1952 Original Handwritten Diary Account of an American Army Mp Who Witnesses the Bloody May Day Riots in Japan and Serves in the Korean War

On offer is a small diary where young American Army MP Charles A. White recorded his experiences in Korea during the war.

White was from St. Louis, Missouri. He enlisted in the United States army in 1948 and served in the 95th Military Police Battalion. This battalion was the largest, most geographically dispersed military police battalion in the United States Army. The unit fell under the command of the 18th Military Police Brigade. The 95th was activated in June 1945 in Germany and operated until its inactivation in June 2014. It served in post-war Germany, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

White's diary begins with him preparing to board the troop carrier USNS General Hugh J. Gaffey, leaving from Fort Leonard Wood and bound for Korea. "Went aboard USNS Gen. Hugh J. Gaffey at 1300. Cold nasty day. Ship large, nice. Sposed to be best troop ship. Pacific. Movies (crowded). Food not bad. Weather warming. Do nothing today but police. Am enjoying trip a lot. Wish was in Navy. Ship 16,000 tons. 608 feet, 23 knots. Said to be in tail of hurricane. Weather worsening. Little sleep tonight, almost tossed out top bunk. Still stormy; ships paper reports 60 foot waves still supposed in hurricane. Dependents topside. Certainly going first class" (April 2).

On April 14, the ship arrived in Japan. "Weather nasty. Word passed we have guard tomorrow for debarkation. Rainy. Passed Yokosuka, dropped hook. Still raining, cold. Guard debarked ship. Jap train to Camp Drake. Processed. First views of Japanese and buildings. Little wooden hovels and some US type buildings. People smile, seem very friendly to US G. I.' s. Drake's buildings 450 ft. Long. Jap prep school. PX fabulous. Thru processing. Hope I get G. H. Q. Find M-1 for zero. Japanese are interesting bunch. All smiles and little bows. Beginning to realize a little of what people like about this place."

White's April 30th entry discusses the Bloody May Day riots, for which he was present. By June, he had arrived in Korea. "We pull CQ here every fifteen days and it gets rather tiresome after awhile. Have a lot of planes. Red and Yellow, for air and ground attack, several air alerts but no enemy planes. The Han Bridge is blocked out as is a great deal of the area surrounding it which makes it a glorious black target in the midst of the lited area in case of a possible raid. Won is supposedly sold legally at 6,000 to the dollar but the value fluctuates with the time of the month (near or far from payday) on the black market and who buys it legally? The usual range is from 7,000 right after payday to maybe 110,000 toward the end of the month. You are continually besieged by little boys who look to be about 7, but are probably nearer 17 who want to 'changyamung' or invite you to a 'Horahora' where they assure you the girls are all clean, well educated and Japanese" (June 9).

Measuring approximately 2.5 inches by 5.75 inches, the diary contains 52 pages and is approximately fifty percent complete. The cover and binding are in good condition as are the pages. The handwriting is legible. This is an excellent perspective of the Korean War seen through the eyes of an MP who was there on the ground. A military historian would find this valuable in cross-referencing other information. White's comments add a human note to this very grim war experience.