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In a message dated 2/11/2004 8:36:19 PM US Mountain Standard Time, johncheek1@juno.com writes:
Now, that I know that the repatriation issue caused the conflict to last Another factor I believe that prolonged the war was that on 3 April 1951, the 5th RCT was sitting on the 38th Parallel in the morning. We did not know where we were, until I asked my Sgt, who then replied that it was the 38th. We all started cheering and yelling the war was over and as this was going on, my CO was killed when his jeep hit a mine in front of us. He was headed to the rear to rotate home.
After all that, all the Sgt's came to us, saying we were moving north, into North Korea.
We all asked what was up and we were told that the 5th was ordered to take a Tungsten mine in North Korea. When you look at the truce line on a map, you will see it goes up into North Korea in the East. That is where the mine is.
I left on 18 Oct 51 to go home and the 5th RCT was still fighting to take that mine, which was later taken. I believe we lost a lot of men just for that mine so my government could have it.
The day the 5th took it, the Army Eng. came in and started repairing the tramway, as well as moving in equipment. You would be surprised at the number of Korean vets who did not know about that mine until I wrote a story about it in the 5th RCT newsletter some years ago.
John Sonley Korea 1951
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