On this day in 1950, the No Gun Ri Massacre ended three days after it started. U.S. forces were retreating from advancing North Korean soldiers and rounding up refugees when they decided—someone(s) decided—to simply kill them. Planes began to attack the villagers, joined by the 7th Cavalry Regiment, which continued to shoot civilians for four days.
"I shot, too. Shot at people. I don't know if they were soldiers or what. Kids, there was kids out there, it didn't matter what it was, 8 to 80, blind, crippled or crazy, they shot 'em all," Joseph Jackman, a G Company rifleman, told the BBC. Norman L. Tinkler, an H Company machine gunner, remembered white-clad people coming down the railroad tracks toward the bridge, including "a lot of women and children. ... I was the one who pulled the trigger." He fired about 1,000 rounds and assumed "there weren't no survivors." Said ex-rifleman Herman Patterson, "It was assumed there were enemy in these people." Thomas H. Hacha, dug in nearby with the sister 1st Battalion, witnessed the slaughter: "I could see the tracers (bullets) spinning around inside the tunnel ... and they were dying down there. I could hear the people screaming."
The U.S. government still hasn't issued an apology or granted reparations. A South Korean committee formed in 2005 investigated over 200 cases of "civilian massacre by U.S. soldiers."
On an unrelated and much less important note, I've been on a roll in the kitchen the last several days. I'll try to put up a couple more recipes this week.
prep. time: approx. 30 mins.
serves: 2
INGREDIENTS:
8 oz. fusilli pasta
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. baby bella mushrooms, chopped
handful grape tomatoes, sliced
couple handfuls spinach
couple splashes hazelnut milk
dollop Veganaise
sprinkle red wine vinegar
couple hearty shakes nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
black pepper
salt
DIRECTIONS:
1. Boil pasta.
2. Sauté onion in a medium-sized pot over medium heat. Add garlic after a few minutes.
3. Add mushrooms after another few minutes. When things are sizzling and smelling good, add tomatoes.
4. Add spinach and cover for a few minutes. Uncover and add everything else. Lower heat and stir until desired consistency.
