124th Army Unit II.

This is coolbert:

In my previous blog, I mentioned how U.S. High Command authorities had made the decision NOT to retaliate in response to incursions by infiltrators of the North Korean 124th Army unit. The cut throat elite of the North Korean military responsible for among other things, the attack on the South Korean Presidential residence, the "Blue House".

[this of course during the period 1968-1969.]

NO retaliation was to be made by AMERICAN forces against North Korea. This decision was made. American units were NOT forbidden to defend themselves if attacked, obviously, but offensive action in kind was not allowed.

South Korean military units were not so inhibited. The South Korean government, especially after the attack on the "Blue House", decided to take sterner measures. Tit-for-tat WAS in the works, as far as the South Koreans were concerned.

A South Korean "military unit", and I use that term military unit advisedly, was formed, for an assassination mission north of the DMZ. The target WAS Kim Il Sung, the man who in all likelihood ordered the attack on the "Blue House" to begin with.

This was the origin of the Sil-mi-do unit. Thirty one men [the same number as the number of North Koreans that attacked the "Blue House"], was recruited, trained, and prepared for action against North Korea.

This entire episode backfired big time on the South Koreans.

The unit never did make it north. Was put through an intensive period of training, again, that bordered on the sadistic, but never deployed for action.

In fact, rebelled, killed their instructors and mentors, and:

"They seized buses and blasted their way through police blockades, killing a police officer and a child along the way.

Once in Seoul, they encountered a roadblock of soldiers. After a gunbattle, the outnumbered rebels finally blew themselves up with grenades. Four survivors were executed."

RATHER THAN ATTACKING NORTHWARD, THIS UNIT OF MALCONTENTS ATTACKED SOUTHWARD, TOWARD THEIR ERSTWHILE MASTERS IN SEOUL, WITH THE INTENTION OF WREAKING REVENGE OF THE MOST HORRIBLE SORT!!

One aspect of this entire "military operation" has to be really condemned from the start.

"They were bootblacks, hobos, acrobats - 31 ex-cons and ruffians plucked out of prison or off the streets and offered one last chance for redemption."

This is absurd. These are the last people you want to recruit for a mission such as was proposed. Such persons make POOR soldiers. Their characters have already been formed, and probably for the worst. This was the worst possible material to recruit. Period!

``Seven of them died in training, 20 were killed in a rebellion and the four survivors were put to death after military trial,’’

Seven died in training. SEVEN DIED IN TRAINING!! What sort of training was this? Brutal, sadistic, etc!! Sort of like what the NKPA 124th Unit endured also. All of it to no avail!!

The best laid plans of mice and men, and all that sort of stuff!!

coolbert.