 State Army presents The Big Picture, an official report produced for the armed forces and the American people. Today our Big Picture camera takes us to our nation's capital for a visit with Sergeant Stuart Queen at the National Press Club. A few things in American life have a longer tradition of service to the people than on newspapers. It's long before the revolution they have covered the growth and, well, progress of our nation. They have recorded our mistakes and our successes. They have reflected our grief and our humor. Our forefathers knew that only an informed people could remain free people. It has been the task of newsmen to keep us informed. In the course of gathering information, reporters for generations have followed American wars. People with their armies at Gettysburg in the morn, at Normandy and the Pooson perimeter. If their stories had a common hero, it was the American soldier. Today the Big Picture will turn back to what is now history, the summer storm of 1950, the harsh and bitter days of the early fighting in Korea. With me here in the National Press Club, to tell part of this story is one of America's most distinguished war correspondents. Jim Lucas of Scripps Howard Newspaper Alliance. Hello, Stu. It's been a long time. Yes, it has, Jim. As I remember, we met for the first time over in Korea at the Eighth Army Press Billets. That's right. That was the summer of 1950. And that was a reporter's nightmare. It was a nightmare for all of us. Actually, no better and no worse than I'd expected. Why? I'd covered enough of the fighting in the Pacific in World War II to be prepared for just about anything. Of course, in Korea, there was this one very real difference in the Pacific War. When I covered that one, we were winning. In Korea, we weren't, not initially at least. And that was the hardest thing for the American soldier to accept and to believe. And it was certainly the hardest thing for us to write about. But you did write them, and they did pay off. Jim, as a reporter, would you recount some of the events that led up to that nightmare? Some of the things that kept stacking up against the American soldier, making it just a little bit more difficult for him? Well, to do that, Sergeant, you've got to go back to World War II. We came out of that war believing, as we did at the end of World War I, that we'd fought the last great war, that we'd restored democracy to the world. And then suddenly, to our consternation, we discovered that the Russians, who had been our wartime allies, were not our post-war friends in Eastern Europe, country after country. Well, behind the iron curtain, Frisian Slovakia was overthrown, China fell to the Communist. In Indochina, they started a hot war with considerable success. They tried to choke us out of Berlin, and fortunately, our air lift prevented that. But aside from a few Cold War victories, which certainly we don't underestimate, like our foreign aid programs and the success of the Berlin air lift, the Communist had things pretty much their own way. Remember, they started this Cold War, and they were winning it, and they had no reason to believe that they couldn't start a hot war and carry that off, too. Looked like a pushover, huh? The idea that North Koreans had a full-field army with tanks and heavy equipment and the poor South Korean rocks, they were a little more than a constabulary force. Just what did they expect? A 10-day victory, Sergeant, and if we hadn't done what we did when we did it, if we hadn't intervened even though we weren't prepared for intervention, that is precisely what they would have had. But they didn't count on the United Nations, and they didn't count on the presence and the tenacity of the American soldier. And remember these young men that we sent in there, in the summer of 1950, were pretty green. They had had less than a year's training, most of them. Very few of them were World War II veterans, and we've got to face this, they've had it pretty soft on Garrison duty in Japan. Drammed through the eyes of the combat cameramen who were there with you, we're going to go back and re-examine some of the events that took place following the Communist crossing of the 38th parallel. You knew this war, you wrote about it, you were there, let's go back, back to that fateful summer of 1950, Korea. Korea, a crowded little finger of land extending out of Asia's mainland, pointing significantly toward Japan and the Pacific beyond. A nation not much larger than our state of Minnesota, but acre for acre, one of the most violently mountainous areas on earth. Today the capital city's soul is largely restored, rising from the rubble of almost total destruction to become at least somewhat like her old self. The capital building wears a new dome, but nothing short of complete rebuilding will ever erase the battle scars in these walls. As Koreans today know it, the peace is an uneasy armistice in a divided nation. But with the dogged stoicism of a culture 4,000 years old, they go about the business of living, knowing as they do that for the living, there is no other course. In the markets, the scrap pile school of architecture prevails. But business is as colorful, noisy, and aromatic as it ever was. North of Seoul, the mountains rise in sharp volcanic disorder. Green foliage has returned to slopes once blasted bare by TNT and napalm, but at the summits, eyes still keep watch to the north. Along the demilitarized zone, or DMZ, and French forces face one another across no man's land. Here, the armistice decreed, the armies would pull back from one another, forming a buffer zone among the mountains. Once again, Korea, the ancient mountain kingdom of Chosun, is in fact the land of the morning calm. But no one forgets June 25th, 1950. It was still dark, four o'clock on a Sunday morning. South Korean villages awoke to a world suddenly filled with noise and play. The communists, made bold by months of small-scale rating across the 38th parallel, had finally launched their undeclared, all-out war of conquest. Half a world away in Washington, President Truman took immediate action, saying, in these circumstances, I have ordered United States air and sea forces to give the Korean government troops cover and support. Next day at the United Nations in New York, United States Representative Warren Austin made our position clear beyond doubting. The armed invasion of the Republic of Korea continues. The Republic of Korea has appealed to the United Nations for protection. I am proud to report that the United States is prepared to furnish assistance to the Republic of Korea. Spearheaded by tanks, the Red Forces had moved swiftly. In two days, they were attacking the capital city itself. Fell the next day, June 28th. By June 30th, the communists had crossed the Han River south of Seoul and fought through the rail city of Yongdongpo. With their heavy Russian-made tanks, they thrust aside South Korean resistance, racing down the corridor which led through Hanyang towards Suwon. Here, the helpless and homeless gathered, only to be told they must flee still farther southward. Everywhere, they saw their outnumbered countrymen rushing north to join the battle. Less than a dozen combat planes were available, several of them piloted by Americans. The Korean American Volunteer Group. But little you could do with only 10 aircraft. We did. Even as the Red Armors swept towards Suwon, advance elements of the 24th Infantry Division were being airlifted to Korea from Japan. Their coming was known to the people. They were welcomed with cheering. Four days later, they met the enemy south of Osan, and the cheering was forgotten. I was scared. I didn't know who was going to be like that. The enemy was a lot stronger and better trained than we'd heard. Some guys thought we'd have it easy. It didn't work out that way. Retreat. The few heavier weapons covered each withdrawal as best they could. Where they had divisions, we had companies. Pull back, fight, pull back again. Four days and nights, nobody slept. We started with a good many green troops. Now anybody could still pack his gear, he was a veteran. The group was on the way. In Busan to the south, more 24th Division troops and equipment were arriving by ship. Not enough. Not nearly enough. But it was a start. Generals Walden H. Walker and William Dean had a tough assignment. Undertake the work of several divisions with elements of only one. One day I looked up and there they was. Man, if I said those fresh troops look good, I'd be lying. They were beautiful. Not only just troops, but trucks with more heavy stuff. And tanks. Our first red armor, 25 miles north of Tejang. July 13th, Yokota Air Base, Japan. Our first large-scale bombing attack is mounted as more than 50 B-29s take off. The target, one side, Key North Korean port city. We wondered how much attack there'd be. It wasn't any at all. A little slow around one side. As the Communist moves south toward Tejang, we pull back across the Kuhn River. This natural barrier offered another chance to buy time from the enemy. We took advantage of it. The Air Force was playing a leading role in our attempt to delay the Communist advance. Lacking bases in Korea, F-80 jets adapted oversize wing tanks for the long flight across the Sea of Japan. Fire to Do-Foot, over. Do-Foot, Angel-5, request fire on enemy column due north, your position. Angel-5 to Do-Foot, restave your transmission. We'll proceed over. Do-Foot to Angel-5. Good luck. July 18th, the Sea of Japan. A Navy task force approaches the east coast of Korea. Destination, Ho-Ha. Mission, to land the men and machines of the first cavalry division. The Korean battle line was moving rapidly on all fronts. Only on arrival were the troops informed that the landing would be unopposed. The division's 27,000 men started ashore. Psychology says how you're supposed to feel sort of disappointed, expect to fight and then don't have to. Maybe so. I wasn't disappointed. On July 20th, the Reds reached Tejong. 24th division troops led by General Dean were to hold as long as possible. There was something fishy about Tejong. I mean they threw in a little artillery and then we waited. Nothing. Nobody. Then wham! They were all over the place. We found out we were surrounded. It was a case of move out fast as they went for good. As it was, we were going to have to make a run down a corridor of fire a mile long, which we did. We had bought more time, but Tejong was gone and with her, General Dean. We traded time for space. Two weeks for the land between Tejong and the Noctong River. From behind the wide deep waters of the Noctong, we could test our growing strength. We cut the bridges and poured our fire on the opposite banks. Communist attacks probed up and down the length of the line, searching for an opening. Daily we handled upon those attacks all the firepower had our command. The line ended. In the north and eastern sectors, ROK troops had recovered from the first shattering blows they had taken. They would retreat no more. In concerned, Korea is no place to have a war. There's only two directions, up the hill and down the hill. And that perpendicular terrain puts armor in a straight jacket. Still, you do what you can. With a little out of elevation, a tank's rifle can be darn good artillery. We found a way to get that extra elevation. It worked fine. In August, General William Keen received orders to carry out our first large-scale offensive action. The enemy was trying to punch through in the south and capture Pusat. Task Force Keen, composed of General Keen's 25th Division, the 5th RCT, and the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, was to repel this attack. It was the 6th of August. I remember, of course, that's my birthday. Also, it's the first time I ever got shot at. I remember thinking to myself, happy birthday, Charlie. The word came down, time to move again. We had to get the high ground, so that they suffire. The armor took charge of the low ground. And from the ridge line sparked by the Marine Brigade, put soldiers unleashed their fire. Methodical, concentrated, dead. Swift with a heavy bazooka, found it highly effective against Russian-made armor. Marines and soldiers faced a dirty, dangerous task to clear the area of red snipers and stragglers. For veterans of the Pacific, the action was painfully familiar. Like the Japanese, a small-bodied North Korean soldier had a talent for hiding behind a bush no larger than you might grow in a window box. Task Force Keen took its quota of prisoners. Many had shed their uniforms, hoping to escape in the white civilian clothes worn underneath. At close quarters, the enemy lost his fierceness. Usually, he was very young. Always, he was glad to be out of the fighting. Task Force Keen had earned a brief moment in which to catch its breath. Busan Harbor, August 29th. The first non-American troops to join the U.N. forces in Korea arrived from Hong Kong. Two battalions from the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders and the Middlesex Regiment. To illustrate truth, we was happy to reach Korea. For the past six months, we'd been sweltering in Hong Kong. And it so blooming hot, we were scared to dig a hole for fear we'd bust rock through in an L. At least over here we'd be cool enough so a man could enjoy his blinkin' tea time. September 1st. An all-out red offensive across the Nocton tightens our circle of defense. The siege of the Pusan perimeter is on. Task Force 77 carriers speed up their operations. It was my job to send them out. Every available aircraft, every usable minute of every day. Our enemy had long, vulnerable supply lines now. Without adequate stocks of ammunition and fuel, their strength would fail. With luck, we'd make sure. The perimeter held, and within its circle at Pusan, our strength was mounting daily, even as the Red Armies were dissipating their own. Food, ammunition, supplies, all the tools of war were being stockpiled. Our days on the defensive were nearing an end. And they did come to an end too, a few weeks later, with our landings at Incheon. One of those landings that we all felt a lot better in Korea. Before our men broke out of the Pusan perimeter, they'd learned plenty. And they were getting the support and the logistics that they needed to fight. Looking back, Jim, what do you consider our biggest lesson? Oh, Stu, there were many lessons. And it would be difficult even now to single out any one and say that this is the greatest lesson. But if I had to pick one, I would say that it was the realization that we could never let that happen to us again, that we could never be caught with our guard down. Take Lebanon, for example. When President Eisenhower ordered the intervention in Lebanon, we were able to send well-trained, well-equipped troops in sufficient numbers. They arrived in Lebanon before the trouble started. And arriving before the trouble started, they were able to prevent its happening. Whereas in Korea, as you've just seen, we sent troops who were ill-trained, ill-equipped, and outmanned. And he was forced to fight well-trained, well-armed communist soldiers. On their terms, the lesson, I think, is obvious. If we're able to deal with these brush-fire wars before they start, then there's considerably less chance of their starting in the first place. Lebanon could have been another Korea. And much worse, because Korea was an isolated little peninsula, and we were able to contain the war within the confines of that peninsula. Whereas Lebanon, if it had ever gotten out of hand of fighting it actually started, might have spread throughout the whole of the Near East. Jim, I know you've marched and driven with just about every army unit, both at home and overseas, but has the individual soldier changed any since Korea? Well, Stu, he's still our secret weapon. I suppose they've been superficial changes. The weapons and the equipment that he handles and fires would have amazed and baffled his older brother who fought in Korea. He's certainly the best-trained soldier we've ever had in our history. I understand his organization is more flexible and efficient and could be adapted to atomic warfare if we ever have to fight that kind of a war. There are many things that have changed, but there are many things that haven't. And these are the important things, I think. He's still the guy who must bear the burden of combat on his back. It's still the individual combat soldier who goes in and takes the ground, the ground for these missile sites and the more exotic weapons systems to use a good Pentagon term that we employ in 20th century warfare. He may be dropped from their plane. He may use a snazzier rifle. He may use a bigger bazooka and wear warmer clothing, but his reason for fighting hasn't changed and that's what still makes him the greatest soldier in the world. Jim Lucas, thanks for joining us and sharing some of your observations with the Big Picture audience. We've been privileged to have as our guest Mr. Jim Lucas, member of the Washington Press Corps and correspondent whose coverage of the Korean War will long be remembered as a chronicle of the nation's fighting man. Now this is Sergeant Stuart Queen, your host for the Big Picture. The Big Picture is an official report for the armed forces and the American people. Produced by the Army Pictorial Center. Presented by the Department of the Army in cooperation with this state.