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

The Chinese Army is Coming

The situation is bad at the Chosin Reservoir. We can hear the traffic on Channel one of our radio. Hundreds of thousands of Chinese troops are coming south. We are east and north of the Chinese forces but we have to stay until released by the Marine Corps. We have made emergency plans to evacuate by sea in Korean fishing boats if we are cut off. Everybody is worried and the situation gets worse by the day. Finally we get the OK to depart. Much of the town turns out to help us pack up. Things must be carried down the hill by hand as the snow is too deep. The trucks are parked at the bottom of the hill. Many of the town's people ask to be taken with us.

They will be punished for the help they have given us. We cannot take them. We give away what we can't pack and head down the hill. We have a squad of ROK soldiers with us now to help guard the station. A BAR is shown on the shoulder of one on the right. We have to travel a little north to meet the main road going south to Hamhung and then Hungnam. It is cold and the roads are icy and very narrow.