224 Heavy Mortar Co. 1952-53
By; HAROLD DAVIS

I have attended several 224 Heavy Mortar Company reunions. It gave me an opportunity to meet many of the National Guards that were activated in 1950. I found that most of the Guardsmen were from the west coast. They were the average guys that got caught up in the war. At these reunions I have heard about the time spent at Camp Cook and the training that went on there. I have heard of the boat ride over to Japan. Of course I have herd many stories of the experience encounter while stationed in Japan. Of course many of these were very exciting and they probably get a little better at each reunion. Being ordered to go to Korea and replacing the 24th Division made great conversation. In most cases the men knew each other from day one and in some cases were with high school classmates. When the 40th Division was activated, trained at Camp Cook, sent to Japan and finally to Korean to replace the 24th Division. I know that you had “fillers” that were not in the original group.

I want to give you a picture of the boys that replaced the Guardsmen. They were draftees that were called into service from the farms and small towns across the entire nation. I will give you the experience of three of the replacements. Joe Caldwell, Hogansville, GA, Clayton Christman, Deshler, Ohio and myself from Roxboro, NC. We were all drafted. Caldwell and myself were inducted at Fort Jackson, SC. After about 10 days after induction we were placed on a troop train for California. In Mississippi we hooked up with another troop train from Ohio. We proceeded to Camp Roberts California. At Camp Roberts we had 8 weeks of basic training and continued for another 8 weeks of heavy weapons training.

Upon completing the training we were given 10 days leave to visit our home, 3000 miles away. Each of us took advantage of the leave and went home and reported back to Camp Stoneman, California 1. After a few days processing, on June 28th, 1952 we boarded the Ship General Haze and headed for Japan. After 14 days we arrived in Yohomoka, Japan. After a brief train ride to Camp Drake and in about 10 days we were assigned to the 40th Infantry Division, 224th Regiment, Heavy Mortar Company. Then came another ride on the Ship Gen Weigel to Korea, landing at Inchon on the 29th of July 1952. (11:50 AM)

From Inchon we boarded trucks and were sent to Chungchon, 40th Division replacement depot. In approximately we were boarded a train for Pusan. In another 10 days we ended up on Koje-do where our 224 Heavy Mortar Company was located. By this time all the original National Guardsmen had all rotated home. The company consisted entirely of “fillers” and replacements. We remained on the island for several weeks while replacements were arriving. On September 18th, 1952 the company left Koje-do on a LST 3 628 and sailed up the Yellow to the port of Inchon. This was our 2nd entry to the port of Inchon in 60 days.

We were trucked to a position in reserve for the battle of White Horse Mountain. We remained a few miles behind the MLR for about 10 days. The South Korean Army was defending White Horse and we were there in case they were overrun. The South Koreans held their lines.

We moved on to the MLR at Sand Bag Castle 21st October 1952 in the central front. The 224th was located to the left of the 160th. We were there the first part of the winter of 1952. Temperatures dropped to over 30 degrees below zero. Our bunker heat consisted of local charcoal in gallon cans. We were there until Jan. 53. The extreme cold weather gave us problems with drinking water and frostbite. My feet were frostbitten at this location and I am having many problems with my feet today resulting from that exposure,

On 31st of January the 224th was pulled off line and Heavy Mortar Company was mover east to Luke’s Castle to support a South Korean Division that had no 4.2 Mortars. This proved to be our most difficult assignment. There was a language problem and Heavy Mortar Company and Tank Company were the only Americans in the area. There were two snows that were over four feet each. These brought a halt to activities on both sides. While at this location Heavy Mortar Mess Hall Bunker was used as an aid station to receive wounded. Our Position was in the valley in the rear of the MLR.

In the spring the 224th went back on line on the northern rim of the Punch Bowl. We were trucked over to the Punch Bowl on April 13th 1952 to join the 224th. The regiment has been in reserve in the Inge area enjoying light training and USO Shows. The Regiment made a 15 mile two day march up to the Punch Bowl. Heavy Mortar Company was fortunate to miss that march.

That spring while at the Pinch Bowl we three had accumulated a sufficient number of points to rotate to the Zone of Interior. (Back to the US). We received orders to leave 224 Heavy Mortar Company on May 17, 1950. We had been on line for a total of On March 17 the three of us boarded a 2 ˝ ton truck for transpiration to Inchon . It was over and we were going home, not quite.

When east coast troops were sent home they were shipped to the west coast and then chartered by air across the country to the east coast. There had been a couple of accidents and other problems so Uncle Sam came up with the idea to transport east coast troops to New York. We ended up on the third and last ship of this venture. We waited in Inchon for about 30 days until there were sufficient troops to load the ship. We boarded the ship for a 33-day trip with stops in Hawaii, Balboa Panama, Porto Rico and finally New York City.

We were bused over to Camp Dix, NJ where I boarded a bus for Fort Jackson, SC. Caldwell and Christman were sent to locations near their homes. Each of us took a 30 day leave at home with our family. I reported to Fort Bragg, NC, 325th Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, just 90 miles from my home.

I reported in and two days later the entire 325th Regiment went into the field to prove in some new equipment that the army was testing. I spent the next month in the boon docks of Fort Bragg living in a tent. Two regiments were rotating field duty to test the new equipment.

After one month in the field we came back to the base. I finally got a good place to sleep with a real roof over my head. At this time I obtained a Class “A” Pass. Please note that during my entire army life I had never has a pass or gone into town. During basic training we were confined to the post. After one month my regiment was going back out in the field. My Company Commander saw that I had only six weeks to go so I was transferred into a holding company and just laid around for the next six weeks, my first break!

Now it comes time to be released, a Captain called me in and offered me many opportunities to stay in the Army, including helicopter pilot training. I listened but I was like Glen Campbell when he got his divorce, “I did not want any cheese, I just wanted to get out of the trap”. Christman and Caldwell got out also. I have no data but I feel that most of the replacements took the same route. I have kept contact with many of those that I was in basic with and not one stayed.

When I go to the reunion I hear all the stories of the great times that others had while serving. There were no great times for those that replaced the Guardsmen. We spent 244 days on the MLR without a break in a very cold winter.

I was drafter into service; I was young and had spent a protective childhood. I grew up fast and matured quickly. Upon returning home I went to work for the Western Electric Company and enrolled in college. I graduated from Elon College with a major on math and physics. I transferred over to Bell Telephone Laboratories and retired from the Bell System with 33 years of service. I am living on the North Carolina Coast with my wife Alida. We have two sons and one grandchild. Joe Caldwell became a salesman and is retired and lives outside of Atlanta, GA. Clayton Christman became one of the owners in a construction company along with his brothers. He passed away two years ago. If any of you ever see that Captain that tried to get me to enlist and become a helicopter pilot, tell him that I received my Private Pilot License years ago.

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Harold Davis-1952-1953

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