On Saturday morning we held our annual meeting. There was no old business and new business was a nomination for the next president and city for the 11th annual reunion. I was talked into being our president for one more year.
Covington, KY was selected for our 2006 reunion due to the fact that the city of New Orleans probably won't be ready to host it.
Muley Mulhausen and Betty his wife will be our hosts again. More about the reunion in appear in our January newsletter.
It was recommended and voted that we donated $500.00 for the Gulf Coast Hurricane Relief. The money will be sent to Duane and Nancy St John to handle. Also, Approved a $300.00 donation to our Marine Corps Heritage Museum purchasing a "BRICK" for the walkway with our Associations name inscribed. Our banquet was a success also with more than 100 in attendance. The Brass Quintet played for us prior to the dinner. Of course they stayed for dinner on us.  1st Plt 5/51 - 4/52 |
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THE FORGOTTEN WAR In June 1950, the North Koreans thrust over the 38th parallel into South Korea to launch the "forgotten war." The first year witnessed a seesaw battle up and down that peninsula that juts out of Manchuria toward Japan. Driven to the Pusan perimeter at the tip of the peninsula, General MacArthur made an end-run, landing the Marines at Inchon on the west coast close to the South Korean capital city of Seoul, located at the waist of the "land of the morning calm." Pushing the North Korean troops north past the 38th parallel, which divided the two Koreas, MacArthur again landed the Marines on the east coast in North Korea at Wonson where they thrust to the frozen Chosin Reservoir. North Korea was practically defeated at this point, but in November 1950 the Chinese flooded across the Yalu River from Manchuria and threw the Eighth Army out of North Korea, down the peninsula and south of the 38th parallel. At the Chosin Reservoir, in one of the greatest withdrawals in military history, the Marines fought a half a dozen Chinese divisions while traversing icy roads back to Hamhung and sea evacuation. Those actions of the first phase of the war are some of the most documented events of the "forgotten war." Likewise, the final phase during the last year and a half a static war, a war of patrols, outposts and trenches, a war to hold the lines until negotiations at Panmunjom could progress to an armistice on 27 June 1953 - has been equally as well chronicled. The Korean War's second phase, ostensibly 1951, however, is lost in the fog of the past. |
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Little has been written of that time.
MacArthur was sacked by President Truman. General Ridgway took command. For the 1st Marine Division, Operation Ripper, the Chinese~ Spring Offensive, the drive to capture the Punch Bowl as well as the last battles of mobility for the Konmubong Ridge above the Punch-bowl were second phase operations. After September 1951, the static war of attrition - enemies locked in place - began. Indeed, it was during spring 1951 of this second phase when PFC John Ontiveros of Houston, Texas, joined the 1st Platoon, Able Co., 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, FMF. Being from Houston, he was familiar with "western" songs. Actually, 50 years ago, the term "country western" had not yet been coined. "Cowboy" music was the "western" genre and the "singin' cowboy" was in vogue. Ridin' high in popularity were the likes of Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers. One of John Ontiveros' boot-camp buddies was even a passable cowboy balladeer, playing his guitar and singing in that western nasal twang. Naturally, Texan John was more familiar with "songs of the plains" than old Korean folk songs or love songs about yo-yos; however, there was that similarity in the nasal twang of both... Not that it mattered, he learned those "gooky" songs, too; He heard them early around the time that his platoon entered Chunchon on tanks and his boot camp buddy, riding on the lead tank was blown off when the tank hit a mine. PFC Ontiveros became familiar with the folk tunes around the time |
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Semper Fi |