WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER

By Judith Knight

When Hell Freezes Over
We've all heard
This casual remark,
So absurd
And thought little of it
And just as well
For who ever heard
Of a frozen hell?

Well listen to me
And you will know
Of the frozen hell
Where soldiers go
I can tell you now
How it was then
When I went to hell
And back again.

It was back in fifty
You know the score
When the Thirty-first
Went off to war.
We were the Polar Bears!
We'd been around,
But we almost lost it
On that frozen ground.

It was called Chosin
That frozen place
Unhabitable I'd say
By Gods own race
But there we were
At forty below
with frozen ear
And frozen toe

With weapon frozen
To the hand
Then forced to fight
For this bitter land
Out-numbered there
By the Devils brood
Fighting to death
And dying crude.

We did not bleed
For our blood was frozen
There on the battleground
We recall as Chosin
And on we went
Our numbers small
To Hagarui-ri,
As I recall.

And even in Hell
A hero's born
And we had ours
That frozen morn
When Donald Faith
Redemmed us there
But stayed behind
In the Devils lair.

Like one before
A sacrifice made
He gave his life
For those he saved
Four thousand strong
Were nevermore
Three thousand lay
On the Devils floor

And of those left
To fight again
There were but a handful
Of Faith's own men
He led us out
That day from Hell
It's sacred ground
Where our hero fell.

A rag-tag lot
Half-frozen men
Half-able but willing
To fight again
And I am one
And you may be too
We are known today
As the Chosin Few!

Written in honor of my good friend, Sgt Charles Bielecki


Lt. Col. Faith is the lifetime personal hero of Sgt Charles Bielecki, an Army Chosin Few veteran of the 3rd Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment.

Both the 31st and 32nd Infantry Regiments are part of the 7th Infantry Division.


Judith lost her Uncle, Sgt. Homer I. May, (MIA since September 2, 1951) in Korea on Hill 851 near Chup a-ri. He was in the 17th Regiment -also part of the 7th Infantry Division. Sgt. Homer May was awarded the Service Cross post-humously.

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