22. Cpl. Noll is Court Martialed -- 1951 - Page 2
Found Guilty When it came my turn I pleaded guilty. Technically I was out of bounds and after hours. I did not know there was a curfew and that all Korean Homes were off limits to all military personnel. It was really my first time that I had been in the rear areas with such rules. The Colonel signed my papers as guilty and turned to me and asked to hear my side of the story. I told him that I was recovering in a MASH Unit from wounds and I did not know about such rules. I explained that I was part of a five man radio relay team. For the last 14 months I had been on mountain tops operating relay stations. How can I be in bounds there? The stations operate 24 hours a day. How can I obey any curfew rules? In all of my time in Korea I had rarely been In the 581st Radio Relay Company area. I have no Idea even where they are. I have been on the top of perhaps 16 mountain tops in both North and South Korea.A Surprise He looked at me for a minute in silence and declared that I was a victim of an innocent mistake. He then tore up the paper and told me to go back to the MASH Unit. I was my own attorney, pleaded guilty and was found innocent. I had a hard time believing it. I never told anyone about the event.