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| May 05, 2024 |
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General News: Silent Sacrifice in an Oft-Forgotten War
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| Forced propaganda march with Mellin and other POWs |
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| Mellin as an enlisted man in 1949 |
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| Mellin is among this group of prisoners of war |
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| Ray Mellin holding the diary he kept as a prisoner |
October 08, 2007
By Warren Mumford
Few among us have served our country with valor like that of village resident Raymond Mellin who sacrificed several years of his life during the Korean War. More than a half century ago, Ray spent 37 months as a prisoner of the North Koreans and communist Chinese.
Often overshadowed by Iraq, Vietnam and World War II, Korea was a conflict in which over 36,000 Americans lost their lives and many more were wounded or suffered unimaginable hardships.
Ray has not been able to talk openly about his horrific experience until recently, silently carrying these memories of sacrifice for decades. The following sketch is only a glimpse of his full story but gives some insight into the suffering he endured.
Task Force Smith
Ray enlisted in the Army at the age of 21 and trained as a lab technician. When North Korea invaded South Korea in June of 1950, he was stationed in Japan. Ray was assigned to Task Force Smith as a field medic and immediately sent to the front. Task Force Smith fought in the first engagement of the war near Osan, south of Seoul.
Vastly outnumbered, the group was overrun with many killed and wounded. Ray was among those taken prisoner. Although the North Korean army did not follow the Geneva Conventions and thought nothing of shooting prisoners, they did spare some for interrogation and propaganda purposes. Ray, was one of these “lucky” ones.
Interrogation and Humiliation
Ray remembers being questioned in groups of three or four in the South Korean capitol of Seoul. They heard periodic bursts of machine gun fire in the adjoining courtyard and assumed that they would be executed soon. The prisoners were relieved to learn that the gunfire was used only as a scare tactic.
At one point, the captured soldiers were paraded through the streets, cameras recording their humiliating treatment in propaganda films. Ray was moved to North Korea and eventually turned over to the control of the North Korean Police with a group of more than 700 prisoners in October, 1950.
Tiger Survivor
The North Korean officer in charge became known for his cruelty and indifference to the execution of prisoners and was nicknamed the “Tiger.” The prisoners, which included both U.S. soldiers, nuns, priests and other civilians who had been captured, were forced to make a a death march in groups of about 50.
A prisoner was chosen to lead each group and they were told that if anyone fell behind or broke ranks for any reason they would be shot along with the leader. The “Tiger” kept his word, personally shooting an American officer in charge of one of the groups as an example.
Soldiers, weakened by cold, scant rations and dysentery, often fell behind. Ray recalls that they lost “a man a mile” during the eight-day ordeal. Of the over 700 Americans in the original group, about 590 survived the “Tiger Death March.”
Prisoners were then interned in crude barracks near the Manchurian border where they suffered torture, starvation, worms, lice and many other hardships. A great number froze to death and died of disease in these prison camps before being turned over to the communist Chinese in October, 1951. Of the original group of about 700, only about 270 prisoners remained to be transferred to the Chinese.
Communist Chinese Brainwashing
Ray was forced to attend classes in which the red Chinese tried to teach the prisoners the benefits of communism. He kept a notebook but without notes related to communism. He recorded instead the various locations of his imprisonment in code as well as names, dates and other memorabilia. He has kept this notebook through all these years.
Silent Sacrifice
Ray was part of the exchange of prisoners between North Korea and the U.S. in August, 1953, after more than three years in captivity. After spending a year convalescing in a hospital in Valley Forge, PA, Ray was discharged. He graduated from college via the GI Bill and went on to a successful career at Lederle Laboratories in Rockland County.
There may well be other residents among us like Ray who have served with valor in the military but have not been heard. If you have a story to tell, please contact [email protected]. Comments on this story can be left below.
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