Two Korean ships loaded with civilians tied alongside the Askari for temporary repairs and we escorted them one night down south. They had 8400 Koreans on one of them and you can imagine how crowded it was. The cooks on the Askari boiled GI cans of rice for them and they nearly killed one another to get it. When the weather is cold enough for spray from the sea to freeze on your clothes, it's pretty chilly. Some of the little children had only enough clothes to cover the upper portions of their bodies. The dead people were stacked on the bow and why they were not thrown overboard is beyond me, unless the people believe in sacred burials.

When we were underway on the high seas with them, we'd look over at the people huddled on the open decks in the icy wind and realize how lucky we are. Those jammed below decks were fortunate to be out of the weather, but if I would have had to be on a crowded dirty ship among dead, wounded, dirty and sick, I would have taken an airy spot. However, I imagine they all consider themselves fortunate to be taken out of Hungnam.