Sexo

Male

Birth date

1928-1-1

Local de nascimento

Seattle WA, U.S.A.

Inducted

1951-1-3, Los Angeles CA

Tipo de alistamento

Draftee

Ramo das Forças Armadas

Army

Tipo de serviço

War

Tipo de Unidade

Combat,sup

Unidades onde serviu

404th AAA Battalion, Fort Bliss, TX

8th Army, 164th Military Intelligence Services Detachment, Seoul, Korea

Far East Military Intelligence Language School, Tokyo, Japan

Military specialty

Military Intelligence

Stationed

U.S.A. - Fort Ord/Camp Roberts, CA; Fort Bliss, TX; Korea; Japan

Separated

Fort Ord CA

Unit responsibility

164th MISD - Prisoner Interrogation; Language School

Personal responsibility

164th MISD - Supply Sergeant; Language School - Operations Sergeant

Major battles (if served in a war zone)

Korea

Awards, medals, citations (individual or unit)

164th MI - Presidential Unit Citation (3)

Korean War Service Medal (3) w/Bronze Stars

Commendation Ribbon w/Pendant dated 11/26/52

Living conditions

When stationed in the Northern Korea, lived alone in a small tent, ate with the South Korean Army.

While in Seoul, Korea, we lived in a private mansion that was taken over by the Army. Outdoor toilet and outdoor shower were made by the Army. Quite often went to the Han River to get water and when the river was muddy or frozen, used beer to shave.

Meals were excellent. Didn't hardly use any Army rations. I bought food on the open market and it was cooked by Chinese American G.I.'s.

No Army/government entertainment. You looked for your own entertainment outside.

Most vivid memory of military experience

I must've interrogated thousands of prisoners and you would 'shove em thru the mill' if they had no 'new or hot info'. I came across the 1st POW to tell us about the Russuian truck-mounted multiple rocket launcher called the 'Katsusha'. G-2 was so hot about that prisoner....

My most memorable experience was interrogating a North Korean prisoner, C.I.D. M/Sgt, that had been instructed to capture a downed American flyer, only to have a flashback of his own missionary school days when he noticed a cross hanging on the flyer's neck. The final result was that after dispatching his squad on countless multiple errands, he piggy backed his injured prisoner, climbed up a hill, semaphored to American fighter pilots who in turn called air rescue and evacuated his 'prisoner'. The M/Sgt was forced to climb on board also because Chinese troops were advancing up the hill while U.S. fighters straffed them from above. Staying behind would be suicide.

Missed most whilst in the military

My mother's cooking.

Most important thing, personally, to come from military experience?

I feel you get what you put into military life. I never regretted my experience, and if I were young and I had to do it again. I'd do it. I'm a 24 month draftee, extended 9 months to a total of 33 months and honorably discharged as a Staff Sgt. If my wife hadn't insisted, I would've re-up'd because I was in the groovy job as Oper. Sgt. and they offered me Tech/Sgt. if I re'up'd and could've made Master in 5 - 6 years at age 30.