June 25th coming up

[<RonaldS842@aol.com>]

Hi Guys-

   I'm a newcomer to the list but I spent most of the Korean war in Korea and 
the Far East, so I guess I'm legit. I have to admit that I followed Ed 
Evenhoe over here from the Military History list. I've got a lot of respect 
for Ed, and now I find there are some other pretty good guys here too. Guess 
what.... In a couple of weeks, June 25, our war is going to be 50 years old. 
Where have all those years gone :-). Maybe a happy face isn't appropriate 
here :-(
   Hats off to you Ed. A few weeks ago when the No Gun Ri news was all the 
rage Ed cautioned to go a little slow in our assumptions of wrong doing, at 
least until the dust had a chance to settle. It appears Ed was right on.
   But that news item brings up  some very interesting  thoughts. I just 
finished listening to Dr. Dean Edel. He's talking about a new study, just 
out, about memory. It deals with kids from the 50s (hey, that's us), and 
their observations then and now. Seems there is little correlation. Memory is 
not that accurate, too many things get in the way and influence us. I swear 
that I remember things that I know didn't really happen. I can even see them 
clearly in my minds eye. 
   So I don't blame Lt., or Sgt., Edward Daily too much. Maybe he heard that 
story so much he truely believes he was there. And maybe he is guilty of a 
little fantasy.
   The guys that I don't believe are those few self proclaimed doped up Viet 
Nam veterans with all their medals who keep calling us murderers and go 
around the country protesting our patriotism. Every time one of those phonies 
is unmasked it makes my day.
   Let me ask a question before I sign off. I was in the Ist Radio Squadron 
Mobile, Air Force Security Service with headquarters at Johnson Air Force 
Base, Tokyo in January 1952. That was when Drew Pearson told us in Japan we 
would all be dead or captured within 60 days.
   I had a friend whose name was Asa something or other. He was a big 
gangling kid with red hair from Georgia or Alabama. Boy, he was some kind of 
guy and a hero of mine at the time. Didn't we all create heros for ourselves 
at the time. I guess it was one of those things that went with the territory. 
   Asa told me than in 1951 we had a small detachment in Korea. He and 
another had made a parachute jump into an area around a  reservoir where 
Marines were surronded and completely cut off. He said that by monitoring the 
enemy troops radio communications they were able to pinpoint their locations 
and establish a route of escape and that they got out safely under cover of 
darkness, without incident.
   The story didn't particularly impress me at the time because we were 
engaged in some pretty exiting stuff most of the time. But I've always 
remembered that story. I wonder if anyone knows about it or can enlighten me 
more about the particulars. It seems like it should have been news worthy. 
Asa didn't impress me as the type of guy that would make things up.
   BTW, the local paper here is running a story every day asking for vets to 
submit stories to them about their experiences in Korea. Someone cares!

Ronald D. Schultz
Moraga, CA