581st Radio Relay Co.
in North Korea (1950)

Our Second Station

Here we are at our second attempt to establish Jade Radio Relay station 2. It is a good shot of my truck as it is loaded completely as is the trailer being pulled. After a couple of years I get very good at backing with a trailer. Two people ride in this 3/4-ton truck and two in the other truck and two in the jeep. Generally the jeep leads and the two trucks follow. Notice the mounds on the other side of the road. Those are graves. The Koreans bury their dead sitting up in the mound. Often it is the only level spot in the hill. Once we located our station on a grave. We pitched a tent over the mound, cut a flat space to use as a shelf for the radios. I hoped I would not get too far into the grave to get surprised. I didn't, fortunately.

This station was also not successful and we were never able to establish communications with either of the other stations. One station was in Wonson some 90 miles away and the other end was at the Chosin Reservoir with the marines. So we head off to another hill to try after a few days here. Understand that no signs exist and you have to find the right hill only by compass. Everywhere you look more hills extend in all directions.