United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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manual can ever encompass the intangibles which are most vital in every chaplain's ministry. By Executive Order No. 10179 the President of the United States on 8 November 1950 established the Korean Service medal to commemorate the service of members of the Armed Forces of the United States during operations in the Korean theater, the in- clusive dates were eventually set as 27 June 1950 to 27 July 1954.7 It was awarded for land service in Korea, air service over Korea and service within waters adjacent to Korea, within prescribed bound- aries, or in such other areas as Commander, Naval Forces, Far East, should designate as having directly supported the military effort in Korea. Engagement stars were eventually authorized for ten separate periods, ending with the signing of the armistice agreement at Panmunjom on 27 July 1953. Each of the following rated a battle star on the Korean Service ribbon. K-1 North Korean Aggression, 27 June-2 November 1950. K-2 'Comnidnist China Aggression, 3 November 1950-24 January 1951. K-3 Inchon Landing, 13-17 September 1950. K-4 First United Nations Counteroffensive, 25 January- 21 April 1951. K-5 Communist China Spring Offensive, 22 April-8 July 1951. K-6 United Nations Summer-Fall Offensive, 9 July-27 November 1951. K-7 Second Korean Winter, 28 November 1951-30 April ,1952. K-8 Korean Defense, Summer-Fall, 1952, 1 May-30 November 1952. K-9 Third Korean Winter, 1 December 1952-30 April 1953. K-10 Korea, Summer-Fall 1953, 1 May-27 july 1953. This scheme of periodization will provide the basic outline of the following account of Navy chaplains during the Korean War, with some adjustment. It will be noted that the oflicial code given above num- bers the Inchon landing third and awards a battle 7 U.S. Navy and Marine Corp: Awards Manual. NAV- PERS 15,790g revised 1953 and further revised by current Official Change Memoranda. star only for the 5 days 13-17 September, this short period is therefore chronologically comprehended within the first period, 27 June-2 November 1950. In order to follow the action of the lst Marine Divi- sion more closely, our first chapter will deal mainly with the Pusan Perimeter operation, followed by a second chapter on both the Inchon landing and the Seoul operation, covering the period 13 September-7 October 1950. Chapter 3 will deal mainly with the Chosin Reservoir campaign, which fell within the K-2 dates g the Marines were in their Masan rest camp by Christmas 1950. Beginning with chapter 4 our account will follow precisely the dating of engagements listed in the code. Following the chapter dealing with K-10, chapter 11 will be occupied with chaplains in Korea following the Panmunjom armistice agreement. The 1-year period 27 July 1953-27 July 1954 rates the award of the Ko- rean Service medal, but does not carry with it any en- gagement star. Inevitably the larger share of attention is devoted to chaplains serving with the lst Marine Division and the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. There were others on board the larger ships in Korean waters, as well as circuit riders serving smaller vessels on rotation schedules. On occasion casualties were received as the result of enemy fire from shore, or from mines, the larger number were sustained by Navy and Marine flyers operating from carriers. In addition to other duties, chaplains aboard such ships ministered to the wounded and oliiciated at the last rites paid the dead. Still other padres were attached to various units under Commander Naval Forces, Far East, mostly based in Japan. Those aboard transports carrying troops to and from combat areas, as well as those on hospital ships, found many opportunities to minister to the physical and spiritual welfare of Navy and Ma- rine Corps personnel. F or all these, as also for those chaplains only indi- rectly involved in the Korean War, this present volume of The History ofthe Chaplains Corps, U.S. Navy may serve as a memorial to their devotion to the service of God and man. 535332 0-60--2 - 3 -

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CHAPTER 1 NORTH KOREAN AGGRESSION 27 June-2 November 1950 The forces of the Republic of Korea Qfrequently referred to as ROKQ proved unable to stem the offen- sive of the better-trained and better-equipped troops from the North. General MacArthur drew upon all available men from the occupation forces located in Japan and elsewhere? Three U.S. Army divisions K24-th, 25th, and lst Cavalryj, then on a peace-time basis, psychologically and physically unprepared for actual combat, were grouped as the 8th Army under Lt. Gen. Walton H. Walker and hurriedly sent to Korea. Even such reinforcements were unable to stern the steady southward advance of the North Ko- rean soldiers who, indoctrinated with a fanatical zeal, pressed onward confident that complete victory was within their immediate grasp. By late July four bat- tered ROK divisions and the three U.S. Army divisions had been driven back to within some fifty miles of the ,vital supply port of Pusan. The rim of defense around lthe last remaining free area of the Republic of Korea, labout 120 miles long, was called the Pusan Perimeter. Into this critical situation General MacArthur was throwing every possible reinforcement in order to keep a toe-hold in Korea for future retaliatory action. The Pusan Perimeter On 2 August the ground forces of the lst Marine Provisional Brigade landed at Pusan? With the ex- ception of a small Marine legation guard at Seoul, it constituted the 1st Marine land force to fight in the Korean War. Four chaplains were attached to the ground units-Orlando Ingvoldstad, Jr., and William G. Tennant QProtestantsj and Otto E. Sporrer and Bernard L. Hickey fRoman Catholicsj. Writing 1 Montross and Canzona, op. cit., vol. I, ch. III Kesp. pp. 435.5 and ch. IV fesp. pp. 68ff.l See also: Cagle and Manson, op. cit., ch. 2. Karig et al., op. sit., chs. 6-13. A preliminary Army account of the first 6 months of the Korean War is entitled Korea, 1950 fDepart- ment of the Army: Office of the Chief of Military History, 19525. Ch. II deals with the first frantic efforts to stem the Red advance. 2 Montross and Canzona, op. cit., vol. I, ch. V. aboard the transport on 2 August, just before the Ma- rines disembarked at Pusan, Chaplain Sporrer com- mented on his work in a letter to Chaplain Daniel F. Meehan, Assistant Director of the Chaplains Division. We had great numbers every day at Mass and confessions every night. The morale is wonderful and if ever the Marines did a job we will do it. I am 'very proud and happy to be with them. I will never cease to thank you for this duty. Please don't separate me from these men until you absolutely have to, and then let me stay with the Marines until this war is over. On 7 August the Marines went into action in defense of Hill 342, southwest of Masan, the first casualties were received and Navy chaplains were once again under fire. At this time the chaplains were assigned as follows: Chaplain Hickey, 3d Battalion, 5th Ma- rines, Chaplain Sporrer fartilleryj , lst Battalion, 11th Marines, Chaplain Tennant, BU Medical Company, at Masang and Chaplain Ingvoldstad, Rear Echelon, at Pusan. Hickey and Sporrer covered the forward aid stations, Tennant the evacuation center and the cemetery at Masan, and Ingvoldstad the Army evacu- ation hospital at Pusan through which all patients passed on their way to hospitals in Japan. This engagement in the Chindong-ni-Kosong-Changchon area lasted 7-13 August? Chaplain Ingvoldstad of- fers many valuable comments on this period based upon his personal experience. First Naktong On 17 August, having been regrouped at Miryang, well within the Perimeter, the Marines were again committed to action, assaulting Obong-ni Ridge, in what became known as the First Battle of the Nak- tong QRiverj.4 During this day Chaplains Ingvold- albid., chs. VI-VIII. For a journalistic, but useful account of the early Pusan Perimeter battles, see Geer, op. cit., chs. II and following. Also Korea, 1950 QDepartment of the Armyj, ch. III. 4 Montross and Canzona, op. cit., vol. I, chs. IX, X. -5-.