A Marine's Life in the Shadows

I was watching the news on television one night and they said that the Chinese had made a second  invasion.  The first Marines had been surrounded at the Chosin Reservoir and cut of from retreating back to their main line.  I knew that my outfit would be in that group.  I told my parents that I had to return to the hospital to be released back to duty and head back to Korea.

    A week later I was on a plane back to Korea.  The Koreans and Chinese had taken Seoul and I was assigned to an outfit out of Pusan.  I wanted to get back to the first Marines and find what was left of the battalion.  I was promoted to Staff Sergeant and at HQ  I saw Tech Sgt. Lane, my boot camp DI.  We shook hands and started making friends again.  I told Lane that I wanted to get into a unit that was going in to get the trapped Marines in the Chosin out.  I knew that I had a lot of friends there and wanted to help get them out.  That evening Lane and I went to the slop chute to get a beer.  I saw Robert as we passed the HQ.   I called out to him and he joined us to get a beer.  I introduced Robert to Lane and as we started drinking the beer I asked him what he knew about the Marines at Chosin.  He told me “You know that I cannot tell you anything.”  I grabbed the front of his shirt, almost lifted him out of his chair and told him I have some friends in there and I was going to get them out and you can help if you want to.  Robert told me there were plans being drawn up to go in to get them.  I told him that I wanted to be in it.  Sgt. Lane said that he wanted in also.  Robert told us that the Army had been given the information about the Chinese Army but they did not take it seriously and that was why they were over run.  The Marine General had stored some supplies before they were over run, but things were tough.  It was bitterly cold and their supplies were getting low.  The weather has been too bad to get in to help them.  The trapped Marines were trying to get out.  They sent out word that they were just attacking in a different direction.

      I asked Robert what was being done to get the Marines and Army out of the Chosin.  He said that he was not supposed to tell anything that was going on.  He asked Lane and me if we would take a temporary duty with him until we could get an assignment to our outfit.  I asked him, “How can you arrange that?” and he told me to leave that to him.  Later that day Lane and I were called into HQ.  We were told of our temporary attached duty (TAD) to the Agency.  Robert told us of the move to get the men out.  They were gathering up all of the different groups left and forming a unit for the break out.  We were to be in charge of one of the companies.  The company  had been instructed as to what its  duty and assigned officers would be.  Lane was with my company and since he outranked me, he was put over the company, Lt. Murray was the CO.  We got all the experienced people together to talk of our plan.  Lane told Lt. Murray that he had just a little actual battle experience and suggested that Clay take over the company.  Lt. Murray did not think it right that I should do that.  Lane told him that he did not have a problem with it.  I asked Lt. Murray if he had any relatives in Alabama.   I had dated a girl name Murray.  Lt. Murray said that he thought he had a distant cousin, but he did not know them. Later that day I was promoted to Tech. Sergeant and was given the company. 

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