Oct. 9, 1948

Junior Emulates MP Big Brother

By Cpl. Paul Hershey

 

7^TH DIV. IN KOREA-The 7^th Division Military Police received their first replacement since they landed at Inchon, two weeks ago.  He is Pak Sung Sung, 11, a small Korean boy who was picked up along the roadside in the 7^th Division area by Father Patrick Cleary, one of the chaplain's of the division.  He was standing beside the body of his dead sister; his parents had been killed earlier.

Father Cleary is a civilian missionary who has spent 27 years in Korea.  He made his escape to Japan when the Reds first pushed south into the territory where he was living.  Pak was turned over to Cpl. Oscar D. Martin, Gainesville, Ga., for his basic training as an MP and safekeeping until a home could be found.

On his first day in the Army, Martin introduced him to DDT.  Next, the orphan received a haircut and new suit similar in color to the field uniform of U.S. troops in Korea.  Since ratings are no problem on the Korean front, Pak wears the bars of a first lieutenant plus MP crossed pistols.  Martin first taught him hand signals used in traffic direction.  Pak, a good student, not only conquered this phase of training, but also emulates everything Martin does-on duty and off.

Division headquarters men hope that Pak never learns to write up DRs.  If Martin takes him back to Japan, 7^th Division soldiers are not so sure he won't plaster Honshu and Hokkaido with off limits signs.