This day will be fine and warm. I am on 24 hours leave to dowhatever I like, but I can't leave the boundary of South Korea.

I read (probably a Zane Grey, Western novel) and loafed aroundall morning. After dinner I was bored, and so decided to have alook at the scenery down south of the "Front Line". I startedwalking, my only friend my trusty 303 rifle. After a while ayoung American soldier passed me travelling south. He stoppedto give me a lift. I hopped in sitting with my rifle butt on the floorand barrel straight up. He had some kind of automatic weapon, itwas mandatory to carry your weapon everywhere in Korea in casea chinaman or North Korean turned up in front of you. We weretold it could happen anytime.

The American said, "Hi Aussie, where are you going guy?"

I replied "I'm going south, as I have the day off. I am from theSecond Battalion Royal Australian Regiment. "

"Why are you going South?" he asked.

"Just to look at the scenery" I replied "I like hills and mountains."

He became very quiet as we drove past Korean villages which hadbeen destroyed, and small army camps etc. Trucks jeeps andtanks were moving around everywhere. After about 10 miles alarge U.S. army camp lay off to the right. He pulled up and saidthis is where he turned off, pointing to the army camp. I thankedhim for the lift as he speedily drove off and I started walking southagain. After about 10 minutes I saw this jeep heading south,instead of slowing down he sped straight past me ignoring me. Itwas the same young American on his own - didn't want to blowme.

Eventually I got sick of trudging south as it was getting cooler inthe late afternoon. I turned around and somehow got a lift back tonear the front line. I arrived just after tea and in time to see half ofthe movie "A Yankee in Indo-China" I got back to my bunkeraround 9.00 p.m. finally falling asleep around 10.00 p.m.

Years later I was dwelling on why the young American jeep drivergrew quiet, when I told him I was going south to see the scenery.He probably thought I was going AWOL to somehow escape outof South Korea. I think he was probably frightened to say Ianything as he was driving and I had a loaded 303 rifle that I washolding in front of me. I would say that he probably was trying towork out how to get rid of me, after all he wouldn't want to be partof helping a soldier deserting the front-line.

Ernie R. Holden.