Thirteen veterans of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir attended the Chosin Few Parade & Memorial Ceremony at Marine Military Academy Dec. 12. The 13 men traveled from across the country to reunite with some of their comrades 65 years later.
More than 150 people attended the parade to pay homage to these heroes. Thanks to Tootsie Roll Industries, all event-goers received a bank of Tootsie Roll candy. The Girl Scouts of Harlingen Troops 109 and 4138 passed out the banks.
After the parade, the Chosin Few gathered at the MMA president’s house for a reception. After a prayer by Chaplain Chris Elliott, Superintendent Col R. Glenn Hill presented the 13 honorees with a giant bank of Tootsie Roll candy — the food they survived on back in 1950.
Though the Battle of Chosin Reservoir was an epic military triumph, it remains a forgotten battle from a forgotten war — the Korean War.
At the reception, Col Hill said, “It’s been called the Korean Conflict. It’s been called a police action. But everyone in this room knows it was a war.”
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir (Nov. 27 – Dec. 13, 1950) was one of the bloodiest battles during the Korean War. It was also one of the coldest battles in history and often referred to as “Frozen Chosin.”
It was during the coldest winter in 100 years in North Korea that 15,000 fighters, mostly Marines, were surrounded by 120,000 Chinese and North Korean soldiers at Chosin Reservoir. The men needed to break out of the encirclement, and their only “lifeline” was to walk down a steep and narrow mountain road they called the MSR, or main supply route.
The MSR would lead the troops to the port of Hungnam, but they had to walk 78 miles in brutal, sub-zero temperatures to reach it. They also had to battle wave after wave of enemy soldiers as they made their way toward the sea.
Against seemingly impossible odds, most of the Allied troops reach the Hungnam port and managed to inflict crippling losses on the Chinese and North Korean forces. Their fighting spirit, courage and determination saved the lives of 98,000 civilian refugees.
The survivors of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir would later become known as the Chosin Few. Before that, however, they were also called the “Tootsie Roll Marines.”
During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the troops requested more “tootsie rolls,” the code name for the 60 mm mortar ammunition they needed. The radioman who received the message misunderstood and the troops were sent supplies of Tootsie Roll candy instead.
The candy ended up saving the lives of the warriors because Tootsie Rolls were the only food that could be thawed enough to eat in temperatures that were 30 degrees below zero.
Click to see photos of the Chosin Few Parade & Memorial Ceremony.
