"This Is Korea!" (1951) John Ford's Amazing War Documentary - REEL History transcript

[Music] this is Cora [Music] and this is Korea a peaceful Land once with lakes and Villages and mountains where The Rice grew men and women worked and people lived for living until the ruthless red hand of Communism reached out to snatch it old people and kids and more kids sometimes I think that's the last thing any of us will ever forget those kids laughing crying homeless hungry until we fed them Korea where it gets cold in the the winter time as it does at home where young men and women [Music] marry where the kids used to play happily [Music] a and here come your kids and yours and [Applause] yours dog dirty and tired slogging back from the desperate chosen Reservoir fight not retreating as they say but advancing in a different direction the first Marine [Applause] Division while the head man of the village watches them pass and wanders and the villagers still all wonder and little poang r wanders too poor kid [Applause] into the rest camp near masan for Christmas Christmas in the year of Grace 1950 last Christmas for Christ is born of and G all [Music] of while more sleep the Ang there was of wondering love oh Morning Star [Music] together proclaim the holy bir and Praises sing to God our King and peace to Men on Earth we hear the christas Christmas Eve and all those kids again on their funny ice SLS and Joe blow out there on guard Duty Merry Christmas Joe [Applause] Fleet post office mail stuff from home flown in by the Navy and is that welcome cigarettes candy newspapers letters did you remember did you some of the boys didn't get back for Christmas they stayed where they fell and these are The Replacements the new men to take their honored places to fill the gaps look at their faces young faces American faces New York Georgia Idaho Texas Maine and California your sons for the pride in the core and the will to do chow line for a real feed this time no K rations wolfed in a foxhole the first hot meal get that the first hot meal in 2 months steaks that the Navy flew in for Christmas dinner hot coffee brother Fleet Marine Force Headquarters and a formation for decorations for gallantry and action the silver star with General op Smith himself making the presentations and the hard-bitten Marine guard of Honor marching past informal [Music] ceremony well it started the summer before at The inhon Landings and as part of the eth army under General won Walker the Marines move out on Su to snatch it back again their faces look younger now less tired cleaner maybe but don't kid yourself they know what's ahead a hard job tough job dirty job so let's grab a bite and get on here come the babies they'll need persan tanks rumbling up to spearhead the action to come and the trains loaded with war wearies going back for Salvage loaded with supplies for the front here's our 75 mm anti-tank gun to argue with those people ammunition all the good old 30 caliber machine guns always hungry meet General Eddie Craig commanding the first Marine provisional Brigade a keen brained fighting man with his operations officer ammunition few setting dangerous work but remember they're supposed to give a little minary Buzz before they go off number one gun fire hard Rubble roads that's one of their is burning in the Hills you could light your cigarette on that gun barrel Hill after Hill some theirs some we may 8 hours the hard way the Bazooka the 81 mm mortar Firepower and maneuver an enemy shell duck where that guy is with the rifle is the front of the war the 75 recoiless rifle and the Direct Hit ammo up the auto rifle [Music] and navy air comes strafing and Marine air with rockets and napom to burn them out another Hill and another Village and the Marines move on up carrying their homes on their Banks the hills cost and how they cost and these are the boys who paid in spite of all the Gallant work of the hospital [Music] Corman walking when they still can carried when they can't walk [Music] loading the ambulance Jeeps getting them back to the clearing station for [Music] dressing and shock treatment and hypos to kill the vicious pain [Music] and life-giving transfusions aren't you glad you gave that pint of blood last week or did you but you will now won't [Music] you o [Music] out by helicopter from the front lines while the fighting goes on below clean sheets and food and the best of Medical Care the Navy can give them [Music] and so into Su lost once but taken again and still the poor hungry kids South Korean recruits Raw and then under a few weeks training not so raw now look at this and look at it and look at it that's what the Korean Republic is fighting for miles and miles and miles of homeless refugees set a drift by the red Scourge whole families starving fear-ridden without hope beyond the United Nations shots for small pox and tyus and they don't understand but they will it was a big problem what to do with the orphan kids they picked up they had to leave them somewhere before they reached the front so they asked these good women to take them little Babe Ruth de magio was not quite sure what it was all about solemn confused frightened until he found friends and smiled and Trust he'll be all right now and nuns don't smoke your dope [Music] candy chewing gun for the kids but you have to teach them how to eat it poor frightened little Fells [Music] [Applause] [Music] then we move out once again it's colder now and how cold it gets in Korea Brass Monkey cold and that's cold wet too moving North into War's [Music] desolation Hills and more Hills rivers and more Rivers [Music] rice patties and more rice patties [Music] still going forward [Music] General chesty puller four times winner of the Navy cross put some more fire down on those people thank you and we keep on moving naom again hot as the living hinges with the Infantry moving up under the fire curtain [Music] always was moving up to the power plant on chosen [Music] res and another Hill always another Hill the orange cloth on that guy's back is an air marker to indicate the front lines to planes 60 mm mortar fights like a 75 gun shell [Music] grenades phosphorus and flamethrowers fry them out burn them out cook them we found them dug in 10 ft deep colder still Sawtooth wind 20 freezing degrees below makes a man wonder what he did with his last Summer's pay don't it now the prisoners come in Prime looking lot aren't they we searched them we smash their weapons we question them this young kid says they killed his mother and father and gave him a gun that's all he knows about the war but these wise mugs were tough they clammed up they wouldn't sing hey three on a [Music] match and then it happened you remember valet Forge well look at it again [Music] snow ice and wind and all the time we were there 10 enemy divisions held us boxed in surrounded short in all Supply [Music] [Applause] and the carrier planes had to break deck ice to get off in support [Music] but boys will be [Music] boys they'll keep clean and warm when they can and share their Chow with those poor Korean kids always chow line again oh sorry this is not a Chine [Music] winter decisions had to be made in Tokyo and an old Soldier made them pear Harbor Admiral radford's headquarters the decisions are passed to the Navy for Action back to Tokyo again vice admiral turn Joy Commander Naval forces Far East the situation in Korea is so critical that we in the Navy must give the eighth Army the maximum practical support I direct that the commander of the seventh fleet the commander of carrier division 15 the fleet marine airwing and the commander of United Nations blockading an escort force be directed to provide the maximum possible air gunfire support make it move meanwhile the Air Force Under Lieutenant General stratto is alerted this order caught rear Admiral Eddie yuan's task force 77 refueling at Sea right in the middle of a winter storm we think the Admiral is praying for good weather then the weather broke and USS Missouri the Mighty Mo comes in and vice admiral Arthur struble's seventh fleet joins the battle carriers Stand By and the pilots are briefed napon that is and the planes are launched to support the Marines at the front [Music] that helicopter in the background is Ditch [Music] Patrol then somebody cches and he gets him nice wet work [Music] back at the reservoir wounds and Frostbite take their toll and the casualties go out by plane then the heartbreaking withdrawal order comes burn everything and bug out [Music] [Applause] [Music] but not the for the [Music] payoff I'm not leaving the dead either [Music] w oh sh [Music] the first Marine airwing pilots slam their Rockets right into those dugin commes [Music] wa [Music] a direct hit on a bridge back to the 38th parallel back under our own guns and then then we're out and far enough back to hear the thunder of the Mighty Mo and all night long the mo pounded the beach so that's how the faces got tired Hill after Hill and then we go back again the long weary shuttle begins once more another enemy position to take and this is how we take it first the air burns in in close support [Music] scorching the place with napon while all the time the arery softens up the survivors if [Music] any and whoever runs gets cut down with small arms fire then we move in on foot and we go in for this is Korea Chums this is Korea car your planes in close [Music] support with naom again follow me [Music] well what's it all about you tell us ask any of these guys what they're fighting for and they can't put it into [Music] words maybe it's just p cussedness and pride in the Marine Corps a job to do [Music] Duty and wounds don't count and dead men tell no [Music] Tales th kingdom come thy will be done but for Little Babe Ruth deio it's his whole future and all of his life ahead and that goes double for our own Sons lives and yours for this is everybody's fight that the doctrine of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness shall not perish from this [Music] Earth remember us and remember us and good [Music] luck thanks for watching if you'd like to help us produce more compelling historical content like this please like comment below and share this video with fellow history Buffs and of course be sure to subscribe to help keep history happening