Christmas 1951 Kumwah North Korea

Dear Readers...How the prayer the roster of 5th RCT survived all these years...its   amazng...

                                                                               JMJ
Kumwah valley,North Korea
Christmas 1951,,,
"L"Co, 5th RCT 24th Div.
Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret
                                                                 Christmas ,North Korea
 It wasn't to long after the Chinese had broadcast us to surrender on Christmas that we came off the hill. Now it was walking through deep snow,,and when we went down the hill we simply sat down an slid off the hill with our rifle barrels pointed backwards, When we got to the holes we had dug with the small tents over them there was at least a foot of snow around them,,The mess hall (tent) had fixed a good dinner.We sat in the snow and ate our meal,,A paper was passed around..On one the company roster as of Dec 1951,On one paper the Christmas menu..and on the back a prayer written by Lt James Lee our Company Commander
which read.....................................Give peace oh God give peace
     This day we celebrate the birth of HE who has blessed us with..notable successes thru out the year with little hurt to ourselves.Under the present circumstances we cannot treat this season with the joy and good cheer that tradionaly accompany it.Instead we must turn our joy into thanksgiving for His protection and our cheer into Hope for better things to come.For Lee's Miserables I pray for the best possible CHRISTMAS and a NEW YEAR in which Gods peace shall come to our land. 
                                                      JAMES M. LEE
                                              1st Lt. Commanding Officer
One little pine tree was decorated with tin foil from cigaret packs,,It was bitter cold..Then we had a visit from Cardinal Spellman. With Priests they set up a tent for Mass and other priest heard Confession went in a frozen rice paddies to a priest for confession..
The only other big thing in the valley was receiving our Combat Infantry Badge awards in a frozen rice paddies,
                                                                  Phillip Meyer S/sgt Ret.

"L" Co. 5th RCT 1951

Korea war 1951
"L" Co, 5th RCT 24th Division

The next time the truck stopped it was down a small road with dried out rice paddies on the right side and a wooded area on the left. When I got out of the truck .I was now a member of the 5th RCT and I was in "L" Company the 4th platoon..I went across a mound of dirt to a bivouac area. A couple of soldiers were sitting on the ground,,The first thing the Sgt ask me was "Okay what weapon do you want" and I had a choice, the machine gun,a BAR (Browning automatic rifle) or a plain old M1 rifle. I chose a rifle which I already had, However I was assigned to a machine gun squad..That night I pulled guard on the wooded side of the road.We had mosquito nets to put over our helmets but I could not see very well with the net so I would pull it up and got bit by mosquitos.It would be the only time I got bit by mosquitos which would cause a big problem much later.

The next day after breakfast the Sgt was looking for volunteers to fire the 2.3 rocket launcher volunteered and we met a the end of the road where it ended at the bottom of a hill.There were three of us who volunteered, There was one 2.3 Rocket luncher..The Sgt took the first soldier and gave him instructions then a round was put in the rocket luncher .The soldier squeezed the trigger it did not fire.A small wire connection was checked it fired. Next soldier another round put in. Again problems making it fire and when it did there was rust on the round that blew out the back,Now it was my turn.I was supposed to fire high at the hill but as I looked through the scope it was aimed somewhere at the bottom of the hill and I thought its not going to fire......So I pulled the trigger and it fired immediatly. The round landed at the bottom of the hill.

The next day some big General came and our company put on a show of fire power, Soldiers carrying 81 MM mortars up the hill, I fired a carbine with other soldiers. I put it on automatic and after firing a clip or two the wooden cover was smoking it got that hot,.after the General left we bivouacked near a hill in the valley, I was in my tent writing one of those rare letters I ever wrote,.When the artillery started to fire which was not far away the ground shook,Some soldiers who were called "Ridge runners" made special patrols before we would go on the front lines.We were in Kumwah,North Korea.

The next day we would go on the front lines.

Front Lines, North Korea 1951

North Korea May 1951
5th RCT :L" Co, 4th Platoon 3rd Squad

Front Lines
After the demonstration for some top generals it was time to go on the front lines.Since I was in the machine squad I was assigned to carry machine gun ammo,two boxes..It was heavy..I had it over my right shoulder with straps to hold the boxes.About half way up the hill I was getting tired.what to do..I looked in front of me and there was this soldier,tall looked strong..With out thinking I got close to him took my ammo threw it on his shoulders then said "Will you help me" He turned around and then I saw the Lt. Bars.and he was my company commander..The surprise he said "sure Ill help you"

So we continued up the hill. When we got to the top .We kept on going for awhile then we stopped and we were told to chose a place to make our fox holes..The machine gun men got quickly making a special bunker.We were next to the machine gun and my buddy and I dug a fox hole. That night guard 1 hour on one hour off all night.During the night the machine gunners heard sounds and would fire in that direction.The morning came and just below the new machine gun bunker was an old North Korean bunker and a soldier came out of it. The soldier was a medic who had thought that would be a good place to sleep but no one knew he was in there so every time he moved the machine gunner would fire but he was safe as long as he stayed in the bunker,That night he slept on the other side of the hill,,

That day the artillery was firing on enemy position and a White Phosphorus fell short on our area,Lucky just far enough not to hurt but as the white smoke came across the hill the machine gun bunker was fill of men...In those first couple of day the mess people were able to bring hot food up in containers but a problem not enough mess kits to eat out off..What to do..Simple.The first men got the mess kits.When they finish eating on the ridge line they put them in a box.Next group took the dirty mess kit hit it on a tree and ate and so on/You finish eating knock the old food out and pass on the mess kit,We only got a couple of meals that way then we got C-rations ..

The next thing I learned the hard way was how to sleep. I was sleeping on the ridge line not far from my fox hole when I got off guard.One night I felt some one kicking me and saying ;Is he dead?" Then they told me.I was sleeping with my mouth wide open and a soldier saw dozens of flies going in my mouth.So he presumed I was dead.From that day on I covered my mouth with whatever I could find when I was sleeping.

Our first casualty, no not the enemy but a horrible way to die. A soldier had a very large flare and as the story goes he put it in his fox hole then for some reason sat on it and it and the flare went up and he was killed immediately. My memory my fox hole was near the ridge line and they carried his body pass my fox hole.

The next man to die.We were put on alert were we being infiltrated, a soldier had gone in front of his fox hole to go to the bathroom his buddy woke up not realizing it and shot him,..We had a lot to learn.