Jay Richard Corbin
Corporal
8th Cavalry Regiment - 1st Cavalry Division
From Japan to Korea
The great animosity held between the Japanese and Americans had relatively subsided by 1950, life simply went on. Japanese citizens coexisted in peace with the American occupying force, and both went about their own business. Altogether, the bustling streets of Japan were not too bad a place to be posted and provided a unique life experience for the young cavalrymen who stood watch such as Jay Corbin. The sharp featured Pennsylvanian proudly wore the patch of the legendary 1st Cavalry Division as did the other men in the 8th Cavalry Regiment. The unit had proved itself a force to be reckoned with during the Second World War, though most of those beleaguered veterans had long since been replaced by the more youthful faces like Jay. At only 20-years-old, he had been too young to fight in that war but had proudly signed up after graduating high school in 1948. For now, the young soldier polished his boots and spent the days pulling guard duty under the supervision of the more experienced officers. The risk of another war seemed only to loom in Europe, which was far away to the cavalrymen and proved of little concern. Yet it was this very thought that caught so many of them off guard when the next conflict broke out just to their west in the Korean Peninsula.
The excitement started by the rumor of a possible deployment to Korea would quickly subside when Jay and the rest were informed, they were not to go over. Instead, two other divisions were selected, though they took some “750 noncommissioned officers” from the 1st Cavalry with them (1). The general perception was that the North Koreans would be stopped cold by these divisions, the rank and file of the 1st Cavalry, either breathing a sigh of relief or feeling envious of those officers who were selected to fight (1). Yet it was clear by early July that things were not panning out that way and Jay was soon loaded aboard a ship bound for the Peninsula (1).
The modernized ports of Japan were left in the rearview as the convoy moved towards the tiny fishing village of P'ohang-dong on July 18th (1). Jay’s boots hit Korean soil that morning and he and his other comrades of the 8th Cavalry Regiment secured the area (1). No opposition to the landing occurred, which allowed the nervous cavalrymen to relax a bit (1). There was an uneasiness about their composition, the earlier loss of their experienced noncom officers had been a sore blow, and the “variety” of replacement troops brought in to fill the ranks certainly had not improved their morale any (1). Among them were men who had previously been under arrest, not necessarily who they wanted watching their back (1). Yet they were all in this together now and Korea was to prove a turbulent experience. That very same day, a typhoon hit, and most of the 1st Cavalry Division was forced to remain aboard their ships for 4 days, an unpleasant affair that Jay had been fortunately spared from. |
The Endless Withdrawal
The cavalrymen were no longer transported by horse, instead the 8th Cavalry Regiment rode by truck and train towards positions in an area known as Yongdong (1). Once dismounted, the Regiment was split, and deployed to cover critical roads to ensure the friendly 25th Division had a way of escape (1). The green soldiers dug in and marveled at the vast hills and rice paddies that spread throughout the landscape, to Jay, it was certainly no Pennsylvania or Japan. On the 25th, the refugee thronged roads were soon swept over by masses of North Korean soldiers and tanks (1). Intense fighting broke out as the cavalrymen snapped into action, quickly learning that their foe was far from a few backwards villagers (1). It was not long before the once empty hills and valleys were littered with the hulks of destroyed tanks and the bodies of soldiers, both American and North Korean (1). The tipping point of the engagement became the distance between the two 8th Cavalry Battalions, which proved a disaster as the gaps were exploited by the unstoppable swarm of North Koreans who descended through the hills (1). Despite being surrounded, the soldiers of the 8th proved themselves worthy of their Second World War predecessors and held onto their positions against wave after wave of communist soldiers (1).
For the regular infantryman such as Jay, what followed the initial engagement was a seemingly endless nightmare of fighting withdrawal through nameless countryside and smaller towns as they were harassed by North Korean forces (1). Every time they made a stand, it was bold, but they were outnumbered, and the North Koreans always seemed to find a way behind them (1). Yongdong was abandoned for Kumch’on where another withdrawal occurred. In ten days of action, the 1st Cavalry suffered around 900 casualties to its already understrength Division (1). Those survivors who remained unscathed were forced to join the masses of refugees on the rural Korean roads as they tried to regroup somewhere further south (1). Equipment was abandoned in the withdrawals and supplies became in short quantity, leaving the retreating soldiers roasting in the summer’s heat with little to defend themselves (1). As the throngs of disoriented men moved further and further south, a major issue began to loom, they were running out of land to withdraw to.
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Backs to the Wall in Pusan
Defensible real estate was quickly running out for the cavalrymen, which the North Koreans very much knew. A stand had to be made somewhere or they would be driven back into the ocean from which they had arrived. The decision was made to dig in on the banks of the Naktong river, which the 1st Cavalry Division did on August 3rd (1). Jay and his remaining cavalrymen, who were now entrenched on the sloping hills on one side of the river, were the only thing preventing the army’s complete destruction (1). There was 18 miles of ground to cover with a severely understrength Division and no hope of gaining a significant number of replacements anytime soon (1). Supplies were not always forthcoming, and the men were exhausted, the odds were entirely against them (1). Throughout August, the Division was pounded by North Korean artillery and faced multiple enemy incursions, yet the weary soldiers managed to repulse every assault (2). Their grit proved worth more than the supplies they sorely lacked, and the North Korean bodies began to pile in droves along the river (1). It was a remarkable feat of human endurance and bravery.
On August 29th, the 8th Cavalry Regiment drew the short end of the stick (which was really saying something given the overall situation) and was placed in what was dubbed “Bowling Alley” (2). The positions the cavalrymen moved into were surrounded by trees and faced a vast expanse of rice paddies lying in-between mountains (2). This seemingly geographic wonder proved deadly as the enemy artillery had a direct line of sight on their positions (2). When hit with a shell burst, the lovely trees, would turn into a thousand splinters that sought out flesh and bone as they flew (2). It was a nightmare for the exposed soldiers who tried to keep their heads down and steel pots on tight as they were showered with dirt and projectiles (2).
As the month turned to September, things finally began to improve as fresh soldiers bolstered the ranks of the Division (2). For the first time, the cavalrymen were able to effectively take the fight to the enemy and began the process of breaking out (2). Though eager to take some revenge, the offensive actions proved even more deadly and the luck of those few who had remained unscathed began running out (2). On September 12th, Jay’s good fortune was finally exhausted when a North Korean machine gun caught a glimpse of him (3). The gunner sent rounds flying, which tore into Jay’s leg and caused him to collapse in pain (3). His friends managed to get to him and removed the wounded veteran from danger. For Jay, the fight was over.
On August 29th, the 8th Cavalry Regiment drew the short end of the stick (which was really saying something given the overall situation) and was placed in what was dubbed “Bowling Alley” (2). The positions the cavalrymen moved into were surrounded by trees and faced a vast expanse of rice paddies lying in-between mountains (2). This seemingly geographic wonder proved deadly as the enemy artillery had a direct line of sight on their positions (2). When hit with a shell burst, the lovely trees, would turn into a thousand splinters that sought out flesh and bone as they flew (2). It was a nightmare for the exposed soldiers who tried to keep their heads down and steel pots on tight as they were showered with dirt and projectiles (2).
As the month turned to September, things finally began to improve as fresh soldiers bolstered the ranks of the Division (2). For the first time, the cavalrymen were able to effectively take the fight to the enemy and began the process of breaking out (2). Though eager to take some revenge, the offensive actions proved even more deadly and the luck of those few who had remained unscathed began running out (2). On September 12th, Jay’s good fortune was finally exhausted when a North Korean machine gun caught a glimpse of him (3). The gunner sent rounds flying, which tore into Jay’s leg and caused him to collapse in pain (3). His friends managed to get to him and removed the wounded veteran from danger. For Jay, the fight was over.
As Fate Would Have It
The wounds Jay sustained were serious and he spent his 21st birthday lying in a hospital bed in Japan (4). He had just reached the legal drinking age back home but was already a war-scarred veteran. Perhaps the fact that both his legs remained was a gift enough, though a lengthy hospital stay was required. He did not return to duty until the November 25th, 1951, a day away from his 22nd birthday. His conduct in combat had proved him to be an apt candidate for promotion and he now proudly sported the rank of Corporal assigned to duties in Japan. The army provided him with housing accommodations, which seemed like a luxury compared to the foxholes and trenches of Korea.
Though not under fire any longer, there was ample work to do, and Jay found himself in need of someone to help care for his house (5). It was for this reason that he marched through the doors of a newspaper publisher, intending to put in an ad for a housekeeper, though fate would make this day far more memorable (5). Working in the newspaper facility was a Japanese girl about his age, Asako Ikeda, who Jay quickly fixated on (5). The 20-year-old won his affection, and he was desperate to take her on a date (5). The issue quickly became that Asako wasn’t very much all that interested in American soldiers, though Jay was persistent (5). In his own words “it took two whole months of persuading to get her to go to a movie with me” until “finally, she broke down and went along and we’ve been going steady ever since” (5). Had it not been for the military, the young couple would have never met, and for that they were thankful.
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Yet as much as it was due to the military that they met; it was also the military that split them. Jay intended to stay in Japan and even reenlisted solely because he was promised he would remain there (5). The army of course in its great wisdom instead sent him home to the United States where he was attached to the 85th Tank Battalion (5). Though now an ocean apart, Jay refused to give up and pushed as hard as he could for leave and tickets over there, after all, if he could survive Korea, he could do anything (5). It took this mindset and the intervention of a congressman to help him finally attain his passport and tickets (5). In 1952, the well-dressed Corporal proudly boarded his plane in Seattle, bound for Japan not for war, but to marry the love of his life.
Sources:
(1) Appleman, Roy Edgar. South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: June-November 1950. Center of Military History, United States Army, 1992. https://history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm
(2) The First Team: The First Cavalry Division in Korea, 18 July 1950-18 January 1952. Albert Love Eneterprises. https://www.rcmcollection.com/Archives/1st-CAVALRY-DIVISION
(3) “Rep. Simpson Cupid For GI, Japanese Girl.” The Daily Item, 19 Mar. 1952.
(4) “Happy Birthday.” The Daily News, 25 Nov. 1950.
(5) “County GI Flies To Japan To Wed Girl He Left Behind.” Mount Union Times, 21 Mar. 1952.
(1) Appleman, Roy Edgar. South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: June-November 1950. Center of Military History, United States Army, 1992. https://history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm
(2) The First Team: The First Cavalry Division in Korea, 18 July 1950-18 January 1952. Albert Love Eneterprises. https://www.rcmcollection.com/Archives/1st-CAVALRY-DIVISION
(3) “Rep. Simpson Cupid For GI, Japanese Girl.” The Daily Item, 19 Mar. 1952.
(4) “Happy Birthday.” The Daily News, 25 Nov. 1950.
(5) “County GI Flies To Japan To Wed Girl He Left Behind.” Mount Union Times, 21 Mar. 1952.