While combat operations in the Korean War made the headlines, many Mines men far behind the front lines filled supply and port-control positions that were vital to the logistics of the war effort.

Army 1st Lt. Douglas E. Brown EM ’51 served with the 434th Engineer Construction Battalion. "Supervised two different rock quarries in Pusan supplying crushed rock to an asphalt plant for paving the streets of Pusan. Then became executive officer of the Battalion labor officer in charge of hiring about 500 indigenous personnel for the Battalion."

Army 1st Lt. James E. Massey EM ’52 also served in port operations, where he met many other Mines men. "When assigned to the 532nd Regiment, Shore Bn., in Japan, I took charge of the same platoon that Chet Westfall [Geol E 1952], my SAE fraternity brother, had been in charge of. He had left for Korea the week before. In Korea we operated a port near Ulsan. Out scrounging for parts, I went to a nearby pipeline detachment and found Jerry Diver [PE ’52], my classmate. John Volosin [PE ’52] was in the same unit. I learned later that Jack Petty [EM ’51] was located in Taegu in tungsten mining management only a few miles from Ulsan. Also at Taegu was Earl Torgerson [Met E ’52], who was a civilian with Utah Construction Co."

Since tungsten was a wartime strategic metal, maximizing production of the Korean tungsten mines was of considerable importance. But Petty, the U.S. Army liaison to the Korean tungsten-mining industry, had recollections of the war that focused neither on tungsten nor mining, but on "kimchi, honey buckets and cold."

Army 1st Lt. Charles Mallette Geol E ’52, a Pusan cargo officer, was also involved with tungsten. "My job was to oversee shipment and handling of Corps of Engineers equipment and materials going though the port facilities.

One headache that occurred quite frequently, every two or three weeks, was the shipment of tungsten concentrates to the States. It was part of Lt. Col. John Veatch’s [MSc Min ’51] operation [the Dal Sung Tungsten Mine, operated by the Utah Construction Co., near Taegu] and I got roped in on the deal. Often times a million or more dollars of tungsten would go out—all guarded by a platoon of infantry."

Mines men, especially Army engineers, frequently met former classmates, and the benefits could go far beyond camaraderie.

Army 1st Lt. Thomas M. McLaren Geol E ’52 writes: "Upon reporting for duty in Seoul during the fighting in September 1952, I was advised that I was assigned to a front-lines engineer company to oversee removal of land mines under fire. While I waited in the Chief of Engineers’ office, I looked at the wall map of all the engineer units in Korea.

The Chief of Engineers asked if I knew any of the other engineer officers and I said I saw quite a few from the Colorado School of Mines, including Tom Johnson [Geol E ’52] who had been best man at my marriage in 1951. Against the objections of many, the Chief of Engineers then changed my assignment to the 98th Engineers in Seoul as executive officer. I served with Tom Johnson, and flew in helicopters with Claude Jenkins [Geol E ’52], my SAE frat friend."

Army 1st Lt. John F. Fox Geop E ’52 found the discomfort of life in wartime Korea tempered by contact with many Mines men. "Seoul, on the Han River, was hot and humid in the summer and freezing cold and windy with snow in the winter. Master Sergeant Carpenter, who had been on the Mines ROTC staff during 1949-1952, showed up in my office one day. The larger unit next door was the 98th Aerial Photo Reproduction Company, where classmates Lt. Tom Johnson [Geol E ’52] and Lt. Tom McLaren [Geol E ’52] were assigned. Bill Brown [Geop E ’52] also joined that unit a bit later as an enlisted man. John Volosin [PE ’52] and Jerry Diver [PE ’52] visited us several times from an engineer pipeline company."

Navy Lt. JG Curtis D. Conley Geop E ’52 Geol E ’59 found that during the war years, Mines men could turn up anywhere in the Far East. "We were anchored in Hong Kong harbor. I stepped into the wardroom when an Air Force flier was standing with his back to me. I could see his profile over his shoulder. I said, ‘Hello, Bill Barnes [PE ’49].’ He wheeled around and nearly collapsed when he saw me. We had dinner that night. Next day he returned to Korea."

Mines men also participated in the air war in Korea, which involved bombing of North Korean industrial and transportation facilities, supporting ground troops, reconnaissance and maintaining air superiority, the latter accomplished by U.S Air Force F-86 Sabrejets, which racked up a 10:1 kill ratio over Russian MIG 15s.

U.S. Air Force T/Sgt. John Ernest Hoffman Geol E ’57 considered himself fortunate to serve with an Air Force recon squadron. "The 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron consisted of RB-29s. Into 1953, we worked on increasing numbers of reconnaissance-rigged jets. Other secret-mission aircraft were attached to us to support. On hazard pay, I flew over Korea and beyond with combat crews, always thankful I was not on the frigid ground of Korea, or even a regular member of a flight crew. I salute them all."

Pilot Fred Johnson Met E ’54, a Navy Reserve lieutenant JG, flew a propeller-driven fighter aircraft in close support of ground troops. "Flew Corsairs. I didn’t like being shot at."

Army 1st Lt. David C. Jonson Geol E ’51 MS Geol ’55 was a engineer construction officer with the 917th Engineer Aviation Brigade attached to the U.S.Air Force. "We helped build the large Osan air base, about 30 miles south of Seoul. I was in Korea exactly a year; I was 22 and 23 years old. Starting from scratch with a large, nearly flat, rice paddy-filled valley, we built a six-lane, concrete runway 10,000 feet long, with a four-lane taxiway 9,000 feet long, hardstands for 90 jet aircraft, and a large aircraft machine-gun firing backstop—a small mountain on the taxiway. Also helped build barracks, mess halls, chapels, etc., for the complete air base.

"The first aircraft ‘landing’ at our air base was a flameout jet that belly-flopped into the mud before the concrete was poured. The mud-covered pilot walked away from the mud-filled airplane. We later watched jets perform impressive 360-degree victory rolls over our completed runway after successful combat missions over North Korea.

"As officer of the day on a cold, misty Christmas morning about 0400, I was touched to see about a dozen Korean war orphans walking several miles toward our camp from our sponsored orphanage. They carried candle-lit homemade lanterns and were singing Christmas carols in English. After we warmed them up with some hot chocolate at the mess hall, I arranged for wake-up singing in the officers’ barracks, which wasn’t entirely appreciated. Then we took them back to the orphanage by truck and brought them back later in the day for a small Christmas party."

Another Army first lieutenant supporting aviation operations was Robert B. "Tex" Owen Geol E ’51. "I was assigned to SCARWAF [Special Category Army with Air Force] and the 1093rd Engineer Aviation Battalion near Pyong Taek, about 50 miles south of Seoul. Our primary mission was to construct the K-6 air base, a 10,000-foot concrete jet airstrip for the Marines, Navy and Air Force. SCARWAF was a little confusing in that I got my orders from the Army; whiskey, food and security from the Marines; and pay and travel from the Air Force."

U.S.Air Force 2nd Lt. Howard W. Leaf Geop E ’50, who flew 102 F-80 sorties and 100 F-86 sorties over North Korea, later rose to the rank of lieutenant general. By 1952, Leaf’s view of the war was shared by a growing number of U.S. military men. "Like World War II, I felt that it was a worthy effort. But I later realized that unlike World War II, we were not there to win."

Through 1952, the United Nations staged no all-out offensives believing that peace was imminent and any ground gained north of the 38th parallel would have to be relinquished. Both sides, however, initiated bitter, limited actions to improve their positions at places like Old Baldy and Pork Chop Hill, and in the regions known as the Punch Bowl and the Iron Triangle.

Army Capt. Fred A. Nagel E M ’40, who had fought in World War II in Italy only to be recalled for Korea, was one of many Mines men engaged in behind-the-lines construction. "I was the commanding officer, C Company, 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. After initially punching through the Pukhan River military road, my company was assigned to undertake reconstruction of the major high-level bridge on the same Pukhan River southeast of the city of Seoul. In addition, I was sent to reconnoiter and estimate reconstruction of the principle steel truss bridge that had been bombed and dropped into the river between Seoul and the port city of Inchon. Later, my company was assigned to construct a railroad spur for the U.S. air base at Kunsan."

The Korean War also brought racial restructuring to the U.S. military. Nagel recalls: "At this time, the army was just integrating black troops with whites. I had one black sergeant assigned to my company. After some initial friction, it worked OK. One reason was that this sergeant was six-foot-four and weighed about 250 pounds. But another reason was that he was a real leader."

Despite peace often seeming so near, the bloody fighting continued into 1953. Army 1st Lt. Kenneth Volkert Riley had attended Mines, but graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point. While serving with the 5th Regimental Combat Team, 7th Infantry Division, Riley died of wounds received in combat on Feb. 9, 1953.

Spencer Titley Geol E ’51 later found a tragic side note to Riley’s death. "I understand his mother ran a wire-service flower shop and received many telegrams in those days. She discovered the telegram about Ken mixed in with a bunch of others."

As in any war, not all fatalities were due to combat. In January 1953, U.S.Air Force 1st Lt. Edward R. Francis PRE ’51 was killed in a plane crash in Korea and his name added to the long list of "non-battle deaths."

Keeping infantry, armor, transportation and aviation units supplied with fuel was an enormous job that fell to men like Army 1st Lt. Hugh E. Bradley PE ’50. "I was company commander of a pipeline company in Korea. Our pipelines transported gasoline and jet fuel from Inchon to close to Panmunjom. Ray Govett reported to me in Korea."

Army 1st Lt. Ray Govett Geol E ’52 served under Hugh Bradley with the 82nd Engineer Pipeline Company. "I lived in a two-room house a short distance from the front lines. Artillery duels got extremely heavy at night and sometimes you could almost read a paper with the light from the firing, even where I was. We had regular visits from "Bed-Check Charlies," L-type planes [obsolete, bi-wing aircraft] that flew in low to avoid radar and dropped bombs out of the cockpits onto the pipelines. The Chinese knew as much about our pipelines as we did. Several times we got calls on the radio about a leak in the pipeline some place, and it would be the Chinese."

Despite large-scale North Korean and Chinese attacks in May and June of 1953 that were attempts to influence the peace talks, the cease-fire agreement was finally signed on July 27, 1953. The war had taken a horrific human toll. More than 500,000 North Koreans, one million Chinese, and 250,000 South Koreans had lost their lives. The American death toll stood at 36,913, with more than 103,000 Americans wounded in combat.

Army 1st Lt. John H. Wilson II PRE ’48 was in Inchon harbor when the cease fire agreement was signed. "We made three attempts to get ashore on landing craft as the Army could not make up its mind whether we were to take weapons into Korea or not. We boarded LCs three times, twice either turning in or drawing weapons before we finally made it to shore without weapons."

Although the shooting had ended, an enormous amount of defense-related work remained. After the cease-fire agreement, the front lines became a demilitarized zone where adjacent areas of South Korea required permanent fortification.

Army Col. Harry D. Hocking Jr. EM ’37 helped construct the DMZ defenses that exist today. "My battalion built the original position across all 55 miles of IX Corps that is presently occupied by American troops. It was done on a crash basis. If there had been a breakthrough in the Chorwon Valley, the high-speed attack route into the south, there were no lateral roads and supply and evacuation points to fall back to. We put those in and roughed out where the combat elements would be positioned. Edward R. Murrow visited Korea about this time and wound up making an hour-long program on what we were doing. But then he never got clearance to show it."

1st Lt. Jack D. Cutter PRE ’52 arrived in Korea immediately after the cease fire. "We boarded a troop transport in Sasebo, Japan, the evening of July 27, for Korea. When we awoke the next morning, we were still in Japan. The cease-fire had been signed and we unloaded and turned in all our arms and then went to Korea the next day."

Cutter served with the 546th Engineer Firefighting Co. that protected Pusan-area military depots. "My main duties were training, conducting military fire inspections and paying our Korean labor force. I needed a duffel bag to haul the Korean won [unit of currency], not because they were paid so well, but because of the inflation of the currency. . .The worst fire developed in early December 1953 on a hilltop residential area in central Pusan. We needed 15 hours to bring it under control. In the process, hundreds of homes, several military depots and the Korean Communications Zone headquarters were destroyed."

After the cease fire, 3,766 American prisoners-of-war, most of whom had been captured during the first few months of the conflict, were repatriated. Army 1st Lt. James Fouret Geol E ’51 MSc Geol ’55, a platoon leader in a combat engineer company, remembers Korea as a place of "snow, cold, rain, mud, dust and smell." But his richest memories are, in effect, a personal closure of the war. "The processing of American POWs after the cease fire and returning with them aboard the USS General Walker. And, finally, docking at San Francisco."

A number of Mines men have since returned to Korea. Army 1st Lt. John R. Rairden III Met E ’51, who had served with the 13th Combat Engineer Battalion in the Iron Triangle, saw that a prosperous nation had emerged from the battlefields. "It was fascinating to revisit the region that had been the central front [Iron Triangle] during the Korean War. Everywhere we went, we were amazed at all the construction that has taken place during the last 40+ years. We got a warm feeling that the sacrifices from 1950-1953 have been vindicated!"

Army 1st Lt. Norman R. Zehr E M ’52 MSc Min ’56, who was an aviator with the 40th Division during the war, recalls the gratitude of the Korean people. "On my first return trip [a business trip] back to Korea in 1973, I was asked by our distributor if I had ever been to Korea. Then names like Chorwon, Kumhwa, etc., came out. He had served in the ROK Army. At each customer call where the companies were managed by former ROK officers, I could hear him telling them that I had been there before. Each one thanked me. At dinner a few nights later he stood up, welcomed me back to Korea, and said on behalf of himself and the Korean people that he wanted to thank me. How did I respond? I didn’t do very well.

"My final reaction was that the South Koreans appreciated what the United States and United Nations had done for them. After seeing what Korea looks like now, and hearing how the Koreans felt about it, I was satisfied that it had been a worthwhile effort."

Although political constraints had prevented all-out victory in Korea, it is now clear that the conflict did much to shape geopolitics in the second half of the 20th century. As the first direct confrontation between the free world and international communism, the Korean War ushered in the 40-year-long Cold War and was the precedent for a series of military stands that helped bring about the eventual fall of international communism.

Nowhere are the effects of the Korean War more evident than on the Korean Peninsula itself.

Little can be said about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, which remains a closed communist state, one of the world’s most suppressed and deprived societies and a threat to world peace. In stark and telling contrast, South Korea is now the world’s 11th-strongest economy and remains a staunch American ally. And the 380 students and graduates of the Colorado School of Mines who served in the U.S. military during the time of the Korean War did their share to bring all that about.

Steve Voynick is a freelance writer from Leadville, Colorado. His most recent book is Climax: A History of Colorado’s Climax Molybdenum Mine. During 1964, Voynick served with Charlie Battery, 4th Bn., 76th Artillery (7th Infantry Div.) at Munsan-ni, Republic of Korea.