9th Infantry Division (South Korea)

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9th Infantry Division
Active	Formed June 20, 1949
Country	Republic of Korea
Branch	Army
Type	Infantry
Engagements	White Horse Mountain
Insignia
Identification symbol	Whit Horse on blue background

[edit] History

The 9th Infantry Division was a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army during the 20th Century. The unit is comprised of the 28th, 29th and 30th Regiments.^[1]

The ROKA 9th Division was hastily created in late 1950 during the Korean War and operated in the mountainous terrain of Sorak and Odae in the northeast, not far from the 38th parallel. The North Korean II Corps cut it off in late 1950 and the division suffered heavy casualties.

During October 1952, all three 9th Division regiments, the 28th, 29th and 30th (12,000 men) held Hill 395, northwest of Chorwon, North Korea, known as White Horse Mountain. The division prepared for a Chinese assault. A captured North Korean officer who knew of the impending attack and did not want to be in the fight betrayed his comrades and told the ROKs about it. Many support units helped the 9th ROK Division, but at the end of the day, it was the 9th ROK Division pitted squarely against the Chinese 387th Army. The 9th ROK Division was renamed after the battle, and forever after was, and is, known as the White Horse Division.

Three 9th ROK Division men received the US Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) for their service in the Battle of White Horse Mountain. The DSC is the second highest military decoration of the United States Army, awarded for extreme gallantry and risk of life in actual combat with an armed enemy force. The ROK recipients were Major General Kim Chon O., 9th Division; 2nd Lt. Chung Nak Koo, 11th Co., 28th Regiment; and Sergeant Kim Man Su, 9th Co., 29th Regiment.^[2]