell led a convoy of trucks carrying 950 orphans and 110 Korean staff members to care for the orphans, to Incheon. Chaplain Blaisdell and the children waited for four days in a small school building for the boat to arrive which for various reasons did not arrive. Blaisdell and his chaplain’s assistant who was also his driver, Staff Sergeant Merle Y. Strang with the assistance of the Korean helpers tried their best to care for the children during this time, but eight of the most sick orphans died anyway during this timeframe waiting for the boat.
Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Russell Blaisdell, left, and Staff Sgt. Merle “Mike” Strang in an undated photo. (U.S. Air Force)
On December 19, 1950 the boat finally arrived and after loading up its cargo the Colonel in charge of the port told Blaisdell that the children could not load up on the boat because there was not enough room for them. Apparently cement was more important then saving the lives of these children. With the Chinese military bearing down on Seoul, Chaplain Blaisdell knew he had to do something and quick to get the children evacuated before the Chinese arrived.
Chaos at the Port
Blaisdell drove back to Yeoido Airport to see if he could get help to get the children evacuated. Chaplain Blaisdell was hoping to get in contact with any general that could order the colonel back in Incheon to allow the children to board the boat. The generals had already left and the person Blaisdell ended up talking to was Colonel T.C. Rogers who was the Chief of Operations for the 5th Air Force. Blaisdell explained the situation to Colonel Rogers who immediately devised an alternate plan to transport the children to Jeju-do. Colonel Rogers coordinated for sixteen C-54 transport planes to fly the children the next morning to Jeju-do from the Gimpo Airfield; all Chaplain Blaisdell had to do now was get the children from Incheon to the airfield.
It was 5PM by the time the coordination with Colonel Rogers was completed so Blaisdell had to hurry back to Incheon and try to coordinate for some trucks. That night back at the port in Incheon, Blaisdell was able to reserve trucks from the port logistics command to transport the children the next morning. 24 trucks were to arrive at 05:30 to pick up the children and take them to the Gimpo Airfield to board their scheduled planes by 08:00. However, as usual the logistics personnel at the port let down the chaplain. At 05:30 no trucks appeared. By 0700 still no trucks had arrived and Chaplain Blaisdell became extremely worried that the kids would miss their flight.
Blaisdell noticed trucks dropping off ammo to be loaded on a boat at the port. Blaisdell walked up to each truck that finished unloading and ordered the driver to take his truck to the school where the orphans were housed to begin loading the children. If the driver protested the order he showed them his Lieutenant Colonel rank and repeated that it was an order. The drivers complied, but this ended up causing an uproar at the port as trucks began disappearing to the school. Another Lieutenant Colonel came out to confront Blaisdell about taking his trucks, but once the chaplain explained the situation then this Lieutenant Colonel became eager to help him. With the assistance from this Lieutenant Colonel, the chaplain was able to get the trucks he needed. However, the time was now 08:30 and not one truck had been loaded yet. Chaplain Blainsdell couldn’t help, but wonder if the transport planes would wait for him and the kids?
Operation Kiddy Car Airlift
Chaplain Blainsdell was able to get the trucks loaded and quickly as possible and over a thousand orphans and Korean civilian carers were finally on there way to the Gimpo Airfield in Seoul to fly to Jeju Island; the only question that remained was whether the transport planes had waited for them considering how late they were to arrive? If the planes had not waited for the orphans what would the Chaplain do with the Chinese army now on the outskirts of Seoul? Would he steal these trucks to move the orphans further south and leave the soldiers back at the port with no transportation to escape the Chinese hordes themselves? These were all options that Chaplain Blaisdell prayed he didn’t have to deal with.
As the trucks entered the gates into the Gimpo Airfield the chaplain’s prayers were answered as all sixteen C-54 transport planes had waited for the kids to arrive. Colonel Cecil Childre, the Commander of Combat Cargo in Korea had stayed with the planes and ensured that they did not leave. The children, carers, and supplies were all quickly loaded into the planes and were off to Jeju-do. Chaplain Blaisdell had many worries about what to do once they got to Cheju-do because everything on the Jeju-do end of what had become known as Operation Kiddy Car Airlift had been left to Lieutenant Colonel Dean Hess.
Air Force Lt. Cols. Richard Blaisdell and Dean Hess with Korean children evacuated during Operation Kiddy Car in in December 1950 in an undated photo. (U.S. Air Force)
When the planes landed on Jeju Island Chaplain Blaisdell was surprised to see the entourage that awaited them at the airfield. Major General Howard Turner, the Chief of Air Force operations in Korea, led a group of people that included the governor of Jeju and other dignitaries to welcome the children. LTC Hess had transportation for the children at the airfield as well as procuring a school to house the children in. Things were going much better on zjeju Island then what the chaplain experienced back at the port at Incheon, until he arrived at the school where the children would be staying.
The Jeju Agricultural School for Boys was adequate enough to house all the children in, but the biggest problem with the place was that it had no running water. The nearest water source was 3.5 miles away in Jeju City. Also much supplies had to bought to cloth the children, buy blankets, heat the building, and most importantly feed the over one thousand mouths staying at the school. To make matters worse was that the care givers that came with Chaplain Blaisdell were extremely inexperienced at running an orphanage. Help would soon arrive though.
Seoul Mayor Lee Kyu-bong visited the orphanage and took note of the problems getting the orphanage established. He contacted a former orphanage director in Seoul he was friends with Ms. Whang On-soon, to come to Jeju and manage the orphanage. She had operated an orphanage in Seoul for 11 years and had just recently returned from England where she had studied child welfare. She agreed to become director of the orphanage and ended up being the perfect person for the job.
With Ms. Whang managing the orphanage, increased funding, and an overwhelming American public response from the U.S. media to send clothing and blankets to the children on Jeju-do; the orphanage was slowly but surely beginning to get the resources to properly care for the children. Blaisdell left Jeju not to long after the successful Operation Kiddy Car Airlift, but would go one to revisit the orphanage four months later and was amazed by the progress of the orphanage.
Ms. Wang had completely fixed the building, had nurses providing care for the children, the orphans all had proper clothes, and had even restarted their schooling. Chaplain Blainsdell counted 872 orphans during his visit which was nearly a hundred fewer then the 965 he left the mainland with. This was because some of the orphans had been reclaimed by their parents who had lost their children during the course of the war and heard about the airlift. They subsequently contacted the government to see if their children were part of the airlift. Chaplain Blaisdell was deeply impressed and has always only taken credit for getting the kids to Jeju and gives all credit for the success of the orphanage to Ms. Wang.
THUNDERBIRD GIFT-Lt. Gen. Claude B. Ferenbaugh, deputy Eighth Army commander, presents a check for $595 to Mrs. On Soon Whang, director of the Orphans’ Home of Korea, Jeju Island. Brig. Gen. Dwight E. Beach, Eighth Army (Fwd.) chief of staff, watches the presentation. The check is the semi-annual interest on a $41,000 trust fund set up for the perpetual support of the orphanage. (USA Photo)
Operation Gift Lift
Chaplain Russell Blaisdell would make one make a final trip to the orphanage on Christmas Eve 1952. He flew in fittingly on a C-54 piloted by one of the key officers who made Operation Kiddy Car Airlift a success Colonel Cecil H. Childre. The Japanese Air Defense Force had donated a number of toys and $1,600 in cash to the growing orphanage which at this point was home to approximately 1600 children.
HEADQUARTERS FIFTH AIR FORCE, KOREA-A small Korean war orphan gets help from Lt. Col. Dean Hess of Marietta, Ohio, as he climbs down from a plane after being presented with a package full of toys from the United States. A plane load of toys, food and clothing was recently flown to the more than 800 war orphans housed on the island of Cheju-Do, 75 miles off Korea’s south coast. The orphanage formerly sponsored by the Fifth Air Force is now under control of the Republic of Korea Air Force, but bundles from well wishers in the United States continue to pour in for the orphans. Col. Hess, senior USAF advisor with the ROK Air Force, and Capt. George N. Metcalf of Sweeton, Illinois (in plane) assisted in the bundle delivery to the war tots.
Chaplain Blaisdell was even further amazed by how much the orphanage continued to improve:
For those who witnessed the orphans’ plight during the exodus from Seoul, the change they noted during the recent visit to the Home was astonishing. More amazing still were the diverse talents the now healthy youngsters demonstrated.
In the group led on a tour of the premises by Mrs. Whang were Col. Childre; Chaplain Blaisdell; Miss Harris; Chaplain (1st Lt.) Howard Singer, deputy air chaplain for JADF; M/Sgt. Grady Hawkins, NCOIC of the 1st Comm. Sq. and S/Sgt. Elmer W. Wheeler, motor sergeant for a motor vehicle sq., both of Nagoya.
IN ONE ROOM, TO the music of an organ, a group of tots did several Korean dance routines. Then five year old Sung Soon stepped forward and in a clear, sweet voice sang Silent Night in English.
Mrs. Whang led her guests to another room. Here in a large circle, several other orphans were knitting socks and sweaters. None of them was over nine, yet their workmanship was flawless.
IN STILL ANOTHER room some 21 youngsters, heavily blanketed, were abed with colds.
This was the improvised hospital the Home maintains for the orphans whose illnesses are not serious. Adjoining it is a well stocked dispensary in which a nurse and a pharmacist are always present.
A 21 piece band, comprised solely of orphans, entertained the visitors for over half an hour with march and concert music. The program was heightened by four small drum majorettes who paraded smartly about the room, swinging, tossing and catching their batons in unison with the celerity of veteran drum majors.
IN ANOTHER WING of the building other orphans were painting Christmas cards which they themselves had designed, while still others were fashioning envelopes. Learning of the Orphans’ Home in Hong Kong, the Rev. V.J.R. Mills, general secretary for the Christmas Children’s Fund of Richmond, Va., visited the Home in April, 1951. He went away favorably impressed.
Before long the Home was receiving $400 monthly from the benevolent organization. The Reverend revisited the Home last September. Before leaving he promised Mrs. Whang that the Home’s allotment would be increased in January.
The day ended with a smart drill exercise by the Home’s Boy Scout troop. Afterward, Col. Childre, accompanied by Chaplain Blaisdell and Mrs. Whang, inspected the rigid troopers.
In two years these orphans went from losing their parents, being desolate, and near death to becoming Boy Scouts. Ms. Wang had obviously done an incredible job and Chaplain Blaisdell would return to the United States knowing that the orphanage was in capable hands and that his mission was complete. However, this wouldn’t be the end of the story.
Jeju-do orphanage’s Scout troop parades for guests. More pictures from the orphanage can be viewed here.
The Controversy of Kiddy Car Airlift
After the end of the Korean War in 1953, the orphanage established on Jeju-do after the successful completion of Kiddy Car Airlift was moved back to Seoul to a permanent facility that would remain under the management of Ms. Wang On-soon. The orphanage remained a top notch facility caring for the orphaned children. However, the orphanage would come under controversy with the publication of a book by Lieutenant Colonel Dean Hess titled Battle Hymn in 1956 in which he took credit for the evacuation of the children from Seoul and everything Blaisdell did was marginalized.
The book Battle Hymn.
The distortion of what happened with Operation Kiddy Car Airlift only got worse when a movie based on the book was released the following year and starred Rock Hudson playing LTC Hess where everything that Chaplain Blaisdell did to save the orphans was portrayed as LTC Hess doing it. Amazingly Blaisdell is not even mentioned in the movie. To this day because of the book and the movie many people still think LTC Hess was the one responsible for Operation Kiddy Car Airlift when Hess only played the role of providing a place for the orphans to stay on Jeju-do.
The drama of making the airlift happen was due to Chaplain Blaisdell, Staff Sergeant Strang as well as Colonel T.C Rogers and Colonel Cecil Childre; LTC Hess had nothing to do with the actual airlift credited to him in his book and movie. This didn’t stop LTC Hess from accepting credit for the children’s rescue and he would even go on to accept the highest Korean award, The Order of Cultural Merit, from the Korean President Posun Yun after the release of the movie. He was the first American servicemember to ever receive this award despite the fact he didn’t even do what the award was given to him for.
After the release of the book and movie Staff Sergeant Strang contacted Chaplain Blaisdell to blow the whistle on LTC Hess, but the chaplain recommended that they both keep quiet about the issue because Hess had agreed to send all proceeds from the book and movie to the orphanage. Here is an excerpt of what Blaisdell wrote to Strang:
“The goal of our efforts, in regard to the orphans … was the saving of lives, which would otherwise have been lost. That was accomplished. In a sense, Mike, well-doing has its own reward, which is not measured in dollars, prestige, or good will, provided the avowed principle is fulfilled in the publication of the book and the preparation of the movie, which is to turn all proceeds over to the orphans. I rest content and would not becloud the issue at this time with an attempt to criticize or correct the portions which we know to be false. In the event that the proceeds did not go to the orphans in Korea I may be inclined to change my attitude.”
LTC Hess did send all the money he earned to the orphanage which he should be credited for doing, but it does not change the fact that he continued to take credit for something that he did not do and denied proper recognition to the people who were responsible for making Operation Kiddy Car Airlift a success.
The Schindler of Korea Returns
Chaplain Blaisdell would not receive his due recognition for his contribution to Operation Kiddy Car Airlift until 50 years after the successful completion of the operation. His grandson was working for the company Bechtel which had him working on a joint project with Hyundai. Chaplain Blaisdell’s grandson mentioned his grandfather’s story to a Korean translator he was working with who in turn decided to go look for Ms. Whang On-soon. Amazingly he discovered that Ms. Wang was still alive and was now 102 years old.
Once this was discovered plans were put into place to have the two meet in Korea and revisit the orphanage Blaisdell helped to start that was still operating in Seoul. The Korean media became notified of the impending visit and the itinerary for Chaplain Blaisdell continued to expand. When Chaplain Blaisdell returned to Korea on January 26, 2001 at the age of 90 an entourage of media and Korean officials were on hand to meet him at the airport. During his visit he would meet with Korean President Kim Dae-jung’s wife Lee He-ho, he also met the Korean Prime Minister Lee Han-dong, as well as receiving a number of awards from Korean veterans associations, religious groups, and community organizations.
The most important thing on his itinerary was obviously meeting up with Ms. Whang after so many years. The two met at the orphanage he helped to establish that is still to this day owned by Ms. Whang’s family. The reunion was obviously quite an emotional one. In addition to meeting Ms. Whang, Chaplain Blaisdell also had the opportunity to meet with many of the orphans he helped rescue from Seoul during the war. Chaplain Blaisdell spoke with them and showed them his photo album where the orphans tried to pick out their faces from the many photos of the children Blaisdell took.
Finally during his visit to Korea, Chaplain Blaisdell accepted an honorary Doctorate Degree from Kyung Hee University. During the ceremony where he was awarded his doctorate, this is the speech Chaplain Blaisdell gave to the audience:
“I come here with a very humble spirit. This was far and beyond anything that my mind had dreamed. The welcome I have received since arriving in Seoul was the greatest of my life. The heartfelt feelings of the orphans and the other citizens of Seoul bring tears to my eyes.
“I have been asked many times since I have arrived, ‘Why did you do it?’ At first the question seemed peculiar. But then I realized you have a different culture; you have a different background.
“I am a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And as a Christian I must follow the teachings of Jesus, and He said that those who would follow Him must take care of those who are unable to take care of themselves. His last statement was, ‘As you have done it unto one of the least of these, you have done it unto me.’ Therefore, it is part of my nature. To see anyone in serious trouble, young or old, and not to do something, to me, is a sin. Therefore, what little I did personally was only a natural reaction to a very, very difficult situation.
“There is, I believe, a great need in the world today for humanitarianism, for people who have to think of the have-nots. We must consider all people our brethren. There are many differences. We still are children of God, and, therefore, they are all our brothers and our sisters and our children. I would hope some day that spirit would gain momentum and give the world a sense of peace, of belonging, a fellowship. Even as two brothers in a family will argue, maybe even fight, they are still brothers. And they must come together some day.
“Now the people of Korea have had far more than your share of extreme difficulty. I am aware somewhat of what your elderly people have gone through. But today you have an opportunity to go unboundedly into a new world. You have now democratized South Korea. You have given the vote to the people. You have a constitution and rule and law that forbid this domination that your ancestors were doomed to accept. Your economic situation has developed miraculously, far more than anyone outside of Korea could have thought possible.
“Now is the time for you to take stock to determine where you are and where you are going as a free people. For as the privileges of democracy descend upon each one, so do the responsibilities. You must join the world of nations as a partner in getting these truths and this freedom to every man and woman in the world. And you can. You can help now.
“I am happy for this occasion. I am happy that people recognize how much an individual can do when the circumstances are such as these were. There will be millions of those situations.
“I had a long talk with a blind man last night, a man of indomitable courage, a man who was in the midst of the first aggression. A bomb blinded him for life. He’s still picking [debris] from his cheeks. His face was smashed. As he attempted to go back home to Seoul he was kicked, stomped upon, berated, harassed, and only a few people helped him. That spirit must go.
“[To have seen] the faces of the orphans who are now useful citizens here was more than ample. May God bless you all in your future endeavors. I have enjoyed my visit. And I have with humility accepted the honorable doctorate.” [Chaplain Russell Blaisdell]
Chaplain Blaisdell’s recognition for his part in Operation Kiddy Car Airlift was long overdue, and the Korean media began to refer to Chaplain Blaisdell as the “Schindler of Korea“. Blaisdell would return to America after his amazing trip back to Korea. Blaisdell unfortunately would never have the opportunity to return again when he passed away in 2007 at the age of 96. The efforts by everyone involved in operation Kiddy Car Airlift was truly incredible. It was truly a miracle that Chaplain Blaisdell had helped to create and that is why he is a Hero of the Korean War.
