United States Navy Chaplain Corps - Yearbook

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events of the preceding Thanksgiving Day: Chaplain Ingvoldstad, Regimental Chaplain, 5th Marines, joined in a service with the local Presbyterian pastor at Hagaru-ri who gave thanks for the liberation of his Korean people from the hands of the Communists who had so long prevented their worship. Unfor- tunately for the Korean Christians, the later with- drawal of the forces of the United Nations left them at the mercy of the Communists who were ruthless in wreaking vengeance. This accounted in part for the waves of refugees who surged southward by every possible means to get to safety behind the anti-Com- munist lines. Thanksgiving Day, 1950, was celebrated by the Ma- rines of the lst Division with special attention being given to the religious significance of the day. Chap- lain Schwyhart sent out a memorandum to all chap- lains of the Division suggesting that each hold as many services as possible. This was done. Chaplain How- ard H. Groover, lst Service Battalion, held two out-of- door services that day, Chaplain Patrick A. Killeen, lst Signal Battalion, conducted two Catholic Masses, both largely attended, and by arrangements with the mess officer, each chaplain said a blessing at the chow- linef' On 25 November the Marines continued their north- ward march toward the Yalu River by taking the road which led from Hagaru-ri in a northwesterly direction over the 4,700-foot Toktong Pass to Yudam-ni 14 miles away. Here was another twisting, narrow road that had to be traversed. Some 15,000 Marines were now at the Reservoir ready to join a part of the Army which was advancing north by a more westerly route. But the union of the Marines with the Army never occurred. Crisis at Yudam-ni Yudam-ni marked the most northern advance of the Marines in Koreaf On the night of 27-28 November bugle-blowing, screaming Communists began to attack at Yudam-ni and it was soon apparent that they were present in overwhelming numbers. Shortly after- wards enemy forces, deployed along the thin supply line which connected the advance body of Marines with its base at Hamhung, began to cut the motor sup- ply route in several places. The temperature was dip- ping to subzero readings during the nights. Little wonder that many were nearing the edge of nervous exhaustion: not far enough gone in battle fatigue to 'Ibid., chs. VIII-XI. For a brief sketch of activities of other UN forces during this critical period, see Korea, 1950 fDepartment of the Armyj , ch. V, pp. 227-229. warrant hospitalization, but giving clear signs of bone- weariness: wan face, trembling hands. Shook, they would say of such a one, Hhe is shook. Dietary de- ficiencies were beginning to appear because of the lack of hot food, and many of the Marines were suffering from diarrhea. Weapons often froze to such a degree they were rendered unserviceable. Chaplain Craven later described some of the diffi- culties faced regarding the care of the wounded: Taking care of the wounded during this period also pre- sented problems to stagger the imagination. During the First 2 days of heavy fighting at Yudam-ni, we suffered sc many casualties that we ran out of tents in which to place them. I had a working party gather hay from the scattered stacks and spread it out on the courtyard of a native house We placed the wounded foot to foot on the straw and covered them with a large tarpaulin .... This arrangement helped to conserve on our tentage and also facilitated our ministry to the wounded. During these days, under ever-increasing pressure from the enemy, the doctors and the chaplains had little or no time for sleep? Chaplain Craven, for in- stance, who was working with the regimental surgeon stated that he went without sleep for 3 days. Once he was sent to an empty tent to rest and had hardly stretched out when another consignment of woundec arrived who were put in the same tent. Of course there was no opportunity then for sleep when the wounded needed help so desperately. On 30 November the order was given to the Marinee at Yudam-ni to withdraw. By that time there were 600 wounded men, many of whom were ambulance cases. Transportation was a problem. The more serious cases were given priority in all available am bulances and trucks. The need for fighting men wa so urgent that the walking wounded were given guns just before leaving Yudam-ni, Chaplain Craver conducted a brief funeral service for about 80 Marine who had lost their lives in the fighting at that place In his reply to the questionnaire Craven commented f'The problems involved in attempting to bury bodie during the Chosin Reservoir campaign when thi frozen ground was covered with ice and snow anc the temperature about 20 below zero are beyonc words to describe. The following seven chaplains were with th' Marines at Yudam-ni: 5th Marines-O. Ingvoldstad B. L. Hickey, and L. R. Phillips, 7th Marines-J. Craven and C. J. Griffin, and llth Marines-O. Sporrer and B. C. Howland. sMarine Corps Gazette QDecember 1952j. See Lynl Montross, They Make Men Whole Again: The Medica Battalion and Chaplains in Korea. 1 -3g- l

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.,,,-,.,...-ndl i l Church Bell Restored. Something of the damage to the church is indicated in this photograph. Military and civilian committees began work to rebuild the church founded by Canadian missionaries but soon North Korea was taken by Chinese troops. haplain John H. Craven returns the church bell used by the Communists at police headquarters to its rightful own- ers, Christians at Hagaru-ri beside Chosin Reservoir. at the first religious service after 3 years of persecution. The re- cipient is Korean Pastor Lee In Soup. Expressing Gratitude. he Reverend and Mrs. Lee En Suep of the Central Presbyterian Church, Hagaru-ri, thanking Lieutenant Colonel Murray for the liberation Hof our country and our churchf, Participating in the thanksgiving service and pictured with the group is Chaplain Ingvoldstad. 137-

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Interview. Chaplain Craven counsels with a marine at the aid station during the 7th Marines campaign in the reservoir area. Brief Pause. Exhausted marines take advantage of a lull in the continual fighting from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri to catch a moment's rest. an 4-2' N-aj' ...L The Bitter Withdrawal The withdrawal of the Marines from Yudam-ni to Hamhung, which was reached on 11 December, proved to be a most bitter experience? Writing to Chaplain Salisbury on 1 December 1950, Chaplain Schwyhart referred to the precarious situation in which the Ma- rines were then placed. We have many wounded, he wrote, and the road-blocking leading up to Hagaru-ri has made evacuation of the wounded nigh impossible. He closed his letter with the expression of a hope that the situation would improve. The very opposite was the case. Even as he wrote, the Marines formerly at Yudam-ni were lighting their way south- ward over the 4,700-foot Toktong Pass where a Ma- rine company had been completely surrounded by the enemy for 5 days before being rescued. Writing to Salisbury on 15 December, Schwyhart called the withdrawal of the Marines to Hamhung 'ithe toughest and worst experienceu in the whole his- tory of the Marine Corps. He continued: It is not possible to adequately describe or relate the events of the past 17 days: ambushed convoys leaving many men Montross and Canzona, op. cit., vol. III, chs. XII-XV. For details of Navy and Marine air coverage of the redeploy- ment, see Cagle and Manson, op. vit., ch. V, pp. 1695. Korea, 1950 CDepartment of the Armyj sketches in the withdrawal of 8th Army from the northwestg pp. 2295. ngg-