Dear readers.(Hi Geo") as you can see I did not do very much in the fight for that hill,,40 men wounded..some very bad..but it is a day ill never forget..Ill never forget the fear on those dead Chinese..........Months later I would have a body that I would think "what was his village ect.I even had a name for him..( a good one) Phillip Meyer s/sgt ret
JMJKumwah,North Korea
Sept 1951 "L" Co, 5th RCT 24th Div
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret.
My longest Day
To start I do not claim to have been in a big battle ect, But this was my day..I had been talking with some Korean soldiers and they gave me the name "Ol ne Mi" The sad face boy..Then we started down the hill.I was carrying a M1 Rifle and plenty of ammnution. We were about half way down the hill when I hear soldiers shouting.I knew the attack was staring on the hill to our front,When I got down to the bottom of the hill I looked on the ground and there were Chinese rifles.Some of the enemy just dropped them . I bent down picked up one and looked at the rifle. On the stock was the communist symbol.. When I look to the left an officer was trying to get his men to go up the long trench that went straight up the hill. I looked to my right on the side of the hill.I saw a wounded soldier coming down the hill then a couple others,I started to count
5 ,,15,,,20 30 35 Oh there was my platoon Sgt with his arm in bandages, Men with various wounds,Then I counted 40 and stopped counting..One soldier passed on while we were waiting what had happened to one soldier..Every time he tried to move a mortar came in and he would dive for cover.Finnaly he broke down and kept saying "got to get in the trench" "got to get in the trench'...but then came my turn and the officer pointed for me to go up that trench.When I got to the top I found all the trees in that area blown away,I look to my left a dead Chinese in a bunker. A soldier cried out to me come on over eat while you have a chance,
I looked and they were sitting by a bunker that had been hit by artillery sat in front of them,As I ate my ration I look down and saw a sneaker in the dirt,I said. "I wonder if that sneaker would fit me"..well I took the sneaker and pulled on it.as I pulled up there was a leg.I followed the leg to the rest of the body in another
bunker that had been blown up,Nobody said anything,then the rest of the platoon made it to the top, Now not to far the trench went through woods not hit by artillery.When we reach that point and I look down the trench was full of dead Chinese,I said to the Sgt,There are bodies in the trench..he said keep moving and I did. I walked on bodies for awhile then the Sgt said get out of the trench, I look down and looked at a line of bodies.I saw the fear on there faces,,...............I was carrying a machine gun barrel since I was in the machine gun squad,At one point a marine jet strafing went by on my right.He was very close.I looked and for a second I saw the pilot.He was that close.The Sgt in front of me said?
"If you hear one come in get rid of that barrel" (a mortar) No sooner than he walked away I heard the familiar whistling sound.This was coming at me.I threw the barrel and look to my right and started to fall,As I went down I could see the mortar and I falling at the same rate of speed,I hit the trench my head in the dirt and the
mortar exploded on my right,,All I remember I was in a daze for awhile then we continued down the trench the enemy being pushed off the hill. I was now at the end of the hill and the Sgt said to hold that area.I look down and saw something burning.I took my shovel and put dirt on it then my blanket.I slept on that spot all night when off guard..In the morning carouse I took my shovel and made a big swing to see what was there.. I had been sleeping on a dead body all night,What a smell when I hit the body,Soldiers came and in a few minutes a five foot pile of dirt was on the body.After that I took out my C-rations and ate it was spaghetti,,for breakfast,Down the ridge line they found a Chinese hiding in a bunker,He took off running down the hill and they never got him,,,So ended my longest day..
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret,
