Marine Corps Korea Volume 1

Point of Interest Are Reunion Anti/ Tank Co 5th Marines

Point of interest, At are reunion Anti/Tank Co.5th Marines ( Korea ) Sept.18 at Quantico,National Museum, Marine Base. Going thru the Museum I ran across a Picture that was taken Feb. 7 1953 of myself and my tank driver Norm Bodway carrying out one of the 6 Marines we were able to help. It was at the Samichon Valley also know as 76 alley

Norm Bodway Red shirt
Chuck Batherson tan Shirt

Would like to see in Magazine

Thank you
Chuck Batherson
Life Member

Korea Cold Weather Gear

Sgt Grit: Enclosed is result of contact between G. Robinson and myself, regarding a prior article I had written. With all the current reference of Korea, thought you'd like to see the resulting pictures.
Thanks for the quick reply, Top.

I thought you might enjoy seeing pictures of the vest I referred to plus the USMC long parkas. First the parka:


Then here's the alpaca vest I picked up last week:

It has your name over a breast pocket and is the only one of these I've ever seen with a pocket. And it has what looks like Korean language characters printed on the loop of cloth at the collar.


Rear of the vest with your name and service number


I've seen the so called "pile liners" for the M1943 field jacket. They had pieces of woven string that hooked over the buttons for closure of the jacket. It was an Army item and never knew that the Marines used those. Is this the jacket you referred to?


So you were an 0141 assigned to Army X Corps? I guess when the 1st Marine Division was pulled out after the Chosin Reservoir campaign you were among them?

The fella who sold me the vest thought you were in a Marine tank outfit. He even said he had two jackets that belonged to you both of which had artwork on the back depicting Marine tankers and had the name of a Marine tank Bn. I assume that was a total fabrication.......or was that a later assignment during your career?

So what did you do after Korea? I assume you spent some time in Southeast Asia before you retired?

I live in the Atlanta area. I spent six years in the Marine Reserve from 1967 until 1973. I was trained at Camp Pendleton as an 0141 but was re-trained as a truck driver when I got to my Reserve unit. I drove the 2 1/2 ton 6X6's.

Been to Las Vegas a couple times but prefer Lake Tahoe when I'm out your way. That's a nice area.

Semper Fi
Greg Robinson

My Korean Buddies 1950-52

I am looking for any of these guy's that were in the Motar Squad that I was in in Korea in 1950-51 Group is A CO.,1st. BN.,5TH. MAR.

View more of Bill's photos

First ANGLICO Marine

Sgt Grit,

Found this photo of me taken in N. Korea July 27, 1953 right after the truce was signed. Then Cpl. Max Sarazin, 1st ANGLICO. Promoted to Sgt 6 mos later.

Past Cmdt Det 955 MCL,
Pound Keeper Seadog Pound 338 MODD,
PDD Max Sarazin

Chosin Reservoir

Sgt Grit,
My Dad, Retired SgtMaj John Swindle was in Korea from Aug 2, 1950 to Dec 4, 1950. He was in A-Battery 1st Bn 11th Mar Div. He was wounded on the 4th of Dec 1950 at the Chosin Reservoir and received the Purple Heart. I'm including a photo of him, from a book called "This is War" by David Douglas Duncan. My Dad is the Marine in the center looking down. I'm real proud of my Dad.

Donna Swindle
Proud daughter of Chosin Reservoir-Korea Vet

Hector A. Cafferata School Ground Breaking

Students, teachers Chosin Few Members, and Hector A. Cafferata MOH, attending.

Wally

Just sharing some pics...

I was in the Corps from 91-98, and in '03 I joined the Army Reserve, and in '05, I went active duty Army and got shipped off to Korea. Well, I'm out of the Army now due to a torn up knee, but I really miss the "good ol' days." They didn't have digital cameras when I was in Okinawa, but I didn't blow my chance when I got to Korea. I knew the tight relationship and history between the USMC and the ROK Marine Corps, and when our KATUSA's (Korean Augmentation To U. S. Army) learned that I had served in the Corps, I got alot of attention. I learned that even though the Korean people are peace-minded and tend to shy away from military actions, they have an intense pride in the ROK Marines. There's ROKMC souvenir stores everywhere, and every one I visited had ROKMC veterans hanging around swapping stories. Sound familiar?

ANyway, I went on a DMZ tour and toured the Korean War Museum while I was there, and I have probably over 1,000 pictures on my computer from my year there. Here's three that I like alot. The first one is at OP Dora, overlooking the DMZ and into North Korea. The other two are in the Korean War Museum in the ROKMC Memorial Room.

Just as a bit of info, military service in South Korea is mandatory, but they have a choice as to where they want to go. Most young men just want to do their two years in the ROK Army and go back to college. But service in the ROK Marine Corps is strictly voluntary, and their boot camp is as tough as Parris Island (only 5 times colder in the winter). Another thing: ROK Marines consider US Marines their brothers...they also celebrate November 10th. Must be a Marine thing...

Robert Johns Jr.
Lawton, OK

June 21, 1951

Sgt Grit. A friend on mine gave me this Post Card from USAA. It is a Memorial Service held after the Bn came off line. Each time we would come back to a Reserve Area we would hold a Service for all the Marines we lost in the last engagements.

I would guess that the Marines at Present Arms were the Squad or Fire Team Leaders representing the KIA. I did not know if you would like it and maybe add it to your News Letter or a filler for one of your Catalogs .

Semper Fi.
Floyd D. Newkirk, Wpns.Co. 1st Bn 1st Reg Korea 51-52

PI Graduation

PI graduation, April 1953, with most scheduled for Korea, but since that ended a few months later, never knew what happened to anyone. A couple of us, reluctantly, sent to Montford Point, Supply School and then off to fight the paper wars. Got out at the end of my tour, and because of my training at Supply School----NOT!----I put 40 in Law Enforcement.

J. E. M.

Yesterday

Camp LeJeune (2nd Mar. Div) - 1949 - cleaning my BAR - lost it on forward slope of a hill March 2, 1951 courtesy incoming mortar fire. Went over the wall at Inchon Sept. 15, 1950 ... served under Lewis "Chesty" Puller at Hagaru at the reservoir. This aside: just prior to the Inchon landing my fire team leader Cpl Boyer, who had served under Puller in WW2, gathered us one evening in the cafeteria of the ship - says "Well children, it goes this way, the 7th got Litzenberg, the 5th got Murray ... and we got Puller." Noticing the puzzled looks, he tossed in " Puller will enter with a death wish, and will take as many of us with him that he can."

At the makeshift airstrip at Hagaru the man would stand in clear view of the nearby hills and scan the area ... maybe not a death wish but surely the fearless warrior he is portrayed as.
George Elsasser - 1949-52 - discharged a buck sergeant.

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