Voices from the Korean War - Douglas Rice [21]
I was assigned to D Company, which was a heavy weapons company.
In the early part of July, the entire regiment went to Camp McNair, which was located about half way up one side of an extinct volcano—Mt. Fujiyama. The camp consisted of four-man tents, a medical tent, mess tent, and last-but-not-least the latrine tents. These were placed over a slit trench, similar to the outhouses we had when I was a kid—only more “holes” to sit on.
When the latrine was almost full, civilian farmers with their ox-drawn wagons would come and fill up barrels, which were known as “honey buckets.” The contents were used to fertilize their rice paddies, and gardens. Needless to say, we had been warned not to eat fresh-grown vegetables for fear of dysentery.
We were there for more than two months, and during this time I was transferred from supply clerk to the heavy machine gun squad. The .30 caliber machine gun, which was mounted on a tripod, was a rapid firing gun with a water-cooled barrel. We only got to fire it one time on the firing range, because of our limited amount of ammunition. So, most of our time was spent learning, and practicing, how to set it up and tear it down.
On the 7th of September we left McNair for Camp McGill—in Yokohama—so the 5th Cavalry Regiment could take their turn training at the camp. We finally returned to Camp Drake in November where we resumed our normal training. During this month everyone that had been drafted, or was on a two-year enlistment, was sent back to the states. We read, and heard, about the political unrest occurring in Korea. However, we were told this had nothing to do with these men leaving, and certainly would not affect us.
As 1950 began, I decided the Army was a place for me and even dreamed of attending West Point—becoming an officer. So, I enrolled in an eight week NCO leadership school at Camp McGill, which turned out to be torture training. The school started on the 3rd of March, and two days later I received two demerits for having my boots laced the wrong way. Our days began at 4:30 AM and lasted until 7:30 PM, with getting only Wednesday afternoons off.
Each day we stood for two inspections, one inside our barracks and the other one outside. We had five officers inspecting one cadet simultaneously. One morning, one of the officers asked about a small mark on my face. I informed him that I had nicked my face shaving; he gave me three demerits for destroying government property. After dinner, we went on six-and-a-half mile runs; to be sure our food didn’t turn to fat. Of the eighty-five men that started, only forty-nine of us graduated—I was third in class. If I could pass the competitive exam, I felt confident of making it through West Point.
While I was attending school, D Company had been sent back to McNair for another six weeks of training; I arrived back to D Company before they left.
On June 25, 1950, the North Korean Army invaded South Korea, and we were immediately put on alert. All furloughs and passes were canceled. However, we were again told that we probably would not be involved in any way.
In typical military blunder, most of our experienced platoon sergeants, and strategic personnel, were transferred to the 24th Infantry Division. Around the 10th of July, the 24th would be the first American troops deployed to Korea. We immediately began training for amphibious landings; we knew where we were headed.
We boarded the USS William C. Weigle and on the 22nd of July, the ship anchored in Pohang Dong, Korea. We disembarked by climbing down huge, rope ladders into our waiting LCT. They told us to expect medium to heavy resistance as we approached the beaches; I was one among forty guys who were huddled together, terrified of the unknown, and scared of dying. During our trip ashore, I started