Carl Brandon: One of the ‘Chosin Few’

When the seasons start to change from autumn to winter most people start to think of the cold winter ahead.

However, every time those brisk winds begin to blow through Arlington Heights, Carl Brandon thinks about his time serving in the Korean War. Through his three honorable years served in the U.S. Army some of the average temperatures in Korea were 16°F to 21°F. These extremely arctic temperatures are frozen in Carl’s memory along with more pleasant and enjoyable memories of events that occurred during his time serving his country in the Korean War.

At the age of 17 Carl had dreams to see the world and learn about the history of the places he saw. Carl thought that joining the Army was the best chance at fulfilling his dream. As the third of 10 children in his Harvey, Ill. family, he decided to take the Navy and Army application tests. Carl passed both tests but decided to join the Army since he could not join the Navy until he was 18.

Upon joining the Army, Carl packed his bags and left Harvey to attend basic training. Carl finished his training in January 1950 and went on to Fort Belvoir, Va. to study the engineering of topographical mapmaking. Here, he learned to construct maps from photographs that spy planes took, similar to the job done by satellites today.

But on June 25, 1950, while Carl was still studying at Fort Belvoir, North Korea invaded South Korea. This act of aggression shocked the world since nations, especially the U.S. believed it was fueled by the Soviet Union in hopes of spreading communism. In response, the U.S. government turned to the newly-formed United Nations to decide the plan of action for the conflict. The United Nations ultimately decided to conduct a joint attack in support of South Korea to prevent a larger confrontation developing from this small act of aggression.

After Carl’s time at Fort Belvoir he was sent to Camp Crawford in Sapporo, Japan. At Camp Crawford, Carl along with other men was assigned into Army Divisions. Carl was put into the 7th Infantry Division, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion Company H.

While Carl and the United States were preparing for battle he was also preparing the Republic of Korea’s Army, the ROKs, at Mount Fujiyama. When Carl received R&R time, he enjoyed traveling Japan to see historic and interesting places like the giant Buddha at Kamakura.

On the morning of Sept. 15, 1950 Carl was preparing for an extremely risky amphibious invasion of Inchon, Korea. This exercise required meticulous planning based on the position of the shore because of the rising and falling tides.

The invasion began with the Marines quickly sweeping the area to eliminate initial enemies, but Carl said, “They don’t always get everything.”

When Carl landed on the Inchon shores he was involved in firefights and close combat with the remaining enemy troops. Eventually, Carl’s Division and the United States Army successfully took the city of Inchon. Following their success at Inchon, the 17th Division captured the South Korean capital of Seoul while Carl’s Division secured the Suwon Valley airfield base. With the Army’s quick actions and successes the Korean War looked like it might end early; the United States had already taken all of South Korea and was ready to start invading North Korea to eliminate the threat.

Carl and his Division were loaded on to boats in the Pusan Harbor and were sent to Iwan, North Korea. Here, Carl’s mission was to “mop up” the remaining Korean soldiers still in the area. General Douglas MacArthur’s strategy for the United States troops was to have them home by Christmas, implying the Army would take all of Korea by winter, which at the time seemed very possible.

Unknown to MacArthur, the Chinese were beginning to cross the Yalu River into North Korea and were invading the surrounding area which included Iwan. The Chinese felt threatened with United States troops in such proximity. The addition of the Chinese invasion and the changing seasons were going to pose major difficulties for Carl and the Army.

On the night of November 30, 1950 Carl and his Division were ambushed by the invading Chinese troops. The Chinese quickly encircled the 7th Infantry Division along with the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Infantry Division, and the British 41 Commando Royal Marines.

For 17 long, cold, hungry days Carl and the other Divisions trapped with him tried to break the Chinese forces. During this time supplies needed to be dropped by planes. Carl remembers distinctly the C-47 and Fairchild planes dropping the much needed supplies for the frozen troops. Carl also recalls during this time the amount of frostbite victims. The weather was so cold that soldiers who would have normally bled to death from their battle wounds survived since the blood froze on their legs. It is hard to imagine a place so cold where blood would freeze to save a soldier.

Also during Carl’s time in the Chosin Reservoir he could not receive or send any letters to his loved ones in the United States. Though, when Carl could send and receive letters he would constantly communicate with his family. He would ask about the latest news at home and would inform his family that he was doing well in North Korea. Letters were a way for Carl to stay positive and connect him to the world outside of this frozen war.

Eventually the trapped forces in the Chosin Reservoir broke free and began a retreat down the Mountain Road. To Carl, this journey seemed like an eternity. He and the other soldiers would walk and walk in the frozen terrain on the edge of a mountain cliff. When vehicles broke down or did not have any gas the soldiers would push the machines off the edge of the cliff so the road would stay clear. As the jeeps and supply trucks rolled over the edge, they seemed to never stop crashing and rolling down the side of the mountain.

Once Carl and his Division safely retreated from the Chosin Reservoir they returned to the front lines in 1951 trying to fend off invading Chinese soldiers over the 38th Parallel. This struggle to keep the Chinese out characterized the newly formed stalemate of the war. During this time in 1951, Carl became very sick and had to be sent to the 35th Army Hospital in Kyoto, Japan to recover. After recovering he was sent back to the front lines. In general, until the end of the Korean War the United Nations and the Chinese continually fought small battles around the 38th Parallel.

Carl’s time in Korea opened his eyes to the major differences of countries and people around the world. He remembers the primitive conditions of the Koreans living in stick huts, something very different from he would see in the United States. In order to develop pictures that he had taken with his 35 mm camera Carl had to go to a Korean citizen’s house without electricity where he would develop the negative.

In December of 1951 Carl was finally on his way home to Harvey, Illinois. He began his trip home by boarding the U.S.S. Marine Lynx from Inchon, Korea to Yokohama, Japan. After refueling in Japan, Carl sailed through choppy stormwaters to get back to Washington. From Washington, Carl took the train to Fort Sheridan, Illinois, and finally to his home in Harvey. Carl received five battle stars and the Combat Infantry badge from the Korean War.

Upon Carl’s return to home he was anxious to do some of the old activities he did in high school. For example, Carl was tired of C-rations during his time in Korea which consisted mostly of canned and dried food. Back home Carl wanted a nice juicy burger to eat and hang out with his old friends. Carl did not notice a major difference when he returned from the Korean War to his home. This fact made coming home even easier for Carl.

In October of 1953 Carl was married and he bought his first house in Harvey, Illinois. Sadly, Carl’s first wife died of cancer and he remarried in 1962. He had four children: Carl Jr., Chris, Edith, and Chet. Some of the jobs Carl held after the Korean War were making crank shafts in a factory, working in another metal factory, a meat cutter, and finally he became a business agent for a union where he worked for 23 years.

From Carl’s involvement in the Korean War he was changed as a man physically and mentally. Carl learned as a young man in the war the true meaning of the American flag and the cost of freedom. He also changed by his opinion about war. He believes that the United States should not enter into conflicts immediately, but rather see if other options are available for the conflict to avoid war.

Today, Carl resides in Arlington Heights, Illinois with his wife. Occasionally Carl will attend a yearly conference called the Chosin Few, which invites soldiers involved in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir. Also, Carl has inspired one of his grandchildren to join the Army. Carl III is currently fighting in Iran and Afghanistan for the American cause.

When Carl was asked about the awards he received in the Korean War he responded by saying, “I am no hero.” According to Webster Dictionary the definition of hero is “a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability; one who shows great courage; or a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities.”

Carl must have meant that he was not a mythological or divine figure endowed with great strength because he is the very definition of the second and third meanings of hero. Carl is a person that Americans should try to emulate and aspire to. Carl is a person who understands the meaning of freedom and is willing to fight for it. Carl is a hero.