United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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Visitors on the PIEDMONT. Chaplain James F. Heffernan is host to a group from the Sacred Heart Kindergarten, Chinhae, Korea. The children put on a show in Korean dress for the ship's company. Inchon Chaplain Rennie writes that A few days after going ashore at Inchon with the lst Marine Division, through one of the Korean workers, I made COntaCt with a local Methodist Church on the outskirts of town. The church had sustained some bomb damage. The pastor of the church would not accept help but rather offered a choir for the Sunday services at the Division hospitalf Chaplain Wylie R. Bryant tells a story of refugees in this area while he was serving aboard a MSTS vessel. He writes, On a bitter, cold night of early January 1951, the watch oflicer of the USNS MARINE ADDER, anchored in Inchon il-Iarbor, Korea, heard cries for help coming from the sea. The searchlights revealed a 20-foot wooden boat filled with Korean refugees sinking some 100 yards off starboard of the ship. Life boats were immediately launched and the refu- 'Cp.p. 21. gees were brought aboard the ADDER. There were 27 people, 18 of whom were small children. These Koreans had left their home in Seoul to escape the Communist in- vasion, and with the last money they had they had purchased this decrepit boat in an attempt to escape by sea to a refuge in South Korea. Only a few miles from shore the boat began to sink. When we brought them aboard they were sick, hungry, and very frightened. Medical care and food was immedi- ately given to them. The crew and military personnel of the ship gave items of their own personal gear to supplement their clothing. They were bedded down in one of the com- partments for the night, and were transferred on the next morning to a Destroyer of the South Korean Navy which took them to a safe refuge. Somewhat later a MSTS Chaplain, William Trower, Roman Catholic, learned of the Tabitha Home for Widows and Orphans, which included women who had lost their husbands as a result of the warg some had been soldiers but others had been purged by the Communists. They needed a sewing 217-

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lthemj to the Masan Seminary which was forced to leave Seoul. There were about 90 students and 10 teachers and they were attempting to carry on their classes in various homes and churches. In order to realize any shelter from these eight tents, we placed four tents over four in such man- ner that the bullet holes would not be in the same places. Under these the seminary was able to carry on its work for another month until it was moved to a former Japanese Temple. He also tells of the remodeling of the churches men- tioned above but states that the Methodist Church had been destroyed by fire. We gave an offering to either one of the churches, the orphanage, the sem- inary, a kindergarten, or the Korean hospital. He states that his unit, the 1st Amph. Traction Battalion raised 31,396 for these causes. In Chaplain Austinis monthly report of 30 July 1951 of the Chapel Fund it was indicated that the of- ferings were given to the Reverend Kim Chang Ho, president of the local pastorls organization, for dis- tribution among refugees, school children, and orphans. Chaplain Rice adds color to ones view of Korean life by telling of the . . . festival of the eighth moon and the town of Masan- like other towns in Korea-would celebrate the harvest with 3 days of festivity. To us Americans it seemed strange to see this type of Thanksgiving Day. The fields of grain were ready for cut- ting. The stems of high grass weighted with grains of rice waved gently in the paddies. Sorghum stood, with bent tas- sle, like the blossoming corn at home. Children stood guard over every terrace-acting as live scare crows. Here was a harvest yet to be taken. Masan has something to be grateful for. The path of war has not shattered the mud walls of its homes. The guerillas are not active in this area. The military salvage points give the refugees a great deal of work. The people seem ever to be on the go-either to market or home again-but they realize little for all their work. Problems face this harbor town. Sewage and garbage disposal seem to be nonexistent-or perhaps it is that the open sewers were adequate when the town was smaller. . . . To make the festival of the eighth moon a better day-to show that we Marines noticed their sorry plight-a group of Marines decided to do something. We could brighten the day for the most abandoned at least on this festival. Clothing had been sent from the States and By this time we knew fairly well the need of the people. The directors of the homes of old ladies, for orphans, for the refugees, know that the chaplain will listen to their re- quests. By this time we had a list of all the asylums in town. So one fine day off we went. Captain Davis, six Marines and the chaplain headed for the neediest homes.', Under the bridge there lived some 38 women, as many men again, and children. In all about S0 people lived under that bridge. The roof was good, if a little damp: it was a concrete bridge. The floors of the shacks underneath were more scanty: they were drafty, and would let in the flow of water when the stream would rise. The Marines went to each woman and presented her with a bundle of clothing--trying meanwhile to avoid a stampede. Then we went off to the refugee centers. They live in tents. By now the tentage has faded under the sun and has been beaten by the weather. No longer does it keep out the rain. In an area 20 by 20 there will be 8 families housed. We brought the truck in close to a building allowing room for a single lane of persons. When the women came through that lane they could not stampede the Marines. By the time we had given out the bundles a few had caught on to the idea that they could crawl under the truck and beat the line. Next we went down to the beggars' center. Before we reached this place we sent our interpreter ahead to speak to the boss and tell him what would happen. One Marine spotted a dirty old beggar, crouched against a fence. He brought her a bundle. She took it with joy and sorted its contents. Right before our eyes she changed into the clothing. She was very modest about the whole thing. A person in the latest beach tent could not have changed clothing better. One Marine said: I'll never forget that sight till my dying dayf' At the old ladies' home the poor old folks came out to meet us. These little people greet you like grandma on Mother's Day. They will work these pieces of clothing over. At the end this clothing will meet the Korean size and style. We did not hesitate to leave old overcoats and those old kimonos, night gowns and house dresses here. They will all be used. The old ladies once asked for a sewing machine. Now I see why. . Up to the orphan asylums we drove. The collectionsi donated at the Catholic and Protestant services on Sundays had helped these places. In one place the Sunday collection was enough to put in a radiant heating system Cfor S50 the Koreans can install such a system: they merely have a small stove at a very low angle on one end of the house. As the Hue rises, it proceeds diagonally upward under the floor, so that the flue rises at the other end of the house. Meanwhile the heat of the Hue will heat stones under the floor and provide the heat.j As a result of our visits to these orphan homes the children knew us. They put on a little show for us. We left them sweaters and whatever little bit of childrenls clothing we had. The festival was a happier day-for the orphans, house girls, people living under the bridges, beggar centers, refugee In all, some 750 bundles were given out-clothing for an estimated 2,000 people. And the Marines were happy in this task. When asked why his eyes were so red one Marine said: 'Tm allergic to the dust we pick up in the warehouse when we opened those bags: but I love this job.', Most likely these poor people we helped were amongst the people who could not afford to buy a ticket for the arena. That afternoon we saw a thousand people or more peeping over the fence watching the ox fight, a mild Korean custom. centers- and many more. Another city in this area was Chinhae. It was here that the PIEDMONT left gifts of money and clothing according to Chaplain Harold F. Symons. 216-

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machine. The crew of his ship heard of this and four machines were obtained in Japan together with 19 bolts of cloth. Over and above this, materials were brought back for the use of missionaries. Chap- lain Richard Holmes in the ELDORADO spent many months at Inchon during which time he states that a great deal of work was accomplished among the refugees and the orphans. Food, clothing, and toys were supplied to two orphanages in Seoul, two in Inchon, and two in Pusan. In addition assistance was given to a hospital. The hospital ships, REPOSE and HAVEN, brought food, milk, sewing machines, spoons, bowls, etc. Chaplain O'Leary states that the HAVEN brought about 10 tons of supplies in Janu- ary l953 including in addition to the above: medi- cines and bedding. Forty boxes and burlap bags of supplies were brought over in 1954. Surveyed medicines were given to the clinics. A number of ships contributed to the Womanis Police Orphanage. Some of these were the GEORGE CLYMER, CONSOLATION, and the LOS AN- GELES. Letters of appreciation were received from many groups of which the one from this institution is typical, this civil war has made plenty of poor orphans who are lost their parents and warm cradle, they were wandered on the cold street during cold winter night, but now this orphanage fortunately have men like you who are very kind helper in the world especially UN force, We have feeling very thankful day and night fEnglish translation of the Koreanj. In addition Chaplain Black of the CONSOLA- TION speaks of interest in the work of the First Presbyterian Church of Inchon among widows and unwed mothers. A number of the chaplains of the lst Division speak of aiding Inchon orphans. Most of the ships mentioned above and units of the lst Division supported the Star of the Sea Or- phanage and hospital operated by the sisters of St. Paul. Parentless babies were cared for here. Most of the major equipment had been destroyed by the Red troops, but an up-to-date dispensary was able to care for most medical needs. The Catholic institution also cared for many older children. The story of a foundling is interesting. He was found on the dusty, war-torn streets of Inchon. He was temporarily cared for at the dispensary of the Army Service Command headquarters, commonly called '4Ascom City, from there he was transferred to The Star of the Sea where Chaplain Edward O. Riley became interested in the lad. Chaplain Riley of the POINT CRUZ brought the child aboard the CONSOLATION for a physical examination. It was after the examination that the examining doctor told the chaplain he wanted to adopt the child. Arrange- ments were made. The child was brought aboard the chaplain's ship for transportation but was sud- denly transferred to the transport GENERAL GAF- FEY to go to Seattle, much to the consternation of the carrieris personnel. Father Riley was temporarily de- tached from his ship to escort the baby to Seattle. Because the child was nameless he was called George Cruz Anscom. It was also at Inchon that St. Paul's Cathedral, which was badly damaged by the North Koreans when they occupied the city, was redecorated by the volun- tary contributions of money and labor by UN forces. A unique establishment was that of Inchon Sungyuk, on the island of Fushi fFussito, Fusshi-doj. When the Communist invaders entered Inchon they took over the buildings of the Inchon Christian Orphanage, which had been established in 1946 by Holiness Church Missionaries. The children were left to fend for themselves. Kwak Sun Yong, a Holiness mission- ary, picked some of them up, but he was caught be- tween enemy Hre. He finally brought them to the island where he and his wife took on the responsibility of caring for the group which consisted of 34 little boys in addition to his own family. The children learned gardening and fishing, both of which are im- portant vocations on the island. They also were given basic education by their parents The Family,, was found and mentioned aboard ship by a working party of the ST. PAUL which was sent ashore to set up a navigation rnarker. It was nearly an all hands evolutionl' in an attempt to aid the orphanage? Chaplain Faber H. Wickham lists the work done by the ST. PAUL for this group during the winter of 1950-51. Housing facilities were rebuilt, food, cloth- ing, and money were donated. Requests made to U.S. families for help, as in other instances, met with a fine response. The LOS ANGELES, in which Chaplain Organ 'Q was assigned, took over the project I from the ST. PAUL. There was also an assist from the TOLEDO according to Chaplain Vosseler. By this time the number of orphans had risen to 42. 5 See article entitled f'Armcd Forces Care Through CARE,l' U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings. August 1955, vol. 81, No. 8, pp. 897ff. 5 An interesting side note concerning this chaplain is that he repairs watches as a hobby. His repair equipment was so bulky that when the question of his detachment came up, his commanding officer requested that he be retained until the ship came back to the States so that the equipment could more easily be removed from the vessel. This was granted. 7 This ship reports having aided 10 orphanages and hos- pitals in Korea.