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“An incredibly powerful and important piece of history, masterfully written and researched.” ~ Dave Grossman, Lt. Col. USA (ret), Author, On Killing and On Combat, www.killology.com “This excellent book chronicles the inhuman treatment suffered by young brave soldiers at the hands of a merciless foe. America is still technically at war with North Korea so ignore the lessons of history at your peril. One day American troops might meet these people on the battlefield again..." ~Phil Chinnery, author of 'Korean Atrocity' and Historian for the British National Ex-POW Association. “This book is superbly written. It brilliantly documents stories long buried in the unremembered pages of Korean War History. It has been very well researched and compliments our POWs.”~ Samuel L. Clark, a member of the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team (RCT), Rakkasans, who participated in the drop to block the North Korean Retreat and rescue the POWs in October, 1950 "This story of the Sunchon Tunnel Massacre, is an awesome combination of military history and human memory, which provides a rare and powerful account of the true vestiges of war. ~ Paul M. Edwards, Ph. D, Senior Fellow, Center for the Study of Korean War, Graceland University
“…a great book…I salute these brave
men. I can’t imagine what it must have been like for them. It is a
miracle that anyone lived at all. No one else can feel their pain and
sorrow. Their only salvation is the love they have for each other.”
~ Shorty Estabrook, Historian
and survivor of The Tiger Death March, November 1950. “They say that war is hell—and yet, God creates His greatest heroes from the shadows of such misery and suffering. This is one compelling story of war that needed to be told; and it is brilliantly done with sensitivity and compassion. This is destined to become a classic book on the Korean War.” ~ W. H. McDonald Jr., Founder – Military Writer’s Society of America, Vietnam Veteran, Author, Film Maker, Poet and Veteran Advocate "Avery and Faulkner give
us both horrors and healing from The Forgotten War with case studies and
photos from POW survivors that make this piece of "It started for me as an assignment, to cover a Veteran's Week Korean War mini-reunion for the Branson Daily Independent. Then I met Sherman Jones and Ed Slater and eventually most of the guys. I have become emotionally involved in their stories and have become, hopefully, a friend for life. Pat and Joyce have captured so much history here and have put it together masterfully, so that the whole composite story is told. The way they have written the book makes you feel some of what those men felt on that long journey. By perseverance alone, the two writers have uncovered material from so many sources and have followed a difficult timeline and memory struggle of the men. Hat's off to this accomplishment. My survivor friends have changed my life forever." Nancy Smith, Branson Daily Independent
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"Pat McGrath Avery and Joyce
Faulkner eloquently remind us that every war has events that should
not be forgotten, remind us that war is hell no matter where, no
matter when."
~Carolyn
Howard-Johnson, award-winning author of This Is the Place and
Tracings
Nothing is more important today than recording the accurate history of yesterday. The Sunchon Tunnel Massacre Survivors is a tribute to true heroes. The book and all it entails will be a vital record for our future generations. ~ Charles P. Schantag, P.O.W. NETWORK. “Educators today are encouraged to introduce real life situations to their students. This book is a perfect teaching tool for history teachers. Students will be able to visualize the actual suffering of our soldiers. The survivors’ vivid recollections of their treatment at the hands of their captors is compelling. This historical book honors these Great Patriots and their descendent families. I can already see the shining faces of the many students who will proudly acknowledge and proclaim to their peers in America’s classrooms that one of their grandparents is a veteran of the Korean War.” ~ Rudy Garcia, Educator, Port Isabel School District, Texas
"This book details the human
suffering both mentally and physically that most of us wish not
to hear…but need to in order to understand those heroes among
us…so many times silent about their experiences. Through
accounts such as this, you will not be forgotten. For the
families that still await word regarding the fate of our lost
loved ones, this chronicle hopefully will educate and generate
renewed interest in the POW/MIA efforts. Thank you to the
authors Pat McGrath Avery and Joyce Faulkner and to the men who
were brave enough to tell their stories." ~
Robin Piacine,
President, Coalition of Families of Korean and Cold War POW/MIAs
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“Sunchon Tunnel Massacre Survivors book is 274 pages of must read text and many photos of the true heroes of the Korean War. Being a Korean War Veteran, I served in that war in 1950-51 with the Second Infantry Division with my twin brother Richard. Prior to the Chinese entering we fought the North Korean Army in August 1950 at the Pusan Perimeter. As a 19 year old we both were naďve about war and our fate. We quickly learned that the North Koreans were brutal to any prisoners they captured and we heard many unnerving stories daily and we never wanted to be captured. This wish ended on December 1, 1950 when Richard was captured. He was first missing in action, then shown in a local newspaper in a POW lineup. I spent over forty-eight years trying to learn of his fate. I have read many POW and Korean War books. As editor of the Korean War Veterans National Newsletter “The Graybeards” for over six years I published hundreds of veterans stories and also tried to find answers to many questions I received from POW/MIA families, friends and veterans. This book covers much more detail and answers than my search for Richard and others. I highly recommend you read this well written and highly documented book that honor those men by telling their stories. They gave above and beyond the call of duty to keep us free.” ~ Vincent A. Krepps, Silver Star 8-1-50, Past Editor “The Graybeards”, Author One Came Home. *** SUNCHON TUNNEL MASSACRE SURVIVORS Pat McGrath Avery and Joyce Faulkner Red Engine Press, Branson, Missouri The SUNCHON TUNNEL MASSACRE SURVIVORS, authors Pat McGrath Avery and Joyce Faulkner have created a monumentally important document for those seeking to understand the roots of the Korean War in general and the terrifying details of some of its most appalling and horrendous days in particular. In horrible similarity to the Bataan Death March in the Philippines during WWII, Americans being held as Prisoners of War by the North Koreans were marched, herded, and transported by rail from Seoul to Pyongyang in the north after being captured. In not one, but two brutal forced marches, the prisoners suffered harsh mistreatment, death due to injuries and neglect, uncounted instances of abuse and terrible atrocities, and eventual mass murder by their guards at the Sunchon and the Kujang-dong railway tunnels through the mountains. Historical events of the time are put into context, aided by maps and photographs, while readers are given an array of terrifying first-hand accounts of capture, mistreatment, torture, and ultimate survival by the few US soldiers who narrowly escaped death. These gripping accounts are overlaid upon a rich background of historical information and intimate details associated with the earlier lives of these US servicemen as well as the aftermath of the events they describe. An array of appendices fill out the picture, providing a variety of lists and information including chronological timelines, captives’ names, detailed historical notes, and accounts related to the American home front. By a combination of sheer chance and unimaginable courage against unbelievable odds a handful of individual Americans managed to survive their terrifying ordeals. This is the story of those who survived, but just as importantly it is the story of those who did not survive. Steve Robinson USN 1970-1978 SEAL Team ONE Inshore Undersea Warfare Group ONE UDT-SEAL Association - Member Special Operations Association - Member POW Network Advisory Board - Member Naval Special Warfare Archives - SOF Analyst/Contributing Journalist Disabled American Veterans - Life Member FORMER Special Investigator - SEAL Authentication Team Author of the book NO GUTS, NO GLORY - Unmasking Navy SEAL Imposters
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