Bloody Memories of Korean War : The Chosin Few Get Together Again

Cecil Ray Carpenter came to San Diego from Fort Worth, Tex., on Tuesday to repay a debt of more than 30 years.

Although time has faded some memories of the 20-day confrontation in the mountains of North Korea, he vividly recalled how the bravery of Allied troops, fighting the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, inspired him and helped him survive one of the most savage fights of the Korean War.

“This is the bravest bunch of people I’ve ever seen,” he said, referring to members of The Chosin Few, a close-knit fraternity of about 1,500 military personnel who fought in the battle. The group is in San Diego for five days to celebrate its first international reunion.

In November and early December of 1950, more than 15,000 Allied troops, consisting of Marines and a regiment of the Army’s 7th Infantry Division, were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese. The group, operating on what Carpenter called “raw courage,” fought their way out over 78 miles of a one-lane dirt road, braving temperatures of 30 degrees below zero.

“All I can remember is that it was hell,” said Carpenter, 56, a retired dry-wall contractor.

He said “bullets were flying everywhere” as he fulfilled his duties as a medic in the Marines during that historic fight. Carpenter said the Allies not only had to fight enemy troops, they also had to cope with cold temperatures that caused many soldiers to lose fingers, hands, or feet to frostbite.

Carpenter said the battlefield was such a scene of desperation that he lost the will the live. “After a day or two I didn’t care,” he said. “I probably left some scars on some guys, but at least they’re alive. . . . I just accepted the fact that I probably wouldn’t get out.”

Ironically, Carpenter said, the sub-zero temperatures did prove to be of some assistance--the blood from the bullet and shrapnel wounds would freeze, inhibiting further bleeding.

Marine Sgt. Larry Crutchfield, a public affairs spokesman from Camp Pendleton, said, “There’s no doubt that as far as Marines go, this was really quite a battle. Historians have called Chosin the most savage battle of modern warfare.”

“I think I needed this,” Carpenter said later as he talked about the pain of seeing so many die. “I probably had this bottled up all this time. I feel better about it.”

Frank Kerr, president of the 2-year-old organization, said the announcement of a national memorial for veterans of the Korean War will be made later this week. The monument will be a sculpture of a group of infantrymen posed in a battle scene.

About $5 million is needed to complete the sculpture. Dr. Felix de Weldon, sculptor of the Iwo Jima monument in Washington, has been commissioned for the project.