Local veteran remembers one battleon an infamous hill

BY WILLIAM ALLEN BALTZ

SPECIAL TO THE

COMMERCIAL-NEWS

Though never officiallydeclared a war, it was a bru-tal conflict that raged fromJune 25, 1950 to July 27,1953 between North andSouth Korea and pittedU.S. soldiers against mas-sive onslaughts of Chinesecommunist troops.

When the United Nations,China and North Koreasigned a cease-firearmistice ending theKorean War 59 years agotoday, U.S. casualtiesamounted to 33,629 killed,103,284 wounded and 7,140taken prisoner. More thanone million civilians died.

American soldiers weredubbed “the walkingwounded” because theywere patched up in the fieldand sent back into battle —a savage existence whereever-changing front lines,hand-to-hand combat, mer-ciless artillery barrages,amputations from frostbiteand death from dysenterywere commonplace.

John R. Krull, 83, a life-long resident of ThreeRivers, was thrust into suchconditions on Oct. 22, 1951as a private first class rifle-man assigned to 8thCavalry Regiment, 1stCavalry Division. “I was 21years old and only had sixweeks of basic training,” herecalled. “I was woefullyunprepared for combat.”

Nevertheless, Krull andhis fellow soldiers in GeorgeCompany were sent toshore up American troopsalong the Jamestown line, aseries of defensive positionsdesigned to prevent anotherChinese invasion of South

Korea. Littledid he know atthe time, one ofthe outposts hewas defending— simplyknown as Hill255 — wouldsoon be the siteof a large-scaleC h i n e s eassault. “I alsodidn’t knowthat it would later be calledPork Chop Hill, that infa-mous place where peoplefought and died right untilthe end,” he said. The war begins

When North Korea —backed by China and theSoviet Union — attackedSouth Korea — supportedby the United States andallied nations under theauthority of the UnitedNations — it was the firstarmed conflict of the ColdWar fought by proxy pow-ers.

North Korea used itssuperior armor and troopstrength to

steam-roll across thesouth, driving SouthKorean and U.S. troops —largely green and illequipped — to the PusanPerimeter, a small areanear the peninsula’s south-ern tip. In its wake, theNorth Korean army execut-ed scores of political adver-saries, intellectuals andordinary civilians. From hisbase in Japan, GeneralDouglas McArthur of WorldWar II fame, ordered anamphibious landing atInchon and eventuallypushed the North Koreansback north, past the 38thparallel — the prewar

boundary parti-tioning the twoKoreas.

This prompt-ed the Chineseto intervenemilitarily onOct. 25, 1950,in support ofthe NorthK o r e a n s ,i n f l i c t i n gt r e m e n d o u s

allied casualties.Thousands of American

soldiers wound up in grue-some prisoner-of-war camps— tortured, subjected tobrainwashing, cold, sickand starving. The U.S. 8thArmy pulled back in nearpanic — the longest retreatin its history — but avoidedencirclement and annihila-tion. The Chinese attackended with a frantic evacu-ation by sea of 105,000 U.S.and South Korean troops,98,000 civilians, 17,500vehicles, and 350,000 tonsof supplies from the port ofHungnam, which was then

des t royedt o

p r e -vent its use by

the enemy. With its new commander,

Lt. Gen. Matthew B.Ridgway, the 8th Armyregrouped just below the38th parallel. A brilliantand inspiring leader,Ridgway went on to becomeSupreme CommanderKorea after PresidentHarry Truman dismissedMcArthur for crossingnorth of the 38th paralleland threatening to destroythe Chinese with nuclearweapons. From farm to boot camp

Krull grew up on his fam-ily farm west of town andattended Three Rivers HighSchool.

His father, Raymond A.Krull Sr., served on the USSGeorge Washington inWorld War I and his older

brother, Raymond A. KrullJr., served in the army fortwo years during the U.S.occupation of Germanyafter World War II. Hisyounger brother Charles,80, who also lives in ThreeRivers, served on the air-craft carrier USS BonHomme Richard as an avia-tion electrician during atour of Korean waters in1952. A dangerous job — inwhich men and their equip-ment were sometimesblown off the carrier’s deckinto safety nets — Charleswas in charge of starting jetaircraft that flew numerousmissions against enemy tar-gets in Korea.

During the first two weeksof January 1951 while Krullwas working as a carpenteron local construction proj-ects, the Chinese launched ajuggernaut of 500,000troops — known as theChinese New Year Offensive— that pushed Americanand U.N. forces south of the38th parallel.

“I heard bits and piecesabout the war on the radio,”Krull said. “But I was busyworking and didn’t knowmuch about it.” In March hewas drafted and receivedbasic and radio training atFort Eustis, Va.

Meanwhile, the charis-matic Ridgway — widelypublicized for leading histroops with grenadesstrapped to his chest —revived the esprit de corpsof the battered 8th Armyand counterattacked.

The fighting was fierceand often on a huge scale.The Chinese launched fivemajor campaigns includingits final “spring offensive”in April 1951 with up to700,000 troops. U.S. I and XCorps eventually stoppedthis advance north of Seoul,saving the South Koreancapital. A month later, the2nd Infantry Division killedmore than 65,000 Chinesein a ferocious six-day battleknown as the MayMassacre and used bulldoz-ers to bury the dead.

COMMERCIAL-NEWS FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012 – PAGE 3 TODAYYour Local Weather

Sat

7/28

82/62A mix ofclouds andsun with thechance of anisolated thun-derstorm inthe .

Sun

7/29

85/58More sunthan clouds.Highs in themid 80s andlows in theupper 50s.

Mon

7/30

85/63Partlycloudy.Highs in themid 80s andlows in thelow 60s.

Tue

7/31

87/68Times of sunand clouds.Highs in theupper 80sand lows inthe upper60s.

Wed

8/1

90/67Partlycloudy.Highs in thelow 90s andlows in theupper 60s.

©2009 American Profile Hometown Content Service

Yesterday’s High: 82º Low: 64ºPrecipitation: 0.21”

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Korean War ended 59 years ago today

From that moment on, he realizedthe stark realities of war. “You might

say I grew up very fast.”

John Krull

that we can pull out of the plan and use.""Our role will be changing," Todd said about the revisions

being made at both state and national levels. "We continueto see our role as helping the community with their issues."

In other business, the board…•Presented former board member Jerry Loudenslager,

who recently took a position as Nottawa Township super-visor, with a certificate. Loudenslager resigned as a St.Joseph County Commissioner on June 29.

•Reduced the County Fund Allocation Per Capita Rate to$4.42 per person using the population recorded in the 2010US Census. St. Joseph County's funding allocation is now$270,923.90, a $40,000 reduction over last year.

•Adopted an 80/20 option for medical insurance offeredto the agency's employees after much discussion. Theagency will now pay 80 percent of the lowest cost plan thatis offered by the agency. Employees are still given theoption to purchase the more expensive plan, but they willbe responsible for the remaining cost. The 80/20 option waschosen over a hard cap option that board members saidwould cost employees significantly more money per pay-check.

Giving thanksBranch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency Health OfficerSteve Todd (left) presents former Board of Health member JerryLoudenslager (right) with a certificate and thanks him for his contributions.

Commercial-News/Megan Ruth

BEST EVALUATIONContinued from page 1

See KOREAN WAR, page 5

COMMERCIAL-NEWS FRIDAY, JULY 27, 2012 – PAGE 5LOCAL

STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST

YTDName Ex Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg

YTDName Ex Div Yld PE Last Chg %Chg

AT&T Inc NY 1.76 4.8 48 36.30 +.97 +20.0

AbtLab NY 2.04 3.2 17 64.65 +.53 +15.0

AmAxle NY ... ... 5 10.38 +.61 +5.0

AEP NY 1.88 4.5 10 41.95 +.73 +1.5

BP PLC NY 1.92 4.7 5 40.91 +1.03 -4.3

Cisco Nasd .32 2.1 11 15.38 -.04 -14.7

Citigroup NY .04 .2 7 26.28 +.49 -.1

ConAgra NY .96 4.0 22 24.09 +.24 -8.8

Disney NY .60 1.2 18 49.71 +1.41 +32.6

Eaton NY 1.52 3.5 11 43.16 +1.10 -.8

ExxonMbl NY 2.28 2.6 10 86.52 +1.28 +2.1

FifthThird Nasd .32 2.3 9 14.14 +.39 +11.2

FordM NY .20 2.2 7 8.96 -.01 -16.7

GenElec NY .68 3.3 17 20.56 +.56 +14.8

HarleyD NY .62 1.4 15 43.20 +1.13 +11.1

HewlettP NY .53 2.9 6 18.01 +.23 -30.1

HomeDp NY 1.16 2.2 20 52.91 +1.84 +25.9

Intel Nasd .90 3.5 11 25.50 +.37 +5.2

JohnJn NY 2.44 3.5 22 68.74 +1.21 +4.8

Kadant NY ... ... 8 21.71 +.29 -4.0

Kellogg NY 1.76 3.8 14 46.61 +.10 -7.8

McDnlds NY 2.80 3.1 17 89.00 +.96 -11.3

Microsoft Nasd .80 2.7 15 29.16 +.33 +12.3

Oracle Nasd .24 .8 15 30.00 +.74 +17.0

PepsiCo NY 2.15 3.0 19 71.22 +.92 +7.3

Perrigo Nasd .32 .3 28 114.13 +2.06 +17.3

Pfizer NY .88 3.7 15 23.49 +.16 +8.5

Stryker NY .85 1.7 14 51.30 +.03 +3.2

VerizonCm NY 2.00 4.5 44 44.46 +.74 +10.8

WalMart NY 1.59 2.2 16 73.67 +1.59 +23.3

Walgrn NY 1.10 3.1 12 34.97 +.32 +5.8

WellsFargo NY .88 2.6 11 33.78 +.62 +22.6

STOCK MARKET INDEXES

MUTUAL FUNDS

DAILY DOW JONES

13,338.66 10,404.49 Dow Industrials 12,887.93 +211.88 +1.67 +5.49 +5.29

5,450.20 3,950.66 Dow Transportation 5,006.79 +72.79 +1.48 -.26 -3.65

490.39 381.99 Dow Utilities 489.63 +8.55 +1.78 +5.37 +12.45

8,408.20 6,414.89 NYSE Composite 7,754.51 +146.95 +1.93 +3.71 -4.55

2,498.89 1,941.99 NYSE MKT Composite 2,357.74 +44.34 +1.92 +3.49 -1.83

3,134.17 2,298.89 Nasdaq Composite 2,893.25 +39.01 +1.37 +11.06 +4.59

1,422.38 1,074.77 S&P 500 1,360.02 +22.13 +1.65 +8.14 +4.56

1,008.68 731.62 S&P MidCap 929.55 +13.39 +1.46 +5.73 -1.74

14,951.57 11,208.42 Wilshire 5000 14,190.58 +209.71 +1.50 +7.59 +2.99

847.92 601.71 Russell 2000 777.11 +7.80 +1.01 +4.88 -2.78

52-Week Net YTD 12-moHigh Low Name Last Chgg %Chg %Chg %Chg

THE MARKET IN REVIEW

American Funds AMCAPA m LG 14,822 20.19 +2.4 +0.9/B +1.3/C 5.75 250

American Funds BalA m MA 32,969 19.51 +3.1 +5.5/A +2.9/A 5.75 250

American Funds BondA m CI 23,856 12.94 +1.5 +7.6/C +4.2/E 3.75 250

American Funds CapIncBuA m IH 56,724 51.61 +3.2 +3.9/A +0.9/C 5.75 250

American Funds CpWldGrIA m WS 44,791 33.84 +3.8 -5.8/B -1.6/B 5.75 250

American Funds EurPacGrA m FB 28,315 36.70 +3.4 -14.0/B -2.7/A 5.75 250

American Funds FnInvA m LB 31,425 37.86 +3.8 -0.8/D +0.1/B 5.75 250

American Funds GrthAmA m LG 54,555 31.34 +2.5 -2.1/C -0.5/D 5.75 250

American Funds IncAmerA m MA 55,250 17.47 +3.1 +5.4/A +2.1/B 5.75 250

American Funds InvCoAmA m LB 44,155 29.08 +3.2 +1.9/C -0.6/C 5.75 250

American Funds MutualA m LV 15,167 27.44 +3.1 +5.8/A +1.4/A 5.75 250

American Funds NewPerspA m WS 28,772 28.42 +3.3 -4.6/B +0.5/A 5.75 250

American Funds WAMutInvA m LV 39,650 30.29 +4.0 +6.5/A +0.3/B 5.75 250

Federated EqIncA m LV 361 18.78 +3.1 +8.0/A +0.6/A 5.50 1,500

FrankTemp-Templeton World A m WS 4,709 14.14 +3.1 -9.2/C -3.1/C 5.75 1,000

Hartford BalC m MA 77 15.64 +2.8 +2.6/B +0.5/E 1.00 2,000

Hartford HealthcarC m SH 71 17.55 +1.7 +6.8/C +3.5/D 1.00 2,000

Lord Abbett AffiliatA m LV 5,404 11.20 +3.4 -3.6/E -3.2/D 5.75 250

Lord Abbett AffiliatC m LV 416 11.20 +3.4 -4.1/E -3.8/E 1.00 250

Lord Abbett BalA m MA 1,034 10.22 +2.3 -3.3/E +1.8/C 5.75 1,000

Lord Abbett BondDebA m MU 4,567 7.88 +1.5 +4.5/D +7.0/C 4.75 1,000

Lord Abbett BondDebC m MU 1,921 7.90 +1.6 +3.9/D +6.4/D 1.00 1,000

Putnam GeoPutA m MA 967 12.77 +2.6 +4.5/A -2.1/E 5.75 500

Putnam GrowIncA m LV 4,117 13.43 +2.7 -2.2/D -3.5/D 5.75 500

Putnam VoyagerA m LG 2,970 20.20 +1.1 -14.6/E +1.6/B 5.75 500

Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pct Min InitName Obj ($Mlns) NAV 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -ForeignLarge Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV -Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs.others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

NYSE7,754.51 +146.95

NYSE MKT

2,357.74 +44.34

NASDAQ

2,893.25 +39.01

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

Stock Footnotes: g = Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars. h = Does not meet continued-listing standards.lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percentwithin the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units.vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f =front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split sharesduring the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week.Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left.Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.

uu uu uuGAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Volume

Name Vol (00) Lastt ChgZynga n 911909 3.18 -1.90

Cisco 547092 15.38 -.04

SiriusXM 507392 2.11 +.03

Facebook n445482 26.84 -2.49

Microsoft 438884 29.16 +.33

PwShs QQQ379851 63.37 +.83

Intel 364934 25.50 +.37

SeagateT 273010 30.06 +3.75

Oracle 263318 30.00 +.74

MicronT 222477 5.96 +.12

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgCovenant 4.89 +1.09 +28.7

AkamaiT 35.04 +6.79 +24.0

XenoPort 8.40 +1.61 +23.7

VascoDta 9.19 +1.75 +23.5

KIT Digitl 3.82 +.69 +22.0

WDigital 39.27 +6.80 +20.9

ElectSci 12.93 +2.15 +19.9

SMadden 38.75 +5.96 +18.2

Spectranet 11.98 +1.83 +18.0

UnvTrck 14.69 +2.14 +17.1

Name Last Chg %ChgZynga n 3.18 -1.90 -37.5

Innodata 3.81 -1.87 -32.9

QualityS s 15.95 -7.68 -32.5

Synacor n 9.12 -3.84 -29.6

LogMeIn 23.66 -7.21 -23.4

BroadVisn 8.11 -1.88 -18.8

UniBus un 6.10 -1.39 -18.6

BioFuel rs 2.65 -.50 -15.9

PacerIntl 4.02 -.74 -15.5

UtdCmBks 6.44 -1.14 -15.0

DIARYAdvanced 1,604

Declined 844

Unchanged 149

Total issues 2,597

New Highs 41

New Lows 88

1,884,761,250Volume

Name Vol (00) Lastt ChgNovaGld g 273207 4.02 -1.36

VirnetX 50792 25.28 -3.87

Vringo 45712 3.72 -.36

iBio 40623 1.46 +.17

CheniereEn 40567 13.17 +.36

NwGold g 24108 10.10 +.29

Rentech 13721 1.91 +.03

NavideaBio 13353 4.49 -.07

NthnO&G 12057 14.74 -.09

UraniumEn 11341 1.86 +.02

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgNevsun g 3.92 +.51 +15.0

Banro g 3.85 +.38 +11.0

USAntimny 2.82 +.23 +8.9

iShFinlC bt 20.66 +1.33 +6.9

WizrdSft rs 3.20 +.20 +6.7

SCEd pfC 23.99 +1.24 +5.5

Libbey 14.70 +.69 +4.9

YM Bio g 2.05 +.09 +4.6

TriangPet 5.49 +.22 +4.2

KeeganR g 3.05 +.12 +4.1

Name Last Chg %ChgNovaGld g 4.02 -1.36 -25.3

VirnetX 25.28 -3.87 -13.3

Vringo 3.72 -.36 -8.8

NTS Rlty 3.03 -.23 -6.9

Medgen wt 5.00 -.35 -6.5

FTEgyInco 29.65 -1.79 -5.7

eUnits2yr 10.24 -.56 -5.2

EntGmg rs 2.61 -.12 -4.4

AlderonIr g 2.25 -.10 -4.3

Barnwell 3.01 -.12 -3.9

DIARYAdvanced 252

Declined 172

Unchanged 39

Total issues 463

New Highs 31

New Lows 11

Name Vol (00) Lastt ChgSprintNex 2680984 4.05 +.68

S&P500ETF1263272136.17+2.21

BkofAm 1149858 7.17 +.10

BostonSci 740970 4.97 -.36

GenElec 563741 20.56 +.56

SPDR Fncl 558139 14.48 +.22

FordM 505956 8.96 -.01

iShEMkts 496998 38.45 +.85

NokiaCp 463056 2.02 +.18

Chimera 441696 2.13 -.16

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE)

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

Name Last Chg %ChgMetroPCS 8.59 +2.31 +36.8

Terex 18.23 +4.12 +29.2

MPG OffTr 3.26 +.69 +26.8

ChrisBnk 2.00 +.38 +23.5

Fifth&Pac 11.28 +2.03 +21.9

SprintNex 4.05 +.68 +20.2

Trinity 26.84 +4.31 +19.1

PulteGrp 11.86 +1.84 +18.4

GrafTech 10.72 +1.62 +17.8

Inphi 10.47 +1.55 +17.4

Name Last Chg %ChgFerro 2.80 -.98 -25.9

MarineMx 7.08 -1.85 -20.7

CashAm 36.69 -8.43 -18.7

Hill-Rom 25.80 -5.72 -18.1

Timken 35.21 -6.88 -16.3

ITT Ed 42.78 -7.65 -15.2

PrUVxST rs 7.33 -1.31 -15.2

CarboCer 68.48 -12.14 -15.1

CSVS2xVxS3.53 -.56 -13.7

NavigCons 11.23 -1.56 -12.2

DIARYAdvanced 2,234

Declined 820

Unchanged 83

Total issues 3,137

New Highs 168

New Lows 60

4,309,284,367Volume 95,270,618

12,000

12,400

12,800

13,200

13,600

J JF M A M J

12,480

12,760

13,040Dow Jones industrialsClose: 12,887.93Change: 211.88 (1.7%)

10 DAYS

Perhaps the most criticalbattle because it demonstrat-ed America’s resolve andturned the tide was atChipyongni where tanksfrom the 5th CavalryRegiment and Air Force jetswith napalm arrived in thenick of time to save the gross-ly outnumbered 23rdRegimental Combat Team —which had been fightingChinese troops nonstop forthree days — from total anni-hilation. There were atroci-ties as well. A 1954 U.S.Senate report states that war

crimes committed by theNorth Korean Army “consti-tuted one of the most heinousand barbaric epochs inrecorded history.” Into the fire

Krull arrived in Pusan,Korea on Oct. 19, 1951, fourdays after the bloody Battleof Heartbreak Ridge — one ofseveral major engagementsin an area known as thePunchbowl — so namedbecause U.S. commandersseriously underestimatedenemy troop strength guard-ing the ridge and sent hun-

dreds of soldiers chargingstraight up a heavily fortifiedhill only to be cut down bymortar and machine gun fire.

The fighting aroundRidgway’s line of defensewhere Krull was stationedwas similar to World War Itrench warfare. Much bloodwas spilled to take andretake the same groundwhile peace negotiationsdragged on.

“When I got to the line, Ireally didn’t know what I wasdoing,” Krull recalled. “I wasin a foxhole trying to stay

warm while Fox Companywas getting shelled attempt-ing to establish an outpost. Aguy next to me thought heheard something and threw agrenade. I stood up to watchand he said, ‘hey, you’re sup-posed to duck when I throw agrenade.’”

After taking heavy casual-ties, Fox Company aban-doned its efforts and tookturns with GeorgeCompany’s three rifle pla-toons guarding the heavilyfortified outpost on Hill 255,overlooking the YokkokRiver near Sokkogae, SouthKorea, about 1500 yards infront of the main line ofresistance.

On Monday morning, Nov.19, Fox Company’s 2ndPlatoon relieved Krull’s pla-toon and that unit in turnwas relieved Wednesdaymorning by Fox Company’s3rd Platoon of 48 men underthe command of Lt. James L.Stone. That night, theChinese began shellingGeorge Company to keepKrull’s unit pinned down

while they pummeled Stone’splatoon with an intenseartillery and mortar barrage.“It was harrowing,” Krullrecalled. A day he will never forget

The next time he saw Hill255 Krull was part of a reliefforce Thursday morning,Thanksgiving Day. “What wesaw then was almost beyondbelief. Something I can neverforget. People everywhere,most of them already dead,”Krull said.

The Chinese had launcheda full-scale assaultWednesday night to take thehill. Stone and his men heldoff waves of grenade-throw-ing attackers, about 800troops, throughout the nightand into the morning hourswhen the fighting turned tohand-to-hand combat.

Wounded several times,Stone and his few remainingmen managed to keep firing,even using flame throwers,on advancing Chinese troopsuntil he passed out from lossof blood. Stone and five othermen were taken prisoner.Krull believes only two oth-ers survived the attack.

Hundreds of Chinese werekilled. Some were caught upin barbed wire on the outpostperimeter while others laymutilated in shell depres-sions, victims of their ownartillery fire.

After 22 months in captivi-ty, the Chinese releasedStone in a prisoner exchangeand on Oct. 27, 1953President DwightEisenhower awarded him theMedal of Honor, America’shighest military decoration.

“As I surveyed the carnage,I kept saying to myself, thiscould have been me,” Krullremembered. From that

moment on, he realized thestark realities of war. “Youmight say I grew up veryfast. I was more alert andprepared.”

On Dec. 29, 1951, he wassent to Japan where he spentanother year before return-ing home.

Hill 255 — later called PorkChop because of its shape ontopographical maps — wasthe site of more bloody fight-ing in the spring and summerof 1953. In two days the num-ber of artillery rounds firedper hour set an all-timerecord — surpassing thelargest barrages of WorldWar I and II. U.S. casualtiesamounted to 243 Americanskilled, including four of 13company commanders, 916wounded and nine captured.Chinese casualties were esti-mated at 1,500 dead and4,000 wounded. Less thanthree weeks later, thearmistice was signed.

Technically, a state of warstill exists between Northand South Korea as a peacetreaty was never signed. Thepresence of roughly 30,000American troops, includingthe 2nd Division, helps main-tain a tenuous truce. The 2.5-mile wide DemilitarizedZone, which serves as abuffer between the twoKoreas, is considered one ofthe world’s most dangerousplaces where sporadic out-breaks of fighting haveoccurred as recently asOctober 2010.

“I proudly served but wasglad to leave Korea,” Krullsaid. “Every ThanksgivingDay I remember that terriblescene, and the bravery of Lt.Stone and the 3rd platoon —and am thankful I got outalive.”

Friday Evening July 27, 20128:00 8:30 9:00 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30

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1653 North Main - Three RiversCall Jerry, 269-501-2910 (www.meadowstr.com)

Three Rivers’ Only CondominiumCommunity Living Facility

Two and three bedroom units for seniors age 55+.

Was $159,900 to $209,900. Now $139,900 to $199,900.

Call for details to become an owner. Trade-in possibilities available

for current homeowners.

KOREAN WARContinued from page 3

In the servicePFC John R. Krull is pictured in 1952 at the 1st Cavalry headquar-ters at Camp Crawford in Hokkaido, Japan.

Photo provided