Bonne Terre man makes trip back to Korea

Marvin House has stories to tell

By R.Jean, Daily Journal Assistant Managing Editor, Wednesday, November 17, 2010.

He had a few extra stories to tell for Veterans Day this year.

Marvin House of Bonne Terre took a trip to South Korea over the summer, and came back with new memories of the country, as well as a fresh perspective on the old conflict.

“I think it’s been said we lost that war,” House said, “or at best it was a tie, but I say we won it. You could look into North Korea from South Korea and when you looked, you didn’t see anything going on up there in North Korea. There were no automobiles or any commercial development like there is in South Korea. He (Kim Jong) is starving his people to death.”

House said the view into North Korea looks no more developed than it was in 1950 to him, and there were additionally no trees on the hillsides even for firewood. “You look south, and there are cars running on the road and people working in the field ...”

And the South Koreans credited the American presence and thanked the veterans warmly for the role they played in helping keep South Korean independence. House believes if Americans had not stayed in South Korea as they did, it would probably look like the north does now.

“They are so proud of what they have done,” House said. “This building thing started in 1970. There are apartment buildings all over the place and everything looks clean. It reminds me a lot of Hawaii. The south is 100 times more developed than the north. They have a good standard of living in the south, the 12th biggest economy in the world. They are very hard-working people, and they did it themselves.”

House’s trip was part of a South Korean effort to commemorate the 60th anniversary of World War II and thank veterans who had served in the country by inviting them to visit. The government paid one-half of their travel expenses to get there, and provided room and board once there, as well as travel and cultural activities.

While there, the visiting veterans were treated to wonderful banquets everywhere they went. There were dishes such as sushi as well as many delicious Korean dishes such as kimchi.

“Everything was first class,” House said. “You could tell they genuinely appreciate what we did for them. We saved their country.”

They also visited some of the historical battle sites, Heartbreak Ridge, Sniper Ridge, White Horse Hill. There was a reenactment of the 1951 battle at Chipyong-ni and demonstrations of karate. They also received a service medal from the South Korean government.

There were many memorable moments during the trip, but one House particularly recalls occurred soon after their arrival.

“They had these five rows of some kind of low bleachers and as we walked by — these must have been 1000-foot-long and they were all full. It was all older Koreans who remembered the war. They all ran out of that place, grabbed us and hugged us.

“That was a surprise. It was almost overwhelming. They were all a-bowing, and the old ladies were kissing our hands. There wasn’t a seat left. They had come just to see us and thank us.”

It was wonderful to receive so much appreciation, House said. That was something that had been somewhat lacking for many Korean war veterans when they first returned home.

“We were really treated good compared to the guys from Vietnam, though,” House said. “At least no one spit on us or did things like that to us. People would yell out things at you like baby killer. I’ve heard that a couple of times.”

House said he and six other young men from Bonne Terre had all quit school and signed up at the same time to join the service. “We had seen our brothers come home as big heroes from World War II, and that had only been two years ago,” he explained. “They just flocked around the soldiers who came home, hundreds of them, even from Bonne Terre and they were wearing the ribons and all — you know how boys are. I had no other real reason, other than I just didn’t like school.

“So I joined the Army. But I didn’t join to actually go to a war. That just happened.”

House was in Korea three times. The first time, prior to the conflict, he was stationed at an outpost guarding the 38th parallel. He had thought he was on his way to Japan. When a nurse told him he was destined for Korea, he argued with her.

“I had never even heard of Korea, so I thought, no — I was 17 and you know everything then — our commander said we are going to east command which is Japan.”

But he was indeed the 12th name of a group that was called to go to Korea. Chosin on the map, the nurse had told him. He’d have to look at a map and see where that was.

“We got there, and they have a real mean tide at the dock at Inchon. The ship stopped way out and put us on a smaller boat. That took us as far as they could go and then it stopped.” From there they had to walk. That was January 1948. It was cold. It was wet. It was muddy.”

By the time they got to the docks, they were tired. They were spattered with slick, slimy mud. And the young men — mostly 17 and 18 years old — all agreed they had gotten themselves into a mess. A two-year tour of duty in this primitive country seemed nearly impossible.

“I equated it to Japan being like going back 100 years and for Korea it was like going back 200 years,” House said. “Everything was so primitive there. We didn’t think we could keep our sanity.”

House also served at the Poussan Perimeter. “That was a bloody mess,” House said. “We didn’t have enough troops and the North Koreans were at their height. They had just taken almost all of Korea, just walked through it, and they were really ready for us.”

House was in a weapons section and was among a handful of sharpshooters selected to lay down sniper fire using a new 57 mm recoiless rifle. “It was completely recoiless, you could shoot it from your shoulder,” House said.

Only the better marksmen were chosen for the weapon. It took those lucky soldiers out of the more dangerous duties they’d had.

“I am sure I am talking to you today for that reason,” House said. “It was just a lucky break.”