Hartwell Champagne

In 1950, Hartwell was 17 years old when he was sent to Korea. He fought for four months and then was captured. He spent three years as a POW in North Korea. There were 80 men in his unit and during the fight, all were killed except for four; he was one of survivors. It was November 4, 1950. His unit was surrounded by Chinese troops who kept shooting and killing men. With everyone dying around them, one officer, Orland Orteso, raised his hands and that saved the four remaining men alive. Hartwell followed the officer and raised his hands too, the Chinese stopped shooting and took them as POWs.

Hartwell had an inner helmet inside the steel helmet.  The inner helmet had three rolls of toilet papers wrapped around the inside of the headband.  A bullet had hit Hartwell through his steel helmet near his left ear. Although it did not go through the helmet, the blow was hard and loud leaving his ear bloody and the eardrum ruptured. He could not hear from that ear, and to this day, is deaf in that ear.

They were marched to the Yalu River for 19 days traveling only at night. The four soldiers from Hartwell’s unit were added to other POWs, many men carrying the wounded. Many died during this march.

Hartwell Champagne as a POW, 1953

After 19 harsh days through difficult wintry weather, they arrived at a village by the Nakdong River. They called this prison Death Valley since so many men died there due to punishing conditions. They were fed one bowl of stewed corn—more like cattle feed—per day and used a small stream to wash. The prisoners were moved from this location to Camp 5, where they remained from January 10, 1951 through August 6, 1951. Out of 3200 men, half—1600 men—died in Camp 5. They were constantly led outside in the freezing cold to be counted, so Hartwell could tell how many men were still alive. North Koreans were in charge and too many men were dying. After five months, the Chinese took over the camp and conditions slightly improved. Though they were continually interrogated, Hartwell only saw one beating of three men. One cook was beaten so badly he died with three broken ribs, and they no longer had a cook.

From Camp 5, 167 men were moved to Camp 3. Each camp was divided into A and B sections. Camp 5 and 6 were fed first with one bowl of boiled corn, but no protein. Starving men contracted beriberi disease and tuberculosis, among other diseases. Beriberi caused swelling from the legs to other parts of body, and led to kidney failure and death. Overall, 1600 men died in that camp. When a man was on his death bed, an American priest was sent in to encourage him to hold on. Everyone liked this priest.

Clyde Livaudais was in Camp 1, and Hartwell was in Camp 3 with Luis Lugo who was a Latino from Louisiana. Both Hartwell and Lugo were in Camp 5 and 3 together. Hartwell met Clyde Livaudais after they were released.

Sometime after the war ended in July 1953, the men in Camp 3 were moved by train and truck to Kaesong, North Korea. They stayed there for a week waiting for an exchange to take place between Chinese and North Korean POWs and American POWs. There were less American POWs than the others so all were released. The men were brought to Seoul. Hartwell took a ship to San Francisco California. When they got back to America, each man was given three years of back pay, and were flush with money. Some bought cars—and after years of captivity the freedom made them careless. Hartwell knew of two men who died from speeding in their new cars. How ironic that they survived three years of POW life to come home and be killed in a car crash!

When Hartwell, a tall man, came home, he weighed 139 pounds. He ate the best food to regain his weight and worked out with bodybuilding.  He looked for work but could not find a job.   He worked at a Pontiac Motors fro 1955  to 1956, but was laid off.  Then he purchased a crew boat to take men to and from offshore platforms.

Hartwell after the war

Hartwell had made a friend in Camp 5, Robert Paul McDermon from Pennsylvania, who came down with beriberi and died. Before Robert died he asked Hartwell to contact his brother. It took Hartwell 40 years to keep this promise. He found Robert’s brother in Newville, PA and they had a reunion in Baltimore. Robert’s brother told Hartwell that he did not know what had happened to his brother and now that he knew, he could bury his brother in his heart. It took him 40 years to lay his brother to rest. Robert’s brother is 93 years old now (as of Sept 2020).

Robert’s brother, Jean McDermon reunites with Hartwell Champagne, 1993

For 25 years, there was a national organization, Korean XPOW Association, which had a South Louisiana Chapter of America XPOWs. They met every year in different states, but in 2015, the organization shuttered since the men were too old to travel. Hartwell still keeps in touch with a few of these men.

The entire experience of the POW camp broadened his mind, bringing understanding and new insight about people. Since he was treated like an animal, coming back was like being reborn.

Hartwell has one wish now—to go back to Korea, to Camp 5, to sit there and just cry thinking about his friend Robert and the days he spent there.

Hartwell is 87 years old(as of Sept. 2020) and lives in Abberville, LA. Sun Kim and Kee Lee visited him in 2019.

Hartwell with his wife Francis

Sun Kim visit Hartwell, 2019, Abberville, LA