 in December, 1950. Looks cold, don't it? Colder than the heart of a comic. Well, maybe that's exaggerating. It's only 17 below. Here I go grousing again. Grousing, beefing, griping. Oh, why not we know our rights for the United States Marines? Wish I knew why we're hanging around here while we are pushing on. We finished taking that shotgun reservoir up there yesterday. They call it choice sin or choice sand or something like that. It was a lead pipe cinch. It never is when the enemy is dug in on top and you're moving up from the bottom. Moving? In this temperature? You just put one frozen foot in front of the other. You hope and you pray your heart don't bust wide open from pounds. Or a sniper don't hit you where it counts and you keep on going up, up. Show us a hill or a mountain in this country and we've either been there or going there. War would be a pleasure if they'd only fight it on the level. Try and get those reds to do anything on the level. I must be getting lightheaded the altitude, I guess. So those are the goops that have been sending down their highest regards. We'd love nothing better than a tattoo their hides, but we don't fight that kind of war. We bring them back alive. Those grinning gophers know it. We even take care of their wounds. Now let's get back to goodness I'm still perpendicular. There are a couple of our guys who want and never will be. It was yesterday and we're still here in Breezy Baker's Deep Freeze County, Korea. At least it'll keep the circulation going. Maybe we're getting the word right. We're pushing on. What's the gag? We're heading in the wrong direction. A couple of days ago we came up this way. There must be some mistake. Somebody back there must have goofed off. Nobody goofed off, Sarge. You see that map? If you keep your well-known lip button up, I'll tell you what the deal is. You see that dark area? That's where you are. You and the rest of the First Marine Division. And I don't have to tell you how you got there. I know if I told you that you're a bunch of tough cookies and we're proud of you, it might upset your digestion. So I'll skip them OKs and give you the dope straight. You're all in a trap, about $20,000. Yeah, you've been too busy kicking the stuff and out of these red Koreans. So evidently, you haven't been reading the papers. Not just fighting Korean comics, but their fouls, Chinese comics, and a few hundred thousand of them. Sure, that's a dirty lowdown trick. Sure, that's hitting below the bell. But save your breath, Sarge. I told you they're comics. Just keep on punching your way south down now as help all the way. Care for them, potatoes. Chinese comics. How about that? Getting slugged by a Sunday punch by those. Now we got to keep punching our way south back to Hungnam. Take every one of those mountains again one by one. Oh, sure, we know the way, all right. Don't need any roadmaps. Know every rock and ridge and ravine and every one of them runny mountains. And what was that, he said? There's help on the way. See in marine planes, the more the merrier. Right smack over care. Over school of carriers, Sarge. And they'll keep coming on, day in and day out, soaring after soaring. They aim to help spring you from that trap. They aim to keep those commies digging their way back to China, while you fellas keep fighting your way to the sea. Drown us all in the ocean? Who's he kidding? Why don't they level with us and tell us the truth? What gives now? Now taking a gander at that mountain ridge. Snipers, snipers, snipers, snipers, all the time snipers. We knock off five and 10, take that place. We've been through this routine. If we're lucky, we can sit this one out. Let him have it. I'm at least riding one of these joy wagons. Stop it again. Probably some gyrene piled his truck into the guy in front of him. More than likely fell asleep at the wheel. Oh, I see what's holding us up. We're coming into civilization. Welcome to Hagaru, speed limit two miles an hour. It's warmer down here. No wonder. 15 below. Maybe we can get a cup of coffee here and some beans. Hey, look, they're dropping supplies. Ain't smacking that pig pen. Got a hand into them. Maybe that wasn't all morale talk. Thanks for them few kind words, Sergeant. And when you get to Koto and Kodori, you'll give us another pat on the back. If you can spare it then. You'll find airstrips there, which we scraped out. Not quite as large as LaGuardia and not as practical. But you can't be too choosy when there are wounded to be gotten out in the hurry. Anything that has wings is going in. Carry out every seriously wounded and frostbitten man in your division. And if statistics don't worry, Sergeant, the figure will be very close to 1,000. Put that morale talk in your pipe and smokey. Little cocky, facts are facts. OK, you lugs, pull up stakes and saddle up. We're boondocking out of here, Prado and heading south. Who's that down in the valley? It's the army. Hi, you fellas glad to see you. What's the word? What's cooking? Well, you don't know either, huh? I guess you've been too busy fighting. Don't think it's been a cinch for us, either. But you're fresh from the south. We figured you'd have some dope. Doesn't anybody know what's going on? Take another gander at the mountain. You see those three arcs? The ones that are dancing? Well, you are now inside that outer perimeter. If you keep moving on down to the sea, we'll keep on shrinking that perimeter. OK, OK. But what happens when we run out of perimeter? Well, talk up. What happens? That's what I figured. He's fresh out of strategy. Not quite, Sard. Listen to that. The rocket boys will be in their pitching, too. Come on, you gyrenes. Keep moving. Find a way to spend Christmas tomorrow. Running for their lives. Nothing left behind them and nowhere's to go. Wonder where they are going? Guess it don't matter to them as long as they keep putting plenty of country between them and the commies. They know and boy how they know. But if the commies ever catch up with them, it's the last mile. Getting to like the scenery around here a lot better. The climate, too. Even smell the salt air. Must be we're getting close to the sea. And then what? Come on, there, big talk. I'll admit you helped get us back here. But what then? Why not level with us? When it's Christmas time in the USA, it'll be Dunkirk time in Korea. Hey, wait one little galdarn minute. I must be going loony. What's that? Which is the US name? Waiting to give you a boat ride. You and your outfit. The UN board. The armed, our South Korean friends. And every single solitary piece of equipment, weapon, and shell on that beach. Everything right. No one and nothing stays behind. Doesn't look like Dunkirk time in Korea to me, Sarge. But he's pushing anyone into the ocean. Are they, Sarge? Maybe the accommodations aren't strictly cabin class. But everybody will ride. Everybody will eat. And everybody will sleep. We'll be shoving off soon. Here come the last of the army boys who held the beach head. You did a great job, fellas. Getting to sound like this is leaving anything for the commies. That's the Navy's underwater demolition team number three. Great bunch, though, it's rock men. Bring some fireworks in a minute. And last minute statistics for you. Aboard 193 ships of Uncle Sam's Navy, there are about 91,000 South Koreans, men, women, and children. There are 17,500 vehicles of all makes, shapes, sizes, and dimensions. There are 350,000 tons of valuable cargo. And even you'll admit that's a lot of cargo. And there are over 105,000 free fighting men. Within a few weeks, these same men will be on their way to victory in the Great Counter Offensive of early 1951, a history-making comeback after history's most successful evacuation. So a well done to everybody, and anchors away.