The Fifties

by David Halberstam

In late July, General Walker gathered his various unit commanders at a command post at Sanju. Help, he said, was on the way. “We are fighting a battle against time. There will be no more retreating, withdrawal, or readjustment of the lines or any other term you choose. There is no line behind us to which we can retreat. Every unit must counterattack to keep the enemy in a state of confusion and off balance. There will be no Dunkirk, there will be no Bataan, a retreat to Pusan would be one of the greatest butcheries in history. We must fight to the end. Capture by these people is worse than death itself. We will fight as a team. If some of us must die, we will die fighting together. Any man who gives ground may be responsible for the deaths of thousands of his comrades ... We are going to hold the line. We are going to win.”