The rescue of civilians during the Korean War climaxes with the Christmas Miracle of “the greatest rescue operation by a single ship in the history of mankind”
Now That Should be A Movie
Short Pitch
It is called Ship of Miracles
In the vein of Schindler’s List
It’s like Dunkirk meets Titanic
It follows the religious naval captain Leonard LaRue
And self-sacrificing doctor Bong Hak Hyun
As they seek to evacuate 90,000 to 100,000 North Korean refugees trapped between Chinese Communists and the sea during a bitterly cold winter in the Korean Wa
Problems arise when the only ship left is LaRue’s Meredith Victory, a ship designed to carry only 12 passengers, to evacuate the refugees as rumors of Communist infiltrators among the civilians and Soviet submarines below the harbor’s surface spread
Together their determined compassion and faith will result in an evacuation that holds the Guinness World Book of Records for the largest rescue by a single ship in history, 14,000 people, and a true Christmas Miracle
The idea came to me when I was reading A Christmas Far From Home: An Epic Tale of Courage and Survival During the Korean War by Stanley Weintraub and heard about the Meredith Victory holding the world record and was surprised I had never heard before of the rescue
My unique approach would be the horror and human tragedy of war and the darkness of winter as backdrops against which the humanity and compassion of man and the joyous magic of Christmas can shine
A set piece would be when the refugees are clogged up on the docks leading to the ship. They are forced to leave behind their large bags as well as their furniture and pianos. The refugees on the ship still have medium-sized baggage when they see the flow of humanity backing up. Slowly one Korean man walks to the railing of the ship’s deck. He sadly looks at his baggage, then drops it off the side of the ship into the sea below. Another man follows his example. Then another. Then a woman. Then a child. Soon the deck railing is lined with refugees, throwing their remaining earthly belongings overboard, watching them disappear under the choppy, frigid waters below, so others could join them aboard the ship. Soon the docks are empty as the ship is stretched to accompany 14,000 refugees fleeing tyranny
Target audiences would-be historians, fans of war movies, people involved in humanitarian, charity, and social justice projects, Catholics, Korean Americans, South Koreans, fans of Ode To My Father, fans of Timeless, sailors, people involved in the maritime business, naval history buffs, and men and women (30 to 80)
Audiences would want to see it because of its themes of compassion, charity, and humanitarianism and its epic, world-setting rescue because it honors veterans of the “forgotten war” and because it is a spirit-lifting, emotional, inspirational, and motivational Christmas Miracle that captures the true meaning of the Holiday Season
Today’s book I would like to pitch as a movie is Ship of Miracles: 14,000 Lives and One Miraculous Voyage by Bill Gilbert from Triumph Books.
The SS Meredith Victory was a United States Merchant Marine Victory Ship built to transport supplies during World War II. She was taken out of the reserve fleet during the Korean War and captained by Leonard LaRue, also a seafaring veteran of World War II. Her first assignment during the Korean War was supplying the landing at Inchon, South Korea, September 15, 1950 – September 19, 1950.
On the Meredith Victory’s return from Inchon, an incident occurred that would have a profound impact on Captain LaRue. They were approached by a boat containing North Korean soldiers who were waving a white flag. Besides LaRue’s .38 revolver, the ship was unarmed and could have easily been overtaken by the NKPA (North Korean People’s Army) soldiers. Nevertheless, LaRue took them aboard. After the ship’s doctor, Robert J. Lunney treated the wounds of one soldier, the crew was surprised to learn that the NKPA soldiers wanted out of the army and were more than willing to give up information. From this LaRue deduced that most of the NKPA soldiers were conscripts and were unwillingly fighting for a cause they did not believe. This would influence his decision a few months later at Hungnam.
The scene at Hungnam, North Korea in December 1950 was one of biblical proportions. Tens of thousands of men, women, and children had ridden and walked hundreds of miles to the port to escape with the United States forces which were withdrawing in the face of the invading Chinese communists. They were anti-communist activists, land owners, businessmen, educators, escaped political prisoners, Christians, schoolgirls, and common citizens who had served as public officials during the occupation of the United Nations forces. They had been under communist rule for five years and were voting with their feet for freedom. The last train from the city of Hamhung had fifty thousand people clamoring to climb aboard.
These refugees had faced many dangers coming to the port. They had seen friends and family killed by landmines, aerial attacks, or stray bullets when they were caught in the crossfire of the opposing forces. Many froze to death in the subzero temperatures. Others were turned back by military police (MPs) who feared there might be infiltrators or spies among them. Still, the majority made it to Hungnam where they huddled in whatever shelter they could find in the freezing temperatures.
At the port of Hungnam, 193 ships of all types, including LSTs (Landing Ship, Tank), were waiting to participate in one of the greatest military evacuations of all time. General Ned Almond was flying with Lieutenant Alexander M. Haig, Jr. over the evacuation when he looked down and saw thousands of refugees wading through the icy surf to get to the ships. He turned to Haig and said, “We can’t leave those people. Take care of that, Haig.” Marine Colonel Edward Forney was on the beach overseeing the military evacuation, when he received the order to include the refugees. When asked if it was possible, he replied, “Napoleon didn’t find the word ‘impossible’ in his dictionary.” Somehow he found the ships necessary to transport 100,000 civilians.
At first, there was resentment toward helping a mass of refugees who might be concealing enemy soldiers. However, public pressure at home was upon the military command to do the merciful thing. According to Stanley Weintraub, author of A Christmas Far From Home: An Epic Tale of Courage and Survival During the Korean War, “The American-led command could not be perceived in the States, especially as Christmas approached, as abandoning Christians to the less than tender mercies of nonbelieving Communists.” Many of the most vocal proponents of helping the refugees were powerful American conservatives who were the children of Christian ministers and missionaries to Asia. Among them were Henry Luce, publisher of Life and Time magazines, Dewitt Wallace, publisher of Reader’s Digest, and foreign policy advisor John Forster Dulles were among them. On the ground, Dr. Bong Hak Hyun, a Korean civil affairs officer who would later be called The Korean Schindler, and Father Patrick Cleary, a chaplain with X Corp and former missionary, pleaded daily with the military to do more to help the refugees. Colonel Forney reminded General Almond that the refugees had fought the communists for five years and had risked their lives by cooperating with the Americans. On December 16th President Truman declared the evacuation from North Korea a national emergency, issuing Presidential Proclamation No. 2914, which included aiding the refugees. Almond sent a train to Hamhung to bring more refugees to the docks. When Dr. Hyun informed a group of elderly Christians praying in the basement of a church about the train, one of them exclaimed, “Moses has come to evacuate us!”
The Meredith Victory was offloading jet fuel at Pusan, South Korea when it received orders to sail for Hungnam. Captain LaRue immediately obeyed and the ship left Pusan before all the jet fuel could be offloaded. When the ship arrived at the port, LaRue signaled to the minesweeper which was to guide him through the heavily mined harbor that jet fuel was on board. The minesweeper’s crew was shocked because Russian submarines were rumored to be lurking beneath the water. If a torpedo or mine hit the Meredith Victory, the explosion would take down any ships nearby. As the minesweeper guided the ship through the harbor, LaRue noticed that the distance between them widening.
Once in the harbor, the Meredith Victory was boarded by several Army colonels. One of them was so hungry he ate an onion like it was an apple. They met LaRue and some of his staff to inform him of the situation. They said they could not order him to take refugees on board since the ship was designed to hold only a 47-man crew and 12 passengers. Instead, they asked him to concur with his crew about taking some aboard. Dr. Lunney remembers that LaRue didn’t hesitate. He said he would take as many as possible.
LaRue ordered the ship to turn around to face the sea, enabling a quick getaway. They were not going to give up the Meredith Victory in case the Red Chinese who had been spotted on the ridges surrounding Hungnam suddenly attacked. Then they began taking on refugees, lowering them down into the fifth hold, five levels below the deck, with pallets usually used to lower cargo. Floodlights were turned on, making the ship an easy target for the Chinese, but no enemy shell ever hit the ship. The mass of people could have easily been hit accidentally by American shells too, but mercifully that never happened. At first, the crew separated the refugees by gender, but when they realized they were separating families they stopped. Sadly, one small girl was crushed to death in the rush to get on the ship and was buried on the beach. When the refugees noticed that more room was needed on the ship, they began to throw their only remaining earthly belongings overboard so others could join them.
The crew loaded the refugees onto the ship all through the night of December 22nd and into the morning of the 23rd. Somehow, by some miracle, 18 thousand tons of steel stretched until 14,000 men, women, and children were onboard. All five holds were filled up and the deck was covered with people. Right before the Meredith Victory departed, a jeep drove up and an Army lieutenant jumped out. He, along with 17 South Korean MPs, came aboard to guard against any possible communist infiltrators. The Meredith Victory was one of the last ships to leave the harbor. On board were the last of 100,000 refugees.
Beyond Hungnam the communists were pinned down by a ring of navy fire and the freshly arrived Third Infantry Division of the United States Army. They covered the withdrawal of the other Army and Marine units, then created Line Charlie to cover the rescue of the North Korean civilians. A veteran of the Third Infantry, Leo Meyer, remembers that the beach was completely clear of refugees as they withdrew. They were all survivors.
The Meredith Victory continued south. The civilians were starving and thirsty. One man found a boiled egg and swallowed it whole before anyone could stop him. Some of the crew members heard banging on the porthole of their cabin. When they opened it, they were assailed by the arms of dozens of refugees begging for water. They gave them what little water they could and then closed the porthole. The decks were swept by bitterly cold winds. Doctor Lunney was walking among the refugees when he saw some building cooking fires on the drums of jet fuel. Yelling no and waving his hands to demonstrate the explosion the fires could cause, he and his officers put the fires out. The Koreans understood and did not build any more fires. What could have been the greatest sea disaster in history became the greatest rescue by sea in history.
Tension hung in the air as rumors circulated that the ship was going farther out to sea to dump the refugees overboard. A riot could have started, and the young men would have easily taken the control room. Somehow the Korean MPs and the crew were able to convince the mob that safety was only a few hours away. When it came time to serve the seventeen South Korean MPs breakfast, the chief steward noticed that eighteen meals had been prepared. It was then discovered a North Korean Communist spy had come onboard dressed in a South Korean uniform. He was quickly captured and shackled to a post until the end of the voyage.
Despite the hazardous journey, no lives were lost on the 450-mile voyage. Instead, the ship docked with five more souls than had when it departed from Hungnam. Babies had been born. The Korean women, used to giving birth in the fields, helped the mothers deliver as though it was no big deal. The American doctors weren’t needed. The crew nicknamed the first baby Kimchi, after a popular Korean dish, and then the rest Kimchi 2, Kimchi 3, Kimchi 4, and Kimchi 5. The appearance of new life brought smiles of joy among the rugged conditions.
The Meredith Victory first went to Pusan, but the city was already overcrowded with refugees, so it continued to an Island fifty miles away called Koje-Do (Geoje), but not before LaRue sliced through red tape to get blankets, food, clothing, and water from the military supplies for the people on board. The ship arrived at the Island on Christmas Eve and began unloading the next day. There were no docks, so LSTs had to transport the refugees to the beach. The people were placed on platforms usually used to transport supplies and machinery onboard. Each platform could hold sixteen people. The platforms were then lowered down to the LSTs. The swelling sea heaved up and down, causing the ship to pitch. The refugees could have fallen from the platforms and been swallowed by the waves, but, despite some lost belongings, all made it to safety.
Throughout the evacuation and voyage the crew had been astonished at the Koreans’ stoic lack of expression., but the closer the refugees came to safety the more the crew saw heartwarming expressions of joy on their faces. Fathers took their sashes from around their waist and tied them around their children to lower them to the LSTs. The crew began sharing their clothing with the refugees. One sailor saw a seven-year-old girl wearing light clothing standing in the bone-chilling air. Yet her smile was that of a happy little girl because she knew she was almost safe, almost free.
I believe the story of the SS Meredith Victory is the perfect candidate for a holiday season movie release because it conveys the true meaning of Christmas. The sailors wrote letters home that the Koreans were still preparing to celebrate Christmas despite the approaching war, hanging streamers across their doorways with the words “Celebrating the Birth of Christ.” It is an epic story of bravery. President Eisenhower bestowed the title of “Gallant Little Ship” on the Meredith Victory. The crew has been honored with the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the United States Merchant Marine’s highest award, the Meritorious Service Medal. The rescue also holds a place in the Guinness World Book of Records for the largest rescue by a single ship in history. Gilbert’s book is one of the few books about the rescue and sadly suffers from a disjointed narration that relies too much on direct quotations. A movie could cause more books to be published. A South Korean filmmaker tried to make a film called Christmas Cargo, but it never went into production. The Hungnam Evacuation was recently featured on the NBC show Timeless. The name of Dr. Bong Hak Hyun, who had to leave many friends and family behind, including a pregnant wife, and did not boast of his role in the rescue, deserves to be as widely known as Oskar Schindler. It is said that one in four South Koreans, including President Moon Jae-in, is a descendant of the 100,000 refugees rescued at Hungnam. Their parents and grandparents most of all should be honored.
Captain LaRue, who retired to become a monk, taking the male version of the name Mary, Marinus, sums the story of the Meredith Victory up best.
“The Message of Christmas, the message of kindness and goodwill, had come to this woe-laded ship, to these people abroad who, like the Holy Family many centuries before, were themselves refugees from a tyrannical force. I thought as I watched, “There was no room for them, no room in their native land.”
Because the inspirational true story of 100,000 people being rescued from tyranny sums up the Christmas spirit, I believe that Ship of Miracles by Bill Gilbert should be a holiday season release.
Special Thanks to Susan Kee and Ned Forney, grandson of Col. Forney. Follow Susan at Susana Kee – Honoring Korean War Veterans, and Ned at his NedForney.com.
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