Evening star., 1951-12-31
By John Rondolph
A..oela,.d Pres. Foreisss eersspende

NEAR KUMSONG, Korea, Dec
90 Delayed One year ago to-
night, on my first front-line as
signment, I spent 13 hours on a
frozen hill just across the 38th
parallel in North Korea.
1t was a night-long watch with
"a tiny outpost squad from Com
pany II" Of a famous infantry
regiment.
Last night, on my last assign
ment in Korea, / went back to the
same company, still on the battle
line, and spent another night or
another frozen hill.
Little more than the names o1
the men and the number OF the
hill had changed in year.
The colds degrees below zero
was the same.
The gleam of snow on the jag
ged hillsides was the same; under
the same stars.
One Real Difference.
The sporadic firing OF the
American artillery and the oc-
Icasional brilliance Of the flares
were the same.
The curses were the same, too
wrung from the long suffering
Iof the infantryman.
Still there was one real dlf.
frence.
Last year, weak with defeat anc
despair. the 9th Army waited II
dread for the next Chinese Of.
fensive. It began on New Years
eve and drove the Allies back an.
other 60 miles.
Now that defeat has turned int
at least partial victory. Hope ha:
replaced despair
There Is hope that the long
spun armistice talks might really
lead to peace and Homecoming
before too many more weeks o.
months.
eve Are All Dead Men"
It was possible to leave tn,
company in its front-line bunker,
this morning without the guilt,
conscience that every correspond
Ient had last year when he sais
so long" to front infantryman
Last year, when said goodby
Ia young West Pointer pulled m,
aside and said. TEL the peopl,
back home what It's like up hers
|. Tell them we are all deac
men,"
That statement seemed not fal
from the truth then.
In the story I wrote one yea,
ago there were the names ant
home addresses Of 10 men I wa.
with, all veterans Of nearly siz
months fighting In Korea at thai
time.
Here Is what happened to them:
First 1t. Solomon L. Hay o1
Johns Island. S. c., was first
platoon leader. 1t. Hay became
company commander and was 70.
tated home last November Il
after l6 months in the line.
Too Many Captains.
Although q natural leader anc
In command of the compar. fol
months, he never was promoted
to captain. The reason? The Army
sent too many captains to the
Far East and won't promote any
more first lieutenants until they
are absorbed.
M/Sergt. Clarence F. Martin Of
Harrisburg. Pa, was platoon
sergeant. He wore four gold rings
on his fingers and ruby sparkler.
IN his ears. He became a legenc
In the regiment-one Of its rea
heroes. "The Gypsy" as they
called him, disappeared In battle
April "a and has been recon.
mended for the Congressiona
Medal Of Honor. The Army carrie.
him as missing" He is not or
the Communists prisoner list.
Another missing man is Corpl
Gordon j. Zorn Of Vesta, Minn.
an automatic rifleman who dis.
appeared in a hill battle August
13.
Pfc. Cleve d. Honeycutt ot
Lenoir. N. c., a platoon runner
went home on emergency leave IL
March.
Four Win Rotation Race.
Four others won their race be.
tween death and rotation, goin,
home last August and September
after more than . year at tn.
front. They were Pfc. Cleon Eek.
Ter Of Middletown, Del: Corpl
Harold e. Vincent, Evansville
Ind; Pvt. Albert Mististis, Detroit
and Pvt. Carlisle J. Oleander, Bris.
tol, Conn.
Corpl. George J. Williams O
Chicago, a squad leader, wa.
wounded in the same battle wher
the gypsy disappeared. and wa
sent back to the United States.
The tenth man. Corpl. John II
Cara of Houston, Tex, is carried
on the rolls as killed in action.
A divisional personnel Office
prepared the list at my request
He looked at it with some surpris,
after it was all down on paper
Luckier Than Some Others.
They were luckier than hell,
he remarked. "Only one dead ant
two missing. Some other squads
now. ;"
Last night, from the company
command post in a hill bunker
high above the valley floor, thu
Ia ting company commando
slapped me on the back at 6:3l
pm.
tits time to co." he said, "wt
like to get out on these patrols
right after dark so the Chinks
don't have time to lay an am
bush"