Patroling Kumwah Korea 51

Kumwah,North Korea 1951
"L" Co.5th RCT 24th Division

Patrols June/July 51

During the end of June and all July we went on many patrols. All these patrols came down to the hill to our front.Which we would attack one day. The Sgt, would go down the ridge line and pick out men to go on the patrol. I got my chance, I would go with 16 clips of ammo. My M1 rifle and canteen filled with water.

The patrol would consist of around 9 men (a squad). Down the ridge line we made a right turn and went down a path.Not to far down the path was a barb wire fence. Which we had to cross over. Two problems, the barbs that cut our clothing and boots. The next thing we had to be careful was on each side of the path that went through the fence were mines.Big mines.

As you crossed over you did not want to go to far left or right just straight over.,Once over it did not take to long to get to the valley. Why do I remember my first patrol.? It was a reconnaissance patrol just to gather information. Well we were walking through the valley and I looked to my right.I saw a man (soldier) on the enemy side going up the hill. I had a clip in my rifle ready to fire.I took my rifle look through the site and was ready to fire.The Sgt saw me and push my rifle down and motion for me to not fire.We did not want to draw enemy fire.We continued until we came to a Korean house that had been hit by artillery.The patrol stopped and the Sgt was searching the area around the small house. Then we returned to the path and went back up the hill.,,Some patrols lasted a long time.

Getting Clean

One day we came back from a patrol.As usual our clothes were getting cut by the barb wire. But hat day we were lucky. The Sgt said all of us who had been on that patrol could go off the hill.By following his directions we would find an out post in the woods. They had water and we could take a shower.So off the hill we went and It was hard to find this very small shack,Hidden in the woods. They let us take showers and gave us clean clothes. That would be the last time I would get clean in months.

We were dressed and ready to go when one of men said we had to get back to the front lines. The soldiers in charge of the water point said/get these men something to eat.They fixed the best meal we would have for a long time. We were walking back through the woods and the soldier in front sees a squirrel . Going toward a tree,He starts firing at it with his rifle, No he never was able to hit it..Then back to the front lines...When you laid down in the fox hole sometime the roots of the tree were next to you face.Hit the side of the fox hole with your head the dirt would fall on you.

On one patrol we took a different route.However the men on the ridge line did not know a patrol was in the valley,,We hear machine gun firing and it was at us,,We were being fired at by our own men.We hugged the side of the hill and the radioman was able to get to someone and they stopped firing.