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A COMBAT VIEW FROM THE POINT On May 29 1951, I was a rifleman assigned to the 1st Fire team, 2nd squad, 2nd Platoon, B Company,1st Battalion 7th Marines. We were somewhere near the eastern coast of South Korea. That morning we had crossed a valley and gone up a very steep ridge. Charlie Company had run into a strong North Korean position at the peak of the mountain. We joined another company's north/south line (creating an L shape) making a secure flank to their east. As we prepared out nighttime positions, I was informed by my fire team leader, Cpl. Marvin T. Treadwell, that at first light I was to be the point man for a flanking movement. We were to climb the north ridge where we would attack the North Korean position which had held up our battalion's advance. This attack was to strike them from their left rear. The entire movement would be under direct observation by the enemy. In moving to survey our objective and plan my path, I saw and spoke to then-Col. H.R. Nickerson, our regimental commander. He wished us "good luck". It is not often that a private first class gets to talk to a real Colonel, other that at office hours. The loneliness of being the point man in any movement to attack is an experience that is not among my favorites. Being the first man in line often makes survival a question of who sees first sees opponent at the moment of contact. After less than a restful night, we assembled and started down that steep rock face then up to the other ridge. Directly behind me was Cpl. Treadwell, and out platoon leader, 1st lt. Donald R. Semon, was behind him. As we approached with in 150 feet of the top, we came upon a large rock formation that precluded a safe, orderly advance. Cpl. Treadwell recommended that our fire team go to the right around the rock in order to block any enemy movement that could endanger our column. 1st Lt. Semon concurred. As we moved to the right a number of enemy positions were unmasked. We soon saw 6 or 8 enemy soldiers running for their positions. Cpl. Treadwell, Pfc. Mundahl and I fired on the enemy we could see, downing four of them. The others escaped intro prepared emplacements. Simultaneously, the main column was struck by automatic weapons fire. We were recalled to the main body. As we came from behind the rocks I saw that our platoon leader had been shot in the right arm. Sgt. Masek was kneeling beside him applying a battle dressings to his wounds. The Corpsman, who had just arrived, then took over. Our fire team (Cpl. Treadwell, PFC Mundahl, PFC Marston and I) then went on line with the second fire team, led by Cpl. Patterson, and some Marines on their right. Our squad leader and the rest of the platoon were behind us. We were facing two fighting holes at a distance of 25 to 30 feet. The enemy in bunkers were now providing covering fire for these holes. The enemy solders were armed with Burb guns and grenades. Several grenades were thrown from the emplacements and/or holes. These either flew over our heads or bounced over our heads. The grenades exploded behind us near Cpl's Sherbody and Fontana. Corporals Treadwell and Patterson began trying to talk the enemy out of their holes. I was trying to shoot them. An enemy soldier to my left front raised out of his hole in order to throw a grenade. I was able to get a shot into him just above and to the right of the belt buckle. We fired on the North Koreans on our right, I saw multiple hits. We moved over a small crest and started to climb in order to flank these enemy positions. As we crossed the crest we saw an opening in a trench dug near the top of the hill. Cpl. Treadwell moved to my right in order to try for a shot into the position that had held us up a few minutes earlier. He was providing covering fire for another Marine and me. I went in the trench and entered the bunker near the opening, it was empty. As I left the bunker saw Sgt. Adcock, with his squad enter the trench to sweep it of any remaining enemy. Our team had become separated, I saw Cpl Treadwell so climbed from the trench to join him, he and I then resumed the uphill attack. Our own machine guns began giving us covering fire. Five or ten meters farther up the hill we saw a circular trench which included a bunker which was located near our objective. Cpl. Treadwell moved past the trench to the top of the bunker. My intention was to jump into the circular trench near the bunker. This plan was altered abruptly. The ground suddenly seemed to explode as more gunfire broke around us. Two North Koreans, firing as they came ran from the bunker at my feet. Cpl. Treadwell started shooting into the bunker through the dirt on top. I shot the two coming out of the entrance from the first trench and joined Sgt Adcock and others in eliminating several other enemy soldiers as they were driven from the bunker. These actions seemed to trigger that culminated in clearing a large are of the objective. Lt. Bell, the company executive officer, asked me for my last grenade he then led the assault down the finger ridge and created a platoon firing line. We shot at the running enemy and the emplacements where they were taking cover. We started receiving small arms and mortar fire from this area. A heated fire fight developed. We exchanged fire until Able Company relived us. Our team had expended it's unit of fire. We took our wounded and were directed to move to an area where we were masked from direct enemy fire. The enemy began to pound Company A with machine guns and 76 recoilless
rifle fire. Our supporting arms began to strike adjacent hills. Air
strikes (F4U's) were called, recall one of the aircraft being hit and
going down. As casualties increased, Charley company joined the fight.
They, too, began taking casualties. This mounting crisis prompted the
corpsmen to to ask fro rescue/evacuation help. Our platoon Sergeant took
volunteers back to the ridge to help remove the wounded. We made
individual trips under fire out to the ridge to help evacuate the
casualties. We helped the walking wounded and others who needed to be
carried. ********************* The above article was prepared using Tom Pentecost's draft notes and a summary of his article as it appeared in the October issue of the Marines Corps Gazette who graciously allowed us to reproduce portion of it above. As a side note Tom was instrumental in obtaining awards for several of the men mentioned in this article. Tom was awarded the silver Star for his actions that day. - Web Master
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