Sometime during my brief stint in Korea, I developed a mild case of paranoia. I was convinced that either one of my fellow soldiers were going to hurt me, or I would be killed in some freak accident. Let me explain why. While I was there, one of the guys in our 200 man company was killed when he parachuted into the Yangtze River and drowned. Then, a guy was hit by a "Kimchi Cab" and ended up with a plate in his head. The real shocker was the day one of our officers asked if any of us wanted to ride "crew" with him in a helicopter flying over to the coast. I had never been on one before so I volunteered. It was a real thrill, shooting straight up and hovering then zooming off. A few hours later we returned. Wow. What a lot of fun, plus an authorized day out of work at the office!!!! The very next day, he again asked us. I had a bunch of work reports to do so no more fun for me. Another officer went with him. The next day, a flatbed truck brought back what was left of the helicopter. The pilot had crashed into a mountain, killing both of them.
The last incident involved another office guy. He asked me to stop by his barracks one evening. I did so, and sitting on a bunk across from him he produced a knife, then asked me if I had stolen his camera. I of course denied it and suggested that one of the Korean houseboys was probably the culprit. I left uncut, but it added to my paranoia. Since I was required to carry a sidearm when on my occasional secret document transfers, I approached the armorer, a buddy of mine and asked if I could just keep the pistol rather than turning it in after use. He agreed, so I did, even sleeping with it. I was once asked by the Commanding Officer wearing the shoulder holster in the office, and I mumbled something about carrying the documents. He accepted my answer. A follow up on the camera guy, when I left Korea he was in charge of the company safe which I had put most of my money in. I had no proof, but am very sure that it was not the amount I had "deposited". There was no paperwork nor any way to prove he had taken it. He probably figured that it was rightfully his. Stupid not to just spend my money like the rest of the outfit.
| October 08, 1970 | WO1 Frank Lloyd Mathias Capt. Kenneth Maurice Cox | Their aircraft crashed and exploded near Chuncheon while on a routine administrative flight from K-16 to Camp Page. |
The last incident involved another office guy. He asked me to stop by his barracks one evening. I did so, and sitting on a bunk across from him he produced a knife, then asked me if I had stolen his camera. I of course denied it and suggested that one of the Korean houseboys was probably the culprit. I left uncut, but it added to my paranoia. Since I was required to carry a sidearm when on my occasional secret document transfers, I approached the armorer, a buddy of mine and asked if I could just keep the pistol rather than turning it in after use. He agreed, so I did, even sleeping with it. I was once asked by the Commanding Officer wearing the shoulder holster in the office, and I mumbled something about carrying the documents. He accepted my answer. A follow up on the camera guy, when I left Korea he was in charge of the company safe which I had put most of my money in. I had no proof, but am very sure that it was not the amount I had "deposited". There was no paperwork nor any way to prove he had taken it. He probably figured that it was rightfully his. Stupid not to just spend my money like the rest of the outfit.
1 comment:
Wow! That helicopter story is creepy. It's a good thing you were busy, although you never know. If you'd been there maybe the guy wouldn't have crashed into a mountain. Maybe the other guy distracted him or something. One could go crazy thinking of things like that.
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