Voices from the Korean War - Douglas Rice [161]
During my first tour, I was a Radar Intercept Officer and all missions were flown at night—north of the bomb line. We tried to avoid the area around Pyongyang, with its heavy anti-aircraft guns. I was a Rocket Navigator, during my second tour, with the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron based at Yokota, Japan. All missions were flown at night with leaflet drops, at many points, over North Korea.
My first tour was with the 68th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. This outfit shot down the first two enemy aircraft of the war, on June 27, 1950.
* * * * * *
A “scramble” is a call for a fast take-off to intercept a bogey. Lt. George Aubill and I used to try to get airborne in ninety seconds, from the call to “wheels up” on take-off. We did this consistently in both training flights, and hot “scrambles” in Japan and Korea.
“Punch” meant you had a radar lock on the bogey and that you were taking over from the ground controlled radar. “Judy” was when you had control and were in the last stage of the intercept.
* * * * * *
Close calls were many. One night we were chasing “bed-check Charlie,” a YAK-9 open cockpit biplane that flew over allied positions dropping hand grenades. Our aircraft came close to being caught in cables that the North Koreans placed across valleys.
Another time we were flying in a RB-29A, and I watched as tracers from a .20mm cannon came across the top of our left wing. We were quite a few miles above the 38th parallel.
* * * * * *
With the news that forces from North Korea had crossed the 38th parallel, the commander of the 8th Fighter Bomber Wing was alerted to provide a task force to evacuate American dependents and citizens from Seoul. The 68th Fighter Squadron was attached to the 8th Air Force.
Shortly after General MacArthur ordered the evacuation from Seoul to Inchon, four aircraft from the 68th flew to Korea to provide cover for the Norwegian freighter Reinholt, which was evacuating personnel from Seoul. Air support was provided until the ship reached Japanese waters.
Before dawn on the 27th of June, transport planes left Itazuke accompanied by an F-82 escort. Shortly before noon, five North Korean fighters flew over Seoul headed for Kimpo Air Base. At 1150 hours, First Lieutenant William Hudson of the 68th, destroyed a Yak-11—the first aerial victory of the war. The second victory would come moments later as First Lieutenant Charles Moran, also of the 68th, destroyed a LA-7.
* * * * * *
I flew my last F-94B mission on March 17, 1952. I requested to be transferred to the 581st Air Resupply Squadron, in the Philippines. The reason for my request was that I was incapable of using the ejection seat of the radar observer’s cockpit without taking my knee caps off on the AN/APG-33 radar box. I commonly referred to this as “the TV set” to the ground crew.
During my full combat tour, I had made arrangements with the pilot to release the canopy—in case of an emergency—then roll the aircraft if conditions allowed him too. This would allow me to kick loose from the cockpit. Fortunately, no emergencies occurred during my tour.
From the 581st, I would transfer to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron stationed at Yakota, Japan. I flew in the RB-29A as a radar navigator.
~~Fifty-Seven~~
Calvin Harwick
9th Infantry Regiment
2nd Infantry Division
U.S. Army
I was born in Byron, Minnesota on June 5, 1929.
* * * * * *
I had been in the National Guard for two-and-a-half years, and was due to be discharged in June of 1951. However, my time was extended for another twelve months because of the war in Korea.
On the 2nd of January, 1951, our division, the 47th Infantry was called to active duty. My company—Company C, 135th Infantry Regiment—left Rochester, Minnesota on the twenty-first by train. It was twenty below zero as we headed to Camp Rucker, Alabama. Here we received more training in firing of weapons, map reading, first aid, and more.
In March, my wife Beverly and I were married. At the end of August, a buddy and I volunteered to go to