2 Messages

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Entry: 65845 75TH OPERATIONS SQDN	OLD KOREAN PICTURE POSTCARDS
JAMES LEWIS LOWE wrote on May 30, 2008 City and State: NORWOOD PA Unit: 75TH OLPERATIONS SQUADRON Service or Relationship: AIR FORCE VETERAN Comments: UPDATE, May 2008: In December 1953 our unit, the 75th Operations Squadron, consisting of over 2,000 enlisted and officer personel, having assembled earlier at Kelly AFB, San Antonio, TX, sailed from Corpus Christi, TX, on the USAT General Walter H. Gordon, AP-117, through the Gulf of Mexico, the Panama Canal, out the Great Northern Pacific route, docking at Yokohama the end of December 1952. After a few hours of shore leave, we boarded the ship, sailed and docked at Pusan where a large LST took us in the cold of winter to the Chinhae Air Base, better known as K-10 with APO 970. Everyone was totally exhausted after this 28-day journey, glad to set foot on solid ground. To date, I have located only one person who made that grueling trip through monsterous storms that threatened to rip the ship's hull in hundreds of pieces, dumping seasick passengers and crew into the frigid ocean. I am writing these additional lines to appeal to others who experienced that unpleasant natical event to contact me so that we might exchange remembrances and photographs. Taking military tours tend to change us in many ways: our attitudes toward life, the meaning of life, the importance of friends, the steps that we take, and more. In my case, having served at the Chinhae Orphanage with Rev. Lee Yak Sin, my call to Christian ministry was confirmed. After being discharged from the AF in November 1954, I returned to Tennessee Temple College (now Tennessee Temple University), Chattanooga, graduating in 1957, then to Crozer Theological Seminary, Upland, PA, graduating in 1960. My experiences in Korea enabled me to follow a path that enabled me to preach Christ and to serve others. Also, my subsequent visits to Chinhae in 1985 and 1991 directed me to read and study Korean history and culture. Oddly, I approached this study by searching for and collecting Korean picture postcards issued from 1898 through 1960. That has continued to be my major hobby, and I've traveled to over 25 countries, searching for these cards. Actually, the first one that came to my attention was purchased at an antique postcard shop next the train station in Munich, Germany, in 1984, a 1910 view of German missionaries eating while native Koreans watched from a balcony. I've exchanged duplicates with other serious collectors, searched for cards at flea markets and in shops, and advertised for them in collector's magazines. The worldwide Internet enabled me to search international markets. Today, I have one of the largest collections; and since I'm semi retired, I devote several hours daily in this pursuit. It would be a pleasure to hear from any of my readers who have similar interests. Contact me at PostcardClassics@juno.com Keywords: 75th Operations Squadron -- Kelly AFB, San Antonio, TX -- USAT General Walter H. Gordon -- Panama Canal -- Chinhae Air Base -- K-10 -- APO 970 --

Entry: 41730 75TH OPERATIONS SQDN	CHINHAE, JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER, 1953. CRYPTO
JAMES LEWIS LOWE wrote on March 14, 2004 City and State: NORWOOD PA Unit: 75TH OPERATIONS SQUADRON, CHINHAE, KOREA Service or Relationship: AIR FORCE VETERAN - KOREA Comments: Served as Air Force cryptographer, 75th Operations Squadron, 5th Air Force (Rear), APO 970, Chinhae, Korea, January-December, 1953. Along with friends in the squadron, I assisted at the Chinhae Orphanage, Home for Mothers and Children, and Nom Bu Presbyterian Church, serving under Rev. Lee Yak Sin, pastor and presbyter of 37 churches in the region which included nearby Masan. Wrote home for children's clothing, school supplies, toys, and necessities -- received many large shipments. Have fond memories of the group of Christian GIs who worked together in local churches and social organizations to assist the Korean people at the end of this devastating war. Have some color slides of events occurring in and around Chinhae and would be pleased to exchange similar pictures with others taken during 1953 in other parts of the country. Can send pictures as attachments to email. Returned in 1985 to serve as Reserver Chaplain, Commander Fleet Activities Chinhae. Am also an avid collector/researcher of Korean stamps, coins, currency, and picture postcards, especially items issued before 1960. Write if you are interested at PostcardClassics@juno.com or Rev. James Lewis Lowe, Box 8, Norwood, PA 19074 USA. Keywords: Chinhae, January through December, 1953. 75th Operations Sq., 5th Air Force (Rear), cryptographer, veteran of AF and Navy, retired as US Navy Chaplain with the rank of Captain, 1989. Baptist minister, 1954 to present.

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