Return To Heartbreak Ridge Return To Heartbreak Ridge is the story of a sons' search for his fathers' past, and a series of letters received from Korean War Veteran SFC Seymour "Hoppy" Harris, a gunner with Company H, 23d Infantry Regiment, 1951. It is a complex story. Warning: Strong language, pejorative terms, and honesty. Nightmares Dear Hal, Got only a foot of snow last night. It is still now, so we're not so bad off. West and midwest got it far worse than we did. Haven't been feeling so hot lately, the crazy nightmares are back when I do sleep. When you have crazy nightmares, like seeing a rotten corpse raise up out of his grave, and groaning, commence to eat maggots out of a huge hole in his belly by the fistful, you come awake feeling sick at you stomach, wishing you'd never heard of such a thing as war. Hal, I wake up from this dream and I swear to God I can smell the rotten corpses just like I was right back there. And why am I so terror stricken in my dreams? I never was that scared when I was actually there. The goddam Veterans Administration Hospital at Syracuse couldn't tell me shit. Doctors just look at you with a glassy stare and shake their heads. Bunch of jackasses, that's all they were. I often wonder what ever became of the two Korean boys who were with us for so long in Korea. One was "Kim," of course, and my favorite. They were both 15 years old, and I what I wouldn't have given for more of them. They did anything I asked, and made me look good many times. I don't know how the Korean Government looks on such things, but those two deserve a lot of credit for what they did. They were just teenagers, but better than a lot of ROK soldiers, I'll lay you odds on that. Kim was a handsome little runt with dark brown eyes that followed my every move. Guy's used to tell me they thought Kim thought I was God. He hit our platoon first, and he never let the other kid forget he was the No.1 boy. They got along real good but Kim was No.1 boy, and don't you forget it. I hope Kim and the other boy made out alright. Man, you stop and think, those kids were taking a hell of a chance. If they had been captured, their lives would not have been worth a plug nickel. No way to defend themselves. They had nerve, more nerve than I had. Just think of it, they probably don't even get treated as vets in their country. Your Friend, Hoppy Go to Return to Heartbreak Ridge Return to Korean War Project Home Page Feedback to the Korean War Project is welcome, and encouraged. Copyright 1995, by Hal Barker (hbarker@kwp.org) All Rights Reserved.