Pacific Stars and Stripes, Dec. 25, 1952
WITH U.S. 7th DIV, Dec.25
(INS)- Tank crews of this division are making a major sacrifice
to provide a merry Christmas for Korean children this week.
They're cutting down on beer consumption.
It started when Division Commander Maj. Gen.
Wayne C. Smith, Clarksville, Tenn., ordered "Operation Santa Claus"
to "defeat the forces of gloom."
The general issued the command.
BUT IT WAS up to enlisted men to find money
for clothing, food, and parties for needy Koreans.
Then soldiers of the 73d Tank Battalion came
up with an inspiration. They'd raise the price in their beer
bar from 20 cents to 40 cents a can. The Waldor-Astoria price
drove beer consumption way down. But there was enough determinedly
thirsty soldiers to raise $2,700 for a merry Korean Christmas.
OTHER GIMMICKS helped fill the total but
the levy on beer was the major factor.
The 7th raised more than $9,000-more than
any other outfit in Korea, according to Civil Affairs Officer Maj.
Emerson C. Heinz, Oakland, Cal.
On Christmas day gifts of rice, candy, blankets,
and warm clothing will signal victory for Operation Santa Claus.
The operation began when Smith issued a formal
five-paragraph operations order. It was just like the "sealed
orders" which launch major actions.
THE MISSION was defeat of the "armies of
gloom who have occupied this area for two years-deeply entrenched."
The enemy forces, the order stated, were "units of the 1952 despair
army-hungry people and unclothed children. Those units were
a major threat to the 7th Division's mission of creating security."
Six special "task forces" created for Operation
Santa Claus were: Dancer, Prancer, Donner, Blitzen, Dasher, and Vixen,
named for Santa's reindeer.
PSS-241
