Private Junior Israel Moats

C. 1950, Japan.  The story of Junior Israel Moats exemplifies the capriciousness of fate that led young American boys to join the Army and wind up on occupation duty in post-war Japan.  Junior was born on January 29, 1928 in the corner of West Virginia that borders both Maryland and Pennsylvania.  He was the third of eight children born to Grant and Theodosia Moats.  The two brothers that followed him died in infancy.  Theodosia died in 1935.  Then in 1948, when Junior was 20, his father died. At that point, Army enlistment made a lot of sense: Uncle Sam promised each soldier "three hots and a cot."  In this portrait, Junior sports an Eight Army patch on his left shoulder, which pretty much guarantees that this image was taken in Japan.  Junior went to Korea with B Company, 34th Infantry along with Philip Hughes. Records show that Junior was wounded twice in battle.  The first event was on July 19, with a recuperation period that restored him to B/34's roster on August 15.  The second incident was September 10, just two days before Philip Hughes was killed in action.  Junior returned to duty on September 20 and survived the rest of his tour in Korea.  Upon his return to West Virginia, he married and had three children.  Junior died of unknown causes in 1966 at the young age of 38.  

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.

PFC Charles M. "Chuckie" Skero

PFC Charles Michael “Chuckie” Skero was one of the first American troops sent to Korea upon the outbreak of war there in 1950.  He served with Philip Hughes as part of B Company of the 34^th Infantry Regiment. He participated in the battles at P’yongt’aek (Jul 6) and Ch’onan (Jul 7-8).  His company of about 140 men was at the forefront of the U.S. Army’s defensive perimeter north of Taejon when North Korean forces assaulted the position with tanks and overwhelming infantry during the pre-dawn hours of July 20.

Ralph Atherton, quoted in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazzette on June 25, 2000, was taken prisoner alongside Skero.  Atherton managed to survive the imprisonment that claimed so many others.  From Atherton's testimony, we learned that Skero, who stood 5-foot-7 and weighed 140 pounds, manned a machine gun to repel the North Koreans. When his position was overrun, he was shot five times in the back, then taken prisoner. Skero was one of about 32 men lost by the company in that action.

According to an article published February 28, 1993 by Associated Press journalist George Esper, Skero’s name was included on a list of 125 Korean War soldiers who were reportedly interrogated by Soviet intelligence officials based in North Korea.

Chuckie Skero was from Standard Shaft, Pennsylvania, a tightly-knit coal mining community of Catholic Poles and Slavs.  His hair was nearly white; everyone called him “Towhead.” A high school drop-out at 16, Chuckie’s mother signed for him to join the Army in 1946.  He was billeted with the occupation forces in Japan.  He enjoyed it enough to re-enlist in 1948. He sent his parents a photo of him and his Army buddies.  On the back he wrote “How do you like the shoeshine?”

After his capture, the Army provided scant news of his whereabouts.  Skero's family was notified by telegram on September 2, 1950, that he was missing in action.  After the cease-fire in 1953, released prisoners of war shared their knowledge.  Chuckie’s health declined over about 10 months of captivity in An-Dong, North Korea.  His weight fell to about 80 pounds.  He died of malnutrition on June 22, 1951. Fellow prisoner Christopher McAndrews recalled carrying Chuckie’s remains out of the prison compound at dusk.  Skero was buried in a shallow grave on a North Korean hillside.   

On Maneuvers

October 15, 1950. Korea. Troops of the U.S. 8th Cavalry Regiment on maneuvers.  The scrub pine seen on this hillside was typical of Korea's heavily de-forested countryside.  In many ways, Korea had yet to recuperate from a half century of Japanese domination.  Among the impositions placed by Japan on Korea was the extraction of raw materials which notably included lumber.  Philip Hughes and the other Americans rushed to Korea in 1950 enjoined the battle on landscape like this.

Port of Pusan

August 6, 1950.  Pusan, Korea. The U.S. 23rd Infantry Regiment has just arrived at Pusan, having sailed directly from Bremerton, Washington. This was the first Army unit committed to Korea directly from the continental U.S. The port infrastructure at Pusan was of Japanese construction, providing berths for up to 24 sea-going ships at once.  Even that was not enough to serve the U.S. Eighth Army's needs in a timely fashion.  Because port space was limited during the summer of 1950, Philip Hughes and other troops drawn from occupation forces in Japan fought to delay opposing North Korean forces long enough for ships to cycle through the port to bring in additional supplies and manpower.

U.S. Army Recruitment Ad, 1947

On June 25, 1947, The Washington Star ran this advertisement on behalf of the U.S. Army Recruitment Center in Washington, D.C.  It appeared a little over a year before Philip Hughes enlisted at the center's office at 403 10th Street, N.W.  The Army clearly needed to boost is peace-time garrison in Korea.  A naive reader would get the impression that a billet in Korea would be a rustic adventure.  The ad conveniently fails to admit that much cushier accommodations were enjoyed by Army troops on occupation duty in Japan.  Whether Philip saw this ad or one similar is unknown.

Mass in the Field

1951. Hwachon, Korea.  U.S. soldiers attend outdoor mass.  The Army in 1950 accommodated Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish chaplains. They were all rugged, resourceful men. Chaplains were nominally assigned to regimental or division headquarters.  They practiced their trade in an itinerant fashion, driving to the encampments of various infantry, engineer, medical, or other units as needed. By international convention, chaplains were recognized as non-combatants, but the insidious nature of combat in Korea - which cost several chaplains their lives - led to others carrying a sidearm for self-protection.  Soldiers in war zones especially sought comfort in prayer and religious guidance. Philip Hughes was raised as a Catholic and almost certainly consulted Catholic chaplains during his deployment in Korea.