Tough as a 6'2" railroad spike ... with a heart
In late November to early December 1950, it's well known to ... Marines, that the First Marine Division at Hagaru-ri and Yudam-ni was engaged by vastly numerically superior Chinese communist forces and barely holding its own. Yudam-ni ... under heavy fire ... joined the main Marine concentration at Hagaru-ri for the breakout.
What doesn't get as much notoriety, is that the Army's 31st RCT was trapped on the opposite (east) side of the reservoir and was being annihilated by Red Chinese in division strength. .... This unit formed a convoy of trucks loaded with wounded and attempted to drive out through enemy-infested mountainous terrain via the dirt road on the east side of the Chosin. Heavy enemy fire and several CCF roadblocks ultimately destroyed the convoy at Hudong-ni, two or three miles from its goal of the Marine perimeter.
Some soldiers from the 31st RCT escaped across the ice of the reservoir and began to appear at Lt. Col. Beall's motor T battalion in sub-zero (minus 30 degree) weather. Lt. Col. Beall organized a relief party originally consisting of himself, a corpsman and a PFC and went out on the ice in search of survivors. Eventually, he used several vehicles including a jeep with a sled and rescued 323 Army wounded. When enemy fire began to hinder the operation, Marine Corsairs napalmed and rocketed the Chinese and provided cover. He personally went ashore and verified that all wounded in the stalled convoy were dead and did a body count. On his return, he managed to rescue remaining Army wounded, some of whom warned him away due to the close proximity of the Chinese. He was awarded a DSC for his efforts.
He began his career as an enlisted Marine in 1917 and in 1950, at 52, had thirty three years of service. (The Leatherneck)
My Army friend, Ed Reeves, one of those rescued by Beall, lost both legs and all of his fingers to frost bite. Ed later told me the rest of the story. All the soldiers in that 30 truck convoy of wounded were either burned in their trucks or shot in the head, including him. This wound, which left a long scar on the side of his head, and was his 4th wound, knocked him out. He later crawled down to the frozen lake and passed out on the ice a short distance from the shore where Col. Beall found him. Ed's version of the story was far more horrifying than the "History" version.
Col. Beall received a DSC medal for his actions, but all Marines, who were there, know he deserved the Congressional Medal Of Honor. He not only saved 323 wounded Soldiers but went ashore, in enemy territory, with their gun sites on him, as he searched among the Army dead for any living ... and found none.
Colonel Beall was the most squared away Marine and the bravest man I ever knew. I do not know if he was a Christian but he had deep convictions about the Constitution, freedom, truth, and America. He enlisted in 1917 and served in WW1, WW2, and Korea. The first thing he did each morning was drink a canteen cup of hot water, if available, and had never used coffee, tea or soda. He was in superb physical condition, fearless and never seemed excitable.
He was a man's man, a Marine's Marine and the bravest man I ever knew. I dearly hope to see him in heaven. RB
