A half century ago: 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and their battle for the Nevada cities outposts
By Beth Cullom
Daughter of deceased Korean War veteran Lt. James H. Cullom, USMC, Fox 2/5, 1st Platoon Leader, 1953
A half century ago, as the politically pressured Panmunjom peace talks capriciously progressed, a group of dedicated Marines from the First Marine Division went into one of the most brutal battles fought in the Korean War, the battle for the Nevada cities outposts. Due to the sheer number of casualties amassed in this fierce three-day fight and its occurrence so near the end of the war, this valiantly fought skirmish has remained one of the less reported mêlées of the Forgotten War: the battles of Reno, Carson and Vegas, 26-29 March 1953.
Survivors of this campaign are primarily those who were injured early and carried out of harms way for medical treatment, as well as those who were called into the battle to replace the dead and injured; truck drivers, cooks and those of the rear echelon all saw action in this fight. Little seems to have been written about the outpost portion of the Korean War, and the collective silence of those who fought in the war in general, as well as those who fought in the outpost battles specifically, have left subsequent generations with a gap in history that is only now being addressed. It is primarily the children of those who fought in the outpost war that are asking questions now and initiating research.
Whether our fathers fought and died bravely on the battlefield; or were injured, and treated by corpsmen under fire, then carried out of the conflict by buddies to be evacuated by helicopters and transferred eventually to hospital ships in Inchon Bay; or whether our fathers safely survived combat to return home, we wonder about that portion of their lives and the effect those experiences had on the fathers that these men became, and, in addition, to the adults we children have become.
While March 26, 2003 marks the golden anniversary of the battle for the Nevada cities, many of the children of those who fought there are themselves fifty years old and feel a need, indeed, a compulsion, to know our fathers better. We stand in the gap of history and it is our responsibility to discover and tell the stories that our fathers’ have held hidden. It is our task to understand the tribulation and significance of their war.
The 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines and their corpsmen were at the devastating battle for outposts Reno, Carson and Vegas in 1953, just as they became the “Devil Dogs” at Belleau Woods in World War I and fought at Guadalcanal in World War II; the same unit battled at Hue City in Vietnam, and helped speed a quick end to the Persian Gulf War in 1991. Today, March 2003, on the fiftieth anniversary of the Nevada cities battle, the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines are swiftly and stealthily moving towards Baghdad amidst a sever blinding sand storm into unknown chemical and biological peril. This group of young Marines, like the 2/5ers who went before them, are young men who could be the very children and grandchildren of those who fought to the death in Korea for small hills named for American cities. The 2nd
Throughout history, Marine mothers worry while wives wait and children are distracted and pacified in the peaceful self-centered worlds that their parents create for them. Let us all remain vigilant to the needs of these children of combat Marines that they know and understand as they grow, why their daddies went to war. All eyes are on 2/5 today and all prayers are with them; let our hearts and voices also appreciate and proclaim the sacrifices of their Korean War brothers who, in the tradition of the Corps, bravely did their part to secure world peace fifty years ago on three small hills in a land far away.
Semper Fidalis.
Reno Block
June 1953 Leatherneck article Vegas, Reno and Carson
By MSgt. Robert T. Fugate
Leatherneck Staff Correspondent
The night of March 25th was clear and almost warm for that month of the year in Korea. Although the half moon hadn’t risen in the eastern sky, darkness gave no indication to the Marines manning the three outposts that this night would be unlike any other night. Yet, before the moon rode high, one of the most tenacious battles Marines were ever to fight would erupt.
The outposts were about 1500 yards forward of the Fifth Marines’ front line. Vegas, on the right, was the tallest of the three. Between Reno and Vegas was a small hill called the Reno Block, a defensive position manned every night by a reinforced squad. Dusk fell. The squad waited for the welcome protection of darkness before moving up to the Block. The other posts were held by composite platoons of rifle and weapons company personnel.
Suddenly, at 1900, the quiet calm of the evening was shattered when all three outposts were blanketed with a barrage of enemy artillery, mortar and small arms fire. The chips were down as an estimated two battalions of Reds attacked our outlying positions. And for the next five days, battles exploded as screaming Chinese and stubborn Marines clashed around the untouchable area of Panmunjom. The Commies wanted this particular piece of real estate. Its commanding heights afforded t
(Leatherneck, 18) Meanwhile, over on Reno, “F” Company, 2nd Battalion, Fifth Marines, was moving steadily forward. The enemy was giving them 76-mm. Incoming at the rate of six to 10 rounds per second. “Fox” had moved out on the night of the 26th and had made it as far as the Reno Block. They cleared out all trenches on the approach and held to the Reno Block despite terrific casualties. They faced a full battalion of Reds. Reno was soon termed untenable and “F” Company was ordered back to regroup and reorganize. They carried back all their dead and wounded. (Leatherneck, 20) For more information on the battle for outposts Reno, Carson and Vegas please visit Francis Colton Hammond, Junior’s Website, a tribute to his father Corpsman Francis Hammond who died 27 March 1953 tending wounded men from Fox Company, 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines at Reno Block: “The Battle for the Nevada Triangle” http://www.ussfrancishammond.com/bio.html#tanglefoot ******************************************* Remember the men and women who stand in the gap between the free world and those who wish to destroy it. Bless those who serve, those who have served, and most especially those who never return. Reply to: bethcullom@alum.calberkeley.org