European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 15, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday april 15, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 3 korean pays respects to Rock of Seoul by Don Tate staff writer Wuerzburg the korean leaned Forward and planted a Finger on the map. Here he said to the general making a Small decisive arc with his Finger is where the 3rd stopped he meant the 3rd inf div known As the Rock of the Marne the most decorated division in the . Army. In 1918, after units on their flanks folded the 3rd had stayed in place at the Marne River immovable As a Rock stopping the German Advance on Paris. But Chi Kap Chong was talking about a War on the other Side of the world and the current commander of the 3rd, maj. Gen. George Stotser leaned Over the map of Korea in his office intently. This time said Chi the 3rd was dug into positions on the outskirts of Seoul the capital of South Korea. It was april 1951, 10 months into the korean War. Thousands of chinese communists came Forward in their great Spring offensive. Bugles blowing smashing against the Rock trying to Roll Over Seoul. The situation was so desperate said Chi that Allied big guns were firing from the streets of Seoul arching shells outward against the charging chinese whose style of War was to keep throwing bodies and More bodies Forward until their foe was drowned in a human sea. Different scenario. Same result. The Rock of the Marne had become the Rock of Seoul. In that fierce Battle which ran on for weeks the red wave swelled crested and finally dribbled backward. Seoul was saved. Chi Kap Chong was a War correspondent covering that action for Reuters and he never forgot the unmovable 3rd. In Germany in connection with the visit of South korean president Chung Doo Huan to Bonn and other european Capi tals Chi took a Side trip to pay his respects to the 3rd at its Headquarters in Wuerzburg. It is the right time to visit he told Stotser because april 22 Marks the 25th anniversary of the chinese offensive against Seoul. Photo for s8.s by sgt. Terry Stenzel Barton Chi Kap Chong lays bouquet at 3rd inf div Headquarters in Wuerzburg. While master sgt. Jerry Cunningham left and maj. Gen. George Stotser look on i came a Long Way to say thank you for myself and the korean Chi chairman of the the United nations korean War allies association received a plaque and lunched with the general and another 3rd div Soldier master sgt. Jerry Cunningham who could no More forget Korea than he could forget the fist sized hunk of flesh whacked out of the calf of his left leg by chinese shrapnel. Chi told the Story of Green North korean soldiers who Early in the War came walking into a British position. Thinking they were russians. The brits thought the North koreans were South koreans. What started out As a laugh ing joking handshaking get together ended As a gun Battle when one of the brits took a closer look at the koreans uniforms. Keep laughing Chi said the Brit whispered to his men and Start shoot Cunningham 52, of Columbia s.c., had his own stories. He said that in cold weather his leg still hurts. In cold weather he still gets the Shivers remembering Korea. Just so cold i thought i was going to die. So cold 1 wished i could he was a 17-year-old, wide eyed dog face then who nearly did t make it to 18. A few years later in Vietnam he would get Tatoo cd with 40 pieces of shrapnel so hot they caught him on fire gave him a sucking Chest wound that again nearly removed him from the army and this world. Bad As that was he said Korea was the first and for me the worst. We were using my rifles then six rounds on a clip and one in the chamber. It s hard to Stop 80,000 chinese human waving at you with seven Little sometimes he says the wars get mixed up a Little in his dreams. Hell never forget that it was hot As hell in Vietnam s Jungles or the nights he spent hunkered Down on the freezing korean Earth while being covered with Snow flakes so big they looked like Chicken feathers i left some Good friends and a bit of my blood Over there the sergeant told Chi As they looked Over weapons used in that War in the 3rd s museum. But i was proud to do yes said Chi and we those of us who were there will never forget what the americans did. Some of the Young ones in my country Don t know much about those things those times. Some i m afraid Don t care. They be Lieve the world started when they were Chi Kap Chong smiled and Shook his head. I Hope they never have to learn the Way we had to a oui Maste at. Jerr a Unningham in Cam to Tina w a learn. Key part of suspect shuttle Booster joint recovered Washington a Salvage teams have recon allowed flame to escape eventually severing the Bottom which May have contributed to the joint failure ered a much sought portion of the space shuttle Challenge attachment and causing the top of the Booster to swivel Feynman and other investigators have said these Teiter s Booster rocket joint. Its failure is suspected of causing the shuttle explosion and it shows evidence of burning the presidential shuttle commission said monday. A statement by the commission chairman William p. Rogers said that one of the two sections of critical inter est was recovered sunday and that it was from a joint area where a leak in the Booster rocket is thought to have occurred causing the shuttle s explosion on Jan. 28. A Burnt out area of the joint Tang at about the 300 degree position is evident the statement said. The other key piece the Bottom of the joint still has not been located. Engineers believe that a leak in the seam Between the Bottom and the second segment of the right Booster rocket Allowe attachment l into the Large external tank of liquid fuel setting off the explosion that destroyed the shuttle. Investigators have said that the two segments were the most vital pieces of evidence in the explosion and finding them has been the focus of search efforts in the Atlantic off Florida. . Thompson jr., vice chairman of a Nasa task Force working for the commission said last month that obviously we d very much like to get the suspect Booster parts. But he added that even if it were not recovered he believed there was sufficient other evidence to pinpoint the cause of the Accident which Cost seven lives. More recently commission member Richard p. Feynman said that testing on sub scale models designed to re create the conditions on the Day of the Accident would never be Able to pinpoint the exact cause among items which. Feynman other investigators e Sai these items include the effects of cold weather on rubber Liko of ring seals and on protective Putty the Normal bulging of the joint and the stresses caused by the buffeting of flight out of the atmosphere possible ice in the joint and possible defects in the of rings caused when they were made or when the rocket was assembled. The Man in charge of redesigning the joint James Kingsbury head of engineering at Nasa s Marshall space flight Center in Huntsville ala., said late last week that 70 engineers Are now working on 10 possible alterations in the joint. Investigators have said that additional physical evidence might allow the space Agency to reduce the changes that need to be made to insure the safety of the Booster rocket thus potentially shortening the expected 18-month delay in shuttle flights caused by the Accident. Shultz Calls for sustained Aid to nicaraguan rebels Washington a Secretary of state George p. Shultz said monday eco nomic and diplomatic Aid to the Nicara Guan rebels will be ineffective unless the United states provides a sustained pro Gram of military assistance to the demo cratic Shultz in remarks prepared for delivery monday at Kansas state University termed negotiations a euphemism for capitulation if the Shadow of Power is not cast across the bargaining table. How Many times must we learn this simple truth he also described the Reagan administration s request for $100 million in Mili tary assistance for the nicaraguan rebels a modest investment in a Region so critical to our the House is scheduled to vote tuesday on Reagan s plan to give $100 million in new military and non lethal Aid to the . Backed Contra rebels fighting Nicaragua s leftist sandinista government. A previous package of $27 million in non lethal Aid As Medicine and clothing expired March 31. Last month the House voted 222-210 against Reagan s plan but the Republican run Senate later gave 53-47 approval of a modified version of the package sending the matter Back to the House. Shultz said the Power from military Aid May be the Only Force capable of bringing communist rulers to the negotiating but if the adversary won t negotiate we have to be prepared to offer the material assistance needed for Victory he said. We do not favor open ended escalation nor a cynical policy of using the struggles of courageous people to bleed the soviet Empire. But we will help these people be effective in the fight that they have chosen to make for shultz1 speech was part of the Landon lec Ture series at Kansas state
