Unchon-ni

Codis Hampton

Description

Mr. Hampton emails of continuous comments on sportswriter's/reporter's newspaper articles amused his friend. He also saw Hamp's raw talent of detailing facts or description of events. So much so that he noted the commentary was better than the articles. Our author took his friends' critique to heart. Already a very opinionated individual, he realized he loved to write comments on various subjects especially social issues of the day. He began publishing a newsletter that included blogs on a range of subjects, always using satire as way of explaining social ills/political comments. That led to authoring a story of his military assignment to South Korea. To date, Mr. Hampton's written five books. But his story of a boy arriving in Korea while leaving fourteen months later as a grown man is his first. In his semi-autobiographical debut, Author Codis Hampton II takes the reader through his experience as a seventeen-year-old African-American GI stationed in South Korea during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Unchon-ni is a riveting story that looks back on his childhood, family environment to bring you forward to then and there. The story is a journey where the author shares his conflict between duty, country, and heritage. You're captivated by the love affair he finds with a village camp town girl. Add the suspense, mystery, adventure he experienced in a war-torn community as a Brother of Arms, one is left wondering what is next in his young life. A must-read... Yes, Unchon-ni exceeds the classic tale of boy meets girl, etc. along with so many more stereotypes of people, places, events. Individuals, with varying personalities of interest who appear-disappear in our subject's life, is a study in people. It's as if a reader has stumbled onto an exciting roller coaster ride with various stops that peak one's interest.

Sujets

• Military
• War
• Fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Outskirts Press
• Date de parution: 28 octobre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781977220813
• Langue: English

Extrait

Dnchon-ni South Korea, I Remember 1962-63 All Rights Reserved. Copyright © 2019 Codis Hampton II v2.0 Novel originally published in 2010

This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Outskirts Press, Inc. http://www.outskirtspress.com

ISBN: 978-1-9772-2081-3

Cover Photo © 2019 Codis Hampton II. All rights reserved - used with permission.

Outskirts Press and the “OP” logo are trademarks belonging to Outskirts Press, Inc.

PRINTE IN THE DNITE STATES OF AMERICA

Acknowledgments

Author’s Note

CONTENTS

1. Initial Assignment; South Korea

2. Next Stop Tokyo

3. Hey Korea, We Are Here

4. My First visit to Unchon-ni

5. An Angel Appears

6. Another Alert – Duty Calling

7. A New Best Buddy and a Promotion

8. Jeannie and Hamp’s B-Day Celebration

9. Annyonghi kaseyo Dave

10. Dave, Alicia Kim & JB Grant

11. Cowboys to Girls to the Cuban Missile Crisis

12. Civil Rights Fallout, Alicia Kim, & Kim Two-Jee ps

13. A Time of Growth, Maturity for Boys, Thugs or Soldiers

14. Hamp’s Sick Call

15. Jeannie, Katie, My Lovers and Friends

16. Short-Timer

17. A Wake-up Call, End of Tour – Lifetime of Memories

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First anb foremost, let me acknowlebge Jesus Christ , Gob almighty, without whom, I woulb not Be here to tell this or any other story. At the Beginning of each bay, I pray to my lorb anb savior. efore I ask him to watch over my family anb frienbs, I Begin with the Serenity Prayer as follows;

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I ca nnot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

It keeps me grounbeb. To the one anb only wife, San bra Hampton, I’ve ever known. Damn, we are still together, huh? Who in the worlb thought that we woulb see our 50th anniversary on August 31, 2018? In the worbs of Lio nel Ritchie, “I bo love you, …still.

To my chilbren, Shawn Lynn Hampton, Richie Hampton, Cobis ranbon Hampton III, anb my one granbson, Khayree Cooper Davis, this rew rite bebicateb to you. Know that you are always in my thoughts anb will forever Be i n my heart. My sincere hope is that you gain an unberstanbing of who you are from my st ruggles to Be who I am. You shoulb always look to the roots from whence you cam e to biscover who you are anb what you can achieve in life. Anb finally, continue to set your goals high, yet Be satisfieb you gave it your all if you fall short of a few of your goals. Most of all, enjoy life along the way. Thank Gob for afforbing a chance.

To my father, who has passeb on, you not only gave me the gift of life, you taught me how to live it. y your actions, you showeb me the role of a man, father in the householb. Anb my mother, who taught me that people , may or may not Be who you think they shoulb Be. It always Boils bown to Being patient, unberstanbing of one another.

This Books also bebicateb to two other great women in my life. They have passeb on not Before reinforcing in my minb how precious a wo man frienb coulb Be. Their calm anb cool bemeanors buring trying times or joyous oc casions reflecteb how I wanteb to approach a proBlem. It was no small coincibence tha t Both were great listeners.

The first of which was my Stepmother, Rosalie Hampt on. She woulb sit, listen to me talk, talk aBout who I wanteb to Be, anb what I was going to bo when I grew up. She woulb listen when I complaineb aBout my father not letting me go arounb that corner. She woulb listen; then give opinions that mabe sens e. I may not have likeb all her responses, But they always mabe sense. She was the sounbing Boarb for my stepsister anb me. I’m sure my little sister, Lois, my Brother James, who was Born well after me anb my stepsister, Johnny Mae, noticeb those traits in her as well.

The seconb laby, who Became one of my Best frienbs, was my mother-in-law, Ruth MoseBy. She was another one of those great listener s, especially when I talkeb to her aBout my marriage issues with her baughter. She cou nseleb patience, assureb me that her baughter loveb me But hab some growing-up to bo . “Don’t we all, I useb to quip. The laby hab the patience of a snail. I mean that i n a very loving way. I see why my father was brawn to Ruth after my stepmother bieb o f cancer. It always mabe my wife anb me smile, seeing my father anb her mother inter act as a couple. It was priceless. For me, it was almost like watching my bab anb step mom all over again. Those people

were special in my life. I truly miss them.

To my Brother, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, oth er family memBers along with frienbs who are like family, Thanks for Being you, anb letting me Be me.

th th To the 8 Army, 1st N, 17 Infantry, Echo Company Crew of 1962-1963, I hope o ne or all of you see this Book anb get in touch with m e. I’m still Hamp.

Special thanks for the following organizations anb weB sites whose pictures were extremely instrumental in pulling the sights anb so unbs of that periob from my memory. Looking at the natives, the village of Unchon-ni itself, Camp Kaiser, anb other important lanbmarks brew me Back to the areas themselves. I a lways hab the faces of lovers anb frienbs in my minb from that time of long ago. Your pictures helpeb me rememBer them in the environment where we met.

Camp Kaiser Korea, 1961-1965, Pictures from Wayne G olben, at Kaiser 1961- 1961. Anb ruce Richarbs, US Army Vet, 1960 to 1982 . Check their site Below, www.qsl.net/wb4ngB/ckaiser5a.htm rotherhoob of U.S. Army Veterans Assoc. at the site aBove The site of rokbrop.com (Korea from North to South) anb GI Korea Camp Kaiser Korea, 1952-1971, provibeb By Richarb E ichinger

Special thanks to the two women who ebiteb this Boo k with the professionalism I neebeb to make it a success. It was no easy task. T hey hab to beal with a rookie author who was abamant aBout bepicting the spirit a nb soul of these players 50 years ago. Jennifer Decker, anb Maureen Kreklow, you are the Best at what you bo.

Special thanks to Professor of History, arry A. Me hler who wrote a Review (Helfreb PuBlications, Washington, D.C.) pointing to a parap hrase from James West Davibson’s ‘They Say’ Iba . Wells anb the Reconstruction of R ace, attriButeb to James albwin in 1963. The quote on the cover came from those remark s.

In the review, Professor Mehler writes, “An epigrap h from James albwin succinctly expresses the theme of the narrative: ‘If I am not who you say I am, then you are not who you think you are.’ (DescriBing the author, Jam es West Davibson, works, Professor Mehler continues in his review) ‘In his a fterworb, he returns to albwin’s aphorism explaining that it is a paraphrase from re marks albwin mabe in 1963, “So where we are now is that a whole country of people Believe I’m a ‘nigger,’ anb I bon’t, anb the Battle’s on! ecause if I am not what I’ve Been tolb I am, then it means that you’re not what you thought you were either! Anb th at is the crisis.

The professor goes on to say; the crisis was not on ly for white America; it was for African Americans as well.

The quote of 1963 fit the moob of the Black communi ty at that time. We were trying to finb out who we were anb where we came from as oppo seb to having others befine us. eing a memBer of the Uniteb States Army in 1962 ca useb even more mental challenges Between buty anb staying true to who we were. That is what brew me to Mr. albwin’s quote. As you reab my story, you will see what I mean.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Over the years, I have often thought of how I arriv ed in Korea approximately eight months after my seventeenth birthday. I distinctly remember what happened while I was there, and how those experiences affected me up through this day and age. Even at that, I wonder if my life has been so much more interesting than anybody else’s. Can I hold one’s curiosity during these times of the 15 -second attention span long enough for them read this entire story?

Will they understand the nuance between the boy and the man he is trying to be while in the ultimate men’s club, the United States Army? Can I articulate well the lessons learned from unlikely sources such as the men, wome n whose lives crossed in a third world country during that 1962-1963-time span?

I’ve concluded the answer is yes. I can explain the road this boy traveled from the concrete streets of a little Midwestern city to the dirt roads and alleyways of an impoverished Korean village located on the outskirt s of a U.S. Army base. I must tell the story of his love affair with a lady whose prof ession was not a choice. It was an economic necessity based upon the family’s need to survive in a war-torn environment. I need to put his experiences down on paper, share them with others who then can judge the players’ behavior in this story for thems elves. The leading character’s (Author) story read, morality interpreted, his acti ons scrutinized, and his interactions with others understood because of who he was and wh o he would become one day.

Unchon-ni is a story about a young black American s oldier trying to find himself amid the chaos and obstacles that life throws at him. He often looks back in his life to move forward. Over this tour of duty, he will look to lo ve, organization, and purpose in establishing who he is and where he fits in the sch eme of life itself.

Unchon-ni, is also the story of the arrival of a se venteen-year-old boy to a foreign land. A tale that shows how maturity reached without one‘ s awareness of what is happening to him while falling in love. All while learning to value friendships of Brothers in Arms during peacetime.

Time itself is like a bullet train of life speeding down the track to a never reachable destination. Pauses or slowdowns are not an option. It only knows one gear, and that‘s fast forward. There is no earthly way to get it to slow down or somehow bring it to a halt so that you can get yourself together. No, this typ e of train is programmed to keep moving toward its destination. Next stop, the town of wherever, all aboard for you will be arriving whenever. That is, whenever the train g ets there, wherever God has designated there‘ to be. The only certainty is tha t if one leaves the train while it‘s moving, they will no longer be alive. So, if you wa nt to remain among the living for more of the trip, you hang on for dear life and try to m ake the best of the ride.

That is one of my life‘s lessons. You can‘t stop ti me. Nor can you recapture the five minutes or however long you need to take a break. Y ou must adjust for your valuable time has already expired. You do not get a do-over. What‘s happened has happened. There is always life learning seats. It‘s there for you to adjust aboard the moving train. Emotionally hurting a loved one is a grave offense. You can only hope that you have not done something that makes it hard for a person, especially a loved one, to forgive

you. They may forgive, but they won‘t forget. It‘s damn near impossible for any of us to forget, although we may forgive with all our heart and soul. The inability to forget about the transgression will play an essential role in ho w the relationship progresses or fails.

Honesty, communication, trust, giving your all to t he success of a relationship is what allows for an enjoyable ride. Those are traits that allow for a loving, healthy pairing. This train is for lovers of people, family and or o ne specific person. All others should take another mode of transportation. The type of wh ich is unknown to man.

Unchon-ni examines how, why, people meet, gravitate towards each other, how they survive the good or bad times during a relationship despite the obstacles placed in their way. Circumstances (Immaturity, Military Obligation s, Chain of Command, Cold War, Prostitution, Civil Rights), are the time bombs tha t go off with the intentions of ending certain pairings. Everlasting love, happiness is pa rt of the rewards for those who manage to navigate through the trials and tribulati ons of a love affair. In this book, you will find the meaning of life, all while still end up wondering what if…?

Many questions form in a young person’s mind as the y move through puberty, the teenage years, and especially before they reach tha t magic number of 21 years of age. It is how or by whom those questions answered that shapes his core personality.

I thought writing this book would be a traumatic ex perience. Mainly because of my feelings for those I left behind, the stupid things I did while trying to grow as a person. I found that it was more of a labor of love. I knew w here I came from, who I was as a child. My life foundation was laid by a man whom I loved, respected more as I matured. It was my father’s home, where I found the love, di scipline to understand and recognize a demonstrated lesson. It was the family environmen t of cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandmothers that taught me the sense of being in a group of two, five, hundreds, and even one.

Korea opened my eyes to life. It’s ingrained in my brain because of the incidents, experiences. It’s as if they happened yesterday. Th at is what I gained from living such a full existence for almost 14 months of my life. T he story is about how I became a man. I learned another lesson while authoring this book. I missed that time in my life when my mind was free when my emotions came from my soul. I truly miss the friends that I made, the women that I loved, and conversati ons with various people about life itself.

I have two sons and a daughter that I truly love. I ’m married to the same woman for over 50 years. No doubt there is a deep love there. I would not have it any other way than to meet her, go through the trial, tribulation s that come with a new love and a family. But that’s another story for another time.

This young black man was born of a generation that believed in a different world than their fathers, mothers, and grandparents saw as adu lts. These youngsters of color looked to those who sought the changes in race rela tions they felt America deserved. They would obediently follow if the destination led to making America the land of the free for all no matter the race, color, or creed. F or those who thought black people should bide their time and wait to no end, this gen eration was not having any of that type of thinking. It was because he was a soldier t hat he would gladly lay his life on the line for America. He wanted it to be for an America he envisioned, not the country that allowed terrorization of a race of people on its so il.

At the same time, there were questions in his mind of his mother’s love. Did he know her? Frankly, did she know who she was, her role as a mother? After all, he had lived with his father and stepmother for as long as he co uld remember. Here was a prime

example of God, knowing what is best for one of his children. That home was indeed a happy home where the overriding mantra was, “Boy; y ou got to make something of yourself.” The boy wanted his mother questioning is sues behind him once and for all.

Most of his questions, reserved for himself. Could he be a good soldier, a good person, a good U.S. citizen, eventually a loving husband an d father? Would he ever make his father proud of him? In the end, the young man woul d discover while racing from one experience to another, that one’s brain is constant ly recording and storing pertinent life lessons for reference and use in the future. He wou ld find that some things one learn by accident. Other lessons are learned by being aware and having the capability to process what is going on around him truthfully. It is the mere fact that a lesson has been learned, ingrained in his thought process that benefited his development as a person. When you couple those experiences with his family environment as a child, you have the makings of one’s self.

One of the primary questions in any affiliation – m an-woman, father-son, mother-son, sibling-to-sibling - is what does each participant brings to the table. In other words, can we carry our weight and perform as expected? We lon g to satisfy those who love us in deeds, realized ambition, and in the expectations o f any relationship. The following quote is words of wisdom to me as an independent bl ack man.

“I do my thing and you do your thing”

“I am not in this world to live up to your expectations.”

“And you are not in this world to live up to mine.”

“You are you, and I am I.”

“And if by chance we find each other, it’s beautifu l.”

- Frederick S Perfs

We long for recognition as an individual of content . We want desperately to become people who make themselves content and happy with w hom they are as a person. Ultimately this is who we will have to live with th e rest of our lives.

If I lay my head back and close my eyes, I can stil l smell that aroma that was generated by a little Korean village. For me, it was Unchon-n i. For countless other GIs, it was another little village not far from their base in K orea. I bet they all have stories too. But for now, please enjoy my little romp through time. I think you will begin to understand why the old soldiers before and after me felt that South Korea was one of the U.S. Army’s best-kept secrets.

Love, Peace, and Blessings Codis Hampton II PO Box 668, Pittsburg, CA. 94565 [e-mail]

1

INITIAL ASSIGNMENT; SOUTH KOREA

(Timeline March 1962)

It seemed like the last few months had been a blur. Although time goes by slowly when you’re training. The weekend is an as elusive and l ong time coming as a special holiday. I could feel the ship rocking to and fro w hile imagine it parting the waters as it heads toward its first stop.

I could hear some of the men snoring as if they wer e home in their beds. Others were tossing, turning from the uncomfortable feeling of the ship’s motion. There were moments when all was quiet until a small, inexperie nced voice uttered in what sounded like a whisper. ” Jake, hey Jake, are you awake?”

I smiled, guessing that the young soldier was not p repared for the reply to come from so many others: “Oh! Is he missing his mommy tonigh t?”

“Yes, he is,” came a reply from one corner of the c ramped sleeping quarters. “Does he want some milk and cookies?”

“Maybe he is missing his little teddy bear,” someon e else chimed in. “I got you and his teddy bear right here in my hand.”

“Shut the hell up and leave little man to his dream s,” another GI joined in. “Are you a long way from home, Sonny? Miss, your little girlfriend…do ya?”

“Knock it off. Lights are out so shut the fuck up, go to sleep. We’ll give your asses extra work in the morning. Let’s see if that will quiet y ou down at night. Now knock it the fuck off.”

There’s nothing like a voice of authority, even rec ognized in the dark. I am willing to bet no one could see the non-commissioned officer. You could bet money that he was a non-com because of the way he spoke. We didn’t know his rank or if he was Army or Navy. Frankly, we didn’t have to know. After all, this was a Navy troop ship transporting Army soldiers to our first stop, Hawaii. After that, the vessel would stop in Tokyo, finally arriving at our destination, South Korea.

Upon hearing that voice of authority, even the snor ing stopped at least for a while. As for me, my mind kept wandering, thinking about the last few months. Hell! I couldn’t sleep.

…usin, Augene Poindexter, and I. Yeah, it was just a few months earlier that my co were walking past an Āir Force/Ārmy recruitment off ice. The unit was side by side on Third-Street and North Āvenue. That was a day we bo th decided to skip school. I remember the air was turning cooler as fall was fas t approaching. The leaves were falling from the trees as if on command and shoutin g, hey, it’s October already.

Augene was scheduled to go to court for stealing so mething so small or insignificant it was not worth the trouble. Whatever it was, he was going to have to do a few months in the Waukesha Department of Corrections. In about two weeks, I was scheduled to go to