"Ambush On The Crest Of Funchilin Pass, North Korea”
1 December 1950

In the early morning our two MP Jeeps of the X Corps MP Company (Provisional) left the Control Point at the base of Funchilin Pass for a routine road patrol up the pass. I was in the front jeep, with CPL Merle Ash the driver, and an unidentified Lieutenant from an engineer company. In the second jeep was SFC Lester Cline, SGT Victor Paradis, and an unidentified MP driver.         It was very cold and a new snowfall was blanketing that which already covered the frozen ground.

        As we departed we observed but couldn’t explain the new set of tire tracks in the snow covered roadway since no one recalled hearing a vehicle pass by the Control Point.

        We continued on up the road until we reached the crest of the pass. We stopped at the crest because of the protection the mountain side afforded us in the event of an enemy patrol. The crisp still morning air was quiet except for the sound of the jeep motors and the distinct sounds of machine guns firing off in the distance.

        The vehicle tracks we followed up the mountain were still visible, leading up to, around, and continuing past an abandoned Marine 6x6 truck in the middle of the road. The Engineer Lieutenant intently scanned the snow covered terrain with his field glasses before stating he was satisfied the way was clear.

        We moved out from behind the mountain side and as my lead jeep approached the abandoned truck we came under immediate enemy small arms fire. Everyone in both jeeps hit the ditch along the shoulder of the road. I ended up in the ditch on the left side with CPL Ash, the Lieutenant in the ditch on the right side. Everyone quickly acknowledged that they were ok and we immediately assessed our situation. The snow was still falling and no one could pin point the direction of the small arms fire. We knew we had to somehow get back into the jeeps and the cover of the mountain side, only a short distance away.

        The Lieutenant had the best cover on his side of the roadway and proceeded back along the ditch to the second jeep that was still under the cover afforded by the mountain side.

        The front jeep was sitting exposed to the continuing small arms fire. CPL Ash rushed from the ditch climbed into the drivers side on his knees while I covered him from my position. He then managed to back the jeep up into the cover of the mountain side. I immediately proceeded along the ditch to join him and the others.

        While this was taking place the second jeep tried to turn around and in their haste slid off the shoulder of the roadway into the first, then a second deeper ditch. We came to the realization we could not recover it by ourselves so we stripped it of the machine gun and ammunition

        I wanted to destroy it before we left but was overruled by SFC Kline who said we could return later to recover it, which we never did.

        All six of us piled into the remaining jeep and returned to the Control Point at the bottom of the mountain roadway. Upon our arrival we discovered that CPT Samuel T. Denton was there with our pay, we were so cold we couldn’t sign the payroll sheet. 1LT Van Buskirk asked CPT Samuel T. Denton to wait for us to warm up but the Captain was in a hurry to get back to the Company Command Post at Hamhung.

        Several hours later a half track with a mounted quad fifty caliber machine gun went up the road through the pass and was subsequently destroyed resulting in casualties. The ambush occurred a few miles from the Control Point.

        After returning to Hamhung CPL Ash reported to me that the radio on the jeep was not working. When we took it to the Communication Shop they inspected it and discovered it had been hit by enemy small arms fire.

        The Good Lord was with us that day.

CPL Darrell D. McArdle, C Company, 720th MP Battalion, Japan, X Corps MP Company (Provisional), Korea, 1949 -1951.