United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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the dates 15 September-11 October 1950, and a Ko- rean Presidential Unit Citation for the period 15-27 September 1950. On 8 October a Memorial Service was conducted at the cemetery established by the 1st Marine Di- vision at Inchon, in honor of the United Nations per- sonnel who lay buried there. Some 3,000 Marines from the Division and the lst Marine Aircraft Wing were present. Chaplains representing the three ma- jor faiths-Protestant, Roman Catholic and Jewish- took part, with Maj. Gen. Edward M. Almond, USA, as the main speaker. Chaplain Casualties Three chaplains-Ingvoldstad, Tennant, and Bon- ner-were wounded in the Inchon-Seoul operation. Chaplain Ingvoldstad was slightly wounded in his right arm by shrapnel from an exploding missile which killed two men and wounded eight others. He received treatment at the 5th Marines Aid Station and was able to maintain an uninterrupted duty status. Chaplain William G. Tennant, also in the 5th Ma- rines, was wounded by mortar Hre on 22 September while in the act of aiding wounded personnel. Writ- ing on 27 September from a Naval hospital base in Japan to Chief of Chaplains, S. W. Salisbury, Chap- lain James E. Reaves gave the following account of the incident: You may have gotten word that Chaplain Tennant has been wounded. Last Friday afternoon he tangled with a 120-mm. mortar shell. He will have to have an operation on his left arm for the removal of fragments and possibly some repair work, but so far we have no word as to how long a con- valescence period he will have. He lost- a great deal of blood from a facial wound but is doing very nicely. His men tell me that he did a magnificent job there on the front at Seoul. A sergeant by the name of O'Sullivan told me that Tennant was up with a man who had been badly hit when he fthe sergeantj began yelling for him to get down and crawl back to where he was dug in. He said Tennant ignored him and continued to help the man who was down. About that time one shell fell and got Tennant and the next got the ser- geant. At that time his outfit had 29 wounded and 7 killed outright. Every officer and man I've talked with has praised Tennant to the skies. Chaplain Tennant was air-evacuated the following day to Fukuoka, Japan. His wounds required treat- ment in a hospital for about a month. Chaplain Law- rence R. Phillips was transferred on 23 September from the 1st Combat Service Group to the 5th Ma- rines as Tennant's relief. For heroic achievement during operations against the enemy in the Fight for the Pusan Perimeter and in the Inchon Landing, Chaplain Tennant was awarded the Bronze Star. His citation reads in part: Without regard for his own personal safety, he repeatedly exposed himself to the enemy fire to administer solace and spiritual guidance to the wounded and dying. Courageously and with no regard for personal fatigue, he constantly moved among the assault units to assist in the evacuation and care of wounded Marines. Although warned to take cover, he re- mained with the assault unit helping to care for and give spiritual ministration to the wounded Marines until he was wounded by enemy mortar fragments and evacuated. His actions throughout this period were an inspiration to all members of the regiment. The third chaplain to be wounded in the Inchon- Seoul campaign was Robert L. Bonner. On 27 Sep- tember Bonner was riding in a jeep near Seoul when it ran over a land mine. The resulting explosion in- flicted second and third degree burns on his face and lacerations on his wrists, and impaired his hearing. Within 3 hours he was received at the Division Hos- pital and the same day air-evacuated to Fukuoka. Chaplain Bonner later received the Silver Star medal for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy while serving as a chaplain with a Marine artillery regiment in Korea from 15 September to 27 September 1950. The following quotation from the citation gives additional information about the incident: Lieutenant Bonner, though not required to do so, regularly visited elements of his regiment attached to front line units, courageously exposing himself to enemy small arms and mor- tar fire in order to encourage and minister to the men. While returning to his regiment after one visit he was seriously wounded when the vehicle in which he was riding struck a land mine. With the vehicle in flames, he risked his life to remove three wounded comrades. Despite his own severe burns and painful wounds he then walked more than half a mile to a battalion aid station to obtain medical assistance for his comrades. Only then would he consent to treatment for his own wounds. His courageous conduct and disregard for personal safety combined with his constant concern for the officers and men in his spiritual keeping were an inspiration to all who served with him. Combat Ministry Some 3 weeks following the landing at Inchon on 15 September were spent in combat. The chaplains found it necessary to adapt their ministry to the exist- ing circumstancesf For the most part, large gather- ings of men for religious services could not be held. Chaplain Ingvoldstad mentioned, in his answer to the Chaplains Division questionnaire, holding as many as seven religious services in one day for small and sep- 7 See Chaplain O. Ingvoldstad's report of chaplain activities in one regiment, from 30 August to 7 October 1950, app. B125 of this present volume. 535332 0-so--3 '- 19 -

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On to Inchon. Marines and sailors embarked and on the way to Inchon for the invasion take time out to attend divine services led by Chaplain Hickey. 13 September 1950. Inchon Harbor. This photograph was taken a few days after the invasion. 19 September 1950. The area pictured is west of Wolmi-Do Island. 5, I ........a units pressed forward towards the Han River.5 Seoul, the capital, built around the base of tree-covered South Mountain, was enveloped from two directions by Army, Marine, and ROK Marine troops of X Corps. Supported by artillery and close air support, the operation at first met light resistance. It was even thought possible the city might be spared heavy de- struction. But the North Koreans were determined, and it was only after intensive street fighting during 25-28 September, advancing yard by yard, even foot by foot, that the city was at last secured. According to Marine Corps records, total casualties in the Inchon-Seoul operation included 415 killed in action or dead from wounds, 6 missing, and 2,029 wounded.6 About two-thirds of these were sustained in the hill battles on the outskirts of Seoul and in the bitter house-to-house and barricade-to-barricade street Hghting which took place within the capital city. According to oHicial records, the enemy's esti- mated casualties numbered 13,666 plus 6,492 prisoners. Throughout the Korean War, the number of casual- ties inflicted on North Korean and Chinese Commu- nist forces would be many times greater than that sustained by the United Nations forces. The Inchon amphibious assault was rated a sep- arate engagement, and service during the period 13-17 September rated an individual battle star on the Ko- rean Service ribbon. For its action in the Inchon- Seoul operation, the lst Marine Division freinforcedj was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation covering 5Montross and Canzona, op. sit., vol. II, chs. VIII and following. XIII details the fight for Seoul and the final chapter CXIVQ, the remaining Marine efforts around Seoul before being relieved by Army units on 7 October. dlbid., appendix J, p. 333. -13.-

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Memorial Services, Inehon. Chaplain Otto Sporrer offers the requiem prayers First Marine Division holds memorial services for its fallen heroes at Inchon. Conducting services are chaplains rep- resenting the various faiths. These shown are Cfrorn left to rightl Chaplains John Craven, Orlando Ingvoldstad, Jr., Glyn Jones, Garson Goodman, Bernard L. Hickey, and the Division Chaplain, R. M. Schwyhart. Chaplain Glyn Jones reads the service. .Q -U Chaplain Robert M. Schwyhart, USN gives the closing prayer.