United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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Robinson held services in the hangar deck or forward elevator when troops were embarked and in the ready room or compartment formerly housing catapult machinery when traveling without troops. Chaplain Handran found an amazing response to daily services on transports. In addition to daily Mass, he arranged a service for Protestants composed of Bible reading, prayers, and hymns, usually con- ducted by a lay leader. All were well attended, though, he added, It may be they had no place else to go. Chaplain Holmes reported a daily weekday attendance at Protestant services between 250 and 300 men. On a single voyage into Korean waters, as many at 600 copies of the complete Bible would be distributed to men requesting it. Chaplain Sydnor reported that in addition to their contribution to the March of Dimes, sailors in the GENERAL WILLIAM MITCHELL pledged S900 to help a young lady, Miss Bunting, in California at- tend commercial art school. Miss Bunting who was stricken 5 years before with polio was a guest of the ship in port, and was presented to the captain and taken for a tour of the vessel. MSTS chaplains, under the leadership of Staff Chaplain Thompson, cooperated with the annual American Red Cross campaign. The first ship mak- ing its contribution in 1952 was the GENERAL E. D. PATRICK, where Paul F. Erickson was chaplain. Chaplain Thompson reported to the Chaplains Divi- sion that in 1951 MSTS ships in the Pacific area had contributed 847,671 to various charities. Panmunjom Talks Meanwhile, during the entire 5 months of the 7th Korean Campaign, full-scale talks had continued at Panmunjom. Resumed on 25 October 1951, a month had been consumed in debate over the position of a buffer zone and the related question whether the cease-fire should be put into operation immediately after agreement on that, or only after agreement had been reached on all other items of the agenda. The United Nations delegations insisted on the latter course lest a premature truce allow a Communist buildup while the talks continued. Finally on 27 November Q the date later designated as the end of the 6th Korean Campaignj agreement was reached on the establishment of the demilitarized zone: each side should withdraw 2 kilometers from the present point of contact if an armistice should be signed within 30 days, or from whatever lines should be held at the time an armistice should be agreed upon. The 27 November line started along the Sachon River on the west and ran north and east 1 through the Iron Triangle, thence to a point about as far north as the apex of the Triangle, from there the line dipped southward, though still above the Punch- bowl, and afterwards turned north and ran out to the sea at Kosong. The United Nations thus held posi- tions north of the Parallel everywhere except in the extreme west, where the truce line dipped slightly below it. On 30 November the delegates began discussion of the composition and functions of a Supervisory Commission and matters pertaining to military stance after an armistice should be reached: troop rotations, replacement of equipment, and rehabilitation of air- fields. With no agreement having been reached on these matters, on 11 December the negotiators began concurrent discussions of the prisoner of war issue. On the 18th POW lists were exchanged. UN pro- posals for Red Cross teams to investigate POW camps were spurned by the Communists. Talk ranged over such questions as whether the prisoners should be exchanged one for one' or all for all. It was agreed to screen the prisoners in order to separate bonafide civilians from combatants. The most serious stumbling-block concerned the disposition of prisoners who did not want to be repatriated. In April 1952 the UN Command began a screen- ing of the North Korean and Chinese prisoners it held to determine their wishes, of the approximately 121,000 in UN camps, approximately 38,000 indi- cated their desire not to return? On 28 April the UN delegation offered the Communists a package deal on the three main disputed issues: They would not be party to forcible repatriation g they would concede the buildup of damaged airfieldsg and they would accept Poland and Czechoslovakia as member: of a Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission, but noi Russia, and asked the Communists to accept Sweder and Switzerland. Thus far had the talks come wher the period here under review came to an end. Change of Scene The 7th Korean Campaign drew to a close witl the end of April 1952. The battleground had be- come a narrow band across the peninsula, boundec by the main defensive lines of the UN forces on the south and of the Communist forces on the north Both opposing armies were capable of offensive opera- tions but remained for the most part in static defense 'Britannica Book of the Year, 1953, article, Korea: War. 132-

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chaplain for COMNAVFE, attached to Fleet Activities, Yokosuka. Atsugi Chapel On the air station, which the Navy had taken over from the Air Force in 1951, stood a large building, formerly a Japanese gymnasium and then used by the Air Force partly for storage, partly for religious pur- poses. During World War II Japanese pilots had used it for practicing Kendo, an ancient game of tilting involving the use of heavy staves. Included in the building were a banquet hall and a small Shinto Elhrine. Before Kamikaze pilots would leave on a ission, they were feasted and decorated and then participated in a Shinto ritual before the shrine. Chaplain C. L. Sullenberger, when assigned to the aval Air Station, had been instrumental in securing he use of the entire buil-ding for religious purposes. lln the years following, during the tours of Chaplains Orlando Ingvoldstad and D. M. Humphrey, this Jap- nese building would become the nucleus of a well- lanned, expanded religious center for American ersonnel. PhibPac A In the Amphibious Force, Pacific, Chaplain Earl R. Brewster had replaced W. Kuhn as Force Chaplain. A roster dated March 1952 shows that Alvin O. Col- lins had reported to the staH' of Transport Division 15. Chaplains E. A. Day, W. J. Kokoszka, and F. A. Ruder were now listed on the staffs of TransDiv 14, TransDiv 12, and TransDiv 13, respectively, rather than as attached to individual ships as formerly. Chaplain Jacob R. Thomas was ordered to relieve R. T. Noland at Naval Beach Group ONE, after nearly a year of duty with ComServPac as the Fleet's free- wheeling circuit rider. The amphibious command ship ELDORADO had returned stateside in September 1951, her place taken by the ESTES, whose chaplain was William R. Petre. MT. MCKINLEY, which had been relieved in June 1951, returned to Korean service in March 1952 as flagship of Rear Adm. F. X. McInerney, Commander Navy Amphibious Forces in the Far East. Her chap- lain was Thomas M. Gibson. MSTS Chaplain George W. Thompson, Staff Chaplain, Military Sea Transportation Service, Pacific Area, submitted on 15 April 1952 the following list of chap- lains serving in MSTS ships. l, Peter .....,....... REF ...... . . . . . . GEN G. M. RANDALL runs, Bruno ....,.,... REF .......,..,. THOMAS JEFFERSON hildress, Elmer H., Jr .... ..,. B AP QSD .... ........, . . GEN. N. M. WALKER ohrmann, Leonard B ..... .... E VAN SL REF .....,... . . GEN. C. BRECKENRIDGE rickson, Paul F ......,. . . . EVAN MISS CONV ..... . . GEN. E. D. PATRICK andran, Ralph E .....,., . . . RC ...,......,,....... . . GEN. A. E. ANDERSON rlemphill, Edward J., Jr ,.... , . . METH .,............ . . GEN. H. W. BUTNER 'Iolmes, Norman B ........ . . . CHRI SCIENCE ..... . . GEN. WM. WEIGEL .rwin, Paul I ............. ,... M ETH ............ . . GEN. JOHN J. POPE Carnasiewicz, Charles F ..... .... R C ............, . . GEN. WM. BLACK iennedy, Deane W ....... . . , METI-I ...... . . GEN. W. A. MANN v1cCarthy, Eugene W ..... . . , RC ......... .... W INDHAM BAY vIoran, John L., Jr ..... BAP CSD ..... GEN. E. T. COLLINS vlforton, Frank R ..... LUTH .... CAPE ESPERANCE Jolan, William F ..... '0tter, Paul K ......,. lobinson, Charles B .,.. linger, Wilson H ....., rtowater, Seattle A .,... fydnor, Charles E ..... ferhune, Cornelius A. . fulley, Edward M ..,., Vartes, Arthur J ....., Vatts, John E., Ir. . . . Vheeler, Wendell C .... RC ...,.....,. METH ..,....... PRESBY CUSAJ .... METH .,....,,.. UNIT ...,.,.. BAP my ....,,.. PRESBY CUSAD .... RC ............... PRESBY CUSAD ..,. PRESBY qusp ,.... CONG ...,. ..... GEN. A. W. BREWSTER GEN. W. H. GORDON SITKOH BAY GEN. M. C. MEIGS DAVID C. SHANKS GEN. WM. MITCHELL GEN. D. I. SULTAN GEN. W. F. HASE PRESIDENT JACKSON FRED C. AINSWORTH GEN. C. G. MORTON Chaplains Thomas P. Dunleavy and George J. CAPE ESPERANCE, and SITKOH BAY were nyedi had been recently detached. Five ships had escort carriers used to ferry planes and personnel to t the time no chaplain. The WINDHAM BAY, the war theater. Aboard SITKOH BAY Chaplain 535332 o-6oL10 - 131 -

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positions. ' Actual fighting occurred more often than not between combat outposts and opposing probing patrols. In the east the lines lay well north of the 38th Parallel, slanting up and down steep hills divided by valleys wide enough only for a little stream or some- times a narrow, twisting road connecting one tiny inhabited area with the next, usually a considerable distance away. This area, which would always be associated in their minds with the craterlike Punch- bowl, Marines of the lst Division had now left behind, doubtless without regret. After 600 trucks had shut- tled back and forth transferring some 6,000 loads of gear a distance of 180 miles, the Division dug in as MR. A. Gugeler led.j, Combat Operations in Korea Cwashington, 19540, pp. 24-3f. Miller, op. cit., p. 210. the western anchor of the 8th Army front.u Now under operational control of I Army Corps, its mission was to block the way to Seoul should the Communists attempt a new invasion of the South. Both the Di- vision and the lst Marine Aircraft Wing were now in new locations, their individual units often widely scattered. From the latter part of March 1952 the scene of the operations with which our account is chiefly concerned shifted to the western side of the Korean peninsula. Division Chaplain Slattery wrote to the Chief of Chaplains on 21 April: Spring is upon us, thanks be to God the Commies are not. Blossoms are on the hillsides. Dust is thick on our hides but our hearts are highf, Lynn Montross, Cavalry of the Sky, p. 180. -133-