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Chosin Reservoir

Dustinb80

Dustinb80

#FACKCANCER
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S.W. Ohio
Ive seen it discussed in here somewhere, but couldn't find it. The other night I recorded and watched a 2 hour special on the Chosin Reservoir in Korea in 1950. Being a Combat Vet myself, it hit me hard. Not ashamed to admit that by the end I had a tear in my eye. The shit those men went through is amazing. I decided then and there that if I were to ever run into a guy who served there at a bar, they would never have to buy a beer again. 15,000 men were there, 3,000 killed, 6,000 wounded and 12,000 suffered some type of frostbite. At one point it was 40 degrees below zero. I couldn't imagine breathing in that temperature, let alone having to fight a war. Once I got done, I decided that my 16yo Step Son needed to watch it. He needs to learn about respect for his elders, let alone all Veterans. Ive always tried to teach him that no matter where he is, he is to shake hands with a man when he meets them, and to show them respect b/c he has no idea what they have been through. Im hoping he learned something last night. I hope that he learned that he has to earn and fight for what he wants, nothing is free, nothing is going to be given to him. Want to say thank you to all my fellow veterans, past and present that have served this awesome country.

Dustin
 
M

MK111

"Happy Hunting Grounds in the Sky"
Supporting Member
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SW Ohio
I watched that show too. Those poor guys went through hell.
I know a guy that was there and he lives in Fairfield. But he won't talk about it and he only mentioned one time when I mentioned it at one of our Credit Union Board meeting. He only said 'I walked out of there with those guys'. End of story. He's a little guy and probably goes 140 lbs. now and I'm sure he was smaller then.
I have a friend that was a machine gunner and I've told that story before of his flashback.
My SIL dad was in the southern part of Korea and never made it up North.
There's less and less of them each year.
 
Quantum673

Quantum673

Black Hat Cajun
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5,925
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In the Neighborhood
When I was in we did a joint training exercise in S. Korea. We were in the field for 10-14 days can't remember exactly. I remember it would rain all day then the temps would plunge at night. Several mornings I would wake up have to unzip my sleeping bag climb out then rip my sleeping bag off the ground. It would be frozen to the ground. Went to make coffee one morning and the heat tab burned out. Went to my pack to get another one and came back to layer of ice in my coffee can. We sat around at night and talked a lot about what those at the Frozen Chosin went through. We couldn't begin to understand how rough they had it.
Our little taste of Korea was a training exercise theirs was at war. It will always stick with me. They have my utmost respect.
Thank you to all that have served both in peacetime and in war.
 
brock ratcliff

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
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There was a marine that worked the guard shack at RL for a time when I worked there. Crusty ol rascal, lots of fun to talk with. He was there. During the winter our casual "at the gate" conversation was always about the weather, of course, and he would always say, "It ain't as cold as Korea". He'd cuss a little and head back in the shack. One day he told me he'd see me later and moved to AZ. He came back after a year or so 'cause AZ was full of "old people". :)
 
"J"

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
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North Carolina
I almost feel ashamed when I have a former WWII Korea or Vietnam vet thank me for my service.... I have the utmost respect for those guys.... They all went thru much more then I....
 
Jackalope

Jackalope

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Quantum673 said:
When I was in we did a joint training exercise in S. Korea. We were in the field for 10-14 days can't remember exactly. I remember it would rain all day then the temps would plunge at night. Several mornings I would wake up have to unzip my sleeping bag climb out then rip my sleeping bag off the ground. It would be frozen to the ground. Went to make coffee one morning and the heat tab burned out. Went to my pack to get another one and came back to layer of ice in my coffee can. We sat around at night and talked a lot about what those at the Frozen Chosin went through. We couldn't begin to understand how rough they had it.
Our little taste of Korea was a training exercise theirs was at war. It will always stick with me. They have my utmost respect.
Thank you to all that have served both in peacetime and in war.
Click to expand...

The coldest I've ever been in my life was on top a mountain in South Korea during military exercises. Even colder than when I spent 15 minutes in a 37 degree lake. That was cold but it was only 37 degree cold. Twice in my life I've spent time in -30 degree weather neither time was as cold as I've been in Korea. There's something about that cold that just goes to your bones. Even with a teddy bear suit and Micky mouse boots, full ECW gear it's just frigidly cold. Those guys that were at Chosin, my grandfather being one of them have my utmost respect. They were woefully under outfitted with clothes and gear and severely outnumbered by the Chinese. The hell they had to endure to fight their way out of that ambush is unreal. And I was just huddled in a foxhole. The one that gets me the most is they didn't have enough vehicles to carry out the dead so they tied them to tanks, field artillery pieces or anything else they could. They had bodies laid over the barrels of artillery and tied down like you would carry a dead man on a horse. All the while fighting their way back to the coast. The wounded walked out to make room for the dead.
 
finelyshedded

finelyshedded

You know what!!!
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Damn! It really makes you stop and think about just how blessed and lucky we've got it in this country! So many bled,suffered and died fighting for our freedom over the course of this nations history.

Thanks to all who served and are still serving for our country!
 
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angelzd28

angelzd28

Junior Member
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Tuscarawas County
Yes, what they went through is more than any of us could even imagine! As a survival guy in the Air Force I did artic survival training in Alaska. We spent a week on some mountain near Fairbanks in Feb. It was cold, like 40 below cold, but not war time and not for the amount of time those guys spent there. I have the utmost respect for all that served before me.
 
COB-TY

COB-TY

Retired to the happy hunting grounds above.
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Ohio
I have read several very good box on Chosin being "Frozen Chosin", "Chosin", "The Last Stand of Fox Company"', "Hell in a Cold Place" and "Colder Than Hell". All great reads!
 
Jackalope

Jackalope

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COB-TY said:
I have read several very good box on Chosin being "Frozen Chosin", "Chosin", "The Last Stand of Fox Company"', "Hell in a Cold Place" and "Colder Than Hell". All great reads!
Click to expand...

The best book I've ever read on the Koren war was by Donald Knox. "Pusan to Chosin, an oral history of the Korean War." The book went day by day and was a collection of letters home journals, log entries, reports from the field, interviews etc. Lots of stories from the people that were there and most of them written while they were there. You could read about events and stories all over the war on the same day or week in a first person perspective. The most interesting was the reports from the field and then reading a letter home. The two being vastly different accounts so as not to worry family back home.
 
"J"

"J"

Git Off My Lawn
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A little off topic, but just watched a video of a WWII Vet Sniper who was back at the Army Sniper outfit who honored him and his accomplishments..... Take a few minutes too watch it and see how thankful he was.... It will choke you up that's for sure...... Truly one of the greatest generation......

[video]http://www.rtba.co/86-year-old-veteran-sniper-made-everyone-speechless-see-happened/[/video]
 
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