The Pong ado Uprising [a play with one act]
(1952—North Korea)
Act One
[A one act play]
[Advance] Based on actual events taken from a conversation with John Quernemoen (Private, stationed on this North Korean island during the uprising); his pictures of the near escape attempt, during and after proved to be of value for the descriptiveness for the play. The story is on American GI’s on Pong ado Island, one of three islands (now a resort), l952; permission given to the author to give JQ’s name—and although the story can be told without it, the author wishes to put his name in this Advance—and use his basic frame for this play extract from the pictures and add what he feels is needed to narrate the play; to be put into a account format. 2/17/2006. This should be considered Historical Fiction, but more historical than fiction. Very little is made up. The story and pictures told the whole story besides the verbal account with JQ. The sergeant is a made-up character, yet there was a sergeant nearby, who was present, and a friend of JQ’s, they were just not together at the time; and also is the location of JQ during the uprising, it was not exactly where the author puts him; most all other facts are true. The five-ton tuck was nearby the scene; descriptions, taken from the faces, bodies and clothing of the POW’s; as was the geographic location taken and its terrain taken from the pictures.
(Scene is taking place between 6:00-7:00 AM, on a Sunday morning, on the Island of Pang ado, North Korea, in a concentration camp of 16,000-Pow’s ((North Koreans)). John [JQ], is the observer in what is to be a great try for an escape. Five hundred Military Police are guarding the prisoners, thus, they are out unnumbered 32, to 1. Private John Q, the only finger printer on base. He is now with Sergeant Erwin W. [EW]. The date is December 7, 1952, everyone is resting. John and the sergeant have just woken up, three has been in the pat several weeks’ demonstrations, and in the past few weeks, an increase in them, and they are aware of this. Everyone is resting, John and the Sergeant are up early, he needs to check on the changing of the guards, and then him and Private Q, will go to the mess hall and have breakfast. Lots of noise seems to be echoing across the yard this morning, commotion is building; a certain North Korean is provoking this. The barracks are behind the three barbered wired fences. But beyond the fences is freedom; if indeed they can make it out into the plateau area, and to the far reaching mountains beyond the camp. In a few minutes, at 7:00 AM, 16,000-men will try.)
John
Seems like there is much activity with the POW’s today?
Sgt Erwin
I wonder what they’re up to?...
John [Curiously]
Wow!.... I hope not much…Hey what do you think?
Sgt Erwin [Sarcastically]
Sunday morning, what do you expect, I got a hangover! That’s what I think; got to check the guards, make sure their relief has come.
John [Waking up, rubbing his eyes]
I’ll follow you there, not much else to do; we can get some grub after you do what you got to do…!
Sgt Erwin
Ok private, follow me, let’s get this over with, I’m hungry too.
(As they walk in the chilled air, wool jackets on, army green, hands in their pockets, hates on, the wind from the sea brushing across the island, you can hear it a little, light snow in the air, here and there; they walk over to the other side of the compound; the sergeant notices bodies climbing over, under and right through the first layer of barbwire fence, POW’s putting their blankets and clothing over the barbwire and leaping over the fabric to the path in-between the two rolls: climbing the first roll of the three; dark haired North Koreans all pushing their way to the other side like a swarm of locust.
Nearby, in the towers are machine gunners, guards, not allowed to fire until at least one man makes it through the wire, then …once indemnified, he can shoot, but he must be completely though, save, his life is not in danger. And they wait, and watch, it will be but a minute or two. The alarm has gone off, men running to the arms-room to get their carbines.
The first Korean has stepped onto the surface of the warn out path between the two barbwire fences, and the machine guns open up: one first and then two more. Bodies are falling, it is clear now, the escape is in full force, bullets are flying, and the machineguns are red hot. Rolls of barbwire fence have bodies laying on it, others are hiding under the bodies to avoid the bullets, the Sergeant and private stop to wait out the situation, behind a five ton truck, lest they find themselves a fatality of a stray bullet: they are both unarmed, and too far away to get to the arms room to get their weapons.)
Sgt Erwin
Hay, I knew something was up…I felt it!
John
They’re opening fire!
(bullets flying, some ten feet away from the truck; you can hear the banging of the bullets now! bang~! bang~! bang~)
● Fifteen minutes later
Sgt Erwin
Well, well, well, look at all these bodies
(—they are about 300-feet from the fence now, and standing by a water tower; the fire is still going on, but arbitrarily, not rapid like it was; more controlled. The three machine guns have killed 150-Pows and wounded 350. The great attempt to escapee has been nullified. John sees the instigator, points him out to the sergeant, later on the sergeant will report him to the commander, and they will put him in the center of the compound, where the American troops practice marching with the Rock Army [South Koreans], and shoot him in the head, to show the onlookers, this is what happens to instigators, he knows the rulers and he dies honorable.)
The Mockery
When the leader was asked before he died: why did so many follow you so blindly to make such a stupid attempt to escape, his words were: “For Freedom!” And the irony of it is: the very thing they gave their lives up for is what they would deny their opponent, or their so called enemy: the South Koreans.
Sgt Erwin
Can we safely get out of here?
John
I think the worse is over; no one is climbing gthe wire, I Could go and check?
Sgt Erwin
No, not yet, let things cool down a bit, forget the breakfast, we’re going to have to do some me…medical work I do believe; or documentation I think. Incident reports, they’re starting them now, I see corporal…so and so doing them, can’t remember his damn name. Take some pictures if you want, of the dead, the wounded, and let me have the camera when you’re done, I’ll take a few also, send them home.
John
Alright sergeant…lets walk and see what we can see— what a big mistake they made.
(Both the Sergeant and Private started walking about, looking at the dead, bodies laying in the barbwire, on the ground, being stacked one on the other, with their heavy winter coats on, mouths wide open, eyes staring: John taking pictures. The medic’s came out, bandaging the wounded, you could see white heads, arms, legs, of the wounded and dying; bullets pierced 350-Pows they were all being cared for, in one way or another. One soldier just in his t-shirt was asking questions, writing down answers. The sergeant pointed out the leader to the commander, he was taken away, and he’d be dead in a few hours: an exhibition in the now empty military field, would take place, and he’d be the attraction.
Sgt Erwin
Look over there John; they’ve lined up, thirty of them or so. That one there with his eyes in the air, he’s visualizing what’s coming I bet. The other one in the center, he’s thinking he’s pretty lucky he’s not one of the dead. The other one next to him is looking down, I think he’s overwhelmed by all of this, and I see a few faces in shock, the dock will have to care for them. It’s all a mess.
John
Could be, could be, I’ll have to figure out tomorrow what fingers prints I don’t need to keep I suppose, I mean, don’t need anymore, if we can get a good count, and get the right names of the dead.
Sgt Erwin
We’re all going to be busy tonight.
Act One
[A one act play]
[Advance] Based on actual events taken from a conversation with John Quernemoen (Private, stationed on this North Korean island during the uprising); his pictures of the near escape attempt, during and after proved to be of value for the descriptiveness for the play. The story is on American GI’s on Pong ado Island, one of three islands (now a resort), l952; permission given to the author to give JQ’s name—and although the story can be told without it, the author wishes to put his name in this Advance—and use his basic frame for this play extract from the pictures and add what he feels is needed to narrate the play; to be put into a account format. 2/17/2006. This should be considered Historical Fiction, but more historical than fiction. Very little is made up. The story and pictures told the whole story besides the verbal account with JQ. The sergeant is a made-up character, yet there was a sergeant nearby, who was present, and a friend of JQ’s, they were just not together at the time; and also is the location of JQ during the uprising, it was not exactly where the author puts him; most all other facts are true. The five-ton tuck was nearby the scene; descriptions, taken from the faces, bodies and clothing of the POW’s; as was the geographic location taken and its terrain taken from the pictures.
(Scene is taking place between 6:00-7:00 AM, on a Sunday morning, on the Island of Pang ado, North Korea, in a concentration camp of 16,000-Pow’s ((North Koreans)). John [JQ], is the observer in what is to be a great try for an escape. Five hundred Military Police are guarding the prisoners, thus, they are out unnumbered 32, to 1. Private John Q, the only finger printer on base. He is now with Sergeant Erwin W. [EW]. The date is December 7, 1952, everyone is resting. John and the sergeant have just woken up, three has been in the pat several weeks’ demonstrations, and in the past few weeks, an increase in them, and they are aware of this. Everyone is resting, John and the Sergeant are up early, he needs to check on the changing of the guards, and then him and Private Q, will go to the mess hall and have breakfast. Lots of noise seems to be echoing across the yard this morning, commotion is building; a certain North Korean is provoking this. The barracks are behind the three barbered wired fences. But beyond the fences is freedom; if indeed they can make it out into the plateau area, and to the far reaching mountains beyond the camp. In a few minutes, at 7:00 AM, 16,000-men will try.)
John
Seems like there is much activity with the POW’s today?
Sgt Erwin
I wonder what they’re up to?...
John [Curiously]
Wow!.... I hope not much…Hey what do you think?
Sgt Erwin [Sarcastically]
Sunday morning, what do you expect, I got a hangover! That’s what I think; got to check the guards, make sure their relief has come.
John [Waking up, rubbing his eyes]
I’ll follow you there, not much else to do; we can get some grub after you do what you got to do…!
Sgt Erwin
Ok private, follow me, let’s get this over with, I’m hungry too.
(As they walk in the chilled air, wool jackets on, army green, hands in their pockets, hates on, the wind from the sea brushing across the island, you can hear it a little, light snow in the air, here and there; they walk over to the other side of the compound; the sergeant notices bodies climbing over, under and right through the first layer of barbwire fence, POW’s putting their blankets and clothing over the barbwire and leaping over the fabric to the path in-between the two rolls: climbing the first roll of the three; dark haired North Koreans all pushing their way to the other side like a swarm of locust.
Nearby, in the towers are machine gunners, guards, not allowed to fire until at least one man makes it through the wire, then …once indemnified, he can shoot, but he must be completely though, save, his life is not in danger. And they wait, and watch, it will be but a minute or two. The alarm has gone off, men running to the arms-room to get their carbines.
The first Korean has stepped onto the surface of the warn out path between the two barbwire fences, and the machine guns open up: one first and then two more. Bodies are falling, it is clear now, the escape is in full force, bullets are flying, and the machineguns are red hot. Rolls of barbwire fence have bodies laying on it, others are hiding under the bodies to avoid the bullets, the Sergeant and private stop to wait out the situation, behind a five ton truck, lest they find themselves a fatality of a stray bullet: they are both unarmed, and too far away to get to the arms room to get their weapons.)
Sgt Erwin
Hay, I knew something was up…I felt it!
John
They’re opening fire!
(bullets flying, some ten feet away from the truck; you can hear the banging of the bullets now! bang~! bang~! bang~)
● Fifteen minutes later
Sgt Erwin
Well, well, well, look at all these bodies
(—they are about 300-feet from the fence now, and standing by a water tower; the fire is still going on, but arbitrarily, not rapid like it was; more controlled. The three machine guns have killed 150-Pows and wounded 350. The great attempt to escapee has been nullified. John sees the instigator, points him out to the sergeant, later on the sergeant will report him to the commander, and they will put him in the center of the compound, where the American troops practice marching with the Rock Army [South Koreans], and shoot him in the head, to show the onlookers, this is what happens to instigators, he knows the rulers and he dies honorable.)
The Mockery
When the leader was asked before he died: why did so many follow you so blindly to make such a stupid attempt to escape, his words were: “For Freedom!” And the irony of it is: the very thing they gave their lives up for is what they would deny their opponent, or their so called enemy: the South Koreans.
Sgt Erwin
Can we safely get out of here?
John
I think the worse is over; no one is climbing gthe wire, I Could go and check?
Sgt Erwin
No, not yet, let things cool down a bit, forget the breakfast, we’re going to have to do some me…medical work I do believe; or documentation I think. Incident reports, they’re starting them now, I see corporal…so and so doing them, can’t remember his damn name. Take some pictures if you want, of the dead, the wounded, and let me have the camera when you’re done, I’ll take a few also, send them home.
John
Alright sergeant…lets walk and see what we can see— what a big mistake they made.
(Both the Sergeant and Private started walking about, looking at the dead, bodies laying in the barbwire, on the ground, being stacked one on the other, with their heavy winter coats on, mouths wide open, eyes staring: John taking pictures. The medic’s came out, bandaging the wounded, you could see white heads, arms, legs, of the wounded and dying; bullets pierced 350-Pows they were all being cared for, in one way or another. One soldier just in his t-shirt was asking questions, writing down answers. The sergeant pointed out the leader to the commander, he was taken away, and he’d be dead in a few hours: an exhibition in the now empty military field, would take place, and he’d be the attraction.
Sgt Erwin
Look over there John; they’ve lined up, thirty of them or so. That one there with his eyes in the air, he’s visualizing what’s coming I bet. The other one in the center, he’s thinking he’s pretty lucky he’s not one of the dead. The other one next to him is looking down, I think he’s overwhelmed by all of this, and I see a few faces in shock, the dock will have to care for them. It’s all a mess.
John
Could be, could be, I’ll have to figure out tomorrow what fingers prints I don’t need to keep I suppose, I mean, don’t need anymore, if we can get a good count, and get the right names of the dead.
Sgt Erwin
We’re all going to be busy tonight.
posted by Dennis and Rosa Siluk at 6:16 PM
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