Soldiers of the Changjin

[<CavKVet50@aol.com>]

I have been informed that for its actions in Korea, the 31st Inf Regt, 7th 
Inf Div  (less the 1/32 then attached to RCT 31 east of the Chosin/Changjin 
Reservoir) won the Navy PUC for bravery. However, due to recent efforts by 
historians who took the time to investigate the entire Chosin/Changjin 
scenario, the 1/32 now shares, or will soon share,  the PUC with the Marines, 
correcting a long-overdue oversight. 

The omission was noted by Dr.  Merrill Needham, Jr., Ph.D., in the 
Washington, D.C. area, who in the midst of studying Don Carlos Faith as part 
of his research of the Faith genealogy, discovered that the 1/32 Infantry, 
then attached to RCT 31 east
of the Reservoir, was not awarded the Presidential Unit Citation (PUC) for
the Chosin action.

The SecNavy had signed off on the "Recommendation for PUC" which reads: 14 
September 1999, 

To: Commandant of the Marine Corps.

"After carefully considering the recommendations contained in enslosure
(1), the U.S. Army units listed in the basic correspondence are hereby
authorized to participate in the Presidential Unit Citation previously
approved to First Marine Division, Reinforced for the period 27 November
1950 to 11 December 1950."/s/Richard Danzig

Does anyone have additional details on this? 

Research continues by historians to tell the true story of the Chosin/
Changjin saga. As George A. Rasula, who has been deeply involved with the 
research, said,  "The things that come to mind are LTC Don C. Faith, an 
impossible mission, and what benefit accrued to the Marines as a result of
this sacrifice. There was Army bridging material rigged for drop by Army 
parachute riggers, Army artillery support at Chinhung-ni of great benefit to 
the 1st Marines, Army participation with the Marines during the withdrawal, 
and not the least, Army units that held the ground between Chinhung-ni and 
the sea. The Air Force evacuated thousands of wounded and dead Marines and 
brought in vitally needed supplies and ammunition. The Navy furnished close 
air support and there were many doctors, dentists, chaplains, and corpsmen 
with the Marines, not to mention the ships at Hungnam that took us off the 
beaches. And what of Drysdale and his
magnificent Royal Marine Commandos? Or the many Koreans who served in
various capacities, including the combat arms, with Marine and Army units?"

Marty