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Writer's pictureHumphreys United Spouses Club

Road Name History

By Becky Coffield, HUSC Historian 2021-2022


Indian Head Avenue: Named for 2nd Infantry Division.

Pacific Victors Avenue: Named for 8th Army.

Tropic Lightning Avenue: Named for 25th Infantry Division.

First Team Avenue: Named for 1st Cavalry Division.

Marne Avenue: Named for the World War I battle on September 6-12, 1914 and the second Battle of the Marne July 15 to August 6, 1918. 3rd Infantry Division, “Marne Division.”

Taro Avenue: Named for 24th Infantry Division.

Lewis Millet Way: Named for the Medal of Honor recipient, Colonel Lewis Millet.


Talon Street: Named for 2nd Combat Aviation Brigade.

Thunderbird Avenue: Named for the 45th Infantry Division, only one of two National Guard Divisions to see combat in the Korean War.

Gimlet Street: Named for the first ground action of the Korean War by Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment.

Ridgway Drive: Named for General Matthew Ridgway, Commander of 8th Army December 1950-April 1951, Commander in Chief, United Nations Command and US Forces Korea April 1951-May 1952.

Walker Drive: Named for Lieutenant General Walton Walker, Commander of 8th Army from September 1948-December 1950.

Martin Street: Named for Colonel Robert Reinhold Martin. On July 7-8,1950, COL Martin was the newly-appointed Commanding Officer, 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. COL Martin's unit was engaged with enemy forces at Cheonan, Korea. Observing that enemy tanks and infantry in force had penetrated his Regiment's forward position, COL Martin rushed forward to organize, and then personally led rocket launcher and grenade attacks against the tanks and infantry at ranges of ten to twenty yards. Despite heavy small-arms and tank gun fire, COL Martin, by his heroic example, so inspired his men that they destroyed several tanks and forced others to withdraw, thereby preventing the enemy from immediately overrunning the position. During this action COL Martin lost his life while single-handedly attacking an enemy tank with a rocket launcher at a range of about fifteen yards. He had been in command of the 34th Infantry Regiment for only 14 hours. COL Martin's extraordinary heroism earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Iron Knights Street: Named for 1st Battalion, 66th Armor Regiment.

Double Dragons Street: Named for Republic of Korea Army II Corps. Created July 24, 1950, combining 1st Division and 6th Infantry Division just before the Battle of the Pusan Perimeter. General Paik Sun Yup was a notable Commander.

Smith Street: Named for Lieutenant Colonel Bradley Smith, commander of Task Force Smith at Osan, comprised of elements of 24th Division’s 21st Infantry Regiment and 52nd Field Artillery Battalion, which had just arrived from Japan and was the first American Unit to fight in Korea, July 1950.

Bayonet: Named for the 7th Infantry Division.

Dr. Mary Walker Road: Named for the first female volunteer surgeon for the Union in the Civil War. Dr. Mary Walker was captured as a spy by the Confederate Army after crossing lines to treat wounded civilians. She was later released in a prisoner exchange in Richmond, VA. After the War she was approved for the Medal of Honor for her efforts to treat the wounded during the Civil War. She is currently the only female to receive the Medal of Honor.

Beacon Hill Street: Named for the highest point on Camp Humphreys. During the Joseon Dynasty, a system of beacons was set up which allowed long distance communications. Fires and smoke emitted from the beacons alerted local people in the area and the military that an enemy was approaching. Mongmyeoksan Beacon Hill Site, one of five stations on Namsan, was constructed to warn the city of incoming enemy invasions and to transmit news of emergencies to the government in Seoul. The name means “beacon hill in the capital.”

Manchu Path: Named for the 85-mile forced march undertaken by 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus” Soldiers during the Chinese “Boxer Rebellion” in 1900.

Faith: Named for Lieutenant Colonel Don Faith, commander of Task Force Faith, 1st Battalion, 32nd Infantry, 7th Infantry Division.

62nd Engineer Drive: The 62nd Engineer Battalion landed at Inchon, Korea, on September 25, 1950, ten days after the initial UN invasion force. The 62nd was assigned to construct pontoon bridges and railroad bridges across the Han River and Teadong River. Tasks included operating a rock crusher, resurfacing roads, improving drainage, constructing a water tower, and refurbishing railroads. After the war's end, the 62nd helped to rebuild South Korea. For their work in reconstructing the capital city of Seoul, the mayor sent the unit an elaborate thank you message. Seoul's Roman Catholic Bishop also sent the Battalion a thank you message for helping prepare the site for a minor seminary. The 62nd was re-designated the 62nd Engineer Battalion (Construction) on April 1, 1954 and left the peninsula in early 1955, returning to the United States after four and a half years of service in Korea.

2nd Engineer Drive: Honors the 2nd Engineer Combat Battalion, which pulled rear guard at Kunu-Ri, (now North Korea), while 8th Army and 2ID slowly moved their way south. The 2nd Engineer Battalion were flanked by Chinese and had to make the ultimate sacrifice to destroy everything so that it did not fall into enemy hands. LTC Alarich Zacherle had the Colors burned so as to not be taken as a war trophy. To honor the men who gave their lives for their brothers, every year on November 30, the 2nd Engineer Battalion recreates that heart-stopping moment with a solemn ceremony. The memory of the men who fought at Kunu-Li lives on as the names of each and every one of those 977 men are called off in formation by the current 2nd Engineers.

Leyte Dragon Street: Named for 34th Infantry Regiment.


Red Dragon Street: Named for the 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion. The Battalion was assigned to Eighth Army and placed under operational control of I Corps and supported elements of 1st ROK Division.


Sioux Circle: The Army helicopters initially deployed to Korea were the Bell H-13 Sioux and the Hiller H-23 Raven, the first in a long line of Army helicopters named for Native American tribes. The service had acquired the Sioux in 1946, but had just 56 in its inventory when North Korea invaded the south in June 1950. The 2nd Helicopter Detachment arrived in theater in November 1950 with four Sioux aircraft. Among the early missions assigned to the unit were utility, wire laying, liaison, and reconnaissance missions. In January 1951, four helicopter detachments were assigned to the 8th US Army surgeon, as the iconic symbol of the MEDEVAC mission during the Korean War. The H-13 Sioux helicopter became familiar to American television audiences years later when it was shown in the background title shot of the "M.A.S.H" series, which aired from 1972 to 1983.

Taylor Street: Named for General Maxwell Taylor, Eighth Army Commander February 1953-April 1955, and Commander in Chief, United Nations Command April 1955-June 1955. General Taylor, a former commander of 82nd Airborne Division Artillery, and Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division in World War II, parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and commanded the Battle of Normandy. Post WWII, he was the superintendent of US Military Academy at West Point from 1945-1949, where in 1947, he drafted the first official Cadet Honor Code. From 1949-1951, he served as the commander of Allied troops in West Berlin. After a Pentagon stint, he commanded Eighth Army in the final combat operations of the Korean War. He became the Army Chief of Staff, and was later fired by the Secretary of Defense under the orders of Dwight D. Eisenhower for being “loose lipped.” General Taylor was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff during the Vietnam War, and later became the Ambassador to South Vietnam from 1964-1965. He retired soon after. General Taylor died of Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1987 and was interned at Arlington National Cemetery.

Alaniz Road: Sergeant Frank T. Alaniz served as a light weapons infantryman with the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action during the Korean War on July 17, 1952 and posthumously received the Purple Heart Commendation. He is remembered at the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC.

Benfold Loop: Named for Medal of Honor Recipient Hospital Corpsman 3rd Class (HC3c) Edward C. Benfold, attached to A Company of Marines, 1st Marine Division. On September 5, 1952, he died heroically in a self sacrifice, hurling himself against the enemy with two grenades, which saved the lives of two other men.


Bennett Road: Named for Private First Class Emory L. Bennett, a Medal of Honor recipient. Bennett was assigned to Company B, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division. In the early hours of June 24, 1951, two enemy battalions attacked company B’s defensive position. Bennett stood up from his foxhole and exposed himself to hostile fire. Although wounded, he maintained his position long enough for Company B to regroup. Bennett stayed behind to provide cover fire while the rest of the company withdrew. He was mortally wounded, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on February 1, 1952.


Brown Road: Named for Private First Class Melvin L. Brown, Medal of Honor recipient, who first went missing in action and then officially killed in action on September 5, 1950. While his platoon was securing Hill 755 (the Walled City), the enemy, using heavy automatic weapons and small arms counterattacked. Taking a position on a 50-foot-high wall he delivered heavy rifle fire on the enemy. His ammunition was soon expended and although wounded, he remained at his post and threw his few grenades at the attackers, causing many casualties. When his supply of grenades was exhausted, his comrades from nearby foxholes tossed others to him and he left his position, braving a hail of fire, to retrieve and throw them at the enemy. The attackers continued to assault his position and Pfc. Brown, weaponless, drew his entrenching tool from his pack and calmly waited until they one by one peered over the wall, delivering each a crushing blow upon the head. Knocking 10 or 12 enemy from the wall, his daring action so inspired his platoon that they repelled the attack and held their position.


Kyle Road: Named for Second Lieutenant Darwin K. Kyle, Medal of Honor recipient. When 2LT Kyle’s platoon was pinned down, he encouraged his men to advance up Hill 185 (Near Kamil-Ni, Korea), engaging in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy, killing several forward and to his flank. In a daring bayonet charge, firing his carbine and throwing grenades, 2LT Kyle personally destroyed four enemy before he was killed by a burst from an enemy machine gun, on February 16, 1951.


Long Road: Named for Sergeant Charles R. Long, Medal of Honor recipient, Company M, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. When Company M, in a defensive perimeter on Hill 300, was viciously attacked by a numerically superior hostile force at approximately 0300 hours and ordered to withdraw, SGT Long, a forward observer for the mortar platoon, voluntarily remained at his post to provide cover by directing mortar fire on the enemy. Maintaining radio contact with his platoon, SGT Long coolly directed accurate mortar fire on the advancing foe. He continued firing his carbine and throwing hand grenades until his position was surrounded and he was mortally wounded on February 12, 1951. SGT Long's inspirational, valorous action halted the onslaught, exacted a heavy toll of enemy casualties, and enabled his company to withdraw, reorganize, counterattack, and regain the hill strongpoint.


Lopez Circle: Named for Marine Corps First Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez, Medal of Honor recipient, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines, 1st Marine Division. With his platoon, 1st Lt. Lopez was engaged in the reduction of immediate enemy beach defenses after landing with the assault waves. Exposing himself to hostile fire, he moved forward alongside a bunker and prepared to throw a hand grenade into the next pillbox whose fire was pinning down that sector of the beach. Taken under fire by an enemy automatic weapon and hit in the right shoulder and chest as he lifted his arm to throw, he fell backward and dropped the deadly missile. After a moment, he turned and dragged his body forward in an effort to retrieve the grenade and throw it. In critical condition from pain and loss of blood, and unable to grasp the hand grenade firmly enough to hurl it, he chose to sacrifice himself rather than endanger the lives of his men and, with a sweeping motion of his wounded right arm, cradled the grenade under him and absorbed the full impact of the explosion. He died in Inchon, Korea on September 15, 1950.


Lyell Road: Named for Corporal William F. Lyell, Medal of Honor recipient, who perished on August 31, 1951. When his platoon leader was killed, CPL Lyell assumed command and led his unit in an assault on strongly fortified enemy positions located on commanding terrain. When his platoon came under vicious, raking fire which halted the forward movement, CPL Lyell seized a 57-mm recoilless rifle and unhesitatingly moved ahead to a suitable firing position from which he delivered deadly accurate fire completely destroying an enemy bunker, killing its occupants. He then returned to his platoon and was resuming the assault when the unit was again subjected to intense hostile fire from two other bunkers. Disregarding his personal safety, armed with grenades, he charged forward hurling grenades into one of the enemy emplacements, and although painfully wounded in this action he pressed on, destroying the bunker and killing six of the foe. He then continued his attack against a third enemy position, throwing grenades as he ran forward, annihilating four enemy soldiers. He then led his platoon to the north slope of the hill where positions were occupied from which effective fire was delivered against the enemy in support of friendly troops moving up. Fearlessly exposing himself to enemy fire, he continuously moved about, directing and encouraging his men until he was mortally wounded by enemy mortar fire.


Page Road: Named for Lieutenant Colonel John U. D. Page, Medal of Honor recipient and Navy Cross recipient for his heroic actions in the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. Served in World War II as an artillery officer, he later went to Korea instead of the Command and General Staff College. He fought a fierce battle for twelve days at Sudong before being mortally wounded, engaging the enemy single-handedly until his death, on December 11, 1950.


Porter Avenue: Named for Sergeant Donn F. Porter, Medal of Honor recipient. Advancing under cover of intense mortar and artillery fire, two hostile platoons attacked a combat outpost commanded by SGT Porter, destroyed communications, and killed two of his three-man crew. Gallantly maintaining his position, he poured deadly accurate fire into the ranks of the enemy, killing 15 and dispersing the remainder. After falling back under a hail of fire, the determined foe reorganized and stormed forward in an attempt to overrun the outpost. Without hesitation, SGT Porter jumped from his position with bayonet fixed and, meeting the onslaught and in close combat, killed six hostile soldiers and routed the attack. On September 7, 1952, while returning to the outpost, he was killed by an artillery burst.


Sebille Road: Named for Air Force Major Louis J. Sebille, a pilot and the first Air Force service member to receive the Medal of Honor. He was the commanding officer of the 67th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter-Bomber Group, 5th Air Force. During an attack on a camouflaged area containing a concentration of enemy troops, artillery, and armored vehicles, Maj. Sebille's F-51 aircraft was severely damaged by antiaircraft fire. Although fully cognizant of the short period he could remain airborne, he deliberately ignored the possibility of survival by abandoning the aircraft or by crash landing, and continued his attack against the enemy forces threatening the security of friendly ground troops. In his determination to inflict maximum damage upon the enemy, Maj. Sebille again exposed himself to the intense fire of enemy gun batteries and dived on the target to his death.


Thompson Road: Named for William Thompson, US Civil War Medal of Honor recipient, who served as a signal quartermaster on the U.S.S. Mohican, and died of his wounds while steering the ship on November 7, 1861.


For complete Medal of Honor citations, please visit The United States Army Medal of Honor website at www.cmohs.org/recipients.









Bibliography

“2nd Engineer Combat Battalion.” (militaryhistory.fandom.com/wiki/2nd_Combat_Engineer_Battalion). October 14, 2021.

“2nd Infantry Division (2ID)-Korea History.” (www.2id.korea.army.mil/About-Us/History/). October 13, 2021.

“62nd Engineer Battalion.” (en.everybodywiki.com/62nd_Engineer_Battalion). October 14, 2021.

“Bell H-13 Sioux Helicopter.” (www.armedforcesmuseum.com/bell-h-13-sioux-helicopter/). October 13, 2021.

“Eighth Army History.” (8tharmy.korea.army.mil/site/about/history.asp). October 13, 2021.

“Congressional Medal of Honor Society.” (www.cmohs.org/recipients). October 12, 2021.

Finley, James P. The US Military Experience in Korea 1871-1982: n the Vanguard of ROK-US Relations. APO San Francisco: Headquarters, United States Forces, Korea, 1983.

“Joint Chiefs of Staff.” (www.jcs.mil/About/The-Joint-Staff/Chairman/General-Maxwell-Davenport-Taylor/). October 13, 2021.

“Military Hall of Honor.” (militaryhallofhonor.com/honoree-record.php?id=297619). October 12, 2021.

“Namsan Park.” (www.theseoulguide.com/namsan-park/). October 14, 2021.

“Republic Of Korea Army.” (military-history.fandom.com/wiki/Republic_of_Korea_Army). October 15, 2021.


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