GUARDIANS OF FREEDOM
Saluting Those Who Served in the U.S. Army
Ed Messing in Korea, Part 6
by Janis Stein

Join in the conclusion as Ed Messing prepares for his voyage aboard the Blatchford. This soldier is going home!

On January 27, 1954, Ed and a good many other soldiers boarded the train that transported them to Pusan, the southern tip of Korea. Upon their arrival, the troops happily boarded the USNS General Blatchford. These soldiers were going home!

Before the Blatchford would dock in New York, American soldiers would travel 13,586 miles aboard this troop ship. Besides American troops, the Blatchford carried troops from Ethiopia, Turkey, Greece and France. According to the souvenir edition of The Blatchford News, a newspaper of sorts published aboard the ship, the breakdown of the 2,347 United Nations personnel included the following: United States soldiers, 1,688; Greeks, 436; Dutch, 155; Turkish, 28; Ethiopians, 36; and Belgian, 4.

Soldiers eagerly read The Blatchford News each day to help pass the time. Each day the paper featured points of interest, as well as informing soldiers of the next day’s route. Soldiers could read what times the barbershop on board was open, when the chaplain would be available in his office and the time and place to be for those wishing to join in singing church hymns. Other interests included movie times and library hours, and many thankful soldiers solemnly read one column titled The Chaplain’s Corner.

From Pusan, the troop ship sailed through the East China Sea by Okinawa, near the Phillipines, through the South China Sea and around Singapore. Her route continued through the Straits of Malacca, past Banda Ache on the Ile of Sumatra, and through the Indian Ocean to Colombo, Celon (now called Sri Lanka).

The Blatchford stopped for a few hours to fuel and load provisions, before continuing her route on the Indian Ocean to Djibouti, where Ethiopian troops disembarked. The troop ship proceeded through the Red Sea. Ed took in all he could see on this once-in-a-lifetime trip, and marveled that when the sun set, the Red Sea actually looked red, perhaps from a reflection from what looked like acres of red sand on the shore.

Next, the Blatchford sailed through the Suez Canal and crossed the Mediterranean Sea to Izmir, Turkey, where Turkish troops waved their good-byes. Greeks disembarked at the next stop in Athens. The soldiers still on board were granted a pass off the ship, and Ed toured the Parthenon and the old ruins in Athens. Impressed by all he saw, Ed snapped picture after picture so he could share them with his fiancée, Marjorie, when he returned to the states.

Back on the ship, the remaining soldiers sailed between Sicily and Italy. At Marseille, France, the French troops waved their good-byes, and the Blatchford proceeded onward across the Mediterranean.

Soldiers continued to read The Blatchford News. In the March 3, 1954, issue, Ed paid particular attention to The Noon Report, which read “The Master’s noon report for the 25 hour period ending 1200, 2 March 1954, shows that we are getting very close to home indeed. As of the aforementioned period, we have traveled 375 miles at an average speed of 15 knots. We were at that time 3,280 miles from the port of Marseille, France, and only 660 miles more to go before reaching New York. The temperature for this period was 65 degrees.”

The Blatchford had passed through the Straits of Gibralter, crossed the Atlantic Ocean and sailed into New York harbor. On March 4, 1954, Ed spotted the Statue of Liberty; he knew he needed just a bit more patience and he’d be home. He had been on the troop ship 37 days.

The Blatchford docked, and Ed boarded a train that chugged its way toward Fort Sheridan, Illinois, near Chicago. When he arrived, Ed realized with some amazement that he had completely circled the globe. At Fort Sheridan, Ed obtained a five-day pass, and jumped on a plane bound for Detroit. With cousins in Detroit to call upon, it didn’t take long for Ed to get a ride back to the Thumb. To be reunited with Marjorie, with his family, after so much time away meant everything.

After five days, Ed reported for duty one last time. The United States Army released Ed just two days later after the processing and paperwork had been completed. Ed was only too happy to return to life as a civilian.

The Lakeshore Guardian salutes Ed Messing for serving our country in the United States Army during the Korean War.

I would like to thank Ed Messing for sharing his memories of the Korean War with me as well as offering many photographs from his album. The information in this article is based solely on Ed’s experiences and is as accurate as his memory allows.

© 2010 Stein Expressions, LLC