"You're
going to cross the line," Navy Chief Dave Butts told me. "This
video's important and you've got to follow the American delegation right
across the DMZ."
Chief
Butts was the News Director for AFKN. He was good at what he did, I'll
give him that much. He was always blunt about sending his staff out on
a mission. This time it sounded like an adventure.
AFKN
was located on top of a hill overlooking Yongsan Army Garrison in the center
of Seoul, Korea. The Chief was sending me on an assignment to the very
border of Communist North Korea... forty-five miles north.
Tensions
on the peninsula were nothing new... There, at the "Peace Village"
of P'anmunjom, North and South would again face each other. This time it
was for a noble purpose... the North Koreans were returning the remains
of what they said were, "American Servicemembers killed during the
1950s conflict".>
Transfer interrupted!
RIAL"> At
the time I was the senior reporter for the AFKN News Department. I was
to shoot the inspection of the caskets and the solemn return across the
38th Parallel.
The
media bus left Seoul headed for P'anmunjom. The weather was dreary...
This
was my first time going North. The U.S. Army calls this the "Western
Corridor". This is where the North swept through in 1950 when they
attacked and took over Seoul.
As
we drive further... we see "tank traps" with increasing frequency.
These are tons of concrete formed into overpasses along the road... they
have explosive charges set and waiting... waiting for something everyone
hopes will not happen. Once the charge explodes, the road will be blocked
from any invading force.
We
arrive at the "Bridge of No Return"... it's a rickety, wooden
bridge across a wide river. Traffic only goes one way at a time. South
Koreans can not drive through unless they have a good reason. It's pretty
much military traffic from here on out.
I
check the Sony Betacam one more time... everything has to be perfect...
there's only one chance to get this video.
Now
we're coming to Camp Bonafice... this is where we are briefed about the
history of the area. P'anmunjom is only moments away... the place where
leaders of the United Nations forces and the North Koreans and Red Chinese
came to an agreement to cease hostilities.
So
there we were. We stepped off the bus and took our first look at the historic
Peace Village.
For
the first time, I saw the enemy... There, about one hundred meters away,
was a North Korean soldier. He didn't look like an enemy though. He was
just another guy, standing there in a different uniform. "How was
I supposed to feel?" I wondered. I walked closer with my video camera
rolling...
The
rain was intensifying... From then on, everything took on a dreary, emotional
mood. The United Nations Delegation, led by a U.S. Army colonel, started
walking towards the Demarcation Line. Quickly, I followed.
On
the wet pavement on the other side lay 31 wooden caskets... the area was
cordoned off and surrounded by North Korean soldiers. The leader of the
North bowed and shook hands with the American colonel. They began to open
the caskets.
A
strange noise came from my side... a whirling sound that I was unfamiliar
with. "Ahhh.." I told myself "The North Koreans were filming
the event too." They were using an antique 16mm film camera. The camera
man was dressed in a nondescript suit. On his lapel was the image of Kim,
Il Sung, the "great leader" of North Korea.
Then,
I pointed my camera down into the casket... there lay the remains of some
long dead human being. The skeleton was not white or clean. This man had
been in the earth for four decades. The North Korean Officer looked up
and spoke quickly... he showed the American colonel "dog tags"
and scraps of uniform that lay with the bones.
The
American colonel then seemed to realize the significance of the moment.
His face showed the pain of looking at a fallen comrade... The rain continued
to drizzle.
Each
casket was opened and inspected...
Then
the North Korean Soldiers slowly lifted the wooden boxes and marched towards
the line... Quickly, I moved to the Southern side. There, the United Nations
Honor Guard stood waiting to receive each casket.
The
U.S. Army chaplain said a prayer, welcoming home our long, lost troops...
And then it was over... We headed back to Seoul, feeling a connection with
what had just happened.
For
me this was a moment in history... I'll never forget.
