Captain Grenig and Family

The young Captain Grenig — then regimental S1 and later regimental S3 — and came to Kunsan via the Philippines and Okinawa in July 1946. He was joined by his family (wife, son, and daughter) in the winter of 1947. The family departed for the Philippines in late 1947. The Grenig’s, now in their 80s, revisited Kunsan after 50 years in September 1999. He said in a note to me after his visit, “…It is hard to believe the changes in Kunsan in the last 50+ years. It is a good thing the tunnel (Wolmyong Park) is still there to provide a point of reference.” (SITE NOTE: Update: The “Colonel,” Robert Grenig, passed away in Scottsdale, AZ in 2004 and was survived by his wife, Betty.)

Their son, Jay Grenig, wrote in an email, “My first memory of a building is a Quonset hut in Hillenmeyer; first car, an Army jeep in Korea. Because of time in post-war Korea and Philippines, I assumed everyone’s father carried a .45 automatic. I know now these memories are not the norm!”

He continued, “I understand we went from Seattle to Japan by military transport (ocean-type) and then from Japan to Korea by LST. I’m still trying to find out where we landed and how we got to Kunsan. We did get there around February and my 2-year old sister had frozen feet. I had my fourth birthday there and am told I spoke Korean as well as I spoke English. Now I only remember “no” “bathroom” and “excuse me.”

In another email, Jay described his trip to Kunsan as follows, “My mother, sister (age 1 1/2) and me (almost age four) joined him (Col. Grenig) in Korea in the winter of 1947. We took a 19-day trip by ship from Seattle to Inchon. At Inchon we took the train to Iri (sorry about the spelling). We then went by jeep to Camp Hillenmeyer. My earliest memory is that trip to Inchon (it was awful!) and riding in a jeep. I don’t remember the train ride. My sister suffered from frozen feet.” The elder Grenigs confirmed these fact about his trip and added that there was no passenger train service to Kunsan in 1947. Though there were train tracks to the port for freight, all passenger trains stopped in Iri (Iksan) and people were trucked/jeeped to Kunsan.

Incheon Landings from Air (8 Sep 1945) (US Navy) (NOTE: The scene in Incheon in 1947 was not much different as the family had to disembark the ship climbing down rope ladders strung over the side.)

The October 1946 “Information for Dependents in Korea” brochure stated, “Due to the lack of docking facilities for transports at Jinsen, it is necessary to drop anchor off shore and debark by use of smaller landing craft. … After necessary passenger checks have been made, dependents will be loaded into small landing craft and proceed ashore. … The trip from the harbor by train to various housing areas affords an excellent opportunity to view Korean life and customs as the route winds inland through several small Korean villages. … As dependents detrain at the various towns along the route, motor transportation will be used to complete the remainder of the journey to their new homes.” From Jay’s description of his sister’s feet, it is obvious the Grenig family experienced “the excellent opportunity to view Korean life” with its unheated trains and the harshness of the Korean winters.

The 1946 transportation system was very poor. Then-Capt. Grenig, Adjutant of the the 63rd Infantry Regiment, described it in his letter to dependents dated 11 September 1946. It stated. “Railroad service may be had to almost any point in Southern Korea. The schedules are poor and it is often very difficult to make connections with other trains. At the present time no bus services is in operation. The quickest, though not the easiest riding, method of travel is by privately owned or Government motor vehicle. Air travel is limited to emergency use or official business only.”

Jay Grenig recounted some of his father’s comments about the conditions in 1946. “He (Col. Grenig) says that as a result of floods in 1946 that washed out roads and railroads, the Korean people suffered horribly. causing In addition, it was hard for supplies to get through to the Regiment. He remembers eating Vienna sausages and dehydrated eggs week after week after week. As Fred (Ottoboni) remembers, basic items were not available in the PX. If it weren’t for the Red Cross, no toothpaste or soap.” The severity of the weather conditions in 1945-46 are described in history books as “record breaking”. In addition, the history books tell of shortages of food, fuel, clothing, electricity, and other consumer goods, coupled with rapidly rising unemployment rate. It’s apparent that the people were suffering greatly in 1946.

The October 1946 information brochure stated, “At present the food situation in Korea is critical and only food furnished by the Quartermaster is available. It is recommended that there be no consumption of locally produced vegetables or meat. Food found on the Korean market is raised on soil fertilized with “nite soil” (human feces) which precludes its use. … All water must be considered unsafe for drinking, cooking, or washing of teeth, except that which comes from Army approved sources. Other water must be boiled or chlorinated before use.” It continues, “Use only food obtained from Army commissary or post exchanges. All native produce should be considered contaminated. It is especially dangerous to eat any uncooked native produce or seafood. All Korean public eating and drinking places are unsafe and must not be patronized.”

The September 1946 Information letter stated, “In the 6th Infantry Division Zone, it is planned to have one Quartermaster Commissary established in Pusan. Dependents will make a weekly requisition which will be consolidated for each area and submitted to the Regimental Supply Officer. He will in turn forward these requisitions to the Commissary where they will be filled, placed on a train and shipped to the I-ri Supply Point. These supplies will be broken down and distributed to the individuals. … The only authorized source of food will be this Commissary.” The elder Grenigs confirmed that the food requisition went out once a month to Pusan and food was received in frozen bulk and divided up between the families. For example, hamburger came in 5 pound packs.

The letter continued on to state, “Periodic immunizations will be given for Small Pox, Typhus, Plague, Cholera, Typhoid, and Jap B. Encephalitis. All of these diseases are prevalent in this area and continuous precautions must be taken. The heads of each household should immediately instruct his dependents in Malaria control and discipline.” Though the incidence of these diseases are still around, they have been greatly reduced.

Camp Hillenmeyer Dependent Housing (1947)
The photo above is of Betty Grenig and her 18-month old daughter in the “front yard” of their quarters. The quarters were built by Koreans with Japanese war reparations materials. Betty Grenig recollects the electricity was supplied by North Korea and it was very unpredictable…perhaps a few hours at night before it was shut off. She also remembers that the plumbing didn’t work right.

Jay Grenig stated, “The houses were built by Korean labor using Japanese materials. The plan for the officers’ housing (of which I understand some is still in use) was a standardized plan for housing in Japan and Korea. We lived in a similar (albeit two-story) house with the same floor plan in Japan four years later. Conditions were terrible. The plumbing didn’t work well. (Took a bath in a washtub in the kitchen.) Cold. No commissary. Officer wives would get food in bulk through supply and divide it up.” The elder Grenigs confirmed this description of the poor housing conditions and inadequacy of the food requisitioning system on their visit to Kunsan.

Later Jay Grenig related, “Mom told story of General Hodge visiting Camp Hillenmeyer and asking what wives needed. Mom (only a 20-something then) spoke up and said refrigerators, stoves, and cupboards for dishes, etc. would be great. (Dishes, etc. kept on floor–no cupboards or other furniture in “kitchen.”)

Mom cooked on top of oil space heater. Hodge sent tiny refrigerators that didn’t work well and coal/woodburning iron cook stoves. Every story adds to my admiration of my mother and the other dependents who survived those terrible times. Probably even worse for Koreans with rice famine.”

During the Grenig’s stay at Camp Hillenmeyer, recreation was limited to periodic “moving pictures” and USO shows about once a month. Hunting was possible, but the military weapons were inappropriate. According to the Col. Grenig, shotguns were procured to hunt the flocks of geese that abounded in the area. However, they seemed to know Americans. Col. Grenig states that Koreans could walk through the geese and nothing happened, but when an American would show up with a shotgun, they would all fly away. He also mentioned that there were ring-necked pheasants (which are still plentiful today). There is a curious note in the September 1946 Information letter which states, “Hunting – deer, ducks, geese, TIGER and wild boar. Licenses may be obtained through the Adjutant 63d Infantry Regiment.” The Adjutant happened to be then-Capt. Grenig…and what happened to the tigers?