United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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First Permanent Chapel. Many services were held in Korea out in the open or in tem- porary shelters. This permanent building with a seating capacity of 200 served U.S. fighting men and Korean Christians. Chapel Dedication. Chaplain Ross H. Trower talks with members of his con- gregation after the dedication. The chapel was built in two weeks. didn't know what was wrong but who couldn't go back on the hill. And I knew at once that Sam wasn't afraid of any rendezvous with death which might be waiting him on the hill.'l His problem was more subtle than physical fear. Sam was afraid he would be afraid. If that seems an anomaly, any man back from the fighting in Korea can explain it to you. I'll try to explain it myself a little further along, because it lies at the root of what's happening to your man in this war. QI say your man advisedly.l You may have sent away a boy, but a man will return in his place, and of that you may be sure! I got Sam talking about himself. He was an only child, and he and his mother had been very close to each other in the little midwestern town where they lived. As he talked the boy pulled out a badly cracked snapshot and a much- folded and grimy leaflet. That's my mom, he said simply, offering the snapshot for my inspection. I studied the portrait of a rather pretty woman who appeared on the youngish side-a typical, whole- some, small-town mother. And here's my church bulletinf' he added, unfolding the grimy leaflet. See-where's my name, right here!', The church bulletin, I noted, was dated sometime ago, and an- nounced that Sam was slated for service in Korea. He'd been carrying it with him as a pitiful link with a safe past amid the confusion and death of battle. But, as he said, there was his name, right there. The rest of my conversation with Sam need not be de- tailed here. I reminded him that we were not alone-that there was Another present-and that if he really wanted to, we three could lick any situation. I also pointed out to him-and this is terribly, terribly true-that it's easier for us to be courageous as we get older and experience more things. Sam was pretty new to combat. I knew that if I could help him overcome his fear of fear itself-get him to want to go back up there on the hill some way-half of his battle would be won. He was at the low point through which every man must pass on the road to becoming a battle-seasoned veteran. Things couldn't possibly get any worse for Sam, they could get a lot better if he rose to the challenge. Eventually, we got to talking about the prospects of hot chow-always an absorbing speculation at the front. Then I sent Sam to the nearby river with instructions to jump in, dunk himself in the shallow water, relax, soak up as much sunshine as possible, and pick me up at my tent later in the afternoon. Before the sun set I walked with Sam back up the hill to his unit, and I left him with the reminder, Son, don't forget you're never alone. There's always One other with you! It was a month after this little episode that Sam appeared at the memorial service for the captain. I taxed him with the query, I hear you turned down a chance to go down the hill? And he gave me the ringing answer: Should .ruth a man ax I fiee? An American man had been born. First Permanent Chapel The lst Combat Service Group, located in the vi- cinity of Masan, achieved the distinction of having the first permanent chapel of any Marine group in Korea. f Permanent meant anything not a tent.j Consisting of a double Arctic Quonset hut, erected on the initiative of the command, the chapel .was dedi- cated on 20 May 1951.12 At a military ceremony a 0930 the chapel was presented by the commandin oflicer, Col. John H. Cook, Jr., USMC, and accepte by the senior chaplain, Arthur M. Kulinski. Regu- larly scheduled Divine Services followed. In the after- noon Chaplain Ross H. Trower presided at a Protestant Service of Dedication, at which the choir of the Chun Ang Methodist Church sang. At the Roman Catholi Dedicatory Mass music was furnished by the choir o the Masan Catholic Church. Besides military person- nel from neighboring Army activities and the destroyer escort WISEMAN, guests included other chaplains in the area and local Korean Christian clergy. 12 Information from material on file in the jacket of Chap- lain Ross H. Trower in the Chaplains Division.

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l think the majority of our wounded will live. The view 'rom my foxhole is beautiful, and one thing is sure-I'll never 'orget this mountain. We expect to hold a special thanksgiving service tomorrow. Y'ou'd be interested to note The Secret Placen reading for lune 10 was entitled A Mountain to Climb -coincidence, sn't it: Keep praying-God is blessing, over 200 men have iccepted Christ out here, and to date I have baptized 97 of yur fighting Marines. Sincerely, CSD H. E. Austin. H. E. AUSTIN. Writing again to his friends on 8 July, Austin re- Jorted that his unit had been sent back to a rest area md that he was about to be detached to another mit. He wrote: I have just finished holding my final service with the 2d Battalion. Our Regimental Commander and Battalion Com- mander, along with 240 men, were present. Our Marine 'hoir sang and it was a very touching service. We have a veautiful outdoor chapel here in the regimental rest area. Seven more men made a profession of faith in Christ today .nd I am baptizing them this afternoon in the clear waters rf the Hwachon Reservoir. fMy 110th since February 28.l The Lord has been at work in our midst, and I am very hankful for the prayers of my friends. Ihaplain Austin was relieved in the 1st Marines by Ihaplain George R. Brosius and assigned to the lst Iombat Service Group at Masan. 'Such a Man as In A splendid illustration of how one chaplain-in this .ase Keene H. Capers-dealt with a Marine facing he stark face of fear in his life and helped him to tn answer founded upon religious faith is revealed n the following story.11 A Marine captain of my acquaintance, fighting in Korea vhen I was there recently, was well beloved of his men. One .ay he and two other officers undertook a reconnaissance vatrol into enemy territory. One of the three tripped a oncealed wire which detonated an antipersonnel mine. The vopular captain was killed, the other two oflicers seriously rounded. I held memorial services for the captain whose courage nd devotion to duty had won the admiration and respect if all. For my text I chose a sentence from the 6th chapter f Nehemiah, the 11th verse: Should such a man as I flee? As the service broke up I came across a young rifleman :hose presence there surprised me. We'll call him Sam. knew that Sam had been offered an opportunity to return o the rear, so as I greeted him I asked, curiously, What are ou doing here, Sam ? For reply he tossed back at me the 11 As told by K. H. Capers to Ken Jones. First published 1 the magazine Brief CDecember 19521 under the title I Vas With Your Boy in Battle. Republished as ch, III of len Jones, book of Korean stories, I Was There fNew York, 953j. Used by permission. The wording here follows that f a typescript on file in the Chaplains Division, which is not xactly reproduced in either of the published versions. 535332 O-60--7 words of Nehemiah which I had just quoted :' Should such a man as I flee? Without knowing the facts you might think that Sam was being cocky. He wasn't. In that instant a 19-year-old boy reached a magnificent pinnacle of inspired, determined, re- sourceful, and responsible manhood. Let me tell you Sam's story, which is typical of what many American boys are ex- periencing in Korea today. , When I first met Sam he was shook. That isnit good grammar but it's mighty meaningful military slang, and as the boys come home in greater and greater numbers from the fighting fronts youire going to hear the word more and more. The American fighting man in Korea who is shook has reached the razor edge of emotional endurance. He's had all he can take of mud, blood, and death. He may have some resources of physical stamina left, but his nerves are playing him false. His hands shake, his speech may be halt- ing and almost unintelligible, an uncontrollable fear, which he can't name, burns deep in his wide hollow eyes. It's an easy condition to recognize. Among fighting men it reflects no stigma of cowardice. Put under enough pressure any man will be shook. These boys are under pressure. Our troops were seesawing back and forth over the 38th Parallel at the time. It was early afternoon of a fine, clear day. My tent had just been put up at the foot of a bluff on the edge of a rice paddy. I sat at my portable desk, the Coleman lantern hung ready on the tentpole, and I was sharing a desultory bull session with my tentmates, two medical officers, and two TAC people-Tactical Air Control. Sam walked up to the tent flap and just stood there. He didn't say anything, he didn't have to say anything. I had eyes to see, and what I saw made me rise quickly, although I was careful to seem casual. Suppose we take a walk, son, I suggested as I stepped out of the tent and left the others behind. This wasnlt their kind of show. We headed toward a shallow ravine at the edge of the rice paddy, maybe 20 or 30 yards from the tent. Neither of us said anything more at the moment. When we reached the ravine Sam unslung his M-1 from his shoulder and placed it carefully on the ground. We squatted facing each other on a small hummock which may, for all I know, have been a Korean grave. Smoke . . .? I held a pack of cigarettes toward the boy, but he shook his head. I took the brief opportunity while lighting my own cigarette to study Sam. He was young-19, as I learned later. His beard was scraggly, and probably had been growing for weeks. He stood about 5 feet, 9, I guessed his weight at 140 pounds, and where I could see his cheeks they were ruddy, although he was in- credibly dirty. Sam tried to speak after a moment, but emotional tension had him in an iron grip. His jaws worked, but no sound issued from his lips. Then without further ado, he burst into a tempest of tears. I didn't move, but I spoke to him softly, urging him to cry all he wanted to and pay no atten- tion to me. I knew, of course, that the release he would find through tears eventually would make it possible for him to gain some measure of control. Deep sobs racked him but after some minutes a quieter key crept in and finally, in a flat, desperate, hopeless voice he told me: Chaplain, I don't know whatls wrong, but I just can't go back on the hill! Sam wasn't the first boy Iid seen and talked with who 183-

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In presenting the chapel Colonel Cook began by saying: One of the finest traditions of American military life is the desire of men to build a House of God wherever duty may take them. In addition to providing a place of worship, it gives beauty to things sometimes drab, its skyward-pointing cross inspiring men to finer living. Recalling how so many activities had built chapels dur- ing World War II, taking the materials at hand to fashion some kind of suitable place of prayer, the Colonel continued: 5'Today we dedicate a new and beautiful chapel in this command. Its doors are being opened while we are continuing projects to build quar- ters, shops, offices, and recreational facilities. He concluded: It is my pleasure to present this chapel to the officers and men of the lst Combat Service Group lthat it may be dedi- :atedl to the worship of Almighty God. May the prayers that are said here be for the comfort of our comrades in arms, for the realization of freedom through the world, for the binding together in love of our families, and for the hope of peace among men. Marine Air During the intense fighting incurred in the drive :oward the Punchbowl the Division had, fortunately, the close air support of elements of the lst Marine Air- :raft Wing. The Wing was still under operational :ontrol of 5th Air Force, with a joint operational center at Seoul, but after two squadrons had been installed Jn an airstrip at Hoengsong CK-4bj, by informal ar- 'angement 5th Air Force designated them to provide support for the hard-pressed Division? That ar- rangement continued until 13 July, by then the truce talks had begun and the Hoengsong field was closed for repairs. As the period under review in this chapter opened, the lst Marine Aircraft Wing was disposed as follows: Wing Headquarters and Marine Aircraft Group 12, with three squadrons, were at Pusang Marine Air- craft Group 33 was at Pohang with two squadrons, and VMF-312 was operating from the light carrier BATAAN. Late in May the forward air strip was opened at Hoengsong with the arrival of VMF-214, followed in June by VMF-312, while VMF-323 went aboard the SICILY. New Wing Chaplain On 16 May Ernest R. Barnes reported to relieve John P. Murphy as lst Marine Aircraft Wing Chap- lain. Barnes had come from the PHILIPPINE SEA and Murphy reported there on 2 June. In his first letter to the Chaplains Division, Barnes wrote that he had spent a day at Marine Aircraft Group 33 with Chaplains H. Markley and C. E. Webb. Among other things John fMarkleyl and I visited MGCIS- 3 unit out on a coastal point about 22 miles away. There are roughly 200 people attached. Following their morning services at MAG 33 John and Charlie fwebbl go out to the point for services, returning in time for afternoon Mass and evening vespers at MAG 33. I would say that chaplain coverage up there has been excellent. The field is known as K-3 and is located on the east coast near Pohang. 13Montross, Advance to the Punchbowl, pp. 21f. Chaplain Arthur M. Kulinski celebrates mass at the Catholic dedication ceremonies of the new chapel Colonel Cook presenting the chapel. Chaplain Kulinski is at his immediate right and Chaplain Trower is on the right of Chaplain Kulinski. 85-