Scars and Stars

by Dustin Stevens

  “There really isn’t an easy way to get an Army to Korea, especially in 1950. Most aircraft just don’t have the capability to carry an entire unit that far. Even if they did, taking them one at a time would be foolish. Instead, they crammed as many of us as they could on a boat and shipped us over.

  “The western most port of departure for the United States military was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. If any of us needed a harrowing reminder of exactly what we'd just gotten ourselves into, right there it was.”

  I didn't even know what the word harrowing meant, but I waited in patience just the same. Uncle Cat tapped the next page in the album with his finger, a page that had a date scrawled across it in black felt marker.

  “On December 7, 1941, the Japanese were fearful of America entering World War II. They thought if they hit us with a pre-emptive strike they could cripple us in the Pacific to the point we would have to leave them alone.

  “All they really managed to do was piss us off.

  “Once our unit got there, ten years had passed. The place was more or less rebuilt, though the scars still remained.

  "In total we spent three days on Oahu while we waited for others to join us. By the time we were ready to ship out, four more units had swelled our ranks to several thousand troops, the basis of what would become our battalion.

  “The last night there we were sitting around playing cards, passing the time as best we could. Out of nowhere Marks showed up and told everybody to get dressed and meet him outside in ten minutes, we didn't need our weapons or our gear.

  “None of us knew what to make of it, but we did what he said. We all met him outside and followed as he led us down towards the water. Up to that point, none of us had actually ventured down to the harbor’s edge.

  “When we got there, Marks lined us up single file along the bank and called out, "Hit it boys." A bank of floodlights pierced the darkness, shining past us and out over the water.

  "There, tucked away in the clear waters of the harbor, sat the Arizona. A few low whistles went up from the group, but for the most part the men were silent.

  “Enough of the ship remained that it was obvious what it was, but it was also clear that it could never be salvaged. The remains of two different smoke stacks still poked above the water, sitting atop the shattered hull of a once magnificent battleship.

  “We all stood and gaped at it for a long time, the world silent in the moonlight. After a while Marks said, “I brought you down here tonight because I wanted you to see what serving your country really means.”

  “I think he had a big speech all planned out for us, but he let it go at that. Without another sound he parted the crowd and walked back towards the barracks.

  “Over the next few minutes, the rest of the men drifted back as well. Some went to pray, some went to sleep, some even went back to playing cards.

  “Jack and I were the last to leave. By the time we made it in most everyone else was asleep.

  “Six hours later we boarded the U.S.S. Lincoln, bound for Korea.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Uncle Cat flipped the page with the date written across it, replacing it with a page that looked even less descript. I stared a long time at it and tried to find whatever it was, but in the end it looked to me like a plain white page. "Did somebody take something out of here without telling you?”

  My uncle gave a soft laugh and shook his head. “Oh, no. You are now the only other living person to have seen this album, so I assure you nothing has been stolen.”

  He reached over with his calloused hand and took mine, then rubbed it over the page. I could feel the ridges of small circles under my fingertips, over a half dozen in total. “What is it?”

  Uncle Cat released my hand and said, “Those are known as Dramamine patches. You put them on your neck to keep from getting sea sick.”

  I had never heard of sea sickness before, much less Dramamine, but I nodded just the same.

  “The next morning we were up before dawn. Each of the units grouped themselves together and we all made our way down to the shipyard.

  “A fine mist rose up from the water’s edge and added to an already ominous feeling in the air. We couldn’t see more than a few hundred yards in any direction. We didn't even know where we were until we almost walked smack into the side of the ship.

  “They knew we were coming and had four wide wooden ramps stretched out waiting on us. With our packs strung across our shoulders, we boarded the Lincoln. Once we were all on deck, Admiral Dominic Myles welcomed us and explained how things would work.

  “The morning sun was just above the horizon when he motioned to the Captain of the ship, who sounded the horn and pushed off from the dock. The moment the heavy sound of the horn filled the air, scads of sailors appeared from everywhere. They scattered into a hundred different directions and within ten minutes we were steaming westward towards nothing but open water.”

  Uncle Cat stopped for a moment and traced the horizon in a complete semi-circle. The lake before us was nowhere near that wide, though from the look on his face the lake wasn't what he was looking at.

  “They separated each of us into our individual units and pointed us in the direction of our quarters. We were to be known as the 63rd regiment, housed on the C deck, three floors below.

  “Before then I had never been on anything larger than a fishing boat. I had no idea ships could be so large and so small at the same time. I stood on the deck and marveled at how it seemed to stretch on and on in both directions.

  “That awe disappeared as soon as I went below deck and saw my bunk mounted to the side of a wall. It folded down just between the ones above and below, affording a total of about five inches to move around.

  “Needless to say I spent as little time as possible there.”

  Uncle Cat held his hand up and waggled his pinkie and thumb showing me the prescribed distance.

  “Not that that was too hard to do. Our schedule was surprisingly light, giving everyone plenty of time to become nervous.

  “Each morning we woke up with the sun and did calisthenics on the deck. After that, we were pretty much free until the evening when we would do them again.

  "In between, men found all sorts of things to keep themselves occupied. Of course there was card playing. Some guys wrote letters home. Marks walked us through some of the stuff we missed in training, like simple marching cadences and how to stay in formation.

  “Everybody seemed to pass the time a little bit different, but the one thing we had in common was we all got sick.”

  Uncle Cat tapped the page with the tip of his finger without looking down. “In total it took four days to make the trip to Korea on some of the roughest seas the Admiral said he'd ever seen.

  “All day long waves crashed against the hull of the ship, sloshing water on to the deck and sending ocean spray high into the air. Before long you got used to always being wet and having the taste of salt on your lips.

  "At night, the ship would sway and creak non-stop. The chains on our bunks would rattle with every movement, sleeping was darn near impossible.”

  My uncle paused again, staring forward. He wrung his hands a few times like they were wet and licked his lips as if tasting the sea before continuing.

  “On the night before we got there, the Admiral called all four regiments together on deck.

  “Gentlemen, I have called you all together here tonight to let you know a few things,” he said. “First, the North Koreans have continued their steady progression down into South Korea. So far they’ve overwhelmed the South Koreans and have driven them back into the southern tip, known as Pusan.

  “Second, we are headed straight for Pusan.”

  “The Admiral paused and waited for the murmurs around him to die down. Jack and I stole sideways glances at each other, but said nothing.

  “The four regiments here are going to form the Fifth Division. Your orders are to land at Pusan and make your way to the Eighth Division. There you will be
joined by two more divisions where General MacArthur intends to drive the North Koreans back far enough to bring in a major allied force."

  “The Admiral stood and surveyed the crowd for several seconds in silence, contemplating his words. “Men, I have been here and watched you for several days now. I can say without reservation that it has been my absolute privilege to be associated with you. You have conducted yourselves to the highest of military code and I can feel a confidence emanating from you that tells me those damn Commies are in for a world of hurt. Give ‘em hell for us boys."

  "The second he was done, the place erupted with applause and cheers."

  My uncle dropped his head again and shook it hard, muttering in what sounded like disgust.

  At the admiral, at the situation, or even at himself, I wasn't sure.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “The next morning Admiral Myles assembled us again and introduced us to our new Commanding Officer, Captain Harold Williams. We'd heard a few days before he was expected to take over, though most of us were hoping it was just a rumor.

  "Everything about Captain Williams was plain and ordinary. He was a little guy and everyone kept saying he had a touch of Napoleon Complex. More alarming to me was the reputation he had as a shoddy leader. Word was he was fresh out of West Point, the kind of guy that relied more on textbooks than instincts.

  “Admiral Myles introduced him to us, saluted and promptly left the deck. You could just tell he didn't like him, a fact he didn't much try to hide from us.

  “Captain Williams ignored the Admiral. He marched out and stood with his hands behind his back.

  “My name is Captain Williams. You may call me Captain or Captain Williams and that is all. I have been appointed commander of the 5th Division and as such serve as an extension of General MacArthur himself. Any problems you have with me, you have with him and with the United States Army reaching clear to the President. Is that understood?”

  “He stood and stared out at us for several seconds as if he was expecting a response. There was none.

  “As I’m sure you have heard, the 8th Division has been driven back to Pusan by the invading North Koreans. It is the belief of General MacArthur that an amphibious assault is the best way we can be of aid. I have been there for the last several days mapping out the best way to do that.”

  "He paused for a moment to make sure we grasped how vital he was to the operation. “Our troops are bunched on a small landmass south of Pusan measuring five square miles. We are to put in one mile due east of them. At the same time, the 3rd and 4th Divisions will match our position to the west.

  "Upon arrival, we will sit tight and wait for the 4th Division to maneuver around the North Koreans to the north. Once all our forces are in position, we will converge on them from every direction."

  "Again he paused as if waiting for some sign of approval of his plan. There was none.

  “The way this will work," he went on, "is the U.S.S. Lincoln will transport us within a mile of the South Korean coast and we will rendezvous with our amphibious assault vehicles. They will take us to shore, where you will secure the beach and begin working your way inland.

  “From this very instant, you have one hour to collect your gear and be back on deck. If you are late, you will be swimming to shore.”

  “Without another word he turned on his heel and stomped away.”

  My uncle stood and shuffled over to the pole in front of him. He leaned his left shoulder into it and said, “As soon as he was gone we all went straight back to our bunks to collect our gear. The second we were down there and safely out of earshot, the place went crazy."

  “Everybody just went crazy?” I asked, eyes bulging.

  My uncle shook his head. “No, I mean, the men were livid.

  "We had just received the most self-indulgent and utterly worthless briefing anybody had ever seen. Not once did he mention what kind of enemy numbers we were looking at. He didn’t tell us where they were located or if we would land while facing enemy fire.

  “Beyond that, the plan itself was flawed. A choke method only works when an enemy is pinned down. All we were doing was creating a cross fire amongst ourselves."

  My uncle kicked at the floor with his foot and shook his head.

  “One hour later we reassembled on the deck. There was already tension, and that was before we met our second rate Captain and heard his third rate plan. Nobody said much of anything, but you could feel unease in the air.

  “Right at an hour after Captain Williams dismissed us, the amphibious assault vehicles pulled up alongside the Lincoln. Using the same wooden ramps we used to board, we all loaded onto the transport and headed towards the beach.

  “The entire time Captain Williams stood on the deck of the ship in his dress uniform and watched.

  “It only took about ten minutes for us to cover the last mile to shore, but that was enough for almost a dozen men to fall prey to sea sickness. The smell of their vomit mixed with the brine of the water and by the time we arrived, almost every one of us was green with nausea.

  “Jack and I were two of the last ones to board, making us some of the first to hit the beach. Side by side we jumped into the knee deep surf and scrambled up onto the shore as fast we could.

  “We high stepped our way free of the water and flung ourselves down onto the sand. Men filed in on either side of us as we peered down the barrel of our rifles for any sign of movement.

  “Several tense minutes passed, but nothing showed itself. Once our entire unit was on land, we pushed our way across the beach and into the forest.”

  My uncle looked down at me for a long second and motioned back towards the chair with his head. “Go ahead and turn the page. My knee hurts too much to keep walking back and forth.”

  I matched his gaze for a few seconds before turning and running to the album. Bending at the waist I reached down with one hand and flipped the page. A strange serpentine pattern of tiny particles stared back at me, the entirety of it forming a loose S on the page. “What is that?”

  “Sand,” my uncle answered. “Jack and I decided sand was the best thing to put here because it was our absolute first and most lingering impression of Korea. It was in our boots the second we touched down and it stayed there every single day we were in country. It ground into our clothing, it grated our skin, it got stuck in the corners of our eyes.

  “Sand.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  My uncle closed his eyes and leaned his weight against the post. I watched as he rubbed the tips of his fingers together and could almost see him feeling the grit of sand between them.

  “We were in Korea less than five minutes before we made our first mistake,” he said, his gaze far away from the front porch. “We landed outside of Pusan without a single shot being fired. We all came in expecting to be met by heavy machine gun fire and a hail of mortars, but when nothing happened we got lazy.

  “Lieutenant Rollins was the senior officer among us and took control, ordering us to move forward. Just like that we fanned out and went crashing into the forest. The foliage was thick and many men took to swinging knives or bayonets to clear a path. They paid so much attention to the dense brush in front of them, they never once bothered to glance down at the ground.

  “We were fifteen feet in when we hit the land mines. Lots of them.

  “The first wave went off to our right. On pure instinct, we threw ourselves to the ground, which set off another half dozen or so just seconds later.”

  My uncle closed his eyes and inhaled deep. “We lost five men right there. I didn’t know any of them beyond facial recognition, but it didn’t matter. We had been in Korea for ten minutes and already men around us, men we knew, were dead.

  "Just as important, our air of invincibility was dead with them.

  “Rollins called for an instant retreat and as fast as possible we scrambled back to the beach. Everyone was confused and scared, some were outright pissed off. Chatter spread through the lines a
s Rollins called Marks and the other sergeants together to devise a plan.

  “Ain’t this some shit? Been here five minutes and we’re light ten percent of our regiment,” a voice spat. I turned to see a man kneeling beside me with dark tan skin and blonde hair in a deep widow’s peak. There was a small scar in the shape of a V over his right eyebrow and the muscles in his neck twitched as he moved his head from side to side.

  “Walked right into that one didn’t we?” I replied.

  “Hell yeah, we did. Buddy Turner,” he said and stuck out his hand.

  “Richard Roberts, everybody calls me Cat,” I said and shook his hand.

  “Yeah, I know who you are. Everybody does after that little scrap you had with Dwayne the other night.”

  “I cast a look down the line to see Dwayne calmly smoking a cigarette and asked, “Is that guy as crazy as he seems?”

  “Buddy looked at me, then down the line to Dwayne as well. “Some of the guys are asking the same thing about you. Seems a man would have to be crazy to pick a fight with Dwayne on their first night.”

  “So I’m in deep shit already?” I asked him.

  “I didn’t say that. Truth is, most are kind of glad a greenie came right in and stood up to him. Showed his ass he ain’t as scary as he thinks.”

  “Jack joined us as we squatted in the sand, taking up a post beside us without saying a word. A minute or two later Marks broke free from the meeting with Rollins and signaled us all to gather around. He dropped to a knee and spread a map out as everybody crowded in tight.

  “So here's the deal," he said, pointing his index finger towards the map. "We’re on Tenos Beach here, just east of Pusan. We’re going to move a quarter mile east up the coast to the Paching River and follow it inland. The river's the only place we know we can travel and be safe from land mines.

  “Recon tells us there aren’t any North Koreans in the area, so we'll sit tight until dark and then get to it. Any questions?”

  “A man with a heavy southern accent asked, “It’s not even ten hundred hours. What the hell we supposed to do until dark? Sit here in the open and hope nobody comes looking for us?”