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David Williams I went to Korea from Okinawa with the 29th Inf in July 1950. We loaded on a Japanese ship and were supposed to go to Japan for training and better weapons before going to Korea, but the gravity of the fighting in Korea dictated that we go directly to Korea. We landed in Pusan on the 21st of July and loaded on a train for Chinju. The vehicle convoy followed by road. Shortly after arriving in Chinju and storing our duffel bags in a warehouse, we were placed on line to oppose the North Korean army. The first night on line we were hit by a probing attack that lasted about one hour. We held our positions, but were ordered to withdraw the next day. The probing attack was only a diversion for the main assault against the 3rd BN. that took place at Hadong. I was in C Co. 1st Bn. The 3rd Bn. was severely mauled on the 27th of July when the North Korean army over ran their positions. While pulling back from our location at Chinju, an air Plane flew over and dropped a message telling us that we were almost surrounded and that we should have pulled back the day before. We didn't get the withdrawal order, so we were forced to withdraw over the mountains since all the roads were controlled by the NKA. We went on an all night march over the mountains, often following trails that were impassable for vehicles. The only vehicle we had with us was Jeeps and the trail had to be widened and bridges had to be repaired before they could get through. The next day we were picked up by trucks and transported to the rear area. On the 2nd of Aug we were on a combat patrol that was to clear the road through Haman Pass when we were attacked by the NKA. This battle in called The Battle of The Notch. We were hit just as we were going over the pass by machine gun and mortar fire. The lead tank was disabled and the crew was killed when a mortar round scored a direct hit in the open hatch. The road was to narrow for other vehicles to pass, so the road was effectively blocked. The vehicle I was on was riddled with machine gun fire so we jumped out and into a ditch to the left of the road. When we hit the ditch we found some North Korean soldiers already there. We had to shoot and club with our weapons before we could take cover there. While in the ditch, a gasoline tank on the vehicle I was riding in was ruptured from gun fire and gasoline was leaking into the ditch. I told shouted for a cease fire, but Jacky Man, a soldier in my squad did not hear me. He fired his rifle and ignited the gasoline and was immediately engulfed in flames. He jumped from the ditch and started running down the road screaming. Rudolph Marquez and I caught him and beat out the flames, but he was so badly burned that he died before being evacuated. We lost about 20 men from my company that day and 90 from the Bn. 4 men from my squad were killed. I suffered only minor burns from putting out the flames on Jacky. The fight lasted until early afternoon when we attacked the hill mass on the right of the road and dislodged the enemy. After the battle of the notch, we started preparing positions on the Pusan Perimeter. We were attacked several times while on the perimeter, but were able to hold our positions. On the 16th of September, After the Inchon landing, we broke out of the perimeter and started pushing North. After many battles, we reached to within 12 miles of the Yalu River when we were attacked by the Chinese. On the second night of the Chinese attack I was knocked down by an artillery round and disoriented from the concussion. My leg was injured and I had a hard time walking for a while. The two Korean soldiers that were assigned to my squad found me and stayed with me until we were able to rejoin the company. We were withdrawing South by this time. After reaching The North Korean Capitol I was evacuated to Japan to recover from my injuries. I rejoined the company in January 1951 and participated in several major battles, including the Han River crossing on March 7th 1951. We were on the Lincoln Line in August 1951 when I got orders for rotation. I remained in the Army for 20 years serving 3 tours in Germany and 1 tour in Viet Nam as an adviser in 1964& 1965 I retired from the Army in 1969 at Fort Ord California. David M. Williams |