Author Stands By Report on Korean War

Noting the criticism of two former Army officers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Neil Sheehan said Saturday that he stands by what he has written about the black 24th Infantry Regiment’s performance in the Korean War.

“The problems of the 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea are well known and the regiment was finally disbanded in 1951,” Sheehan said in a telephone interview from his home in the Washington, D.C., area.

Sheehan said he “did a lot of research,” including talking to Korean War veterans about the 24th, before writing in his book, “A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam,” that the regiment had repeatedly fled before the North Koreans.

Two black Los Angeles men, who fought with the 24th in Korea, challenged Sheehan’s conclusion on Friday and called on the author to return his 1988 Pulitzer award for nonfiction until the book is corrected.

Contrary to what Sheehan wrote, retired Lt. Col. Charles M. Bussey and former Capt. David K. Carlisle said that the 24th actually won America’s first victory in Korea, at Yechon, in 14 1/2 months of service before it was disbanded in 1951. They blamed “misfit” white officers for any problems that the regiment might have had.