Conflict was no paradise but taught valuable lessons

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
CANFIELD -- "I don't have good memories of Korea," says Harold G. Baringer, when asked if he ever plans to return to Korea.
But Baringer, of Canfield, says the United States did the right thing going there.
Baringer was born in Austintown, lived several years in Ellwood City, Pa., and moved back to Austintown, where he graduated from Fitch High School in 1948.
He was vice president of Century Industries in New Waterford and lived in Palm Springs, Calif., from 1986 to 2000, where he managed Tony Roma's restaurant and worked at Spa Casino. He now works part time at Sherwin-Williams in the Austintown Plaza.
His wife, the former Sheryl Gibson, graduated from South High School in 1962. Baringer has a son, Randal, an attorney in Macedonia; two stepdaughters, Deborah McGarrey in California and Denise Antal of Austintown; and four grandchildren, whom he said he and his wife "left paradise" to be near.
Korea
But Korea was no paradise in the 1950s, he said. He was drafted into the Army in September 1951 and was sent to Korea in June 1952. He left Korea July 28, 1953, the day after the cease-fire, as a sergeant first class.
"When we landed at Pusan, a veteran Army master sergeant who had been all over the world said he had never seen such poverty," Baringer said. The lifestyle of the civilians was pretty primitive, and Seoul had been decimated by the fighting, he said.
Baringer served with the 2nd Infantry Division as an "order of battle specialist," specializing in the Chinese military.
His job was to derive information from the interrogation of enemy prisoners of war, through interpretation of photos and intercepted messages, prepare an enemy capability report and submit it to U.S. military leaders every morning.
In one instance, he said he was able to determine when the Chinese were rotating troops off the front lines.
"The timing was important, because we could attack during the confusion," he said.
He said he also read intelligence reports that U.S. military leaders knew when, within a day, the Chinese were going to enter the war.
What happened
However, the intelligence was not acted on, and when the Chinese stormed into North Korea in January 1951, U.S. forces were overrun.
"There was no excuse for the annihilation of a lot of U.S. troops," he said.
Baringer also blamed a "political determination" for not allowing the U.S. to bomb Chinese airports in Manchuria. "MacArthur was absolutely right" about invading China, he said, referring to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the famed World War II strategist of the Pacific forces.
Part of Baringer's job was to brief U.S. military leaders new to the war. The Chinese military tactics were different from anything they had learned, and they needed an education on what they were facing, Baringer said.
Sometimes his job took him to the front to instruct the U.S. military on how to handle POWs.
"The Chinese were told that they would be shot if they were captured. We didn't want them hurt because they were too valuable as sources of information," Baringer said.
On one of those occasions at the front, his knee was injured by a mortar round and he spent two months in the hospital. However, he said his bout with dysentery was worse.
"I ended up losing all of my teeth. With dysentery, you feel so bad you don't worry about dying; you worry about living," he said.
Lasting effects
Baringer thinks the U.S. was correct to fight in Korea, despite the heavy price. However, he admits the end result may be disappointing to some vets.
"Korea should have been one country," he said.
Serving in Korea left a lasting impression on Baringer.
"I don't think anyone can live through a situation like that and totally forget it," Baringer said.
Mrs. Baringer said her daughter gave him a couple of books on Korea and when he began reading them, he couldn't sleep.
"I told him to put the books away," she said.
Likewise, Baringer said scenes on television and in the newspapers about the war in Iraq can take him back.
Nevertheless, he supports the war in Iraq and says he doesn't understand Korean War vets who oppose it.
"The terrorists struck our country on 9/11. They are our enemy. It's a war, not fun and games. We have to fight the terrorists. I'd rather fight them in Iraq than in the U.S. If we don't do it, they'll be back," he said.
Also, he said, "We have to somehow stabilize the Middle East, including Israel. We need to be on middle ground and get it solved.
"We live in a global community now, and I do think we need to do good in the world. There are countries that need our help desperately," Baringer said.
He said his experience in Korea gave him an appreciation of the American lifestyle and freedom, and perhaps made him satisfied with less.
'Ignorance'
However, he said he is disappointed at how many people don't know the proper protocol with the American flag.
"I'm amazed at how many men don't take their hats off when the flag goes by. I think it reflects ignorance of what the flag means," he said.
He is trying to remedy that lack of knowledge by participating in the Korean War Veterans' "Tell America" program, which is primarily presented to high school audiences. Part of the program is on the meaning of the flag.
While he believed in the Korean War, Baringer is haunted by some of the memories it left with him.
He said he saw two soldiers killed by a mortar shell because their company commander ordered them to clean up brass outside their foxhole.
"No war should be forgotten," he said.
alcorn@vindy.com