After Countless hours of driving through rice paddies, shuffling on and off a bedazzled tour bus, and multiple ROK (Republic of Korea) military checkpoints we were able to arrive at all of the destinations listed on our itinerary today. This may have been the longest day we will experience while on this trip.
Our first stop today was to the Heartbreak Ridge observation deck. This was a very sentimental place for us and our veteran Donald Schnurr due to the fact that our relatives both fought in this area. The first thing Donald noticed about this area of land was all of the trees "It was nothing but dirt and gravel roads back then". Pictures were not allowed inside the observation deck because the North Koreans were watching us closely. As we peered through the binoculars, at what the soldiers called the "Enemy", tensions were high (to put it lightly). There was a North Korean observation post roughly half a mile off away in the rugged and rolling mountains. Donald reacted in a very calm and collected away. He was not nervous but very confident and intrigued by the fact that he could look at the North Korean soldiers. We were definitely more intimidated than he was. As he told us about his battles at Heartbreak Ridge he was full of confidence, declaring that his attitude in battle was that he was superior to the North Koreans but they later surprised him. "They were actually smarter than I had originally thought" he said, "But I couldn't have survived without my confidence."
Our second stop SURPRISED nearly everyone on the trip. We had no idea what our wonderful tour guide "Allison" was getting us into. We hiked up a large hill and waited in line as Korean soldiers handed us each a white hard hat. Our initial thought was "Why do we need hard hats?" and "These are cute costumes". Little did we know that we were embarking on a half mile walk/duck through a North Korean infiltration tunnel. The tunnel was built for people about Elana's size or smaller, so that put Don and Chuck in somewhat of an inconvenient predicament. Along with being wet and often slippery, the tunnel also included over 250 steps and very steep slopes. The hard hats came in use as many of the veterans and students would often bump their heads against the low rock ceiling. We were concerned about Donald's safety in the tunnel but by the time we realized how rugged the course was, we were already too far in to turn around. His true perseverance really shone through as he made it to the end of the tunnel (as far as we were allowed to go) while covered in sweat and breathing hard. We were able to find a chair (IN A CAVE! WHAT???) and take a breather before we had to .... TURN AROUND AND DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN! I think we finally understood why he survived the things that he did during the war. He is stubborn and his will power is what got him through the physical obstacles that he experienced today. Not to mention he was cracking jokes under his breathe throughout the entire adventure even though it was the hardest thing he has done in a long time. "I got more exercise in that tunnel than I have in the last 6 months combined" was his response after conquering the challenge.
Our third stop was to the White Horse Hill memorial. The 10 day battle that took place on this hill was a memorable one. It changed ownership 24 times throughout the battle and was finally taken by the South Koreans after 3 of their soldiers committed a suicide attack, wiping out a North Korean stronghold. Upon looking at the hill from an aerial view it appears to look like a horse, hints the name "White Horse Hill". This was a very historic battle especially for the South Koreans because it was one of their largest and most intense along with the most casualties (800+). The memorial was built to encourage unity between North and South Korea. It stands 22.5 meters tall and is shaped like praying hands. This memorial was a strong symbol of the South Koreans desire for peace, restoration and unity among the two countries.
As you can tell, we experienced a LONG day and everyone is EXHAUSTED. Many of us fell asleep before we were even to dinner. Dinner on the other hand was something we will never forget. Let's just sum it up in a few words: HOT, kimchee, stone skillet, orange aprons, metal square chopsticks, chicken, cabbage, rice noodles (these look like grub worms), and very uptight Korean sue chefs. They ensured that the restaurant we went to had tables with CHAIRS because the rumor is actually true that Koreans sit on the FLOOR. All in all today was an eventful day that none of us will ever forget. We cannot wait to continue learning about our hero and his experience in the Korean War.
Signing out,
Chuck McFadden and Elana Carson
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