FEBRUARY 13, 1951

February 13, 1951, Chipyong-ni, Korea.

“I heard my comrades die, I heard them say, I’m sorry mother, please forgive me.” – Stanley Nelson

On this date, 68 years ago, then 19 year-old Stanley found himself in the middle of one of the bloodiest battles of the Korean War. The battle would rage for three days, and Stanley found himself lying in the snow, wounded in the neck, shoulder, right ankle, and left leg.  As he lay there wounded, a Chinese soldier came upon him and pressed a bayonet into his chest, while another hit him in the head with a shovel. Later, another Chinese soldier came upon him and seeing that Stanley was still alive, placed a pistol to his head. An American officer being escorted with other POWs, convinced the soldier not to execute Stanley, and they left him to die in the snow. Later, a Chinese corpsman happened upon Stanley and gave him drink of water before moving on. The Chinese soldier would later return with a blanket which he placed over the wounded American for warmth. Sometime later, an American convoy moving into the area to recover the bodies of the American dead would find Stanley and evacuate him to the rear. Stanley recovered from his wounds, but would lose his lower left leg.