I visited the village mainly during the day time and conversed with them. I told them the Marines were watching them, and any hostile act might bring massive machine gun fire from the Marines because they could not divide Korean friend from Korean enemy. Otherwise the Marines would protect them and not destroy their lives or property.

One evening I was visiting one house to another, and observed about 20 people assembled silently. I worried about why they were meeting, and hid in a shadow until they all went indoors, then looked at then through the gap in the door. In their hands I saw old Bibles and hymn books they must have brought from deep hiding places. They began to sing with low voices, then prayed together. I saw they faces in torment for their souls, because they had suffered under Communist domination, denied to worship God and tortured for their belief. When the Marines came, they regained their precious right to worship -- but for how long? They knew the Marines were surrounded by the enemy hopelessly and in a few days the enemy would occupy the village again. Their barns would be destroyed, they would have no food to eat and no place to go in the brutal winter. I saw many crying while the services were being conducted. I knelt down in the snow outside the window and prayed for them. I asked God to witness their suffering and visit them in coming days when the Marines have departed.

Within a few days, the Marines had to leave Hagaru. In the words of General O.P. Smith, we were advancing in a new direction. When they saw us preparing to leave Hagaru, I also observed them packing their belongings to follow us. The Marine commanders had no "courage" to tell them to not follow us. Silently, they walked behind us, keeping a few hundred yards distance from our line. Often the Chinese soldiers joined them and fired at us, causing our retaliation. They were in the middle of cross fires between us and the enemy. Yet, they never gave up following us. When we arrived at Koto-ri, I was able to see them again, but their numbers were diminished. Some of their feet were bleeding, but their determination to follow us was in no way diminished.