Strange bedfellows

24 - Anna Maria, FL

Time is passing by so quickly. Before I forget, I want to tell you a story that has been lost in the history of the Korean War 71 years ago this August (as of 2012).
I arrived in Korea on Aug. 2, 1950, along with a unique group of Marines. This unit was actually made part of the U.S. Army. Marines? Part of the Army? Not very likely, is it? Well, it did happen and it was a very important part of the Korean War (1950-1953).
At the start of that war in July 1950, North Korean troops (communists) had invaded their neighbors in South Korea (free nation). The Army units that were there had been given the post-WWII job of gathering and destroying leftover armament. They were not prepared to defend against an invading enemy. Now, under attack by thousands of heavily armed North Korean soldiers, those Army units were in real trouble.
Despite their valiant efforts to resist, our Army was being pushed further south every day. At the southern tip of the Korean peninsula was the port city of Pusan. The Army had withdrawn and established a perimeter around Pusan, a line that needed to be held until help could come from America. There was a real possibility that help would not come in time and that the troops would be pushed into the sea.
In Camp Pendleton, Calif., some young Marines were told about the Army's plight. It was just two weeks after the invasion and the start of the war. Fighting that war would require an entire Marine division. That would be very difficult to do, since most of the services had been scaled down after WWII ended in 1945. The USMC had to use whatever group was ready until an entire division could be assembled and sent over. That was going to take awhile.
The mostly 18-year-old Marines in Camp Pendleton had spent a lot of time training. There had been months of climbing a few California mountains and learning how to do beach landings. Anxious to prove themselves, they all volunteered to go over and help. Although we were without one of our line companies (infantry), we were the only trained troops able to respond to the Army's need for immediate assistance. Our commander proudly volunteered his entire undersized battalion.
This group of Marines was given the temporary name "The First Provisional Marine Brigade" and was assigned to the 8th Army. U.S. Marines were now soldiers!
We embarked from San Diego in July 1950, arriving in Pusan after 30 days at sea. Our job was to be the "point" (attack force) for Army units at various locations around the Pusan perimeter. The mission we were given was to hold until the 1st Marine Division could be formed and dispatched to Korea.
The war would be fought in the sweltering, smelly rice paddies of South Korea.
We would move from battle to battle, from Pusan to Taegu, then to Yudamni, then the Naktong River, then back to Taegu. We would attack, take back lost ground, then go over to another unit to take their point and do the same thing. Being an attack force is not unusual for Marines, it is standard procedure in any war. But for the first time in history, we did it for the Army - as an Army unit.
By September, the remaining units of the 1st Marine Division arrived. We rejoined our regiment and "hit the beach" at Inchon to begin the rout of the North Korean invaders.
This brigade of volunteer Marines has the distinction of having fought in two wars. The first was the steamy, summer war against the North Korean army. The second was the frigid, winter war against the Chinese army at the Chosin Reservoir.

Semper Fidelis

https://boymarine.blogspot.com/2012/12/strange-bedfellows.html

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