By Angela Marshall
There are battles that stand out in the minds of Americans, such as Lexington, Gettysburg, Pearl Harbor and the Gulf of Tonkin. But how many remember the battles of the forgotten war, Korea?
A new monument was unveiled during Memorial Day services Monday in Veteran's Park. It is dedicated to the thousands of American soldiers who lost their lives in the Chosin Reservoir near Manchuria.
Those who lived are called the Chosin Few because so few were engaged and so few survived, said Lee Mead, president of the New York City/Long Island Chapter.
Approximately 15,000 allied troops were pitted against 120,000 Chinese infantrymen concealed in the mountainous area of Chosin during the frigid winter of 1950. Temperatures dipped 30 degrees below zero.
It was an unwinnable battle with all the odds stacked against the allied forces, and yet, they prevailed.
According to Mead, historians have called Chosin the most savage battle of modern warfare. When the bullets finally stopped flying just before Christmas, more than 3,000 of the allied troops had been killed and 6,000 wounded. An estimated 25,000 Chinese lay dead and another 12,500 wounded.
As members of the Chosin Few bowed their heads this week in remembrance of fallen comrades, the scars of war were still evident in their faces. They were somber and reflective.
They thanked Rockville Centre Village leaders for allowing them this small plot of land to honor those who had made the ultimate sacrifice.
Mayor [Eugene] Murray laid the foundation for us to get our monument here, said Dan Brandi, the only Chosin survivor from Rockville Centre.
The RVC monument is the first of five the Chosin Few would like to see placed throughout the state.
Murray thanked the Chosin soldiers for their sacrifices and said, It is fitting that we honor the sacrifice of the Chosin Few with a new memorial and that we remember the five village residents who died in the Korean War whose names are inscribed on the existing [Korean War] monument: Bertram Audley, Hobart R. Gay, George A. Murray Jr., Walter Fred Stromm and William J. Tschuske.
State Sen. Dean Skelos of Rockville Centre was also thanked for his efforts to help the group secure funding.
In addition to winning the battle, the Chosin fighters are credited with a Christmas miracle. Their struggle allowed for the evacuation of 100,000 North Korean civilians by sea on Christmas Eve. The enemy civilians wanted to leave the Communist country. Many of the refugees now live in America, according to the Chosin Web site.
Brandi said if he hadn't witnessed the evacuation, he would never have believed it.
He also said the monument has helped bring closure.
Andy Musumeci, a Chosin survivor, said he hoped it would also help people to remember the forgotten war and the men and women who gave their lives for freedom.
