Members of "The Chosin Few", a group made up mostly of Marine survivors from the battle at Chosin Reservoir, stood silently upon their return to Korea. 48 years had passed since they fought and their friends died.
Hill 749 (Sep 51) is typical of what Korean terrain looked like following a battle.
One man arrived days before the rest of the group. Ron Broward stood at Seoul-Kimpo Airport, a successful businessman, but still a Marine at heart. His mission was to find his lost friend.
In February of 1951, the Chinese had survived the winter, as had the Americans, ROKs, and other UN forces. The lines stabilized temporarily while the diplomats negotiated for time to allow the communist northern forces to resupply and reinforce. The result was called the Chinese Spring Offensive and it was a massive effort.
"The next operation for us was "Operation Killer". We jumped off on 21 Feb from Wonju, the longest continuous time in the field for us, I believe. Almost three months with no showers or clean clothes. The first few days it snowed and rained, our holes filled with water but fortunately we kept moving at daybreak. One of the worst sights I saw in Korea was when we captured Hoengsong. We found over 500 dead American soldiers. Most were artillerymen and it seemed to us that they had no security around them in the hills. Made you very happy you were a Marine. They called the area "Massacre Valley." Colonel Puller had some very unkind things to say about the Army in his book, for it should have never happened.
My friend Jackson Rarick joined us sometime in late March. I remember it was snowing and one replacement stood taller than all the others. Jackson was 6'4". It was a very happy time for both of us.
On April 3rd, my squad and Rarick's machine-gun squad were on an outpost somewhere near Chunchon. I turned 18 on that day and Jackson said he had something special for me. he opened his pack and took out a jar of Downey dirt (Downey was our hometown). He poured it in my hands, then back in the bottle. It was a fun time for us."
On the 22nd of April, 1951, the full weight of three Chinese Corps bore down the Kumhwa - Hwachon corridor. The Chinese met Major General Smith's 1st Marine Division with limited success. To the friendly left flank, the ROK 6th Division faltered. The CCF saw the vulnerability and shifted the bulk of their forces to the weak left flank. Lack of adequate training, leadership, and firepower combined for a complete crumbling of the ROK lines. The ROK soldiers fell back in disarray, most fleeing haphazardly south.
Ron Broward peered out the windows of the van, trying to recall the vision from so long ago. "Is this it?" I asked.
"Maybe here?" So much had changed since he had last been here. We looked at the maps again and counted hills from the intersection of the meandering stream and the Pukhan-gang (Pukhan River). It was full daylight and a beautiful day for Ron's return.
We found a road and headed for a box culvert and a kilometer into the valley between two hills. To our left stood Horseshoe ridge.
"On the 22nd of April we were pulled off outpost and boarded trucks around midnight. I really don't know how far we rode in the trucks, but when we walked up the valley, there were hundreds of ROK soldiers fleeing. We found all kinds of equipment, some self-propelled 105's, half tracks, and other artillery pieces. The weapons were still in good condition, they had failed to destroy the breeches. Then we came upon a very good U.S. Army artillery unit who had stayed their ground. I believe it was the 92nd Artillery Battalion. We reached horseshoe Ridge sometime in the afternoon and dug in."
Able Company was fed and slept during the day of the 22rd. This was the last they would see of sleep for the next couple days. The Marines couldn't see much as it was a dark night, not overcast, simply moonless. The trucks stopped and the Marines of Able Company disembarked. They hiked through the night and into the morning of the 23rd from their drop off point in the vicinity west of Chun'chon. Finally, they hiked up the valley to the east of Horseshoe Ridge. They were lead a short distance up a hill, then laid in by the platoon sergeant, Sergeant Lincoln. They were given orders, like "cover that direction" with a quick point. PFC Broward was put into a listening post (LP) forward and to the right flank of the platoon's position. This LP stood alone in front of them all.
Come 23 April, the left flank of the 1st Marine Division was completely exposed. Instead of 10,000 ROKs dug in, there was only open road and a single Marine Battalion, the First of 1st Marines. Lieutenant Colonel Robley West had little time to reorient and choose his terrain for the coming fight. He put Captain Robert Wray's Charlie Company on the top of Horseshoe Ridge, just below Hill 546. Charlie Company would see the brunt of the action. Baker Company was to their south oriented west. Able Company filled in the gap facing north and east.
We struggled up the eastern slope of Horseshoe Ridge. A cool breeze rustled the dry leaves, but the climb was warm. At the bottom, we encountered a single one-man fighting position, with a field of fire cut covering the pass from the north. This was probably an automatic rifleman's position, Ron noted. We kept going west up the slope, the climb becoming more and more difficult. Ron became disillusioned and said that we should have already encountered the platoon's positions.
"There will be holes everywhere". We climbed on. I went ahead to scout a better route when I came across depression after depression, the depth of leaves not covering what they had been. I yelled back down the hill that I found holes, but they appeared to be two-man positions. "That's it," was Ron's short reply.
The Marines of Able Company were at 100% alert. There would be no more sleep this night. Shortly after getting into position they heard the Chinese. As part of their human wave tactics, the Chinese used noisemakers and chanted and shouted. They were heard long before they could be seen. Then flares lit Horseshoe Ridge and the attack was underway. As expected Charlie Company faced the combat power of a Chinese Infantry Division. They came by the hundreds, then thousands, and they were cut down en masse, yet they came on. Charlie Company was dug in well and fought hard, not giving ground. Reinforcements were sent up the hill from both Able and Baker Companies. Charlie Marines ran down the slope for more ammo, then headed back up past Able's positions.
Able's Platoon Sergeant, Sgt Lincoln helped to rally the Charlie Marines as they fell back down the hill and throughout the night they fought on. Able heard the yells and the din of battle, but were not attacked directly until much closer to dawn. Into the morning the battle raged before the Chinese fell back to regroup for another assault.
"There were two of us on the LP. It was only about 30 or 40 yards out. It was a scary time, but we stayed out until 2 or 3 in the morning. Then we were pulled back into our lines by Sgt Lincoln. The fire was so intense, we stayed in our holes until about 0900, then Sgt Lincoln said to get ready to move out. I remember asking him where are we going? he pointed up the hill and said we were going after them. We got the Chinese on the run. He was an extremely tough Marine and a great leader. We didn't attack north, but attacked east."
During a lull after the dawn, wounded were moved off the hill and into the valley where they could be evacuated. A Marine Medevac helo from VMO-6 attempted a landing at the base of Horseshoe Ridge but was immediately shot down by Chinese small arms fire. Private First Class Broward watched this happen and wondered how bad the situation was.
Then the Chinese attacked. Once again, they blew horns and whistles, screamed and chanted as they attacked. The Marines of Captain Bohannon's Able Company fired into the Chinese. They were thick as a forest coming on. The main attack was halted and the firefights began. The Chinese used submachine guns in their probing attacks, but were repulsed time and again. It was not safe to spend one second outside of the fighting position, so the Able Marines stayed where they were.
We headed back down the hill, attempting to retrace the steps to the Battalion rear. The steps Charlie Company Marines used to evacuate casualties then path they used to race back up the hill with more ammo. We didn't find the right path as we plunged down a wash and we both took our turn falling among the rocks. The way was treacherous, but the day was clear and we only fought against the hill. After a 45-minute climb down, we came out into a farmer's back yard. A pack of small dogs growled at us.
The orders to withdraw had been passed, and it was 3rd Platoon of Able Company who received the mission of opening a hole in the Chinese lines, so 1/1 could withdraw. PFC Broward was in 3rd Squad of 3rd Platoon and they anchored the attack by providing the majority of the firepower. 3rd Squad had a .30 caliber air-cooled light machine gun section attached. There was a gunner, an assistant gunner, and four ammo carriers. A Private Warren Jackson Rarick was one of the ammo carriers. Jackson, as his friends called him, happened to be from the same home town as Ron Broward.
They fired, fought, reloaded, and fired some more. As the ammunition was limited, they were very selective about their targets. Despite the cries of the dead and dying, the Chinese came on. Marine after Marine was wounded, yet they fought on. The machine gun positions bore the brunt of the Chinese attacks and all the machine gunners were wounded. After an hour and a half, ammunition dwindled, but with the concerted efforts of machine guns, BARs, and rifles, a hole had been opened! The remnants of 1/1 were galvanized into action and withdrew down the hill and into the open valley below, where artillery support and reinforcements waited. Quickly they went through, the sense of urgency no more immediate than their very lives. Despite staggering losses and the length of time these men had spent in constant combat, their withdrawal was orderly.
3rd Squad watched, sensing the Chinese counterattack not far behind the remains of their battalion. Their fears played out as the Chinese ran on the heels of the Marines, firing submachineguns, throwing grenades, and yelling. Always yelling. The Chinese supported their attack with intense mortar fire. There was no such thing as danger close for Chinese mortars as they fired within fifty feet of their advancing infantry.
"When I talked to Col Wray, he said that over 15,000 artillery rounds were fired by Marine and Army artillery units around Horseshoe Ridge on the 23rd and 24th of April. He said a Marine scout plane estimated 2200 Chinese dead around our battalion perimeter. If you add the Chinese artillery and mortars, you can imagine how much noise there was."
Ron Broward and Jackson Rarick were two of the last off Horseshoe Ridge, running down the hill, Chinese right behind them. The spring foliage was growing, despite the war going on all around. Into and through these bushes the two young Marines plunged but were entangled and became frantic, Chinese infantry were firing from less than 30 feet away. They broke free and kept running. They hadn't been hit and again they saw fate on their side. The Chinese fire was so intense, the air seemed thick like a fog had rolled in. Mortar fire got closer to the Marines as the Chinese followed.
As the two young and invincible Marines ran, they laughed to each other about how it was odd that Marines were running from the Chinese. Jackson was a man who stood well over six feet and Ron was a wiry, hard man. A round landed between Pvt Rarick and PFC Broward, knocking them both down, but they were back up in an instant, the shrapnel wounds not enough to keep them down. As they approached the final draw that held their comrades, they slid about twenty feet down an embankment to where a Marine tank waited.
Wounded were being loaded onto the tank for evacuation. Pvt Rarick stopped to help load the wounded, his size giving the little bit extra to get them onto the back. PFC Broward took a hand on a stretcher with three other Marines, carrying out one whose injuries were far worse than theirs. They immediately headed out of the draw. That was the last Ron Broward saw of Pvt Jackson Rarick.
Despite covering fire, the Chinese came on. The number of wounded grew on the tank. Dead were removed to make room for those who had a chance to survive. It is believed that as Pvt Rarick was loading wounded, he was shot by the advancing Chinese. The tank withdrew down the valley, taking with it only those who were wounded and had been loaded. Dead Marines remained at the base of Horseshoe Ridge. There were those who covered the final withdrawal, but not withdrawing themselves. A number of Marines were later discovered dead, still in their fighting positions, weapons at the ready.
After we got back into the van, Ron was silent. His thoughts undoubtedly on a time long ago. The serenity of Horseshoe Ridge seemed inconsistent with the fierce battle waged forty-seven years earliers. In any case, I'm sure Ron felt tired after the climb.
The mission of the 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division was to protect the flank. 1/1 ended up withdrawing to a new location more than five kilometers to the south. Their wounded outnumbered the uninjured, greater than three to one. Yet, the losses they inflicted on the Chinese and the stalwart defense waged at the new defensive belt in the vicinity of Hill 902 broke the momentum of the Chinese attack in the central sector and effectively ended the Chinese Spring Offensive for this Field Army.
What was the cost to 1/1? Besides the scores of those listed dead, and the hundreds listed as wounded, there were four Marines never accounted for.
- PFC Frank Ippolito
PFC Ruben Adame
Sgt Joseph Miller
Pvt Warren Rarick
As we drove away, I looked back at the inhospitable terrain and tried to think why men would fight and die in the middle of nowhere. There are a number of answers, many dealing with the political climate, but the most important is freedom. The Marines, US and ROK Armies, and a multi-national UN force kept the South free.
Ron Broward wears two Purple Hearts as a symbol of what he has given in the name of the U.S. and the U.S. Marine Corps. Our search for Jackson Rarick came away without firm answers, but a commitment from United States Forces Korea Mortuary Affairs to continue the search. In April, 1999, we'll return, and this time, maybe we'll find what we're looking for.
Lest we forget...
Follow-up - the rest of Ron Broward's time in the Marine Corps:
"Probably the toughest battle for our 3rd Platoon was in mid-September on Hill 749. The fight for the hill had been going on several days. 3rd Platoon was in the lead for the final assault and the North Koreans had set up a reverse slope defense. Just before we reached the top (only a few yards from the top), our Platoon Leader was Lt. Smith who had just joined Able Company, was very young and Gung Ho. He was with our squad when the North Koreans dropped several mortar shells from the reverse slope on our platoon.
Lt Smith and all our squad leaders were killed instantly. Trees were uprooted and we were totally disoriented for a few minutes. Cpl T.E. Rydgren took over the platoon. He was in the 3rd Squad, same as me, reorganized us, and started yelling Gung Ho and went over the top. After the battle, there were only 18 left in our platoon and the oldest Marine was 19 years old (Rydgren).
We immediately dug in for a counterattack, but the North Koreans didn't attack until after midnight. They attacked all night, but never penetrated our lin. This was probably the luckiest night of all for me. I was still carrying my BAR and it served me very well that night. When daylight came there was a dead North Korean with his bayonet resting on the edge of my hole. The next day I was promoted to Sergeant and traded my BAR for a Carbine. I was very relieved for the rest of my time in Korea (2 months). I got to dig in on the reverse slops and not have to stand watch every two hours.
After being rotated home in November, I was sent to Camp Pendleton, Tent Camp II, Staging Regiment where replacement drafts were organized to go to Korea. Then I played football for the Camp Pendleton Marines Post Team. We lost the All-Marine Corps Championship to MCRD by one touchdown, but it was great duty. We had our own family style mess in 16 area. All we did was play football from June through November.
Then I was assigned to recruiting duty in Amarillo, Texas, but asked to stay at Pendleton and the Personnel Officer did get my orders cancelled. Two months later, Lt. Steiner sent for me and told me to pack my seabag and handed me orders to go to Kansas City, MO. I started to speak but he said, Sgt Broward, pack your seabag, somebody in Washington D.C. issued the order and there is nothing I can do. It turned out to be really great duty, but was nothing like the Marine Corps I was used to. For two years I travelled five states recruiting college students to join the PLC or OCC programs. Being in the Midwest was a real treat and exciting."
Bibliography:
Chosin: Heroic Ordeal of the Korean War by Eric Hammel. 1990, Presidio Press, Novato, CA.
U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, Volume IV, The East-Central Front by Lynn Montross, Major Hubard Kuokka, USMC, and Major Norman Hicks, USMC. Historical Branch G-3, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps, Washington D.C.
"Doc", by Eric Hammel, in Leatherneck, April 1987,
Website - Eyewitness: A North Korean Remembers" by Kim Young Sik
Website - The Korean War, 1950-1953, Extracted from American Military History, Army Historical Series, Off ice of the Chief of Military History, U.S. Army.
Website - http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/books/maps.htm - U.S. Army Center of Military History.
Personal interview of Ron Broward.
Personal account of Robert Wray, Colonel, USMC, Retired.
1998 Site Visit by the author & Ron Broward.
Related
-
Ron Broward's Story: Part I (G15)
Ron Broward's Story: Part II (G16)
Take The High Ground: Korean War Rules
Battle for Horseshoe Ridge: Scenarios
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© Copyright 1999 by Craig Martelle Publications
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