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Jeff,,well each squad ,we had 2 jeeps and a 6 by 6 2 1/2 ton truck later got truck with a bomb lifting boom. and later gave us one like your picture a dodge 3/4 ton weapons carrier we called them and took away one jeep. we had a wide board clear across the bottom of windshield with big letters saying explosive disposal don’t remember the colors actually made little difference .what ever color we had the squad friendly gook could use to paint with. also we found some dummy practice wooden bombs and painted them red and white and mounted in front of the grill, verticle .we werent allowed to have windshield down as gooks would stretch wires across road to cut heads off unsuspecting drivers and passengers at our speed limit of 20 the windshield would usually protect but many jeep operators had welded a strong upright brace on fronnt bumper to defeat the wire . I guessup on front were no guierellas there to plant the wires ,so windshield could be downand usually found the steel post braces there on the jeeps espescially. wehad red lights and siren on our jeeps ,,was our option if desired ,,would use if came up on an mp jeep and we were speeding turn it on and they wouldn’t bother us .the roads were mostly terrible and speed limits were strictly enforced . in city like seoul where were some remanants of pavement sometimes were allowed 25 mph . ok we were squads of 8 men each and were about a dozen or so squads operating in korea at any given time . an officer and 7 em's ,,were susposed to be sgts as british and others demanded an eod be at least a sgt. well we couldn’t be promoted as too many ww2 sgts were in country to fill the allowed ranks and all promotions were frozen during time I was there except to pfc ,which I got imediately upon arriving finally was mad cpl mont or so before I was to leave altho our capt wrote up orders making us all temp sgts to please the british and we wore the stripes .and carried the temp papers . that was basicly our squad as we serviced the british and marines . we got to eat in the british sgts mess which was much better food than the lower ranks. they thot we were all sgts .
iwas in a 15 mile to rear squad the 14th,when first got there ,but after a few months wasn’t getting g along good with the new capt and transfererd to the 98th squad ,,a front line squad and attached to 1st marine div for rations and quarters (property) they had no connection over us tho and we also were assigned to service the 1st british commonwealth div and all their foreign outfits .under UN. of course we serviced any biody who requested .we were base near munsan ni near I corps Hq and that was the service base for the truce talks at panmunjom, I got to go to panmunjom once to handle a 120mm dud that landed between the 2 conference tents was quite a thrill. I and a pfc handled it . we blew it in place as the chinese wouldn’t allow us to take it away. I stood face to face with the highest ranking commanders of the enemy and looked them in the eye ,,scary,, they were all big and tall not small like the EM. they were eying my 45 in holster ,,as were susposed not to have arms in there ,,but I was exception. as there for a purpose. most of us carried 45s as rifles were unhandy even carbines at times were in way of our work and we had law all soldiers in combat zone had to be armed at all times. no 45s were issued to lower ranks so we bought em was a terrific market for 45's there most were stolen ,or off a dead .but no one worried about it . I bought a ballister molina from a britt they were an argentine mfg,and just like a 1911 except no grip safety were a fine piece. otherwise I had an m2 carbine with 2 30 rd clips taped together that could be quickly turned over for a quick clip change .panmunjom was couple miles behind enemy lines and had to drive that on narrow lonley road,was scary,,enemy soldiers on both sides of road in fields in trucks waved to us!!!!! ,,weird! road was neutral sides of road werent, get off road and would be killed maybe .
I didn’t get in country till dec 51 and most of the line had stabillized by that time .didn’t get in time for the retreat from chosin resivoir ,thankfuly,I understand that after the retreat to hungnam for evacuation ,,our marines and many chinese fell in with our marines and surrendered and marched with the marines unarmed to hungnam and became prisoners ,,poor guys they were frozen ,,I under stand 2 or 3 ,maybe more of our squads blew the city of hungnam and the harbor as the last ship pulled out .and all eqpt left there , said was 14th ,i9th and I think 25th squads did that ,not totally sure may have been more .but eod did the job.
anyhow I spent the whole year of 52 there and left on rotatoion for discharge in jan 53 and was home and out by mar 53 .
anyhow as far as I know while I was there anyhow ,we,,eod,, lost no men to enemy fire at least while I was there ,,did lose 2 to stupid accident in the school at seoul for ones like myself who had no eod schooling . I was picked for my record and experience and asked to volenteer by major ogden ,our commanter in chief at the 24th eod control detachment in seoul,it sounded good so I did ,,never regretted it .all eod was volenteer you could quit anytime without reason. they were short on schooled people and so asked people with similar experience or schoolingto join and I was one of those .I was trained in armor and attended the armorerd school in ft knox and assigned to ord corps on arrival in korea .I did attend the eod school in seoul but not the one that the accident occurred at. I was earlier .I am trying not to put any classified info in here as we had to sign a release on discharge we could not discuss anything that happened in korea or any other negative things ,subject to life imprisoment in ft leavenworth. don’t know how long that was good for ,but I must be careful. so my discussion wil. be for most part general.and non committal. I will close here and will continue as time permits with more , pardon the spelling as im not a typist and is kinda difficult . for me at my age ,,82,,
at that time eod was totally independent of other army control and didn’t have to take no crap from anyone except our own commander sand they were mostly great.now I think its different and have organized more like rest of services .our insignia then was a cloth patch of a red bomb with yellow stripe outline on a black back ground ,wih another yellow stripe around ,, it was oblong vertical and about 3 inches long we wore on our left pocket or on hat ,,these are non existant and cannot obtain anywhere ive tried , not used any more they have nice metal wings insignia now ,I brought a few home but think the kids or mice got them ,no longer have ,,would give anything for one or several quite a collector piece.
will be lots more as have time and feel up to it ,,,,Bob
