Re: Truman and the Marines

[<DGill11331@aol.com>]

In a message dated 9/11/2003 2:18:12 PM Eastern Daylight Time, wanaki@infionline.net writes:

> Don, 
> True. The 5th Provisional Brigade which went in at Pusan was brought up to strength as the 5th Marine Regiment and landed at Inchon with the 1st Marines, while the Seventh Marines were tasked with offloading the ships, then bypassed Seoul and attacked through Yong Dong Po. Robert 


Robert, 
       I checked my Marine Corps Korean War History Book to check when the 7th Regiment joined the 1st and 5th. It states "On D-plus 8 the 1st Marine Division had its third rifle regiment in line for the first time."  D-plus 8 was eight days after the Inchon Landing the 23rd of September. 
       The 7th Marines couldn't have bypassed Seoul and attack through "Yong Dong Po" because Yongdungpo is a suburb of Seoul separated by the Han River. Seoul lies on the north bank -- Yongdungpo on the south bank. You had to go over the Han River to get to from Yongdungpo to Seoul. On the morning of  September 21, 1950 my platoon (1st Platoon, Baker Company, 1st Marines) lead the initial attack into Yongdungpo. By September 23 Yongdungpo was secure with the 5th and 1st Regiments across the Han into Seoul. Basically the 5th Marines were west of the 1st Marines and the 7th Marines in the rear of the 5th. In the late morning of the 23rd the 7th Marines crossed the Han River and took up positions in the rear of the 5th Marines. The 5th Marines were in the western part of Seoul the 1st Marines in the eastern part.  
Don Gill