Remembering Chosin

Veterans of epic battle decry country’s ignorance of Korean War

By JIM HALEY

Herald Writer

Pfc. Walter Hammen hunkered down with a companion in a frigid foxhole on top of a promontory of northern Korea called Hill 1282 on U.S. Marine Corps maps.

Hammen’s E Company, a 170-man segment of the 1st Marine Division, was assigned to hold the hill to protect a vulnerable supply route in the valley below.

It was late at night, probably just before midnight, when an overwhelming force of Chinese soldiers attacked. By daylight, all but perhaps 35 members of his company, including then 20-year-old Hammen, were either wounded or dead.

The battle for Chosin Reservoir had begun.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Starting Nov. 27, 1950, one of most fierce battles in U.S. history unfolded on a snowy, subzero battlefield deep in the barren mountains of North Korea.

What irritates Hammen and other Korean War veterans is that the war and its big battles are often ignored when it comes time to talk of military valor and accomplishment.

Hammen and dozens of other Chosin survivors are attending a reunion in San Diego this week commemorating its 50th anniversary. The organization calls itself The Chosin Few.

"Everybody knows about the Battle of the Bulge," Hammen said about a famous World War II battle that turned the face of the war in Europe. "This was much colder … and nobody knows about it."

The retired Everett furniture store owner said the Korean conflict is known as "the forgotten war." People who say that are right, he said.

"You don’t read about the Korean War anyplace," he said. "It’s disgusting."

Of the 25,000 allied service members at Chosin, more than 600 were killed, about 200 were declared missing in action and 3,500 were wounded. Another 7,300 had other nonbattle injuries such as frostbite.

Hammen was shot twice in the leg the first night of the Chosin battle and literally slid down the back side of the mountain to an aid station.

The bullets flew, but the cold was as big an enemy to both sides as the machinery of war.

It approached 20 degrees below zero that night, and reached 40 degrees below zero on subsequent nights through the two-week battle as the first big cold snap of the Korean winter made a miserable war even worse.

"It killed a lot more Chinese than it did Americans," Hammen said. "They had tennis shoes. They were literally like tennis shoes in that cold. Their feet were just caked with ice when they tried to give up."

He spent nearly five days lying wounded in the back of an open truck trying to get out to a hospital.

"You didn’t fall asleep at night because you’re afraid of the Chinese, and you’re afraid of freezing," Hammen said.

Before the attack, the allied forces had been en route across the rugged northern Korean mountains to meet Army forces that had established a position in the west.

They were confronted by perhaps 120,000 Chinese troops near the huge Chosin Reservoir. The allied advance was stopped, and the retreat was sounded. The allied forces, mostly U.S. Marines, had to fight their way out.

Hammen, who earned one Purple Heart at Chosin and a second several months later in Korea, had been managing a men’s shoe department in Minneapolis in July of 1950 when his reserve unit was called up.

A month later, he was in Korea, where he got his basic training, sort of on-the-job-training with people shooting at him.

It wasn’t until 1997 that Korean War veterans won a battle to acquire benefits for frostbite, a condition that still afflicts Hammen today.

When he got out of the service, he came to the Northwest for the scenery and to avoid the bitter Minnesota winters that left frostbitten feet and hands aching.

He said U.S. forces don’t get enough credit for keeping South Korea prosperous and for sending a message to the Soviet Union at the start of the Cold War.

"Maybe it let Russia know the United States isn’t an easy pushover," Hammen said.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Everett Historic Theater owner Curtis Shriner inside the theater on Tuesday, May 13, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Historic Everett Theatre sale on horizon, future uncertain

With expected new ownership, events for July and August will be canceled. The schedule for the fall and beyond is unclear.

Contributed photo from Snohomish County Public Works
Snohomish County Public Works contractor crews have begun their summer 2016 paving work on 13 miles of roadway, primarily in the Monroe and Stanwood areas. This photo is an example of paving work from a previous summer. A new layer of asphalt is put down over the old.
Snohomish County plans to resurface about 76 miles of roads this summer

EVERETT – As part of its annual road maintenance and preservation program,… Continue reading

City of Everett Engineer Tom Hood, left, and City of Everett Engineer and Project Manager Dan Enrico, right, talks about the current Edgewater Bridge demolition on Friday, May 9, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
How do you get rid of a bridge? Everett engineers can explain.

Workers began dismantling the old Edgewater Bridge on May 2. The process could take one to two months, city engineers said.

Smoke from the Bolt Creek fire silhouettes a mountain ridge and trees just outside of Index on Sept. 12, 2022. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
County will host two wildfire-preparedness meetings in May

Meetings will allow community members to learn wildfire mitigation strategies and connect with a variety of local and state agencies.

Helion's 6th fusion prototype, Trenta, on display on Tuesday, July 9, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Helion celebrates smoother path to fusion energy site approval

Helion CEO applauds legislation signed by Gov. Bob Ferguson expected to streamline site selection process.

Vehicles travel along Mukilteo Speedway on Sunday, April 21, 2024, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Mukilteo cameras go live to curb speeding on Speedway

Starting Friday, an automated traffic camera system will cover four blocks of Mukilteo Speedway. A 30-day warning period is in place.

Carli Brockman lets her daughter Carli, 2, help push her ballot into the ballot drop box on the Snohomish County Campus on Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Here’s who filed for the primary election in Snohomish County

Positions with three or more candidates will go to voters Aug. 5 to determine final contenders for the Nov. 4 general election.

Sound Transit approves contract to build Bothell bus facility

The 365,000-square-foot facility will be the heart of the agency’s new Stride bus rapid transit system, set to open in 2028.

One dead in Everett crash involving motorcycle and two vehicles

Police shut down the 10300 block of Evergreen Way in both directions during the multi-vehicle collision investigation.

Katie Wallace, left, checks people into the first flight from Paine Field to Honolulu on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Executive order makes way for Paine Field expansion planning

Expansion would be a long-range project estimated to cost around $300 million.

A person pauses to look at an art piece during the Schack Art Center’s 50th anniversary celebration on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett to seek Creative District designation

The city hopes to grow jobs in the creative sector and access new grant funds through the state label.

Former Herald writer Melissa Slager’s new book was 14-year project

The 520-page historical novel “Contests of Strength” covers the 1700 earthquake and tsunami on Makah lands.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.