How did the Rutted Bridge (Pratunam Bridge) of the Battle of Chosin Lake become a household name in the United States?
During the Battle of Chosin Lake, advance reports of U.S. troops dropping rutted bridges on airdrops attracted representatives of the press to Gutuli in wounded evacuation planes, and former Marines, Life magazine reporter David Duncan, took real photos of the troops that attracted the attention of the entire United States. Keith Beech produces daily reports and notes for a book about his adventures on the Korean Peninsula.
Famed war correspondent Margaret Higgins, who did not want to be overtaken by male colleagues, was twice asked by Marine Corps officers to leave Guturi before dusk. Although the officers respected her courage as a war correspondent, they felt that women should not be left in the ancient soil when they were surrounded by enemy attacks.
Media reporters have written extensive reports about prefabricated parts of airdropted rutted bridges. Some of the reports were dramatized, giving readers of American newspapers the impression that the entire rutted bridge was suddenly airdropped on the pedestal of the bridge. Inside the United States, headlines were made every day about the progress of the 1st Marine Division's breakthrough, and information maps made American families aware of the names of previously unknown North Korean mountain villages such as Gutu-ri and Jinheung-ri.
