Franklin O. Gillreath
Bio
Franklin Gillreath enlisted in the United States Army in 1949 and completed his basic training at Camp Chaffee, Arkansas. By mid-August 1950, he arrived in Pusan as part of the 38th Field Artillery’s 2nd Division, and from there, he traveled by train to the Nakdong River area, then north to Seoul and Pyongyang. During the Korean War, he was captured by Chinese and North Korean forces and held as a prisoner of war at Camp Five, where he estimates that 50% of the nearly 5,000 POWs perished during the brutal first winter. In early August 1953, he received the news that he would be released from Camp Five. Despite the hardships he endured, Gillreath expresses his happiness for the survival and progress of the South Korean people. His experience, though harrowing, shaped his enduring respect for their resilience.
Video Clips
Surrender to the Chinese and North Koreans
Franklin Gillreath describes the events leading up to his surrender and contrasts the treatment by the Chinese and North Koreans. He explains that North Koreans were harsh, often hitting soldiers who couldn’t understand their directions in Korean. In contrast, he notes that the Chinese would find a translator rather than resorting to violence when a soldier couldn’t understand.
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Barbed Wire Fence along the Yalu River
Franklin Gillreath recounts the grueling march north as a prisoner of war deep into North Korea. He explains that villages were emptied to house prisoners in cramped huts, where there was barely enough room to sit up. He also describes a camp along the Yalu River, where barbed wire intended for cattle formed the only barrier between him and escape.
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Lice Popping Contests
Franklin Gillreath describes the grass mats provided for sleeping in the POW camps, which were infested with lice, as were the clothes they were forced to wear for two years. He recalls the men’s grim contests to see who could kill the most lice between their fingers. This constant battle with lice became one of the harsh realities of their captivity.
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Daily Life in Camp Five
Franklin Gillreath describes daily life in POW Camp Five, where the food primarily consisted of millet. He also explains the grim duties he had to perform, including gathering wood and handling burial details when fellow POWs died. He recounts the North Korean and Chinese captors' attempts to indoctrinate the POWs. These tasks became a harsh routine amidst the struggles of captivity.
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Traitors in the POW Camp
Franklin Gillreath recalls the presence of traitors among fellow soldiers in the POW camp, which deeply affected him mentally. He explains the burden of not being able to trust some of his own countrymen, as some soldiers betrayed others in exchange for extra food and better treatment. One soldier, in particular, snitched to earn a lapel pin, only to suffer the consequences of his actions on the way home from Korea. This betrayal left a lasting impact on him and others in the camp.
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