Cpl. James Rix | Tales of First Team

Corporal James Rix

E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment

Artillery shrieks overhead as the machine guns roar and rifles blare. A machine gunner keeps his trigger finger on the steel of the trigger, firing bursts into the Chinese charging his position. Mortars make hollow echoes as shells rip through the frigid air. A plume of blood and dirt erupts over the line and then the machine gun goes silent, along with its gunner: Corporal Rix.

James “Bunk” Cordie Rix was born on May 10th, 1932, in Laurens County, Georgia. When he turned 17, he convinced his mother to sign documents allowing her only child to enlist despite being underage. On September 14th, 1949, Rix was sent to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for basic training. Following this, he attended infantry training in Fort Benning, Georgia, and finally to Fort Lawton, Washington for embarkation to Japan, arriving in February of 1950.

Rix was assigned to E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (2/7) and served as a machine gunner within the company. Rix was tasked with garrisoning Japan where his biggest responsibilities were keeping spit-shined boots and making tactical incursions to the redlight districts of Tokyo. This was interrupted for the First Team when on June 25th, 1950, North Korea invaded its southern counterpart to reunify the Korean Peninsula under communist rule. The 1st Cavalry Division was the third American army division to be sent to Korea, after the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions, draining the 1st Cavalry Division of experienced junior officers and NCOs (noncommissioned officers). When the 7th Cavalry embarked for Korea, they were down to 2/3 total strength and woefully unprepared for the fight to come. Rix was assigned to Machine Gun Platoon, E Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division (2/7) and served as a machine gunner within the company. Rix was tasked with garrisoning Japan where his biggest responsibilities were keeping spit-shined boots and making tactical incursions to the redlight districts of Tokyo. This was interrupted for the First Team when on June 25th, 1950, North Korea invaded its southern counterpart to reunify the Korean Peninsula under communist rule. The 1st Cavalry Division was the third American army division to be sent to Korea, after the 24th and 25th Infantry Divisions, draining the 1st Cavalry Division of experienced junior officers and NCOs (noncommissioned officers). When the 7th Cavalry embarked for Korea, they were down to 2/3 total strength and woefully unprepared for the fight to come.

Click on a photo in this slideshow for a closer look or click on the arrows at the edges of the slideshow to look through the photos.

On July 18th, the 7th Cavalry Regiment disembarked from transports onto the mudflats of Pohang-dong. A banner inscribed “Wellcome U.S. Army” flew overhead as the 7th Cavalry Regiment marched towards the ever-shrinking perimeter around Taegu, the temporary capital of South Korea. E Company and the rest of 2/7 moved to assist the 1st Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment (2/5 Cav), and the entire 8th Cavalry Regiment (1-3/8 Cav) as they tried to defend Hwanggan: a critical logistical hub 45 miles from Taegu.

The men dug in on the jagged hillsides outside the village of No Gun-ri on the night of July 25th. At midnight, the troopers panicked and routed at the sounds of mere whispers of the wind against the grasses, most likely due to frayed nerves. Despite the scattered men and abandoned supplies, they were rallied by the leadership of H Company commander Captain Mel Chandler, who reorganized the men on opposing sides of the rail line and dirt road beside No Gun-ri. Then at 10 AM the next day, an Eighth Army issued an order which stated, “no refugees will be permitted to cross battle lines at any time.” That morning, a column of up to 600 refugees came up the railroad tracks guarded by E Company and the rest of 2/7, unsure of what was to come. Women, children, and the elderly walked along the railroad track as American aircraft circled overhead. The refugees thought the planes were counting their numbers. But then the planes dived down, unleashing rockets and machine gun fire. Rounds hit the earth and cut through oxen and men alike. Napalm canisters tumbled down, incinerating those below in fiery plumes of blackness. Oxen let out gurgled grunts of agony as they lay stricken and little children tried to wake mothers and fathers who lay lifeless. Hae-sook, a young girl caught in this hellscape, was temporarily blinded in one eye while completely losing the other. She was forced to rip out her own dangling eye straight from the socket before seeking cover. Many followed suit, diving for a culvert nearby.

The cavalrymen emerged from their foxholes with bayonets attached to force the survivors into the tunnels a couple of hundred yards away. Then, they continued the atrocity by firing machine guns, grenades, rifles, and mortars at the tunnels, forming human barricades five bodies deep and with heights growing by the hour. Three babies were born and killed during this disgusting act of barbarism by their mothers in hopes the Americans would simply stop killing them. By the end of the slaughter, 150-300 lay dead in or near the tunnels. The No Gun-ri Massacre lives on in the memories of those who survived it and those who perpetrated it; may it not be forgotten.

On August 1st, the entire division was ordered to retreat 75 miles to Kumchon and then again to go over the Naktong River, forming the infamous Pusan Perimeter, a roughly 150-mile-long defensive line protecting the crucial port city of Pusan along the Naktong River. The North Korean Peoples Army (NKPA) launched five major assaults on Taegu, beginning August 3rd. Rix was thrown into a pitched battle with the 10th NKPA Division at Yongpo between August 13th and 14th to hold the perimeter. Supported by the 77th Field Artillery Battalion, E Company and the rest of the 2/7 repelled the 10th NKPA Division, inflicting heavy casualties on the communist unit.

Despite these defeats, the First Team prevented the fall of Taegu and blunted the Communist war machine. The Pusan Perimeter would stand for over two more weeks before the Marine Corps landed in Inchon and knocked the North Koreans off their balance, sending them into a full-on rout back across the 38th Parallel. The 7th Cavalry was issued a simple order for the breakout: annihilate all bypassed resistance. On September 18th, Corporal Rix would distinguish himself in combat, earning the Bronze Star Medal for valor. While advancing from Taegu, E Company was mopping up stragglers when they came under fire from North Koreans. Rix’s commanding officer ordered the company to fall back, but he stayed behind to cover the retreat. Rix laid down covering fire, ensuring his fellow troopers escaped before he himself returned to friendly lines.

The 1st Cavalry Division raced north, retaking lost ground rapidly. E Company operated in the ridges of Korea behind the most forward troops, continuing their mopping up orders. The 7th Cavalry Regiment linked up with the 7th Infantry Division in Osan, just south of Seoul, encircling thousands of Communist regulars as well as securing the Inchon beachhead. In early October, the division moved north of Osan and planned to cross the Imjin River.

By October 8th, the entire United Nations army was ready to advance north, holding their ground as their higher-ups decide if they were to cross over. Rumors of Chinese intervention had reached the UN commanders, but this did not stop MacArthur as on October 9th, he gave one simple order: continue the attack. On the advance, the 1st Cavalry Division was ordered to take the city of Kumchon, north of Kaesong. The 7th Cavalry Regiment was deployed to flank and cut off Kumchon while the 8th Cavalry Regiment assaulted it from the south and the 5th Cavalry Regiment engaged from the east. The 7th Cavalry Regiment seized the rail line connecting the town to Pyongyang, effectively cutting off the North Korean retreat and taking the town.

E Company, with the rest of 2/7, was then ordered to take the town of Namchonjom. Resistance was fierce as the unit advanced up the single-track rail line before being repelled by stiff resistance. After an American airstrike on enemy defenses in the city, they attacked the following day and took the town. On October 19th, the 1st Cavalry Division added another honor to their legacy as they were once again the first entering a prized objective. First Manila, then Tokyo, and now members of the 5th Cavalry Regiment were the first in Pyongyang.

The cavalrymen emerged from their foxholes with bayonets attached to force the survivors into the tunnels a couple of hundred yards away. Then, they continued the atrocity by firing machine guns, grenades, rifles, and mortars at the tunnels, forming human barricades five bodies deep and with heights growing by the hour. Three babies were born and killed during this disgusting act of barbarism by their mothers in hopes the Americans would simply stop killing them. By the end of the slaughter, 150-300 lay dead in or near the tunnels. The No Gun-ri Massacre lives on in the memories of those who survived it and those who perpetrated it; may it not be forgotten.

On August 1st, the entire division was ordered to retreat 75 miles to Kumchon and then again to go over the Naktong River, forming the infamous Pusan Perimeter, a roughly 150-mile-long defensive line protecting the crucial port city of Pusan along the Naktong River. The North Korean Peoples Army (NKPA) launched five major assaults on Taegu, beginning August 3rd. Rix was thrown into a pitched battle with the 10th NKPA Division at Yongpo between August 13th and 14th to hold the perimeter. Supported by the 77th Field Artillery Battalion, E Company and the rest of the 2/7 repelled the 10th NKPA Division, inflicting heavy casualties on the communist unit.

Despite these defeats, the First Team prevented the fall of Taegu and blunted the Communist war machine. The Pusan Perimeter would stand for over two more weeks before the Marine Corps landed in Inchon and knocked the North Koreans off their balance, sending them into a full-on rout back across the 38th Parallel. The 7th Cavalry was issued a simple order for the breakout: annihilate all bypassed resistance. On September 18th, Corporal Rix would distinguish himself in combat, earning the Bronze Star Medal for valor. While advancing from Taegu, E Company was mopping up stragglers when they came under fire from North Koreans. Rix’s commanding officer ordered the company to fall back, but he stayed behind to cover the retreat. Rix laid down covering fire, ensuring his fellow troopers escaped before he himself returned to friendly lines.

Click on a photo in this slideshow for a closer look or click on the arrows at the edges of the slideshow to look through the photos.

The 1st Cavalry Division raced north, retaking lost ground rapidly. E Company operated in the ridges of Korea behind the most forward troops, continuing their mopping up orders. The 7th Cavalry Regiment linked up with the 7th Infantry Division in Osan, just south of Seoul, encircling thousands of Communist regulars as well as securing the Inchon beachhead. In early October, the division moved north of Osan and planned to cross the Imjin River.

By October 8th, the entire United Nations army was ready to advance north, holding their ground as their higher-ups decide if they were to cross over. Rumors of Chinese intervention had reached the UN commanders, but this did not stop MacArthur as on October 9th, he gave one simple order: continue the attack. On the advance, the 1st Cavalry Division was ordered to take the city of Kumchon, north of Kaesong. The 7th Cavalry Regiment was deployed to flank and cut off Kumchon while the 8th Cavalry Regiment assaulted it from the south and the 5th Cavalry Regiment engaged from the east. The 7th Cavalry Regiment seized the rail line connecting the town to Pyongyang, effectively cutting off the North Korean retreat and taking the town. E Company, with the rest of 2/7, was then ordered to take the town of Namchonjom. Resistance was fierce as the unit advanced up the single-track rail line before being repelled by stiff resistance. After an American airstrike on enemy defenses in the city, they attacked the following day and took the town. On October 19th, the 1st Cavalry Division added another honor to their legacy as they were once again the first entering a prized objective. First Manila, then Tokyo, and now members of the 5th Cavalry Regiment were the first in Pyongyang.

On October 21st, the 7th Cavalry Regiment was ordered to capture Chinnampo, a vital port town that provided much of North Korea and Pyongyang with coal. In a single day, the port was secured with immense enemy stores seized. Amidst their recent victories, Pyongyang and Chinnampo were suspected to be the final battles of the war, with many in the 1st Cavalry hoping to be back in Japan by Christmas. Yet in the shadows, the Chinese were preparing to make their grand entry into the war. The entire UN army would finally heed their ignored warnings in a small village north of Pyongyang. The Battle of Unsan was fought between the Chinese and the 8th Cavalry Regiment (and a small contingent of the 5th Cavalry Regiment) and was the bloodiest battle the 1st Cavalry Division fought in Korea, suffering nearly1,500 casualties . During the battle, the 7th Cavalry Regiment was rerouted from a division reserve area to act as a rearguard for the division as the First Team fled south. Rix would patrol silently on the outskirts of Unsan in search of any survivors, bringing them back to friendly lines.

On November 22nd, the 7th Cavalry Regiment was rotated to a rear reserve area, afforded a break to enjoy a hot Thanksgiving meal in relative safety. However, the Eighth Army was forced to move the regiment north to prevent a Chinese break in the line. Rix was sent to the village of Sinchang-ni, 12 miles east of Sunchon.

In the early morning hours of November 29th, the ROK 6th Division was routed by an intense Chinese attack, and it became clear that their goal was to break the Americans next. The South Koreans fled through the American lines, with refugees following behind. Chinese infiltrators mixed with the refugees as well, one of whom killed First Lieutenant John Sheehan, the commander of E Company.

Sergeant Snuffy Gray of G Company recalled one of his fellow troopers shouting to him, “Hey look Snuff! That goddamned road is turning black!” The road was filled with columns of Chinese soldiers marching south, ready to engage 2/7 head-on. Chinese platoons and companies moved silently through the snow and American lines before assaulting them from all sides. Bugles blaring, whistles shrieking, and tracers shining green in the night sky. These assaults caused absolute chaos on the line and formed a bow in front of the 2/7 command post (CP). The CP was almost overrun in this first assault before machine gunners drove them back. The 2/7 commander, Lieutenant Colonel Gilman “Whiskey Red” Huff, took his jeep towards the front line and began calling in artillery fire, shouting coordinates into his radio while, putting it kindly, plastered.

The Chinese regulars, clad in their infamous sneakers and padded cotton uniforms, breached in multiple places along the 2/7 mainline. Men began to fight pitched battles against the communists, resorting to handguns, bayonets, and fists to drive them back. Then mortars and artillery crashed down on the land, the limited amount of Chinese fire support dedicated to this battle. Tracers lit the sky like the fourth of July, illuminating the screams of the dying. One of the mortar rounds fired that night claimed the life of Corporal James Rix. While manning his machine gun, a mortar round scored a direct hit on the soldier, killing him instantly and severing both of his legs. The Chinese lost an estimated 350 soldiers in the battle.

Click on a photo in this slideshow for a closer look or click on the arrows at the edges of the slideshow to look through the photos.

On December 2nd, Rix was buried in the UN military cemetery outside Pyongyang, but this fell into Communist hands the next day. He slumbered in North Korean soil until 1954 when Operation Glory took place. During the signing of peace, it was decided to repatriate the war dead to their respective countries, with all the war dead brought to the DMZ and transported out via rail. 4,200 UN and over 14,000 Communist remains were repatriated over the course of two months. The American war dead were transferred to temporary storage in Japan before being buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii.

Rix was among the unidentified bodies returned to America, designated as X-16680, and remained unaccounted for until 2017. Researchers with the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) disinterred X-16680 and after two years of analysis identified the remains as Rix’s. On May 4th, 2019, Rix was finally brought to rest in the little town in Georgi a he had left almost seven decades prior. Soldiers from nearby Fort Stewart served as pallbearers and current members of the 7th Cavalry Regiment attended the funeral. He was laid to rest beside his mother, as Scott B. Thompson, Sr wrote:

“Joining his momma in his heavenly home for a Saturday night supper of fried chicken, sweet, iced tea, and chocolate cake, “Bunk” is now home.”

Sources:

Appleman, Roy E. South to the Naktong: North to the Yalu: June-November 1950. Office of the Chief of Military History Dept. of the Army, 1961.
Bateman, Robert, et al. Debate on No Gun Ri, C-SPAN, Chicago, Illinois, 28 Aug. 2004.
Blair, Clay. The Forgotten War: America in Korea. Times Books, 1987.
Boudreau, Wm. H. 1st Cavalry Division History - Korean War, 1950 - 1951, 1996, www.first-team.us/tableaux/chapt_04/.
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. “OPERATION GLORY.” DPAA Famweb Operation Glory Page, dpaa-mil.sites.crmforce.mil/dpaaFmWbInOperationGlory.
Goulden, Joseph C. Korea: The Untold Story of the War. McGraw-Hill Paperbacks, 1982.
Halberstan, David. The Coldest Winter. Hyperion, 2007.
Hanley, Charles J., et al. The Bridge at No Gun Ri: A Hidden Nightmare from the Korean War. Holt, 2001.
Home, Townsend Brothers Funeral. “Obituary for Corporal James Cordie Rix: Townsend Brothers Funeral Home.” Obituary for Corporal James Cordie Rix | Townsend Brothers Funeral Home, CFS, 25 Apr. 2019, www.townsendfuneralhome.com/notices/CorporalJames-Rix.
The National Archives, Department of the Army, et al. Records on Korean War Dead and Wounded Army Casualties, Created, 1950 - 1970, Documenting the Period 2/13/1950 - 12/31/1953.
POW/MIA Accounting Agency. “Personnel File of Cpl. James Cordie Rix.” Service Member Profiles.
Robertson, William G. Counterattack on the Naktong: 1950. Combat Studies Inst., US Army Command and General Staff College, 1985.
“Soldier Accounted For From Korean War (Rix, J.).” Department of Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, DPAA, 9 Mar. 2019, www.dpaa.mil/News-Stories/News-Releases/PressReleaseArticleView/Article/1788955/soldier-accounted-for-from-korean-war-rix-j/.
Swiger, David A, and Find A Grave. “CPL James Cordie Rix (1932-1950) - Find A Grave...” Find a Grave, 23 Nov. 2017, www.findagrave.com/memorial/185412511/james-cordie-rix.
Thompson, Scott B. MOMMA, I'M HOME, Blogger, 7 May 2019, dublinlaurenscountygeorgia.blogspot.com/2019/05/momma-im-home.html.
US Army. The First Team: the First Cavalry Division in Korea, 18 July 1950-18 January 1952. Turner Pub. Co., 1994.

Author's Note:

I wish to thank Scott Thompson for his assistance in helping me write this article, namely with his article ‘Momma I’m Home’ which details Cpl. Rix's life and journey back to the United States, as well as his funeral..