International: Disgrace of the 92

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The U.S. 65th Infantry, a predominantly Puerto Rican outfit, won a respectable if unglamorous reputation during two years of fighting with the U.S. 3rd Division in Korea. The 65th's reputation was severely tarnished last week by a spare announcement reporting the biggest mass court-martial of its kind in the Korean war. The trial involved 97 members of the 65th who, in three separate actions last fall, were accused of "bugging out."

Of those accused, 92, including one officer, a lieutenant, were convicted of "misbehavior in action," "failure to obey orders," or "leaving the scene of action without proper authority." Four were acquitted; another is still to be tried. Unless the Pentagon or the President intervenes, the convicted soldiers will serve from six months to ten years at hard labor. The regiment itself was pulled from the line, "retrained," and sent back to combat.

So far, no one will say exactly when or where the incidents took place, how heavy the fighting was at the time, or what defense, if any, the accused soldiers offered. But it is known that shortly before the incidents took place, the division had received about 1,000 green replacements. The 65th, many of whose men spoke only Spanish, was hampered by a shortage of combat-wise, bilingual noncoms.

Though scores of G.I.s have been convicted for individual disobedience or cowardice, mass defections in Korea are rare. After one mass "bug out" last summer, more than 100 American soldiers were sent back to their units after a sharp verbal whipping from a division commander. After their regimental commander was relieved, they fought well.