After going through the Village during what's called "Cleaning up" smoking out stray chinks and checking empty buildings, we came across a deep ravine and as our squad leader moves forward I hear a shot and the leader falls forward into the ravine. I run towards him and stumble over trash also falling into the ravine and landing next to him. I ask, "Sarge, are you OK?." He just stares at me with a peculiar gaze and as I look him over I see a huge gash on his left forearm that went through his sleeve splitting it open and I could see the bone inside his arm bleeding profusely. I immediately cut off his sleeve and wrap his arm as best as I could and called back the customarily "Medic" which is repeated by all in contact until it gets to the Medic at Company forward C.P. , The New Platoon Leader moves up with the medic and informs me to take over the squad and proceed as the medic is busy with Sarge. I really don't know where to start and just wave back to the squad with a "Come on.. follow me" type gesture and lead them forward. About then I noticed Abel moving on my left flank and he says to me, "Heh Bro, your squad leader now?, keep alert there's a lot of 'pakaes' (Hawaiian pigeon slang for Chinese)". He had earlier became a squad Leader himself back when we were in Reserve and were all awarded the "C.I.B."(the Badge awarded to all Infantrymen who actually face the enemy in Combat), Leroy was the first to proudly wear his on his Field Jacket, we all followed. Abel had the 2nd Squad in the 3rd Platoon who seems to always get the same missions as we did, so I saw a lot of him. Leroy was still with his B.A.R. He keeps saying He doesn't have the heart to unload it on an unexperienced lad. As we advanced through town we approached a place with a huge bank on the roadside where we were halted and told to rest there. Word gets passed on from the rear indicating, "All Squad Leaders to C.P." So I went to the C.P. where the old man is sitting on a rock and motions to form a circle around him. He states that we are jumping off to a Hill that is supposedly loaded with chinks and they are not retreating. The hill is X37 and we're in the vicinity of Uijongbu, our Platoon will be attacking from the ridgeline with 3rd platoon on our left along the east side of the hill and B Company's 1st Platoon the west side. Leroy was in that 1st Platoon but I couldn't see him anywhere, anyway the two sides were a little steep so I couldn't see all of them on the flanks anyway. We all advance with no opposition until all of a sudden, I see the sky covered with falling black objects coming down towards us, it is Hand grenades and as they fall and explode we all get deaf and hit the ground firing. I instantly look up and see a long side by side line of Chinese tan uniformed people throwing then bending down to get more grenades as they keep throwing until they fall. I was so close, like they were in this long trench dug around the hill hiding until we got close enough for them to reach us on their throws. We were so close that I noticed their faces and all seemed to be young kids, I bit my lip as I fired unto them seeing them fall without even hearing my gun going off only feeling an unexplained numbness in my head. Our new LT. leader was behind me as he had sent my squad as point (with a brand new squad leader?) Anyway all of a sudden the LT screams at me to "Fix Bayonets!" and as I motion my squad to advance, we attached my our bayonets but, I felt that they were not charging at us so why? Anyway He (the LT) is now behind me ordering me to jump in the hole and as I do, looking down at the dead kids, the LT. jumps in and immediately start stabbing the bodies with his bayonated Carbine rifle, I guess some were wounded and still a threat to him, he's opinion, not mine, I didn't have the heart.
After the attack, as I was seating, resting at the summit, I felt a mass of what felt like shattered meat on my right side and thought, "Oh no, I got hit and screamed, Medic !", but when I inspected further, it turned out to be a can of corned beef hash from the c-rations that I had been carrying in my Field jacket pocket, that took the hit, how embarrassing it was when the medic finally got to me and burst out laughing. I told myself I would never call him again, even if I got hit.