Some thoughts on
the Fourth of July 
from a Korean War veteran

Back in nineteen forty-nine when I turned seventeen,

I joined the U.S. Army while I was young and lean.

It wasn’t long till I got the call, to Korea I must go

To fight the Koreans and Chinese in the frigid ice and snow.

The-y would surround us in the mountains and slaughter us at Kunuri Pass

But it wasn’t long till we caught on, and made them pay en masse.

Mao Tse-tung sent down the order to annihilate us at Wonju

But we turned the tables on them there, it was more than they could do.

Blowing their bugles and their whistles by the thousands they did come

Like- marching their men down a giant sausage grinder, onward they did trudge

Hitting us with everything they had, not one inch did we budge.

Dead and dying Chinese soldiers lying everywhere.

We inflicted eighteen thousand casualties on the Chinese there

Before the fighting ended or the smoke had cleared the air.

They tried their luck again in May, they hadn’t had enough.

This time they got the message, the Indianhead was real tough.

"The May Massacre" is what they called it, it was not a pretty sight.

But it was to their soldiers’ credit, they did stand up and fight.

Nineteen thousand fell there with their weapons in their hand.

Out-numbering us by the thou sands, we still made our stand.

The Second Division received more casualties by far

Than any other division that served in the Korean War.

War is an ugly mess, but some of us do survive

While others come back in boxes or barely half alive.

Even the enemy soldiers whose bloody bodies I can still see

And their sightless eyes turned toward the sky, it’s in my memory.

My feet had been frozen there, I gave my machine gun to another.

I would soon be back at home with family, friends and mother.

Some departing words I leave with you, along with a decision.

I’m glad I had the chance to fight with the Indianhead Division.

So when you wake up on the Fourth of July and smell freedom in the air

Remember the men and boys who died and the bodies that are still there.

Don’t take for granted freedom to live with a family and a wife.

Freedom has been earned for us, by someone else’s life.

So thanks to all you men and women who willingly go and fight

That we all might rest more easy, when we go to sleep at night.

Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 2002