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HOW IT WAS!KUNSAN AIRBASEOTHER UNITS
(1951-1954) 3rd Air Base Group, Headquarters3rd Air Base Group, Photo Lab3rd Bomb Group, HeadquartersUnit Orderly Rooms3rd Air Installation Operations |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS: Time Line of Korean War -- Tanner Publication Co.
 Welcome to Kunsan City -- Extensive section with Photos, Maps, narratives tracing the history of the city from a poor fishing village to a bustling international port city with a major industrial zone.
Korean War Reference
POW/MIA in Korea -- Current articles and links to POW/MIA issues
POW/MIA Honour Plaque
Tibbo's POW/MIA Honour Page (N/A)
106 Field Battery RAA Assoc.
Peter of Queensland, Australia | 
Burt's Patriot Award
Burt's Place (N/A)
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Some of the awards this site has received. To view our awards, go to Awards.
HOW IT WAS:
KUNSAN AIR BASE
(1951-1954) |
Other Units at Kunsan Airbase (1951-1954):
3rd Air Base Group, Headquarters3rd Air Base Group, Photo Lab3rd Bomb Group, HeadquartersUnit Orderly Rooms 3rd Air Base Group
(1952) (Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Gene Newman)
3rd Air Base Group, HeadquartersThese guys were the "pencil pushers" who everyone forgot about -- UNTIL they needed orders to go home or something signed by the "old man" right away. Whether you liked it or not, these sections of administrative clerks were essential to keeping things running. Bob Justus of the 3rd Bomb Group Headquarters Squadron wrote, "I have been putting together a binder on my service at K8, but I kept almost no official orders or documents from that period. I do know names of all three of my 3rd Bomb Group CO's (I was chief clerk or admin supr). Col. Beatty, a wonderful man, was shot down and killed. He was tied with another pilot for leading locomotive ace at the time (12 I believe)." The picture above is taken in what is now the 8th Civil Engineers area -- near the snack bar. Amongst the trees is an odd long rectangular area that is cleared in the shaded area. Most people think is was specifically cleared for their dirt volleyball court, but it is actually where the old ABG HQ's building was located. During the Korean War, it was located just behind the 3rd Communications Squadron bunker -- which is where the Army Corps of Engineers building is now located.
Richard Orr & Buddies with Jo Sang Joon (1953)
(Courtesy Richard Orr)
Richard Orr wrote that Jo Sang Joon worked with him in the Orderly Room and called him "Orr-san." He wrote, "That Jo and me right outside the back door of the 3rd Air Base Group Hdqtrs. building where we both worked. I know my writing at the top says 1951-52, but I am sure that's partially wrong. I have determined that I was there from February 1952 to February 1953." He added, "The one thing I really do remember about him was that he was deathly afraid of the ROK army and being conscripted. But that was probably true of most young Korean men at that time."
Kunsan City (1952)
(Courtesy Richard Orr)
Richard wrote, "Am sending several pictures taken during my only visit to Kunsan. I am the guy with hands in pocket. The other pictures were taken at random." He later wrote,"The top pic is taken somewhere in Kunsan probably late 1952." There was only one wide avenue in the 1950s that led to the train station from the Kaebong tunnel. The picture of the mud-wattle houses are typical of the area near Wolmyong Park in the 1950s -- known as the North Korean Village because of so many refugees.
Route March & Offshore Islands (1953)
(Courtesy Richard Orr)
Richard wrote, "The second picture is during a "Route March" right outside the base looking out toward the bay. The last pix is during the same march, but looking back toward the hills. Interesting story about the last 2 pictures. This was a march outside the base in 1952. And not a single one of us had a single round of ammunition. This is a true story that can be verified. I do believe the officer in charge (a colonel) was relieved because of this. Never did figure it out. But I have got enough sense to know that you do not send uniformed military troops out into a combat area without ammo. We had weapons, mostly carbines, but no ammo!!"
Also within the Air Base Group were the various other specialties that didn't quite fit elsewhere. All the miscellaneous thankless jobs that made the wing click. The intelligence folks, the weather briefers, the photo lab, the Public Affairs folks, the historian office, the budget and finance folks, and many more. Usually these offices would be one deep or perhaps an additional duty. However, the job these folks did filled a need to get the mission done.
3rd Bomb Wing, Headquarters Before: 3rd Bomb Wing Headquarters Bldg (1952)
(Courtesy Hans Petermann)
Don Gable of Sallisaw, Oklahoma wrote, "I was assigned to the Hq, 3rd Bomb Wing from June, l950 until July l95l. Moved from Iwakuni, Japan to Kunsan with 3rd Bomb Wing. Rotated to ZI July, l95l. Lost my squadron commander, Lt Waldron Berry in late l950. He was a POW until the end of the war. Col Virgil Zoller was our Wing Commander."
Capt. Wayne G. LaPoe of the 8th Bomb Squadron (L-NI) Orderly Room summarized this administrative chain of command that everyone hated, but no one could live without. He wrote, "There is a piece of real estate elsewhere whereon stands the Pentagon Building, administering to the needs of an immense military establishment. In closer proximity is the Dai Ichi Building, another labyrinth of steel and concrete, somewhat lower on the chain of command; but, likewise, playing an important part in the affairs of a considerable segment of that military organization."
"On a dusty-muddy plot of ground, beside a dusty-muddy road, in the vicinity of Kunsan-by-the-sea, rises, Building 1602. This corrugated tin shell, bearing the name of the 8th Bombardment Squadron (L-NI) Orderly Room, protects the P-5 and P-24 Reports as documents of lesser importance from the Korean elements. Here at the bottom most link of the aforementioned command chain, is the termination point for the flow of regulations and directives which have knitted many starred and eagled brows in higher echelons. From the Orderly Room goes forth the continuous stream of reports that are destined to keep those same brows knitted, for it is the Squadron that carries the war to the enemy and it is the Orderly Room of the Squadron that is the administrative focal point of that operation. As with the ordinance carried under the wings and in the bomb bays each report is "fused instantaneously, non-delay" and suspense dates must be met."  8th BS (L-NI) Orderly Room (1952)
Note the 13th
BS (L-NI) Orderly Room with the "Oscar" flag flying over it in the background.
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Hans Petermann) 90th BS (L-NI) Orderly Room (1952)
(Click on photo to enlarge)
(Courtesy Roy MacPherson)
3rd Air Base Group, Base Photo LabAcknowledgement: Thanks to Charles Bustion of Rolla, Missouri for his narratives and photographs that illuminated another side of the Korean War -- the human suffering of the children. Charles Bustion was an Air Force photographer in 1952 and 1953, stationed at Kunsan. He was assigned to the 3rd Air Base Group. His primary job was to photograph maps for the pilots to take on nighttime missions. However, the photos he took around Kunsan of the children are powerful studies on the poverty and suffering amongst the people at the time. People remember the farmers working in their fields; children in line marching off to school; and children at play in the streets. People remember seeing photos of the neatly dressed orphans dressed in the donated clothes from the Chaplain with their faces scrubbed clean.  However, Charles' photos show another side of life in Kunsan. People don't like to talk about the people living in the hillside next to the railroad tracks in Kunsan City. People don't like to talk about the people living in the caves. People don't like to remember seeing the kids scavenging through the base garbage dump looking for scraps of food. People don't like to remember the kids without shoes in mid-winter with feet wrapped in rags as makeshift shoes. People don't like to remember the haunting looks of hunger and abject poverty that was all around. These were not pretty shots...but they depicted the fate of the Korean lower-classes during the Korean War. | Top left: Photo Lab; Top right: Photo Lab; Bottom left: Charles Bustion; Bottom left: Billets and tents on main base. (Click on photo to enlarge) The Photo Lab was down near the flightline in the mass of Maintenance and Operations tents. Notice the "duck walk" in front of the tent to keep from sinking in the mud in the rainy season. Also notice that a barbed wire fence divides the tent and cuts across the duck walk. Note the kerosene barrel to the side and the smoke stack of the oil heater. The billets were prefab type shipped in from Japan and hastily erected in 1951. However, there were not enough space and many of the Air Force were forced to bunk in the 12-man tents. All Army personnel on the base lived in the 12-man tents in the Tent City near the athletic field on the main base. |
Shipping out: Charles wrote, "We were all assembled, getting advice and warnings about different cultures etc. The NCOs lined us up single file with our shirts off and T-shirt sleeves rolled up. We knew what was coming! We were halted near the dispensary where the medics, two on each side, were waiting. As each man stepped up he was hit with several shots in each arm. The big old country boy ahead of me looked like he could wrestle a steer to the ground, about 6 ft. 4 in. with shoulders a yard wide. He stepped up, got hit with the first needle and passed out. The medics did not miss a beat, they continued to pop the shots to him all the way to the ground. When they finished they motioned for someone on the sidelines to haul him off."
He continued, "The boat ride over was not exactly a cruise! We hit the edge of a typhoon two days out of San Francisco. We were stacked four hammocks deep in the hold of the ship. Between the heavy roll of the ship and the fantastic climb then the loud crash as the large wave passed under us, sleep was nearly impossible. The mess hall was not very crowded the next morning either! When the storm finally cleared the weather was beautiful. Flying fish and dolphins playing all around. Ocasionally a flying fish would land on the deck of the ship if he jumped too high."
He went on, "Yokohama harbor was very busy and very efficient. We off loaded directly into a small Japanese train for the trip to Osaka, which took all day. Along the way we repeatedly passed former Japanese soldiers, some still wearing ragged uniforms, scavenging along the railroad tracks. Whenever someone on the train threw a cigarette butt out the window there was a fierce, bloody struggle for the prize."
He added, "We all more of less goofed- off when we were supposed to be doing what we called make-work jobs while waiting for transport to Korea. I spent hours in the post library and had a lot of company. One week later we were on the way to Kunsan on the Yellow Sea." Arrival in Korea: Charles wrote, "Korea is a peninsula attached to China in the North with the Sea of Japan on the East and the Yellow sea on the West. It is roughly 150 miles wide and stretches about 600 miles from China to the Korea Strait which lies between it and Japan. Korea has repeatedly been invaded by its neighbors, China, Russia and Japan. Most of the Koreans we came in contact with insisted that Japan had done more for their country than anyone else. They mentioned hydro-electric projects, manufacturing and schools, all improved at Japans urging." (NOTE: This is NEVER heard anymore. Though Koreans will not argue that the hydroelectric projects and such were beneficial to the country, they also argue that the direct benefit of these projects were the Japanese nationals who owned the best lands and controlled all managerial and technical positions. Koreans were relegated to non-supervisory roles or became tenant farmers or coolie laborers. The political winds have changed and now the era of Japanese rule is viewed as evil and noxious. Anything associated with this period is shunned or reviled. For example, the Korea National Museum was torn down because it was at one time the center of Japanese rule in Korea. Though historically important as one of the largest buildings of its time in Asia, it was torn down by popular demand.) Life at Kunsan Air Base: Charles wrote, "The climate varies greatly in Korea. Spring and Fall are great. Summer can be very hot and humid in the South, and Winter brings extreme cold occasionally. Our living quarters were floored with a cement pad, wooden boards attached to this up to about five feet high, screen all the way around to about eight feet high, canvas extended upward from this to a metal roof. In the summer we slept with the canvas that covered the screening rolled up for ventilation. It was still hot! We also slept under mosquito netting in the summer. In mid-Winter it was not unusual to find ice on the floor because the oil fired heater, which was installed outside, had frozen up." He went on, "The showers and latrine were located in a separate building about 20 yards from our quarters. The construction matched that of our sleeping quarters with one exception, I never found any heating in the latrine. Just imagine, one building with three showers accommodating about 150 men, getting a shower became a problem! Add to that the fact that hot water was extremely limited, after three showers the water started getting cold. I developed the habit of arising about 5am just to beat the rush later." He added, "We took our meals in the mess hall near the runways. The food was plentiful but, we sometimes wondered about the contents. some of the cuts of meat looked a little too red, "horse" always came to mind. We knew that guerrillas operated against our supply routes from the south and we all suspected that our emergency supplies on the base could well contain "any edible meat", to be used in an emergency. We ate from metal trays while sitting on picnic type wooden tables. When you finished eating, the silverware was dropped into a container nearby, the tray was carried outside and the leftover food was deposited in a large metal drum. The scrap food did not rest in the bottom of the drum very long. There were always several young Koreans waiting for each morsel we dumped from the trays. They took everything, cigarette butts, napkins and pieces of food. In the evening when the native workers left the base, many of them would have small containers, like a piece of cloth formed into a bundle that contained their gleanings for the day. What must it feel like to carry a strangers garbage home to feed your family?"
He continued, "One morning as we were going to breakfast someone mentioned that they had not seen any Korean workers around. We knew that if they were on the base several would be near the mess hall. They were not there! We decided this must be one of their holidays. Lunch time came, still no Koreans. Two of us headed to the mess hall a little early to beat the rush. I was on my second bite of food when there was a tremendous explosion that made the tables bounce. Everyone was standing when shrapnel started raining down on the tin roof. That did it! We all rushed for the back door just in case something larger started falling. Luckily, the door opened outward or it would have been torn off the wall. Three of us jumped into a shallow trench about 20 yards from the door we had just passed through. A second explosion sent even more, larger chunks of metal sailing over us as we tried to burrow into the bottom of our hole. After what seemed like a long wait, without any more metal falling around us, we carefully started easing further away. Later we learned that two bombers, armed and ready for a mission had been parked on an apron a short distance from the mess hall. We never heard any "official" explanation for the explosions, everyone assumed that sabotage of some kind had sparked off the first plane and hot metal blowing into the second plane caused it to explode. We guessed that the Koreans had passed the word that something was going to happen so they all stayed away that day." (NOTE: We cannot confirm this possible sabotage incident. According to Charles, this incident happened in the fall of 1952. The only incident in the fall of 1952 we know of involving exploding ordnance was with two F-84s that were on the runway awaiting take off. Date was 23 Oct. 1952. The first F-84 took off and as the second advanced his throttles, the engine blew. The pilot bailed out and ran off to the rice fields for safety. Unfortunately, the rescue crews did not know that he had run away as he bailed out in the opposite direction. Two of the ground rescue crew went to the aircraft searching for him and died when a 250# bomb exploded. (This accident is covered in detail at 474th Fighter Bomber Wing.) One crew man was brought to the hospital with his arm hanging on by a thread. A call went out to the base for blood. David C. Smith, a medic stated, he was never sadder or prouder at the same time as people from all the services that showed up and filled the parking lot that night to give blood. (This account is in the 3rd Medical Group section).) Charles wrote, "My main task in Korea was to produce target maps for B-26 night raids. Since we employed Koreans all over the base to do menial labor, it did not seem to be very smart to generate the photos until the last possible minute. This would rule out the possibility of a North Korean spy getting wind of where the attack would hit. Usually, we received the map to be copied with the target area marked around midnight. The copy was wanted now! If not sooner. In order to speed up the processing we heated the developing chemicals considerably above the recommended temperatures. This allowed us to take an enlarged photo of the small area marked, develop the film, dry it and print finished pictures in about thirty minutes. Processing the film and prints normally would have taken three to four hours. The pilots that used the photos were amazed, by the time they returned to the base the photos were beginning to fade out." He went on, "Our caution was proven several weeks later. We had a very articulate Korean doing cleaning chores around the lab on the day shift. Kim spoke very good English, he was young and always smiling. One morning when the day crew came in they found that a screwdriver had been driven through the enlarger lens and the bellows had been ripped with a knife. Kim did not show that morning so, he was number one suspect. The damage was quickly repaired, we always had spare parts. The Military police contacted the local ROK Constabulary (Korean Police) and a couple of days later two of us were hauled to the local station to make an I.D. We recognized Kim immediately and informed the cops that they had the right suspect. Kim started to protest and got a rifle butt in the teeth and a very bloody face. They drug him away half conscious and probably shot him. Those people played rough!" He continued, "One of the targets our aircraft sought were the trains bringing supplies to the enemy from the north. The B-26 two engine bombers seemed to be having a great turkey shoot. Pilots were reporting at least one train destroyed on every run, sometimes two. This was wonderful until one of the officers in HQ started looking at statistics on the total number of locomotives in North Korea. He discovered that if our reported "kills" were correct we had destroyed more trains than existed not only in Korea but, all of Southern China. Obiviously, this could not be correct since trains continued to operate in both countries. This problem was easy to correct. Long focal length, fixed focus cameras were installed in each bomber aimed straight down. Light sensors were hooked to the cameras so that each time the plane passed over a bright light the shutter would trip. To avoid snapping pictures of fires or cities, a power switch was added to the pilots control panel so that the camera was "0ff" except during the bomb run. The first pictures we developed from planes using these cameras were very interesting. You could plainly see a train and 20 to 30 yards to the side a bomb explosion. Suddenly, the reported "kill" rates reported by the flying crews dropped from a fantastic 80% to a more likely 20%. That was probably still too high but much closer to fact than previous reports had been." (NOTE: B-26 crews were known to radio in false damage reports at times. For example, a crew from one squadron came upon a train that they were going to attack -- but another squadron's aircraft had already reported via radio that it was destroyed with secondary explosions. However, this was impossible as the MOVING train's boxcars were still covered with snow with no evidence of damage. In addition, the fantastically high number counts proved to be a real bone of contention with the folks of the 474th Fighter Bomber Wing of Kunsan AB. They didn't believe for one minute the reported counts of the 3rd BW. The F-84 pilots were also in the air-to-ground attack business -- though in the daytime. Their numbers were low because, like in Vietnam, the fighters frag orders sent them repeatedly against the same targets at the same hour from the same direction. They were sitting ducks ... and they believed the B-26 numbers were pure fiction. But on the opposite side of the coin, they also understood why the B-26 folks bolstered their numbers. Glory was hard to come by in the Korean War for the unglamorous fighter-bomber folks. All attention was hogged by the glory hounds of the F-86 fighter squadrons.)
Views from the Base | Photo taken of the north end of base looking south-east. The area is just above the BOQ area looking down from Gunsmoke Hill. This photo shows over-run area of the north-south runway under construction. The runway construction area is a long straight line running from left to right just inside the tidal mudflats. The construction was started by the 808th Engineering Aviation Battalion (EAB) (SCARWAF) and later completed by the 841st EAB (SCARWAF) in the winter of 1953. The runway was a 9,000 ft runway that required tons of rock and concrete to stabilize the ground. There is some sort of U.S. military building in the middle as there are electric poles running to it. (Korean farms had no electrical power.) There is a large cleared area probably for trucks running from the quarry operations at two locations just to the north of the base. The Korean farm houses were just outside the perimeter on the north end of base -- and sometimes inside the perimeter as encroached on the base to gain more arable land to farm. (Click on the photo to enlarge) |
NOTES: | Dec 99: View of Wolfpack Park after snowstorm. This is the highest point and northernmost area of the base. The photo is looking south-east. Charles took the pictures of the off-base areas from this vantage point. However, the photos are to the rear of the picture (right: northwest) and left (northeast). This is also the general area that Charles took the picture above. This area is directly above the BOQ and the the runway overrun can be seen on clear days over the apartments. The Yellow Sea can be seen beyond the runway. If you go to the right, the other side of the hill (east side of the base) can be viewed. The road leading up to Wolfpack Park is on the left along the fence line. The apartment buildings to the right are the ROKAF married officer/enlisted apartments. The area directly below the fence is off-base. In this little "finger" are farmer's houses. (Click on photo to enlarge) |
 This group of photos appear to be taken from the northern-most point (and highest point) of the base on Gunsmoke Hill in the vicinity of the present-day Wolfpack Park. Charles stated, "We nearly always headed toward the N. side because that was closer to our quarters and the Lab."
Top left: Photo showing what was known as "Sand Hill" which had a quarry used by the base. From the angle to "Sand Hill" this photo is taken to the northwest from Gunsmoke Hill. The access road shown leads down to the main road from the North Gate. At the intersection with the road that goes to Kunsan City, the Kunsan Airport is to the left. (This is the rice paddy area in the photo.) If you go straight ahead, about a 1/4 mile up a dirt road you'll find the MACS-1 hill. Top right: The hill in the background appears to be the site for the Marine MACS-1 located about a 1/2 mile north of the North Gate. The Marines operated the Ground Control Intercept (GCI) operations for the region. They were forced to move off-base to the hill after the north-south runway was started in 1953. Bottom: Another view of MACS-1 hill.
NOTES:
 | Top: View of "Sand Hill" quarry to north (1954). View looking north from the MACS-1 hill which was located a 1/2 mile north of the North Gate. The Yellow Sea is to left. (Courtesy Joe Smutts) Bottom: Photo of MACS-1 hilltop (1953) (From 3rd Bomb Wing Welcome Brochure (1954)) (Click on photo to enlarge) |
Right: Looking east as the rolling hills are to the north-east of the base. This land was higher than the rice field areas which were fed by gravity-fed irrigation. This land was used to cultivate cabbages and chili peppers. Left: Looking east. Farming hamlet of mud-wattle houses (choga-chip) with thatched roofs. The location of the kitchen hearth area is identified from the smoke flue each house has. Road connecting the North Gate to the Kunsan main road is seen in the upper left. This road now leads to the Kunsan Airport just outside the North Gate.
(Click on the photos to enlarge) |
 | Picture taken from Gunsmoke Hill looking out over the base. Photo taken directly above the Wing Commander's billet -- seen between the two houses on the right. The Commanders' billets were built on three tiers with the Wing Commander on the bottom tier closest to the main base. To the left was the Base Hospital. In the center of the photo is the tent city of the 808th Engineering Aviation Battalion. At the top of the photo is the Yellow Sea. (Click on the photo to enlarge) |
NOTES: Company A area in Tent City (Dec 53)
(Courtesy Walter Bienieki) |  Aerial View of Base (1952)
(Courtesy 13th Bomb Squadron Site) |
| Left: Picture of the 808th EAB tent city seen in the center of Charles picture above. Right: Aerial view of the base before the north-south runway was built. The Commanders' billets are in the top right corner in the BOQ area. One sees three rows of white houses on the side of a hill. The Wing Commander's house is on the left and to the bottom (bottom tier). This hill -- currently called "Gunsmoke Hill" -- has the highest, as well as the northern-most point on base. The area he shot the pics in is currently called "Wolfpack Park".) From the hill, Charles shot the other photos looking north towards the Marine MACS-1 and east showing the farms on the hillside. The picture Charles took of the runway construction was taken just above the BOQ area -- outside the base perimeter just outside the North Gate. The runway construction started in the rice field area in the upper left-hand corner near the BOQ area and extended south-east. The original construction was for a 5,000 ft. runway but was later extended to a 9,000 ft. runway. (Click on the photo to enlarge) |
 Security Police and K-9. (Photographer: Unknown)
(Click on the photo to enlarge) |
To view Charles' pictures of the children of Kunsan, go to Photos of Charles Bustion (1952-1953).
For comments or inputs, contact Kalani O'Sullivan.NOTICE/DISCLAIMER: The content of this page is unofficial and the views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of anyone associated with this page or any of those linked from this site. All opinions are those of the writer and are intended for entertainment purposes only. Links to other web pages are provided for convenience and do not, in any way, constitute an endorsement of the linked pages or any commercial or private issues or products presented there. None of this site has been endorsed by the DOD, the Air Force, the 8th Fighter Wing or Mickey Mouse. All Air Force links are publicly accessible through the world-wide web. When eye-witness accounts conflict with OFFICIAL DOD materials, this website opts to lend credence to the people who were there.
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