BRIDGE OF NO GUN RI, THE (TV)
Summary
This documentary recounts an event in July 1950 during the Korean War when American military forces opened fire on a group of South Korean refugees near the village of No Gun Ri. The program begins by showing footage from a 1950 U.S. propaganda film, "The Big Picture." The narrator states that the massacre under the bridge at No Gun Ri, killing mostly women and children, has been kept secret for more than fifty years and is only now coming to light. Thomas Hacha discusses joining the army in 1948 with five of his buddies, serving in the Seventh Cavalry. Two other members of the Seventh Cavalry are Donald Donelly, who talks about joining the army when he was seventeen and has no regrets, and Art Hunter, who details his father signing him up when he dropped out of school. The Seventh Cavalry was shipped to Japan with no proper military training. Donelly recalls having fun and relaxing at beer parlors in Tokyo. When war broke out in Korea, Donelly didn't even knowing where the country was located. The Seventh Cavalry was then shipped to Korea to liberate refugees fleeing the fighting. Sergeant Robert "Snuffy" Gray talks about the Seventh Cavalry's first combat experience, after which the group evacuated the village of No Gun Ri. Hae-sook Yang recalls American soldiers arriving in her village and saying that they must leave or die. The refugees spent the night in a field, guarded by American soldiers. When some tried to escape, they were shot by the soldiers. Hunter talks about having to shoot an elderly couple that wouldn't stop moving, after being directed by his commander. The U.S. Military issued a specific order to shoot all civilians "moving around a combat zone." Koo-Hu Chung explains how the soldiers treated him and the other Koreans. He recalls bombers flying overhead and firing at the Koreans. Many were hit during the lengthy bombing. A U.S. Air Force memorandum from July 25, 1950 serves as confirmation. Sun-Young Park details the blood spraying from people as they were hit. Hacha continues to be plagued by the events of that day. Yang talks about a fireball exploding in front of her, with a splinter from it causing her eye to fall out. Yang recalls how she had to yank her own eye from its socket before crawling away. Hacha discusses not understanding why the American soldiers wouldn't let the panicked Koreans pass, discussing one young girl who was shot when she bolted from the group. Soon, the fleeing refugees made it to the bridge tunnel, where corpses were already stacked up. The American soldiers fired with machine guns at the people as they entered the tunnel. Hacha discusses the "horrible scene." Hacha recalls hearing people screaming as they were hit with machine-gun fire. Chung remembers a father having to throw away and kill his newborn baby after his wife was shot and the crying infant drew attention to refugees around it. Yang discusses hiding under a corpse in the tunnel, where she spent three days and nights. Chung then recalls a grisly story about how the refugees filtered blood from the pool of water -- the only source for drinking -- inside the tunnel. Among the patrol that arrived at the tunnel after the first day, Homer M. Garza details what he encountered. Finally, North Korean troops arrived to liberate the few survivors in the tunnel. Once a year, some of this people arrive at the tunnel to commemorate their dead relatives. The Korean War ended in 1953 and American soldiers returned home to be hailed as heroes. The events at No Gun Ri, however, were cloaked in silence until Associated Press correspondent Charles Hanley uncovered the story. Hanley discusses his research into the event, thinking it should not be covered up. Having served in Vietnam and been aware of the My Lai massacre there, Hanley states how such atrocities happen during wartime. He recounts having found secret documents in Washington after some digging. Hanley details the documents he found from division headquarters that ordered the army to shoot unarmed civilians, including women and children. Eventually, a document was found that ordered refugees to be shot, authorized by the Amercan ambassador to Korea and OK'd by Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Looking at the document, an unbelieving Hacha says it's a "bad decision" to fire indiscriminately at civilians. Hanley's research led to a Pentagon report on the event, which ignored many details of the tragedy, including the ambassador's letter. Evidence of the event is shown today, with bullet holes in the flanking walls of the tunnel. Eun Yong Chung discusses why both Korean and American governments are still lying about the event. Hanley says that, in the wake of the No Gun Ri murders being reported, at least sixty similar incidents were reported to the South Korean government by survivors, with the Korean Ministry of Defense examining and confirming them. Hanley believes No Gun Ri can be largely explained by racism. Yang and Chung offer some final thoughts on the tragedy and how it still affects survivors today.
Details
- NETWORK: The History Channel
- DATE: 2006
- RUNNING TIME: 0:43:38
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:92652
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: International Collection
- SERIES RUN: The History Channel - TV, 2006
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Marc Wiese … Director
- Eun Yong Chung
- Koo-Hu Chung
- Donald Donelly
- Homer M. Garza
- Robert Gray
- Thomas Hacha
- Charles Hanley
- Art Hunter
- Sun-Young Park
- Dean Rusk
- Hae-sook Yang