September 2007

Last time we spoke of Tiger Group, the first organized gathering of U.S. POWs in the Korean War. Most were taken during the opening days, from 6 July near Osan falling back to 22 July 1950 near Taejon. Not everyone captured during this early period became part of Tiger Group, but many did. Picking up the story, by foot and train they worked north, reaching Manpo on the south bank of the Yalu River on or about 11 September. A lot happened at Manpo. There was a first camp, but the war now took a new turn. Our friends were hurriedly pushed on a side trip to Kosan and Jui-am-nee, to keep them completely separate from Chinese armies entering North Korea at Manpo. Afterwards, they returned, staying at the nearby “cornfield” from 26 through 31 October, where 32 men died. Of these, 16 had to be left behind, unable to go any farther, with no hope of survival. This how the Tiger Group Death March began as it left Manpo.

The first man to die along the way, on 31 October or 1 November, was 1 Lt Cordus H. Thornton. He was shot personally by The Tiger, as the sadistic North Korean guard commander now became known. Tiger Group marched on to the northeast, toward the Apex Camps, and many others fell by the wayside. Some were shot as they marched and stumbled, others died overnight in villages or were left behind, unable to go any farther. Often, gunshots were heard again as Tiger Group marched out from these villages. This is the hardest part to write about, but it is not a hopeless case. Our best estimate is that 68 Americans died between Manpo and Chunggang-jin, the first of the three Apex Camp villages, where they arrived on or about 9 November 1950. The tradition is that 100 died over the almost 100 miles en route, but, remember, some had already died in the cornfield as they left Manpo and others would die just after arriving in Chunggang-jin, and later in the other Apex villages, as well. Several foreign civilians also died en route, and every one was a precious human being. But day-by-day, we have 68 reliable U.S. names for the main segment of the Death March.

A little side note here: when the men of Tiger Group came home, some were in Little Switch and some were in Big Switch. Those in Big Switch were not all in the same ship. Some of the men who had died were very well known, and others less so. Those well-known were often reported to have died on two or three different days. A few men, also with the group, were not reported at all. Even with several friends helping “Johnnie Johnson” to compile his Tiger Group List, there were gaps. By the way, Wayne A. “Johnnie” Johnson wrote pages and pages of debrief forms on the ship home, making a very big contribution even before his list was officially acknowledged, likewise, several of the friends who had helped him. Debriefers did what they could, but they often fumbled by filling in doubtful names, sometimes not getting the story right. So we’ve had to go back, over and over again, counting men against days. If we ever get to work in the area, we’ll find men we are looking for. And we’ll be surprised by others who show up not where expected. But so much the better for the men we did not expect to find! When the time comes, they will all be very, very welcome.

We’ve made a real effort to plot the route day by day. Men lost on the road before 4 November may be our biggest problem, for they died one at a time. Even if buried by local villagers, the sites may not be remembered. But others died or were left behind in villages, and their burial sites surely will be remembered. We say villages, but most were no more than clusters of huts. Even so, they are still there, and they have grown a little. Just as importantly, second and third generations will be there, and they will recall what their elders have told them. We are especially concerned with two sites, Songhang-ni and Kujangyong-ni. These villages may not have even been known by those names, then, but they are probably where Tiger Group stayed during two of the nights before going over that high pass beyond Chasong. Between overnight deaths and those who had to be left behind, we should be able to find at least 10 Tiger Group members in one and 15 in the other. Then came the worst day. Going over the high pass north of Chasong, at least 20 more men fell one at a time, but in a well-defined area. A few of these men may have been buried by local villagers, while doing roadwork, or hunting, or gathering wood. We don’t know, but we can hope for the best.

This is why, last time we spoke, I mentioned the Manpo Airport. If we were allowed to base recovery teams there, they could cover the lower portion of the Death March from Manpo, at least as far as Songhang-ni and Kujangyong-ni. There isn’t another airport we can use along the way or even at the Apex Camps. So, if we are ever allowed to work in the area, our recovery teams might be flown into the Manpo Airport to set up a base camp, then go by truck to specific work sites around Manpo and up the road. That brings us to the Apex Camps where Tiger Group arrived on or about 9 November 1950. Working at Chunggang-jin will be more difficult. We might be able to visit it briefly from Manpo, but we would need a closer base camp, in or near the cluster of villages that made up the Apex Camps. Open stretches of road, once out of the mountains, might be usable by smaller aircraft. We would have a lot to do, do let’s leave that story until next time…