Valleys of Death

by Bill Richardson

interrogations

  last year as

  latrine accident

  mistreatment of POWs by POWs

  morale builders

  physical condition of

  quitting

  rice melee incident

  river escape plans

  sabotage by

  telephone wire stolen by

  timber accident

  trench foot

  wounded

  prisons

  air raids and

  Andersonville (Civil War) and

  athletic equipment for

  baseball playing at

  black compound at

  burial detail at

  Camp 5 “The University of Pyoktong,”

  Chinese vs. North Korean control

  civilians living near

  cold and

  conditions

  cookhouse duty

  daylight, transferring POWs in

  death march

  dysentery at

  food

  gangrene at

  germ warfare scare

  guards

  hut/houses (Korean)

  Korean civilians and

  lectures by Chinese

  lice at

  medical care at

  morgue (hospital)

  pneumonia at

  propaganda by Chinese

  Pyoktong

  reading materials at

  rewards by Chinese

  sergeants group at

  socialistic vs. capitalistic system

  water

  work crews

  Project Delta in Vietnam

  propaganda by Chinese

  public reaction to soldiers

  pursuit to the 38th parallel

  Pusan (South Korea)

  Pyle, Ernie

  Pyoktong (North Korea)

  Pyongtaek (South Korea)

  Pyongyang (North Korea)

  quitting

  radios, condition of

  replacements

  revenge, killing as

  rice melee incident, POWs

  rice paddies

  Richardson, Robert (Lieutenant)

  Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.). See also Bromser, Paul (Lieutenant); Giroux, Frederick (First Lieutenant); Hall, Robert (Corporal); Heaggley, William (Private First Class); Johnson, Harold K. (Lieutenant Colonel); Korean War; McAbee, Filmore (Captain); prisoners of war (POWs); prisons; Roberts, Gordon (Sergeant First Class); Unsan (North Korea); Vaillancourt, Albert (Sergeant First Class); Walsh, James (Corporal)

  ammunition risk by

  battalion, forming the

  battle drills

  career after Korean War

  Charge of Quarters (CQ)

  Chinese heard near Camel’s Head bridge

  Chinese wounded, helping

  C rations

  57 recoilless rifles

  First Corps Support Command (COSCOM)

  foxholes

  German POWs and

  infantry, telling officers about

  Korean refugees and

  magazines for Vaillancourt’s friend

  memorial service and

  “mobile defense” strategy of Walker

  movement to the Far East

  night compass course

  night training exercise

  occupation duty, U.S. Army

  Officers Candidate School

  pagoda situation and

  Palmer and

  Project Delta in Vietnam

  promotions of

  Pusan

  Pyongyang

  replacements and

  safeties-on lesson

  section leader

  soldiers reaching out to

  Special Forces and

  “stand or die” order of Walker

  sumps

  survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE) and

  Thanksgiving in Tokyo

  truck rescue

  visiting families of deceased

  weapons and

  welcome home for

  World Series (1950)

  wounded (leaving), decision

  wounded Americans and

  wounds of

  Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.), family

  Bill Herron “Uncle Bill,”

  Cathy (Bill’s father’s wife)

  children of

  Claire (Bill’s wife)

  Dottie (Bill’s sister)

  father

  Frank Richardson (Bill’s uncle)

  Jean “Mop Top” (Bill’s sister)

  John (Bill’s brother)

  mother

  thinking of as POW

  Tom (Bill’s brother)

  USO European trip by father

  Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.), personal

  adrenaline and

  arrow wound infection incident

  athleticism of

  background of

  beer and

  boredom, enemy

  bravery

  brotherlike bond with crew

  cinnamon rolls and coffee banquet

  cleaning up

  cockiness of

  death, invisibility of

  defense work at factory

  discharge from U.S. Army

  discipline, life and death

  drunk and penny incident

  education of

  entertainment background

  extension of service duty

  fear, thoughts about

  hubcaps stealing incident

  leg shaking

  letters to home

  lightning rods (television antennas)

  mallet and teacher incidence

  nightmares

  Philadelphia cheesecake and

  revenge, killing as

  rice paddies and

  Rose (girlfriend)

  soldier vs. student

  time, strange thing in combat

  war, experience of

  whorehouse incident

  Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.), POW. See also Doyle, Vincent “The Renaissance Man” (Master Sergeant, POW); prisoners of war (POWs); prisons; Smoak (Sergeant First Class, POW)

  born again

  calmness of

  control, giving up

  crabs joke

  escapes by

  family, thinking of

  humanity, finding pieces of

  humor, keeping sense of

  interrogations about experiences as

  intimidation and

  kimchi stolen by

  leadership by

  map stolen by

  mind as key to survival

  missing in action status

  onions stolen by

  Philadelphia memories

  photograph (half) of Claire

  sleep deprivation

  suffering, part of human experience

  sunshine and

  survival mode

  tooth broken, corn

  torture of

  walking recovery by

  Roberts, Gordon (Sergeant First Class)

  baptism of fire

  battalion, forming

  death of

  movement to Far East

  POW

  Richardson and

  Rock of Gibraltar

  Russia. See Soviet Union

  sabotage by POWs

  safeties-on lesson

  San Francisco Airfield

  Sea of Japan

  Second Armored Division

  Second Battalion

  Second Platoon

  Seoul (South Korea)

  SERE (survival, evasion, resistance, and escape)

  sergeants group, POWs

  Seventh Cavalry Regiment

  Seventh Division

  shui (water)

  Siegfried Line

  Silver Stars

  sleep deprivation

  Smoak (Sergeant First Class, POW)

  Andersonville (Civi
l War) and

  death of

  escape plans

  morgue (hospital)

  propaganda by Chinese

  Richardson and

  wounds of

  soldier vs. student

  South Korean Army. See also Korean War

  Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA)

  North Korean soldier abused by

  Taegu

  Soviet Union (Russia)

  artillery doctrine of

  Communist China and

  expansion desires

  T-34 tanks

  Spartacus (Fast)

  Special Forces

  St. Lo (France)

  “stand or die” order of Walker

  Strait of Gibraltar

  suffering, part of human experience

  Sunnyside Up (movie)

  sunshine and Richardson

  survival, evasion, resistance, and escape (SERE)

  survival mode as POW

  Suwon (South Korea)

  T-34 Russian tanks

  Tabu-Dong

  Taedong River

  Taegu (South Korea)

  Taegu Road

  “tagging” soldiers by medics

  tankers

  Taylor (soldier)

  telephone wire stolen by POWs

  “Tennessee Waltz, The,”

  Thanksgiving in Tokyo

  Third Battalion, Eighth Cavalry

  Third Battalion, Seventh Regiment, Third Division

  Third Platoon

  38th parallel

  Thirty-fifth Infantry Regiment

  “This is the Infantry” (film)

  364th Infantry Regiment

  tide, turning

  timber accident, POWs

  time, strange thing in combat

  timelines. See map(s)

  Tokyo (Japan)

  Tony (KATUSA)

  tooth broken, corn

  torture of Richardson as POW

  trapped, Unsan

  trench foot

  Truman, Harry S. (President). See also Korean War; United States of America

  Communism in Korea and

  Inchon invasion and

  propaganda by Chinese

  U.N. Security Council

  United States Army. See also Korean War; Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.)

  casualties

  Combat Infantryman’s Badge

  Expert Infantryman’s Badge

  hurry up and wait

  Korean Augmentation to the U.S. Army (KATUSA)

  M-24 tanks

  reduction after World War II,

  replacements

  United States of America. See also Korean War; Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.); Truman, Harry S. (President); World War II

  airmen and propaganda

  capitalistic vs. socialistic system

  Civil War

  collaborating with enemy, hearings

  Communist Party of the

  corruption, propaganda

  Korea, lack of interest

  public reaction to soldiers

  Unsan (North Korea). See also Korean War; prisoners of war (POWs); Richardson, William “Bill” (Colonel, U.S., Ret.)

  ammunition shortage

  Australian bombers

  breakout

  Camel’s Head bridge

  Chinese at

  dying one by one

  maps

  night attacks

  one more night, decision

  “on your own,”

  trapped

  trucks (fired up)

  wounded, leaving behind

  Vaillancourt, Albert (Sergeant First Class)

  baptism of fire

  battalion, forming

  dark days of summer

  death of

  Heaggley and

  magazines for friend

  missing

  POW

  Pusan

  replacements and

  Richardson and

  Vallejo (CA)

  Vietnam, Project Delta

  visiting families of deceased

  Walker, Walton H. (Lieutenant General)

  walking recovery by Richardson

  Walsh, James (Corporal)

  baptism of fire

  battalion, forming

  Camel’s Head bridge

  dark days of summer

  death of

  dying one by one

  Heaggley and

  Korean refugees and

  memorial service

  movement to Far East

  Pusan

  Richardson and

  Thanksgiving in Tokyo

  38th parallel, pursuit to

  tide, turning

  Unsan

  war, experience of

  water for POWs

  weapons and Richardson

  welcome home for Richardson

  White-Haired Girl, The (Chinese show)

  white phosphorous (Willie Peter)

  whorehouse incident

  Winn (Lieutenant)

  Witt (soldier)

  Wollack (Sergeant)

  work crews, POWs

  World Series (1950), listening to

  World War II

  barracks

  Camp Stoneman (CA)

  defense work during

  Japan and

  reduction of Army after

  “This is the Infantry” (film)

  trains

  veterans in Korean War

  wounded. See also casualties

  crying for their mothers

  helping Chinese by Richardson

  impact on Richardson

  leaving behind, POWs

  leaving behind, Unsan

  POWs

  Wray, Charles (POW )

  Yale & Towne (Philadelphia)

  Yalu River

  Yokohama ( Japan)

  Colonel William “Bill” Richardson, USA (Ret.) was a master sergeant with the First Cavalry Division in Korea. Commissioned in January 1957, he served eight years with the 82nd Airborne Division, and commanded the 1st BN 325th Airborne Infantry. Richardson spent seven years with Special Forces as an A-Team leader during Operation White Star in Laos, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was the first and third commander of Project Delta in Vietnam; attended the U.S. Army War College; and commanded the First Corps Support Command for fifty months, at which time he provided the logistical support for six thousand soldiers who invaded Grenada. As his final command, he was garrison commander at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he ended his thirty-nine-year career. He is currently CEO of Richardson & Sons Construction, Inc., the vice president of the Military Ex-Prisoner of War Foundation, and the former president of the 1st Cavalry Division Association. Richardson was elected to the Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame in Fort Benning, Georgia. He and his wife, Claire, have been married for fifty-six years and have five children.

  Kevin Maurer is an award-winning reporter who has been embedded with the 82nd Airborne Division and U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan.