Author Description

This is the author's story of the first year of the Korean War, beginning with his assignment to the Second Battalion, Fifth Marines, First Provisional Marine Brigade on August 15, 1950. The American and South Korean forces were fighting a last-ditch battle in the fifty-mile-deep toe-hold they held in the Puson perimeter. The story continues with the seaborne landing at Inchon and the recapture of Seoul by the Marines and the subsequent landing at Wonson, North Korea, and the advance to the Chosin Reservoir. The new phase of the war began with the Chinese intervention and the long battle through high mountains in sub-zero cold and the final withdrawal from North Korea. The remaining story covers the various "Phase Offences" by the Chinese and the return of the UN Forces to the 38th parallel and the author's departure from Korea.