Oscar Cortez: We almost came home.

November 24, 2014 It was this time of the year when we were preparing to come home. Our 2nd Infantry Division was at Kunuri in North Korea and the South Korean soldiers already had been sent to their South Korean Army. We hadn’t had a firing mission in some time and we were thinking what Gen McArthur had said, “that by the end of this year we’ll be going back home”. And...
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Stan Gawley: UK POWs

From Stan Gawley to Lew Villa: MAD-16 (nothing to do with the loony bin – the guys name is Mick A Dellow) is of the Kings Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers. Some of these lads would have been fellow POWs with you from whom you would have picked up strange pronunciation of the Queen’s English. An English film star called Michael Caine was a Private in the...
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Oscar Cortez: Bridge of No Return

From Oscar Cortez: This was taken in 2001 when we made a return trip to Korea. My compadre and I were the only ones who could get off the bus and we were told by a S/MAJ that we could walk to the center of the bridge. This is only one picture, there is one where we both were at the center and we embraced and we were teary eye. I crossed that bridge on Aug. 26 1953.
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Tom Hollis 3 RAR

This was written by Tom’s son, John, as Tom reminisced. As you said Dad was captured on the 21-1-51. He was sent out on patrol behind enemy lines with LT Angus Macdonald, Cp Laurie Buckland, Private Ted Light, Don Buck and Dad. They were all Green Beret Commando’s except for Buck, the first three from the same Squadron from the Second World War. They were sent out as the Americans...
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Shorty Estabrook: Task Force Smith

Today, actually this morning, some 63 years ago, the sun came out as usual and it was very humid in that far off land called Korea. Task Force Smith, a group of a little more than 500 men, from the 24th Infantry Division including Artillery and Medical, spent the night of the 4th of July, 1950, hunkered down in fox holes waiting the onslaught of the North Korean Army that was steam rolling down...
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