A conglomeration of American soldiers from all races and walks of life make a desperate last stand in the frozen mountains of North Korea so that 30,000 UN troops can “Attack in a Different Direction.
Now That Should Be A Movie.
It’s called The Last Stand of Fox Company
It is a War Action Drama
It the vein of Blackhawk Down
It is like Fury meets Hacksaw Ridge
It follows spit-and-polished but tough disciplined Marine officer Captain William Barber
And fatalist Patton-like Chinese American Marine Lieutenant Kurk Chew-Een Lee
As they battle overwhelming Chinese Communist forces and the sub-freezing conditions of the North Korean mountains in their fight to save 30,000 UN forces from 120,000 Communists
Problems arise as nearly every man in Barber’s Fox Company is wounded, the artic conditions ruin their equipment, and a wounded Lieutenant Lee has to go AWOL after slapping in the hospital a soldier with PTSD
Together their determination, resilience, comradery, skill and cunning hold a vital mountain pass for five nights and six days and help evacuate UN forces while inflicting heavy damage upon the enemies of freedom
The idea came to me when I was listening to an audiobook version of The Last Stand of Fox Company by Tom Clavin and Bob Drury and heard Korea referred to as “The Forgotten War”
My unique approached would be the multitude of conflicts the soldiers fight, from the Communists to the weather, to each other, and in the case of Lee, racism
A set piece would be when Lt. Lee is leading the relief column for Fox Company throw the frozen mountains in the dark of night. He is wearing a pink sully-drop air panel so his men will not lose him in the dark or, worse, mistake him for the enemy, since he looks, well, Chinese, and accidently shoot him. He holds up a hand. The column stops. He advances through the dark, approaching a Chinese position. He knows a few words in pidgin Chinese, so he fools the commies into letting him come into their lines. Then he pulls out a grenade, throws it. After the blast, he mows the place with gunfire. Then he motions for the column to continue
Target audiences would be military historians, history buffs, war movie fans, military servicemen and women, veterans, Korean War veterans and their families, Chinese Americans, Korean Americans, South Koreans, fans of video games like Call of Duty and Medal of Honor, fans of Top Gun: Maverick, and men and women (teens-50s)
Audiences would want to see the movie due to its themes of bravery, courage, comradery, fighting for freedom, resilience in the face of adversity, overcoming harsh conditions, Lieutenant Lee’s triumph over racism, the thrills, excitement and suspense of battling and defeating overwhelming odds, the heroic ordeal of saving tens of thousands of lives, and remembering America’s forgotten heroes of the Korean War
Hello, I’m C. W. Johnson, Jr. Today’s book I would like to pitch as a movie is The Last Stand of Fox Company: A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, from Grove Press.
In November 1950, the first year of the U. S. involvement in the forgotten war known then as a police action in Korea, General Douglas MacArthur drove the North Korean army almost off the Korean Peninsula, ignoring China’s warnings to not approach the border. In response the Chinese Red Army, known as the Chinese Communist Forces(CCF), swept in over the Yalu with over 100,000 men and quickly surrounded the 10,000 men of the First Marine Division near the Chosin Reservoir, or as known to the grunts, the Frozen Chosen. Like a snake cut into three pieces, the Marines and accompanying Army units were surrounded at three places along the only road through the area by the Chinese at Koto-ri, Yudam-ni and the peaks in between. In order to survive, the Marines must retreat, or as Major General Oliver P. Smith reportedly said, “Retreat, Hell! We’re just attacking in a different direction,” through Toktong Pass.
This narrow gorge must be held at all costs and the job is handed by Colonel Homer “Blitzen Litzen” Litzenberg to the 234 Marines of Fox Company, commanded by Captain William Barber. They hold the rocky promontory overlooking the pass for five nights and six days, November 27 through December 2, fending off wave after wave of Communist Chinese assaults from all sides. Three-quarters of the company become casualties before being relieved by a daring rescue column led by Lieutenant Colonel Raymond G. Davis.
Drury and Clavin do an excellent job covering the big picture of political and military strategy while bringing out intimate details of the Korean ground war. They make you feel the tension as the Americans can detect the approach of the enemy due to the smells of garlic from tea the Chinese drink to fight off colds and the whale oil they use to lubricate their guns. The sound of crunching snow under their sandals.
When the first attacks began at 2:07 a.m. November 28th, Drury and Clavin put us right in the action. The air is filled with the sounds of bugles, gunfire, whistles, explosions, clanging cymbals, acrid smoke and frantic war cries for four hours straight. The Chinese yelled “Marine you die! Son of a bitch Marine, we kill! Son of a bitch Marine, you die!” The smells of sulfur and ozone fill the air. Tracers light up the night. At times the Chinese were as close as eight feet. Because of the acoustics of the hill, men who were on other parts of the perimeter did not know the attack had begun and were in their sleeping bags when the Chinese approached. They were grabbed and dragged off into the night as prisoners.
The human wave attacks of the Chinese made them such good targets that it reminded men of target practice at Camp Pendleton. At one point the Chinese held the crest of Fox Hill, but small islands of Marines were still scattered in their ranks, firing left and right. At another point, Barber ordered his men to stay in their holes while American artillery pounded the Chinese that were on top of them. On the second night the Chinese were so close that hand to hand combat broke out with knives, rifle butts and even helmets. The Americans learn that the enemy uniforms were so thick that men with Carbines started aiming for their head since that was the least insulated part of their bodies. Despite using Chinese bodies for sandbags, the Americans showed humanity to the teenage conscripts they captured. By the time the battle was over, the hill was surrounded by so many bodies that it was possible to walk around without ever touching the ground.
When the first night’s attack was over, Barber realized that he had lost so many men and used so much ammunition that it was safer to stay on the hill than to retreat. Colonel Litzenberg called for every cook, baker, clerk, driver, communication and intelligence officers in Hagaru-ri to reinforce Fox. By the second night the Chinese had mortars. By the third night Barber had to tell his men that their chances of surviving the next 24 hours were slim. “We have nothing to worry about as long as we fight like Marines,” he told them. By the 30th, Barber was asking for wounded who could squeeze a trigger to return to the front line. Barber ordered the platoon leaders to pair wounded Marines with able bodied men – or at least men uninjured as they find. Even then some of the seriously wounded had to be refrained from leaving the Medical tent to rejoin the fight. Barber told Fox, “Here it is, men. Things are pretty bad. But I’ve seen them worse. One More thing – we’re not pulling off this hill unless we all go together. Nobody stays unless we all stay. I led you onto this hill and I’m leading you off. That’s it.” By December 1st, Barber began ordering his men to take the fight to the enemy so their morale would return.
There are several scenes from this action that deserve to be told in a movie. The wounded in the Med tent had to keep weapons close lest any Chinese suddenly open the flap. One of them, Corporal Walter Hiskett, began praying to God to save him and then watched with joy as the morning sunlight began streaming through bullet holes in the canvas, signifying that he would live. Supplied by air, Barber would have to send men on missions to recover supplies that had fallen out of the perimeter. At one point an American lieutenant ordered five American corpses to be situated to look like live marines sitting around a campfire. When the Chinese attacked the corpses, the Americans ambushed them. Private First-Class Lee D. Wilson was so thirsty that he singled handedly attacked a machine gun positions so he could get a drink from a spring unmolested. Private First-Class Allen Thompson snapped when a friend was killed and charged the enemy all alone, taking out a whole squad.
The climactic scene would be when the relieving patrol led by Lieutenant Colonel Davis flushes out the Chinese into the path of the main American column coming down the road. The Marines of Fox Company sit and watch the trapped Chinese be annihilated by American artillery and air power. The CCF Fifty-Ninth Division would be so decimated that it would participate no more in the Korean War.
In addition to the Chinese forces, the men of Fox also had to fight the elements. Harsh winds, nicked named the Siberian Express by the Marines, blew unremittingly, glazing every rock with ice. Men cut holes in their gloves for their trigger fingers. The water in canteens froze and had to be thawed over open fires. Men were covered with lice. Their uniforms and mustaches were covered with frozen mucus. Temperatures plunged to minus twelve degrees Fahrenheit during the daytime and thirty below at night.
The reader can feel the bitter cold as the Marines were watch the milk on their cereal and even spit freeze within seconds. Boots left outside of tents turned to blocks of ice. Guns, including BARs, would misfire or jam because their firing pins were frozen, forcing the grunts to use the bayonet. The frozen firing pins would force men to change weapons in the heat of battle. Some men had to load their rifles one bullet at a time. When men used their teeth to pull the pins on their grenades, part of their lips came off, frozen to the metal. Men left their sleeping bags unzipped since their moist breath could freeze the zippers closed, creating body bags when the trapped men were bayoneted in their sleep by communists.
Gases in the small cartridges of the carbines froze in the cold and clips failed to feed ammunition into the chambers. Men had to wait until sunrise to thaw the barrels. In order to keep air-cooled light machine guns from freezing, men had to fire a burst off every hour or so. Some men urinated on their barrels, exposing themselves to enemy fire. Mortar crews had to move their tubes around, so they would not freeze solid to the ground. The baseplates for the tubes also began to crack from recoiling off the rock-hard ground.
Frozen diarrhea marked the presence of enemy soldiers. The batteries that ran the company’s radios were drained by the cold. Helicopters supplied radio batteries, but the sniper fire was so heavy they could not land to carry off wounded. If the artillery support’s location had been just a half mile further, the shells would have been useless due to the weather’s effect on the gas used for propelling. Barber ordered his men to dig fox holes despite the frost level being sixteen inches. Despite their shovels bouncing off the frozen ground, the men were driven to dig by the knowledge that foxholes would provide protection.
The weather had a particular effect on medical conditions. The lives of some wounded were saved because their wounds stop bleeding due to their blood freezing. Morphine syrettes froze and men have to melt them by placing them under their tongues. Plasma frozen in its feeding tubes was useless and the medics were careful about cutting open uniforms to look at wounds lest they condemn the men to gangrene. At one point the medics started using Scotch tape to cover the wounds.
One of the main characters would be Captain William Barber.
Barber, a Kentuckian who had served in World War Two, earning a Silver Star and Purple heart on Iwo Jima, was fairly new to his command. At first the men of Fox Company thought he was more tell than show, but he soon proved himself a capable field commander despite his spit and polish appearance. He trained the men, especially the new recruits, on the marsh from Koto-ri, making them the fighting force needed to defend Fox Hill.
During the battle he fought alongside his men. At one point he had to make the decision to tell his men to put all the enemy wounded out of their misery since a Chinese tactic was to lay among the dead until an unsuspecting American passed by and kill them. When a bullet hit him in the pelvis on the second day, he stuffed the wound with a handkerchief and continued. At first, he hobbled around using a tree limp as a crutch, inspiring his men. But when infection set in, he had to be carried around the perimeter on a stretcher. His men answered him with thumbs up .
His Medal of Honor citation reads.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of Company F, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea from November 28, to December 2, 1950. Assigned to defend a three-mile mountain pass along the division’s main supply line and commanding the only route of approach in the march from Yudam-Ni to Hagaru-ri, Captain Barber took position with his battle weary troops and, before nightfall, had dug in and set up a defense along the frozen snow-covered hillside. When a force of estimated regimental strength savagely attacked during the night, inflicting heavy casualties and finally surrounding his position following a bitterly fought seven-hour conflict, Captain Barber, after repulsing the enemy, gave assurance that he could hold if supplied by air drops and requested permission to stand fast when orders were received by radio to fight his way back to a relieving force after two reinforcing units had been driven back under fierce resistance in their attempts to reach the isolated troops. Aware that leaving the position would sever contact with the 8,000 Marines trapped at Yudam-ni and jeopardize their chances of joining the 3,000 more awaiting their arrival in Hagaru-ri for the continued drive to the sea, he chose to risk loss of his command rather than sacrifice more men if the enemy seized control and forced a renewed battle to regain the position, or abandon his many wounded who were unable to walk. Although severely wounded in the leg the early morning of the 29th, Captain Barber continued to maintain personal control, often moving up and down the lines on a stretcher to direct the defense and consistently encouraging and inspiring his men to supreme efforts despite the staggering opposition. Waging desperate battle throughout five days and six nights of repeated onslaughts launched by the fanatical aggressors, he and his heroic command accounted for approximately 1,000 enemy dead in this epic stand in bitter sub-zero weather, and when the company was relieved, only 82 of his original 220 men were able to walk away from the position so valiantly defended against insuperable odds. His profound faith and courage, great personal valor and unwavering fortitude were decisive factors in the successful withdrawal of the division from the deathtrap in the Chosin Reservoir sector and reflect the highest credit upon Captain Barber, his intrepid officers and men and the United States Naval Service.
While the Marines of Fox Company were fighting off the Chinese, another main character, Raymond G. Davis, also a veteran of World War II, was making a name for himself and Baker Company by rescuing Hard Luck Charlie Company from Turkey Hill. By the third night of Fox’s stand, Davis was contacted by Litzenberg to go back the way they had come from to relive Barber’s command. Davis won respect from his men by commanding from the center, a lesson he learned from Marine Legend Chesty Puller, who taught him at Basic Training.
Pointing to the retreating Marines, he told his men, “They’re going down that road. We’re not. Fellow Marines are in trouble, and we’re going to rescue them. Nothing is going to stand in our way. Surprise is our essential weapon. Marines don’t usually attack at night, so the Chinese won’t be expecting us.”
During his relief mission, Davis ordered his men to build campfires so that the enemy would think they were bedding down for the night when in reality they were continuing their attack. At one point his men came into hand to hand combat with the Chinese in which rocks were thrown. Later he told his men, “[Fox Company] held the road open for us and now it’s our turn to return the favor.” He went thirty hours without sleep in order to accomplish his mission.
His Medal of Honor citation reads.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, in action against enemy aggressor forces. Although keenly aware that the operation involved breaking through a surrounding enemy and advancing 8 miles along primitive icy trails in the bitter cold with every passage disputed by a savage and determined foe, Lt. Col. Davis boldly led his battalion into the attack in a daring attempt to relieve a beleaguered rifle company and to seize, hold, and defend a vital mountain pass controlling the only route available for 2 marine regiments in danger of being cut off by numerically superior hostile forces during their re-deployment to the port of Hungnam. When the battalion immediately encountered strong opposition from entrenched enemy forces commanding high ground in the path of the advance, he promptly spearheaded his unit in a fierce attack up the steep, ice-covered slopes in the face of withering fire and, personally leading the assault groups in a hand-to-hand encounter, drove the hostile troops from their positions, rested his men, and reconnoitered the area under enemy fire to determine the best route for continuing the mission. Always in the thick of the fighting Lt. Col. Davis led his battalion over 3 successive ridges in the deep snow in continuous attacks against the enemy and, constantly inspiring and encouraging his men throughout the night, brought his unit to a point within 1,500 yards of the surrounded rifle company by daybreak. Although knocked to the ground when a shell fragment struck his helmet and 2 bullets pierced his clothing, he arose and fought his way forward at the head of his men until he reached the isolated marines. On the following morning, he bravely led his battalion in securing the vital mountain pass from a strongly entrenched and numerically superior hostile force, carrying all his wounded with him, including 22 litter cases and numerous ambulatory patients. Despite repeated savage and heavy assaults by the enemy, he stubbornly held the vital terrain until the 2 regiments of the division had deployed through the pass and, on the morning of December 4, led his battalion into Hagaru-ri intact. By his superb leadership, outstanding courage, and brilliant tactical ability, Lt. Col. Davis was directly instrumental in saving the beleaguered rifle company from complete annihilation and enabled the 2 marine regiments to escape possible destruction. His valiant devotion to duty and unyielding fighting spirit in the face of almost insurmountable odds enhance and sustain the highest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.
Another main character would be Hector A. Cafferata.
The son of a Peruvian immigrant, he was considered a first class screw-up. At one point while digging a foxhole, his buddy, Kenneth R. Benson tried to warn him that he was throwing dirt on the boots of Colonel Litzenberg. “I don’t give a [expletive] Santa Claus,” he replied. Fortunately for him, Litzenberg only cited him for having his rifle loaded with its safety off in a secure rear area. During the firefight the Chinese were so close Cafferata didn’t even have to aim his M1. He just stood shoulder to shoulder with three other men, emptying clip after clip into the attacking Chinese. Twice he caught potato mashers in the air and threw them back. Another grenade exploded as he was throwing it back, but he kept on reloading and firing his M1. At another point he used a shovel as a baseball bat, putting the grenades back. It took a bullet ricocheting off a rib and puncturing a lung to put him out of the fight .
His Medal of Honor citation reads.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as a Rifleman with Company F, Second Battalion, Seventh Marines, First Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea on 28 November 1950. When all the other members of his fire team became casualties, creating a gap in the lines, during the initial phase of a vicious attack launched by a fanatical enemy of regimental strength against his company’s hill position, Private Cafferata waged a lone battle with grenades and rifle fire as the attack gained momentum and the enemy threatened penetration through the gap and endangered the integrity of the entire defensive perimeter. Making a target of himself under the devastating fire from automatic weapons, rifles, grenades and mortars, he maneuvered up and down the line and delivered accurate and effective fire against the onrushing force, killing fifteen, wounding many more and forcing the others to withdraw so that reinforcements could move up and consolidate the position. Again fighting desperately against a renewed onslaught later that same morning when a hostile grenade landed in a shallow entrenchment occupied by wounded Marines, Private Cafferata rushed into the gully under heavy fire, seized the deadly missile in his right hand and hurled it free of his comrades before it detonated, severing part of one finger and seriously wounding him in the right hand and arm. Courageously ignoring the intense pain, he staunchly fought on until he was struck by a sniper’s bullet and forced to submit to evacuation for medical treatment. Stouthearted and indomitable, Private Cafferata, by his fortitude, great personal valor and dauntless perseverance in the face of almost certain death, saved the lives of several of his fellow Marines and contributed essentially to the success achieved by his company in maintaining its defensive position against tremendous odds. His extraordinary heroism throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
In addition, there’s a host of colorful and human supporting characters. There’s Dick Bonelli from Hell’s Kitchen, who once beat up a teacher for suggesting he was decedent from an ape. He would be nominated for a Silver Star. Private First-Class Homer Penn, known as Penn from Pennsylvania, would also receive a Silver Star. A group of Minnesota boys who called themselves The Minny gang. Billy French, who was delivering mail to Fox when the battle began and picked up a rifle and joined the firefight. Phil “Cookie” Bavaro, a cook who took his place on the firing line, proving he was a marksman before he knew what a ladle was. There are boys from Montana who kid and lecture the California boys, known as “The California Queers,” about the cold. Private First-Class Lee D. Wilson, a veteran of World War II, who at first did not like being paired with a new boot, Corporal Eleazar Belmarez, but eventually learned to respect him. And there’s a solider with a “Dear John” letter.
There are Native Americans. Corporal Howard Koone, a Muskogee Indian from Michigan. There was an Apache everyone called Big Indian. Amos Fixico, a Ute. Sergeant Clarence Tallbull, a Blackfoot Indian who hated the North Koreans because they looked just like him. Whenever he talked by a POW enclosure the NKPA prisoners would try to talk to him. There are so many Hispanic-Americans named Gonzales and Gomez that they all have nicknames. Each Gonzales and Ernest Gonzelez had their own individual response during roll call. “Here.” “Present.” “Yes.” “Hoo.” There are World War Two veterans. And there are reservists and teenagers with hardly any experience who were inspired to join the Marines by recruiting posters, murals and moral boosters based on the veterans. Two African-Americans, including Claude Peoples from Florida. The youngest Marine in Fox Company was just sixteen years old.
In Davis’ column there are lieutenants Joseph Owens and Joseph Kurcaba, considered the Warsaw version of Mutt and Jeff. A Navy corpsman, Peter Arioli, who would be one of the last men to die on Fox Hill.
One of the most interesting figures is Lieutenant Kurt Chew-Een Lee.
The son of Chinese immigrants, Lieutenant Lee was known as a blister of a man with a chip on his shoulder yet also as a by the book Marine and competent leader and fighter. Being the first Asian Marine officer in history, his respect for men like Davis and Litzenberg was based on their performances as officers and grew as he watched them in battle. He was well aware of racist American attitudes toward Chinese immigrants, having once watched a white man humiliate his father by spraying him with a water hose. His father drilled in his sons a determination not to wash anyone’s shirts. And Lee, a fatalist, was determined to prove himself and honor his family, country and principles by dying in battle.
As a part of Davis’ force sent to relieve Fox Company, he fully expected to die at Toktong Pass. Yet he carried out his duties proficiently as he led the Ridgerunners, a nickname given to Davis’s battalion, over the frozen mountains of Korea through the night to save the day, despite an extra danger to himself: looking like the enemy. Knowing some pidgin Chinese, he was able to fool Chinese sentries into letting him get close enough to toss a grenade. He wore a pink sully-drop air panel so his men could find him in the dark when they were in a tight spot and not accidentally shoot him. It is recorded when some spooked Marines said an armed gook had entered the withdrawal column marching out of the Communist trap, someone just replied “That’s Lieutenant Lee, try not to shoot him.”
What is remarkable is that Lee wasn’t even supposed to be at the frontlines. He had been wounded when a sniper’s bullet had hit him in the elbow a month earlier at Sudong Gorge, an action for which he was rewarded The Navy Cross. He was going to be flown to Japan. However, like George S. Patton, he demanded that a soldier suffering from shellshock show him a physical wound. When the shellshocked soldier refused, Lee slapped him. Facing charges for assault, Lee went AWOL with another grunt, stole a jeep and returned to the frontlines.
Lee’s character would be explored through his relationship Lieutenant Joseph Owen. At first Lee did not respect Owen, believing he was too soft on the men, often looking out for their comfort. However, when Owen put himself in the center of action to stop Marines from retreating, Lee began to respect him more. Owen, who would receive a Silver Star for his actions on November 27th, was the only man that the headstrong Lee would turn to, to admit he needed help. For his actions in relieving Fox Company, Lee would receive a Silver Star.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity while serving as a Platoon Leader with Company B, First Battalion, Seventh Marines, FIRST Marine Division (Reinforced), in action against enemy aggressor forces in Korea from 27 November to 8 December 1950. Although sick and in a weakened condition from a previous combat wound, First Lieutenant Lee refused hospitalization and unflinchingly led his unit across trackless, frozen wastes of rocky mountain ridges toward a beleaguered Marine company. Through his indomitable spirit, he contributed materially to the success of the epic night march of his battalion which resulted in the relief of the isolated Marine unit and the securing of vital ground. On 2 December 1950 when the leading elements of his company were pinned down under intense enemy fire from a rocky hill mass, he skillfully maneuvered his platoon forward in an attack in the face of the heavy fire, personally accounting for two enemy dead and providing such aggressive and inspirational leadership that fire superiority was regained and the enemy was routed. On 8 December 1950, First Lieutenant Lee’s platoon was pinned down by intense hostile fire while attacking south on the main service road from Koto-ri. Observing that the heavy fire was inflicting numerous casualties, he exposed himself to the deadly fire to move among his troops, shouting words of encouragement and directing a withdrawal to covered positions. Assured that the last of his wounded was under cover, he was seeking shelter for himself when he was struck down and severely wounded by a burst of enemy machine gun fire. By his daring initiative and great personal valor throughout, First Lieutenant Lee served to inspire all who observed him and upheld the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service
His comrades believed he deserved The Medal of Honor
I believe that lieutenants Lee and Owen and all the brave Marines of Fox, Baker and Charlie companies, The First Marine Division and all the Korean War Veterans should be honored with a movie. While several American movies were made during the 1950s and 1960s, none have made it into the American conscience – with perhaps exceptions for perhaps Pork Chop Hill or M*A*S*H, which was more about the Vietnam conflict- like Saving Private Ryan, Platoon or Black Hawk Down. This is ironic considering that The Korean War and the experience of American military personnel there has been overshadowed by other American conflicts to the point that it has been called The Forgotten War. I believe this injustice could be righted with a good movie about Fox Company, possibly directed by someone like Clint Eastwood, Ridley Scott, Mel Gibson, Randell Wallace, Peter Berg, Edward Zwick, Rod Lurie, or Steven Spielberg.
Lest we forgotten the sacrifice of American men and women in the Korean War is why I believe that The Last Stand of Fox Company Bob Drury and Tom Clavin should be a movie.
