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Whats The Hardest Part Of Being A Korea Vet

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ARMY Messages posted to this BBS:

Entry Name	Last Message
JOE DUNAGAN	June 17, 2017
THOMAS BONACCORSO	June 13, 2017
DAVID CARLSON	February 27, 2017
EDWARD JOHNSTON	January 19, 2017
DON SHIVELY	March 26, 2015
JOHN RIOS	November 4, 2012
DICK SCOUTEN	May 10, 2012
BYRON PARMENTER	May 3, 2012
BILL WRIGHT	June 6, 2011
*CPL SABINO PIGGY* PAGANO**	September 15, 2008
CHARLES E. KELLY	August 22, 2008
(SGT) DAVID E RIZER	August 2, 2008
SGT. DAVID E RIZER	July 17, 2008
CURTIS BANKER	June 30, 2006
VAN J MANGUS	April 21, 2004
RICHARD JACOBI	August 31, 2003

Entry: 9976

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

JOE DUNAGAN wrote on June 17, 2017

Pendleton OR

Comments:

The hardest part of being a Korea vet is that I can't prove
that I was there for 22 1/2 months because I was attached
to a Rapid Response Unit commonly known as Ghost Walkers.
The CIA ran the operation and they refuse to release
anything to the VA so I can get my benefits. What's more
none of the missions I participated in can I find the
evidence that our unit was there. It sucks to not be able
to avail myself of the promised benefits because someone
wants to play hard ball with records.

Entry: 9973

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

THOMAS BONACCORSO wrote on June 13, 2017

mt vernon NY

Comments:

left Uijonbu jan. 53 after my dec. 51 thru jan 53 leaving
thru Pusan on a ship towards California, i received a gift pkg
from the red cross. i was in the last group to leave the ship,
when it was our turn to disembark, no welcome home
fanfare,as if no one cared.

Entry: 9845

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

DAVID CARLSON wrote on February 27, 2017

wells mi

Comments:

was radio operator 4th cav 1st cav division 1959/1960.no
sleep very small crew. cold nights, huge crawling on my
bed one night walking down. guarding tank aimed at freedom
bridge,hearing the north korean's asking what our girl
friends and wife's are doing now. Note-that was a huge rat
going down my leg. lot of memories good and bad. I
welcomed the good U S A.

Entry: 9794

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

EDWARD JOHNSTON wrote on January 19, 2017

at the time lowell MASS.

Comments:

would like to say one thing about Korea i spent one year
ther to the day aug 27 1950/aug 27 1951 g. co. 19th
inf.24th. div. i know what you are saying about the f o,s we
had them wit us for about 4 weeks thank god, on nov. 5 th
1950 they put enought flares up for us an lit the area up
like day light. but done ever knock us ( the inf. men.
sitting on them hills at night with no heat in 10 20. below
zero was no pick nick i know you guys din,t have a very time
either but at least you were on level ground in a rice
paddy good luck
glad you made it home
Ed. Johnston

Entry: 9228

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

DON SHIVELY wrote on March 26, 2015

Vista CA

Comments:

The hardest part about being a Korean vet was having to leave after my tour
from Feb 1974 was over. As an AFKN TV production crew member who lived
off post in Seoul, I grew to love the place. As a double MOS Army private, I
was also a journalist....and an illustrator. I took my portfolio of
illustrations
and fine art photography to the commander of Profile, the 8th Army News
Paper. I really did NOT want to leave. I was granted a five month TDY but
they could not offer me a barracks room. I would have to remain living in
the
ville with Miss Oriental July while I worked for the newspaper. (So, shoot
me!)
After a short stint in Kansas City, me and a buddy were discharged and we
returned to Korea to live! My 21st birthday present to myself was to be
standing at the bottom of Hooker Hill in Ietaewon as a RESIDENT of my "old
neighborhood". We got girls, nice places, motorcycles and taught English
for as much as $35 (2 month's rent) an hour! Yep. We had it made. It all
came to a screeching halt when President Park was killed. The rioting under
the Chun Regime stopped our ability to get into Seoul very often. The
trouble
on 5-18-80 in Kwangju had to be seen to be believed. Soon after I was back
in the States with a soon to be ex wife and a hat full of amazing memories.
I'm planning on a return trip to Korea to see what has become of the place.
I
got a pal to shoot me some photos of the former 7 Club (The King Club) as
of 72 hours ago. Wow! It's all still there....the alleyways I grew up in.
Don

Entry: 8322

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

JOHN RIOS wrote on November 4, 2012

Trinidad Colorado

Comments:

I don`t know if the people feel guilty or what? but we are.
veterans of the THE FORGOTTEN WAR maby there ashamed that
so many of our comrades were killed. in such a short period
of time.for a while it wasnt even called a war it was
called.the Korean conflict.prople dont relize that there
were more soldiers killed in three years in korea than ten
years in vietnam. most people will mention all wars excpt
the korean war. Veterans day november 11th 2012.God bless
all veterans who served our country.in all wars.I served
1949-1952

Entry: 8152

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

DICK SCOUTEN wrote on May 10, 2012

Crystal River Fl

Comments:

First of all I cant imagine that the last letter on this
list was written 4 years ago.
When I am among friends I wear any old hat. When I go to
town I wear A Korean Veterans cap to remind people of
thefORGOTTEN WAR. However quite a few people thank me for
my service or mention that their grandfather( I am pushing
80 rather hard) was there. Since Iraq and Afghanistan
people seem to be more appreciative of your service. The
hardest thiung, now, is that the best part of your life was
a period 60 years ago.

Entry: 8150

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

BYRON PARMENTER wrote on May 3, 2012

chewelah wa

Comments:

I get so tired of the nes media talking about ww2 vietnam
and never anything about Korea Also we never got a welcome
home parade or anything else. what do people think happened
from 1950 to 1953 in korea a party why cant some one get
this straightened out? Iam 76 years old and would like to
see this injustice rectified before i die I enlisted in the
Army when i was 17 years old and was in Kore by the time i
was 18 years old PLease get this teriable mistake fixed
thank you Byron Parmenter co. C 23rd infantry reg 2nd
infantry division charlie company

Entry: 7746

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

BILL WRIGHT wrote on June 6, 2011

Comments:

The hardest part as a veteran of the Korean War was always hearing of WW 2 and Vietnam veterans receiving all the recognition. In my town we have a Veterans Day parade each Nov. 11th and they seem to alternate between recognizing WW 2 and Vietnam war veterans. Also, people always ask if you were wounded in Korea. When you told them 'no', they looked at you like you never saw combat.

Entry: 7112

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

CPL SABINO *PIGGY* PAGANO wrote on September 15, 2008

Comments:

I don't know about the other vets who were in Korea,But the hardest thing for is hearing on tv about wars.They go from ww2 to vietnam.
I have been sending e-mails too the all the tv channels and ask them about korea? and why do they jump from ww2 to vietnam? Not one came back with an answer.In my e-mails I told them there was another war in between ww2 and vietnam,It was called KOREA.To me the most important war was WW1 and WW2,Thank GOD we won them.But we also won in KOREA.

Entry: 7098

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

CHARLES E. KELLY wrote on August 22, 2008

Comments:

What I find as being the hardest part of being a Korean
Vet, is that the 'Forgotten War' really is the forgotten war. Everyone knows there was 50,000 or more soldiers killed in Viet Nam in that 13 year war, but how many know that there were over 54,000 U.S. and Allied soldiers killed in Korea in 3 years? We did our duty, and came home without fanfare of any kind. And to add insult to
injury, a lot of our records were lost in a fire back in 1978.

Entry: 7093

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

(SGT) DAVID E RIZER wrote on August 2, 2008

Comments:

This hit me this morning like a ton of bricks. My 13yr.old grandson and I were talking. His dad is currently in Baghdad and his mom retires from the Air Force in Nov.this year (I thought Feb.09) anyway, he asked me, would I think it would be a good choice for him to also pursue a career in the Army or the Air Force. First thing came to mind was all the crap so many of us are going thru and probably most of us will pass on before we ever get recognized by the VA etc. I asked him to let me think about it and get back to him. I have never failed to answer his questions before but this time I just do not know. We hope and pray his dad comes back similiar to how he left but only time will tell and that will play a major role in decisions I am sure. He and I are very close - once again I am at a lost for words.

Entry: 7088

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

SGT. DAVID E RIZER wrote on July 17, 2008

Comments:

The hardest part I think has to be feeling like 'Who reall cares' except for us that were there. I served with A Co 1st Bn 23rd Inf 3rd Brigade 2nd Inf Div. Went thru Imijin Scout training (no acknowledement from the Army what-so-ever). Our unit lost 6 good men on 3 Nov 66 and nothing but lip service was ever done about it. One had only been there 17 days an was put in for the Medal of Honor but his family will probably never get it just like we never got a thing but a ride to the states when our duty was up. We went where we were told to go and we did with pride (sometimes) what we were told to do (most times) and yet all the attention was on Viet Nam - it was and is like we were considered 'no counts'. I have been trying to get records from anyplace I can due to the fire in 1973 having destroyed records of anyone with last names from L to Z. The Army and the VA is of little help - guess if we all would have got wounded one way or another we may have counted a little but I hope we never completely forget.

Entry: 6341

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

CURTIS BANKER wrote on June 30, 2006

Comments:

I was in the 73rd Heavy Tank Bn. in Koreaf rom Aug 8th
1950 to June,1951. There were 3 Tank units that went over at the same time, the 6th tank Bn., 70th Tk. Bn. and 73rd.
The South Korean dock workers were on strike when we arrived at Pusan. As soon as we could get our tanks and equipment unloaded , we prepared to engage the enemy .
The worse part of being a Korean Veteran was the lack of
respect when I returned to the States.Also it seems that the ineficient method of keeping records has kept many from not receiving a lot of benefits, or recognition,
that they earned. The fire at St. Louis only aggravated
the situation.I was lucky because i stayed in the Army
and made sure that my medals Etc. were entered on my
records. I think it is humiliating to the Veterans to
be treated like 2nd class citizens. Shame on those who
are responsible for this.
Curtis Banker, SFC US Army Retired

Entry: 4512

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

VAN J MANGUS wrote on April 21, 2004

Comments:

I service in Korea from June 2,1953 untill September 22,1954. I was always proud that I served my coutry,but when I just resently tried to enroll with the V.A. I was turned down. I found out that I was not important after all. Now I am not sure if I am. proud that I served my country. I am glad that I helped the Koreans.

Entry: 4119

WHATS THE HARDEST PART OF BEING A KOREA VET

RICHARD JACOBI wrote on August 31, 2003

Comments:

“Korea” A Police Action My Ass
I had it made been in Japan for 18 months, and had gone to artillery mechanic's school. It was the biggest farce I have ever committed in my life. I never even tightened a bold or nut all the time I was in Japan. If I kept out of trouble which was hard, I had it made in the shade.

Lou Iglesias and I were the best of friends, and were at the Emperors special resort on furlough for seven days. The third day an officer for my battery arrived and hauled us back to our outfit. We were unaware of the situation, but there was trouble in Korea. We were taking amphibious maneuvers training, and they just kept us on the landing craft's, and we shipped out for Korea. It took four days to get there, which actually could have taken with for five hours, but because of hostile activities in the water around Korea we took that much time.

We landed July 25th and waded or drove ashore and formed up on the nearest road. What we saw was frightening to say the least as truck after truck with wounded GIs past us. All the sudden things look different to us, and a complete change came over all us. What have we gotten ourselves into after the vacation we had in Japan for 18 months? If something I will never forget because as a child I love to play war with the other kids on my block but this was different. It didn't set in as this being a war to us, but what was up there that sent these GIs back into shape they were.

The Battery formed up and moved out toward the way needs trucks were coming back from. A mile or so up the road we entered a dry Riverbed and the Battery turned into an active force. We were at that time at least 1/2 under strength as was the infantry ahead of us as was every outfit over there. The next day we had very good news from some Colonel with a blackboard. He drew pictures on the blackboard of where the North Koreans were, and where our troops were which made no sense to us at all. Then he told us there was no need to dig in our 105s or ourselves, as this police action would not take longer than 21 days. Then he told us that two tanks and about 200 North Korean troops had broken through, but would be taken care of shortly.

Being the artillery mechanic I naturally had nothing to do, so the Battery commander captain Gunnel told me to go across the road and to the top of the hill as there was a 50 caliber machine gun set up there that I could stay with. That was where I spent the night, and the next day doing nothing. It was sometime in the afternoon when the explosions started, and the leaves started coming down off the trees. That was when I dug my second foxhole in the United States Army. One of the three guys on the hill shouted there using real bullets. What really had happened were those tanks that were going to be taken care of were on the hills in back of the Battery. We saw some North Korean troops coming around one of the hills to our North, and I fired the 50-caliber machine gun at them, and I am sure of three or four going down as the rest ran back the way they were coming. This all seems to have happened in five minutes until Peppy shouted the Battery is gone. I looked at a sure as hell the Battery was gone, and about 200 rounds of 105 ammunition was burning in the same spot we had our little school lesson. I hollered lets get the hell out of here but Jim Marks who was in charge I guess said he was order taking the 50 cal machine gun down. I told him forget let’s get the hell out of here, as my truck was still what the bottom of the hill. He insisted on getting the 50 cal machine gun, and we all started down the hill when a round came in and Jim got a piece of shrapnel in his leg. He went down in the machine gun went flying. I got him up and down the hill to my truck. I forgot to tell you that as the artillery mechanic I had a 3/4 ton truck. After we had him loaded we took off south to try and find the Battery. Quarter a mile up the road I saw a 6 by 6 truck with a 105 howitzer in the middle of a field. It belonged to be Battery and had four tires shot out on it. I got Peppy to drive my 3/4 if I could start the other truck. I ran to it, and it did turnover but the other tank was still firing this in this erection. It was a bumpy drive over the rough terrain and three shot out tires, but I got back to B Battery for them. About 20 Minutes later a distressed first Lieutenant commander from B Battery came running up to me, and asked what I had done with the breech block From his Attila piece. I told him that was just away I found a whole outfit and had no idea where the breechblock would be.

The general command had decided to set up the perimeter around Puson, and we started a long battle in retreat from Seoul to Tague. Tague was a small city with a row mountain or hills in front that that stretched from one side of Korea to the other, and that was our front-line. The artillery is usually a mile or two back or maybe further from the infantry and front-line. Because I had a three-quarter ton truck with nothing to do, I was assigned I jobs arrows going back to Puson to pick up to water and replacements, and anything else that I could steal.

The fighting on the front-line was fierce, and costly to the front-line troops, as the North Koreans main objective was Puson and the capture of all of Korea. By now the strength was built-up in manpower by South Korean Army soldiers distributed throughout our Army’s. They were net much good to us except for carrying extra loads we had to have. That did relieve all of the Americans to full-time fighting. The fifth cavalry of the first cavalry, who we belonged to, were being hit hardest as the main road came right through Tague. One of our forward observer parties which I will call F.O. from now were wiped out Lieutenant killed and radio operator seriously injured with wounds all over his body. Little did I know at that time that I would be a replacement driver for that F.O. party. This all took place within three weeks of arriving in Korea, and seems like something exciting and different from what I had been doing. About this I was very wrong, as a forward observer is the same as an infantry foot soldier with a radio. The idea of the F Os was to saturate the hill or objective with artillery, and than me with the first troops to assault the objective, so that artillery could be used in the assault. Now the funny part comes as the infantry goes into reserve every 30 days, but the artillery never goes into reserve. This means that forward observer’s were on the front-line twice as long as the infantry. I can never figure out what the infantry got combat badges for me on the front-line, but the forward observer’s spent twice as much time on the front-line, and never got the combat badges. This is how the American forces operates, and ours was not to question why, but to do or die. There is one other thing that bothered me most of all, was that for observer parties were not taken prisoners. They were killed on the spot. There is a lot more I still have to write about yet so hang in there. By the way when I came home as the 4th man in my 0utfit My Dad wanted a notice put in the Niagara Falls newspaper and they said there was already someone home and it was not news anymore. I am still crushed about that. Also all of our records were burned up in the 70s so I can’t ever prove I was on the front line. If I sound pissed it’s because I AM.
PS I go to reunions every year to see all the guys I was with in JAPAN AND KOREA

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