Page 69 - The History of Veterans at Highland Springs

CHARLES W. JOHNSTON HIGHLAND SPRINGS RESIDENT, ARMY
I am Charles W. Johnston, better known as “Chuck”. I graduated in May 1950 from Bryant College, Rhode Island with a Business degree. I worked at G. Fox and Co. in Hartford, Connecticut until May of 1951; when I was drafted. With 45 other young men, at the Selective Service office, we were numbered 1 – 2, 1 – 2, with ones becoming Marines, and twos in the Army. I was Army and did Basic Training at Indian Town Gap, Pennsylvania, then was sent to Finance School in Indianapolis, Indiana. I worked in the Finance office back in Pennsylvania after my training until my orders to either Germany or Korea would come through. It was May 1952. I spent several days on a ship that sailed out of Seattle Washington heading to Pusan, Korea. All American service men landed in this busy port for assignments. I, like the rest, walked through this congested area on my way to receive orders. A jeep sped past and hit a dog killing it. Within seconds two Koreans had picked up the dead dog, hauling it to a shack on the next corner where it was hung and skinned in a matter of minutes. I was told it would be their dinner for that night. Wow, what kind of a place was this??? The entire area showed debris of past bombings, and at the same time was a bustling area of soldiers, civilians, and war survivors from N. Korea. The 38th Parallel, location of the First Corps was my assignment. This was the defining line between North and South Korea. One side was the enemy; on the other side American soldiers were dug in. A lot of sniping back and forth went on most of the time. I was to call an eight-man tent, my home for the next several months. A bitter wind with snow, descended upon us in late October. The Korean winter had arrived. Many days and nights the temperatures were sub-zero. Our tent heated by a small oil stove had us putting on all our extra clothing as we climbed into sleeping bags. One night we were wakened by coke cans and other liquid bottled beverages stored in our lockers exploding! Were we being invaded? NO!! The tent’s only heater had run out of fuel. The 38th parallel in those Korean woods was the coldest place I have ever experienced!
69