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The main difference between the 934th and the 6150th was that the former was a communication outfit set up to create sites to link between Divisions, Corps, etc. and was a link between all branches of the armed forces. It played a crucial role in information gathering and dispersal and, as such, was indirectly involved with the enemy. The 6150th, on the other hand, was directly involved with the enemy at the front lines and provided forward air direction for air support to the ground forces and, as such, its members lived in the field similar to the infantry. After being assigned to the 6150th in July, which was now operating from K-6 at Pyongtaek, my first assignment was with the 1st Cav. Division. I reported there on 20 July for about six weeks until 6 September. It was a quiet time and there were not too many air strikes. In contrast, my next assignment, from 25 September to 22 November with the British 28th Brigade, was quite hectic and the front lines were very fluid. The Brigade consisted of three regiments; KSLI, KOSB, and the 3RAR. One day, a KSOB private and I were digging into a hill, which was actually a Korean burial mound, to sit out a mortar attack. In doing so we disturbed a skeleton. We spent the night and had a bottle of rum. We didn’t drink too much of it; however, when daylight came we noticed that the bottle was nearly empty. We never did find out what happened to the rum but one thing is certain; none of the three of us drank it. During the Battle of Kowang-Maryang San, I was wounded by mortar shrapnel while digging my slit trench near the wire on Hill 227 to call in an air strike. I was hit over the left eye and under the chin. Taken to the Indian Field Ambulance Unit, which was attached to the 28th Bde., I was stitched up and returned to the front. The wound bled quite a bit and, at first, I thought that I had lost my left eye as the eyebrow flap had fallen over the eye and when I felt it, I could only feel the raw flesh. This coupled with the fact that I could not see and was bleeding profusely led me to conclude that the eye was gone. I was very relieved to find out that the eye was still there and still functioning. Because of my wounding, I was awarded the Purple Heart. This took place in the field without any ceremony. As far as I can recall, I was probably doing an air strike; my officer might have given it to me; or it was left on my kit at Brigade. During my assignment with the 28th British Bde., I was sent to the Capital ROK on temporary duty. The situation was very fluid at the time and the ROK were next to the Canadians who were on Hill 217. This was next to 227 which, in turn, was next to Hill 355; this was part of the 1st Commonwealth Division front. I went over to the ROK and, while doing an airstrike, the 191 Communist Army started a push and a Kiwi artillery officer, who was with me, and I became separated from the ROK unit. I crawled under a farmer’s old hut but a dog sniffed me out. I was taken prisoner and then taken to a field HQ about 500 yards back, put in a compound and ignored. Everyday, I was fed some rice and vegetables and given water. I was only interrogated once and only beaten once. An English-speaking officer gave me four strokes of a bamboo switch. His concerns were three fold; why was I wearing a British uniform, why was I wearing one US metal dog-tag, and why was I wearing one Canadian dog-tag. I explained that I was a corporal in the USAF and that the US had not yet provided me with a winter uniform. I further explained that I was a Canadian and wanted to ensure that my mother could be traced in the event of my demise. After a tortuous time, he believed me and, sometime later, I was taken to a road and signaled that I could leave; it had been a frightening time and I was still very apprehensive as I walked slowly away. I found my way back to the ROK only to discover that, as there had been no requirement for air strikes during my absence, no one had noticed that I was missing. The Kiwi officer was not there and I never found out what happened to him. Likewise, the British thought that I was with the ROK all week, as they had never requested any air strikes either. Nevertheless, I reported the matter to my officer, Lt. Clyde Armstrong of the 18th Fighter/Bomber Wing. I can only conclude that the matter was due to a quiet front and that the peace talks were going well; releasing of recently acquired prisoners was, apparently, the thing to do.
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