The world has heard of the "Sunchon Death March and Massacre." Ed Slater, who was one of the few survivors, has access to all the data regarding The Death March.

But Ed discovered another survivor that he assumed was dead for the last fifty five (55) years.

In the fall of 2005, Ed received a phone call with the calling party saying "Is this Ed Slater the POW from Korea"? Ed said "yes it is" and the caller replied - "Well Ed, this is Walter Whitcomb". Ed said - "Sorry Walt, but the name does not ring a bell." When Walt Whitcomb told Slater that he was the guy that came back from Korea with him, Ed said "Oh my God Walt, I thought you were dead many years ago!"

Apparently Walt Whitcomb did not know that there was a POW Organization until he picked up one of their magazines.

Walt thought the POW Organization would be a good way to find a friend that lived in Leavenworth, Kansas, so he called Gerald Harvey (who now is the National Commander), and asked if he knew this friend in Leavenworth. Harvey said "no" but that "there is a guy in the Kansas City area that knew POW's from all over the country and his name is Ed Slater". Gerald Harvey thought Whitcomb hung up on him since he could not talk after that..... Harvey gave Whitcomb Ed Slater's phone number and that is how Ed and Walt made contact.

Ed and Walt had a reunion a short time later in Independence, Missouri and Ed introduced him to all available Heart of America POW buddies at the Kansas City VA Medical Center.

For fifty (50) years Ed Slater had thought that the survivor that came back with him was Robert Sharp - his best and closest buddy on the Death March, (This Death March tragedy caused survivors to be confused about many events that occured during that time..)

Approximately two years prior, a Major Phil O'Bryan from Washington D.C. came to visit Ed, and while discussing the Death March, Ed talked about himself and Sharp being the last two Death March survivors.

Major Phil O'Bryan said "no, there were three of you accounted for.." One survivor was wounded and hiding under some rice bags. He also made it back but died two or three years later.

The Slater and Whitcomb story of survival was printed in the Ex-POW Bulletin Magazine in the January 2006 issue on pages 18 and 19 and is a good rendition of their amazing reunion.

On January 10th or 11th, 2006 Ed was shopping at Home Depot and received a phone call on his cell phone and the caller said "is this Ed Slater the POW from Korea ?" and Ed said "it is." The caller said "well this is Sherman Jones the guy that came back with you from Korea, God bless you Ed for taking care of my wounds - I would still be there in Korea if you had not done so. " Ed said " I am sorry Sherman, I am speechless since I thought you died many years ago."

NOTE - Ed never remembered helping him and Whitcomb said they were too weak to pick him up.

Both being choked up and unable to talk, they did make plans to get together in the near future.

Ed Slater has managed to find six of the survivors from the massacre and is planning a reunion at Branson, Missouri on Memorial Day 2006.