Miss Rosalie Nash
218 W Grand River
East Lansing, Michigan
14 June 1952
Hi Sweetheart
Mom probably told you by
now that I got myself wounded the other day. It’s nothing serious so don’t worry about it, all I got is a few flesh wounds. A grenade went off about 10 feet from me and I got about four pieces of shrapnel in my legs. It didn’t
break any bones or anything like that. So it’s really nothing to worry about, honest. The Chink that threw that grenade at me will never throw any more.
If you’ve been following the war in the paper, you probably read about us. U.N. forces Northwest of Chorwon attached Chinese held outpost. That was us, but the news reports don’t tell half the story. Out of my squad, there was
nine men who walked up the hill, but there isn’t one of them walking around today. We lost a lot of men but of course the papers don’t say anything about our losses.
I’m feeling good, but I’m awful weak and I can’t walk cuz my legs are sore. They’ll be better in a couple of days tho, so I walk around anyhow.
I’m down in Taegu now at the army hospital. The food is real good down here and we get plenty to eat, so it’s pretty nice down here. We’re even sleeping on
beds with sheets and pillows, first time in over six months quite novel. Feels real good tho for a change.
That’s about all I can think of now, as it’s
about time for me to take a nap. Will write a longer letter tomorrow.
Bye for now
All my Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
14 June 1952
Dear Mom and Dad
By the
time you get this you’ll probably have had the telegram saying I was wounded. It’s nothing to worry about, all I got was a couple of pieces of shrapnel in the leg. It didn’t hit the bone or anything, all it is, is a flesh wound.
I’m back in Taegu now at the army hospital. Don’t know how long I’ll be here, so keep on sending my mail to E company. I’ll probably
be in bed for about two weeks or so. My legs are pretty sore but otherwise everything is OK.
We were assaulting a hill when a Chinaman threw a grenade at
me. It landed right behind me and went off. It’s nothing to worry about so please don’t worry, it isn’t serious.
I guess that Hook
is OK, I haven’t heard anything about him. I was the second one in the company to get hit, so I don’t know who got hit and who didn’t.
I’ve been getting shots right and left. Stopped at about six hospitals before I got here, all they did was change the bandage. Had the shrapnel taken out the night of the 12th. Came down here by train last night. The
food here is real good.
All I got out of that box you sent was one of the can of peaches. The rest of its back at the company and more than likely it will
be gone by the time I get back.
There ain’t much more to write about so I’ll close for now.
Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
15 June
Dear Mom and Dad
Feeling good
again today. I’m going to have some stitches put in, in the morning. I don’t know how long I’m going to be here. There’s a chance I may get to go to Japan, I sure hope so. It’s a lot nicer over there then
it is here.
I can’t walk any at all, as my legs are too sore, but I guess they’re always like that when you’re hurt. I’m just thankful
I didn’t get killed. It was just by the grace of God I even got off that hill. Four other wounded guys and myself walked back to our lines, about a distance of two miles. I got hit about seven in the morning and got to the station around
noon.
I don’t care much for all of this lying around, but there isn’t much I can do about it. In about a week or so, I get a pair of crutches,
so I’ll be able to get around a little bit.
Everyone down here is just swell. We got a lot of magazines to read, so we can pass the time pretty well.
Got 98 guys in this ward with me, so it isn’t too private, but I know quite a few of the boys.
There isn’t much else to write about so I’ll
close for now.
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
Box 248 RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
16 June
Taegu
My Dearest Rosalie
I got all sewed up this morning. I don’t know how many stitches I got, must be around 25 or so tho. My legs are really sore tonight but they’ll be OK in a day or so.
According to the paper there is a lot of fighting going on up where we was.
I’m not too strong now, I get tired awful easy. I can half sit up for
about twenty minutes or so, then I gotta lie down again.
It was hotter than a firecracker out today. This is going to be short as I don’t feel much
like writing, so I hope you understand.
Goodnight for now sweetheart will do better when I feel better
All my Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
17 June
Dear Mom and Dad
Not too much
news, about all that happened was I got my stitches put in, I don’t know how many I got tho.
My legs are still pretty sore, still can’t move them
very much. It was really hot down here yesterday, I guess it was about the hottest day we’ve ever had over here. It’s a little bit cooler today, in fact it ain’t bad at all.
There isn’t much news to write about so I’ll close for now.
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
Box 248 RFD #3
Howell, Michigan
18 June 1952
Taegu
Hi Sweetheart
How’s everything with my girl back therein EL? I hope it ain’t as hot as it is over here. It’s really hot out today, about the worstest day we’ve had so far. I guess it’s a lot hotter up on the line tho.
I ain’t got any mail since the day before I got hit and probably won’t get any for about a week yet. It takes mail an awful long time to catch up
to you while you’re in the hospital. So one of these days in the not too far future I’ll probably get a bushel or so. The night before we made our attack I got a box of canned fruit from home. I got one can of peaches out of that
and the rest of it is still back at the company, so I have no hope of seeing that anymore.
Feel pretty good today, tho I’m still awful weak. Got some
crutches I can get around on a little bit. Can’t go very far as I’m not too strong as yet.
That’s about all I can think of now so I’ll
close for tonight sweetheart. Be good and don’t worry about me but just remember I love you now and always
All my Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
18 June 1952
Dear Mom and Dad
It’s
another real hot day out today. Must be around 100 degrees or so. It’s really hot here in the hospital today.
From what I hear things are a
lot hotter back by Chorwon. Over here they’ve nick named the hills we took “Shanghai Heights.” I don’t know if that name has gotten back to the States or not.
Our whole division is supposed to pull back into reserves pretty soon for a month or son
Feeling pretty good now, one leg is really sore. I’ still
pretty weak tho, but I’ll be OK in a couple of weeks.
There isn’t too much else to write about so I’ll close now.
Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
19 June 1952
Dear Mom and Dad
Didn’t
do anything since yesterday. It’s another real hot day again.
I ain’t got any mail since the 10th and probably won’t get any
for about a week yet. It always takes quite a while to catch up to you it seems.
The food here has been pretty good on the whole, every once in a while
we get a meal which ain’t much good. It’s a lot better than what we used to get back at E Company anyhow.
There really isn’t any news
so I’ll close.
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
218 W Grand River
East Lansing, Michigan
20 June 1952
Taegu
My Dearest Rosalie
Got to see a show last night, went to see that one about Jane Froman, song in my heart or something like that. It was a pretty good movie too.
We got a theatre about a hundred yards from our yard, so me and a couple of other E company boys wandered over there last night. It’s about half an hours walk for us as we’re not too fast right now.
It’s another beautiful day out, a nice cool breeze blowing so it isn’t too hot out. Maybe it’ll be cool all day, usually the afternoons are really hot.
We really got it pretty nice here. Any time we need a drink or anything, all we gotta do is holler at a ward boy and he gets if for us. Then too once a day one of the Red Cross girls comes around and passes out cigarettes and candy and about anything
else we need. We ain’t too bad off on the whole.
I just was figuring when it was back at home when I got hit. It must have been around four
PM on the 11th by A2 time. I think we’re about 15 hours ahead of you over here. So it wasn’t too nice of a birthday present.
About another month or month and a half my stay in Korea ought to be about over. The sooner yours truly gets out of Korea the better he’ll like it. It’s been too darn long since I’ve seen a certain little gal, about 12 ½
months, I guess. I don’t want to go 12 ½ minutes without seeing her. Til I can be with her again I guess I’ll just have to go on dreaming about her and loving her. Bye for now dearest.
All my Love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
21 June
Taegu
Dear Mom and Dad
I can get up and around again now. Can’t walk very fast, but at least I can walk around. Soon as they take the stitches out I‘ll be OK again. My legs are still pretty sore yet tho.
It’s another real nice day out again today. It’s been pretty nice every day so far.
In another four or five days I ought to start getting some
mail. I’ll be glad when it starts coming thru again.
There
really isn’t anything to write about so I’ll close for now
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
218 W Grand River
East Lansing, Michigan
22 June 1952
My Dearest Rosalie
I’m
getting so I can walk around again. Walked over to the show again last night, didn’t even have to use crutches. My legs are still sore, but it really feels good to be able to walk on your own legs again. I’ll probably be here
until the first of the month at least. I’m not in any hurry to go back to the company. We’re supposed to go back to Vi Jong Bo and train replacements for a couple of months. Then before we go back to the line, I should’ve
said goodbye to this country and be headed back toward those good old States.
Went to church this morning. Another boy from E Company and myself walked
over there this morning. The MPs down here have got a little chapel in one of this old Gook buildings. It’s not too big, only holds about 50 people, but it’s kinda nice. I couldn’t go last week as I couldn’t walk.
I left my camera with one of the cooks when we went on that raid. He used to be my assistant on the BAR then he got to be a cook. He’s a real swell guy.
We got to invite him to our wedding, when we tie the knot. I think he’s from Flint or right around there. He came into the army same time I did, so he’ll be getting out at the same time as me. There isn’t more to write about
so I’ll close for now. It’s almost chow time so I’ll have to wander over there in a few minutes.
Goodbye for now sweetheart.
All my love
Ken
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Zill
1713 Maryfield
Ann Arbor, Michigan
22 June 1952
Dear Mom and Dad
Just
got back from church services. The M.P. station down here has a chapel so I and another boy from E company went over there.
Walked over to the show last
night. Seems good to be walking around again. Still can’t walk very fast, but I can walk.
It’s a little bit cooler out today, looks almost
as if it might right. About all we got to do down here is read and we’ve got a lot of books and magazines to read, so we can keep fairly busy.
There
isn’t much else to write about so I’ll close for now.
Love
Ken
Miss Rosalie Nash
218 W. Grand River
East Lansing, Michigan
23 June 1952
Taegu
My Dearest Rosalie
Happy Birthday Sweetheart. May God grant that this is the last birthday that we ever have to be separated. By this time next year we’ll have started on a long wonderful married life together.
Got a page out of the ‘Stars and Stripes” enclosed. It tells about the 45th and what they’re doing. Those hills that are called “Shanghai Heights” are the ones E Company took.
They took my stitches out today, had 21 altogether. In about another week I ought to be as good as new. It really feels good to have those darn wire stitches out. They used to bother the heck out of me and I’m glad they took them out.
Still ain’t got no mail, but maybe I’ll get some tomorrow. That’s the only reason I don’t like being back here, no mail. It’s
been so long since I’ve got a letter, I almost have forgotten what one looks like. I can’t think of much else, so I’ll say sayonara for now sweetheart.
I’m sending you
All my Love
Ken