Edward L. Rowny
Q ..
Was that your responsibility as the Corps engineer?
A ..
Yes. I was put in charge of planning and executing the evacuation of supplies.
We got out most of the supplies. I was also put in charge of setting explosive
charges to damage the port so it could not be used by the Chinese without a good
deal of work. When the explosive charges went off, it was a rather spectacular
sight.
Q ..
Did you feel satisfied about the evacuation?
A ..
Yes, I think the job was well done. The evacuation was carried out in an orderly
fashion. The perimeter was kept intact, and we did not suffer any real interference
with the work of evacuating the supplies and setting the explosive charges. It was
all done in an efficient and professional manner.
Q ..
Did the Chinese press you?
A ..
Yes. The Chinese struck us with hit-and-run attacks, but there were no concerted
attacks. While we were subjected to sporadic attacks, there was no big push to cut
us off or to drive us into the sea.
Q ..
After the evacuation where did X Corps go and where did you go?
A ..
The X Corps staff evacuated to a command ship and landed well to the south on
the east coast of Korea. Since I was in charge of the final evacuation, I was one
of the last persons to leave. The boat in which I was to leave blew up and sank.
One of the soldiers lit a cigarette and set on fire a stack of mortar charges. The
charges exploded and the boat sank in a matter of minutes. This left us stranded
ashore. Luckily, a U.S. plane was hovering above. We had no way of
communicating with the plane, so we spelled out "HELP! U.S. TROOPS" with
powdered milk on the runway. The plane landed, picked us up, and took us back
to Japan. We landed at Tachikawa on Christmas Eve.
Q ..
How long was it before you returned to Korea?
A
I stayed in Japan just three days. My family, which was in Tokyo, was surprised
to see me and glad to have me home for Christmas. General Almond was worried
about me. When I didn't come out to the command ship, he thought I might have
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