Voices from the Korean War - Douglas Rice [174]
* * * * * *
As a guest of the Korean military, which sponsors visits by forty Korean War Veterans three times a year, I returned to Korea in 1996.
~~Sixty-Two~~
Roger Lueckenhoff
160th Infantry Regiment
40th Infantry Division
U.S. Army
One month after the beginning of the Korean War, I received my draft notice. After being inducted in the Army, I was assigned to Company A, 160th Infantry Regiment, 40th Infantry Division—a California National Guard Division that would be federalized on September 1, 1951.
In April of 1951, upon completion of basic and advance training, the division left for Japan. After landing in Tokyo, the 160th was transported by train to Camp Haugen, which was located at Hachinohe on the east coast of northern Honshu. We spent the next three months training, which included amphibious training. It also included an eighty-two mile march to the northern tip of Honshu.
We left camp on a Sunday morning, arriving at the northern tip of Honshu—three to four days later. This was in the heat of the summer (late June or early July). The objective was to average twenty miles per day, with a five-to-ten minute break every hour. We carried a full field pack, an M-1 rifle, and one canteen of water. There was no riding in vehicles unless you couldn’t walk because of multiple blisters on your feet, or if you fainted. We were issued water purification tablets to use in case we refilled our canteens with contaminated water from a rice paddy. In Japan they used human waste as fertilizer, so the prospect of any surface or underground water being contaminated was likely.
I recall the first morning of our march that some Japanese youngsters were riding bicycles down the middle of our column—selling Popsicles. With the potential of being contaminated, an order came down prohibiting the purchase of Popsicles.
I don’t remember exactly how long it took to complete the march, but it was a bit longer than three days, but less than four.
We were transported by truck to Camp McNair a temporary “tent” camp located on the slopes of Mt. Fuji. During our three months here, we went through basic and advanced training for the second time. It was not a required training exercise to climb Mt. Fuji, but one weekend (in August) many of us climbed to the crater—12,400 feet above sea level. Also, during August, typhoon Ruth hit the camp blowing away all the squad tents we slept in.
In October, we moved to Camp Zama, which was located near Atsugi Naval Base. Here we trained aboard C-119 transport planes. While we were here a major fire destroyed seven barracks; we were fortunate not to have lost any lives, only equipment. For ski training we were scheduled to return to Mt. Fuji. However that was canceled on December 22, 1951, when we received word that the 40th was shipping to Korea; we did not consider this news to be a Christmas gift.
On January 7, 1952, my unit, the 160th RCT (Regimental Combat Team) was the first unit of the 40th to go to Korea. Having boarded a ship at Yokohama, we landed at Inchon on the 11th of January. The mercury was dipping to fifteen below zero. We were transported by train to an area just behind the front lines. On the nineteenth we took our position on the front line, replacing the 19th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Division. The line was located at the central front of the Iron Triangle area in North Korea. We were in the mountains of the eastern leg of the triangle near Kumhwa.
The first day on line, my company sent out a ten man patrol and a buddy of mine, SFC Loren Knepp, who was leading the patrol, was shot in the leg. He was the first Purple Heart recipient of the 40th Division. The following day, SFC Kenneth Kaiser, who was with Baker Company and on our left flank, was killed in action by