The MASH Heros You Have Never Heard Of 🚩🚩🚩🚩

Is there anyone, anywhere who hasn’t heard of MASH?

When its TV run ended in 1983, the final show was the most-watched television episode in history.

But there’s a remarkable MASH unit hardly anyone here knows of. What a pity. Their raw courage is right out of  the most harrowing war movie.

Except that the heros in this real-life saga never came within a million miles of Hollywood. They were Indians … as in, India.

They were members of the 60th Para Field Ambulance… medics who were also parachutists, who jumped into combat alongside the fighting infantry. These MASH men of the 60th were not the boozy, skirt-chasing, wise-cracking cynics of the TV show.

When the Korean War broke out, recently-independent India opted not to send combat forces, but instead would contribute a crack medical team … the 60th Para, which had served in Burma against the Japanese, It was commanded by a veteran, Lieut-Col A.G. Rangaraj, reputedly the first member of the Indian army to earn his parachutists wings, earlier in World War 2. (The photos below are from India’s official account of the 60th’s Korean War experiences).

The 60th Para arrived in Korea in Nov, 1950, composed of  346 men,  including four combat surgeons, two anaesthesiologists and a dentist.

When the Chinese swarmed through UN lines in November 1950, the 60th had to evacuate its position. But they had no transport and were reluctant to abandon their medical equipment. They stumbled across an ancient steam locomotive, formed bucket brigades to fill the boilers with water, and loaded up the train. Two soldiers (with zero previous train experience), got it all running and chugged across the last bridge south  before it was blown. They don’t teach that in medical school or army staff colleges.

Colonel Rangaraj’s logic was: they were specifically trained for mountain operations such as they found in Korea, and had first class equipment for such work. It would have been a great pity to leave it all behind. “We would have been of little use without it,” he said later, “ and could not afford to lose it.”

The Indian medics stuck with the troops they were treating during the horrific rearguard fighting that winter. Three times in three days they set up and then closed down their dressing stations as they tried to find safety, refusing to abandon the wounded..

Later, in March ’51, in the second biggest airborne operation in the war, Operation Tomahawk, a dozen medics of the 60th parachuted in behind the lines with 4,000 US troops. Rangaraj was among them.

Casualties were heavy. A U.S.commander said: “I was immediately struck by the (Indians’) efficiency. That small unit, adapted for an airborne role, has carried out 103 operations. which is quite outstanding for that type of unit … probably 50 of those operated (on) owed their lives to those men.”

 

The freezing wounded were lying in the open. The Indian medics dug trenches to shelter them and covered them with parachute silk to keep them warm.

It was typical 60th Para valour. In September, 1951, while attached to Commonwealth troops, they treated 448 casualties in six days of fighting. A month later they evacuated (under fire) another 150 wounded. In many other clashes later they were still in the thick of  it. The Indians saved hundreds of wounded.

In all, they treated about 200,000 wounded. … which included  2,300 field medical operations … and in the meantime, also trained local Korean doctors and nurses.

The 60th  Para received many decorations from their own country, and from South Korea, the UN, a US Bronze Star, and a unit citation from Douglas MacArthur. India also issued a postage stamp in tribute to their heroism. (Has Canada ever made such a gesture specifically honouring any of  our army’s Korean feats?)

The 60th Para served in Korea for three and a half years, until February 1954, the longest single tenure of any unit in the entire war.

It is quite an outfit with quite the history. Wounded Canadian Korean vets, some from Kapyong,  have told me of their great admiration for the Indian medical teams who helped save their lives. It says something about the myopic way we teach history that this unit’s thrilling story is so little known.

While I’m at it, there’s some disconnect here. Why do so many trained Indian doctors who move to Canada, find it such a tough task getting their expertise recognized?  …. Just asking.

Article taken from : https://kapyongkorea.wordpress.com/2012/06/12/the-mash-heros-youve-never-heard-of/

Taekwondo written exam for Red Belts at Phoenix Martial Arts Academy, Dadar East, Mumbai , INDIA

Where did Taekwondo come from ?

The practice of Taekwondo dates back to about 50 B.C. when Korea was divided into three kingdoms: Silla,  Koguryo and Paekche. Tae Kyon (also called Subak) is considered the earliest known form of Taekwondo. Although Taekwondo first appeared in the Koguryo kingdom, it is the Silla's Hwarang warriors that spread Taekwondo throughout Korea. The Taek Kyon trained warriors then became known as the Hwarang. The Hwarang set up a military academy for the sons of royalty in Silla called Hwarang-do, which means "The way of flowering manhood." During the Silla dynasty (A.D. 668 to A.D. 935) Taek Kyon was mostly used as a sport and recreational activity. Taek Kyon's name was changed to Subak and the focus of the art was changed from fitness to primarily a fighting art during the Koryo dynasty (A.D. 935 to A.D. 1392). In 1909 the Japanese invaded Korea and occupied the country for 36 years. To control Korea's patriotism, the Japanese banned the practice of all military arts, Korean language and even burned all books written in Korea. Many Koreans organized themselves into underground groups and practiced the martial arts in remote Buddhist temples. Other people left Korea to study the martial arts in other countries like China and Japan. in 1926, Mr. Won Kuk Lee travelled to Japan and studied Shotokan Karate under Grandmaster Gichin Funakoshi. In 1943 Judo, Karate and Kung-fu were officially introduced to the Korean residents and taught under the name Tang Soo Do and the martial arts regained popularity. In 1945 Korea was liberated. In the last few years before liberation, there were many different variations of Subak/Taek Kyon in Korea. This was due to all of the other martial arts influence on it. The first Taekwondo school (Kwan) was started in Yong Chun, Seoul, Korea in 1945. Many different school were opened from 1945 through 1960. Each school claimed to teach the traditional Korean martial art, but each school emphasized a different aspect of Taek Kyon/Subak.. The Korean Armed Forces were also formed in 1945 and in 1946 Second lieutenant Choi Hong Hi began teaching Taek Kyon at a Korean military base called Kwang Ju.  The first 5 key dojangs set up were - Chung Do Kwan, Song Moo Kwan, Moo Duk Kwan, Ji Do Kwan, Chang Moo Kwan. There arose misunderstandings between the leader of the 5 Kwans. This period is called ‘The Disoder Period’. Between 1950 & 1960 the process of unifying the Kwans began. In this period 40 more Kwans came into existence. During the period 1950-1953 of the Korean War, the country was split into North and South Korea and so was all the Kwans. In the year 1955, the name TAE KWON DO was officially accepted. In 1965, the various Kwans of the modern Korean martial arts were merging under the banner of Taekwondo. In 1961, all the Kwans were unified and in 1965, Gen.Choi Hong Hi renamed it as Korean Taekwondo Association (K.T.A.). In 1966, Choi Hong Hi established International Taekwondo Federation (I.T.F.)  to spread the art globally. But he left the country (South Korea) for the fear of being arrested by the President. In 1973, The Korean Taekwondo Association was named as World Taekwondo Federation. Taekwondo entered the Olympic as a full medal sport in the year  2000. Today Taekwondo is practiced in 205 countries worldwide and over 25 million practitioners with 4 million black belts.