Jackson |
"The commanders said they were nothing but a bunch of Chinese laundry men," Jackson said. But, he said, "They put a hurting on us."
He said the Americans would have suffered more casualties when they retreated from the Chosin Reservoir had it not been for the support of the Navy and Air Force.
In 1951, Jackson was wounded during a mortar attack and received the Purple Heart.
He said Memorial Day is a time to remember everyone who has been touched by war.
"I feel sorry for the ones who lost their loved ones over there," Jackson said. "It's not something you'll ever forget. I feel sorry for the mothers and fathers."
Albert Jacobson, 81
Smithsburg
Albert Jacobson joined the Army on Dec. 7, 1949, and shortly thereafter went to Aberdeen, Md., to learn how to operate military vehicles. Less than a year later, he would see some of the most intense combat of the Korean War.
A tank driver assigned to the 7th Division, Jacobson was part of the invasion force that landed at Inchon on Sept. 15, 1950. He said the tanks were delayed moving inland because their metal tracks had a difficult time getting traction on the cobblestone roads.
The tanks eventually made the uphill climb and were ordered to the edge of Seoul, where Pfc. Jacobson's unit was assigned to take Kimpo Airfield.
He said he continually had to wipe the dust and dirt from his goggles to see the road.
"It was sheer hell without the fighting," Jacobson said. "You had to watch the road because both sides were rice paddies. You would sink" if you slid off the road.
Although the fighting was heavy at Inchon, Jacobson said resistance was light during the northward advance because the North Korean Army had been routed.
The 7th halted near the Chosin Reservoir, where the coldest winter in 90 years was about to hit.
"To me, that was the main thing we had to fight was the cold," Jacobson said. "It was so blistering cold."
The soldiers stood by the exhaust of their vehicles to keep warm. He said food froze almost immediately after it was served, and the soldiers had to chip ice from their Thanksgiving dinners.
Jacobson said things got worse when tens of thousands of Chinese crossed over the frozen Yalu River and took the United Nations forces by surprise.
"They looked like ants," Jacobson said. "We were knocking them off our tanks ... You did your job, but you were so scared."
American doctors told Jacobson's unit that the Chinese were taking morphine to make them oblivious to pain.
He said the American soldiers wished their commanders would have dropped atomic bombs to stop the Chinese onslaught.
He said the Americans would have suffered more casualties when they retreated from the Chosin Reservoir had it not been for the support of the Navy and Air Force.
In 1951, Jackson was wounded during a mortar attack and received the Purple Heart.
He said Memorial Day is a time to remember everyone who has been touched by war.
"I feel sorry for the ones who lost their loved ones over there," Jackson said. "It's not something you'll ever forget. I feel sorry for the mothers and fathers."
Albert Jacobson, 81
Smithsburg
Albert Jacobson joined the Army on Dec. 7, 1949, and shortly thereafter went to Aberdeen, Md., to learn how to operate military vehicles. Less than a year later, he would see some of the most intense combat of the Korean War.
A tank driver assigned to the 7th Division, Jacobson was part of the invasion force that landed at Inchon on Sept. 15, 1950. He said the tanks were delayed moving inland because their metal tracks had a difficult time getting traction on the cobblestone roads.
The tanks eventually made the uphill climb and were ordered to the edge of Seoul, where Pfc. Jacobson's unit was assigned to take Kimpo Airfield.
He said he continually had to wipe the dust and dirt from his goggles to see the road.
"It was sheer hell without the fighting," Jacobson said. "You had to watch the road because both sides were rice paddies. You would sink" if you slid off the road.
Although the fighting was heavy at Inchon, Jacobson said resistance was light during the northward advance because the North Korean Army had been routed.
The 7th halted near the Chosin Reservoir, where the coldest winter in 90 years was about to hit.
"To me, that was the main thing we had to fight was the cold," Jacobson said. "It was so blistering cold."
The soldiers stood by the exhaust of their vehicles to keep warm. He said food froze almost immediately after it was served, and the soldiers had to chip ice from their Thanksgiving dinners.
Jacobson said things got worse when tens of thousands of Chinese crossed over the frozen Yalu River and took the United Nations forces by surprise.
"They looked like ants," Jacobson said. "We were knocking them off our tanks ... You did your job, but you were so scared."
American doctors told Jacobson's unit that the Chinese were taking morphine to make them oblivious to pain.
He said the American soldiers wished their commanders would have dropped atomic bombs to stop the Chinese onslaught.