[18 August 1976 -]
I am at [the] QRF [Quick Reaction Force] on my day off waiting for a Military Armistice Commission [MAC] Meeting which will take place at 1630 today. This is the third MAC Meeting in six days. The reason? At 10:45 [hours] on 18 August I was sitting in the NCO club in civilian clothes, relaxing.
North Korean Peoples Army soldiers attack UNC tree trimming
detail killing two American Army OfficersSuddenly SGT Bruton, 2nd Platoon , third squad leader came in and said, "there was fighting up North (at Pan Mun Jom). The next instant the rising and falling alert siren went off signifying the call for the entire Advance Camp [JSA Camp Kitty Hawk was also known to JSA personnel as the Advance Camp] to get ax handles,flak jackets
[Note: At that time, all installations in the 2nd Infantry Division Area and the Joint Security Area had sirens to alert all personnel to report to their units immediately. Each unit had standing operational procedures on exactly what to do when the siren went off.]
and steel pots and weapons and be prepared to go North to back up/support the North Platoon and the QRF platoon both of which had already been committed to the incident; an incident of such severity that even now the worldwide implications are ominous but not clear. As we were standing there, formed up in front of Operations, the mortal remains of Capt. Bonifas, our Company Commander and a seriously wounded KATUSA [Korean Augmentee to the United States Army - a South Korean soldier assigned to an American Unit] soldier were driven by in an ambulance.
Site map of the Joint Security Area drawn by Mike Bilbo while assigned
to the UNC Joint Security Force at Panmunjom
At 10:45 that day Capt Bonifas and First LT. Barrett, [the] first platoon leader, were accompanying a Korean Service Corps (KSC) work party and seven other security guards in the trimming of the lower branches of a large poplar tree that effectively blocked the view of UNC CP [command post] 3 The North Koreans, realizing this advantage, used it to their advantage in the harrassment and attempted provocation of our people at UNC CP#3 by KPA [(North) Korean Peoples Army] from KPA Checkpoint #8 located about 100 meters to the southeast of our checkpoint. CP#3 is the monitor point at the South Korean end of the "Bridge of No Return."
[The actual Tree INcicent was gathered from what I heard when talking with 1st Platoon members, such as SSG Andrade, who was involved. - Mike Bilbo]
A KPA guard truck pulled up and 15 enemy soldiers off-loaded. Their leader [LT Pak Chol] was an officer known by the nickname of "Bulldog," a prime instigator in all other serious incidents in the JSA in years past.
After 15 minutes "Bulldog" suddenly ordered the KSC s to cease working to which they began to obey. Capt Bonifas told them they were working for him not the N.Koreans and to continue working. The effect of this statement was immediate -- the Joe s [slang for KNPA] jumped Capt Bonifas and knocked him to the ground -- he never got up. Both he and 1LT Barrett were intentionally isolated and set upon by 20 enemy troops wielding axe handles and our KSC's equipment. The C.O. was bludgeoned to death by blows to the head only, as was LT Barrett. The other UNC security guards engaged in an intense 5-minute gang fight with the remaining munerically superior Joes (our 7 to their 15 - five more enemy re-enforcement's had just shown up). The QRF was called in, scattering the Joes like the cowards they are (they still had numerical superiority but cannot stand up to a real fighting force). It was at this time that we back at the Advance Camp went on alert.
Drawing to the view from UNC OP 5 to UNC CP#3
[19 August 1976 -]
The following day a MAC meeting was held at which [time] our Senior MAC member, Rear Admiral Frudden delivered a strong protest against and demanded assurance from the KPA that this would never happen again. Incredibly their ____ __ ___ senior MAC member General Han tried to change the subject by talking about totally non-related past charges! At that moment Admiral Frudden almost hit that ___ ___. I myself and Mike Brouillette, both standing security guard outside the MAC building, almost attacked five KPA guards who were standing 20 feet away - all laughing and having a good time. Their attitudes changed.
[20 August 1976 - ]
The 20th was quiet. The bodies of Capt Bonifas and Lt Barrett were taken to Kimpo Airport near Seoul for transportation back to the States. At the airport a ceremony was held during which Capt Bonifas was promoted posthumously to Major and he and Lt Barrett likewise were awarded Purple Heart and Joint Service Commendation Medal[s]. After that ceremony the Commander in Chief U.S. Forces Korea, Gen[eral] Stilwell flew to our compound where a brief but moving memorial ceremony was held in Ballinger Hall (which had only a few week prior been dedicated in memory of U.S. Navy Cdr Ballinger who was killed in an explosion one of the N.Korean tunnels shortly after discovery - he was part of the UNC investigative party). Gen Stilwell and our Group Commander, Lt. Col. Victor Vierra eulogized over the tragic loss and memory of the two officers. Their boots were on display in front of a Catholic Altar arrangement. In attendance were First Platoon, Second Platoon,, most of the Advance Camp personnel (all but critical persons), all the Swiss and Swedish officers, and Col. McClain and his family (Secretary MAC).
[21 August 1976- Operation Paul Bunyan]
At 0500 was instructed to get out of bed and move as quietly and expeditiously as possible to the next barracks over (T-5). Once there, I found the other platoon member assembling, all sleepy and groggy - eyed. Our new Platoon
Leader, 1LT Ankley (he and our new Company Commander, Capt Shirron, Capt Bonifas' replacement, had arrived the day before the incident. Capt Bonifas only had five days to go before he was to leave county!) issued us a warning order that at 0700 to combined platoons of the Joint Security Force plus would move into the Joint Security Area and cut the Goddamn Tree down. Our platoon had been selected as the tree cutting security platoon,ie.the frirst to go in. The uniform: fatigues, .45 pistol,axe handles, flak jacket and steel pot. From that time on we rehearsed the quick mount/off-load procedures to set up security while the combat engineers took to the tree!
At 0640 we moved out of the Advance Camp. Second Platoon was in the lead 2 1/2 ton truck. With us were 1st Sergeant Bryant,the new company commander, [CPT Shirron],and his radio-telephone operator SP4 Mark Luttrull who was a former 2nd Platoon member. We distanced the rest of the column by 300 meters. Our direct support consisted of two reinforced rifle companies of ROK Special Forces, the 2/9[th] Infantry (A Co), the combat engineers (two 5-ton dump trucks) plus additional combat support sections (TOW jeeps, light mortars, machineguns). Up above in the air was one solitary Huey UH-1 H but somewhere a few miles above him were three B-52 bombers. Back at the Advance Camp hovering in the vicinity, was an air mobile assault troop, [B Co. 2/9th], with its compliment of fully armed Cobra attack helicopters.
The concept of [the] operation (which was followed to the tee) was: as our vehicle approached QRF we were to slow to 20 MPH. As we rounded the bend to [the] JSA PFC Larry Exum, driver, gunned it and we sped past UNC CP#2. Our uniform was sidearms,flak jackets, armbands, fatigues, axe handles, [and] steel pots.
None of the four enemy checkpoints were manned at this early hour (0700). Across the Bridge of No Return the only manned KPA CP#4 must have had the surprise of its life. Even as we pulled up to the tree and off-loaded we could see the Joes over there running (scurrying) around like rats (that they are). Our security was formed in three squads boxed around the tree. Exum drove the truck over to the bridge, turned around and backed into the southern bridge entrance.
Two 1/2 Ton Truck Backed up to the "Bridge of No Return"
Note North Korean vehicles and KPA post #4
A 2 1/2 ton truck containing a ROK platoon drove up, off-loaded and went to Exum's position. My squad was on the west side of the tree facing the bridge. The engineers pulled right up alongside the tree with a 5-ton dumptruck and began cutting with gas powered chain saws. Within two minutes North Korean QR Forces had shown up at KPA#4 (numbering about 200) but were dressed in normal duty dress uniform of PanMunJom. They sensed it would be sheer folly to come across [the bridge]. The fact is the South Korean soldiers were all for going to war right then. At the Bridge they pulled out, until-then, concealed grenades and other weapons of dubious nature. They [(South Koreans)] tried to get Exun to back on across the Bridge so they could engage the Joes.
South Korean Soldiers on forward parameter just in front of two 1/2 ton truck
blocking the "Bridge of No Return."The cutting took 35 minutes.
Engineers from the 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division start to
cut down the infamous tree while soldiers of the UNC Joint Security Force and
ROK Army perform security around the operation.[Those engineers worked really fast. About halfway through the first branch the engineer you see on the dumptruck (in the photo above) doing the cutting, slipped and fell to the ground with his back and neck between the truck and the tree, with the chain saw coming down right on top of him.]
The other engineer truck engaged in uprooting illegally placed drop-gates at KPA # 5 and 6. These obstacles had long been objects of lengthy discussion and the causes of more than one incident ( one was dropped on a jeep by remote control - the gates were steel poles filled with concrete).
Engineers use their 5 ton Dump Truck to remove an illegal barricade from near
one of the KPA posts in the Joint Security Area
The ROKs got slightly out of hand and broke into and battered the KPAs [posts] 5 and 8.
The tree itself had a trunk about seven feet across up to 12 feet high and then branched into subtrunks that reached up to 70 feet high. The first segment to come down almost got us [our squad] and most assuredly fell on the dumptruck - denting the steel bed. Quickly it was cut up and we [2nd Platoon members and engineers] threw it into the march near the spot LT Barrett went down.
The second branch goes down
The other two branches fell on the north side of the marsh there. At the completion, a mighty cheer went up and our forces quickly withdrew.
The final branch of the infamous tree falls.
First and Second Platoons withdrew to UNC checkpoint #2 at the southern entrance of the JSA (along with A Co 2/9[th] Infantry). After a couple of hours the 2/9 withdrew to their base camp and we to the QRF site. The Joes were a bit shaken if not spooked by the action - they didn't even touch UNC CP#3.
Entries appearing in brackets [ ]are insertions into the text of the original diary and are present only to clarify content. Nothing has been added or removed from the original text. All drawings are part of the original diary. Pictures have been added to enhance the story being told - the Webmaster.Mike Bilbo was a member of the 2nd Platoon,United Nations Command Joint Security Force - Joint Security Area" at Panmunjom during "Operation Paul Bunyan."
All pictures except the first picture on this page were provided by Wayne Johnson a member of "A Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Infantry (Manchus), 2nd Infantry Division" during "Operation Paul Bunyan."
Diary Text in dark blue color and hand drawings © Copyright 2001 by Mike Bilbo. His diary appears here with his permission.
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