yotanka
1 December 2002, 17:40
Remembering Korea: Hudson veterans finish monument to fallen comrades
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=5807679
Sunday, December 01, 2002
By JUSTO BAUTISTA
Staff Writer
Joe Cassella remembers the starving children.
Ralph Pasqua remembers the men who died.
Al Czarnecki remembers the cold.
The three Hudson County veterans can't forget the Forgotten War - Korea, 1950-1953.
They were there.
"What really annoys me is when they mention the wars," said Czarnecki, 76, of Bayonne. "It's always World War I, World War II, then Vietnam and Desert Storm. Nothing about Korea. Every veteran should get noticed."
Czarnecki was working at the Ford Motor Co. plant in Metuchen when communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950.
The Cold War was about to heat up, and there was a desperate need for men like Czarnecki, a Marine who had fought on Saipan in World War II.
The U.S. troops hastily deployed a hodgepodge of World War II veterans and green recruits to South Korea, and the battle-tested veterans had to lead the way.
"What he does, you do," recruits were told about soldiers like Czarnecki.
Czarnecki was with the 1st Marine Division as it pushed North Korean armies toward the Yalu River on the North Korean-Chinese border.
China had threatened to enter the war if North Korea was invaded, and on Nov. 25, 1950, with the Marines closing in on the North Koreans near the Chosin Reservoir, Chinese troops poured across the Yalu.
In an epic 14-day struggle, now part of Marine Corps lore, the Marines beat back human-wave attacks as they retreated, carrying out their dead, wounded, and equipment.
"The ratio was 10 to 1," Czarnecki said, referring to the huge Chinese advantage. "The temperature was 20 below."
Such valor should not be forgotten, so Czarnecki, Cassella, and Pasqua, and their comrades in the Korean War Veterans Association of Hudson County spent the past four years raising $356,000 for a Korean War memorial.
On Saturday at 1 p.m., the result of their efforts, the Candles of Life Memorial will be dedicated on Washington Street on the Hudson River Waterfront in downtown Jersey City.
One hundred twenty-six men from Hudson County were killed in the Korean War. During the fund-raising years, 22 of the association's 150 members passed away.
"Our dream is finally about to come true," said Cassella, 73, of Jersey City, the association's president. "My only regret is that a number of our members will not be able to join in the joyous yet reverent occasion. But they, too, will be remembered on Dec. 7."
The monument features three black obelisks surrounded by walls featuring battle scenes and the names of the 126 Hudson men killed in Korea. Two GIs - one helping the other - stand atop a 7-ton pedestal at the center of the monument.
Ironically, the black marble used in the monument, came from China.
"You can't buy it in this country," said Pasqua, 72, of Bayonne. "That's what I was told."
To raise the money, the veterans hit the streets.
The "little people" gave the most, the veterans said. "We raised our money on the streets, and in supermarkets," Cassella said.
The Korean community was especially generous.
"They [Koreans] were glad to see us, and contributed like crazy," Czarnecki said. "In the summertime, the Koreans used to bring us drinks. They wanted to take us out to lunch. They asked us about Korea."
Local trade unions also were big contributors. Carpenters, ironworkers, bricklayers, and electricians worked on the project free.
Corporations were less enthusiastic, the veterans said.
"We never got no money from corporations," Pasqua said. "My theory is most corporations are run by guys in their 40s and 50s. They don't know anything about the Korean War. They didn't have any regard for it."
Pasqua was a 21-year-old butcher in Jersey City and married just two weeks when he was drafted into the Army. He was in Korea in 1952 and 1953.
By that time, the war had become a stalemate. Trench warfare - not human-wave attacks - was the order of the day.
"I saw plenty of action, but none of that [human] wave action," Pasqua said. "That was at the beginning of the war. We were on MLR - the main line of resistance. Trench warfare."
He remembers patrolling with an M-1 rifle and World War II ammunition. "There was a lot of misfiring," he said. "On patrol at one time, we only had eight rounds each."
Pasqua recalled a Jersey City classmate, Stu Kinney from Snyder High School. Kinney was killed when he stepped on a land mine while on patrol.
"Even though he had a flak jacket, it didn't help," Pasqua said.
Joe Cassella was a carpenter on the Pennsylvania Railroad when he was drafted. He served in the Army's 2nd Infantry Division in 1951 and 1952.
"I remember one hill after the other, and it was cold - 20 below for five, six weeks - but the summer wasn't too bad," Cassella said.
He won't talk about combat.
"You want to try to forget some of that," he said.
The Korean children touched him the most.
"Little kids, sitting in the street with no clothing, no food, no shoes," he said. "We tried to help them as best we could. Gave them rations. I never forgot that. That's why I have a soft heart for any kid. I have a great grandson, and I love 'em."
The fighting ended on July 27, 1953. An armistice between the United Nations and North Korea and China established a buffer zone, the Demilitarized Zone, while South Korea and North Korea remained separated. In the three years of fighting, 54,246 Americans were killed.
Americans were ambivalent about the war. There were no parades when the troops came home.
"No, people weren't rejoicing that much," Pasqua said.
The veterans who fought the war have their own strong views.
"In Korea, they fought the war not to win," Pasqua said.
"We knew why were there," Cassella said. "Don't forget, we did stop communism in the Far East."
Pasqua, who will replace Cassella as president, said the monument will be a valuable educational tool.
"We'll take one or two schools down there, and teach the kids something, because you're not learning this [the Korean War] in school," he said.
"I think we accomplished something," Czarnecki said. "The [South Korean] people are still free."
http://www.bergen.com/page.php?level_3_id=7&page=5807679
Sunday, December 01, 2002
By JUSTO BAUTISTA
Staff Writer
Joe Cassella remembers the starving children.
Ralph Pasqua remembers the men who died.
Al Czarnecki remembers the cold.
The three Hudson County veterans can't forget the Forgotten War - Korea, 1950-1953.
They were there.
"What really annoys me is when they mention the wars," said Czarnecki, 76, of Bayonne. "It's always World War I, World War II, then Vietnam and Desert Storm. Nothing about Korea. Every veteran should get noticed."
Czarnecki was working at the Ford Motor Co. plant in Metuchen when communist North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel and attacked South Korea on June 25, 1950.
The Cold War was about to heat up, and there was a desperate need for men like Czarnecki, a Marine who had fought on Saipan in World War II.
The U.S. troops hastily deployed a hodgepodge of World War II veterans and green recruits to South Korea, and the battle-tested veterans had to lead the way.
"What he does, you do," recruits were told about soldiers like Czarnecki.
Czarnecki was with the 1st Marine Division as it pushed North Korean armies toward the Yalu River on the North Korean-Chinese border.
China had threatened to enter the war if North Korea was invaded, and on Nov. 25, 1950, with the Marines closing in on the North Koreans near the Chosin Reservoir, Chinese troops poured across the Yalu.
In an epic 14-day struggle, now part of Marine Corps lore, the Marines beat back human-wave attacks as they retreated, carrying out their dead, wounded, and equipment.
"The ratio was 10 to 1," Czarnecki said, referring to the huge Chinese advantage. "The temperature was 20 below."
Such valor should not be forgotten, so Czarnecki, Cassella, and Pasqua, and their comrades in the Korean War Veterans Association of Hudson County spent the past four years raising $356,000 for a Korean War memorial.
On Saturday at 1 p.m., the result of their efforts, the Candles of Life Memorial will be dedicated on Washington Street on the Hudson River Waterfront in downtown Jersey City.
One hundred twenty-six men from Hudson County were killed in the Korean War. During the fund-raising years, 22 of the association's 150 members passed away.
"Our dream is finally about to come true," said Cassella, 73, of Jersey City, the association's president. "My only regret is that a number of our members will not be able to join in the joyous yet reverent occasion. But they, too, will be remembered on Dec. 7."
The monument features three black obelisks surrounded by walls featuring battle scenes and the names of the 126 Hudson men killed in Korea. Two GIs - one helping the other - stand atop a 7-ton pedestal at the center of the monument.
Ironically, the black marble used in the monument, came from China.
"You can't buy it in this country," said Pasqua, 72, of Bayonne. "That's what I was told."
To raise the money, the veterans hit the streets.
The "little people" gave the most, the veterans said. "We raised our money on the streets, and in supermarkets," Cassella said.
The Korean community was especially generous.
"They [Koreans] were glad to see us, and contributed like crazy," Czarnecki said. "In the summertime, the Koreans used to bring us drinks. They wanted to take us out to lunch. They asked us about Korea."
Local trade unions also were big contributors. Carpenters, ironworkers, bricklayers, and electricians worked on the project free.
Corporations were less enthusiastic, the veterans said.
"We never got no money from corporations," Pasqua said. "My theory is most corporations are run by guys in their 40s and 50s. They don't know anything about the Korean War. They didn't have any regard for it."
Pasqua was a 21-year-old butcher in Jersey City and married just two weeks when he was drafted into the Army. He was in Korea in 1952 and 1953.
By that time, the war had become a stalemate. Trench warfare - not human-wave attacks - was the order of the day.
"I saw plenty of action, but none of that [human] wave action," Pasqua said. "That was at the beginning of the war. We were on MLR - the main line of resistance. Trench warfare."
He remembers patrolling with an M-1 rifle and World War II ammunition. "There was a lot of misfiring," he said. "On patrol at one time, we only had eight rounds each."
Pasqua recalled a Jersey City classmate, Stu Kinney from Snyder High School. Kinney was killed when he stepped on a land mine while on patrol.
"Even though he had a flak jacket, it didn't help," Pasqua said.
Joe Cassella was a carpenter on the Pennsylvania Railroad when he was drafted. He served in the Army's 2nd Infantry Division in 1951 and 1952.
"I remember one hill after the other, and it was cold - 20 below for five, six weeks - but the summer wasn't too bad," Cassella said.
He won't talk about combat.
"You want to try to forget some of that," he said.
The Korean children touched him the most.
"Little kids, sitting in the street with no clothing, no food, no shoes," he said. "We tried to help them as best we could. Gave them rations. I never forgot that. That's why I have a soft heart for any kid. I have a great grandson, and I love 'em."
The fighting ended on July 27, 1953. An armistice between the United Nations and North Korea and China established a buffer zone, the Demilitarized Zone, while South Korea and North Korea remained separated. In the three years of fighting, 54,246 Americans were killed.
Americans were ambivalent about the war. There were no parades when the troops came home.
"No, people weren't rejoicing that much," Pasqua said.
The veterans who fought the war have their own strong views.
"In Korea, they fought the war not to win," Pasqua said.
"We knew why were there," Cassella said. "Don't forget, we did stop communism in the Far East."
Pasqua, who will replace Cassella as president, said the monument will be a valuable educational tool.
"We'll take one or two schools down there, and teach the kids something, because you're not learning this [the Korean War] in school," he said.
"I think we accomplished something," Czarnecki said. "The [South Korean] people are still free."