Nifong, Daniel B.
Daniel B. Nifong: Korean War
Judith D. Blankenship (Student Interview)
Interview Date: October 23, 2003
Q: When and where were you born?
A: Ozark, Arkansas. October 30, 1924.
Q: Was the Korean War expected or did the war and US involvement come as a complete surprise?
A: It was unexpected. It was a surprise.
Q: How old were you when the Korean War broke out?
A: I would have been 24.
Q: Were you in the military at that time?
A: Yes.
Q: Were you a WWII veteran?
A: Yes.
Q: In what branch of the military did you serve?
A: In WWII, I served in the navy. In Korea, I was in the army.
Q: What were your personal feelings about going off to war and what were your feelings in regards to communism and the anxieties and tensions it created in the United States?
A: It came so suddenly and the unit was activated in such a short time, we really didn’t give it much thought. We were busy. The Korean War broke out, they called in all the inactive reservists and took those of us who were active duty regular army as cavalry and formed a unit. We went to Fort Ord and took three days of refresher. We moved up under an artillery barrage, ran the close combat course, and the night infiltration, then we were on our way.
I was strongly opposed to communism. I understood the reason for the necessity of the outbreak of the war, so I had no problem with that.
Q: What were the feelings of your friends and acquaintances about the war?
A: Most of those that I was serving with were professional soldiers and were prepared to go anywhere that the country called them to go. The inactive reservists who were called back to duty were pretty bitter about it. Understandably so, because a number of them had served in WWII and then had not bee associated with any type of military function from then until the Korean War broke out, not even active reserve. It was a mistake to call the inactive reserve first.
Q: Did all of the people you knew want to join the military and serve?
A: Initially the feeling was pretty positive. After the war had gone for a couple of years, you could tell there was a difference in the attitude of the younger draftees. They weren’t as anxious as they had been at the beginning.
Q: How did your family, wife, or girlfriend feel at the time?
A: Well, I only had one wife (laughing). We had just bought a home in Bakersfield, California. I was stationed at Presidio in San Francisco, so it pretty well disrupted the whole family. My wife was pregnant at the time. I didn’t make a real special effort to avoid going because I knew someone would just have to fill my place. So we just went through the deal.
Q: Where did you undertake basic training?
A: Basic training for me, because I had been in WWII was not necessary. What I did was take a four-week refresher course at Fort Ord.
Q: Explain your experiences and impressions of basic training.
A: Our training was not thorough. It was limited to firing on the rifle range and learning how to use protective gas masks and going through the gas chambers. We went over some of the rules and regulations on the Articles of War. That was just about what it consisted of. I was already a staff sergeant at the time, because I carried my rank over. I was more of a platoon sergeant than a trainee.
Q: After basic training, where did the military send you?
A: After the refresher training, I went back and was assigned to Fort Baker, Calfironia, in the artillery detachment. In the artillery detachment we operated the coast artillery at that time, and we operated land mine planting vessels in the harbor in San Francisco, and that’s where we were doing most of that time [sic].
Q: In what capacity did you serve during the Korean War – your duty, rank and such?
A: I was a platoon sergeant and the unit they activated was called a provisional battalion. We were designated as a military police company in that battalion. Our principal responsibility was protecting main supply routes, (they call them S.R. in the army), clearing road blocks, picking up and transporting prisoners of war. We were an 8th Army asset and we did just about anything 8th Army wanted us to do.
Q: In terms of your own experience in Korea, what kind of conditions did you live and work in?
A: They were not good in Korea. We were shipped out in such a hurry that we landed in Inchon, in about November, and that winter was one of the coldest winters in history. We were issued two army blankets, a field jacket with no liner and a pair of gloves. That was our equipment. Probably more men were lost from active combat duty from frostbite than enemy action.
Q: If you feel comfortable talking about combat, please describe the combat experiences you had, if any.
A: When we landed at Inchon, we were issued a basic round of ammunition which consisted of five rounds of ammunition for an M-14 rifle. We went north to join the major united in Kanggye. My platoon was separated and sent to Kunari, where we supported the 2nd Infantry Division. It was not a good affair because while we were there the Chinese intervened and I always like to tell the kids it’s not pleasant when you see a million Chinese coming down the mountainside. But, as a soldier, you make the best with whatever your to work with.
Q: What was your most memorable experience in Korea, combat or otherwise?
A: Probably the Chinese army intervening and the fact that we had to evacuate so rapidly. We had lost all of our jeeps and trucks, combat vehicles, so we had to commandeer a Korean train with a Korean engineer. At the same time, we brought 200 of their prisoners of war back south with us. One of the things that stands out in my mind is they put the three railroad cars holding the prisoners of war out in front of the locomotive, pushing them and were a few cars behind. The main idea was if they sabotaged the track or blew up a bridge, they would subject their own people to the activity first. I have no animosity towards the North Korean soldier or the Chinese soldier as an individual. He’s just another soldier doing what his country demanded of him. So, we didn’t have any ill will toward them, but we had to make sure we got to where we were going.
Q: How has that particular experience impacted your life?
A: That, with the other incidents that took place – it isn’t so bad now, but years ago my wife had to be very careful about entering the bedroom if I was asleep and startle me when I woke up.
Q: What kind of contact did you have with the people back home? What kind of correspondence did the military permit?
A: We had equivalent to WWII email. The services at that time were provided pretty fast. My wife tells me that she would get a letter within four or five days, when I had an opportunity to write. That’s the only communication we had. Toward the end of the war I was able to get back to Pusan, which was still in American hands, and make a telephone call home because my dad had been killed in a car accident. That is another thing that sticks out vividly in my mind. My battalion commander, my brigade commander, all wanted me to come home because my mother was not in good health, but the military in all its wisdom said, “No, he’s dead. There’s nothing you can do about it. So we stayed there and did our job.”
Q: How long did you serve in Korea?
A: I served in Korea about 18 months.
Q: After serving in Korea, where did the military send you or were you immediately discharged?
A: Well, that’s an interesting thing, too. When I rotated back to the states, we landed at Fort Mason in San Francisco and they put us on a train. We got to Camp Roberts, California, about three o’clock in the morning. They put us all in a big building around some tables and asked to fill out these papers and put down the army area where you would like to be assigned to and at least three installations, because we can guarantee you can at least get that. So I put down the 6th Army area, which was California and Fort Ord, the Presidio, and Fort MacArthur, because I could drive home from any of those places. I went home happy on a thirty-day leave and came back and my orders were posted on the bulletin board. They said 101st Airborne Division, Camp Breckenridge, Kentucky. So, so much for the promise.
Q: What kind of reception did you receive when you got back to the United States?
A: Nobody paid much attention.
Q: If indeed you experienced the horrors of war, how did that experience affect your relations or interactions with family, friends, spouse, and/or girlfriend?
A: I don’t know that it impacted the relationships to any extent. I guess maybe that I had it a little different than a lot of the older people did, because in WWII I went in when I was 17 and went immediately to the Aleutians and I saw a lot there. Then I was in the last great battle of Okinawa, so by the time Korea came along I was pretty well prepared for it.
Q: Do you still keep in touch with some of the people you served with?
A: I did for a long time, but most of the close ones I served with were older than I was and they have passed away. There is still one young fellow that was in my platoon and served twenty years in the army, then got out, who lives in Maryland. I hear from him every once in a while.
Q: What kinds of general observations and conclusions do you have about the Korean War and your Korean War experience?
A: I have some thoughts about the way it was handled from a civilian standpoint. I thought in most cases, if we were going to commit the number of troops that we did and lose the number we did in combat it was not good of our civilian bosses to then make a deal to say we quit right here. I don’t believe that . . . you could say that I was supportive of MacArthur’s attitude and the advice he was giving. All of the people I served with, no exceptions, were really disappointed when he was relieved of his command because he had made some statements. We knew he was not supposed to oppose the orders of the President and that sort of thing, but I do think a senior military officer should have the right to speak out and say what he believes to the American people. This gives them an idea of how they should go.
Update:
Mr. Nifong passed away on December 16, 2011: http://www.smithparks.com/visitations/View.php?id=5955
