Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:23 | The terrain out in front of the main line of resistance seemed like ten thousands yards of emptiness. Jim Larkin was waiting on his relief after five days at his post. The Marine who relieved him was an upbeat guy who would laugh at the Chinese machine guns. Part 1 of 2.
Keywords : Jim Larkin Korea Main Line of Resistance (MLR) Steve Drummond Chinese SCR 619 radio 76 mm gun
Jim Larkin had one overriding thought during Marine boot camp at Parris Island. He couldn't get out of there fast enough. One drill instructor in particular seemed to embody the obstacles to doing so. Later on, he understood the importance of the lessons learned there.
For seventeen year old Jim Larkin, what he found after he came ashore at Inchon was fascinating. The novelty of Asia soon wore off since there was a war to fight, but he discovered that the Koreans are a humble and polite people. It's not a bad way to be.
Marines were plucked in handfuls from many units to form a battalion sized group to bolster forces in Korea. When Jim Larkin got there, he became part of a team that spotted artillery. Within two weeks he was in battle.
The severity of the winter weather during the Korean War was over exaggerated, according to Jim Larkin. He suffered from it at times but combat keeps your mind on more immediate concerns. He also scoffs at criticism of the weapon he carried, the M-1 rifle.
As Jim Larkin came down off the hill that was on the Korean front line, he was protected most of the way by the hill and a trench. But then he had to venture into the open and that's when the enemy guns opened up Part 2 of 2.
Nearing the end of his tour in Korea, Jim Larkin was more excited about seeing his brother, who was also in-country, than he was about going home. When he did get home, the excitement wore off fast. It was time to get back to work.
