JMJ

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The hill Sept 51

Kumwah,North Korea
"L" Co, 5 RCT 24th Div
Sept 51, Phillip Meyer S/sgt.
The Hill Sept 51

Again we were on the move and we settled on this hill.What made it so different was that instead of being high on the ridge line I ended up where the hill started down.So the valley was not far away.At one point we took a break going down the hill and I found an abandoned enemy fox hole. He had left behind various pieces of his equipment also found ammo. I got an idea, I took the Chinese ammo and took off the end and lit a match to the powder inside, not bad so now I opened a few more and poured all the powder in one cartridge and lit the round.However this time when it reached the end the cap at the end exploded.That was enough.Now the Sgt said move out and he assigned us an area to make a bunker or a fox hole.My buddy and I look around and he says."Look its late lets just get a good night sleep",,So we just found a spot and slept all night long..The next day the Sgt comes by..:Where is your bunker??" How we ever got away with that one Ill never know,But before the day was over we made a good size bunker.A very large pine tree was our corner of the bunker the other side the opening to the bunker.So we settled down.

One day on the friendly side of the hill a soldier had a razor and he was shaving soldiers, So I am sitting there getting a shave when we had mortars come in and as they exploded he calmly kept shaving me.. They were hitting a different area.

Then one night "Danny Kaye" the comedian came and was putting on a show. Some of our men were allowed to go the next day some more would get a chance.

That night I was in my bunker and I heard the first round go over. This was a large shell..coming from artillery.Then another and another. My prayer was "Please Lord don't let them get lower"..Then one round hit the lower part of the tree to our bunker. There was a loud explosion and I went down and grabbed my buddy who was sleeping,I said :a round hit us" and I woke him up.and he says.."Did you get wounded?" I said No,,then he says Im going back to sleep and he did.

The next morning I looked at the tree,. A large part had been blown away. Then I found out that the artillery had hit the USO show and they were leaving.

So the nights passed.The soldiers in the next fox hole would throw small stones at our helmets if they thought we were falling asleep.

My last act before we left that hill.I found a Chinese hand grenade and put it to the front of our positions, With the string that came with it and made a bobby trap.

So we moved out again...