Year of the Snake

In Korea last week, with routine probing attacks and loudspeaker propaganda, the Chinese Reds observed the first day of a Chinese New Year--the Year of the Snake. On the U.N. side of the line, G.I.s had time to wonder whether this would be the year when the Red snake in Korea would be crushed under the heel of a more determined U.S.

In the operations shack of Seoul airport, a stocky little U.S. first lieutenant checked over his flight papers and manifest, then turned to leave. He zipped up his blue nylon flight jacket and cracked, "One more milk run." It was an old phrase that was being heard more & more. He clamped a cold and soggy cigar butt between his teeth, and strode out across the apron toward his big, twin-boom C-119 Flying Box Car for another round trip to Japan. There was no telling how many more he would make.

In a heavily sandbagged bunker, a regimental commander in a crack U.S. division leaned against a supporting beam, took off his helmet, ran his fingers through matted grey-blond hair. "If we can get through the enemy," he said, "it will be a long, slow job and it will cost us plenty. We'll have to burn and blast him out with flamethrowers and demolition grenades. And we'll need a lot more here than we've got now. In this war it's too late for any lightning offensives."

A Marine Corps major put it another way: "We just don't know how strong the enemy is. The people who have been running the war haven't let us find out. The way we have to hit him now, with platoon-or company-size attacks, the going is damned rough and bloody. But if somebody would give the word and really let us hit him . . ." The major shrugged and left the sentence unfinished.

A platoon leader bound for a short leave in Japan, and wearing the Purple Heart with cluster, scoffed at the enemy. "I've been into the Communist positions three times in less than a month now. I get the shakes before every attack, but I still think he's weak. His grenades are no good; they bounce around like pieces of lead pipe. They kill some of our guys, sure, but lots of 'em are duds and others don't fragment properly. Lots of their mortar shells are lousy, too. I don't mean that hitting him, really hitting him, will be easy, but I don't think he's nearly so damned rough & tough as he sounds in our own newspapers."

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