Mr. Earle King, a Korean War Veteran
Mr. Harry Lancaster, a Korean War Veteran
Mr. Robert Audette, a Korean War Veteran
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Interviewers: Matthew Salemi Ross Lancaster Stefan Duda Interviewees: Mr. Earle King Mr. Harry Lancaster Mr. Robert Audette Dates: 5/21/16 6/5/16 6/14/16 Mr. Earle King with Matthew Salemi
Mr. Harry Lancaster with Ross Lancaster
Mr. Robert Audette with Stefan Duda
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A Brief Overview of The Korean War
The Korean War took place from June 25, 1950 until July 27, 1953. The war can be seen as the first major conflict between American ideals and communism. The United States was attempting to stop communism's influence from completely controlling Korea and eventually all of Asia. The fighting occurred in both North and South Korea as the location switched with the tides of the war.
This is a map of Korea. North Korea was under communist control while South Korea was aided by the United States and its allies.
The Causes of the Korean War
By Stefan Duda
The Korean War was an armed conflict between the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the American backed Republic of Korea (South Korea). The Korean War was the result of years of tension between the governments of North and South Korea over which government represented the entire Korean people which culminated in an armed conflict where North Korea invaded South Korea. Some argue that the Korean War was caused by the spread of Chinese communism on the Korean Peninsula. While this may be partially true, the first sign of conflict on the Korean Peninsula came after the Soviet-Japanese War that lasted from 1945 to 1946 when the Soviet Army took over some of Japan’s imperial territory in Southeast Asia.
The Korean War began in 1950 with the North Korean invasion of South Korea. But going back several decades, the Korean Peninsula was a colony of the Japanese Empire. At the end of World War II, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the allies transferred much of their forces to the South Pacific to combat the ongoing Japanese resistance in the region. As part of an agreement made between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, the Soviet Army would assist the Western Allies in their effort to end the war with Japan as soon as Nazi Germany was defeated. Holding up their end of the agreement, the Soviet Army charged across East Asia and captured numerous Japanese territories like Manchukuo, Mongolia, Northern Vietnam and the Northern Korean Peninsula. This series of clashes between the Soviet Army and the Japanese Army was referred to as the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945-46. The Soviet Union declared war on the Empire of Japan on August 9, 1945. The Japanese colonial territories that fell to the Soviet Army were subsequently infected with the communist practices of the Soviets. The Soviet Army occupied the northern part of the Korean Peninsula while the U.S. Army occupied all areas south of the 38th parallel. This caused two separate governments to be set up on the Korean Peninsula. The North Korean provisional government was modeled after Soviet Communism. The North Korean government, the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea took after Soviet Communism and firmly opposed the American backed provisional government in South Korea, the Republic of South Korea. The Soviets made Kim Il-Sung the prime-minister of the North Korean government. The Americans installed Syngman Rhee as the president of South Korea. The formation of these two governments made it impossible to achieve unification of the entire Korean Peninsula. In 1948, the Soviet Army departed from North Korea while the Americans simultaneously left South Korea. During the departure of the occupying armies, the United Nations oversaw a free democratic election in South Korea which solidified Syngman Rhee’s position as president of South Korea. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) were subsequently left to themselves. Hostilities between the two governments grew and the United Nations failed to recognize the lawfulness of the North Korean government. The two Koreas became involved in numerous disputed with one another.
In 1949 Mao Zedong would set up an armed opposition government to the Chinese Nationalist Government under General Chiang Kai-Shek in the midst of the Chinese Civil War. Mao established the revolutionary communist government, the People’s Republic of China. Chinese communism was able to spread throughout most of East Asia. In the Koreas, the Koreans had been left to themselves with a government that had been set up with input from the Soviets and the Americans. The Chinese Civil War caused tensions between the North and South Korean governments. Both governments favored different reactionary measures to the crisis north of the border.
The political and ideological divisions that took root in Korea would eventually cast the peninsula into a civil war between two governments that would arise from the Soviet and American backed provisional governments following the defeat of Japan in the Second World War and the Soviet involvement in the Allied war effort against Japan. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had been involved in the Chinese Civil War. North Korean soldiers had helped Mao Zedong overthrow the Nationalist Chinese government and set up a Communist regime much like the one in North Korea. The Soviet Union, the new People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea were each Communist states. Part of the communist ideology as expressed by Joseph Stalin, Mao and Kim was to spread communist thought and incite communist revolution abroad. During this period of peace between the two Koreas, South Korea was having several internal issues that can be attributed to North Korean communist agitation. Communist guerillas in South Korea were spreading havoc in the anti-communist nation. Stalin was still very much the master of the affairs of the Asian communist states that the Soviet Union had helped create. Stalin urged Kim Il-Sung to launch an invasion of South Korea in the hopes that the Americans and the United Nations would do nothing to stop it as in China. The American troops had been completely withdrawn from South Korea and its military was preoccupied with combatting the communist guerillas. This conceived invasion was in its essence, a result of the Cold War which harbored much more obvious tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Army of North Korea with the help of the People’s Liberation Army of China, invaded South Korea. This signaled the start of the Korean War. It is important to understand that the Korean War may have officially started with the North Korean invasion of South Korea but the Korean War itself was a byproduct of a much larger conflict and it was derivative of the first conflict to take place in the region, the Soviet-Japanese War. The Soviet-Japanese War set in motion a chain of events that would eventually cause the Korean War and a series of conflicts that would culminate in the war between the two Koreas.
The North Koreans invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. The basis for this invasion was initially an offshoot from the Cold War. The Cold War being a series of tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, following the end of the Second World War. The Second World War ended in an allied victory, meaning that the United States and the Soviet Union were each left in charge of several international postwar matters. The territories that had been taken by the allies needed to be reorganized and new governments needed to be set up. The Soviet Union used the compulsion of organizing governments as a tool to create more anti-American regimes in the world that would support the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union and the United States may have been allies in the war but the two regimes were undoubtedly ideological opposites of one another. Rivalries between the two countries had always existed but they had been put aside during the Second World War. The Soviet Union did not pursue any open confrontations with the United States until it had sufficient leverage in the international community. The Soviet Union used the Soviet-Japanese War as a means of asserting dominance over the Americans. The Soviet-Japanese War was a sub conflict of the Second World War. During the Soviet-Japanese War, the Soviet Union seized territories in Asia that had belonged to the Empire of Japan. While the Soviets were seizing territories, the Americans were also seizing territories. Both powers infused their own political agendas into these territories. The Soviets helped establish Communist regimes in Manchuria, Mongolia, and North Korea while the Americans established anti-communist regimes in places like South Korea. These divisions in Asia would give way to future conflicts between the two vastly different ideologies. The Korean War is an example of this. The factor that caused tensions between the two Korean governments to escalate was the Chinese Civil War and the spread of Chinese communism. But the Chinese Civil War was derivative from the Soviet-Japanese War. The Soviet-Japanese War set in motion the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia which led to the split between North and South Korea and the subsequent war between the two Koreas.
The Korean War began in 1950 with the North Korean invasion of South Korea. But going back several decades, the Korean Peninsula was a colony of the Japanese Empire. At the end of World War II, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, the allies transferred much of their forces to the South Pacific to combat the ongoing Japanese resistance in the region. As part of an agreement made between the Western Allies and the Soviet Union, the Soviet Army would assist the Western Allies in their effort to end the war with Japan as soon as Nazi Germany was defeated. Holding up their end of the agreement, the Soviet Army charged across East Asia and captured numerous Japanese territories like Manchukuo, Mongolia, Northern Vietnam and the Northern Korean Peninsula. This series of clashes between the Soviet Army and the Japanese Army was referred to as the Soviet-Japanese War of 1945-46. The Soviet Union declared war on the Empire of Japan on August 9, 1945. The Japanese colonial territories that fell to the Soviet Army were subsequently infected with the communist practices of the Soviets. The Soviet Army occupied the northern part of the Korean Peninsula while the U.S. Army occupied all areas south of the 38th parallel. This caused two separate governments to be set up on the Korean Peninsula. The North Korean provisional government was modeled after Soviet Communism. The North Korean government, the Provisional People’s Committee for North Korea took after Soviet Communism and firmly opposed the American backed provisional government in South Korea, the Republic of South Korea. The Soviets made Kim Il-Sung the prime-minister of the North Korean government. The Americans installed Syngman Rhee as the president of South Korea. The formation of these two governments made it impossible to achieve unification of the entire Korean Peninsula. In 1948, the Soviet Army departed from North Korea while the Americans simultaneously left South Korea. During the departure of the occupying armies, the United Nations oversaw a free democratic election in South Korea which solidified Syngman Rhee’s position as president of South Korea. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea) were subsequently left to themselves. Hostilities between the two governments grew and the United Nations failed to recognize the lawfulness of the North Korean government. The two Koreas became involved in numerous disputed with one another.
In 1949 Mao Zedong would set up an armed opposition government to the Chinese Nationalist Government under General Chiang Kai-Shek in the midst of the Chinese Civil War. Mao established the revolutionary communist government, the People’s Republic of China. Chinese communism was able to spread throughout most of East Asia. In the Koreas, the Koreans had been left to themselves with a government that had been set up with input from the Soviets and the Americans. The Chinese Civil War caused tensions between the North and South Korean governments. Both governments favored different reactionary measures to the crisis north of the border.
The political and ideological divisions that took root in Korea would eventually cast the peninsula into a civil war between two governments that would arise from the Soviet and American backed provisional governments following the defeat of Japan in the Second World War and the Soviet involvement in the Allied war effort against Japan. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea had been involved in the Chinese Civil War. North Korean soldiers had helped Mao Zedong overthrow the Nationalist Chinese government and set up a Communist regime much like the one in North Korea. The Soviet Union, the new People’s Republic of China and the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea were each Communist states. Part of the communist ideology as expressed by Joseph Stalin, Mao and Kim was to spread communist thought and incite communist revolution abroad. During this period of peace between the two Koreas, South Korea was having several internal issues that can be attributed to North Korean communist agitation. Communist guerillas in South Korea were spreading havoc in the anti-communist nation. Stalin was still very much the master of the affairs of the Asian communist states that the Soviet Union had helped create. Stalin urged Kim Il-Sung to launch an invasion of South Korea in the hopes that the Americans and the United Nations would do nothing to stop it as in China. The American troops had been completely withdrawn from South Korea and its military was preoccupied with combatting the communist guerillas. This conceived invasion was in its essence, a result of the Cold War which harbored much more obvious tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States.
The Army of North Korea with the help of the People’s Liberation Army of China, invaded South Korea. This signaled the start of the Korean War. It is important to understand that the Korean War may have officially started with the North Korean invasion of South Korea but the Korean War itself was a byproduct of a much larger conflict and it was derivative of the first conflict to take place in the region, the Soviet-Japanese War. The Soviet-Japanese War set in motion a chain of events that would eventually cause the Korean War and a series of conflicts that would culminate in the war between the two Koreas.
The North Koreans invaded South Korea on June 25, 1950. The basis for this invasion was initially an offshoot from the Cold War. The Cold War being a series of tensions between the Soviet Union and the United States, following the end of the Second World War. The Second World War ended in an allied victory, meaning that the United States and the Soviet Union were each left in charge of several international postwar matters. The territories that had been taken by the allies needed to be reorganized and new governments needed to be set up. The Soviet Union used the compulsion of organizing governments as a tool to create more anti-American regimes in the world that would support the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union and the United States may have been allies in the war but the two regimes were undoubtedly ideological opposites of one another. Rivalries between the two countries had always existed but they had been put aside during the Second World War. The Soviet Union did not pursue any open confrontations with the United States until it had sufficient leverage in the international community. The Soviet Union used the Soviet-Japanese War as a means of asserting dominance over the Americans. The Soviet-Japanese War was a sub conflict of the Second World War. During the Soviet-Japanese War, the Soviet Union seized territories in Asia that had belonged to the Empire of Japan. While the Soviets were seizing territories, the Americans were also seizing territories. Both powers infused their own political agendas into these territories. The Soviets helped establish Communist regimes in Manchuria, Mongolia, and North Korea while the Americans established anti-communist regimes in places like South Korea. These divisions in Asia would give way to future conflicts between the two vastly different ideologies. The Korean War is an example of this. The factor that caused tensions between the two Korean governments to escalate was the Chinese Civil War and the spread of Chinese communism. But the Chinese Civil War was derivative from the Soviet-Japanese War. The Soviet-Japanese War set in motion the spread of Communism in Southeast Asia which led to the split between North and South Korea and the subsequent war between the two Koreas.
The Korean War as a Turning Point in American Military Policy
By Ross Lancaster
Following the conclusion of World War II the United States was forced to confront a new threat, the spread of communism. With the lack of a common enemy through the defeat of Germany, the United States and the Soviet Union discontinued their wartime alliance. The Soviet Union attempted to expand the influence of communism throughout Europe and Asia for protection and ideological reasons. This was seen as a massive threat to the American way of life and in turn the United States worked to all extents to end this proliferation of communism, including economic efforts through the Marshall Plan and Truman Doctrine and military endeavors. One major effort to hinder communism’s escalation was the Korean War. After Korea’s division from World War II the Soviets instituted and supported a communist regime in the North while the United States and its allies supported a democratic government in the South. When North Korean forces issued a surprise attack upon South Korea the struggle between communism and the western way finally escalated to a military venture, the Korean War. Although it does not receive the same attention as the preceding World War II or the following war in Vietnam, the Korean War was a major turning point in United States military policy as there was a greater emphasis on civilian military leaders, the United States went from formal to informal declarations of war, and United States switched from a policy of isolation to intervention.
The conflicts within the Korean War highlighted the importance of a civilian military leader. Following the counterattack from Chinese forces that repelled the United States troops back into South Korea, General Douglas MacArthur wished to spread the war with offensive maneuvers in China. However, President Truman intended to contain the conflict in Korea and not escalate it into other countries. This difference in objective as well as statements by MacArthur that continually challenged the power of the president lead Truman to release MacArthur of his military duties. The release of MacArthur was the major event that signaled the new emphasis on the civilian military leader of the United States. The words of MacArthur illustrate why this new priority was necessary. In the last days of his military duty he stated that he “realize(d) that a curious, and sinister, change was taking place in Washington. The defiant, rallying figure that had been Franklin Roosevelt was gone. Instead, there was a tendency toward temporizing rather than fighting it through.”[1] This is significant as it demonstrates the new attitude that pervaded Washington. He is expressing that previously under presidents like Roosevelt military commanders were supported in their judgements to press onto the enemy while now the president was challenging the notion of offensive endeavors to try to avoid conflict. Thus a major turning point was occurring in American military policy for presidents as civilian leaders were beginning to defy the military leadership to prevent the escalation of conflicts for various political reasons. Furthermore, the accounts of MacArthur show the need for such a shift when he stated that he noticed in the Korean War American warfare was drifting away from its traditions as the once unquestioned strategy of maximum retaliation and strives for victory were now being challenged.[2] Not only did MacArthur acknowledge that a change is occurring in policy he also illustrates how dangerous a non-civilian lead military can be for America. His unwavering determination to continue military policy as it always has been despite new, emerging political issues shows the lack of an understanding that only a civilian leader could have. He is blinded by military procedure and a perceived constant need to apply force without regard to the potential consequences. Thus, the words of MacArthur reveal the major change in American military policy during the Korean War towards an emphasis on a civilian leader and also the sheer necessity of this change.
The statements of Truman work to further demonstrate the shift towards a civilian leader during the Korean War. Truman was forced to relieve MacArthur of his duties due to what he saw as a strong conflict between the goals of the general and of the government. In his official release of MacArthur Truman stated that MacArthur was not supporting the policies of the government and that it was of utmost importance that military leaders followed the Constitution and the orders given to them.[3] Truman is reinforcing the ideas that MacArthur was denouncing the military plans of the government and instead advocating for his own methods. This illustrates the dangers of a non-civilian leader as MacArthur’s actions were against the Constitution by not following the president’s orders while Truman’s release of MacArthur demonstrates the new emphasis on the civilian leader in the Korean War as a military leader not cooperating with the government was removed from power. Truman’s remarks further exhibit the new prominence of the civilian military leader when he stated “these able field Generals see only the front they work to hold and win. The Commander in Chief must see not only Asia and the Pacific Ocean, he must see Europe, Africa, the whole Southern Hemisphere, the Arctic, and the Antarctic.”[4] This statement demonstrates how a civilian leader must and is able to see the impact of military decisions around the entire world. While a military leader perceives the consequences of their choices on the war front, they do not notice or tend to consider the international ramifications. With the increased political nature to the wars that America was fighting it became imperative for the United States to emphasize its civilian military leader in the Korean War as the consequences throughout the world and for all aspects of American life were always clearly visible in every military decision. President Truman’s accounts on the release of MacArthur and the Korean War expose the turning point in military policy towards the emphasis of a civilian military leader during this time.
This turning point in military policy towards reducing the influence of the military is further shown through the remarks of President Eisenhower in his farewell address. After the conflicts of the past decade the departing president delivered to the country a message of great caution. During his farewell address Eisenhower warned the country to be wary of and to protect against the power that the military industrial complex can obtain as it will threaten the nation’s liberties.[5] Although referring to a slightly different aspect of the military (the manufacturing of defensive products) his words still echo the same message as Truman in the Korean War. Emphasizing a civilian military leader and advocating for limiting the power of the military industrial complex both demonstrate the shift that occurred during the Korean War towards a cautionary attitude concerning the expanded influence of the military. Henceforth, Eisenhower’s words demonstrate how the Korean War was a major turning point in American military policy as they reflect the growing efforts to contain the military’s influence.
The Korean War is a major turning point in United States military policy as prior to the Korean War America decreed formal declarations of war. In a majority of the military conflicts that the United States partook in before Korean War, such as World War II, Congress released formal declarations of war against the countries that America was fighting against. For example, Congress declared war on Japan in World War II by stating that the actions of Japan had created a state of war between the two countries and that their actions were unprovoked.[6] This is significant beyond the formal nature of the declaration because it illustrates how in military endeavors prior to the Korean War conflict was insinuated and started by another country. The United States was declaring war to defend itself against an attacking nation, thus requiring a formal declaration. This is vastly different to the subsequent conflicts like the Korean War where America was not directly provoked or attacked but rather was fighting a war for political reasons. The nature of the United States’ declarations of war prior to the Korean War was also demonstrated by America’s declaration of war against Germany in World War II. This Congressional resolution stated that the United States was declaring war against Germany in response to Germany already having declared war on America.[7] This further demonstrates how in conflicts prior to the Korean War the United States utilized formal declarations of war and that America was fighting in defense. Germany had thrusted war upon the United States and thus the only response was to reciprocally declare war. This would not be seen in the following conflicts like Korea as the United States did not have countries like North Korea or Vietnam declaring war against them, but was rather fighting for its political beliefs throughout the world. The United States was not directly provoked or attacked by the nations it fought against in subsequent wars, thus highlighting the difference in reasoning between declarations of war before and after the Korean War. Henceforth, American declarations of war prior to the Korean War exhibit a major turning point in military policy as they show a nature and reasoning for declaring war that was not present after World War II.
The turning point in American military policy that occurred during the Korean War is illustrated by the United States’ authorizations of military force during and after the conflict in Korea. America has never formally declared war against any nation since World War II. For example, the United States informally entered the Korean War when Truman sanctioned troops in Korea due to the fact that North Korea had violated the United Nation’s international policy and because it was evident that communism was trying to subdue independent nations.[8] This is significant as Congress never formally declared war but rather the president was authorizing the use of military force. Also, the United States was not being directly attacked but rather was fighting to ward off what was seen as a dangerous ideology, communism. The United States thus could no longer be viewed as acting defensively but rather was acting proactively. This proactive nature greatly contrasted the isolationist and defensive policy of before, illustrating how the Korean War was a major turning point. This idea is further shown in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution where Congress allowed the president any means deemed necessary to prevent further aggression in Vietnam. Furthermore, the United States claimed to be fighting on the sole grounds of maintaining international peace and for the self-determination of the Vietnamese.[9] Again, the United States was not under attack or formally declaring war but instead was utilizing force to preserve its political beliefs overseas. Thus, the informal declarations of war illustrate how the Korean War was a major turning point in American military policy as the United States began fighting for solely political and not defensive purposes.
The shift from isolation to containment and intervention in American military policy demonstrate the Korean War as a major turning point. Throughout the history of the United States leading up to the Korean War America practiced and strongly believed in isolationism. The United States did not wish to impose itself upon the world or be entangled in foreign conflicts. This view is strongly exhibited by Senator Burton Wheeler when in regard to the possible American involvement in World War II he stated that although America is horrified by the injustices in Europe to intervene would be to deprive the nation’s posterity of its freedom.[10] Isolationist tendencies are further shown through the words of Charles Lindbergh when he declared at a rally that the American people do not want to fight a foreign war for foreign concerns and that America was unlikely to spread democracy through intervention but rather would only lose the lives of millions.[11] The words of these two men exhibit how prior to the Korean War Americans viewed foreign conflicts as solely foreign issues and believed that the costs of such endeavors far exceeded the possible rewards. The final entering of World War II required an extensive period of time to overcome the isolationist tendencies of the nation and a severe present danger to the country to come afoot. However, in the military conflicts that followed the Korean War the United States shifted away from isolationism and towards interventionism. For example, a letter from Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem reveals that the United States was providing military aid in Vietnam to establish a stable government in Vietnam that was capable of defending itself against outside influences.[12] This shows a major change in American military policy as before the Korean War the United States attempted to avoid getting entangled in foreign conflicts while now America was thrusting itself into foreign struggles without a defensive impetus. America was actively seeking to stabilize Vietnam in contrast to the pre-Korean War efforts to evade such internationally minded ventures. The drastic shift from practicing isolationist to interventionist policies that occurred during the Korean War illustrates how the conflict in Korea was a significant turning point in American military policy.
Despite the fact that it is an often overlooked war in American history the Korean War played an important role as a major turning point in the military policy of the country. The conflict that arose between President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur acted as the impetus behind a new emphasis on the civilian military leadership of the United States. The stressing of limiting the potential influence of the military was later echoed in Eisenhower’s Farewell Address. The Korean War also marked a shift between the United States issuing formal to informal declarations of war. In addition, the reasoning for utilizing military force was altered from being strictly defensive to political. This paralleled the change in the country policies from being isolationist to interventionist. The Korean War time period is largely the culmination of changes that began during the time when America was faced with World War I. By entering World War I the United States began its drift away from isolationist policies by taking part in a foreign conflict just as the country would definitely desert such policies by fighting in Korea over concerns that did not directly affect America. Also, a defeated goal in the World War I era was to establish an international peacekeeping body, the League of Nations, and in the Korean War the country finally embodied this idea as the reasoning around utilizing military force in Korea was centered on North Korea violating the policies of a similar organization, the United Nations. The Korean War was a major turning point in American military policy in which the ideas that started during World War I finally manifested.
[1] Douglas MacArthur, General Douglas MacArthur Writings, exercpted, Learner.org, Annenberg Media (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[2] Ibid
[3] Harry S. Truman, Statement and Order by the President on Relieving General MacArthur of His Commands, The American Presidency Project, The University of California, Santa Barbara (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[4] Harry S. Truman, Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman, (New York: Harper and Row, 1980) , 303-304
[5] Dwight Eisenhower, Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, The Avalon Project, The Lillian Goldman Law Library (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[6] 77th Congress, Congressional Declaration of War on Japan, The University of Oklahoma College of Law, The University of Oklahoma College of Law (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[7] 77th Congress, Congressional Declaration of War on Germany, The National Archives, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[8] Harry S. Truman, Statement by the President on the Situation in Korea, The American Presidency Project, The University of California, Santa Barbara (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[9] 88th Congress, Tonkin Gulf Resolution, OurDocuments, The National Archives (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[10] Burton Wheeler, Current History, The Potomac Association, The UC Berkeley History Social-Science Project (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[11] Charles Lindberg, Election Promises Should be Kept: We Lack Leadership that Places America First, The Potomac Association, The UC Berkeley History Social-Science Project (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[12] Dwight Eisenhower, Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, The American Experience, PBS (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
The conflicts within the Korean War highlighted the importance of a civilian military leader. Following the counterattack from Chinese forces that repelled the United States troops back into South Korea, General Douglas MacArthur wished to spread the war with offensive maneuvers in China. However, President Truman intended to contain the conflict in Korea and not escalate it into other countries. This difference in objective as well as statements by MacArthur that continually challenged the power of the president lead Truman to release MacArthur of his military duties. The release of MacArthur was the major event that signaled the new emphasis on the civilian military leader of the United States. The words of MacArthur illustrate why this new priority was necessary. In the last days of his military duty he stated that he “realize(d) that a curious, and sinister, change was taking place in Washington. The defiant, rallying figure that had been Franklin Roosevelt was gone. Instead, there was a tendency toward temporizing rather than fighting it through.”[1] This is significant as it demonstrates the new attitude that pervaded Washington. He is expressing that previously under presidents like Roosevelt military commanders were supported in their judgements to press onto the enemy while now the president was challenging the notion of offensive endeavors to try to avoid conflict. Thus a major turning point was occurring in American military policy for presidents as civilian leaders were beginning to defy the military leadership to prevent the escalation of conflicts for various political reasons. Furthermore, the accounts of MacArthur show the need for such a shift when he stated that he noticed in the Korean War American warfare was drifting away from its traditions as the once unquestioned strategy of maximum retaliation and strives for victory were now being challenged.[2] Not only did MacArthur acknowledge that a change is occurring in policy he also illustrates how dangerous a non-civilian lead military can be for America. His unwavering determination to continue military policy as it always has been despite new, emerging political issues shows the lack of an understanding that only a civilian leader could have. He is blinded by military procedure and a perceived constant need to apply force without regard to the potential consequences. Thus, the words of MacArthur reveal the major change in American military policy during the Korean War towards an emphasis on a civilian leader and also the sheer necessity of this change.
The statements of Truman work to further demonstrate the shift towards a civilian leader during the Korean War. Truman was forced to relieve MacArthur of his duties due to what he saw as a strong conflict between the goals of the general and of the government. In his official release of MacArthur Truman stated that MacArthur was not supporting the policies of the government and that it was of utmost importance that military leaders followed the Constitution and the orders given to them.[3] Truman is reinforcing the ideas that MacArthur was denouncing the military plans of the government and instead advocating for his own methods. This illustrates the dangers of a non-civilian leader as MacArthur’s actions were against the Constitution by not following the president’s orders while Truman’s release of MacArthur demonstrates the new emphasis on the civilian leader in the Korean War as a military leader not cooperating with the government was removed from power. Truman’s remarks further exhibit the new prominence of the civilian military leader when he stated “these able field Generals see only the front they work to hold and win. The Commander in Chief must see not only Asia and the Pacific Ocean, he must see Europe, Africa, the whole Southern Hemisphere, the Arctic, and the Antarctic.”[4] This statement demonstrates how a civilian leader must and is able to see the impact of military decisions around the entire world. While a military leader perceives the consequences of their choices on the war front, they do not notice or tend to consider the international ramifications. With the increased political nature to the wars that America was fighting it became imperative for the United States to emphasize its civilian military leader in the Korean War as the consequences throughout the world and for all aspects of American life were always clearly visible in every military decision. President Truman’s accounts on the release of MacArthur and the Korean War expose the turning point in military policy towards the emphasis of a civilian military leader during this time.
This turning point in military policy towards reducing the influence of the military is further shown through the remarks of President Eisenhower in his farewell address. After the conflicts of the past decade the departing president delivered to the country a message of great caution. During his farewell address Eisenhower warned the country to be wary of and to protect against the power that the military industrial complex can obtain as it will threaten the nation’s liberties.[5] Although referring to a slightly different aspect of the military (the manufacturing of defensive products) his words still echo the same message as Truman in the Korean War. Emphasizing a civilian military leader and advocating for limiting the power of the military industrial complex both demonstrate the shift that occurred during the Korean War towards a cautionary attitude concerning the expanded influence of the military. Henceforth, Eisenhower’s words demonstrate how the Korean War was a major turning point in American military policy as they reflect the growing efforts to contain the military’s influence.
The Korean War is a major turning point in United States military policy as prior to the Korean War America decreed formal declarations of war. In a majority of the military conflicts that the United States partook in before Korean War, such as World War II, Congress released formal declarations of war against the countries that America was fighting against. For example, Congress declared war on Japan in World War II by stating that the actions of Japan had created a state of war between the two countries and that their actions were unprovoked.[6] This is significant beyond the formal nature of the declaration because it illustrates how in military endeavors prior to the Korean War conflict was insinuated and started by another country. The United States was declaring war to defend itself against an attacking nation, thus requiring a formal declaration. This is vastly different to the subsequent conflicts like the Korean War where America was not directly provoked or attacked but rather was fighting a war for political reasons. The nature of the United States’ declarations of war prior to the Korean War was also demonstrated by America’s declaration of war against Germany in World War II. This Congressional resolution stated that the United States was declaring war against Germany in response to Germany already having declared war on America.[7] This further demonstrates how in conflicts prior to the Korean War the United States utilized formal declarations of war and that America was fighting in defense. Germany had thrusted war upon the United States and thus the only response was to reciprocally declare war. This would not be seen in the following conflicts like Korea as the United States did not have countries like North Korea or Vietnam declaring war against them, but was rather fighting for its political beliefs throughout the world. The United States was not directly provoked or attacked by the nations it fought against in subsequent wars, thus highlighting the difference in reasoning between declarations of war before and after the Korean War. Henceforth, American declarations of war prior to the Korean War exhibit a major turning point in military policy as they show a nature and reasoning for declaring war that was not present after World War II.
The turning point in American military policy that occurred during the Korean War is illustrated by the United States’ authorizations of military force during and after the conflict in Korea. America has never formally declared war against any nation since World War II. For example, the United States informally entered the Korean War when Truman sanctioned troops in Korea due to the fact that North Korea had violated the United Nation’s international policy and because it was evident that communism was trying to subdue independent nations.[8] This is significant as Congress never formally declared war but rather the president was authorizing the use of military force. Also, the United States was not being directly attacked but rather was fighting to ward off what was seen as a dangerous ideology, communism. The United States thus could no longer be viewed as acting defensively but rather was acting proactively. This proactive nature greatly contrasted the isolationist and defensive policy of before, illustrating how the Korean War was a major turning point. This idea is further shown in the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution where Congress allowed the president any means deemed necessary to prevent further aggression in Vietnam. Furthermore, the United States claimed to be fighting on the sole grounds of maintaining international peace and for the self-determination of the Vietnamese.[9] Again, the United States was not under attack or formally declaring war but instead was utilizing force to preserve its political beliefs overseas. Thus, the informal declarations of war illustrate how the Korean War was a major turning point in American military policy as the United States began fighting for solely political and not defensive purposes.
The shift from isolation to containment and intervention in American military policy demonstrate the Korean War as a major turning point. Throughout the history of the United States leading up to the Korean War America practiced and strongly believed in isolationism. The United States did not wish to impose itself upon the world or be entangled in foreign conflicts. This view is strongly exhibited by Senator Burton Wheeler when in regard to the possible American involvement in World War II he stated that although America is horrified by the injustices in Europe to intervene would be to deprive the nation’s posterity of its freedom.[10] Isolationist tendencies are further shown through the words of Charles Lindbergh when he declared at a rally that the American people do not want to fight a foreign war for foreign concerns and that America was unlikely to spread democracy through intervention but rather would only lose the lives of millions.[11] The words of these two men exhibit how prior to the Korean War Americans viewed foreign conflicts as solely foreign issues and believed that the costs of such endeavors far exceeded the possible rewards. The final entering of World War II required an extensive period of time to overcome the isolationist tendencies of the nation and a severe present danger to the country to come afoot. However, in the military conflicts that followed the Korean War the United States shifted away from isolationism and towards interventionism. For example, a letter from Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem reveals that the United States was providing military aid in Vietnam to establish a stable government in Vietnam that was capable of defending itself against outside influences.[12] This shows a major change in American military policy as before the Korean War the United States attempted to avoid getting entangled in foreign conflicts while now America was thrusting itself into foreign struggles without a defensive impetus. America was actively seeking to stabilize Vietnam in contrast to the pre-Korean War efforts to evade such internationally minded ventures. The drastic shift from practicing isolationist to interventionist policies that occurred during the Korean War illustrates how the conflict in Korea was a significant turning point in American military policy.
Despite the fact that it is an often overlooked war in American history the Korean War played an important role as a major turning point in the military policy of the country. The conflict that arose between President Truman and General Douglas MacArthur acted as the impetus behind a new emphasis on the civilian military leadership of the United States. The stressing of limiting the potential influence of the military was later echoed in Eisenhower’s Farewell Address. The Korean War also marked a shift between the United States issuing formal to informal declarations of war. In addition, the reasoning for utilizing military force was altered from being strictly defensive to political. This paralleled the change in the country policies from being isolationist to interventionist. The Korean War time period is largely the culmination of changes that began during the time when America was faced with World War I. By entering World War I the United States began its drift away from isolationist policies by taking part in a foreign conflict just as the country would definitely desert such policies by fighting in Korea over concerns that did not directly affect America. Also, a defeated goal in the World War I era was to establish an international peacekeeping body, the League of Nations, and in the Korean War the country finally embodied this idea as the reasoning around utilizing military force in Korea was centered on North Korea violating the policies of a similar organization, the United Nations. The Korean War was a major turning point in American military policy in which the ideas that started during World War I finally manifested.
[1] Douglas MacArthur, General Douglas MacArthur Writings, exercpted, Learner.org, Annenberg Media (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[2] Ibid
[3] Harry S. Truman, Statement and Order by the President on Relieving General MacArthur of His Commands, The American Presidency Project, The University of California, Santa Barbara (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[4] Harry S. Truman, Off the Record: The Private Papers of Harry S. Truman, (New York: Harper and Row, 1980) , 303-304
[5] Dwight Eisenhower, Eisenhower’s Farewell Address, The Avalon Project, The Lillian Goldman Law Library (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[6] 77th Congress, Congressional Declaration of War on Japan, The University of Oklahoma College of Law, The University of Oklahoma College of Law (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[7] 77th Congress, Congressional Declaration of War on Germany, The National Archives, The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[8] Harry S. Truman, Statement by the President on the Situation in Korea, The American Presidency Project, The University of California, Santa Barbara (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[9] 88th Congress, Tonkin Gulf Resolution, OurDocuments, The National Archives (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[10] Burton Wheeler, Current History, The Potomac Association, The UC Berkeley History Social-Science Project (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[11] Charles Lindberg, Election Promises Should be Kept: We Lack Leadership that Places America First, The Potomac Association, The UC Berkeley History Social-Science Project (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
[12] Dwight Eisenhower, Eisenhower to Ngo Dinh Diem, The American Experience, PBS (accessed 7 Jun. 16)
Transcript of Video (Extra Credit - If wanted)
Matthew Salemi: I am here with Mr. Earle King an army veteran who served during the Korean War. So first, tell me a little bit about yourself. Where and when were you born?
Earle King: I was born in 1928 in Stamford Connecticut where I still live and I like it here.
Matthew Salemi: What did your parents do for a living?
Earle King: It was during the Depression. My father was a truck driver at the time and during World War Two he worked as a machinist and made parts for submarines, so he did his part and he had been in World War One. My mother was a house wife, however, during the war everyone pitched in and she worked at Macklet Labratory and helped make different bulbs and things for the army radios.
Matthew Salemi: How many siblings did you have?
Earle King: I had three siblings. My sister Lois, my brother Lester, and my sister Miriam. Miriam and Lester were both in World War 2 and Lester was in the South Pacific with the Seabees. They are a navy construction team and my sister was in Georgia, she worked at a military airport down there.
Matthew Salemi: What were you doing before you entered the service?
Earle King: Before I went in the service I had been working at the Fidelity Trust Company, a bank in Stamford and I was a teller there and later a book keeper, and so on.
Matthew Salemi: Did you enlist or were you drafted?
Earle King: I was drafted. It was during the Korean War and during the Korean War, North Korea attacked South Korea and South Korea was folding, and we sent troops there and they helped the South Koreans and at the same time, Russia was threatening that they would go over and start another war and run over Europe. And at that point, they (United States) started to draft again because they didn't have enough people in the service to meet these demands. I was drafted in 1951 in Stamford, we were sent up to Bridgeport, had a physical, and then went up to Fort Devens Massachusetts where we got our army clothes and started training. After that we all split up and I went out to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and that's where I got basic training. All the troops there before us went to Korea to fight North Korea, however, I was fortunate enough that I was sent to Germany because Russia was threatening there and they needed troops, so the President sent two divisions, the 28th of Pennsylvania, and the 43rd of Connecticut over to Germany to be there to show force and that's where we were stationed.
Matthew Salemi: How did you adapt to military life such as physical regiments, barracks, food, and social life?
Earle King: Well I didn't have much [I needed to change]. I was kind of athletic and I could do all of the exercises and it wasn't too bad for me but I didn't have any camping [experience] or things of that sort, so I had to work into that. But I didn't mind it, it was probably good for me, it was a healthy life with exercise.
Matthew Salemi: What was your job while you were there?
Earle King: I got infantry training in the beginning and then I switched to an anti-aircraft unit and we supplied anti-aircraft for the infantry as it advanced from low flying planes. And my job was like in one of the command's halftracks. Have you ever heard of a halftrack? You see them in parades, and my job was as a radio person and a gunner with a 50 caliber machine gun.
Matthew Salemi: What was your most memorable experience.
Earle King: I don't know...Of course, we weren't in any fighting over there but we went on maneuvers and I had an experience when I was in basic training, and we would go out to a firing range and out there we would sometimes be firing and other times we would go out on the range and lift up the targets. We were in a trench lifting targets so they could shoot it. So, break time came so we all went up out of the trench and sat near the targets and I'm sitting there and all at once I hear PING, PING, and apparently they had started shooting at the targets, and we were sitting right there, so we just dove right back into the trench there, and we were alright. And other things...we had a memorable trip on a troop ship, we went from Newport News, Virginia over to Bremerhaven, Germany and it was 11 days and it was quite a rough trip. It was really something but we survived.
Matthew Salemi: Did you form any friendships or comradely while you were serving?
Earle King: Yes, oh yes, sure. When you are in the service and doing these things together, in the hardship of it, you always make friends because you are doing the same thing, and you have the same thoughts and I had a few...one fella by the name of Stony and another fella, Harry Beach, and they were all friends.
Matthew Salemi: How did you stay in touch with your family and friends while you were in Germany?
Earle King: [I would] write all the time. I would write home about twice a week and I would write to my friends once and a while.
Matthew Salemi: So you were in Germany when the war ended?
Earle King: No, the war was still going on. I had been in Germany for 18 months, 6 months basic training and 18 months, two years all together. But the war didn't end, the war was still going, but it was my time to be discharged. I became a corporal, which was my job as a gunner, and I came home when I got discharged, and I think we sent the troops over to Germany, we didn't do any fighting, however, just being a presence there, the military, I think may have helped [prevent] any wars from starting.
Matthew Salemi: Have you remained in contact with any of your fellow veterans?
Earle King: Yes, I was until they died. I had been in contact with my friend Harry Beach. All these years he lived in New Jersey. He came up for our wedding anniversary, and I went down to see his marriage and my other friend Stony, I talked to him once in a while.
Matthew Salemi: Are you a member of any veteran organizations?
Earle King: No, I help though. I know the people that are running it and we put flags on the graves of [veterans] at the cemeteries.
Matthew Salemi: Did you have any stories about romance in the military?
Earle King: Soldiers romance? Well I think so. When I went in the service, when I was drafted, I was going out with a girl, taking her out on dates, maybe something would come of it, maybe we would get married some day, I wasn't sure. Then I got in the service and I went in basic training and we were trained now to go the Germany, and we got on the boat, the troop ship, to go to Germany, which was a rough trip, it took 11 days like I said, and we got to Germany and we got our first mail we're still on the ship, and the ship is in Bremerhaven Germany harbor. We had just landed there and down on the pier, there was a U.S. band, another troop had a band, and as the ship was up above, and we got on deck there, and they started playing different songs, and then we got our mail at the same time, and I got this letter from my girl, and it was a Dear John letter, which means she no longer wants to see me, and as I looked down, the band started up, and do you know the song they were playing? "I wonder who's kissing her now". So that's a little comedy within the service, I think a lot of people have gone through those things.
Matthew Salemi: Could you expand on your job in the military?
Earle King: Yea, we had half tracks and they had like four guns on them to shoot down low flying planes, which is why we were called anti-aircraft and there was a lead half track too, that had about four or five half tracks under the lead lieutenant who was in my half track.
Matthew Salemi: Was that the lead track?
Earle King: Yea, but it didn't have the guns that the other ones has, the other ones had, this one just guided the other ones around. I was the radio operator. I took orders on where to go and our lieutenant gave the orders to the other tracks. If things got hot or anything, we had a 50 caliber machine gun there and I would be responsible for that and firing that, but it never came to that, thank goodness.
Matthew Salemi: What did you wear while you were in the service?
Earle King: Well we wore fatigues most of the time. They were like a dull green, so you wouldn't be noticed in the
foliage, and we wore them just about all the time and then we had a uniform: an Eisenhower jacket. When Eisenhower was the general in World War Two, he always wore this special jacket. The draftees and the rest of the army adopted this so we wore that when we were on leave or something.
Matthew Salemi: Did you have a helmet?
Earle King: Oh yea, we had a helmet, I didn't know the helmet came with like a inner helmet, because the helmet, if you put the helmet on, the steel would hurt your head so it was padding.
Matthew Salemi: How did the leadership work, did you have any leadership roles?
Earle King: I wasn't exactly in a leadership role, I was under a lieutenant and I took his orders.
Matthew Salemi: What happened when you got home?
Earle King: My father came down to the railroad station because we were discharged at Fort Kilmer, New Jersey and I came up by train. They gave us $300 to get back into civilian life, back then it was a little more. And then my mother had had a heart attack in the mean time, so she wasn't too well. But my father took me home and we had a little celebration. Then I went to the bank again and got my job back. They generally do that for service people, they take you back into the job that you had before. I don't know if they are required to do that, but our bank did it.
Matthew Salemi: Were there other people at the bank that returned with you?
Earle King: Well, I knew another person there: Don Cavanaugh, he was in the army about the same time, he did duty in France and he got back about the same time I did.
Matthew Salemi: And they accepted both of you?
Earle King: Yea.
Matthew Salemi: Were there any life lessons that you learned in the military that you keep with you?
Earle King: Well, I learned discipline, I think that's the main thing. You have to do what you are told and I learned how to be on my own because before that I was single and my mother and father were there and this I was on my own for the first time.
Matthew Salemi: How has your military service impacted you feelings about war and the military?
Earle King: Of course we all feel that there shouldn't be any war, but sometimes you get pushed into it and you can't help it. And you have to show some force and you have to have a trained army so that people, other countries know that you will fight back if you are attacked, like we did in World War Two.
Matthew Salemi: What message would you like to leave for future generations who will read or hear this interview?
Earle King: Well, I think that one message is that if you are drafted or called to defend your country, you have to go and feel good about it. I think that's the main thing and you will do a good job.
Matthew Salemi: How much did you know about the war before you went and served in the military?
Earle King: Well I knew that there was a threat, a so called threat from communist countries, that they wanted to take the world and I read that and knew about it, and when I went into the service, I thought, "well, here I am".
Matthew Salemi: Do you think that people's opinions have changed about fighting wars now versus back then?
Earle King: Well, I think there will always be war in one way or the other. People may have softened up so much that they don't want any war, as I said before, if you get pushed into it you have to go.
Matthew Salemi: Do you have any personal items from when you were serving?
Earle King: No, I think all of my clothes have disintegrated, I didn't bring home any grenades or anything like that. I brought a few trinkets from Germany, that's all, not from the military.
Matthew Salemi: Did you meet and make friends with anyone in Germany?
Earle King: Yes, well I happened to meet my mother's sister in Munich, Germany. She lived there and my mother had never met her sister. The family had come over about the turn of the century and my mother wasn't born yet, because my mother was born here. The family had a little girl named Fanny and Fanny was getting sick over here because of the climate, so they sent Fanny back to Germany and my mother was born after that, so the sisters never met. So when I went to Germany, I was the first, and only one ever in the family to meet Aunt Fanny. I met some other people that we came in contact with but that's all.
Matthew Salemi: What was your favorite part about serving in the war?
Earle King: Well, my favorite part was that it gave me a chance, since there was no fighting going on there, to travel a bit, and I had taken time off and gone to Paris, Rome and Amsterdam, and every time I could get a chance, I would go on a day trip to go see a castle and things of that sort. I learned a lot about traveling and we have always done a lot of that. So the army does good things for you too, besides the hard work. You do hard work, don't forget about that. We would go on maneuvers and have to have everything spick and span.
Matthew Salemi: Is there anything that happened during the war that impacted your marriage in the future? Did you write any letters or get any letters written to you?
Earle King: Well, I got letters from my future wife. Back home here, she happened to be going to the same church that I had and the priest suggested that some of the girls write to some of the boys that are in the service and I got a letter from Joan and the letters started getting more frequent and when I came home, I asked her out, and she said no, but in another month or so, I asked again and she said yes, and then it worked out.
Matthew Salemi: How long did you serve in the military for?
Earle King: I served two years, February 51 and then I was released in just the beginning of February of 53, for a draftee, that's all your required. Six months basic training, 18 months over on foreign soil.
Matthew Salemi: Ok, well thanks for your interview and for meeting with me today.
Interviewer: Ross Lancaster
Interviewee: Harry Lancaster
Ross Lancaster: I’m here with Harry Lancaster, an Air Force veteran who served during the Korean War. Now I need you to tell me a little about yourself so where and when were you born?
Harry Lancaster: I was born in Pawtucket in 1932.
Ross Lancaster: What did your parents do for a living?
Harry Lancaster: My father was a roofer, my mother stayed at home.
Ross Lancaster: How many sibling did you have?
Harry Lancaster: Four.
Ross Lancaster: Did any of them serve in the military?
Harry Lancaster: Two brothers served in the military in the Second World War.
Ross Lancaster: What were you doing before you entered the service?
Harry Lancaster: I was in college?
Ross Lancaster: In college, and where did you go to college?
Harry Lancaster: Bryant.
Ross Lancaster: In what branch did you serve?
Harry Lancaster: I served in the Air Force.
Ross Lancaster: How old were you when you enlisted?
Harry Lancaster: Nineteen.
Ross Lancaster: Why did you choose the Air Force?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t really remember to tell you the truth.
Ross Lancaster: Okay. Do you recall your first days in the service and what were they like if you do?
Harry Lancaster: Pretty miserable, we were sleeping on cots in tents with seven blankets and it was so cold in the morning there were icicles on the building and ninety degrees in the afternoon.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what happened when you departed for training camp and during your early days of training?
Harry Lancaster: Well as I just mentioned I don’t remember a lot of it. Other than that it was radar schools I went to. Went six hours a day six hours a week.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what your instructors were like?
Harry Lancaster: No, not a thing.
Ross Lancaster: Did you receive any specialized training?
Harry Lancaster: In radar maintenance.
Ross Lancaster: How did you adapt to physical life like the physical regiment in the barracks and the food?
Harry Lancaster: It didn’t bother me that much. It was alright.
Ross Lancaster: Did you have enough supplies?
Harry Lancaster: No, the first month we didn’t even have uniforms.
Ross Lancaster: What there something you did for good luck?
Harry Lancaster: Not really.
Ross Lancaster: Where was your first assignment?
Harry Lancaster: Korea.
Ross Lancaster: Did you remember arriving and what it was like there?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t remember arriving there so much. Getting off the ship and being housed in tents.
Ross Lancaster: What was your most memorable experience there?
Harry Lancaster: Living in tents, on the ground, flat, and being bombed?
Ross Lancaster: Did you suffer any injuries in combat?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what is was like to see in combat?
Harry Lancaster: It wasn’t very pleasant but I wasn’t in actual hand to hand combat. I was just underfire and being bombed.
Ross Lancaster: Were you ever a prisoner of war?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Alright. Did you receive any medals or citations?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: What kind of friendships did you make while you were serving?
Harry Lancaster: We made some very good friends, unfortunately we didn’t stick together after we got discharged.
Ross Lancaster: How did you stay in touch with your family while you were there?
Harry Lancaster: Just letters, letters, back and forth.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what you did for recreation?
Harry Lancaster: There was none.
Ross Lancaster: There was none. Where were you when the war ended?
Harry Lancaster: I was back in the states. Actually I don’t really remember.
Ross Lancaster: How did you return home?
Harry Lancaster: By ship. You had two Easter Sundays because of the time difference.
Ross Lancaster: How were you received by your family and community when you returned?
Harry Lancaster: Oh they were glad to see me. It wasn’t like how it is today like we have in Iran and Iraq. People appreciated their veterans back in those years.
Ross Lancaster: How did you readjust to civilian life?
Harry Lancaster: I just did, there was no question.
Ross Lancaster: Did you go back to school or work immediately?
Harry Lancaster: Yes I went back to college.
Ross Lancaster: Was your education supported by the GI Bill?
Harry Lancaster: Yes it was. They gave me a great big $138 dollars a month, and that’s because I was married. I wouldn’t have got that much if I wasn’t married.
Ross Lancaster: Did you stay in contact with any of your fellow veterans?
Harry Lancaster: Only for a year or two, that’s all.
Ross Lancaster: Are you a member of any veteran’s organizations?
Harry Lancaster: Presently no.
Ross Lancaster: Were you ever?
Harry Lancaster: The American Legion.
Ross Lancaster: What have you done since separating from the military?
Harry Lancaster: Uh, I finished college, went to work.
Ross Lancaster: How did your wartime experiences affect your life?
Harry Lancaster: It didn’t.
Ross Lancaster: What are some life lessons you learned from military service?
Harry Lancaster: Duck my head. I don’t know, maybe that regimentation isn’t too bad for a short period of time.
Ross Lancaster: Did your service impact your feelings about the war and the military in general?
Harry Lancaster: No, except that how people treat veterans today annoys me to a great deal.
Ross Lancaster: What message would you like to leave for future generations that will hear this interview?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t know, I’d have to think about that.
Ross Lancaster: Is there anything you feel we haven’t discussed that should be added?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Now I have some questions that are like more specific to the war. Do you remember when Douglas MacArthur was fired?
Harry Lancaster: Oh do I remember yes.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember your opinion on the matter, like if you thought he should have been?
Harry Lancaster: I had no opinion at the time, just that I was aware of it.
Ross Lancaster: What do you believe you were fighting for?
Harry Lancaster: We were fighting for the freedom of other people. They said it was to keep this country free. I sort of doubt that now. We were fighting for the Koreans?
Ross Lancaster: Do you believe the U.S. was right to be in Korea?
Harry Lancaster: No I’m an isolationist.
Ross Lancaster: Was the war what you expected?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t think anyone can really expect it, you gotta live it.
Ross Lancaster: How was the climate while you were there? Did it like take adjusting to it?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t know how to answer that. Do you mean physically?
Ross Lancaster: Just like the weather.
Harry Lancaster: Oh the weather, I have no idea.
Ross Lancaster: Has your opinion of the military changed since then?
Harry Lancaster: Oh evidently yes it has greatly. It’s more modernized, they have more facilities, they have more protection.
Ross Lancaster: What is your opinion on the current situation on Korea?
Harry Lancaster: It’s the wrong person to ask. As I say I’m an isolationist and don’t believe the United States should have to put up with anything.
Ross Lancaster: Do you believe the war was worth the cost?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Would you do it again if you had the choice and were back?
Harry Lancaster: I would do it if the United States is in danger, that’s all.
Ross Lancaster: Would you encourage others to join the military?
Harry Lancaster: No, I wouldn’t encourage anybody. I think there has to be a certain personality in order to live it and enjoy but I wouldn’t encourage anybody.
Ross Lancaster: And you mentioned earlier that like Ted Williams was there, like did you meet him?
Harry Lancaster: No, no. He just happened to be at the airport as a fighter pilot out of Kenpo airport at the same time I was there.
Ross Lancaster: Alright, I believe that’s it.
Stefan: I am here with Robert Audette, an air force veteran who served in the Korean War.
Stefan: So Grandpa, where and when were you born?
Veteran: I was born in beautiful downtown sparkle city Central Falls on 12/19/1931
Stefan: What did your parents do for a living?
Veteran: My father worked at Lorraine Mills as some kind of supervisor for what he termed the “slasher shop” which I have no idea what that was or is. And my mother only worked part time.
Stefan: How many siblings did you have?
Veteran: one of each. I had an older brother, several years older than I and a sister, a year and a half older. I was the baby. Another baby came but, he passed.
Stefan: Did anyone in your family serve in the military?
Veteran: My father was in the war; my brother was in the naval air force during the sdcond world war. My father was in the First World War, he was in the cavalry.
Stefan: What were you doing before you went into the service?
Veteran: Right out of High School. I had just finished my senior year in high school and just joined the service.
Stefan: Which branch of the military did you serve?
Veteran: The Air Force.
Stefan: Why did you choose that specific branch of the military?
Veteran: I have no idea. I never liked ships; I was always thrilled with airplanes so I figured that would be the best way to find an airplane.
Stefan: Do you recall your first days of service and what they felt like?
Veteran: My first days of service were rather rigorous because it was basic training and that lasted for another nine months. I became a radio operator mechanic. And then I had a ten day break. I came home, here to Rhode Island from Texas. And promptly was put on a plane to San Francisco and pushed off onto a ship and sailed the ocean blue.
Stefan: And you went to Japan?
Veteran: I went to Okinawa at the beginning and only for a short period of time I was there. I have no idea why. I have no idea whether it was just a jumping off point… I have no idea. But we had duty there but only just sketchy at best. Then we went up to Japan to Tachikawa Air Force Base which was in view of the mountain that’s just outside of Tokyo. I can’t think of the name of it. And from there, I was shipped down to southern Japan and to Kyushu, the island of Kyushu to Korea. And I spent the next 22 months in Korea. And supposedly, the tour of duty in Korea was 18 months but I was lucky, I spent 22 months there. My responsibilities there were maintaining radios and filling in as a radio operator as needed. And it was interesting because if we could hear news we would be able to follow the flow of troops and everything else. Whether it was the North Koreans coming down or the Chinese coming down from the North or the South Koreans pushing up North. But we had no real communication with any outside source. So we just followed orders, said “yes sir” and went in the directions we were told to go in. We started off at Incheon at a small Air Force Base, went up to Daegu which is very much in the center of South Korea and then as far north as we went was to Seoul. And then when the Chinese started their offensive, we were pushed out of there rather hastily, I might add. And we went back down to Daegu. Again, in the center of South Korea.
Stefan: Can you tell me about some of your most memorable experiences?
Veteran: one of my most memorable experiences was freezing my tail off. When we first got up to Seoul, it was cold. I mean bitterly cold. We had originally, sleeping bags and then we finally got matts to put on the ground under the sleeping bags to prevent the moisture from coming up from the ground into the sleeping bag. And it was interesting because, by day, as long as it didn’t rain, we could hang the sleeping bags out and let them dry out a little bit. You had to sleep with your shoes in your sleeping bagbecause you never put your shoes on the outside becsuse they would freeze. And it was on the same parallel as, I think New Brunswick, Canada. And the reason for the cold was, it’s a cold parallel. Other than that, we were disturbed one night when the field that we had was a makeshift airfield and it was made out of steel intertwining pads that would intertwine and lay around. They would generally stay there with a normal plane coming in and out. But one night, a navy fighter came bouncing in, literally bouncing in and it had a stirdy wire hanging off one of its wings. Well, the problem was, it wasn’t the tires on the navy fighter, it was the dragging of the cable that tore up the airfield something fierce. We had flying metal pads zipping all over the place. That was a little bit scary and interesting because we were all mustered out there to take care of whatever was going on and nothing happened other than the airfield getting torn up. Which the following day, we had to repair. Other than that, the navy fighter took off the following day after they got the metal wire off the wing and we wished him well, and fed him well and gave him a sendoff.
Stefan: Now, you mentioned earlier about how you had the sleeping bags, where did you sleep? Did you sleep in tents, or Quonset huts or…?
Veteran: Well, eventually in tents, not Quonset huts, tents. And eventually we actually had stoves in the tents which was nice. But originally we slept on the ground.
Stefan: Out in the open?
Veteran: Yeah, unless you could find a bush to hide behind. That’s when it was cold, and there’s been books written about the coldest day and that was primarily only from Korea. The Longest Day was the Second World War. But the Coldest Day was definitely up in Korea. And it was bitterly cold. That was very memorable because people were losing toes, fingers, because of frostbite and ultimately we got tents and ultimately again we got heaters in them. So it was reasonable to live there.
Stefan: Were you in combat?
Veteran: No. Was not in combat, although was had nightly visits from a small plane throwing anti-personnel bombs out. So we were always on the defensive and we had the base quite well fortified. And several places around the perimeter of the base, there were A-tracks with… whether they were cord 50s or 20 millimeters. I have no idea because I never got to see too close to any of it. But we were well fortified with half-tracks. Combat, we used to worry about some of the Koreans coming down and raiding the base so we were always apprehensive about sleeping or you always slept with one eye open at least. And several times there was the sound of gunfire from the air force guards that were patrolling around the base. So whether they scared possible intruders off, or what, that was probably once every week or every other week that happened. That kept you on your toes. But other than that, no I was not involved in any mortal combat.
Stefan: so, you didn’t receive any injuries?
Veteran: No, I was shot in this hand right here. The scar is next to gone now. A bullet grazed me and came up my arm and grazed me here but that’s the only thing that ever happened to me. And there was… we were flying propaganda planes… we used to have propaganda papers that we would spew out from the plane. And somebody decided that they were going to shoot at us and we were only at a low altitude so we made a good target. So most of the planes, the C-47s were very stable, very good even with holes in them. Usually we got back to base without a problem.
Stefan: So, I remember you mentioned before that you were in a scenario where rockets were flying over your head; you were on a coastline or something. Would you tell me about that?
Veteran: Oh, not rockets, no. From the battleships out in the harbor, they were shooting over our heads with their 18 inch guns. We could actually hear them. Bullets I guess that’s what you would call them, over our heads would make a whirling sound. And then the ground would shake and you would hear the blast off in the distance. But that was the product of. Thank God for the navy. They were shelling the north of where we were. And that’s when we were in Inchon along the coastline. So the battleships could get in fairly close which was a help to us because it warded off any possible intrusion of North Korean Troops.
Stefan: What were you doing on that beach?
Veteran: It wasn’t a beach, it was where we were directed to go because we were pushed out of the Daegu area because it was when we were leaving Seoul. We got down to Daegu and right around the Chosin Reservoir. That was well publicized. Because the marines were there and we were around the Chosin Reservoir with them. And we walked down to Inchon. And that’s when I guess it was MacArthur had invaded farther up north and cut off most of the North Korean troops. It was a very scary moment in a sense because you had these big things going over your head which was almost constant. And you could hear off in the distance the sound of these exploding and you could feel the ground shake.
Stefan: How did your wartime experiences affect your life?
Veteran: you change hats when you just come home. You try to put it all behind you just ignore those several years and never approach that conversation that frequently. I have a touch of what is common with some of those returning from the Middle East. If I’m not taking my pills, I have nightmares. I’ve beat on grandma different times in my sleep. I’m always in a hole fighting people off in my sleep. That’s post traumatic syndrome of a type. I hate to put a name on it but that’s what it is. I take some of the same drugs as some of the combat people. They were more involved than I.
Stefan: Well, that’s pretty much it. Is there anything that you think we haven’t discussed or you think should be added?
Veteran: No, I don’t want to dig any deeper. Because what is going to happen is, I’m going to have nightmares now. I have not recounted anything I experienced over there in a long time. So we’ll see if I beat on grandma tonight.
Earle King: I was born in 1928 in Stamford Connecticut where I still live and I like it here.
Matthew Salemi: What did your parents do for a living?
Earle King: It was during the Depression. My father was a truck driver at the time and during World War Two he worked as a machinist and made parts for submarines, so he did his part and he had been in World War One. My mother was a house wife, however, during the war everyone pitched in and she worked at Macklet Labratory and helped make different bulbs and things for the army radios.
Matthew Salemi: How many siblings did you have?
Earle King: I had three siblings. My sister Lois, my brother Lester, and my sister Miriam. Miriam and Lester were both in World War 2 and Lester was in the South Pacific with the Seabees. They are a navy construction team and my sister was in Georgia, she worked at a military airport down there.
Matthew Salemi: What were you doing before you entered the service?
Earle King: Before I went in the service I had been working at the Fidelity Trust Company, a bank in Stamford and I was a teller there and later a book keeper, and so on.
Matthew Salemi: Did you enlist or were you drafted?
Earle King: I was drafted. It was during the Korean War and during the Korean War, North Korea attacked South Korea and South Korea was folding, and we sent troops there and they helped the South Koreans and at the same time, Russia was threatening that they would go over and start another war and run over Europe. And at that point, they (United States) started to draft again because they didn't have enough people in the service to meet these demands. I was drafted in 1951 in Stamford, we were sent up to Bridgeport, had a physical, and then went up to Fort Devens Massachusetts where we got our army clothes and started training. After that we all split up and I went out to Camp Atterbury, Indiana, and that's where I got basic training. All the troops there before us went to Korea to fight North Korea, however, I was fortunate enough that I was sent to Germany because Russia was threatening there and they needed troops, so the President sent two divisions, the 28th of Pennsylvania, and the 43rd of Connecticut over to Germany to be there to show force and that's where we were stationed.
Matthew Salemi: How did you adapt to military life such as physical regiments, barracks, food, and social life?
Earle King: Well I didn't have much [I needed to change]. I was kind of athletic and I could do all of the exercises and it wasn't too bad for me but I didn't have any camping [experience] or things of that sort, so I had to work into that. But I didn't mind it, it was probably good for me, it was a healthy life with exercise.
Matthew Salemi: What was your job while you were there?
Earle King: I got infantry training in the beginning and then I switched to an anti-aircraft unit and we supplied anti-aircraft for the infantry as it advanced from low flying planes. And my job was like in one of the command's halftracks. Have you ever heard of a halftrack? You see them in parades, and my job was as a radio person and a gunner with a 50 caliber machine gun.
Matthew Salemi: What was your most memorable experience.
Earle King: I don't know...Of course, we weren't in any fighting over there but we went on maneuvers and I had an experience when I was in basic training, and we would go out to a firing range and out there we would sometimes be firing and other times we would go out on the range and lift up the targets. We were in a trench lifting targets so they could shoot it. So, break time came so we all went up out of the trench and sat near the targets and I'm sitting there and all at once I hear PING, PING, and apparently they had started shooting at the targets, and we were sitting right there, so we just dove right back into the trench there, and we were alright. And other things...we had a memorable trip on a troop ship, we went from Newport News, Virginia over to Bremerhaven, Germany and it was 11 days and it was quite a rough trip. It was really something but we survived.
Matthew Salemi: Did you form any friendships or comradely while you were serving?
Earle King: Yes, oh yes, sure. When you are in the service and doing these things together, in the hardship of it, you always make friends because you are doing the same thing, and you have the same thoughts and I had a few...one fella by the name of Stony and another fella, Harry Beach, and they were all friends.
Matthew Salemi: How did you stay in touch with your family and friends while you were in Germany?
Earle King: [I would] write all the time. I would write home about twice a week and I would write to my friends once and a while.
Matthew Salemi: So you were in Germany when the war ended?
Earle King: No, the war was still going on. I had been in Germany for 18 months, 6 months basic training and 18 months, two years all together. But the war didn't end, the war was still going, but it was my time to be discharged. I became a corporal, which was my job as a gunner, and I came home when I got discharged, and I think we sent the troops over to Germany, we didn't do any fighting, however, just being a presence there, the military, I think may have helped [prevent] any wars from starting.
Matthew Salemi: Have you remained in contact with any of your fellow veterans?
Earle King: Yes, I was until they died. I had been in contact with my friend Harry Beach. All these years he lived in New Jersey. He came up for our wedding anniversary, and I went down to see his marriage and my other friend Stony, I talked to him once in a while.
Matthew Salemi: Are you a member of any veteran organizations?
Earle King: No, I help though. I know the people that are running it and we put flags on the graves of [veterans] at the cemeteries.
Matthew Salemi: Did you have any stories about romance in the military?
Earle King: Soldiers romance? Well I think so. When I went in the service, when I was drafted, I was going out with a girl, taking her out on dates, maybe something would come of it, maybe we would get married some day, I wasn't sure. Then I got in the service and I went in basic training and we were trained now to go the Germany, and we got on the boat, the troop ship, to go to Germany, which was a rough trip, it took 11 days like I said, and we got to Germany and we got our first mail we're still on the ship, and the ship is in Bremerhaven Germany harbor. We had just landed there and down on the pier, there was a U.S. band, another troop had a band, and as the ship was up above, and we got on deck there, and they started playing different songs, and then we got our mail at the same time, and I got this letter from my girl, and it was a Dear John letter, which means she no longer wants to see me, and as I looked down, the band started up, and do you know the song they were playing? "I wonder who's kissing her now". So that's a little comedy within the service, I think a lot of people have gone through those things.
Matthew Salemi: Could you expand on your job in the military?
Earle King: Yea, we had half tracks and they had like four guns on them to shoot down low flying planes, which is why we were called anti-aircraft and there was a lead half track too, that had about four or five half tracks under the lead lieutenant who was in my half track.
Matthew Salemi: Was that the lead track?
Earle King: Yea, but it didn't have the guns that the other ones has, the other ones had, this one just guided the other ones around. I was the radio operator. I took orders on where to go and our lieutenant gave the orders to the other tracks. If things got hot or anything, we had a 50 caliber machine gun there and I would be responsible for that and firing that, but it never came to that, thank goodness.
Matthew Salemi: What did you wear while you were in the service?
Earle King: Well we wore fatigues most of the time. They were like a dull green, so you wouldn't be noticed in the
foliage, and we wore them just about all the time and then we had a uniform: an Eisenhower jacket. When Eisenhower was the general in World War Two, he always wore this special jacket. The draftees and the rest of the army adopted this so we wore that when we were on leave or something.
Matthew Salemi: Did you have a helmet?
Earle King: Oh yea, we had a helmet, I didn't know the helmet came with like a inner helmet, because the helmet, if you put the helmet on, the steel would hurt your head so it was padding.
Matthew Salemi: How did the leadership work, did you have any leadership roles?
Earle King: I wasn't exactly in a leadership role, I was under a lieutenant and I took his orders.
Matthew Salemi: What happened when you got home?
Earle King: My father came down to the railroad station because we were discharged at Fort Kilmer, New Jersey and I came up by train. They gave us $300 to get back into civilian life, back then it was a little more. And then my mother had had a heart attack in the mean time, so she wasn't too well. But my father took me home and we had a little celebration. Then I went to the bank again and got my job back. They generally do that for service people, they take you back into the job that you had before. I don't know if they are required to do that, but our bank did it.
Matthew Salemi: Were there other people at the bank that returned with you?
Earle King: Well, I knew another person there: Don Cavanaugh, he was in the army about the same time, he did duty in France and he got back about the same time I did.
Matthew Salemi: And they accepted both of you?
Earle King: Yea.
Matthew Salemi: Were there any life lessons that you learned in the military that you keep with you?
Earle King: Well, I learned discipline, I think that's the main thing. You have to do what you are told and I learned how to be on my own because before that I was single and my mother and father were there and this I was on my own for the first time.
Matthew Salemi: How has your military service impacted you feelings about war and the military?
Earle King: Of course we all feel that there shouldn't be any war, but sometimes you get pushed into it and you can't help it. And you have to show some force and you have to have a trained army so that people, other countries know that you will fight back if you are attacked, like we did in World War Two.
Matthew Salemi: What message would you like to leave for future generations who will read or hear this interview?
Earle King: Well, I think that one message is that if you are drafted or called to defend your country, you have to go and feel good about it. I think that's the main thing and you will do a good job.
Matthew Salemi: How much did you know about the war before you went and served in the military?
Earle King: Well I knew that there was a threat, a so called threat from communist countries, that they wanted to take the world and I read that and knew about it, and when I went into the service, I thought, "well, here I am".
Matthew Salemi: Do you think that people's opinions have changed about fighting wars now versus back then?
Earle King: Well, I think there will always be war in one way or the other. People may have softened up so much that they don't want any war, as I said before, if you get pushed into it you have to go.
Matthew Salemi: Do you have any personal items from when you were serving?
Earle King: No, I think all of my clothes have disintegrated, I didn't bring home any grenades or anything like that. I brought a few trinkets from Germany, that's all, not from the military.
Matthew Salemi: Did you meet and make friends with anyone in Germany?
Earle King: Yes, well I happened to meet my mother's sister in Munich, Germany. She lived there and my mother had never met her sister. The family had come over about the turn of the century and my mother wasn't born yet, because my mother was born here. The family had a little girl named Fanny and Fanny was getting sick over here because of the climate, so they sent Fanny back to Germany and my mother was born after that, so the sisters never met. So when I went to Germany, I was the first, and only one ever in the family to meet Aunt Fanny. I met some other people that we came in contact with but that's all.
Matthew Salemi: What was your favorite part about serving in the war?
Earle King: Well, my favorite part was that it gave me a chance, since there was no fighting going on there, to travel a bit, and I had taken time off and gone to Paris, Rome and Amsterdam, and every time I could get a chance, I would go on a day trip to go see a castle and things of that sort. I learned a lot about traveling and we have always done a lot of that. So the army does good things for you too, besides the hard work. You do hard work, don't forget about that. We would go on maneuvers and have to have everything spick and span.
Matthew Salemi: Is there anything that happened during the war that impacted your marriage in the future? Did you write any letters or get any letters written to you?
Earle King: Well, I got letters from my future wife. Back home here, she happened to be going to the same church that I had and the priest suggested that some of the girls write to some of the boys that are in the service and I got a letter from Joan and the letters started getting more frequent and when I came home, I asked her out, and she said no, but in another month or so, I asked again and she said yes, and then it worked out.
Matthew Salemi: How long did you serve in the military for?
Earle King: I served two years, February 51 and then I was released in just the beginning of February of 53, for a draftee, that's all your required. Six months basic training, 18 months over on foreign soil.
Matthew Salemi: Ok, well thanks for your interview and for meeting with me today.
Interviewer: Ross Lancaster
Interviewee: Harry Lancaster
Ross Lancaster: I’m here with Harry Lancaster, an Air Force veteran who served during the Korean War. Now I need you to tell me a little about yourself so where and when were you born?
Harry Lancaster: I was born in Pawtucket in 1932.
Ross Lancaster: What did your parents do for a living?
Harry Lancaster: My father was a roofer, my mother stayed at home.
Ross Lancaster: How many sibling did you have?
Harry Lancaster: Four.
Ross Lancaster: Did any of them serve in the military?
Harry Lancaster: Two brothers served in the military in the Second World War.
Ross Lancaster: What were you doing before you entered the service?
Harry Lancaster: I was in college?
Ross Lancaster: In college, and where did you go to college?
Harry Lancaster: Bryant.
Ross Lancaster: In what branch did you serve?
Harry Lancaster: I served in the Air Force.
Ross Lancaster: How old were you when you enlisted?
Harry Lancaster: Nineteen.
Ross Lancaster: Why did you choose the Air Force?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t really remember to tell you the truth.
Ross Lancaster: Okay. Do you recall your first days in the service and what were they like if you do?
Harry Lancaster: Pretty miserable, we were sleeping on cots in tents with seven blankets and it was so cold in the morning there were icicles on the building and ninety degrees in the afternoon.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what happened when you departed for training camp and during your early days of training?
Harry Lancaster: Well as I just mentioned I don’t remember a lot of it. Other than that it was radar schools I went to. Went six hours a day six hours a week.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what your instructors were like?
Harry Lancaster: No, not a thing.
Ross Lancaster: Did you receive any specialized training?
Harry Lancaster: In radar maintenance.
Ross Lancaster: How did you adapt to physical life like the physical regiment in the barracks and the food?
Harry Lancaster: It didn’t bother me that much. It was alright.
Ross Lancaster: Did you have enough supplies?
Harry Lancaster: No, the first month we didn’t even have uniforms.
Ross Lancaster: What there something you did for good luck?
Harry Lancaster: Not really.
Ross Lancaster: Where was your first assignment?
Harry Lancaster: Korea.
Ross Lancaster: Did you remember arriving and what it was like there?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t remember arriving there so much. Getting off the ship and being housed in tents.
Ross Lancaster: What was your most memorable experience there?
Harry Lancaster: Living in tents, on the ground, flat, and being bombed?
Ross Lancaster: Did you suffer any injuries in combat?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what is was like to see in combat?
Harry Lancaster: It wasn’t very pleasant but I wasn’t in actual hand to hand combat. I was just underfire and being bombed.
Ross Lancaster: Were you ever a prisoner of war?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Alright. Did you receive any medals or citations?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: What kind of friendships did you make while you were serving?
Harry Lancaster: We made some very good friends, unfortunately we didn’t stick together after we got discharged.
Ross Lancaster: How did you stay in touch with your family while you were there?
Harry Lancaster: Just letters, letters, back and forth.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember what you did for recreation?
Harry Lancaster: There was none.
Ross Lancaster: There was none. Where were you when the war ended?
Harry Lancaster: I was back in the states. Actually I don’t really remember.
Ross Lancaster: How did you return home?
Harry Lancaster: By ship. You had two Easter Sundays because of the time difference.
Ross Lancaster: How were you received by your family and community when you returned?
Harry Lancaster: Oh they were glad to see me. It wasn’t like how it is today like we have in Iran and Iraq. People appreciated their veterans back in those years.
Ross Lancaster: How did you readjust to civilian life?
Harry Lancaster: I just did, there was no question.
Ross Lancaster: Did you go back to school or work immediately?
Harry Lancaster: Yes I went back to college.
Ross Lancaster: Was your education supported by the GI Bill?
Harry Lancaster: Yes it was. They gave me a great big $138 dollars a month, and that’s because I was married. I wouldn’t have got that much if I wasn’t married.
Ross Lancaster: Did you stay in contact with any of your fellow veterans?
Harry Lancaster: Only for a year or two, that’s all.
Ross Lancaster: Are you a member of any veteran’s organizations?
Harry Lancaster: Presently no.
Ross Lancaster: Were you ever?
Harry Lancaster: The American Legion.
Ross Lancaster: What have you done since separating from the military?
Harry Lancaster: Uh, I finished college, went to work.
Ross Lancaster: How did your wartime experiences affect your life?
Harry Lancaster: It didn’t.
Ross Lancaster: What are some life lessons you learned from military service?
Harry Lancaster: Duck my head. I don’t know, maybe that regimentation isn’t too bad for a short period of time.
Ross Lancaster: Did your service impact your feelings about the war and the military in general?
Harry Lancaster: No, except that how people treat veterans today annoys me to a great deal.
Ross Lancaster: What message would you like to leave for future generations that will hear this interview?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t know, I’d have to think about that.
Ross Lancaster: Is there anything you feel we haven’t discussed that should be added?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Now I have some questions that are like more specific to the war. Do you remember when Douglas MacArthur was fired?
Harry Lancaster: Oh do I remember yes.
Ross Lancaster: Do you remember your opinion on the matter, like if you thought he should have been?
Harry Lancaster: I had no opinion at the time, just that I was aware of it.
Ross Lancaster: What do you believe you were fighting for?
Harry Lancaster: We were fighting for the freedom of other people. They said it was to keep this country free. I sort of doubt that now. We were fighting for the Koreans?
Ross Lancaster: Do you believe the U.S. was right to be in Korea?
Harry Lancaster: No I’m an isolationist.
Ross Lancaster: Was the war what you expected?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t think anyone can really expect it, you gotta live it.
Ross Lancaster: How was the climate while you were there? Did it like take adjusting to it?
Harry Lancaster: I don’t know how to answer that. Do you mean physically?
Ross Lancaster: Just like the weather.
Harry Lancaster: Oh the weather, I have no idea.
Ross Lancaster: Has your opinion of the military changed since then?
Harry Lancaster: Oh evidently yes it has greatly. It’s more modernized, they have more facilities, they have more protection.
Ross Lancaster: What is your opinion on the current situation on Korea?
Harry Lancaster: It’s the wrong person to ask. As I say I’m an isolationist and don’t believe the United States should have to put up with anything.
Ross Lancaster: Do you believe the war was worth the cost?
Harry Lancaster: No.
Ross Lancaster: Would you do it again if you had the choice and were back?
Harry Lancaster: I would do it if the United States is in danger, that’s all.
Ross Lancaster: Would you encourage others to join the military?
Harry Lancaster: No, I wouldn’t encourage anybody. I think there has to be a certain personality in order to live it and enjoy but I wouldn’t encourage anybody.
Ross Lancaster: And you mentioned earlier that like Ted Williams was there, like did you meet him?
Harry Lancaster: No, no. He just happened to be at the airport as a fighter pilot out of Kenpo airport at the same time I was there.
Ross Lancaster: Alright, I believe that’s it.
Stefan: I am here with Robert Audette, an air force veteran who served in the Korean War.
Stefan: So Grandpa, where and when were you born?
Veteran: I was born in beautiful downtown sparkle city Central Falls on 12/19/1931
Stefan: What did your parents do for a living?
Veteran: My father worked at Lorraine Mills as some kind of supervisor for what he termed the “slasher shop” which I have no idea what that was or is. And my mother only worked part time.
Stefan: How many siblings did you have?
Veteran: one of each. I had an older brother, several years older than I and a sister, a year and a half older. I was the baby. Another baby came but, he passed.
Stefan: Did anyone in your family serve in the military?
Veteran: My father was in the war; my brother was in the naval air force during the sdcond world war. My father was in the First World War, he was in the cavalry.
Stefan: What were you doing before you went into the service?
Veteran: Right out of High School. I had just finished my senior year in high school and just joined the service.
Stefan: Which branch of the military did you serve?
Veteran: The Air Force.
Stefan: Why did you choose that specific branch of the military?
Veteran: I have no idea. I never liked ships; I was always thrilled with airplanes so I figured that would be the best way to find an airplane.
Stefan: Do you recall your first days of service and what they felt like?
Veteran: My first days of service were rather rigorous because it was basic training and that lasted for another nine months. I became a radio operator mechanic. And then I had a ten day break. I came home, here to Rhode Island from Texas. And promptly was put on a plane to San Francisco and pushed off onto a ship and sailed the ocean blue.
Stefan: And you went to Japan?
Veteran: I went to Okinawa at the beginning and only for a short period of time I was there. I have no idea why. I have no idea whether it was just a jumping off point… I have no idea. But we had duty there but only just sketchy at best. Then we went up to Japan to Tachikawa Air Force Base which was in view of the mountain that’s just outside of Tokyo. I can’t think of the name of it. And from there, I was shipped down to southern Japan and to Kyushu, the island of Kyushu to Korea. And I spent the next 22 months in Korea. And supposedly, the tour of duty in Korea was 18 months but I was lucky, I spent 22 months there. My responsibilities there were maintaining radios and filling in as a radio operator as needed. And it was interesting because if we could hear news we would be able to follow the flow of troops and everything else. Whether it was the North Koreans coming down or the Chinese coming down from the North or the South Koreans pushing up North. But we had no real communication with any outside source. So we just followed orders, said “yes sir” and went in the directions we were told to go in. We started off at Incheon at a small Air Force Base, went up to Daegu which is very much in the center of South Korea and then as far north as we went was to Seoul. And then when the Chinese started their offensive, we were pushed out of there rather hastily, I might add. And we went back down to Daegu. Again, in the center of South Korea.
Stefan: Can you tell me about some of your most memorable experiences?
Veteran: one of my most memorable experiences was freezing my tail off. When we first got up to Seoul, it was cold. I mean bitterly cold. We had originally, sleeping bags and then we finally got matts to put on the ground under the sleeping bags to prevent the moisture from coming up from the ground into the sleeping bag. And it was interesting because, by day, as long as it didn’t rain, we could hang the sleeping bags out and let them dry out a little bit. You had to sleep with your shoes in your sleeping bagbecause you never put your shoes on the outside becsuse they would freeze. And it was on the same parallel as, I think New Brunswick, Canada. And the reason for the cold was, it’s a cold parallel. Other than that, we were disturbed one night when the field that we had was a makeshift airfield and it was made out of steel intertwining pads that would intertwine and lay around. They would generally stay there with a normal plane coming in and out. But one night, a navy fighter came bouncing in, literally bouncing in and it had a stirdy wire hanging off one of its wings. Well, the problem was, it wasn’t the tires on the navy fighter, it was the dragging of the cable that tore up the airfield something fierce. We had flying metal pads zipping all over the place. That was a little bit scary and interesting because we were all mustered out there to take care of whatever was going on and nothing happened other than the airfield getting torn up. Which the following day, we had to repair. Other than that, the navy fighter took off the following day after they got the metal wire off the wing and we wished him well, and fed him well and gave him a sendoff.
Stefan: Now, you mentioned earlier about how you had the sleeping bags, where did you sleep? Did you sleep in tents, or Quonset huts or…?
Veteran: Well, eventually in tents, not Quonset huts, tents. And eventually we actually had stoves in the tents which was nice. But originally we slept on the ground.
Stefan: Out in the open?
Veteran: Yeah, unless you could find a bush to hide behind. That’s when it was cold, and there’s been books written about the coldest day and that was primarily only from Korea. The Longest Day was the Second World War. But the Coldest Day was definitely up in Korea. And it was bitterly cold. That was very memorable because people were losing toes, fingers, because of frostbite and ultimately we got tents and ultimately again we got heaters in them. So it was reasonable to live there.
Stefan: Were you in combat?
Veteran: No. Was not in combat, although was had nightly visits from a small plane throwing anti-personnel bombs out. So we were always on the defensive and we had the base quite well fortified. And several places around the perimeter of the base, there were A-tracks with… whether they were cord 50s or 20 millimeters. I have no idea because I never got to see too close to any of it. But we were well fortified with half-tracks. Combat, we used to worry about some of the Koreans coming down and raiding the base so we were always apprehensive about sleeping or you always slept with one eye open at least. And several times there was the sound of gunfire from the air force guards that were patrolling around the base. So whether they scared possible intruders off, or what, that was probably once every week or every other week that happened. That kept you on your toes. But other than that, no I was not involved in any mortal combat.
Stefan: so, you didn’t receive any injuries?
Veteran: No, I was shot in this hand right here. The scar is next to gone now. A bullet grazed me and came up my arm and grazed me here but that’s the only thing that ever happened to me. And there was… we were flying propaganda planes… we used to have propaganda papers that we would spew out from the plane. And somebody decided that they were going to shoot at us and we were only at a low altitude so we made a good target. So most of the planes, the C-47s were very stable, very good even with holes in them. Usually we got back to base without a problem.
Stefan: So, I remember you mentioned before that you were in a scenario where rockets were flying over your head; you were on a coastline or something. Would you tell me about that?
Veteran: Oh, not rockets, no. From the battleships out in the harbor, they were shooting over our heads with their 18 inch guns. We could actually hear them. Bullets I guess that’s what you would call them, over our heads would make a whirling sound. And then the ground would shake and you would hear the blast off in the distance. But that was the product of. Thank God for the navy. They were shelling the north of where we were. And that’s when we were in Inchon along the coastline. So the battleships could get in fairly close which was a help to us because it warded off any possible intrusion of North Korean Troops.
Stefan: What were you doing on that beach?
Veteran: It wasn’t a beach, it was where we were directed to go because we were pushed out of the Daegu area because it was when we were leaving Seoul. We got down to Daegu and right around the Chosin Reservoir. That was well publicized. Because the marines were there and we were around the Chosin Reservoir with them. And we walked down to Inchon. And that’s when I guess it was MacArthur had invaded farther up north and cut off most of the North Korean troops. It was a very scary moment in a sense because you had these big things going over your head which was almost constant. And you could hear off in the distance the sound of these exploding and you could feel the ground shake.
Stefan: How did your wartime experiences affect your life?
Veteran: you change hats when you just come home. You try to put it all behind you just ignore those several years and never approach that conversation that frequently. I have a touch of what is common with some of those returning from the Middle East. If I’m not taking my pills, I have nightmares. I’ve beat on grandma different times in my sleep. I’m always in a hole fighting people off in my sleep. That’s post traumatic syndrome of a type. I hate to put a name on it but that’s what it is. I take some of the same drugs as some of the combat people. They were more involved than I.
Stefan: Well, that’s pretty much it. Is there anything that you think we haven’t discussed or you think should be added?
Veteran: No, I don’t want to dig any deeper. Because what is going to happen is, I’m going to have nightmares now. I have not recounted anything I experienced over there in a long time. So we’ll see if I beat on grandma tonight.