Cpl. Noll is Court Martialed -- 1951
Leave from the Hospital After I had spent about a week in the MASH Unit recovering I was given permission to leave the hospital for a walk in the sun. After getting a pair of crutches I set off walking to town to just get away from the hospital and its smells. At that time I could read/write and speak Korean fairly well. I met a Korean gentleman and we were talking about things. I wanted to practice my speaking Korean. He was fascinated that an American GI could speak Korean. After a while he invited me to a restaurant to have a meal. I went along and it was a good dinner and I was enjoying being away from the hospital.Arrested by MPs About 8:00 PM there was some loud noises and some Army Military Police came in and said I was under arrest. When I asked about the charges they said I was "Out of Bounds" and "Violation of Curfew". It also turned out that in the back of the restaurant was a brothel. So about 10 of us were taken to a night Court Martial. It was conducted by a Colonel. He asked each one of us how we pleaded. Those who pled not guilty were taken to cells to wait for their trial. Anyone who pleaded guilty was immediately found guilty and their papers were signed by the Colonel.
Found Guilty When it came my turn I pleaded guilty. Technically I was out of bounds and after hours. I did not know there was a curfew and that all Korean Homes were off limits to all military personnel. It was really my first time that I had been in the rear areas with such rules. The Colonel signed my papers as guilty and turned to me and asked to hear my side of the story. I told him that I was recovering in a MASH Unit and I did not know about such rules. I recognized that was not an excuse. I explained I had never been in the rear areas before.
A Surprise He looked at me for a minute in silence and declared that I was a victim of an innocent mistake. He then tore up the paper and told me to go back to the MASH Unit. I was my own attorney, pleaded guilty and was found innocent. I had a hard time believing it. I never told anyone about the event.