United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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of Defense, his solidest monument is, as Chaplain Daniel J. Silver wrote, the thriving existence of a Chaplain Corps which bears his signature and imprint. Nationalist Chinese Chaplaincy Brief notice may be taken of the emergence of another Chaplain Corps in the Far East, serving the Nationalist Chinese armed forces on Taiwan fFor- mosaj. Although sanctioned by the government, it had no official military status, being recruited and supported by ladies meeting in a Prayer Group with Madame Chiang Kai-shek. Concerned for the morale and welfare of Nationalist troops concentrated in the already overcrowded city of Taipeh, these ladies looked for evangelists and pastors to work among the troops. Supervising the program was the Reverend Wei- ping Chen, retired clergyman from the mainland and personal pastor of the Generalissimo and Madame Chiang. Begun in May 1950, by 1952 this Corps had 14 chaplains serving, one in a recruit training center, another in the Navy base, most of them in military hospitals. Chaplain W. W. Parkinson, on duty with the. Patrol Squadrons of 7th Fleet, occasionally made contact with the Nationalist Chinese Chaplaincy and helped in whatever ways were possible. Writing to Chaplain Salisbury in October 1951, the Reverend Wei-ping Chen stated: Our work in these hospitals C211 is very successful. Some superintend- ents of these hospitals are Christians. They welcomed us from the beginning while others hesitated. Today, however, they all appreciate our servicef, He re- ported that some of the worst troublemakers among the military patients had responded to the Gospel ministry, some even had become chaplain's assist- ants, doing valuable work in teaching the Bible and hymns to other patients. Unit Citations The lst Marine Division was awarded its third Presidential Unit Citation during the Korean hostili- ties Q the Division's sixthj for its gallantry in action during three periods of intense combat: 21-26 April, 16 May-30 June, and 11-25 September, all in 1951. The first two periods fell within the 5th Korean Cam- paign, the initial one covering the Chinese Communist offensive in April, the latter covering the counter- offensive which brought the Marines to the southern rim of the Punchbowl. The third period was the September drive which for the Marines constituted the heart of the United Nations fall offensive. The 1st Marine Aircraft Wing also received a Presi- dential Unit Citation covering the dates 8 March- 30 April, 18 May-30 June, and 3 August-29 Septem- ber, 1951. These dates reflect missions flown largely in support of Division operations during approxi- mately the same periods. The Navy Unit Commendation was awarded a number of ships and smaller commands for varying periods of service. BADOENG STRAIT and SICILY each was cited for the period 3 August 1950-1 August 1951. VALLEY FORGE received the unit decora- tion for the period 3 July-18 November 1951. LEYTE had already been cited for her service from 9 October 1950 to 19 January 1951, and PHILIP- PINE SEA had received two awards, the first covering the period 4 August 1950 to 30 March 1951, the second, 31 March-31 May 1951. PRINCETON's unit commendation covered the period 5 December 1950 to 10 August 1951. Winterizing While acting Division Chaplain, Fitzgerald had re- ported the arrival of John L. Curtis C Southern Bap- tistj, who was assigned to the 11th Marines. On 8 October Joseph P. F. Gallagher fRoman Catholicl reported in and was assigned to Motor Transport. Commenting on the activities of the Division Chaplain for the period 15-23 October, Peck noted the arrival of four more new chaplains, assigned as follows: BAPT my Shore Party Bn.. William E. Brooks. . LCDR Medical Bn ..... Vincent Lonergan LCDR RC METH 7th Marines ..... Alan R. Gibbons. . . LTJG RC Ordnance Bn. . . Barney L. Jones. . . . LT The United Nations drive during the summer and fall of 1951 was the last big offensive of the Korean War. By the end of October the frontlines were fairly well stabilized and hostilities were largely re- stricted to outpost warfare and patrol activities. Peck wrote to Salisbury on 25 October: We seem to be digging in for winter, and it is none too soon. The nights are getting bitter cold, although the days when the sun is out are fairly comfortable. The lines are becoming more fixed. Continual' raids and patrol actions by both sides cause daily casualties although not as many as on a push, I am encouraging the chaplains to prepare themselves for a program to combat the loneliness and depression which will come to their men through the winter if the front remains stable. He added: I wish to say that the main impression I have gained is to be deeply impressed with the work of the chaplains out here, from all sides, officer and enlisted, comes nothing but high praise. On 31 -108-

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At the time of White's writing, there were nine ROK Navy chaplains on active duty, seven with ROK Marine units, two at naval bases. Further information was supplied by Chaplain A. M. Oliver, obtained from Korean Chaplain Won Dong Lee, sewing the 1st ROK Marine. regiment. Converted to Christianity by Presbyterian missionaries, Chaplain Lee was graduated from the Chosen Presby- terian Theological College and had served one pastor- ate before entering the Navy. He reported a gratifying response to his military ministry, saying that the non-Christians usually re- spected his effort and many listened to his preaching of the Gospel. I believe that one day Christianity will be the dominant religion throughout Koreaf' he added. It is the one cause in which both my people and the North Koreans can always linda common devotion. According to Lee, it was the remarkable impression made upon high ranking Korean military officials observing U.S. Marines attending Divine Service at the time of the Inehon landing that led some of them to ask American officers to explain the place and function of the chaplaincy in the United States military establishment. Although only a small percent of Koreans were Christian, it was decided to organize a Korean chaplaincy. Chaplain Chung Actually it appears that Chaplain Chung had had some such idea all along, even when he entered the Navy as a line jg and spent 3 years doing PIO work.13 The actual beginnings of the Chaplaincy predate its official commissioning. Admiral Soh Won Il, then ROK Chief of Naval Operations, allowed Chung time to carry on his religious ministry, including both counselling and holding services. The latter were held in private homes in Seoul, and after the retreat began, wherever Chung found himself. With the formal establishment of the Corps, Chung's first task was to recruit and send chaplains to the newly organized ROK Marine Corps, placing in direct charge Chaplain C. S. Park. Much time was spent expanding and consolidating the embryonic Corps. Lent a copy of the U.S. Navy Chaplains Manual by Chaplain White, together with copies of the Navy Chaplains Bulletin, Chung drew up a leadership man- ual for his own chaplains, compiled a bilingual hymn- book, a catechism, and a character guidance manual, '3 Navy Chaplains Bulletin CFall, 19545, D. J. Silver, Chaplain Chungis Corps, p. 13. Also A. M. Oliver, Of One Blood All Nationsf, ibid. CSpring-Summer, 19521, p. 12. and began publishing a monthly bulletin. After a while he was able to put chaplains aboard Korean vessels. Chaplain Frederick W. Brink, when serving at Fleet Activities, Sasebo, wrote the Chaplains Division that he had assisted ROK Chaplain S. F. Shin in the baptism of 21 officers and' men from the crew of ROK ship TAEDONG, all previously Buddhists. The sacrament was administered in the Fleet Activities Chapel. Supplies had been begged, borrowed, or scrounged from the beginning. Chaplain White helped when he could, and later, in 1952, Chaplain Harry F. Fenstermacher, lst 90-mm Gun Battalion, FMF Pacific, aided Chung 14 in regularizing the receipt of supplies through the Korean Base Section fArmyj. He managed to submit to the U.S. Naval Korean Military Advisory Liaison Group what one of their officers estimated as one of every three requests for supplies we received V' One of Chaplain Chung's most ambitious projects was the operation of a Navy-Marine Wounded Soldiers Vocational Training School, near the naval base at Chin Hai. The closest Korea comes to the Veterans Administration, one chaplain described it. Under the direction of Chaplain Park Bun, 200 disabled veterans every 6 months were being given vocational therapy and training in such fields as auto mechanics, farming, watchmaking, and even photography. On Solid Ground In 1954 Chaplain Chung, by then promoted to the rank of commander, visited the Chaplains Division in Washington. His dream was becoming an impressive reality. By then his Corps numbered 30 and he had established some 40 Navy and Marine Chapels. In 1953 the first Roman Catholic chaplain was commis- sioned and by 1954 there were four. QKorean Protes- tants are reported to outnumber Roman Catholics by more than 10 to 1.5 There was even a chaplains school, meeting in Chung's office-which will remind old hands of the beginnings of our own training pro- gram. The conduet of common worship held priority with Chungis padres, and counseling next, but there was no charitable cause or work of mercy in which they had not found a way to involve themselves. Described by his friends as a forceful man, Chaplain Chung was not to be satisfied until his work of building was set on a firm foundation. Publicly honored by the ROK Chief of Naval Operations and by the Minister H cp. p. 192. -107-

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October Peck again commented on conditions in the frontlines: The approach of winter is the main concern here. The men and officers, including the chaplains, in the infantry regiments are having an increasingly difficult time. The stable lines mean less moving around and in cold weather that means long cold hours in the night and dreary days in the unheated bunkers. Keeping warm is diiiicult and posi- tions must be kept. The 1st and 7th Regiments are on the line now. A week later, he wrote: Chaplain Brooks is in a forward battalion whose position requires his living in an earthen bunker and since it is high in the hills, he has had an uncomfortable time of it, but is in good spirits, has no complaints and says he is getting along fine. On 10 November two more chaplains reported in: Melvin E. Torstrick and Arnold P. Spohn, making a total of 30, but orders were expected for 6 then on board, 5 of whom were detached by 21 November. On 14 November the 5th Marines relieved the 1st Marines in the front line and Chaplain Rulernan found himself occupying the earthen bunker formerly used by Chaplain Brooks. Back at the. Headquarters Battalion, Chaplain Peck succeeded in winterizing the chapel by securing two stoves. Squad tents were secured to use as chapels in each of the three battalions in the reserve area with ordinary planking for pews. As usual, the chaplains were adjusting their lives and ministry to render the best possible service under what- ever conditions might prevail. Following the Punchbowl engagements the chap- lains were busy, as they and their units prepared for the coming winter, writing letters to the next of kin of service personnel who had become casualties. It has been mentioned earlier that an SOP was estab- lished whereby no unit chaplain would write such letters until he had received from the Division Chap- lain's Ofhce fRearj amplifying information on each casualty, which was secured from the Division Casu- alty Ofiice. In practice, while hopefully the unit chaplain's work was thus simplified, the results were not satisfactory. Peck issued a Memorandum to the Division chaplains on 24 November 1951, pointing out that in many cases letters had been received in units from next of kin in reply to the commanding oHicer's casualty letter before the unit chaplain had been able to secure the necessary infonnation to write his own letter of condolence. Therefore, Peck directed the chaplains to obtain the needed' information directly from the Amplifying Reports furnished his unit com- mand. Where letters of inquiry should be received from next of kin before amplifying information was obtainable, chaplains were to reply, stating simply that the situation f not the deathj was being investi- gated and another letter would follow when further information became available. Talks Resumed While X Corps, including the Marine division, had been moving forward in the east, elements of IX Corps had secured the eastern point of the Iron Triangle.15 Farther west elements of I Corps had established the Jamestown Line along a 40-mile front from the vicin- ity of Kaesong eastward to Chorwon, the Western pivot of the Triangle. Successful offensives during August to October had thus given the UN forces a firm hold on commanding positions all along their front. Perhaps because of this pressure the Communist indicated a willingness to resume negotiations. After preliminary sparring by liaison officers, finally, on 25 October 1951 the chief negotiators resumed their talks, but now in a tiny village, Panmunjom, on the Seoul highway north of the Imjin River. For the fighting man the war went on, though the military picture remained essentially unchanged through the following months. Patrol activity was stepped up on both sides, and occasionally the Com- munists threw a battalion, and once a regiment, at the United Nations line. Guerilla harassment continued, and occasionally Marine. units were ambushedg but nearly as serious as the enemy's opposition was the hardship entailed by the onset of winter. 15 Miller et al., op. cit., p. 117. 109-