Bucks County Recognizes Korean War Veterans

It was sunny and warm Wednesday morning, with just the hint of a breeze to keep comfortable the 200 or so people under a tent outside the Bucks County Courthouse.

They gathered there for a ceremony to remember the 58th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.

Conditions were much different in the winter of 1950 when a young Chinese-American named Kurt Chew-een Lee overcame brutal cold, blinding snow, unfamiliar rugged mountain terrain, and his own injuries to lead a hardy group of Marines in the battle of the Chosin Reservoir, a heroic performance that occupies a prominent place in Marine Corps lore.

For Lee, who overcame institutional prejudice to become the first regular Marine Corps officer of Asian extraction to lead American Marines, it was the defining moment of his historic military career. Now 86 and living in Washington, D.C., Lee captivated the crowd in Doylestown by recounting how he came to lead the Marines in that remarkable battle. 

“He’s a Marine’s Marine,” said Jerry Jonas while introducing Lee. Jonas is historian for the Bucks County Chapter of the Korean War Veterans Association.

Lee's heroism at Chosin has been the subject of a recent Smithsonian TV channel documentary, "Uncommon Courage - Breakout at Chosin," and several books including Joseph Owens’ "Colder Than Hell - A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin." 

With nearly 8,000 American troops surrounded by more than 100,000 Communist Chinese soldiers, Lee led 500 Marines eight miles through enemy lines in pitch darkness over mountainous snow-covered slopes in a raging blizzard. His efforts ultimately allowed the entire U.S. 1st Marine Division to escape the enemy trap. 

One published account of his exploits said Lee’s only aid “was a simple compass and a big dosage of luck.” 

Wednesday's memorial service commemorated the armistice and cease-fire of July 27, 1953, that ended more than three years of continuous fighting in Korea. Among those in attendance were family members of Bucks County residents who died in the war, dozens of Korean War veterans, members of the general public, and members of the Korean-American community. 

The ceremony included a roll call of Bucks County’s honored dead from the Korean War, the placement of a rose on the memorial for each of the honored dead, the laying of wreaths, a rifle salute, and the playing of "Taps."

In a tradition that began five years ago, the 19 Bucks County residents who have died during the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan also were honored.  

The Bucks County Korean War Memorial, which was dedicated in 2000, was the first Korean War memorial constructed in eastern Pennsylvania. The names of 38 local men who gave their lives during the Korean War are inscribed on the memorial. 

One of those men who died in Korea was Attilio Lupacchini, Lee's unofficial bodyguard at the battle of the Chosin Reservoir. The ceremony provided an opportunity for Lee to publicly pay tribute to Lupacchini, a Yardley man who was killed during the mission and whose remains have never been identified.

It was Lupacchini who consoled Lee when he was wounded, his face shredded and his arm shattered by a burst of enemy gunfire. A few days later, Lupacchini was killed. 

“He told me I would be alright,” recalled Lee. “I will remember him in my heart in my chosen way.”

Korean War Armistice Day has been officially recognized in proclamations by Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama.