Korean War Glossary #4

Weapons during the Korean War
60s - about a 2,500-yard range. The mortars at company level. They were in the Weapons Platoon and were employed as the company commander required. These were the only indirect-fire weapons at company level.

81s - Range of 5,000 yards. The mortars in the Weapons Battalion at battalion level, 81mm. These mortars were sometimes assigned to support separate companies as a "section" of two tubes and sometimes employed as a battery of six tubes supporting the entire battalion front.

4.2s - The heavy mortar of the infantry, with a range of 6,000 yards. They were in the regimental heavy weapons company. There were six tubes.

105s - These guns provided indirect fire (over hills) and had a range of 12,000 yards. They were the basic Army howitzer assigned to support every infantry regiment, with six guns to a battery. There were three firing batteries to an artillery battalion and each battery supported an infantry regiment. There were three infantry battalions to a regiment.

Light .30s - These were the maching guns at company level. They were in the weapons platoon and assigned to rifle platoons as the situation dictated. They were normally employed in pairs at either end of a perimeter. A light .30s squad always carried two barrels so that the barrels could be exchanged as they got hot from firing.

Heavy .30 - The water-cooled 30-caliber machine gun in the Weaponns Company. They could fire for extended periods with the water being circulated through the "jacket" surrounding the barrel. The heavy .30s were farmed out to the rifle companies as the situation dictated. Their range was up to 1,000 yards.

BAR - Browning automatic rifle. A rapid-firing rifle supported on a bipod. Each infantry squad had a BAR team of two men, the rifleman and the ammo bearer. This weapon was used as a base of fire on offense and as the most long-range weapon on defense, 1,000 yards.

Burp gun - the Russian Tommy gun that was used by most NKPA outfits on offense. It had a round, spring-loaded magazine (like a clock) below the barrel. It was not very accurate, but with several hundred hostiles firing at one time as they spread over a hill, they poured out a lot of rounds.

Elephant gun - A Russian towed fieldpiece. Its tube was rifled and long, providing high velocity and flat trajectory. It had large steel shields on each side, forward of the wheels. It's effective range was about 6,000 yards.

Bibliography
The Battle for Pusan by Addison Terry

Korean War Glossary #3

MLR - main line of resistance. The position on land that each unit was assigned to defend, from platoon to company, to battalion, to regiment, to division.

Meat can - the can in which a soldier's canteen fits. It has a folding handle and holds about a pint. The canteen is in a webbing sack that fits on the cartridge belt.

NFL - no fire line. (Friendly troops from this point to guns)

OP - observation post.

OPLR - Outpost of least resistance. This was the most forward position of the perimeter or line. The mission of the troops manning the OPLR is to deceive the enemy as to the true location of the main defensive position and to cause the enemy to prematurely go into his battle formation and attack the wrong terrain.

OT - observer target linne.

Sukoshi - Japanese for small, little. (Also, skoshi)

Soundpower - a newer telephone issued to the infantry. There was no box, the power was in the handset. It was good for short range. (A hiss or whisper could be heard, thus obviating the need for a bell which could be heard by the enemy.)

TOT - time on target. A prearranged registration involving all firepower available to the command. Because all the pieces firing were at different ranges, their firing times had to be mathematically calculated so that the rounds would arrive on the target at the same time.

Takasan (pronounced "Toxon") - Japanese for "a lot," "a whole bunch"

WP - white phosphorous. Ammo used for adjusting fire (it made long, white plumes) and frequently mixed with HE when fired "for effect." It was also effective in setting armor on fire.

Bibliography
The Battle for Pusan by Addison Terry

Korean War Glossary #2

EE8 - the mobile telephone used. Basically a WWI piece of equipment, it was in a carrying satchel about 12X8X3 inches. It had a crank that was turned to activate the bell on the other end of the line.

FPL - final protective line. A company commander would lay out his perimeter and assign a sector of fire for each crew-sserved weapon and each rifleman. These fire sectors provided for a crossing fire from all weapons to present a wall of fire at knee level. The FPL was fired only when the enemy was within 100 to 200 yards of the MLR (main line of resistance).

Fire for effect - The command given after adjusting fire on a target, usually at least three rounds of all guns or tubes. Adjustment was normally done with the two center guns of the battery.

GT - gun target line

How able - Haul ass

Hiokko - Phonetic spelling for Japanese word for rapid departure, as in "Let's hiokko the hell out of here."

Halazone pills - Pills issued to place in one's canteen when drinking water from an uncertain source.

HE - high explosive. The basic mortar and and artillery ammunition.

Bibliography
The Battle for Pusan by Addison Terry

1951 Chronology: 23 March

Operation Tomahawk.
One hundred twenty C-119s and C-46s drop 3,437 paratroopers of the 187th Regimental Combat Team near Munsan-ni in the second largest airborne operation of the war.

Korean War Glossary #1

Azimuth - the bearing to a target. The army used a 3,600 mil measurement in compass bearings.

BNT/ENT - beginning nautical twilight/end nautical twilight. Patrols were normally sent out at least one hour BNT. The troops would be confined to a dark area to allow their eyes to adjust to darkness before departing on patrol. Patrols would return one hour ENT - end nautical twilight.

Rations, B - Rations prepared by the company or bttalion mess. They were issued in No. 10 cans of things like green beans, potatoes, flour, powdered milk, and other staples.

Rations, C - Combat ration. Each man was to receive a box of C rations per day. It contained toilet paper, cigarettes, powdered coffee, tinned biscuits (hardtack), canned fruit, and different entrees such as spaghetti and meat balls, chicken stew, beans and franks and so on. All these were in cans the size of a Vienna sausage can. There was also a small bar of soap and a bar of chocolate.

CP - command post

Column of ducks - A rout-march practice with two columns of men single file on either side of the road.


Bibliography
The Battle for Pusan, by Addison Terry

Glossary of Korean War Terms #1: Military Alphabet

From Leatherneck: Magazine of the Marines

< WWII WWII/Korea Vietnam Present
AFFIRM - ABLE - ALPHA
BAKER - BAKER - BRAVO
CAST - CHARLIE - CHARLIE
DOG - DOG - DELTA
EASY - EASY - ECHO
FOX - FOX - FOXTROT
GEORGE - GEORGE - GOLF
HYPO - HOW - HOTEL
INT - ITEM - INDIA
JIG - JIG - JULIET
KING - KING - KILO
LOVE - LOVE - LIMA
MIKE - MIKE - MIKE
NEGAT - NAN - NOVEMBER
OPTION - OBOE - OSCAR
PREP - PETER - PAPA
QUEEN - QUEEN - QUEBEC
ROGER - ROGER - ROMEO
SAD - SUGAR - SIERRA
TARE - TARE - TANGO
UNIT - UNCLE - UNIFORM
VICTOR - VICTOR - VICTOR
WILLIAM - WILLIAM - WHISKEY
X-RAY - X-RAY - X-RAY
YOKE - YOKE - YANKEE
ZEBRA - ZEBRA - ZULU

Why the changes?

From Wikipedia
The U.S. adopted the Joint Army/Navy Phonetic Alphabet from 1941 to standardize systems amongst all branches of its armed forces. The U.S. alphabet became known as Able Baker after the words for A and B. The United Kingdom adapted its RAF alphabet in 1943 to be almost identical to the American Joint-Army-Navy (JAN) one.

After World War II, with many aircraft and ground personnel drawn from the allied armed forces, "Able Baker" continued to be used in civil aviation. But many sounds were unique to English, so an alternative "Ana Brazil" alphabet was used in Latin America. But the International Air Transport Association (IATA), recognizing the need for a single universal alphabet, presented a draft alphabet to the ICAO in 1947 that had sounds common to English, French, and Spanish. After further study and modification by each approving body, the revised alphabet was implemented on 1 November 1951 in civil aviation (but it may not have been adopted by any military):

Alfa Bravo Coca Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliett Kilo Lima Metro Nectar Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Union Victor Whisky Extra Yankee Zulu

Immediately, problems were found with this list. Some users felt that they were so severe that they reverted to the old "Able Baker" alphabet. To identify the deficiencies of the new alphabet, testing was conducted among speakers from 31 nations, principally by the governments of the United Kingdom and the United States.

Confusion among words like Delta, Nectar, Victor, and Extra, or the unintelligibility of other words under poor receiving conditions were the main problems. After much study, only the five words representing the letters C, M, N, U, and X were replaced. The final version given in the table above was implemented by the ICAO on 1 March 1956, and was adopted before 1959 by the ITU, because it appears in the 1959 Radio Regulations as an established phonetic alphabet. Because the ITU governs all international radio communications, it was also adopted by all radio operators, whether military, civilian, or amateur (ARRL). It was finally adopted by the IMO in 1965. In 1947 the ITU adopted the compound number words (Nadazero Unaone, etc.), later adopted by the IMO in 1965

News: Korean War vets from Iowa sought for honor

Chicago Tribune: Korean War vets from Iowa sought for honor
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa The head of Iowa's chapter of Korean War veterans is seeking other Iowans who served in that war to receive a special recognition from South Korea.

The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that Vilas Morris is looking for fellow vets to receive peace ambassador medals from the Republic of Korea.

The medals are part of an effort by the South Korean government to express gratitude to all Americans who served there in conjunction with the 60th anniversary observance of the war.

The South Korean government is also offering scholarships to descendants of the veterans to study in South Korea.

Morris says he's gathered between 200 and 300 names so far.

Breakout, by Martin Russ

Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea 1950, by Martin Russ
Fromm International, 1999
436 pages, 4 pages of b&w photos, Sources and recommended reading, index
Library: 951.9042 RUS

Description
On November 27, 1950, a Chinese army of some 60,000 men poured over Korea's border intent on wiping out a force of 12,000 US Marines marching north to the Yalu River on General Douglas MacArthur's orders. Three Marine regiments were strung out along 80 miles of a narrow mountain road that snaked its way up sweeping slopes to the high plateau of the Chosin Reservoir. Winter had arrived, a merciless wind driving temperatures down to a bone chilling 30 below.

Thus the stage was set for one of the most stirring tales in the history of American arms. Soon the Marines were completely surrounded by eight Chinese divisions who suddenly emerged from hiding to pounce on the unsuspecting Americans.

How the Marines, despite serious losses, broke out of encirclement while inflicting grueling punishment on the enemy, is the gripping story Martin Russ tells in this extraordinary book. In five days and nights of below-zero winds they fought back the waves of attacking Chinese before they reorganized for the epic escape down frozen mountain trails. Running a bloody gauntlet all the way to the sea, they managed to bring their wounded and equipment with them, giving birth to the ringing battle cry ever after associated with the Marines: "Retreat, hell, no! We're attacking in another direction."

Weaving into his account the voices of scores of individuals-ordinary Marines and their officers-Russ creates an unforgettable portrayal of the terror and courage of men as they face sudden death, making the bloody battles of the Korean hills and valleys come alive as they never have before.

Table of Contents
The book does not give names to any of the chapters.

1951 Chronology: 14 March

For the second time, United Nations troops recapture Seoul.

The Battle for Pusan, by Addison Terry

The Battle for Pusan: A Korean War Memoir, by Addison Terry
Presidio, 2000
223 pages, plus appendices, and no index. 14 pages of b&w photos
Library: 951.9042 TER

Description
On June 25, 1950, North Korean Army (NKA) forces shocked the world as they streamed across the 38th Parallel in the opening attack of a campaign to unite the peninsula by force of arms under the communist regime in Pyong Yang. The ten-division North Korean attack, spearheaded by 150 Russian-made T-34 tanks, advanced quickly, capturing the South Korean capital city, Seoul, in four days.

American occupation forces had been withdrawn from the Republic of Korea (ROK) in 1949 leaving a modest group of advisors to the ROK army, whose eight divisions were capable of little more than maintaining internal security. Outnumbered and outgunned, the South was doomed to defeat if America's military might could not quickly be brought to bear. Unfortunately, America's military might was not in such good shape itself. With no obvious threat, the four divisions that remained in Japan had been allowed to become undermanned, underequipped, and poorly trained.

Hastily thrown into battle in a necessarily piecemeal manner, American units were defeated at every turn. Still, by August 1, 1950, US forces finally stabilized a defensive perimeter around the far southern port city of Pusan. Butm, could they hold it?

Without enough troops to poperly defend Pusan, the initial perimeter was little more than a string of hilltop strong points. Continuing fierce North Korean attacks threatened to break through at every turn. Lieutenant Terry's unit, the famed "Wolfhounds" of the 27th RCT (Regimental Combat Team), was used as a "fire brigade," rushing to shore up the imperiled American defenders as the NKA threatrened to breakthrough at every turn. His memoir of these perilous times makes for exciting reading, replete with the drama and sacrifice of men in combat.

Table of Contents
Forwod by Brig. gen. Robert L. Scott Jr., USAF (ret)
Preface
Aclknowledgments
Glossary
1. Briefing
2. Heartbreak Highway
3. Two Weeks of War
4. Sachomn Pass
5. Chingdong-Ni
6. Our Allies
7. R&R Troops in a Pea Patch
8. Taegu, ROKs, Mortars
9. The Bowling Alley
10. Haman
11. Surprise Peak
12. Evacuation, Surgical Repair, Further Duty
Appendix and Maps

Wreckage of missing Korean War-era aircraft found in southern Idaho

Los Angeles Times: Wreckage of missing Korean War-era aircraft found in southern Idaho

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — Officials in Idaho's Twin Falls County say an airplane reported missing when it didn't land in Idaho Falls crashed in the Sawtooth National Forest.

Civil Air Patrol pilots located the wreckage shortly before noon Wednesday and deputies were trying to reach the remote southern Idaho crash site by ground.

Officials had no information on the condition of the two people who were on board the plane. Their names have not been released.

The Idaho Transportation Department says the 1952 Korean War-era airplane left Wendover on the Nevada-Utah border at about 4 p.m. Tuesday and was expected in Idaho Falls by 5 p.m.

KIFI-TV says the plane was reported overdue by the owners of the restoration company that worked on the plane.

1951 Chronology: 7 March

Operation Ripper

United Nations troops led by General Matthew Ridgeway begin an assault against Chinese forces.

The operation will last until April 4, 1951.

The Last Stand of Fox Company, by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin

The Last Stand of Fox Company, by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin
Atlantic Monthly Press, 2009
317 pages plus Acknowledgments, Appendix (listing of the men of Fox Company) selected bibliography, and index
15 maps and 27 b&w photos
Library: 951.9042 DRU

Description
November 1950, the Korean Peninsula: After GEneral MacArthur ignores Mao's warnings and pushes his UN forces deep into North Korea, his 10,000 First Division Marines find themseves surrounded and hopelessly outnumbered by 100,000 Chinese soldiers near the Chosin Reservoir. Their only chance for survival is to fight their way south through the Toktong Pass, a narrow gorge in the Nangnim Mountains. This crucial choke point will need to be held open at all costs...

The mission is handed to Captain William Barber and the 246 men of Fox Company, a courageous but undermanned unit of the Seventh Marine Regiment. Barber and his men are ordered to climb seven miles of frozen terrain to a rocky promontory overlooking the pass. The Marines have no way of knowing that the ground they occupy-it is soon dubbed Fox Hill-is surrounded by ten thousand Chinese soldiers who have poured over China's border into North Korea in the past month. The Marines are outnumbered by forty to one.

As the sun sets on the hiill, and the temperature plunges to thirty degrees below zero, Barber's men dig in for the night. At two in the morning, they are awakened by the sounds-bugles, whistles, cymbals, and drumbeats-and smells-the pervasive odor of garlic, a natural Chinese cold remedy-of a massive assault by thousands of enemy infantry. The attack is just the first wave of four days and five nights of nearly continuous Chinese attempts to take Fox Hill.

Amid the relentless violence, three-quarters of Fox Company's Marines are killed, wounded, or captured. Barber, shot in the leg, drags himself from foxhole to foxhole to direct the remaining American forces. His men are reduced to gnawing at frozen C-rations and sharing sleeping bags with their own wounded to survive. The cold becomes so intense that rifles and machine guns jam with ice, bazookas will not fire, and Marines are forced to load bullets into the chambers of their automatic weapons one at a time. But the temperature is also a blessing: scores of men are saved from death when their bullet wounds freeze over almost as quickly as they are opened.

With newspaper headlines across Americabeginning to report the bleak situation at the Chosin, and President Truman, General MacArthur and the Joint Chiefs debating the use of atomic weapons in North Korea, the increasingly desperate Marines on Fox Hill fight off the Chinese with shovels, knives, rocks and their bare hands.

Just when it looks like the outfit will be overrun, Lt. Colonel Raymond Davis, a fearless Marine officer who is fighting south from the Chosin, volunteers to lead a force of five hundred men on a daring mission that will seek to cut a hole in the Chinese lines and relieve the men of Fox Company.

The Last Stand of Fox Company is a fast-paced and gripping account of courage and self-sacrice in th face of impossible odds. The authors have conducted dozens of interviews with the survivors of the episode (which ultimately produced three Medal of Honor recipients) and they narrate the story with the immediacy of classic accounts of a single battle such as Guadalcanal Diary, Pork Chop Hill, and Black Hawk Down.

This book is must-reading for anyone who wants to experience the heart-pounding action, suspense, and heroism of "one of the most extraordinary battles in Marine Corps history." (Nathanial Fick)

Table of Contents
Prologue
The Hill
The Attack
The Siege
"We Will Hold"
The Ridgerunners
Epilogue
Afterword
Postscript 2009
Acknowledgments
Appendix
Selected Bibliography
Index

Walking 1,950km to Support Ethiopian Korean War Veterans

Arirang.co.kr: Walking 1,950km to Support Ethiopian Korean War Veterans
Ethiopia sent some 6-thousand ground troops to the Korean peninsula during the Korean War.

After a communist government came to power in the African country through a military coup d'etat in 1974, the veterans and their families had a hard life for many years as the former Ethiopian government accused them of fighting against its ally, North Korea.

About 500 veterans of the war are still alive and in order to help them a meaningful step has been taken here in Korea.

Participants of a fund-raising walking event left the city of Chuncheon in Gangwon Province on February 15th and will be walking across the country until May 3rd.
They will be walking a total of 1,950 kilometers which is 25 kilometers every day for 78 days and anyone can take part by donating one won for every one meter they walk.

[Interview : Shin Kwang-chul, Director-general
Supporters' Association for the Ethiopian Veterans Korean War] "We are not just simply walking. By traveling 1,950 kilometers by foot we will be remembering the 1950 Korean War and help war veterans from Ethiopia who sacrificed themselves."

The money will be used to repair the houses of Ethiopian veterans or to build schools and hospitals for their families.
Ethiopians living in Korea are also taking part in the campaign for their fathers and grandfathers living in the African country.


[Interview : Henok, Son of Ethiopian veteran] "The Ethiopian soldiers who participated in the Korean War are living a very hard life now. And it even seems that not many are alive. They are really pitiful."

Ethiopia was a country that reached out to Korea during its time of need.
It is now time for Korea to take a step forward to help them.
Eoh Jin-joo, Arirang News.

Local Korean war veteran honored

WGN Chicago News: Local Korean war veteran honored
79-year-old Bishop Tomas Lozada fought in the Korean war, which is often referred to as the "forgotten war."

Lozada enlisted into the Army Infantry on September 24, 1950.

Thursday night he was awarded a Purple Heart for his service between 1950 and 1952. He was also presented with the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, and the U.S. Army Good Conduct Medal.

Lozada was wounded on September 30, 1951 during his tour of duty. A grenade exploded in front of him and he suffered burns to his face and his right hand was damaged during combat.

The military ceremony took place at the Spaulding Avenue Church of God on 1132 N. Spaulding. Alderman Ray Suarez was on hand for the event.

Korean War Terminology

The size, composition, and leadership of military units varies with time, place, and circumstances. In the early fighting in Korea, almost every unit was always under strength. Therefore, the numbers below are an approximation.

Army - 100,00 soldiers, comprised of 2 or more Corps, normally commanded by a full GEneral

Corps - 30,000 soldiers, comprised of 2 or more Divisions, normally commanded by a Lieutenant GEneral

Division - Up to 15,000 soldiers, often only 12,000 in Korea. Comprised of 3 Regiments, commanded by a Major General

Regiment - Up to 4,500 men, with affiliated units, such as artillery, armored and medical units included. Comprised of 3 battallions, commanded by a Colonel.

Battalion - 700 to 850 soldiers, comprised of 4 or more Companies, commanded by a Lieutenant Colonel

Company - 175 to 240 soldiers, comprised of 4 platoons, commanded by a Captain

Platoon - 45 or more soldiers, comprised of 4 Squads, commanded by a Lieutenant

Squad - 10 or more soldiers, commanded by a Staff Sergeant

Weapons and Artillery
M-1 Rifle, .30 caliber - A 9.5 pound rifle, with an 8-round clip, the basic American infantry weapon

Carbine, .30 caliber - A short-barrelled rifle with a 15-or-30 round clip, with less range and accuracy

Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, .30 caliber - A 2-man weapon, one to feed ammunition, one to fire, that was both semi-and fully-automatic, capable of firing 500 rounds a minute

Machine guns - The .30 caliber machine guns were capable of sustained fire of 450 to 500 rounds a minute. The .50 caliber gun was mounted on trucks, tanks and other vrehicles. It fired 575 rounds per minute to a range of 2,000 yards.

Rocket launcher or bazooka, 2.36-inch and 3.5 inch - The ineffective 2.36 inch launcher was repplaced by the 3.5 inch in 1950 even as the North Koreans drove south. The new bazooka was capable of penetrating thick armor plate, it had a range of up to 75 yards.

Infantry mortars, .60mm, .81mm and 4.2mm - These front loaded weapons fired shells at a high angle, able to reach into valleys and trenches, with a range of 1,800 to 4,000 yards.

Howitzers, 105mm, 155mm, and 8-inch - Cannons with a range of 2 to 5 miles
Bibliography
The Coldest War by David Halberstam

Spectacular Event to Commemorate the Rescue of over 7,000 Korean Refugees in 1950

Spectacular Event to Commemorate the Rescue of over 7,000 Korean Refugees in 1950

A "Major, Spectacular" day long Korean Event to Commemorate the SS Lane Victory carrying over 7,000 Korean Refugees to Safety in 1950, set for Saturday, March 12th, 2011 in Los Angeles.

The San Pedro based WW2 merchant ship SS Lane Victory, played a significant role during the Korean War. In December 1950 the 455 foot long ship, with a usual crew complement of around 60 seamen, rescued 7,009 Korean refugees from Wonson in North Korea, and transported them to safety in Pusan, in the South. The ship is now at Berth 94 in Los Angeles Harbor,
next to the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro, California.

To commemorate that rescue effort, a big, day long celebration is set for Saturday, March 12th, 2011, with festivities from 9am to 4pm. Greg Williams, one of the organizers of this first-of-its-kind-event, and a Lane Victory volunteer, said, "Although the Korean conflict is now just a forgotten memory in many peoples minds because it happened so long ago, what the Lane did in that hour of need for the United Nations forces fighting that war, is a significant part of America's military history. Since our ship is berthed in Southern California, and with the knowledge that this part of the USA has a large Korean population, I wonder how many Korean nationals know of the part our ship played in that now distant event of the1950s." Williams noted that an intriguing sidelight to the saga of the evacuation, was that when the ship arrived in Pusan, the passenger count had increased to 7,010 - a baby had been born while the ship was at sea.

Williams went on to say that this would be the biggest, and most comprehensive "event" the Lane Victory has ever created for the public. He noted there will be a special Welcome Aboard ceremony for invited guests, including Mr. Jongmoon Kim, the Consul/Vice Director of the Korean Cultural Center in Los Angeles, as well as the playing of the American and Korean national anthems. Both countries will have key speakers talking about what took place in that war, and the part played by the SS Lane Victory.

Korean dance troupes will perform, martial arts demonstrations will be given, and a variety of stories from that era will be presented. This includes, according to Williams, "a fascinating lecture presentation on "The Evacuation of Wonson and Hungnam Harbors" during that time. In addition, and at various "strategic places" aboard the ship, will be a variety of American and Korean food kiosks.

Additional information about the SS Lane Victory:

The SS Lane Victory was one of the last cargo merchant ships built in WW2, and came off the Los Angeles shipyard slipways as vessel number 534 in the summer of 1945. She is also the last fully operational surviving Victory ship left in the world, and has been the location site for hundreds of movies and TV shows including such films as Titanic, and TV shows like Murder She Wrote. She traveled the world doing her job, including her valuable stint in the Korean conflict, but in 1971 she was put to rest in Suisin Bay, California. Then, in 1988 she was given to the United States Veterans of World War 2 by President Reagan and declared A National Historic Landmark. Every July, August and September, portions of the experiences of a WW2 convoy are recreated, and include an exciting "aerial attack" by "enemy" fighters that are held off by the ship's guns (that fire blanks). For more information about the cruises, call (310) 519-9545.

Additional information is on the ship's website www.lanevictory.org. For donations and sponsorship opportunities, call Greg Williams at (562) 708-1550 or email gwilliams(at)blaircommercial(dot)com


For the original version on PRWeb visit: www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/03/prweb5069554.htm

Supreme Court eases benefit deadline for vets

USA Today: Supreme Court eases benefit deadline for vets
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Tuesday that a deadline for military veterans who appeal the federal government's denial of benefits need not be rigidly enforced.

The Supreme Court ruled on a case involving Korean War veteran David Henderson, who was found 100% disabled with paranoid schizophrenia after his service in the early 1950s.

The justices sided with a mentally ill Korean War vet whose appeal was blocked because he missed a 120-day deadline for judicial review by 15 days. The high court reversed a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that said Veterans Court judges could not make exceptions to the deadline, even when a veteran's illness contributed to his delayed appeal.

Writing for the high court, Justice Samuel Alito said, "The (Department of Veterans Affairs) is charged with the responsibility of assisting veterans in developing evidence that supports their claims, and in evaluating that evidence, the VA must give the veteran the benefit of any doubt. … Rigid jurisdictional treatment of the 120-day period for filing a notice of appeal in the Veterans Court would clash sharply with this scheme."

Lawyers for David Henderson, who was found 100% disabled with paranoid schizophrenia after his service in the 1950s, said he missed the 120-day deadline because he was bedridden. The case had started in 2001 when Henderson, who lived in North Carolina, sought monthly benefits for in-home care related to his severe mental illness.

Henderson died in October at age 81. His wife, Doretha, took over the case against the Secretary of Veterans Affairs at the Supreme Court.

Numerous veterans groups, including the Paralyzed Veterans of America and National Organization of Veterans' Advocates, had been following the case. They said the increase in traumatic stress and other psychological injuries from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan would likely cause more veterans to miss deadlines.

When the Federal Circuit ruled that the 120-day limit for appeals barred any judicial exceptions, the Federal Circuit relied on a 2007 Supreme Court case that had restricted judges' ability to bend deadlines set by Congress.

But on Tuesday, Alito wrote that the 2007 case did not apply to the appeal of a VA denial to the Veterans Court. He noted that the earlier case, Bowles v. Russell, involved an appeal from one court to another.

He said the administrative framework for veterans benefits was different and that Congress, in writing the veterans' judicial-review law, had not prevented judges from looking at individual situations to see whether a deadline exception was warranted.

Justice Elena Kagan, who until last year was U.S. solicitor general, did not participate in the case of Henderson v. Shinseki.

The Coldest Winter, by David Halberstam

The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War, by David Halberstam
Hyperion, 2007
657 pages plus Author's Note, Afterword, Notes, Bibliography and Index. No photos
Library: 951.9042 HAL


Description
David Halberstam's magisterial and thrilling The Best and the Brightest was the defining book for the Vietnam War. More than three decades later, Halberstam used his unrivaled research and formidable journalistic skills to shed light on another dark corner in our history: the Korean War. The Coldest War is a succesor to The Best and the Brightest, even though in historical terms it precedes it. Halberstam considered The Coldest Winter his best work, the culmination of a career spent examining the defining issues of the last half century.

Up until now, the Korean War has been the black hole of modern American history. The Coldest Winter changes that. Halberstam gives us a masterful narrative of the political decisions and miscalculations on both sides.

He charges the disastrous path that led to the massive entry of Chinese forces near the Yalu River, and that caught Douglas MacArthur and his soldiers by surprise. He provides astonishingly vivid and nuanced portraits of all the major figures: including Truman and Eisenhower, Kim il Sung and Mao Zedong, and General MacArthur. At the same time, Halberstam provides us with his trademark highly evocative narrative journalism, chronicling the crucial battles with report age of the highest order.

At the heart of the book are the individual stories of the soldiers on the front lines who were left to deal with the condequences of the dangerous misjudgments and competing agendas of powerful men. We meet them, follow them, and see some of the most dreadful battles in history through their eyes. As ever, Halberstam was concerned with the extraordinary courage and resolve of people asked to bear an extraordinary burden.

The Coldest Winter is contemporary history in its most literary and luminescent form, and it provides crucial perspective on the Vietnam WAr and the events of today. It is a book that Halberstam first decided to write more than thirty years and that took him nearly ten years to complete. It stands as a lasting testament to one of the greatst journalists and historians of our time, and to the fighting men whose heroism it chricles.

Tables of Contents
Glossary of Military Terms
List of Maps
Note on Military Map Symbols
Introduction

Part 1: A Warning at Unsan
Part Two: Bleak DAys: The In Min Gun Drives South
Part Three: Washington Goes to War
Part Four: The Politics of Two Continents
Part Five: The Last Roll of the Dice: The North Koreans Push to Pusam
Part Six: MacArthur Turns the Tide: The Inchon Landing
Part Seven: Crossing the Parallel and Heading North
Part Eight: The Chinese Strike
Part Nine: Learning to Fight the Chinese: Twin Tunnels, Wonju and Chipyongni
Part Ten: The General and the President
Part Eleven: The Consequences

Epilogue
Author's Notes
Acknowledgments
Afterword by Russell Baker
Notes
Bibliography
Index