The Saber and Scroll
Captain Edward P . Stamford , Tactical Air Control Party ( TACP ) Commander assigned to 31st RTC , declared , “ Most of the Army officers and many of the NCOs seemed to be very well trained and apparently good leaders . The weakness lay in that the 7th Infantry Division lost many of its senior NCOs through transfers to units in Korea prior to its departure from Japan ” ( 319 ). Also , First Lieutenant Hugh R . May of the 31st RCT acknowledged that “ As long as the men had leaders they performed without questioning orders from their officers ; once the officer ranks were decimated it was impossible to maintain control ” ( 318 ).
Appleman portrays the role of the Commander of X Corps , Army General Edward Almond , accurately in the 31st RCT ’ s disaster at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir . He demonstrated the concern of Almond ’ s staff while depicting Almond ’ s desire to please General Douglas MacArthur , Commander of the United Nations Forces and Far East Command . For example , Lieutenant Colonel William J . McCaffrey , Almond ’ s deputy chief of staff , expressed concerns about the operation and Marine Colonel Edward H . Forney , the liaison officer and amphibious-movement expert , had opposed the race to Yalu River through the Chosin Reservoir ( 11 ). Nonetheless , Gen . Almond disregarded the advice of his staff while attempting to please MacArthur . For example , General Almond had received reports on the Chinese Communist Forces ( CCF ) in the Chosin Reservoir and interviewed captured CCF soldiers . Furthermore , Major General O . P . Smith of the 1st Marine Division had encouraged Almond to permit the commanders of the 31st RCT to remain together . Instead , Almond ignored the CCF intelligence and ordered the 31st RCT to advance towards the Chosin Reservoir to spread out over the area , which led to the 31st RCT disaster , as the CCF overwhelmed the small American units throughout the reservoir . Chaos reigned among the ranks as numerous senior combat-experienced officers lost their lives , and the 31st RCT ceased to exist with everyone trying to survive .
Appleman takes the time to focus on the different officers of the 31st RCT , introducing the reader to the men with small snippets about them . While chronicling the Battle of Chosin Reservoir , Appleman makes sure to bring the human element to the historical event with his vivid portraits of the officers and soldiers . For example , he introduces Colonel Robert E . Jones , who became Lieutenant Colonel Don C . Faith ’ s adjutant . After Jones graduated college , he attended the army ’ s airborne training at Fort Benning . Then , he joined the 502nd Parachute Regiment in the European Theater of the Second World War and fought at Inchon and Seoul , Korea , where he earned a purple heart . Finally , after surviving the Battle of Chosin Reservoir , he proceeded through the ranks until he attained the rank of Colonel ( 58 – 59 ).
Likewise , he presents a balanced perspective on the Korean Augmentation United States Army ( KATUSA ), also known as the Republic of Korean Army ( ROK ). He depicts the KATU-
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