Surely enough, as they chugged back to American lines, North Korean soldiers began to sprinkle rifle, machine gun, and mortar fire down on the outlaw sailors. With ordinance clanging off the sides of the train, the Seabees kept their heads down and their booze protected.
To add insult to injury, the First Marine Division began to fire upon them as they thundered closer, thinking they were North Koreans. Arguably, this is an easy mistake to make, as it is far-fetched to imagine that anyone would have the brazen fortitude required to pull such a maneuver. The Marines set up a bazooka squad along the route, ready to blow the trains off the tracks. Even as bullets dinged the train cars, the Seabees chugged onward, they had a delivery to make. As luck would have it, one unusually astute Marine noticed the men driving the trains weren’t scrawny malnourished Reds, but stout, hard-charging American fighting men. With their green fatigues and GI haircuts, they were instantly distinguishable as good guys. As elated as they were to see their countrymen, such a daring feat successfully executed by sailors hurt the Marines’ pride.