A Warmed-Over Welcome

1950. South Korea.  Civilians line the roads to cheer truck-borne American forces advancing to the front. Curiously, the Koreans' wave was not a side-to-side motion, but rather a circular, winding gesture.  But all that aside, Korean civilians were accustomed to armies coming to invade their land. Japan's occupation of Korea during the early 20th century set a ruthless example of domination that schooled the opposing factions enmeshed in the struggles of 1950-53. Civilians learned that showing visible support to invading armies was a matter of life and death.

GMC Deuce and a Half

C. 1950, Korea.  This confident-looking crew pose before their GMC 2.5-ton cargo truck, so named for its cargo-carrying capacity.  The "Deuce and a Half" was the U.S. Army's standard vehicle for carrying men, weapons, rations, and any other supplies that could be crammed onto the cargo bed.  The trucks available to the Army for operations in Korea in 1950 were entirely war surplus, manufactured no later than 1945.  Many examples saw service in World War II, and had the scars to show it.  Plentiful in number, the GMCs often suffered poor mechanical integrity, providing maintenance headaches to mechanics.  Nevertheless, these trucks were the Army's lifeline in Korea.