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Editor's note: This is the sixth in a series about Bert Gividen. Be aware that the following episode in rated "R" for violence. Bert Gividen describes vividly an episode of hand-to-hand combat in the bunkers and trenches of Korea.
As readers may remember, there were negotiations at the Panmunjom on Korea's 38th parallel. But North Korean negotiators suddenly left the negotiating table in a huff, and all negotiations came to a halt. The war was back on again. I was by now an experienced veteran. By this time, with more intensity than ever, both sides of the war had been fortifying positions and digging in. Supplies were plentiful.
I will never forget one night. Suddenly we heard bells, whistles, claxons, cymbals and chimes as peasants were being forced over the concertina wire in such numbers that we could not stop them. When we illuminated the skies with flares, we found that their dead bodies had created the beginnings of a human bridge across the wire, and other men, women and children were being forced across this human bridge and into the minefield, where they detonated the mines, creating a path for the Chinese and North Koreans to pour into our positions. There were "Chinks in the trenches" with us.
The trenches were dug in a zigzag pattern, so that the enemy could not shoot very far up and down inside the trenches. This meant that riflemen had bayonets on their rifles and were fighting in the trenches while our machine guns fired away in front to try to stop the assault of enemy soldiers. Things were happening fast and furious; excitement was high. We machine gunners had boxes of ammo cans in our bunker and extra machine gun barrels, so we were able to fire without interruption. Our prayer was, "Don't let the machine gun jam."
The Chinese were too much for our firepower, and some broke through into the trenches beside our bunker, while fire continued up and down the line. Support in the trenches was now absolutely necessary, and we were each on our own, defending ourselves with whatever means was available. I set my .45 pistol and two ammo clips beside my machine gun, while continuing to fire ahead, listening for rifle fire on the right and left of our bunker, and in and out of the trenches.
I could hear screaming and hollering, and my machine gun got so hot (no time to change barrels) that it jammed.
Then it seemed like the enemy firing in front of us diminished. What was happening? Were we holding our position?
Then I heard screams, and they were not in English. I turned to the rear of the bunker to see a Chinese entering, his bayonet lowered for a charge. He was evidently out of ammunition. My ammo bearers turned, and I hollered. As Cliff started to move toward the Chinese, the Chinese bayoneted Roger in the right leg. I caught his rifle with my left hand and, while holding the rifle, with my right hand, the ball of my palm open, drove the base of the enemy's nose with such force that his nose bones went up and into his skull.
He looked at me for a moment, and I'll never forget his eyes -- black, slanted, his skin color going light. He was a small man, and his small head was encased in a funny looking helmet held on with a chinstrap. I easily outweighed him by 50 pounds, and he was now dead at my feet. I released his rifle and let it fall to the bottom of the trench.
Roger was bleeding badly from the wound in his leg. As I turned to the front opening of the bunker, a second Chinese came through the opening. Cliff shot him through the head. A third Chinese came to the back of the bunker, to the right, and by this time I had my .45 in hand. I emptied my clip at him, and he fell back out of the opening.
If any of these Chinese had had a hand grenade to throw into the bunker, who knows what would have happened? By now, our support riflemen were pouring into our trenches, to reinforce us. We called for a corpsman to help Roger.
A second wave of the enemy came toward us, but we were ready for a second assault.
These excerpts from local veterans are courtesy of the Orem Heritage Committee. Complete stories of the veterans will eventually be put on the Orem City Web site, www.orem.org. Readers aware of any veterans who have written about their military service are asked to arrange to have these archives in the Veterans History Project, Library of Congress. Phone Don Norton (225-8050) on how to do this. |
