A Thirty Second Flood of Memories

Not very long ago, a Facebook friend made a post about his memories of riding trains. In my comment to his post I mentioned that my first train trip occurred about twenty years ago while working in Germany. That comment resulted in my searching youTube, where I found the video below.

It is only about thirty seconds in length and at first glance not very special; shot from a moving train in Germany, somewhere between Trier and Koblenz. To me however, it is very special.

Here's why...

While in Germany, and working in Trier during the early and mid 90's, I would ride this very train on weekends, usually traveling from Trier to Cologne, and then onto another train that would take me in other directions, eventually getting me to wherever I was heading (usually to visit a friend, sometimes to simply explore). Part of that line, from Trier to Koblenz, is a famous line that dates back to the 1800s. In many places it follows (and crosses as in the video) the very scenic Moselle (Mosel in German) river. It was upon this line, along the Mosel, that I made my first trip by rail.

The video was obviously taken on an overcast dreary day, yet it brought back a flood of memories, so many that I could not help but watch it over and over. In my mind, the fog easily disperses, revealing a sky that is a crystal clear sapphire blue. The hills are deep green and the river reflects the sunlight pouring down from above... just how I remember it.

I know it means a lot more to me than it will to those whom read this, but still, I feel a need to share. It was a time in my life that was very special... and it amazes me how a thirty second video shot on a less than perfect day, by someone I will never know, can so easly transport me, if only in my mind, to another place and another time...

The Chosin Few

My father was a Marine. He fought in the Korean War at the Chosin Reservoir. Those familiar with history know what happened there... they know the magnitude of the losses. It was 15,000 against 120,000. The Chinese had silently slipped across the border and entered the war. Fighting in temperatures as low as 48 degrees below zero, it was at Chosin Reservoir that one of the bloodiest chapters in military history was written.

"Historians consider the battle of the Chosin Reservoir to be the single most savage battle of modern warfare. And for the chosen few who lived through it, it was an experience they will never forget." - David Kithcart

My father told me (once... I only heard him say it once) that he lost every one of his Marine buddies there. His survival was a miracle in itself. He took a direct hit from a hand grenade. The cold weather saved his life. The extra layers of clothing he wore to keep from freezing to death kept his wounds from being instantly fatal and the brutally cold temperatures kept him from bleeding to death by freezing the blood as it tried to escape his body.

"When that sun went down or when it got dark, we knew what was coming. They were coming to get us." - Frank Torres

"You could hear the screams in the night. You knew that somebody was getting bayoneted. You couldn't tell whether it was them or us." - Clyde Queen

  "You were scared. You know the two guys on your flanks are scared, but you're thinking, 'I can't let these guys down because they're not going to let me down.'" - Clifford Meyer

The truck that attempted to evacuate my father and other casualties was hit by enemy fire and my dad spent nearly twenty-four hours in a ditch before being found. When he awoke at a MASH unit he found that he had been placed in a tent for those thought not savable – a place to die while the surgeons did what they could for the others.

"This was not a retreat. We had to run the gauntlet of 10 Chinese divisions. We decimated them coming out of there. We brought most of our dead with us. They were tied to the fenders and the hoods of the trucks. - Clifford Meyer

My father spoke to me about the voices. There was talking at first... chatter amongst these fallen comrades. But slowly, as time passed, the number of voices in the tent diminished. One by one they fell silent. One by one they died. My dad held on and when found alive was whisked off to surgery. It took nearly half a year for my dad to recover. He carried metal in his body, from the hand grenade that almost killed him, for the rest of his life.

"Some of them -- we had to actually break arms off -- break them down to put them on the trucks. That hit me really bad to have to do that. We went in this one little house and there were three Marines sitting around. I swear they were praying. They froze to death. They were our soldiers. They were Marines." - Al Devito

For these wounds (and others... he also took a bullet to the foot and suffered from severe frostbite), my father received (a single) Purple Heart. I remember holding it and looking at it when I was a child and thinking what a beautiful medal it was. It, and the original typewritten letter that accompanied it,  are safely put away now, given to my son... my father's namesake.

"We saved the nation from tyranny. There are 40 million South Koreans that are free today because we did it." - Clifford Meyer

To all the veterans out there… your service is appreciated… your deeds will be remembered… your sacrifices are not in vain.

All of the above quotes are from the article "The Chosen Few" by David Kithcart.