300 copies of the following letter were printed
and distributed to men of the 326th Communications Reconnaissance
Company in January of 1953 by George F. Drake. Men in the company
were asked to sign the letters and send them to their hometown papers.
KOC-107
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Korea
Sirs:
Girl Scout Troops, church groups, Veteran's clubs
and individuals responded to a short article in a hometown paper of
one of the fellows in my company. He wrote a letter home telling of
the orphanage supported by the men of this company. Through his short
article we received 60 packages for the orphanage. That is why I write
to you.
If the people of his hometown will up and help him
in that manner I feel that the people who read my home paper will do
the same. Will you please help me and my company in our project and
print our story? It is as follows.
Over a year ago our company started supporting 55
children in an orphanage located next to our camp. We fed and clothed
them the best we could. Even so we could not provide the close attention
needed to have them brought up properly. Since people of responsibility
could not be found to run the orphanage for us we moved the children
to Seoul Sanitarium and Hospital Orphanage where they were integrated
into the larger household of over 200 children.
Here are the true victims of this war. Thirty percent
have TB; numerous others are hospitalized with communicable diseases.
The most recent group to enter were twenty-four unfortunate tots suffering
from malnutrition. They had been starving and freezing in their small
orphanage while the overseer was stealing the money given by the government
for their food! Now they are in good hands.
Two Americans at the hospital, Mrs. George Rue, the
Director's wife, and Miss Robson, the head nurse, have accepted full
responsibility for these derelicts in the sea of humanity.
Some of the tots are brought to the orphanage by
people who found them living in caves, eking out an existence by raiding
garbage piles and begging. Others, new born, were found in the gutters
almost without life. The two American women have taken on the orphanage
as additional duties besides their running the hospital. They are directly
responsible for the raising and keeping of the children but what a task!
Two people caring for 274 children!
Our job has not been lightened by turning our charges
over to Mrs. Rue and Miss Robson. The contrary is true. We now have
274 charges and they are all in dire need of our assistance and all
the help our friends at home can give us.
Basic food staples are scarce, powdered milk, chocolate,
cereals, dried fruits and vegetables, all are desperately needed. Outing
flannel for infant's clothes and corduroy and other material for larger
children's clothing is needed. Shoes of all sizes, but especially for
the smaller tots, are lacking. Some sort of waterproof material for
the infant's cribs is needed to protect bedding. Hardly any of the
children in the hospital with TB have pajamas and such a thing as sheets
for the beds is unheard of. And so goes the list.
Christmas is past but the Christian spirit of giving
should not be governed by the seasons. These children need your help
and need it now. Won't you help us? Anything you send will be greatly
appreciated. Send packages to me but marked "For Orphanage"
in the event I leave the company before it arrives.
Yours very truly,
326th CRC, APO 301
c/o P.M., San Francisco
California, USA
Korea doc. 007
