Remembering Heungnam evacuation

By Choe Chong-dae

More than six decades have now passed since the Korean War broke out. Tens of thousands of soldiers and other military personnel from the United States and many of their allied United Nations member states sacrificed their lives, limbs and good health in the fratricidal battle for freedom of the Korean people that lasted from 1950 through 1953. Many of those veterans of the Korean War have been suffering from their misfortune for decades afterwards, until today.

Recently I visited a former prisoner of war camp in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province, where 170,000 communist and non-communist prisoners had been held from December 1950 until June 1952. This POW camp was closed in the wake of the 1953 armistice agreement which ended the war. It was turned into a park in 1997 with relics and remains of the war so as to ensure that the Korean War is not forgotten. On show are items such as tanks, trucks and weapons.

Among the many exhibits the Heungnam Evacuation Memorial really caught my attention, especially so the statue of the ship Meredith Victory that was dedicated in 2005.

The magnificence of the sculpture and ship’s structure and the fact it is still intact is impressive. The statue of General Kim Baek-il, commander of the 1st ROK Army Corps who played a significant role in operating the Heungnam evacuation with the U.S military was also erected beside the Heungnam Evacuation Memorial.

Regrettably, some radical leftist civic groups have recently called for the dismantlement of the statue of General Kim. The reason was his military educational background in Japan, ignoring his outstanding devotion to the Hungnam evacuation operation.

The Heungnam Evacuation Memorial reminded me of the enormous sacrifices suffered in the U.S. amphibious operation that rescued a massive number of refugees from North Korea.

The Hungnam evacuation is one of the greatest military rescue operation in the world’s history. It was a splendid example of a brave humanitarian mission.

With 193 ships, 98,000 civilians and 105,000 soldiers trapped in Heungnam city, South Hamgyeong Province, North Korea, were rescued. Hundreds and thousands of both U.N. and Korean soldiers and civilian refugees boarded the U.S. ships from Heungnam harbor, in December (before Christmas day) 1950, hoping they could return some day.

For me, it is hard to think of the Heungnam evacuation without thinking of the unprecedentedly successful role of the SS Meredith Victory. Under the stewardship of Captain Leonard LaRue, the Meredith Victory performed the largest part of the humanitarian rescue operation by transporting 14,000 people alone. The vessel has often been named the ``Ship of Miracles"; it was originally designed to carry only 12 passengers!

The story of the philanthropic rescue operation by the Meredith Victory has been inscribed in the Guinness Book of Records as one of the greatest and the most successful evacuation operations by a single vessel in the world’s war history.

Furthermore, the philanthropic mission of the Heungnam evacuation is sometimes compared to the heroism of the German industrialist Oscar Schindler who saved a great number of Jews during World War II, which inspired the production of the American film ``Schindler's List” that was awarded an Oscar for Best Picture in 1994.

It is safe to assume that all refugees would have been tortured and killed by the communists were it not for this miracle rescue mission. We should never forget this great humanitarian effort by U.S. sailors in the Heungnam evacuation. It was a great achievement!

Choe Chong-dae is a guest columnist of The Korea Times and the president of Dea-kwang International Co., as well as a director of the Korean-Swedish Association. His email address is dkic98@chol.com.