James Michener’s war correspondence that was the basis for his novel, “The Bridges at Toko-Ri” and in turn, the classic 1954 Korean War naval aviation flick of the same name, was based on his time spent aboard the flattops USS Essex (CV-9) and USS Valley Forge (CV-45) of Task Force 77 in 1951 and 52 reporting for newspapers and magazines on the bombing runs of their respective units, VF-653 flying F-4U Corsairs and VF-194 flying AD-3 (A-1) Skyraiders, prop planes, not jets as depicted in the book and movie. The other classic Korean war carrier-based fighter movie that came out in 1954, “Men of the Fighting Lady”, has its primary historical origin in a Saturday Evening Post article, “The Case of the Blind Pilot” that was penned two years earlier, in November 1952, by CDR Harry A. Burns, USN, that was also based on stories of VF-194 on USS Valley Forge.

“Men of the Fighting Lady” was also based on an article Michener wrote in the Saturday Evening Post about CDR Paul N. Gray, C.O. of Attack Squadron 54 aboard USS Essex in May 1952, “The Forgotten Heroes of Korea” that he expanded to include other characters and that MGM, who bought the screen rights from Michener, tailored to Burn’s Saturday Evening Post article. The impressive medals and valor awards of Captain Gray can be seen here:

 

http://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/179543-medals-of-paul-graycommander-of-tf-116/

 

If either flick has the disclaimer, “The characters appearing in this work are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental”, that statement itself would be fiction.

 

There really was a “Lt. Brubaker”, the character realistically played by Bill Holden in “The Bridges at Toko-RI”. LCDR (then LT) Donald E. Brubaker, USNR, was an aviator in VF-194 attached to USS Valley Forge, who was a real life Denver lawyer called to duty as a reservist, just as in the movie. From the article linked at the end of this post, you can see a picture of him. He even resembles Holden somewhat. Michener interviewed Brubaker in December 1951. Here is LCDR Donald E. Brubaker’s DFC citation for a bombing run on a railroad bridge in Korea, April 23, 1952:

 

http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=300973

 

There really was an NAP Chief who wore a green hat (though a baseball cap, not a fancy top hat) and flew air rescue in an HO3S-1 helicopter like Chief Mike Forney, the character played by the durable Mickey Rooney. The real NAP flew air rescue off the cruiser USS Rochester (CA-124). He was Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic Duane W. Thorin, USN (Naval Helicopter pilot #216) and he made more than 130 rescues and evacuations from enemy territory in North Korea flying HO3's.

 

Thorin was captured by North Korean troops on February 8, 1952 along with an intelligence officer, LT A.W.C. Naylor-Foote, USA, that had replaced his regular crewman, AMM2 Ernie LaRue Crawford, during a rescue attempt of a naval aviator that had been downed two months earlier, Lt. j.g. Dwight Ettinger, an escaped POW who was being harbored by partisan guerrillas. A series of mishaps primarily owing to Thorin not having Crawford (think Nestor Gammidge as played by Earl Holliman) aboard and instead bringing Naylor-Foote (think Colonel Flagg); excess weight of equipment brought on by Naylor-Foote; and the unexpected rush of Ettinger to board the helicopter as it hovered above a narrow terrace that caused the helo to lose lift and crash into a ravine. RESCAP efforts that cost one Corsair pilot his life were beaten back; however, Thorin and his two companions survived the war as guests of the North Koreans- despite an escape by Thorin in July ’52 and recapture.

 

Here are the citations for the Silver Star, 2 DFC’s, and POW Medal awarded to Chief Aviation Structural Mechanic (NAP) Duane W. Thorin (1919-2002):

 

http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=300138

 

Memorial bio of Chief Thorin:

 

http://www.ussrochester.org/thorin_crawford/duane_thorin_bio2.htm

 

Thorin’s heroic and dramatic, but failed, helo rescue was but one on the same day that Michener “witnessed” from Valley Forge. An equally valiant and strikingly similar effort was made by a two- man HO3 crew from the cruiser USS Manchester (CL-83), LT Edwin C. Moore, USN, and 1^st LT Kenneth W. Henry, USMC, rotoring in from 100 miles out at sea in an effort to rescue VF-194 pilot Ens. Marvin S. Broomhead, a former NAP, who was seriously injured when his AD-3 was downed during a bombing run on enemy railroad bridges. North Korean ground fire brought Moore's helo down and with Henry and Broomhead seriously wounded, all three men were captured notwithstanding determined efforts by RESCAP air crews, including two other HO3’s that tried to get Broomhead and his two would-be rescuers out.

 

However, it was initially believed that all three men had been killed since reconnaissance aircraft the next day saw a huge red area saturated in the snow around the wreckage that appeared to be blood from a massacre, but was mostly marker dye from life vests. Michener’s reporting of the “deaths” in a UPI article titled “An Epic in Failure” (so he coined that phrase) and a short story “Heroes Fail to Save Pal” eventually evolved into a Readers Digest story and later, into the sad finale of his novel, “The Bridges at Toko-Ri”

Here are the Silver Star and POW medal citations for LT Lieutenant Edwin Cecil Moore, USN:

 

http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=300130

 

Here are the Silver Star and POW medal citations for First Lieutenant Kenneth W. Henry, USMC:

 

http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=36782

 

Here are the DFC and POW medal citations for ENS Marvin S. Broomhead, USN (1926-2002):

 

http://projects.militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards/recipient.php?recipientid=300638

 

Navy CDR Marvin S. Broomhead’s obituary:

 

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/894314/Obituary-Marvin-S-Broomhead.html?pg=all

 

For more about the attempted rescue of Ens. Broomhead that was the basis for the brutal ending in the ditches of the “The Bridges at Toko-Ri” ; the incredible real life ordeal of Ensign Kenneth A. Schechter of VF-194, the “blind pilot” of the same name portrayed by actor Dewey Martin in “Men of the Fighting Lady”, and Lt. j.g. Howard Thayer (played by Van Johnson in the movie) who “talked him down”, this riveting six-page article written in 2002 by former Korean War naval aviator and professor at CSU Sacramento, Richard F. Kaufman is a terrific and fast read. It includes pictures of the men that Michener and Burns wrote about, their aircraft, flattop and targets.

“Behind the Bridges at Toko-Ri” by Richard F. Kaufman, USN-ret., Ph.D.:

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/2000s/2002/ma02/bridges.pdf

 

Here is the ordeal of Ensign Kenneth A. Schechter, USNR, in his own words written in 2004, “Blind and Alone Over North Korea”. He was awarded the DFC 40 years late, on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64) at NAS North Island in 1995. Sadly, the man who talked him down, then LCDR Howard Thayer died along with his squadron commander in 1961 while on a carrier night landing approach in their A-4 Skyhawks which crashed into the Mediterranean:

 

http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/backissues/2000s/2004/so/blind.pdf

 

A reprint of the original 1952 Saturday Evening Post article by CDR Harry A. Burns, USN, “The Case of the Blind Pilot” and a great photo of ENS Kenneth A. Schechter receiving his DFC in 1995:

 

http://thebrownshoes.org/AcrobatPDF/SCHECHTER,%20KENNETH%20A.%20%20%20KEN%20%20%205-49.pdf

 

 

Nice article. Thanks for posting this. The Bridges at Toko-Ri is one of my favorite war flicks.

While I have seen and read Bridges at Toko-Ri, I never knew there was a real story behind the fictionalized account.  This was excellent work and thanks for sharing.