United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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! ' ' Visiting Chaplain at Clinic. Ihaplain Bennett, force chaplain, pats a child on the head which is strapped to the back of the mother, as a group of of patients await their turn at the U.S. Marine Memorial Childrenls Clinic, Pohang, which welcomes all Korean babies and children for treatment, Chaplain Bennett vis- ited the clinic during his tour of the lst MAW. ,wa -..,v nr U.S. Marine Orphanage- 1 95 9. Chaplain R. W. Aldrich meets with the superintendent of the orphanage who is holding one of his charges. His name is Chung Jin Yurl. His assistant who is also pictured on the left is Su Tu Po. The plaque reads HMarine Memorial Orphanage, Founded by First Marine Air Wing, USMC . and contains the Marine insignia. In the background one sees a present day picture of what was the first buildings of the orphanage somewhat improved. Voman Although American troops were only in North Korea for a brief time they gave as much aid as they ould to the civilians they found there. In Wonsan as has been noted 'T Chaplain Murphy ff lst MAW reorganized the Catholic group and in .ddition formed the North Korean Catholic Relief Lociety. He arranged for captured grain and beans 0 be rationed daily to the poor of the city. The Fuck Won Monastery which had been razed by the Iommunists was repaired by UN forces. Chaplain Iarr and Chaplain Kenneth W. Carlson, Baptist Gen. Conf. of Americaj , tell of the need of the medi- al facility at Wonsan, speaking of the limited inven- ory consisting of a bottle of pills and a snake bottled n formaldehyde. Both appear to have used a Korean riest and Latin to translate the names and usages of e drugs surveyed by the ships' medical officers and given to the facility. In the winter of 1951-52 the WISCONSIN picked 'T Cp. pp. 34-f. 5315332 0-G04---16 T up a North Korean in Wonsan harbor who had been fired upon when he evidently was attempting to swim to an UN occupied island. He was given blood transfusions and every effort was made to save his life. He died and both chaplains, H. YV. Buckingham and E. Kapalczynski, participated in the committal servicefm Chaplain john H. Shilling, Methodist, in the PHILIPPINE SEA tells of planes taking supplies obtained from the states to Koreans on Wotje Island, in Wonsan Harbor, who were cut off from a normal source of supply by Communists. Chaplain Garson Goodman assisted in the project of helping a Korean YMCA in Hamhung to reestab- lish itself. But, of course, all these activities in North Korea soon again came under Communist control. Kangnung 18 Much has already been written about HOperation Kidlift which brought 139 children, who had come 'II' Cp. pp. 116f. 1' See also pp. 114, 130,158,182 227-

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Ochon Church. Chaplain Richard D. Cleaves stands in the pulpit of the Ochon Church which he helped build with donations from the Marines. With him, on the right, is the Reverend Teun Byung Sik, of Pohang, and on the left is Elder .Ieung Duck Su of the Ochon Church. An interpreter stands on the far side. The church is filled to capacity twice on Sundays. K n it sca J . v,:A.Q...5f WT. ' , wr ,. ' X ig lg St. Michael's Church, A view of the Catholic church to which the lst MAW contributed 34,000 for its erection. D W Weil Eden Cfwmg ISKUTS dre dglll The Wd. dyswelcomed and PU. Mm The Eden of Angels. This city operated orphanage extends helping hand to all orphans. It is supported for the most part by donations from the lst MAW and feeds and Clothes about 150 chil- dren from 3 months to 17 years of age. A Memorial Check. Chaplain Allen Jones gives a check sent by Mrs. O. P, Higgins as a memorial to her son, who was a Marine pilot killed in action in Korea. to a representative of the Agapei Orphanage near Hunghei, Korea. The sonls name was Capt. William Higgins. U.S. Marine Orphanage. An aerial view of the orphanage. The section in the back was the first section. The section on the left was built later. Interestingly, it has a roof made of beer Cans. The land which was purchased for cultivation was to the right of of the photograph. U.S, Marine Orphanage4l959. The institution is still in need of help. Here is a view of the section built during the Korean conflict. -226-

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through the front lines on the east coast from North Korea, by plane to Kangnung. During that winter of 1951-52, 450 19 orphans were cared for in four dif- ferent orphanages. Over 40 tons of clothing were received from the churches in America for the chil- dren. Chaplain Weidler describes K-18 CKang- nungj, where MAG-12 was located, as H. . . the most advanced aviation unit in Korea. The installa- tion here is of a semipermanent naturef' He added, The work with the youngsters has provided an activity for the men, whereby they can convert some of their spare time to a worth-while cause. This work together with the contact with church groups, here at our chapel services, has provided more acceptable contact with Korean civil life than would normally be possible. Among the orphanages at Kangnung there was the Kangnung Columban Fathers Orphanage with which Chaplain Horvath worked devotedly. Photographs show the dedication of a Methodist orphanage in Korea which was founded by Chaplain Weidler with the help of marines stationed nearby. This orphan- age appears to have been in or near Kangnung. Refugee Camps A number of refugee camps were set up in Korea. One of these was at Munsan-ni? Chaplain Billy N. Wolfe describes what he saw, H' Other sources give a smaller figure. 2 Cf. p. 126. I witnessed the heartache of South Korean families being evicted from their houses in the front line area. In No Mans Land I counted 74 orphan children, as our convoy moved along the road ffroml Munsan-ni to Panmunjom. They held out their hands begging for food, many of our G,I.'s tossed candy and C-rations to them and they lined the road each day looking for and expectingthe food. Chaplains Harnmerl, Rice, Nordby, Brown, and Stretch distributed relief items to refugee camps. The KEARSARGE contributed 1,200 pounds of clothing for children abandoned at the front. Chaplain Mc- Dowell tells of sending trucks for children from the refugee village for a Christmas party and when they did not return he went to the village for the children himself. His unit ended up with twice as many children as planned. Many other units had Christ- mas parties. Chaplain Rains tells of one for 2,000 refugees which must have been one of the largest. Perhapsthe biggest project in Christmas parties was that of Chaplain Bakker who was cited for conduct- ing Christmas parties for . . . 2,800 needy Korean children . . .H One of the great projects in relief occurred during the winter of 1952-53 when the 1st Engineer Bat- talion adopted Pafu, a refugee village of 1,500 people. Chaplain Ernst affirms that an offering was taken in order to buy food on the native market. Once a week men of the battalion visited the village and A Baby Doll. Chaplain R. N. Stretch of the 11th Marines gives a doll to a Korean girl at Munsani Refugee Camp. Distribution. Aside from clothing and food there was also candy for the children. Here Chaplain Leo F. Rice is seen handing a Korean boy a bar of chocolate. 228 -