Topics - American Notables Who Served in the Military
during the Korean War (Korea and elsewhere around the world)

KWE Note: This page also lists American notables
who served in Korea after the ceasefire.

 
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If any of our visitors can elaborate on the "Korean War connection" of the people on this list, or know of someone else who should be added to this list, please contact Lynnita Brown, Korean War Educator, E-mail: lynnita@thekwe.org. Corrections and additions welcome.  The people in the first segment of this page all saw military service during the Korean War (either in-theatre or elsewhere in the world), and are notable in their various fields.  The second segment is for American notables who served in post-war Korea.  Note that these and other American Korean War notables can be found on the Women in Korea pages and the African-American pages of the KWE Topics.

Most recent update to this page: February 10, 2024

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Main Listing:

  • Ablondi, Bruce F. "Bruno" - semi-professional baseball player.   1947 Pearl River High graduate ... one of the finest all-round athletes ever to don a Pirate uniform ... All-County in football, basketball and baseball his senior year ... a basketball forward who led his team in scoring four straight years, finishing with 752 points in 64 games ... deadly one-handed jump-shooter in era of two-handed set shots ... a baseball shortstop who batted .368 over four years and made All-County three times ... also fine pitcher who fired a one-hit shutout in Pearl River’s county championship-clinching 8-0 win over Haverstraw in ‘47 ... as a football quarterback, he threw 16 touchdown passes, amassed 2,086 yards and captained Pirates to share of county title in ‘46 ... also starred for the semipro Pearl River Wildcats football team and Pearl River Cubs baseball team Ablondi was killed in the Korean War near the Hwachon Reservoir on June 2, 1951 at age 23. He was serving in the Army's 7th Infantry Division.
     

  • Abrams, Creighton W. Jr. - named Chief of Staff of the Army in 1972.  Born September 15, 1914 in Springfield, Massachusetts, he commanded the 37th Tank Battalion in World War II.  During the Korean War he was a Corps Chief of Staff and commanded at all levels from regiment through corps.  He commanded the U.S. Army Military Assistance Command in Vietnam from 1968  to 1972.  He died while in office (Chief of Staff of the Army) on September 04, 1974, in Washington D.C.
     

  • Abshire, David M. - Ambassador to NATO 1983-1987; Vice Chairman and Counselor of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress in Washington, DC, President of the Richard Lounsbery Foundation New York, vice chairman of the Board of Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.  Born in 1926 in Chattanooga, Tennessee, he served in the Korean War as a platoon leader, company commander, and a division intelligence officer. He received the Bronze Star with Oak Leaf Cluster with V for Valor, Commendation Ribbon with medal pendant, and Combat Infantry Badge. He subsequently served as an instructor at the Infantry School, Ft. Benning, Georgia. 
     

  • Adamcewicz, Erwin J. "Ace" - Minor League baseball player.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com]. Erwin J. “Ace” Adamcewicz was born on November 8, 1929 in Norwich, Connecticut. He signed, aged 17, with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1947 and appeared in 54 games with the Lenoir Red Sox of the Class D Blue Ridge League, batting .271. In 1948, the young outfielder was with the Albany Cardinals of the Class D Georgia-Florida League, batting .279 in 140 games. The following year he was with Albany and the Johnson City Cardinals of the Class D Appalachian League, hitting 12 homeruns and batting .332 for the Johnson City club. The 20-year-old joined the St. Joseph Cardinals of the Class C Western Association in 1950 and led the team with 13 homeruns and a .325 batting average. However, his baseball career came to an end at that point as military service beckoned. Assigned to the 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Infantry Division, Corporal Adamcewicz served in Korea, where he was seriously wounded in action on May 14, 1952. He was returned to the United States and was at the military hospital at Fort Devens, Massachusetts, when he succumbed to his wounds on November 21, 1952.
     

  • Adams, Eddie - Photojournalist whose career of over 50 years included photo coverage of wars in Korea, Vietnam, Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Cyprus, Portugal, Ireland, Lebanon and Kuwait.  Born June 12, 1933 in New Kensington, Pennsylvania, he served as a Marine combat photographer during the Korean War.  One of his duties was to photograph the entire DMZ at the end of the war.  It took him a year to do this assignment.  He joined the Associated Press in 1962, and ten years later began work for Time Magazine.  He rejoined AP in 1976 as its first special correspondent.  From 1980 to 2004 he was a photographer for Parade Magazine.  He received more than 500 photojournalism awards during his lifetime, including a Pulitzer prize in 1969.  He died July 18, 2004 in Manhattan, New York.  His photographic archives is held in the Briscoe Center for American History at the University of Texas at Austin.
     
  • Adams, Nick - actor.  Born Nicholas Aloysius Adamshock in Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Adams joined the Coast Guard as an electrician's mate in 1952.  By the time he left service in 1954 he had attained the rank Petty Officer Second Class.  In June 1954, while still in the Coast Guard, he got a role in the movie Mister Roberts.  After leaving the Coast Guard he befriended James Dean and Natalie Wood.  Adams had a minor role in Dean's movie Rebel without a Cause (1955).  He married former child actress Carol Nugent and the couple had two children before they divorced.  Adams starred in the TV show The Rebel on ABC from 1959 to 1961.  Nick Adams died of a drug overdose in February 1968.
     
  • Adler, Jerome "Jerry" - Advertising professional and CEO.  Jerry Adler dropped out of his studies at Rutgers University in 1951 to enlist in the Army.  He received basic training at Ft. Dix and then artillery school at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.  He served for three years, including time in Korea as an intelligence and reconnaissance specialist with the 3rd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, of the 2nd Infantry Division.   He participated in the recapture of Old Baldy on September 18, 1952.  After returning to the States his last duty station was the 1st Army, Headquarters Company at Ft. Jay, Governors Island, New York Harbor.  He was honorably discharged on June 21, 1954.  He returned to Rutgers, where he graduated in 1956 and then began to work in the advertising department at Macys.  From there he went to work at the McCann Erickson Advertising Agency.  During his advertising career he created D.J. Dotson, a beverage specialty company; was president and CEO of the Mogen David Wine Corporation; and created the first restaurant meals delivery company called TakeOutTaxi in 1991.
     
  • Agnew, Spiro Theodore - governor of Maryland 1967-69, Vice President of the United States under President Richard Nixon 1969-73.  Agnew was charged with accepting bribes and falsifying income tax returns and resigned as Vice President in 1973.  He was disbarred  in 1974.  Agnew was drafted into the Army during World War II.  He trained at Ft. Knox as a tank officer and then served as company commander with the 10th Armored Division in four campaigns in Europe, where he received a Bronze Star.  When the Korean War broke out he was recalled to active duty and sent to Ft. Meade, Maryland where he was a general officer.  From 1952-53 he served in the JAG Corps at Ft. Benning, Georgia. 
     
  • Agostinelli, Nathan George - mayor of the town of Manchester, Connecticut, State Comptroller 1971-75, and appointed by President Bill Clinton as a director of the Selective Service System for the State of Connecticut.  Agostinellli was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  An enlisted man, he attended Artillery OCS at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma and was then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. He served six years in the US Army Reserve and 23 years in the Connecticut National Guard, advancing to the rank of Brigadier General. 
     
  • Allain, William A. - 59th Governor of Mississippi, 1984-1988.  Born February 14, 1928 in Washington, Mississippi, he received a law degree from the University of Mississippi in 1950.  He spent the next three years in the U.S. Infantry in combat zones in Korea.  He was discharged in 1953.  He died December 2, 2013 at the age of 85.
     
  • Aldrin, Edwin Eugene "Buzz" - Astronaut and second man to walk on the moon on July 21, 1969.  Aldrin was born January 20, 1930 in Glen Ridge, New Jersey.  He graduated from West Point in 1951 and was commissioned 2nd Lieutenant in the US Air Force.  He was a jet fighter pilot in the Korean War, flying 66 combat missions in F-86 Sabres.  He also shot down two MiG-15 aircraft.  He retired in March 1992 from active duty after 21 years of service, but continued to promote space exploration in a variety of ways.  He also authored books about his life as an astronaut.
     
  • Amico, Anthony " Tony" - actor Jackie Gleason's constant traveling companion for over 15 years and chef at the renowned "Town Pump" restaurant owned by Johnny Fabrizi.  Born January 31, 1911 in Pittston, Pennsylvania, Tony met Gleason in 1937 and was his right-hand man for well over a decade.  He joined the Army and served a stint in World War II as a sergeant.  He re-enlisted in the Army during the Korean War and saw action on Pork Chop Hill and in the Iron Triangle.  Amico died January 24, 1982 in Clifton Springs, New York.
     
  • Ancowitz, Dr. Arthur - A pioneer in stroke prevention, died on July 14 in Sarasota, Florida, at 97, of complications from oral cancer. He was physician to General of the Army and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Omar N. Bradley; he served in the Navy during World War II and in the Army during the Korean War. An 11-time marathoner, triathlete, and nonagenarian tap dancer, Dr. Ancowitz was an early advocate of a plant-based diet and active lifestyle to prevent and reverse cardiovascular disease. He, his sister Eileen, and late brother Gilbert were born in the Bronx to David and Rachel (nee Portnoy), both of Eastern European Jewish descent. Following graduation from the NYU School of Medicine in 1948, he served in the Pentagon as physician to high-ranking officers, including General Bradley. The General became a lifelong friend and hosted Dr. Ancowitz's wedding at the Pierre Hotel. He had three children with wife Marjorie Berg: Richard (Ellen), Nancy ("Hurricane"), and MJ (Barry Kanner); the couple later divorced and share six grandchildren. Dr. Ancowitz, an internist, held positions as section chief at the Bronx VA and house physician for the Metropolitan Opera; he also established a practice on Park Avenue and was affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, Doctors Hospital, and Cabrini Hospital. An early leader in stroke prevention education, Dr. Ancowitz lectured widely and wrote several groundbreaking books, including Strokes and their Prevention. In 1967, he founded the Stroke Foundation, which continues to fund stroke research as well as the Dr. Arthur Ancowitz Lecture Series at his alma mater, NYU. Dr. Ancowitz maintained the healthy lifestyle he championed; well into his late 90's, he enjoyed swimming, biking, tennis, and world travel with long-time partner Ina Schnell. An inveterate rhymer and writer of poetry, here's a quote from his self-penned obituary: To those whose pain and illness I helped take away; I bid you farewell and adieu today. Donations may be made to the Dr. Arthur Ancowitz Lecture Series at NYU Langone Health. Please contact Heather MacLean at Heather.Maclean@nyulangone.org

     
  • Anderson, Leroy - A composer of short, light concert pieces, his song Blue Tango was the first instrumental recording to sell a million copies.  The Boston Pops Orchestra introduced several of his songs to the public.  Anderson served in World War II and Korea. In 1942 he joined the service and was assigned to Iceland as a translator and interpreter. Later in 1945 he was assigned to the Pentagon as Chief of the Scandinavian Desk of Military Intelligence. Anderson was a reserve officer and was recalled to active duty for the Korean War.
     
  •  Andrus, Cecil Dale - Governor of Idaho and Secretary of U.S. Department of Interior in Jimmy Carter administration 1977-1981.  Born August 25, 1931 in Hood River, Oregon, Andrus enlisted in the US Naval Reserve on February 23, 1951 and remained in it until 1954.  He had 13 weeks of boot camp in San Diego before being sent to a flight crewmember school in Jacksonville, Florida for eight weeks.  From there he was sent to Navy Radar and Communication school in Memphis, Tennessee for eight months.  His MOS was Aviation/Electronic Technician.  After being sent to Naval Air Station at Moffat Field in California, he was assigned to VP Squadron 17 stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station north of Seattle.  Early in 1953 his unit was deployed to Iwakuni base on the southern end of the Japanese Island Honshu.  He was promoted to Petty Officer 2nd Class before exiting the military service.  Beginning in 1960, Andrus served four terms in the Idaho State Senate.  He was Governor of Idaho 1971-74, 1974-1977, and 1987-1995. 
     
  • Antonelli, John Albert "Johnny" - major league baseball player (left-handed pitcher).  Born April 12, 1930 in Rochester, New York, Johnny played for the Boston Braves in 1948 before serving two years in the military during the Korean War.  He was discharged in 1953 and began played for the Braves again in Milwaukee.  In 1954 he was traded to the Giants.  In 1961 he was traded to the Mets but retired before playing a single game with them.  He later managed both Memphis and Tidewater for the Mets.  His overall major league record was 126-110 with 26 shutouts and 102 complete games in 268 starts.
     
  • Armstrong, Garner Ted - religious radio host, televangelist and former minister of the Church of God International, best known for the radio and television programs, "The World Tomorrow."  He was born February 09, 1930 in Portland, Oregon, son of Herbert W. and Loma Isabelle Dillon Armstrong.  He stepped down as the head of the Church of God International following a scandal.  He died September 15, 2003 in Tyler, Texas.  Garner Armstrong joined the U.S. Navy in 1948 and served during the Korean War.
     
  • Armstrong, Neil Aden - Astronaut - first man to walk on the moon.  Born August 5, 1930 in Wapakoneta, Ohio, he learned to fly by age 16.  He graduated from Purdue University and then joined the U.S. Navy in 1949.  He first saw action in Korea on August 29, 1951 as an escort for a photo reconnaissance plane over Songjin.  On September 3 of that same year the FPF Panther jet he piloted was hit by anti-aircraft fire.  He ejected and survived but the wreckage of his jet was never found.  He flew 78 missions over Korea in 1952, leaving the Navy on August 23, 1952.  He became a lieutenant jg in the Naval Reserve until he resigned in 1962 and entered the astronaut program.  He was command pilot for Gemini VIII in 1966 and spacecraft commander for Apollo 11.  He died in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 25, 2012.
     
  • Arpaio, Joseph Michael - controversial sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona from 1993 until 2016.  He also had a 25-year tenure with the Drug Enforcement Administration.  Born June 14, 1932 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Joe Arpaio served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War (1950-54).  He was with the Medical Department, stationed as a military policeman in France. 
     
  • Atteridge, William R. - precision model shipbuilder.  Atteridge was a career draftsman in the mobile home industry, but his passion was building precision models of Civil War ships.  Beginning in the 1970s and up until he died of pancreatic cancer in 2008, he built more than 1,000 replicas of Civil War Union and Confederate ships using blueprints of the actual ships or drafting blueprints on his own if an original blueprint no longer existed.  Museums and universities all over the USA commissioned model ships from him.  Atteridge founded a Civil War Naval Museum in the Arcadia, Louisiana area.  His models and his museum were featured on the FOX television series, "Strange Inheritance".  During the Korean War he served as a cosmetic maintenance specialist on the Navy's USS Valley Forge.  He received an honorable discharge in 1955 and began his draftsman career, retiring in the 1980s.  Born February 13, 1929, he died January 18, 2008 in Louisiana.
     
  • Avery, John - standout basketball player.  He played for Columbia College (now Columbia University) in 1948-49 and 1950-51.  He was team captain in '50'-'51.  He was recipient of the Haggerty Award that went to the top male collegiate basketball player in the New York area.  He was also an NCAA All-American.  He was later drafted by the Boston Celtics.  He was wounded while a member of the New York National Guard, but recovered from his injury, graduated from Columbia in 1951 with a degree in sociology, and then served in the Korean War.
     
  • Avruch, Frank - first syndicated Bozo the Clown.  Avruch, a native of Boston, Massachusetts, attended the University of Missouri for 2 1/2 years and then transferred to Boston University where he attended the School of Public Communications.  He was drafted into the Army in 1950 and served the next two years in a Special Services unit assigned to put on shows for military personnel.  He was never deployed overseas but instead toured the USA.  From 1952 until 1955 he was a disc jockey.  He then played Bozo the Clown in Boston from 1959 to 1970.  He was also a contributor to Boston's WCVB-TV for more than 40 years as a host of "Man About Town" and "The Great Entertainment."  He was an active philanthropist and a board member of UNICEF's New England Chapter.  Frank Avruch died March 20, 2018, survived by his wife Betty, two sons Matthew and Steven, and several grandchildren.
     
  • Bailey, F. Lee - prominent trial lawyer. Born June 10, 1933, he served on many high profile cases such as the Sam Shepperd Re-trial, and was one of the lawyers for O.J. Simpson in his murder trial.  Some other notable cases that he defended are; Dr. Sam Sheppard, The Boston Strangler, Patty Hearst, William and Chantal McCorkle. He also was the Chairman and CEO of IMPAC, Integrated Control System Inc in Florida. He dropped out of Harvard College in 1952 and joined the Marines. He received his aviator wings in 1954 and served as a jet fighter and a legal officer. He was honorably discharged from the USMC in 1956 achieving the rank of second lieutenant.
     
  • Baker, James A. III - Secretary of State under President George Bush Sr.  Lt. James Addison Baker III (politician and statesman). Born in Houston, TX, an heir of a family of attorneys. After graduating from Princeton, he joined the Marine Corps and served 1952-1954; expert marksman and member of the Camp Lejeune rifle and pistol team; appointed Undersecretary of Commerce in 1975; campaign manager for President Gerald Ford in his unsuccessful bid for reelection in 1976 and for George Bush in his unsuccessful bid for the Republican presidential nomination in 1980 and his successful election in 1988. Under President Ronald Reagan, Baker served first as chief of staff and then as Secretary of the Treasury. Baker was Secretary of State from 1989 to 1992.
     
  • Baker, Joby - actor. A reference in David Janssen's military biography stated that he served with actor Joby Baker in Special Services at Ft. Ord in 1953.  He was a comedian in Special Services.  Born Joseph N. Baker on March 26, 1934, Joby was originally from Montreal, Canada.  "Actor Joby Baker was at his busiest as a young TV leading man in the early 1960s, making guest appearances in such series as Dr. Kildare and Cain's Hundred. Baker also played comedy relief in Elvis Presley's Girl Happy (1966), and began a long association with Walt Disney Studios, where he appeared in Bullwhip Griffin (1966), Blackbeard's Ghost (1967) and Superdad (1974). In 1968, Baker was topbilled on Good Morning World, a sitcom about a pair of frantic disc jockeys named Lewis and Clark (Ronnie Schell of Gomer Pyle fame was Clark). Then followed over a decade of character roles, culminating with a regular stint as Colonel Marvin on the 1980 series Six O'Clock Follies, an ill-advised sitcom set in Saigon during the Vietnamese war. In addition to his acting credits, Joby Baker was a professional painter of note; several of his abstract works were exhibited in major Los Angeles art galleries. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi"
     
  • Bangerter, Norman Howard - 13th governor of Utah.  Born in Granger, Utah on January 4, 1933, he joined the US Navy and served 1953-54,  After discharge he graduated from Brigham Young University.  In 1974 he was elected as a Republican in the Utah House of Representatives and served from 1975-1985.  In 1984 he entered the governor's race and was elected as Utah's 13th governor from 1985-1993.  He died in Murray, Utah, of a stroke on April 14, 2015.
     
  • Banks, Ernest "Ernie" - 1st black player (began as short stop; moved to first base in 1962) on the Chicago Cubs baseball team (September 8, 1953) .  Born January 31, 1931 in Dallas, Texas, Banks began his baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs (Negro American League) in 1950.  He served two years in the US Army and then was traded to the Chicago Cubs.  He was a major league ball player from 1953 to 1971.  Awards include: National League "Most Valuable Player" - 1958, 1959, led National League in Home Runs - 1958, 1960, led National League in RBIs - 1958, 1959, All Star - 1955-1962, 1965, 1967, 1969, Golden Glove Award - 1960, and National Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee - 1977.
     
  • Barrow, Charles Wallace - justice of the Texas Supreme Court 1977-1984 & Dean of Baylor Law School 1984-1991.  Judge Barrow graduated from Baylor Law School in 1943 and joined the U.S. Navy in World War II.  He participated in the Normandy Invasion, earning seven battle stars for service in European and Pacific Theaters.  He was also a veteran of the Korean War, retiring as a full Navy Captain and serving in the Navy Reserves.  He died June 25, 2006 at the age of 84.
     
  • Bassett, Robert "Bob" - A radio personality in New England and New York 1961-1980, he moved to Maryland in 1981 and joined WEAM Radio.  He also worked as a consultant to the Smithsonian Institution's vintage recording program.  He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, receiving a Purple Heart.  He died July 6, 2000 at the age of 71 of Lou Gehrig's Disease.
     
  • Bates, Ben- stunt double for James Arness in television series "Gunsmoke".  Bates was Arness' double for 25 years and was also the stunt double in How the West Was Won (for which he was also a stunt coordinator), McClain’s LawBosom BuddiesThe Fall Guy and Matt Houston. He also appeared in the film The Legend of the Lone Ranger and the TV movies The Alamo: Thirteen Days to Glory and Red River.  He also starred as "The Marlboro Man" in television and print advertisements.  Bates died October 4, 2017, age 84.  He served in the US Navy during the Korean War.  He and his fellow construction battalion engineers helped construct an airstrip in the Philippines during the Korean War.  It was an airstrip that other engineers said could not be built.
     
  • Becton, Julius Wesley Jr. - educator and public servant of note.  Julius Becton had a 36-year career in the Army. Born June 29, 1926 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, he joined the Army Air Corps Enlisted Reserves in 1943. He entered active duty in July of 1944. He graduated from OCS in 1945. He was wounded twice in Korea and was a platoon commander of 3rd Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment in 1950. Every soldier in that battalion was African-American. He was a World War II, Korean War, and Vietnam veteran. He retired from the Army in 1983. In 1960 Julius received a Bachelor of Science in mathematics from Prairie View A&M University in Texas. In 1967 he received a masters in economics from the University of Maryland at College Park. In the 1990s he was chief executive officer of the troubled District of Columbia Public Schools. His public service in the federal government included directorship of FEMA. He was president of Prairie View University in 1989.
     
  • Bell, Robert Leslie - deputy associate superintendent of the Department of Education of southwestern Arizona & professional rodeo cowboy.  Robert Leslie Bell, born December 29, 1928, passed away December 29, 2008. Robert played football at the University of Arizona on a football scholarship. He was a former Marine with the Underwater Demolition Team Services and served in the Korean War. He was a football coach and an educator for 40 years. In addition, he was an administrator for Drug and Alcohol Education Prevention, deputy associate superintendent of the Department of Education for southwestern Arizona, a rancher and cowboy for the last 24 years, and a Pro Rodeo cowboy.  He married Jorene Jane Bull (1933-2010) in 1955.  They are buried in Bell Cemetery, Sunset, Arizona.
     
  • Beresford, Spencer - General counsel for NASA 1963-1973.  Born in 1918 and died in 1992, he was a Washington lawyer who served as a naval officer in World War II and the Korean War.  In 1954 he became general counsel for the Foreign Operations Administration. In 1957, he joined the Legislative Reference Service of the Library of Congress and in 1958 and 1959 he was special counsel to the House Select Committee on Astronautics and Space Exploration. He performed a similar duty for the House Committee on Science and Technology, 1959-1962. After completing his assignment at NASA in 1973, Beresford became general counsel for the Office of Technology Assessment.
     
  • Bernard, Charles W. - Radio personality in Illinois, California, and Oregon, and television and radio actor in commercials.  Bernard was born in Portland, Oregon on March 30, 1919 and died January 21, 2012.  He was inducted in the US Navy in 1942 and served in the South Pacific during World War II from 1943 to 1945.  He was recalled to duty for the Korean War.  His full obituary can be found on the Korean War Educator.
     
  • Berry, Kenneth Ronald "Ken" - Sitcom actor, dancer, singer, Ken Berry was born on November 03, 1933 in Moline, Illinois.  After high school graduation, he volunteered for induction into the United States Army (circa 1953), and was assigned to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. His first year in the Army was spent in the Artillery division, where his sergeant announced a post talent contest. The winner would go to New York City to appear on Arlene Francis' Soldier Parade. Berry, who always carried his tap shoes with him, worked out a routine and a few hours later won the contest. He headed to New York for his television debut. Berry's second and final year was as a part of the Special Services Corps, under the command of Sgt. Leonard Nimoy. As a part of Special Services, he toured Army posts and officers' clubs entertaining the troops, as well as visiting colleges for recruiting purposes. Soon another talent competition was held, the All Army Talent Competition, looking to find service personnel to appear on Ed Sullivan's Toast of the Town. Berry placed third in the "Specialty Act" category with the song "There'll Be Some Changes Made" and returned to New York City and television.  He received an honorable discharge from the Army in 1955.  He is well-known for his roles in F Troop, Mayberry RFD, The Carol Burnett Show, Dr. Kildare, etc.
     
  • Billington, James H. - Sworn in as Librarian of Congress on September 14, 1987, Billington is the 13th person to hold the position since the Library was established in 1800. He was born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, in 1929, and following service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War and in the Office of National Estimates, he taught history at Harvard and Princeton universities. From 1973 to 1987, he was director of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and founded the Kennan Institute for Advanced Russian Studies at the Center. A Russian scholar, Billington has accompanied 10 congressional delegations to Russia and the former Soviet Union, and in 1988 accompanied President and Mrs. Reagan to the Soviet Summit in Moscow. He is author of numerous books, articles, and papers and is the founder of the Open World Program and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Open World Leadership Center. He is on the Board of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and is a member of the American Philosophical Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
     
  • Bixby, Bill - Film and television actor, director, and frequent game show panelist, Bixby dropped out of college and joined the United States Marine Corps after being drafted into the United States Army during the Korean War. Bixby served stateside duty in the Marines and was honorably discharged.  During his acting career he starred as Tim O'Hara in the television series My Favorite Martian, was Tom Corbett in the show The Courtship of Eddie's Father, and Dr. David Banner in The Incredible Hulk.
     
  • Black, Charles Alden Sr. - Manager of KABC-TV in Los Angeles, California and later director of business operations for the Stanford Research Institute.  Husband of former child star actress, Shirley Temple.  Black was a World War II U.S. Navy intelligence officer and Silver Star recipient.  He was recalled to active duty in the Navy at the outbreak of the Korean War, and served in Washington, D.C.  He died August 04, 2005 from complications of a bone marrow disease.
     
  • Blake, Harold James - executive assistant to Robert Moses, who headed the 1964-65 New York World's Fair.  Harold James Blake, 91, died on May 10, 2020 of coronavirus in a Manhattan hospital.  He was born on April 5, 1929, in Greenwich Village, son of Patrick and Mary Lennon Blake.  He gradued from St. Alphonsus High School in Manhattan, and then served stateside in the Army during the Korean War.  He received a degree in business administration from New York University.  In 1952 he got a clerk's position at Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority.  He left the authority to work as the executive assistant to Robert Moses, who headed the 1964-65 World's Fair in New York.  Mr. Blake returned to the authority as personnel director in 1971.  He retired in 1987.
     
  • Blight, David J. - Founder of Talent Olympics, Inc. and star of The David Blight Show 1955-68 in Pennsylvania.  Blight began his dancing career at age four and performed on Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour, the Lawrence Welk Show, and other venues.  He was drafted in the Army in 1951 and served in the Korean War as a high speed radio operator in the Signal Corps for two years.  He suffered a back injury during this service and had chronic back problems for the remainder of his life.  Blight was an actor, dancer, and choreographer.  The David Blight Show was a weekly television variety show that aired in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Pennsylvania area.  Blight founded Talent Olympics Inc. in 1979.  Born in 1929, David Blight died in 2007.
     
  • Blocker, Bobby Dan - played the character "Hoss Cartwright" on the TV show, Bonanza from 1959 to 1972.  The Class of 1946 cadet graduate from Texas military Institute was born December 10, 1928 in DeKalb, Texas, Dan was drafted into the U.S. Army and served as a 1st Sergeant in the Korean War.  Was in combat with the 45th Infantry Division in Korea.  According to the June/Julyl 2013 issue of VFW Magazine, Blocker arriving in Japan in May 1951.  "Blocker was stationed at Sapporo for about nine months. He served with F Company, 2nd Battalion, 179th Infantry Regiment, 45th Division, in Korea from December 1951 to August 1952. The 179th disembarked at Inchon on December 17, 1951, going on line on Christmas Day. The 45th Division occupied the sector of the Jamestown Line near Chorwon. In March, the 179th was involved in heavy fighting 10 miles west of Chorwon at Outpost Eerie. On May 25, Blocker’s F Company manned Hill 200 where it lost six KIA and 21 WIA while killing 132 Chinese. During 10 days in June (16-26), the 179th fought a series of outpost battles at Eerie, Old Baldy and Pork Chop. On June 26 and beyond, F Company defended Hill 223. The 45th Division was withdrawn from the front in July after 209 days on the line. The 179th went into reserve at Yanggu. Blocker, who was company first sergeant, was hospitalized for wounds. He is credited with saving the lives of unit members in combat. He was rotated home in August 1952."  Dan Blocker died May 13, 1972 and is buried in the Woodsmen Cemetery, DeKalb, Texas.
     
  • Blount, Alvin Vincent Jr. - 1st black chief of surgery in a MASH unit during Korean War.  Distinguished physician in the Greensboro (NC) medical community.   Chief of surgery for L. Richardson Hospital for 23 years.  Proponent of integration in health care.  Born February 24, 1922 in Raleigh, North Carolina, Dr. Blount received a medical degree from Howard University, Washington DC in 1947.  He served five years active duty in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.  He was mobilized to Korea with the 822 5th fro m Ft. Bragg, the second MASH to be sent to Korea in 1952.
     
  • Bolder, Cal - Born Earl C. Carver on June 14, 1931 in Elkhart, Kansas, he was a bodybuilder who later turned to acting, Bolder was known for his roles in really bad movies and classic television series, but is best remembered for his role as 'Hank Tracy/Igor' in Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter in 1966. Bolder also appeared on the television programs Star Trek, Bonanza, Daniel Boone, Outlaws, and Cimarron Strip.  He served in combat in the Marine Corps during the Korean War, earning a Purple Heart.  After his tour of duty with the 1st Marine Division in Korea, he was assigned to the new 9th Marines at Camp Pendleton, California.  Cal Bolder died January 19, 2005.
     
  • Booke, Sorrell - stage, screen, and television actor best known for his role as Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg on the television series Dukes of Hazzard.  Born January 04, 1930, in Buffalo, New York, he received degrees from Yale and Columbia Universities.  Because he spoke five languages, he served as a counter-intelligence officer in the US Army during the Korean War.  He earned the rank of Lieutenant.  Booke died February 11, 1994 in Sherman Oaks, California, from cancer.
     
  • Bookert, Charles C. - president of the National Medical Association.  Charles C. Bookert graduated from Meharry Medical School in 1945. This African-American spent two years at Harlem Hospital and became a medical officer during the Korean War. He came to Pittsburgh in 1955 after leaving the military and served on the medical staff in McKeesport Hospitals Family Practice Department. Dr. Bookert was the only doctor from Pittsburgh and one of two from the state of Pennsylvania that ever attained the national office of President of the National Medical Association (NMA). He served as President of the NMA in 1977.
     
  • Bork, Robert - Judge, Professor, Writer, Scholar. Served 1945-1946, then was called back during the Korean War; earned his law degree and practiced law in the Chicago area until the 1960's; taught constitutional law at Yale Law School as the Alexander M. Bickel Professor of Public Law - two of his students were Bill and Hillary Clinton; during the Nixon presidency he served as Solicitor General and Acting Attorney General; President Reagan appointed him Circuit Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia (D.C.) in 1981; author of The Antitrust Paradox (1978) and The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law (1990).
     
  • Borman, Frank - 1st astronaut to circumnavigate the moon.  Colonel in US Air Force.  Graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1950 where he served as a football manager.  Entered the USAF and became a fighter pilot.
     
  •  Brady, James - Jamwriter, author, magazine editor and gossip columnist who created the fashion magazine 'W' in 1971, created the celebrity gossip column Page Six in the New York Post and wrote a regular column In Step With for Parade magazine for over 25 years. Brady also wrote over a dozen books, most of them non-fiction works and novels about the US Marine Corps as well as the book Superchic (1974) about his experiences working in the fashion industry. Brady served in the 2/7 Battalion in the 1st Marine Division in Korea 1951-52. He was promoted to First Lieutenant and served on the front-lines at the Taebaek Mountains, North Korea. Brady received the Bronze Star for bravery in action on May 31, 1952 during an engagement against Chinese forces at Panmunjom. Brady wrote about his experiences in his 1990 memoir The Coldest War.  Born in 1928, he died in 2009. [Submitted to the KWE by Peter Hill, Australia]
     
  • Bradley, Col. Ruby - one of the most decorated women in US military history.  Born December 19, 1907, Colonel Bradley died May 28, 2002 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.  She entered the Army Nurse Corps as a surgical nurse in 1934.  She served in World War II and then in Korea she served as chief nurse for the 171st Evac Hospital before being named Chief Nurse for the Eighth Army in 1951.  She supervised over 500 Army nurses throughout Korea.  She was promoted to the rank of Colonel in 1958.  She was the recipient of 34 medals and citations for bravery, 2 Legion of Merit Medals, 2 Bronze Stars, and other awards.
     
  • Braun, Carl August - pro-basketball player.  Born September 25,1927 in Brooklyn, Carl died February 10, 2010.  He played basketball with the New York Knicks from 1947-61, becoming the first Knick to break the 1,000-point mark in 1949-50 when he scored 1,031 points in 67 games.  He missed two seasons of basketball due to his service in the military during the Korean War.  He returned to basketball in 1952.  He played his final season in 1961-62 with the Boston Celtics.
     
  • Briem, Ray - one of the first conservative all-night talk show hosts in radio.  Born January 19, 1930 in Ogden, Utah, Briem became a longtime KABC-AM talk show host for nearly three decades (1967-1994).  During the Korean War he worked with Armed Forces Radio, hosting live shows with big-name bands such as those led by Harry James, Guy Lombardo, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington.  He was an avid pilot and a defender of conservative politics.  He died in Malibu, California at the age of 82 in December 2012.
     
  • Brimley, Wilford - actor in movies such as The Film, Absence of Malice, and Cocoon, among others.  United States Marine Corps 1953-56.  Discharged as a Sergeant.
     
  • Brink, James A. - lawyer most known for his role as co-founder of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers in Massachusetts.  The organization has a statewide program designed to assist Massachusetts lawyers impaired as a result of alcoholism or substance abuse.  Brink was a recovered alcoholic.  During World War II and the Korean War he served in the US Navy as a submariner.  From 1952 to 1965 he was active in the U.S. Naval Submarine Reserve.  James Brink died September 22, 2003.
     
  • Brooke, Sorrell - actor best known for his role as Jefferson Davis "Boss" Hogg in the Dukes of Hazzard television series 1979-1985.  He also appeared on the television series M*A*S*H twice as Brigadier General Bradley Barker.  Brooke was born in Buffalo, New York on January 04, 1930.  His father was a local physician.  He studied at Yale and Columbia Universities and became bilingual in five languages.  He entered the U.S. Army as a Lieutenant during the Korean War, where his bilingual skills were put to use when he became a counter-intelligence officer.  He was married to Miranda Knickerbocker, daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent Hubert Renfro (H.R.) Knickerbocker.  Sorrell and Miranda had two children, Nicholas and Alexandra.  Sorrell Brooke died in Sherman Oaks, California, on February 11, 1994 and is buried in Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery, Culver City, California.
     
  • Brown, Bobby - This New York Yankee ballplayer played in four World Series with the Yankees.  He served as a surgeon with the 160th Field Artillery Battalion Aid Station in the Korean War.  According to KWE member Art Lajeunesse of New York, Brown became an MD while playing baseball with the Yankees.  He was at the "Old Timers Day" at Yankee Stadium in 2009.
     
  • Brown, William R. "Sarge" - outstanding four-event skier who led the University of Idaho to an intercollegiate championship. He served in the famous 10th Mountain Division during World War II, seeing combat in Italy.  He re-enlisted and was injured in the Korean War in 1951.  He retired from the Army after earning five Purple Hearts, two Silver Stars, and three Bronze Stars.  He was the mountain manager for Vail Mountain from 1970 to his retirement in 1989. His accomplishments included developing a world class mountain communications system, designing improvements into slope maintenance machines, developing a White House secret service ski unit, and an FBI mountain trained anti-terrorist detail. He developed new standards for re-vegetation and anti-erosion methods and standards and techniques for international race management which were accepted as 'state of the art" throughout the world. In 1948 he took the initiative to organize the country's first junior national championships for skiing.  Born October 05, 1922 in Cascade, Idaho, he died September 21, 2008.
     
  • Brubaker, Robert - actor who made recurring appearances on the television show Gunsmoke.  Brubaker was born on October 9, 1916 in Robinson, Illinois.  He was regularly seen (1955-1962) as stagecoach driver Jim Buck on Gunsmoke and then played the role of Floyd, the bartender at the Long Branch Saloon (1974-75).  He also had numerous film credits in addition to his television appearances.  Brubaker was the aircraft commander of B-24s while serving in the Army Air Corps during World War II.  He was recalled to duty in 1949 to participate in the Berlin Airlift and was assigned to the Strategic Air Command during the Korean War.  He was discharged in 1954.  Robert Brubaker died on April 15, 2010.
     
  • Burke, Arleigh A. - Born in 1901, he was a career naval officer who served as commander of a destroyer squadron and then chief of staff of Task Force 58 during World War II. During the Korean War he was commander of Cruiser Division 5. He was chief of naval operations, 1955-1961, and then retired to become a corporate executive.
     
  • Burkey, David - television producer who conceived the documentary television show, The Big Picture.  The series, which ran from 1951 to 1964, consisted of documentary film footage by the Army Pictorial Services.  Burkey served with the Signal Corps in the Korean War.
     
  • Burrows, Al - pitcher, first baseman and outfielder for the Black Yankees, later Indianapolis Clowns and other baseball leagues.  Born on September 15, 1932 in Washington DC, he was a son of Willie and Marie Burrows. He entered the armed forces in Ft. Bragg, North Carolina in 1953, where he trained as a medic.  He attended jump school at Fort Benning, Georgia and upon completion was assigned to the 449, 82nd Airborne. He was eventually transferred to a special services attachment where he competed in track, football and baseball while pursuing a medical duty assignment at the VA hospital. He was awarded a Good Conduct Medal before he was discharged. In 1954 he was offered an opportunity to pitch for the Black Yankees in New York and was able to obtain a 120-day leave from the military to join that team.  He was picked up by the Indianapolis Clowns Organization in 1955, staying with them through 1962.  He was a player/manager for the last two seasons.  He continued playing baseball in Washington DC while studying to be an engineer.  He retired as an engineer in 1989 and then started his own home improvement company.
     
  • Butler, Edward T. - city attorney of San Diego in 1964.  Butler also served on the San Diego County Superior Court and was an associate justice on the Court of Appeal, 4th District, from 1982-1988.  He served in the Marine Corps in the Pacific theater during World War II, receiving a Bronze Star at Guadalcanal.  He was discharged with the rank of Major.  He returned to the Marines as a legal officer during the Korean War and became a Lieutenant Colonel at age 31.  Edward Butler died December 24, 2003.
     
  • Bykowski, Stanley F. - amateur baseball player.  Killed in action while serving in the Army in Korea on March 10, 1951 while serving as a Private (light weapons infantryman) in the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. Stanley F. Bykowski was born on December 18, 1926 in Auburn, New York. He served in the army during World War II in the Philippines and was for a short time in Japan, arriving in that country just after the cease of hostilities. After returning to Auburn he worked for the International Harvester Company and later for the Polish Falcons. He was well known in the local area as an outstanding baseball and basketball player. Playing basketball for the Swietoniowski-Kopeczek American Legion Post 1324 basketball team he helped them capture the Cayuga County championship for the 1947-48 season. On December 18, 1950, Bykowski enlisted at the Auburn recruiting station. He left for Korea on January 5 with the 9th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division. On March 4 his parents received a card from their son telling them: "I am feeling fine and in the best of health." Six days later, Private Bykowski was killed in action. He was just 24 years old and is buried at St. Joseph's Catholic Cemetery in Auburn. Sources: Auburn Citizen-Advertiser January 18, 1950; Auburn Citizen October 3, 1976; www.findagrave.com; www.2id.org.
     
  • Byron, Chris - Massachusetts Superior Court judge.  A graduate of Boston University School of Law in 1955.  He was appointed justice of the Southern District Appelate Division of District Courts in 1974.  In 1979 he was appointed Associate Justice of the Superior Court.  Judge Byron served in the Army in 1948-52.  In July 1950 he was shipped to Korea where Lieutenant Byron served as a tank platoon commander with the 1st Cavalry Division.  He was wounded four times and received the Silver and Bronze Star medals for gallantry.  He died March 09, 2010 at the age of 82.
     
  • Callow, William G. - justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court 1977-1992.  Born April 9, 1921 in Waukesha, Wisconsin, Callow served as Waukesha City Attorney from 1952 until 1960.  He then served as judge of the Waukesha County court from 1961 until 1977.  Judge Callow was a US Marine Corps veteran of World War II and then served in the US Air Force during the Korean War.
     
  • Campbell, Ben Nighthorse - Olympic competitor. US Representative for Colorado in the 1980s and a Senator for Colorado in the 1990s.  A native American (Northern Cheyenne), Campbell served in the Air Force during the Korean War.  He won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1963 and was captain of the U.S. Olympic Judo Team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.
     
  • Canney, Donald J. "Don" - 22-year mayor of Cedar Rapids, Iowa.  Born October 08, 1930 in Iowa City, Iowa, Canney was an underwater demolition expert in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War.  He was mayor of Cedar Rapids from 1969 to 1992.  He died on March 20, 2011 in Cedar Rapids.
     
  • Carey, Philip Eugene Joseph - This film and television actor served in the Marine Corps in both World War II and Korea.  He was wounded as part of the ship's detachment on the USS Franklin (CV-13) during World War II.  From 1951 to 1952, Corporal Carey served in the Marine Corps Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC)/US Marine Corps Forces Korea.  After his military service he appeared in films such as I Was A Communist for the FBI, Calamity Jane, The Long Gray Line, etc.  In 1971, Carey guest-starred on the landmark fifth episode of the television sitcom All in the Family, playing Steve, an ex-professional football player friend of Archie Bunker's who tells Archie he's gay. The episode was one of the first times homosexuality had been dealt with sympathetically on U.S. network television.  Eugene Joseph Carey was born July 15, 1925 in Hackensack, New Jersey and died of lung cancer on February 06, 2009.
     
  • Carey, Thomas - Baritone/opera singer.  Thomas Carey was born on December 29, 1931 in Bennettsville, South Carolina, and died on January 23, 2002.  He served in the United States military during the Korean War. After leaving the service, he studied singing at the Henry Street Settlement and at City College of New York. In 1970, he performed the role of Mel in the world premiere of Michael Tippett's The Knot Garden at the Royal Opera House in London. He appeared in the second London West End revival of Show Boat in the role of Joe, which premiered in 1971.  From 1969 until his death of pancreatic cancer in Norman, Oklahoma, he taught on the voice faculty of the University of Oklahoma.

    He was married for many years to the contralto Carol Brice, who predeceased him in 1985.[2]
     
  • Cargo, David Francis - 22nd Governor of New Mexico (elected 1966 - 2 terms) and member of New Mexico House of Representatives 1963-67.  Born January 13, 1929 in Dowagiac, Michigan and died July 5, 2013 at the age of 84.  He received a BA and MA from the University of Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan Law School.  He served in the Army for two years in Germany during the Korean War from 1953 to 1955.  After his political career he practiced law in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
     
  • Carlucci, Frank Charles III - Secretary of Defense from 1987-89 in the administration of President Ronald Reagan/director of the Office of Economic Opportunity in the Richard Nixon administration/Deputy Director of the CIA in the Carter administration.  A graduate of Wyoming Seminary in 1948 and Princeton University in 1952, he served as a naval officer from 1952 to 1954.  He then attended Harvard Business School for an MBA in 1954-55.  Born October 18, 1930 in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Carlucci died June 03, 2018 in McLean, Virginia. 
     
  • Carpenter, Scott - astronaut/aquanaut for NASA.  [KWE Note: Source of following information - Hanauma Bay website's Scuba Hall of Fame]

    "Scott Carpenter, a dynamic pioneer of modern exploration, has the unique distinction of being the only human ever to penetrate both inner and outer space, thereby acquiring the dual title, Astronaut/Aquanaut.  He was born in Boulder, Colorado, on May 1, 1925, the son of research chemist Dr. M. Scott Carpenter and Florence Kelso Noxon Carpenter. He attended the University of Colorado from 1945 to 1949 and received a bachelor of science degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Carpenter was commissioned in the U.S. Navy in 1949. He was given flight training at Pensacola, Florida and Corpus Christi, Texas and designated a Naval Aviator in April, 1951. During the Korean War he served with patrol Squadron SIX, flying anti-submarine, ship surveillance, and aerial mining missions in the Yellow Sea, South China Sea, and the Formosa Straits. He attended the Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, in 1954 and subsequently was assigned to the Electronics Test Division of the Naval Air Test Center. In the assignment he flew tests in every type of naval aircraft including multi and single-engine jet and propeller-driven fighters, attack planes, patrol bombers, transports, and seaplanes. From 1957 to1959 he attended the Navy General Line School and the Navy Air Intelligence School and was then assigned as Air Intelligence Officer to the Aircraft Carrier, USS Hornet.

    Carpenter was selected as one of the original seven Mercury Astronauts on April 9, 1959. He underwent intensive training with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), specializing in the fields of communication and navigation. He served as backup pilot for John Glenn during the preparation for America's first manned orbital space flight.  Carpenter flew the second American manned orbital flight on May 24, 1962. He piloted his Aurora 7 spacecraft through three revolutions of the earth, reaching a maximum altitude of 164 miles. The spacecraft landed in the Atlantic Ocean about 1000 miles southeast of Cape Canaveral after 4 hours and 54 minutes of flight time. On leave of absence from NASA, Carpenter participated in the Navy's Man-in the-Sea Project as an Aquanaut in the SEALAB II program off the coast of La Jolla, California, in the summer of 1965. During the 45-day experiment, Carpenter spent 30 days living and working on the ocean floor. He was team leader for two of the three ten-man teams of Navy and civilian divers who conducted deep sea diving activities based in a sea floor habitat at a depth of 205 feet. He returned to duties with NASA as Executive Assistant to the Director of the Manned Spaceflight Center and was active in the design of the Apollo Lunar Landing Module and in underwater extravehicular activity (EVA) crew training.

    In 1967, he returned to the Navy's Deep Submergence Systems Project (DSSP) as Director of Aquanaut Operations during the SEALAB III experiment. (The DSSP office was responsible for directing the Navy's Saturation Diving Program, which included development of deep-ocean search, rescue, salvage, ocean engineering, and Man-in-the-Sea capabilities.) Upon retirement from the Navy in 1969, Carpenter founded and was chief executive officer of Sear Sciences, Inc., a venture capital corporation active in developing programs aimed at enhanced utilization of ocean resources and improved health of the planet. In pursuit of these and other objectives, he worked closely with the French oceanographer J.Y. Cousteau and members of his Calypso team. He has dived in most of the world's oceans, including the Arctic under ice. As a consultant to sport and professional diving equipment manufacturers, he has contributed to design improvements in diving instruments, underwater breathing equipment, swimmer propulsion units, small submersibles, and other underwater devices. Additional projects brought to fruition by his innovative guidance have involved biological pest control and the production of energy from agricultural and industrial waste. He has also been instrumental in the design and improvement of several types of waste handling and transfer equipment. Carpenter continues to apply his knowledge of aerospace and ocean engineering as a consultant to industry and the private sector. He lectures frequently in the U.S. and abroad on the history and future of ocean and space technology, the impact of scientific and technological advance on human affairs, space-age perspectives, the health of planet Earth and man's continuing search for excellence. An avid skier, he spends much of his free time on the slopes in his home of Vail, Colorado. He recently completed his first novel entitled "The Steel Albatross." It has been dubbed an "Underwater Techno-thriller" and deals with the impact of advanced diving and medical technology on deep sea and submarine combat.

    Carpenter's awards include the Navy's Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, U.S. Navy Astronaut Wings. University of Colorado Recognition Medal, the Collier Trophy, New York City Gold Medal of Honor, The Elisha Kent Kane Medal, The Ustica Gold Trident and the Boy Scouts of America Silver Buffalo."
     

  • Cartwright, Roscoe Conklin - Director of National Petroleum Council.  Born on May 27, 1919 in Kansas City, Kansas, Cartwright was drafted into the Army in 1941 and attended OCS in 1942. He was promoted to captain and served in Korea in an integrated army. From 1951 to 1955 he was an instructor in the ROTC program at West Virginia State College. He was a colonel during the Vietnam War and was commander of the 108th Artillery Group. He held government positions, and was Director of the National Petroleum Council, the policy-making body of the oil industry. Roscoe died in the crash of a jet liner at Dulles on December 01, 1974.
     
  • Cash, Johnny - Country western singer who was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and Gospel Music Hall of Fame.  Born 2/26/1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas.  Died September 12, 2003.  Johnny joined the US Air Force on July 7, 1950.  He took basic training at Lackland AFB and then technical training at Brooks AFB, both in San Antonio, TX.  He was assigned to a USAF Security Service unit in Landsberg, Germany, where he was a high speed Morse Code intercept operator.  Cash intercepted transmissions from the Soviet Army.  While stationed in Germany he bought his first guitar and started his first band, "The Landsberg Barbarians."  He was promoted to Staff Sergeant and was honorably discharged on July 3, 1954.
     
  • Chafee, John Lester Hubbard - Governor of Rhode Island; four-term Republican Senator from Rhode Island; Secretary of the Navy.  Born October 22, 1922, Chafee died October 24, 1999. Chafee was in his third year as an undergraduate at Yale University when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. He interrupted his undergraduate studies and enlisted in the Marine Corps, spending his 20th birthday on Guadalcanal fighting on the island from August 8, 1942 until November 1942, when the First Marine Division was relieved, during the Battle of Guadalcanal. After receiving his commission, he fought in the The Battle of Okinawa in the spring of 1945 as a Second Lieutenant. Following the war, he received degrees from Yale in 1947 and Harvard Law School in 1950. In 1951, he was recalled to active service to be a Marine rifle company commander during the Korean War with Dog Company, 2/7, 1st Marine Division (Hill 749).
     
  • Chapman, Benjamin F. - This real estate salesman/actor is best known for his acting role as "Gill-man", the on-land half of the "Creature from the Black Lagoon" in the 1954 horror film of the same name.  He got the part due to his large size (6'5").  Chapman joined the United States Marine Corps in 1950 and served in combat in Korea.  He was discharged in 1952.  Born October 29, 1928 in Oakland, California, he died February 21, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
     
  • Cherry, Fred Vann - founder of the Cherry Engineering Support Services.  Born on March 24, 1928 in Suffolk, Virginia, Cherry graduated from Virginia Union University, Richmond. He entered the Air Force in October of 1951. After flight training he served in Korea, conducting 52 combat missions. He was the 43rd American and first African-American captured in the Vietnam War. He endured three weeks of torture at the "Hanoi Hilton". He retired from the Air Force after 30 years service in 1981. In 1992 he founded Cherry Engineering Support Services, the company that designed and developed equipment for traffic control.
     
  • Chesnut, Jerry - country western singer/songwriter who was a regular on the popular television show Hee Haw.  He joined the U.S. Air Force and served in the Far East during the Korean War.  In 1972 he was named the Nashville Songwriter of the Year.  The next year he was proclaimed to be the International Writer of the Year.
     
  • Chiles, Lawton Mainor - US Senator 1971-1989 and 41st Governor of Florida 1991-1998.  Born in Lakeland, Florida on April 03, 1930, Governor Chiles died December 12, 1998.  Serving in Korea 1953-54, Lieutenant Chiles was an artillery officer in the 524th Field Artillery Battalion.
     
  • Chuck-a-Lucks - According to various internet sources, Chuck-a-Lucks was a rockabilly band that played in the Texas area and beyond from the 1950s through 1972.  These same websites also state that band members Adrian Keith McClish (1927-2013), Reuben Noel, Jim Bob Nance, and Charlie Dickerson were all drafted into military service during the Korean War.  Details of exactly when and where they served were not found by the KWE, but the group (less Jim Bob Nance) was back playing together again by 1953.  Its biggest hit was a rockabilly number entitled, "Disc Jockey Fever", written by Charlie Dickerson and produced in 1958.
     
  • Cimino, Salvatore "Paul" Jr. - professional opera singer, restaurant/nightclub owner, actor, journalist.  Born November 5, 1931 in New Orleans, he served as a Navy yeoman and assistant to a vice admiral while stationed at Norfolk.  He was an actor in the films "A Streetcar Named Desire" and "Panic in the Streets."  As a professional opera singer he performed with opera companies in New York, Atlanta, and New Orleans.  He owned restaurants and nightclubs in Atlanta and Ft. Lauderdale.  He died June 9, 2016 in Covington, Louisiana.
     
  • Clark, Mark W. - President of The Citadel military college in Charleston, South Carolina from 1954 to 1965.  A graduate of West Point, he succeeded Ridgway as United States and Supreme Allied Commander, Far East, from 1952-1955.
     
  • Clifford, Ernest C. - baseball player with St. Louis Browns, signing with them in 1951.  Served in the US Army as a member of Company F, 7th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.  He was severely wounded in the knee during the Battle of Boomerang on June 15, 1953 and sent to Walter Reed Hospital for recovery.
     
  • Cobey, Ralph - President of the Perfection Steel Body Company (Perfection-Cobey) 1945-1970, President of the Eagle Crusher Company 1970-1990.  Highly decorated Boy Scout/Eagle Scout.   In 1940, prior to World War II, he became a Dollar-a-Year Man, appointed by President Roosevelt to serve in the Office of Production Management (OPM) in charge of Army Tank Production and Facilities. He entered active military service in 1942 and was a Captain in the U.S. Army Air Force at discharge in 1945. He was recalled to active military service during the Korean War in 1951.  Born August 15, 1909 in Sycamore, Ohio, Cobey, a 32nd degree Mason, died January 16, 2009 in Gailon, Ohio.
     
  • Coleman, Gerald Francis "Jerry" - NY Yankees ballplayer, 2nd base.  Born September 14, 1924 in San Jose, California, Coleman entered the Navy in 1942 and earned his pilot wings.  He then transferred to the Marine Corps where he was a dive bomber pilot flying the Douglas SBD Dauntless.  He flew 57 missions against Japanese in VMSB-341 and earned a Distinguished Flying Cross.  In 1949 he was voted Rookie of the Year as a rookie with the New York Yankees.  He was recalled to the Marines for the Korean War in May 1952 and served with the 323 Marine Attack Squadron piloting an AU-1 Corsair.  He flew 63 close air support and interdiction strike missions and earned a second Distinguished Flying Cross.  After discharge he played baseball again but retired in 1958 and became a game announcer for CBS Radio, WCBS Radio, and WPIX-TV.  He broadcast with the California Angels for two years and in 1972 became an announcer for the San Diego Padres.  Jerry Coleman died January 5, 2014 in San Diego, California.
     
  • Conley, Joseph H. Jr.  - Best known for his role as storekeeper Ike Godsey on the Waltons television series, Joe Conley was serving in the 7th Infantry Division in Korea as a 2nd Lieutenant when he was wounded in action.  He received a Purple Heart and a Silver Star.  Joe was born March 03, 1928 in Buffalo, New York and died July 07, 2013 of dementia.
     
  • Contino, Richard Joseph - superstar on the Horace Heidt Show, billed as "the world's greatest accordion player".  He was drafted during the Korean War and ordered to report to basic training at Fort Ord.  Unknown to most people, he had a variety of phobias that probably would have kept him out of military duty if they were known.  He went AWOL before his training began, but turned himself in several days later.  He was convicted of draft evasion, fined $10,000, and sent to prison for six months.  At the end of six months he was drafted a second time and sent to Korea after basic training.  Because of his accordion ability he was placed in Special Services and ordered to go from one outfit and battalion to another entertaining the troops in Korea.  Although everyone thought he was with the USO, he actually was not.  He received an honorable discharge from the U.S. Army while holding the rank of Staff Sergeant, and received a presidential pardon from President Truman in 1954.   Although he was honorably discharged, he was followed by the sigma of "draft dodger" for the rest of his life.  Nevertheless, he continued his prolific accordion-playing career, even appearing on the Ed Sullivan Show a record 48 times.  Born January 17, 1930 in Fresno, California, Dick Contino died April 19, 2017. 
     
  • Conyers, John - began serving in the House of Representatives in January 1965, 25-term Congressman.  Conyers volunteered to serve in the 1279th Combat Engineers (Michigan National Guard).  When the all-black unit was activated in the summer of 1950, he was sent to Officer Candidate School.  After graduation he spent 12 months in Korea behind the lines, supervising repairs and replacement of Army aircraft.  His military service ended in 1954.
     
  • Cooper, John Dean "Jeff" - expert on use and history of small arms, author of the Modern Technique of Handgun Shooting, pistol trainer.  Born May 20, 1920 in Los Angeles, California, he received a regular commission in the Marine Corps in September 1941.  Cooper served on the USS Pennsylvania in the Pacific during World War II.  He returned to active duty during the Korean War.  He was involved in clandestine warfare.  He was promoted to Lt. Colonel before being discharged from the Marine Corps in 1955.  In 1976 he founded the American Pistol Institute in Paulden, Arizona (later the Gunsite Academy).  Colonel Cooper died September 25, 2006.
     
  • Cooper, John "Jackie" Jr. - child star who appeared in 15 episodes of Our Gang comedies from 1929-1931.  Life-long career as an actor.  He was born September 15, 1922 in Los Angeles, California and died May 3, 2011 in Santa Monica, California.  He joined the US Navy under the V-12 program at the end of World War II.  During that war he spent part of his military service time as a drummer in a band formed by band leader Claude Thornhill.  The band played remote bases in the South Pacific.  After World War II, Cooper remained in the Naval Reserve.  He became a line officer in the Reserve in 1961 and held Letters of Commendation from six Secretaries of the Navy.  He also piloted jet planes for the Navy.
     
  • Coppens, Rev. Francis Xavier - priest.  "Captain Francis X. Coppens was the only Priest of the Archdiocese of Boston to be killed in Action in Korea, he had previously served during World War II and was recalled for Korea. He was the son of William and Mary (Forester) Coppens. Captain Coppens was awarded the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal. Captain Coppens was the chaplain with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while tending his dying and wounded comrades in South Korea on May 27, 1951." [Source: Findagrave]
     
  • Corbett, Glenn - Actor.  "As the character 'Linc Case', he replaced George Maharis's character 'Buz Murdock' as Martin Milner's "Route 66" co-star during the television series's fourth and final season (1963 to 1964). Other regular television roles were as 'Wes Macauley' in "It's a Man's World" (1962-63), 'Zephrem Cochrane' on the original "Star Trek," 'Chance Reynolds' in "The Road West" (1966-67), and 'Paul Morgan' in "Dallas" (1983-84). When his "Dallas" character was written out of the series, he stayed with the production company, Lorimar, for three more years as its dialogue director. Films include "All the Young Men," with Alan Ladd and Sidney Poitier, "The Mountain Road" and "Shenandoah," both with James Stewart, "Chisum" and "Big Jake," both with John Wayne, and "Midway" with Charlton Heston and Henry Fonda." [Source: Findagrave]  Corbett served in the US Navy as a Seabee during the Korean War.  Born August 17, 1933 in El Monte, California, he died January 16, 1993 in San Antonio, Texas.
     
  • Cornelius, Donald Cortez - creator of dance and music show, Soul Train.  Don Cornelius was born September 27, 1936.  At age 17 he joined the US Marine Corps and served 18 months, including time on an air base in South Korea.  He hosted Soul Train from 1970 to 1993 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame posthumously in 2023.  He died of a self-inflicted gun wound on February 01, 2012.
     
  • Craddock, Vincent Eugene "Gene" - Pop singer with the Blue Caps band, best known for his song, "Bebop A Lulu".  Born February 11, 1935, Craddock dropped out of school to serve in the military.  He joined the US Navy in February 1952.  In 1955 he was riding his new Triumph motorcycle when a woman ran a red light and caused an accident that severely smashed Craddock's left leg.  He spent months and months in the hospital.  His life after being medically discharged from the Navy included years of singing with his band, recording a variety of tunes, and making live appearances.  He died October 12, 1971 in Newhall, California, of a bleeding ulcer.
     
  • Crago, Bill - Minor League baseball player, outfield.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com. William E. “Bill” Crago was born in East Gary (now Lake Station), Indiana in 1928. He was signed by the Marion Cubs of the Class D Ohio State League in late 1947, making a couple of brief appearances before the season was over. Crago was back with Marion during spring training in 1948 but was cut the day before opening day as the squad was reduced to the required 20. He joined the Fitzgerald Pioneers of the Class D Georgia State League for the regular season and batted .223 in 105 games. Back with the Pioneers in 1949, the left-handed hitting centerfielder batted .277 in 137 games. In 1950, Crago’s third season with the Pioneers, he really began to develop as a hitter. In 140 games he batted .324 with 41 doubles (second best in the league) and hit 10 home runs. In the all-star game in July he had two hits against league-leaders Douglas, including a 2-run double to help the all-stars to a 5-3 win. In December 1950, 22-year-old Bill Crago was sold, together with pitcher Noel Oquendo, to the Abilene Blue Sox of Class C West Texas-New Mexico League. His career was starting to head in an upwards direction but Crago never had the opportunity to report to the Blue Sox as military service intervened. Private First Class Crago served with Company A, 38th Infantry Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea. He was killed in action on July 26, 1951. Crago was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in connection with military operations against the enemy.” Sources: Marion Star Sept 17, 1947; Marion Star Feb 21, 1948; Marion Star April 24, 1948; Thomasville Times Enterprise July 11, 1949; Abilene Reporter News Dec 6, 1950; http://www.homeofheroes.com; http://militarytimes.com/citations-medals-awards.
     
  • Crandall, Delmar Wesley "Del" - major league catcher.  Born March 5, 1930 in Ontario, Canada.  Debuted with the Boston Braves June 17, 1949.  His last appearance in the MLB was September 14, 1966 for the Cleveland Indians.  He appeared in 146 games for Boston in 1949-50 before going into the military.  He did a two-year hitch in the Army, ending March 1953.  In addition to his catching career he managed baseball teams: Milwaukee Brewers (1972-75), Seattle Mariners (1983-84), Albuquerque Dukes, and San Bernardino Stampede (1995-97).  He was a sports announcer with the Chicago White Sox 1985-88 and the Brewers 1992-94.
     
  • Craven, Charles E. - Experimental test pilot for the Boeing airplane Company's Wichita Division.  Craven was a fighter pilot in the Pacific during World War II and served for two years as a pilot on the USS Princeton during the Korean War.  He logged more than 4,000 hours' flying time in his flying career.  Prior to working for Boeing he was an engineering test pilot for Douglas Aircraft Company.  Charles Craven was born in Big Spring, Texas.  He was killed March 29, 157 in the crash of an experimental B-52 near Skiatook, Oklahoma.  
     
  • Crews, Harry Eugene - American novelist and author of books, essays, and numerous other literary works.  Born June 7, 1935 in Bacon County, Georgia, Crews' brother was already fighting in Korea when Harry decided to join the Marine Corps in 1953. He received his boot camp training at Parris Island.  On the subject of joining the USMC, he wrote, "Being good, southern, ignorant country boys, we did the good, southern, ignorant country thing: we volunteered as quickly as possible, anxious as we were to go and spill our blood in the good, southern, ignorant country way." He attained the rank of Sergeant and became a skilled boxer and reader while serving in the Corps.  After three years in the Marines he was discharged in 1956 and enrolled at the University of Florida on the GI Bill, receiving a Master's Degree.  He later became a University of Florida English faculty member, retiring in 1997.  His first novel, The Gospel Singer, was published in 1968, followed by 13 more novels--not all of which are available in the USA.
     
  • Crogan, Edward R. - Ontario Box LaCrosse Hall of Famer.  Edward R. Crogan, age 85, formerly of Buffalo, New York, died May 4, 2020 at Newfane Rehab and Health Care Facility from respiratory illness and COVID-19 contributing to underlying medical conditions. He was the beloved husband to Lorna aka Loma (nee Martin), dear brother of Edith (late Quintin) Printup, Gloria (Walter)Steiner, Shirley (late Edward) Fay, Frederick Crogan, predeceased by brothers, Stephen Crogan, Samuel Crogan and Joseph Crogan. Son of the late Stephen W. and Kathryn [ Rappold] Crogan. He will be sadly missed by many nieces, nephews, family and friends. Ed served as a Communications Center Specialist in the U.S. Army in Korea. Following his military service, Mr. Crogan returned home and worked for Roofers Local 74, in Buffalo, New York until his retirement. Ed and his late brother Sam, were both inducted into the Ontario Box Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2004 and 2003, respectively, having played box lacrosse together for various teams in WNY and Ontario, Canada. They were known as a dynamic scoring threat to every opponent. Ed enjoyed fishing, construction projects and traveling with his dear wife Lorna with occasional visits to local casinos. A Memorial Service will be held at a later date at the discretion of the family.
     
  • Cronin, John - Co-founder of the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI), the largest single entity in the diving industry with retail sales in excess of $250 million. PADI has offices in 7 countries, over 100,000 individual members and 4,600 Retail and Resort locations located in 175 countries worldwide. In 2000, PADI issued its 10 millionth diving certification. "[KWE Note: Source of the following - Hanauma Bay website's Scuba Hall of Fame]

    "16 July, 2003. The diving industry today is mourning the loss of the man who introduced more than 10 million people into the sport of scuba diving. John J. Cronin, co-founder and CEO of PADI, The Professional Association of Diving Instructors, died yesterday at his home in Temecula, California at the age of 74. Cronin, one of the most influential men in the diving industry and current President of The Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) would have completed his 50th year in the industry next year. A native of Albany, New York, John joined the Marine Corps where he served from 1947-1948 being recalled to service in the Korean conflict from 1950 to 1952. In 1959, John accepted the position of East Coast Promotions Manager for U.S. Divers Company in New York City. In 1964, John became the first person in the history of the diving industry to surpass wholesale sales of $1 million dollars. Rising rapidly through the ranks, John was promoted to Marketing Director in March of 1969. Later that same year, he was appointed CEO and then President of U.S. Divers, a position he held until his retirement in September of 1985. While attending a diving banquet in December of 1961, John met Ralph Erickson, a professional educator. A friendship immediately developed, and over the next several years their concept of a new, professional diver training organization was developed, this was PADI. In 1966, Cronin, in conjunction with Erickson, formalized the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, or PADI, as it is known today.
     
  • Curcio, John B. "Jack" - Chief Executive Officer and President of Mack Trucks 1983-1989; chairman of board of Mack Trucks 1985-1989. Born in Hazelton, Pennsylvania in 1934, Curcio served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War from 1951 to 1953 with the 5th Marines and in the U.S. Naval Reserves from 1954 through 1959. He began his career in the automotive industry in 1954.  He is a member of the Marine Corps Staff and Command College Foundation, Navy League, U.S. Naval Institute, American Legion, Korean War Veterans Association, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Marine Corps League, Marine Corps First Division Association, and Naval War College Foundation. Curcio was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the National Commission for the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., and was national chairman of the Korean War International Memorial in San Pedro, California. He is a founding member of the board and former vice president of the Parris Island Museum and Historical Society at the USMC Recruit Depot, Parris Island, S.C.
     
  • Curless, Richard William "Dick" - American country music singer.  Born March 17, 1932 in Ft. Fairfield, Maine, Dick Curless was easily identified by the patch that he wore over his right eye.  He hosted a radio show in Ware, Massachusetts in 1948, touring with a local band, the Trail Blazers.  He was drafted in the US Army in 1951, serving in the Korean War 1952-54.  He was first a truck driver, but landed an assignment with the Armed Services Radio Network as a radio host with the stage name, "Rice Paddy Ranger."  Following his tour of duty in Korea he returned to the field of country music.  In 1965 he recorded one of his biggest hits, "A Tombstone Every Mile".  He toured with the Buck Owens All American Show from 1966 to 1968.  He had 22 national charted singles, more than 38 albums, and more than 70 single records.  Dick Curless died on May 25, 1995.
     
  • Daily, William Edward "Bill" - Born August 30, 1927 in Des Moines, Iowa, this comedian and dramatic actor is best known for his role as Capt. Roger Healey on the I Dream of Jeannie television sitcom.  He was also associated with the Mike Douglas Show, Bob Newhart, and Steve Allen's Tonight show.  Prior to his acting career, he was drafted into the Army during the Korean War, sent to Special Services School, shipped overseas, and had hopes of being an entertainer for the troops in Japan as a bass player.  Instead he ended up in an artillery unit near the front lines.  He was later transferred to an entertainment unit while the war was still going on.
     
  • Damone, Vic - Entertainer, vocalist, actor.  Born June 12, 1928 in Brooklyn, New York, Vic Damone's birth name was Vito Rocco Farinola.  Known for such romantic songs as "On the Street Where You Live," this American crooner was drafted into the military, serving in the Army in Germany during his 1951-53 military stint.  He died February 11, 2018 in Miami Beach, Florida and is buried in Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery, Royal Palm Beach, Florida. 
     
  • Daniel, James "Chappie" Jr. - Born December 18, 1912 in Washington, DC, he died July 4, 2002 in Washington, DC.  He was the fourth African-American to graduate from West Point.  His father was the first African-American general in U.S. History.  Benjamin Jr. was a Tuskegee airman.  In 1953 he commanded the 51st Fighter Inceptor Wing at Suwon Air Base, South Korea.  He became a brigadier general and then major general.  In 1965 he was chief of staff of the UN Command and US Forces in Korea.  He retired from the Air Force in 1970 and then briefly worked as director of public safety for Cleveland, Ohio.  He also worked with the Department of Transportation to solve the problem of commercial hijacking.
     
  • Davis, Benjamin Oliver Jr. - Director of public safety for Cleveland, Ohio, and member of Department of Transportation.  Born December 18, 1912 in Washington, DC, he died July 4, 2002 in Washington, DC. He was the fourth African-American to graduate from West Point. His father was the first African-American general in U.S. History. Benjamin Jr. was a Tuskegee airman. In 1953 he commanded the 51st Fighter Inceptor Wing at Suwon Air Base, South Korea. He became a brigadier general and then major general. In 1965 he was chief of staff of the UN Command and US Forces in Korea. He retired from the Air Force in 1970 and then briefly worked as director of public safety for Cleveland, Ohio. He also worked with the Department of Transportation to solve the problem of commercial hijacking.
     
  • Dearden, William E.C. - chairman of the board of Hershey Foods Corporation in Hershey, Pennsylvania.  Dearden attended and graduated from Albright College in Reading, Pennsylvania on an athletic scholarship.  He did post-graduate work at Harvard University School of Business Administration.  He served in the US Navy from 1942-1946 and was recalled to active duty in 1951.  During his Korean War service he was Administrative Services Officer at the Mechanicsburg (Pennsylvania) Naval Depot.  After his military service he joined the Hershey Corporation, serving as chairman of the board until he retired on March 01, 1985.  He was a trustee and former board member of Albright College, the Hershey Trust Company, and Milton Hershey School.  William Dearden died May 10, 2003 in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania.
     
  • Dedrick, Dave - actor on Captain 11 children's television show on the South Dakota television station KELO.  Born March 29, 1928 in Marshalltown, Iowa, he died January 25, 2010.  He served in the United States Marine Corps in the late 1940s and was recalled to duty during the Korean War.
     
  • Dempsey, Jack - boxer who held the heavyweight title from 1917-1926.  Dempsey joined the New York State National Guard and then the Coast Guard Reserve.  He was called to active duty in 1942 and was on an attack transport for the invasion of Okinawa.  Because he did not receive his honorable discharge until 1952, he has Korean War veteran status.
     
  • Diamond, Edwin - media critic, author, editor, reporter.  Mr. Diamond's life revolved around the news media.  His career included serving as contributing editor to PoliticsNow.com (ABC News), the Washington Post Company, Times Mirror Corporation, and New York Magazine.  He was a reporter for NewsWeek in 1958.  He was an on-air commentator for The Washington Post Company television stations in Washington 1970-77.  He was founding senior editor of the Washington Journalism Review, and associate editor of the New York Daily News.  He authored several books, including the Rise and Fall of the Space Age.  During World War II he served with Roger's Raiders, 407th Infantry Regiment, 102 Division.  During the Korean War he was a lieutenant in Army intelligence.  His military decorations include a Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Combat Infantryman's Badge.  Edwin Diamond died July 10, 1997.
     
  • Diamond, Tony - Longtime USO performer and founder of BRAVO, a nonprofit group serving veterans, Tony Diamond was born Frank Anthony Pacelli in Paterson, New Jersey.   Diamond, a combat veteran, served in the Army during the Korean War (1951-1954), using his talents as a comedian to entertain soldiers. He served in the 29th Infantry Regiment.  After the war, he adopted the stage name of Tony Diamond and performed on the comedy circuit and on Broadway. During the Vietnam War he volunteered as an entertainer for the USO to entertain GIs on the front lines, in hospitals, and aboard Navy ships in the South China Sea. In 1970, after four tours with the USO in Vietnam, he was booed offstage back at home when he referred in his routine to his USO work. He threw a picnic in a park for veterans, which led a year later to his co-founding BRAVO--Brotherhood Rally of All Veterans Organization--with the late actor Tom Tully. Based in Calabasas, where Diamond lived, BRAVO organized events to help veterans, including the National Veterans Unity Conference in Los Angeles attended by 300 representatives of grass-roots veterans groups in 1987, and a tour of a half-scale reproduction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Tony Diamond served as Executive Director of BRAVO from 1971-1999.  He died at his home on August 01, 1999 from cancer.  He was survived by his wife Barbara.
     
  • Dicks, Jeannie - This former Sacramento, California meter maid was a co-founder of one of the nation's first advocacy groups for female veterans.  Founded under the name "WAVES National" (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service) in 1978, the organization was created to bring women together from all sea services.  The name later changed to "Military Women Across the Nation".  Born in 1934, Jeannie graduated from Gustine High School in Merced County, California, and then joined the Navy in 1952.  She took boot camp training in Bainbridge, Maryland and became a Navy cryptologist.  After her marriage to Edgar Elledge in February 1953, she became pregnant with her first child and had to leave the military service that summer.  At that time in history pregnant women could not remain in the military.  Jeannie later married Joe Palermo and Ralph Dicks, both of whom died before her.  At her death (age 82) on December 31, 2016 in San Diego, she was survived by her husband Ralph Dicks.
     
  • Dillman, Bradford - Actor and writer who was born April 14, 1930 in San Francisco, California.  A Yale literature and drama graduate, he enlisted in the USNR in 1948, was selected for OCS at Parris Island.  As a Marine 2nd Lieutenant he was assigned to teach communication skills to Marine veterans rather than being sent to Korea in 1951.  He finished out the remainder of his time in the Corps (1951-53) at Camp DelMar, California.  Dillman starred in television mini-movies and guest spots on popular television series.
     
  • Donahue, James Keefe - President & CEO of Industrial Shows of America and producer of the International Auto Show & Chesapeake Bay Boat Show.  Donahue was also a professional minor league baseball umpire when he was recalled to the Korean War in 1951.  He was serving in Company F, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division when he was awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action.
     
  • Douglass, William Dexter distinguished trial lawyer who drew national attention as lead counsel to former Vice President Al Gore during the presidential election recount in 2000.  Born December 06, 1929 in Florida, he served as general counsel to Gov. Lawton Chiles.  He chaired the Florida Constitution Revision Commission 1997-1998.  He was named to serve on the board of the Florida School for Deaf and Blind by four governors.  He also served various times as special counsel to the Florida Senate and House of Representatives.  A Korean War combat veteran, he died September 17, 2013 in Tallahassee, Florida.
     
  • Dowdy, Walter Lee Jr. - retired director at Kalamazoo Valley Community College, Michigan.  Dowdy served as a Buffalo Soldier (24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division) in the Korean War.  He enlisted in the Army in 1948, sent to Korea on July 2, 1950 as a cook, but placed in a combat unit.  On July 26 he was hit in the face with shrapnel and was evacuated because he was permanently injured.  In spite of his severe injury he was a successful educator who also became an ordained minister in 2009. 
     
  • Drake, Solomon Louis "Solly" - major league outfielder.  Born October 23, 1930 in Little Rock, Arkansas, Solly began his baseball career in 1948 playing for the Elmwood Giants in the Mandrake League.  He signed with the Chicago Cubs in 1951, served two years in the military 1952-53, and then debuted in the major league with the Chicago Cubs in 1956.  He and his brother Sammy were the first African-American brothers to play in the majors.  He retired from baseball in 1960.
     
  • Drexel, Steve - film and television actor.  Born Ernest Joseph Caringi in Mechanicville, New York on December 23, 1931, Drexel had appearances in the films Man of a Thousand Faces, The Tarnish Angels, Badman's Country, Hot Rod Gang and more.  He also made appearances on television series, Highway Patrol, Colt .45, Miami Undercover, Six Million Dollar Man, etc.  He died April 17, 2010.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War.
     
  • Dumas, Henry Lee - Born July 20, 1934 in Sweet Home, Arkansas, Dumas joined the Air Force and served his country from 1953-1957 at Lackland Air Base and on the Arabian Peninsula.  Writing for Air Force publications, he received accolades for his writing skills.  After his military service he wrote about his childhood experiences as a black youth growing up in Southern Arkansas.  Active in the 1950s civil rights movement in Mississippi and Tennessee, he frequently wrote about the struggles facing black Americans during the 1950s/60s.  He was killed by a police officer in a case of mistaken identity on May 23, 1968 in Manhattan.
     
  • DuPont, Jules St. Martin - dedicated, ground-breaking physician in Houma, Louisiana.  Born in 1921 in Houma, Dr. DuPont was instrumental in the founding of the Heart Station, Intensive Care, and Respiratory units at the Terrebonne General Hospital in Louisiana.  During the Korean War he served as senior medial officer onboard the Admiral's flagship, The Albany, in the Atlantic fleet.  He died January 12, 2007 in Houma.
     
  • Durant, Don - actor, singer. He was a mainstay in the 1950s and the early 1960s on television making many notable guest appearances, among them "Sergeant Preston of the Yukon," "State Trooper," "Maverick," "Perry Mason," "Zane Grey Theatre," "The Twilight Zone," "Alfred Hitchcock," "The Wide Country" and "The Virginian." These guest spots led to the 1959-60 half-hour TV series "Johnny Ringo" where Don played a gunslinger-turned sheriff. He brandished a LeMat handgun that featured an extra barrel that fired a shotgun round. For good measure, the talented vocalist wrote and then sang the theme song. The show was a bonanza for the toy industry. It generated board games, character puppets, gun sets and canteens. He was born Donald Allison Durae in Long Beach, California. His father was killed in a traffic accident prior to his birth. Don also, at age eleven, narrowly followed in his dad's fate when he was struck by a cement trunk leaving him in a coma with many fractures relegating him to bed for over a year. His mother remarried, this time to a Nevada cattle rancher. Don spent a lot of his teen years on the ranch learning the ways of a cowboy, riding, roping and singing. The couple divorced and he was back in Long Beach. In junior high, he was a dee-jay on KPRO radio in nearby Riverside where he often sang. Still bothered from injuries due to his bike accident, he managed to play football by wearing special plates. He was drafted during the Korean War but a hip injury found him confined to Letterman Army Hospital in San Francisco. He completed his military obligation with an assignment to Special Services furthering his singing experience by entertaining the veterans at Letterman. His post-military days found him pursuing a singing and acting career while touring with a theater group. Don appeared at the Sands and The Sahara in Las Vegas. He made his first serious attempt at acting with an uncredited appearance in the 1955 film "Battle Cry." He remained active on the Hollywood scene by teaching actors how to ride horses and shoot guns and worked as a technician helping to construct the first kinescopic recorder and sound recorder. Durant had a starring role in the 'B' film "She Gods of Shark Reef" in 1956. He toured as a vocalist with the Tommy Dorsey, Frankie Carle and Ray Anthony orchestras and even recorded an album with Anthony. More and more guest-starring roles came his way, mainly western themes. However, by 1964, the days of the cowboy was over as well as the era of the big bands. His roles diminished and eventually faded altogether. He retired from show business completely while settling in Orange County operating a real estate office. He made public appearances and attended shows and conventions where he would strap on his famous LeMat pistol and sign autographs almost to the end of his days. He was diagnosed with lymphocytic leukemia in 1992 which led to his death at age 72 in the family home located at Dana Point, California. [Source: Findagrave]
     
  • Duvall, Robert Selden - actor/director.  Born January 05, 1931 in San Diego, California, actor/director Robert Duvall is known for starring roles in The Twilight Zone, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Godfather, True Grit, Lonesome Dove, and more.  From August 19, 1953 to August 20, 1954, he served in the U.S. Army stateside.  While stationed at Camp Gordon, he acted in an amateur production of the comedy, "Room Service."  He was discharged from the Army with the rank of Pfc.  Later he starred as Maj. Frank Burns in the satirical movie, M*A*S*H.  He never saw combat.
     
  • Eastwood, Clint - Actor.  Drafted in 1950 during the Korean War.  Sent to Ft. Ord, California.  Remained there until discharged in 1953.  He was a swimming instructor at Ord.  While on leave in 1951, the Navy AD3RE Skyraider he was in crashed in the ocean near Point Reyes.  He and the pilot swam three miles to shore.
     
  • Edson, John Orin - American businessman, craftsman, and billionaire.  He attended the University of Washington but left college to join the Army, where he served three years in the Signal Corps.  He worked in the Alaska Communications System, spending his last year of duty in Seattle.  Edson made his fortune by starting a company that sold affordable plywood motor boats.  In 1955 Edson founded the Bayliner Marine Corporation.   He sold the company to the Brunswick Corporation in 1986 for a reported $425 million.
     
  • Eisenhower, John Sheldon Doud - son of President and Mrs. Dwight D. Eisenhower and military historian.  Born August 3, 1922 in Denver, Colorado, he graduated from West Point in 1944.  During World War II he had intelligence and administrative duties in England and Germany.  From 1969 to 1977 he was ambassador to Belgium.  He wanted to be in combat during World War II but was not allowed because his father was then a presidential candidate.  During the Korean War he saw combat with the 15th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division, 1952-53.  After the war he remained in the military, retiring from the army as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1963.  He remained in the reserves and retired as a decorated brigadier general.  As an author and military historian, he wrote best-selling, non-fiction books about World War II and other wars.  John S.D. Eisenhower died December 21, 2013 in Trappe, Maryland.
     
  • Encinias, Miguel  - At age 16, Encinias joined the National Guard in 1939. When he finished high school, the Guard was called to active duty, and he served as a Combat Engineer in the 45th Division. After Pearl Harbor he trained to become a pilot and was sent to North Africa as the campaign there was ending. Later, he flew a British Spitfire in combat, and in 1944 he was shot down over northern Italy. As a prisoner of war he was moved to Frankfurt, Germany.
    When the Korean War began, Encinias volunteered for service in North Korea and flew 111 missions there. After the war, he taught French at the U.S. Air Force Academy and, in 1962, went to Vietnam where he flew 60 missions. After retiring from teaching in 1985, he turned to writing history, particularly the history of New Mexico.
     
  • Engel, Donald - media and entertainment industry attorney.  Among his clients were: Olivia Newton John, Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Michael Jackson, Cher, Dixie Chicks, Joan Jett, Van Halen, Farrah Fawcett, and many more.  He was drafted in the Korean War after graduating from the City College of New York.  He served in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer.  He died January 2014 in Redwood City, California, age 84.
     
  • Engen, Donald Davenport - Director of the National Air and Space Museum and former chief of the Federal Aviation Administration.  Born May 24, 1924 in Pomona, California, he enlisted as a seaman 2nd class in a Navy training program after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.  By 1943 he was based on the carrier USS Lexington and took part in the liberation of the Philippines.  After the war he was in the naval reserve and was a test pilot.  During the Korean War he was an officer on board the USS Valley Forge and took part in the first aerial strike over Pyongyang.  He later served in the Vietnam War, but didn't see combat there.  Donald Engen was killed instantly in a glider accident in Nevada on July 12, 1999.
     
  • Esposito, Bill - sports information director at St. Johns 1961-84.  Born September l9, 1932 in Brooklyn, New York, Esposito died September 9, 1995 on Long Island.  He was a noted authority and lecturer on jazz music as well as his sports knowledge.  He received a Bronze Star for gallantry during the Korean War.
     
  • Evans, Allen C. - radio personality in Northwest Indiana.  Born April 23, 1929 in Delaware, Ohio, Al Evans began his radio career while serving in the US Army in Germany during the Korean War.  He was a radio broadcaster on AFN.  Back in the States, he settled in Indiana, where he was a radio personality on stations WWCA and WLTH.  He opened the marketing and public communication company of Evans Communications in Indiana.  Al Evans died February 01, 2017 in Florida.  Prior to living in Florida he resided in Merrillville, Indiana.
     
  • Farinola, Vito Rocco - See Vic Damone.
     
  • Farley, Thomas John - director of food service division of Milwaukee Public Schools for many years, Farley died March 10, 2006.  After World War II he was a company commander during the Occupation of Japan.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War, where he was severely wounded.  He received a Purple Heart and Silver Star.
     
  • Feeney, Joseph Gerald "Joe" - Irish tenor on the Lawrence Welk Show 1957-1982.  Born August 15, 1931, in Grand Island, Nebraska, Feeney served in the Army during the Korean War.  He won an armed forces talent contest held in several camps that ultimately landed him an appearance on the Arlene Francis Show.  He also soloed at numerous command performances and for the Special Services Branch. After being discharged from the service, Joe returned to the University of Nebraska and finished his education. He was signed to the Lawrence Welk Show in 1957.  During his musical career he sang for five U.S. Presidents and Pope Paul VI.  He also sang in Carnegie Hall three times.  He died April 15, 2008 in Carlsdad, California.
     
  • Fehrenbach, Theodore Reed "T.R." Jr.- Historian, writer and columnist, author of a 20 non-fiction books including US Marines in Action (1962), This Kind of War, A Study in Unpreparedness (1963) and his most famous book Lone Star: A History of Texas & the Texans (1968). He was the head of the Texas Historical Commission 1987-1991, wrote opinion columns for Esquire, Saturday Evening Post and The New Republic and was recognized as a leading authority on the Comanche People about whom he wrote a book Comanches: the Destruction of a People (1974). Fehrenbach was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1943 and served until 1946, at which time he joined the Army Reserve.  He was recalled to active duty in the Korean War in 1952, where he served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 72nd Tank Battalion.  He was promoted to company commander and became a battalion staff officer and intelligence officer.  He left active duty in May of 1953.  He retired from the Army Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1964.  Born January 12, 1925 in San Benito, Texas, this great Texan died December 1, 2013 in San Antonio, Texas.  Ironically, Fehrenbach did not write about his own service in his books on the Korean War. [Submitted to the KWE by Peter Hill, Australia]
     
  • Ferguson, Glenn - Former co-pilot of Air Force One.  Glenn Ferguson (b. 1922), enlisted in the US Marines Corps in 1939 and trained as a dive-bomber pilot, worked as a flight instructor and also served on security detail at the White House during FDR's Presidency. On one occasion, while walking along a White House corridor and not looking where he was going, he collided with President Roosevelt in his wheelchair and nearly ended up in his lap. After the Korean War, he joined HMX Squadron and served as Co-Pilot on Marine One, tasked with flying President Eisenhower and Vice-President Nixon on trips throughout the United States as well as the Middle-East and South America. Ferguson was sent to Korea in 1952 as a medical evacuation helicopter pilot. He flew 134 missions in Korea, 29 of which were night missions and he was credited with successfully evacuating 132 wounded men. Ferguson was also credited with capturing three enemy soldiers, holding them at bay with the spinning blades of his chopper until military police arrived. He rose to the rank of Major in the USMC and served in the Marines until 1963. In 2011, Ferguson founded the Irene Ferguson Marine Wife of the Year Award in memory of his late wife Irene, an award which recognizes the sacrifices and hardships of active servicemen's wives.
     
  • Ferguson, Howard - NFL player for Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers.  Ferguson was an Underwater Demolition Team member during the Korean War.  In 1974 he was inducted in the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.
     
  • Ferguson, James T. - Minor League baseball player.  Cpl., Army. 21 years of age. Died June 17, 1952 at Kumsong, Korea. Was with an ambushed patrol under heavy fire. Next of kin – Mr. and Mrs. James W. Ferguson, 4860 14th Avenue S.W., Seattle. Twin sister – Mrs. Robert Jovich. Cpl. Ferguson graduated from West Seattle High School where he had been an outstanding athlete – baseball, basketball and football. He had planned a career of baseball and had been signed by the New York Giants. He was working his way to that point by playing in the minor leagues. His father was presented with his son’s Silver Star for extreme gallantry on May 8, 1954.
     
  • Ferguson, Robert Bruce "Bob"  - country music singer.  Bob Ferguson served as a radioman in the U.S. Army during World War II, testing equipment in Alaska.  After the war he attended Washington State University in Pullman, graduating with a major in radio and television production in 1954.  H was called up as a reserve U.S. marine during the Korean War, serving as a drill instructor and producer of training films at San Diego.  After his military service he became the producer of "The World Outdoors" film series 1956-1961.  He became a country music record producer and songwriter.  Among the songs he wrote were, "Wings of a Dove" and "Carroll Country Accident."
     
  • Ferrell, Howard Leroy "Toots" Jr. - Negro League Baseball Player. Delaware Hall of Fame member. Howard was a member of the Negro League teams the Newark Eagles, Baltimore Elite Giants, and the Chicago American Giants. He served in the Army during the Korean War. It was while playing in an Army League football game that Howard injured his shoulder, ending his career as a baseball player. He is a member of the Delaware Afro-American Hall of Fame and the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame. Born September 1929, he died October 2002.
     
  • Fisher, Edwin John "Eddie" - Singer, teen idol, and one of the most successful pop artists in the early 1950s.  Born August 10, 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Eddie Fisher began singing in high school, dropping out his senior year to pursue his musical career.  He was drafted in the Army in 1951, was stationed at Ft. Hood, and spent a year in the military (stateside only) while the war in Korea was going on.  From 1952 to 1953 he was the official vocal soloist for the U.S. Army Band assigned to Ft. Myer in Washington, DC.  While serving in the Army he made occasional guest appearances on television as PFC Eddie Fisher. Fisher returned to the recording studio when he had furloughs during his two-year hitch, and while in uniform managed to record ten hits that racked up sales of seven million records. By the time he was released from active duty in 1953, he had become one of the most popular recording artists in the United States. Among his blockbuster songs of that time were "Lady of Spain," "Outside of Heaven," and "Wish You Were Here" in 1952, followed by "I’m Walking Behind You" and "Oh, My Papa" in 1953. His hits continued, he acted in movies, and continued to entertain until his death on September 22, 2010.  He was married five times, with his first three wives being Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor and Connie Stevens.
     
  • Flaherty, Edmund Joseph "Pat" - Athlete, actor, veteran.  Pat Flaherty served in the military during the Mexican border campaign in 1916 and was a flying officer for the Signal Corps in World War I. He then played professional baseball in the minor leagues in Des Moines, San Francisco, Shreveport, Indianapolis, Akron and for other teams. He played professional football for the Chicago Bears in 1923. After his sports career was finished he went to New York, where he became very successful with the DeSylva-Brown music publishing company. There he married Dorothea X. Fugazy, the daughter of a famous boxing promoter. In 1930 he came to Hollywood to work as a producer for Joseph P. Kennedy at Fox Films, but the Great Depression resulted in his position being eliminated, and he turned to acting. In A Day at the Races (1937), he played a plainclothes detective who leads a group of policemen chasing Groucho Marx. His clipped East Coast accent and gruff demeanor often caused him to be cast as tough cops, prison guards, foremen, or other types of authority figures. In addition to his career as a character actor, he was a technical advisor on baseball pictures; for example, he taught Gary Cooper how to pitch for his role in The Pride of the Yankees (1942). He was an actor in Mutiny on the Bounty.  In World War II he received a commission in the Marine Corps. He also served in Korea and was discharged with the rank of major.  Pat Flaherty was born March 08, 1897 in Washington, DC and died December 02, 1970 in New York, New Yorki.
     
  • Folley, Zora "Bell" - heavyweight boxer.  Born May 27, 1931 in Dallas, Texas, Folley joined the Army in 1948 and began boxing.  He won the Army Boxing Championship, as well as All-Army and All-Service titles.  During the Korean War he received five battle stars, and was discharged in 1953 with the rank of sergeant.  During his boxing career he had 79 wins, 11 losses, and six draws.  He and his wife Joella were parents of nine children.  Folley died July 8, 1972.
     
  • Ford, Edward Charles "Whitey" - New York Yankees ballplayer 1950, 1953-67.  Served in the military during the Korean War 1951-52 at Fort Monmouth.  He enlisted in the Army and was a private in the 501st Signal Service Company.  He played on the Fort Monmouth Signaleer baseball team managed by former Pittsburgh Pirate, Philadelphia Athletics, and Chicago White Sox player, George "Mule" Haas in 1951.  The public could attend the ball games at $1.00 admission price.  Due to Whitey Ford's presence in the game, attendance was sometimes 4,000 spectators.
     
  • Ford, Glenn - actor.  Served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II (1943-45) and joined the U.S. Naval Reserves in 1958.  During the Korean War he visited troops in Korea, although he wasn't a member of the military at that time.
     
  • Ford, John - Hollywood director and producer whose films won six Oscars.  Born February 01, 1894 in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, John "Pappy" Ford joined the US Naval Reserve in 1934 as a lieutenant commander.  He eventually established Field Photographic under the Office of Strategic Services and served his country during World War II and Korea.  He retired from the Naval Reserves as a rear admiral in 1951.  Five months before he died of cancer on August 31, 1973, he was awarded the Medal of Freedom by President Richard M. Nixon. At his funeral, Ford’s coffin was draped with the frayed American flag he had filmed being hoisted by Marines at Midway.  Pappy Ford died August 31, 1973 in Palm Desert, California.
     
  • Frederick, Robert - Inducted into the Umpire Hall of Fame after serving 50 years as an umpire for the Metropolitan Baseball Umpires Association in the DC area, Robert Frederick was also head of Snelling and Snelling in Bethesda, Maryland for many years.  In addition to his umpire career, he was well-known for his humanitarian efforts.  Those included serving in the Peace Corps and as a CASA volunteer. as well as serving as an advocate for victims of sexual assault.  He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and was a sergeant in the 8th Cavalry Regiment.  He pitched for the Army team in Japan.  See his full obituary on the Korean War Educator's Death Notices.
     
  • Fremming, Ken - minor league pitcher.  Signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1947 and won 32 games 1948-49 before being drafted into the Army at Buffalo, New York on March 26, 1951.  Retired in 1954 and spent the next 37 years in the dairy and beer businesses.
     
  • French, Lawrence Robert "Larry" - stellar baseball player.  Larry was born November 1, 1907 in Visalia, California and died February 9, 1987 in San Diego.  His baseball career included: Pittsburg (1929-34), Chicago Cubs (1935-41), and the Brooklyn Dodgers (1942).  After the end of the Dodger's season, he joined the Navy and was stationed at the Brooklyn Navy Yard until his discharge.  He returned to active duty in the Navy during the Korean War (1950-53), remained in the reserves, and retired as a captain in 1970.
     
  • Frenzel, Bill - Minnesota U.S. Representative.  This Republican served four terms in the Minnesota House before serving ten terms in Congress from Minnesota's 3rd Congressional district 1971-1991.  He served in the U.S. Naval Reserve from 1951-54.  Frenzel died in November 2014.
     
  • Friedman, Budd - founder, original proprietor, and MC of the Improvisation ("Improv") comedy club in Manhattan.  Born June 6, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, he and his wife Silver, a Broadway chorus girl, opened the Improv restaurant on 44th Street and Ninth Avenue.  The club launched the comedy careers of Rodney Dangerfield, Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze, and more.  Friedman also managed Bette Midler in the early stage of her career.  Friedman served in the infantry in the US Army during the Korean War. He was wounded by an enemy grenade during his first day in action in the summer of 1953 while his unit was assaulting Pork Chop Hill. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB). The ceasefire went into effect while he was still recuperating in the hospital.
     
  • Fuller, Robert - actor who started in 1960s TV westerns "Laramie" and "Wagon Train" (starring as Cooper Smith).  Born Buddy Lee Simpson on July 29, 1933 in Troy, New York, he was drafted into the Army at age 19 (1953) and served as a Sergeant First Class in the US Army's 24th Infantry Division (19th Infantry Regiment) in Korea.  He served 15 months in Korea before being discharged in 1955.  Starting as an extra on films starring Elizabeth Taylor, Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day and Gregory Peck, he also danced in films starring Debbie Reynolds, Marilyn Monroe, and Lana Turner.
     
  • Galella, Ron - famous US paparazzi.  Born in Bronx in 1931, he trained as a ground and air photographer while serving in the military (1950-53).  After release from active duty he returned to New York and became a freelance photographer, shooting candid pictures of famous people.  His works were purchased by fan magazines, the National Enquirer, etc.
     
  • Garner, James - Actor.  Born James Scott Baumgarner on April 7, 1928.  He is particularly known for his role in the Rockford Files and Maverick, among other films and television series.  He served in the National Guard for seven months and then joined the Regular Army for 14 months.  He served with A Company of the 5th RCT in Korea, receiving the Purple Heart for injuries to his face and hand from shrapnel from a mortar round.  He was wounded a second time (this time in the buttocks while diving into a foxhole to get away from friendly fire from US jets on April 23, 1951). According to the June/July 2013 issue of VFW Magazine, Garner "served as a rifleman with A Co., 5th RCT, 24th Inf. Div., and received two Purple Hearts. The first incident was only a couple of days after arriving in Korea when Garner was hit with enemy mortar shrapnel during a patrol. Garner also was involved in the First Spring Offensive in 1951. 'We were overwhelmed by the sheer volume of incoming fire as wave after wave of infantry slammed our position,' Garner wrote in his 2011 memoir The Garner Files. 'Without thinking, I shouldered my rifle and started ripping away. Before we knew it, we had only 30 men left out of 130, and we were surrounded.'  After several hours of trading fire with the enemy, allied air support swooped in and dropped phosphorous bombs. Garner believed they were saved until the planes misidentified them as enemies and continued strafing. He leapt over a cliff with a South Korean soldier. While suffering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg, phosphorous burns and a dislocated shoulder, Garner eventually reached a group of Americans. He was transferred to Japan in August to recover and served nine months with a Postal unit there. Garner was discharged in June 1952, receiving a Combat Infantryman Badge (CIB) and Purple Heart. 'I was not a hero,' Garner wrote. 'If there were any heroes, they were the guys who never came back from Korea, or the ones who were wounded, captured, or risked their lives to save their buddies.'"  James Garner died July 19, 2014 in his home in Los Angeles, CA.  He was survived by his wife, the former Lois Clarke; daughter Greta "Gigi"; and stepdaughter Kimberly.
     
  • Gavin, John - Hollywood actor best known for his roles in the films Psycho and Spartacus/US ambassador.  Born John Anthony Golenor in Los Angeles on April 8, 1931, this actor first served in the U.S. Navy for three years during the Korean War.  He served as an intelligence officer aboard the aircraft carrier Princeton in the Korean War theater.  He also served as Pan-American affairs officer in Panama to the Navy commandant, Adm. Milton E. Miles.  He was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1971 until 1973.  Turning to politics, he served as President Ronald Reagan's ambassador to Mexico from 1981 until 1986.  While acting he made guest appearances on television series such as "The Love Boat" and "Fantasy Island".  Besides Psycho and Spartacus, he starred in Imitation of Life, A Breath of Scandal, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.  He died in Beverly Hills, California of pneumonia at age 86 on February 09, 2018.
     
  • Geas, Thomas Andrew - character actor.  Born November 25, 1934 in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Geas appeared in such television shows as Perry Mason, Flying Nun, Wild Wild West, Mission Impossible, Mannix, Ironside, etc.  Geas died April 8, 2010 in Los Angeles, California.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War.
     
  • Gentry, Jack T. - Metallurgical engineer and entrepreneur.  Jack T. Gentry, 82, died at his home in Springfield, Missouri, Saturday, September 23, 2006. He was born in Kansas City, Kansas, December 6, 1923, son of Rose (Adlesh) Gentry and Dewey Gentry, who preceded him in death. Jack graduated from Wyandotte High School in Kansas City, Kansas. He entered junior college, and the day after his 18th birthday, Pearl Harbor was bombed. He knew immediately that plans for his future would change. Jack enlisted in the Navy in June 1942 and served as a Naval Aviator with the U.S. Marine Corps in the South Pacific. He was released from active duty in January 1945 as a 1st Lieutenant. Upon release from the military, Jack enrolled in the Forestry School at the University of Montana. While there, he met Ann Kern, who was completing her last semester. They married in July 1946 and Jack transferred to the Montana School of Mines in Butte, Montana, where he graduated in 1950 with a degree in Metallurgical Engineering. After 18 months, Jack was recalled to the Korean War. He was stationed at Kaneohe Marine Base, Oahu, Hawaii, where he served as adjutant and a personnel officer. While there he was promoted to Captain. Returning to civilian life, Jack accepted a job with Minneapolis Honeywell in Phoenix, Arizona, and later joined Litton Industries in Van Nuys, California. Within three years, Jack was promoted to General Manager and Executive Vice President, with responsibility over United States Engineering Company, Winchester Electronics and the Advanced Circuitry Division, all units of Litton Industries. In 1964, he brought the Advanced Circuitry Division to Springfield. Two years later, Jack embarked on his lifelong dream when he retired from Litton Industries and started his own company, Positronic Industries. Today, Positronic Industries, with more than 1,000 employees in nine manufacturing locations worldwide, is known for its high quality, high performance electronic connectors used by the world's premier avionics, defense, computer and telecommunications equipment manufacturers. Jack believed he should give back to the community. He was appointed by President Reagan as a member of the Industry Sector Advisory Committee V, which establishes policy for imports and exports for electronic components. He served as Secretary of the International ElectroTechnical Commission, IEC. This international organization develops worldwide standards for electronic equipment. He was a United States Technical Advisor for committees serving the Electromechanical Group for the IEC. He served as Chairman of the Rectangular Connector Committee for the Electronic Industries Association. He was a member of the National Association of Manufacturers Presidents. He was a member of the Board of Trustees of Drury University, a member of the Board of Directors of UMB Bank Financial Corporation, a member of the Board of Directors of Springfield City Utilities and founder and President of the Southwest Area Manufacturers Association, SAMA. He was proud of his involvement with SAMA, which gives small manufacturers in Southwest Missouri a stronger voice in their community. After 13 years, SAMA membership has grown to more than 150 member companies representing the voices of over 13,000 employees. He is survived by his wife, Ann Kern Gentry. His children are Dr. Kathleen Gentry, Crested Butte, Colo.; Suzan Gentry Sullivan, Springfield, Mo.; Jill Gentry Owen, Houston, Texas; John Gentry, Springfield, Mo.; and Bill Gentry, Singapore. His grandchildren are Scott Landrum, Lee Owen, Andi Owen, Jenna Owen, Chase Owen, John Gentry, Jr., Ben Gentry, Amy Gentry, Nick Gentry, Alex Gentry, and one great-grandson, Devon Landrum. Other survivors are his sister, Darlene Gentry Borris, Fullerton, Calif.; his niece, Cheryl Borris Morenc, Fullerton, Calif.; his nephew, The Honorable Thomas Borris, Huntington Beach, Calif.; and surviving cousins. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, September 28, 2006, at Gorman-Scharpf Funeral Home, 1947 E. Seminole. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Friday, September 29, at Kings Way United Methodist Church, 2401 S. Lone Pine, with Rev. Charles Buck officiating. A reception will follow at the church. A military service will be held at 2 p.m. at Missouri Veterans Cemetery, 5201 Southwood Road. Jack had heartfelt feelings for his many business associates and Positronic Industries employees who offered him their friendship and trust. His family hopes he touched their lives as they certainly touched his. His family would also like to thank Community Hospice and Access Home Health for their professional services. Memorial contributions may be made to 'A World of Difference,' a charity directed by Dr. Kathleen Gentry, providing literacy and development programs to impoverished Cambodian women as well as dental care to Cambodian orphans; c/o UMB Bank, 1150 E. Battlefield Rd., Springfield, MO 65807, or to Community Hospice, 1465 E. Primrose, Suite A, Springfield, MO 65804, or to a charity of your choice.
     
  • George, Christopher — Actor with a starring role in the Rat Patrol television series 1966-68.  Born February 25, 1931, died November 28, 1983. George enlisted in the Marine Corps on October 13, 1948, at age 17. He lied about his age on his recruitment form by giving his year of birth as 1929, which then stuck with him for most of his adult life. George attributed his enlistment to being inspired by John Wayne, saying, "You know, he caused the enlistment of hundreds of kids in the Marines and I was one of them."   George attended boot camp at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, South Carolina and graduated with a meritorious promotion to Private First Class on December 31, 1948. Christopher George's first duty station was Headquarters Squadron, Marine Corps Air Station Quantico, Virginia. In April 1950, he transferred to Aircraft Engineering Squadron 12 (AES-12), also located at Quantico. AES-12 maintained the aircraft for school pilots and also used them as a demonstration squadron for members of the United States Congress, demonstrating new rockets and bombs.[ While assigned to AES-12, George rose to the rank of sergeant. He had forced landings in airplanes while he was in the Marines, and while Christopher George was stationed at Quantico, was very sick, lying in the hospital with "a 110-degree fever." While stationed at Quantico, Christopher George was a passenger in an aircraft flown by one of AES-12's officers. The weather was clear and sunny that day when both of the engines "conked out" at approximately 8,000 feet (2,400 m) above the Carolinas. Both pilots worked to get the engines restarted, dipping to an altitude of about 1,000 feet (300 m) before they succeeded. Another time, an aircraft caught fire; he had to bail out, in the first parachute jump of his life. During the Korean War, Christopher George skippered a Marine Corps crash boat, and served as gunner aboard the type of rescue aircraft used to fly wounded out of Korea. George completed a three-year enlistment with the Marines and stayed for an additional fourth year of service before asking for an honorable discharge and returning home to Miami. He left active service on August 29, 1952. After that, as a sergeant in the Marine Corps Reserves, he joined Marine Fighter Squadron 142 (VMF-142) of the Marine Air Reserve Training Command, Marine Corps Air Station Miami, Florida. He also served in the 4th Supply Company, in Stockton, California. Finally, he reverted to inactive reserve status where he was assigned to Headquarters, 6th MCR&RD, Atlanta, Georgia, until completing his enlisted service and receiving a discharge on September 3, 1956.
     
  • Glenn, Col. John Herschel - Astronaut (first to orbit the earth in 1962).  Born July 18, 1921 in Cambridge, Ohio, Glenn enlisted as a U.S. Navy aviation cadet in March 1942.  he was reassigned to the Marine Corps in 1943 and became a fighter pilot.  He flew 59 combat missions in the South Pacific.  During the Korean War he flew 63 combat missions in an F9F Panther jet, flying some of that time with Ted Williams of Red Sox baseball fame, who was Glenn's wingman.  During his second Korean combat tour he flew 27 missions in an F086F Sabre jet, shooting down three MiG -5s in the closing weeks of the Korean War.  He was a test pilot from 1954 to 1959.  He received a Distinguished Flying Cross in July 1957.  He retired as a Marine Corps Colonel in 1965.  After the Marine Corps he became an executive with Royal Crown Cola and a U.S. Senator (D) from Ohio for four terms starting in 1974. He died of cancer in December 2016.
     
  • Glica, Leonard G. - Minor League ballplayer.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com].  Leonard G. “Len” Glica was born in Omaha, Nebraska on October 8, 1928. He played baseball at South High School in Omaha and signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers organization following graduation in 1947. The right-handed hitting shortstop-second baseman was assigned to the Abilene Blue Sox of the Class C West Texas-New Mexico League where he batted .252 his rookie year with eight home runs. In September, after the regular season had finished and he was back home in Omaha, Glica was recruited to play for the Omaha Pros against the Satchel Paige All-Stars at American legion Field in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pros beat Paige’s All-Stars, 4-3, in 12 innings. Glica, playing second base, was 1-for-5 against Paige and Larry Napoleon. Back with the Blue Sox in 1948, Glica spent spring training at Vero Beach, Florida, under the watchful eyes of such Brooklyn tutors as Fresco Thompson, Andy High, George Sisler and Pepper Martin. He batted .259 with 81 RBIs during the season and proved to be a fan favourite for his all-out style of play. Glica was advanced to the Newport News Dodgers of the Class B Piedmont League in 1949. After playing 10 games and batting .258, he joined the Lancaster Red Roses of the Class B Interstate League, batting .261 in 126 games with six home runs. He remained with the Red Roses in 1950 and batted .253 with a career-high 10 home runs. On July 9 he had led Lancaster’s hit parade against the Hagerstown Braves with successive home runs in the third and fifth innings and a double in the sixth for his three for five, as the Red Roses walloped the Braves, 17-3. "If I can't make the majors or high minors I would like to play out my string in pro baseball with Abilene," he confided to his friends in Omaha. "They play good ball down there and treat the players like heroes." But Glica never had the opportunity to return to Abilene. He entered military service on November 30, 1950. Serving as a private with the 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division in Korea, he was killed in action on May 26, 1951 at Sanghongjong-ni, just four days after arriving in the war zone. "Of the players whom I had the pleasure of associating with during my three years with the Abilene club,” Howard L. Green, former GM of the Blue Sox told the Abilene Reporter News after hearing of Glica’s death, “Len Glica and Joe Konitzki stand out as all-time favorites, not because of their playing talents altogether, but because of their character and devotion to the game of baseball. Both of them joined us during the 1947 season when the club was hopelessly out of the race but they hustled every inning as if a World Series were at stake. It was spirit like that which enabled us to average 1,200 [spectators per game] during the last three weeks of the season with nothing more to lure the customers than the promise of a ball game. "Many of us thought they were headed for the majors. Joe may make it yet. He is now on the NDS list of the Minneapolis club in the American Association, having been drafted from the Dodger organization by the Giants [Konitzki peaked with 7 games for Minneapolis in 1950]. "If Len Glica isn't the first professional ball player killed in the Korean fighting, he is one of the first [he was, in fact, the second]. I think that the least that the Abilene club and their legion of wonderful supporters could do would be to set aside a night to the memory of Len Glica and to erect a memorial in the Abilene park in tribute to one of the finest competitors that ever represented Abilene in any sport. His life has ended far ahead of schedule, not through any fault of his, but the game of baseball will go on because of fellows like him who are called upon to fight so that we at home may continue to play.” Len Glica is buried at Saint Johns Cemetery in Bellevue, Nebraska. Sources: Council Bluffs Iowa Nonpareil Sept 21, 1947; Council Bluffs Iowa Nonpareil Sept 27, 1947; Lubbock Morning Avalanche April 20, 1948; Hagerstown Evening Journal July 5, 1948; Abilene Reporter News Sept 12, 1948; Hagerstown Daily Mail July 10, 1950; Abilene Reporter News July 17, 1951; Abilene Reporter News July 27, 1951; http://www.25thida.org/21stinf.html.
     
  • Gordy, Berry Jr.   - The founder of Motown record label, Berry Gordy was drafted into the US Army in 1951, ordered to report to Ft. Custer (Michigan), and served overseas during the Korean War.  He received his GED while in the Army.  He was discharged in 1954.  Prior to being drafted he was a featherweight boxing champion from 1948 to 1950.  He was born November 28, 1929, and grew up in Detroit, Michigan.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988.  Motown Records promoted such hit singers as Diana Ross and the Supremes, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, the Jackson Five, and many more.
     
  • Gorton, Warren Melvin - Bonneville Salt Flats race car driver.  Born July 6, 1930 in Norwalk, California, Warren Gorton built race engines in the late 1940s and 50s and drove race cars attempting to break land speed records with Mickey Thompson.  He served in the U.S. Naval Air Reserves during the Korean War.  He died January 25, 2014 in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.
     
  • Grable, Col. John - The 1939-40 Chief Illiniwek at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, Colonel Grable was a crew member of a B-29A Superfortress Bomber ("Tail Wind/Burke's Jerks/Sweet Judy II" #45-21721) with the 345th Bomber Squadron, 98th Bomber Wing. On February 7, 1952, while departing on a combat mission, his aircraft crashed during snow three miles northwest of Yokota Air Base, Japan, and he was killed.  Colonel Grable was born October 25, 1918, son of John and Sylvia Hill Grable.  He was survived by his wife Helene and two daughters.  He is buried in Rhine Cemetery, Tison, Illinois.
     
  • Graham, Bill - Rock concert promoter and actor from the 1960s until his death in a helicopter crash in 1991, Bill Graham was born on January 8, 1931 in Berlin.  His birth name was Wulf Wolodia Grajonca.  During the Nazi regime, his family fled Germany.  Wulf was separated from his parents, and as a Jewish orphan was ne of the "One Thousand Children" (OTC) to escape the Nazi Holocaust.  He was sent to a foster home in the Bronx and changed his name to Bill Graham.  He was drafted into the Army in 1951 and served as a Forward Observer with the 7th Infantry Division in Korea.  He received a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.  After his military service he became a concert promoter of such greats as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Grateful Dead, Doobie Brothers, and many more.
     
  • Green, Marlon Dewitt - Continental Airlines' first black pilot.  Born June 6, 1929 in El Dorado, Arkansas, Marlon Green joined the Air Force during the Korean War and flew 3,071 hours in multi-engine aircraft.  His last posting was flying SA-16 Albatross with the 26th Air Rescue Squadron at Johnson Air Base in Tokyo.  After leaving the Air Force in 1957, he tried to become a commercial pilot.  The color of his skin was the factor in constantly being denied the job.  What followed was a six-year legal battle against discrimination.  In 1963, he won a U.S. Supreme Court case ("Colorado Anti-Discrimination Commission versus Continental Airlines") that opened opportunities for black commercial pilots.  (The first black pilot for a major US airliner was David Harris, who flew for American Airlines beginning in 1964.)  Marlon Green flew for Continental Airlines from 1965-1978.  He became a captain in 1966.  Green died July 06, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. 
     
  • Green, Michael J.  - Founding publisher of the National Catholic Reporter.  Green graduated from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana prior to being drafted into the U.S. Army in January 1951.  He was assigned to be a reporter for Stars & Stripes, covering stories about the 7th Infantry Division.  He was discharged in October 1952 and had a civilian journalism career.  He died December 30, 2012.
     
  • Gregg, Hugh - governor of New Hampshire 1953-55.  He was born in Nashua on November 22, 1917.  Gregg graduated from Yale University in 1939 and Harvard Law School in 1942.  He served as a special agent with the U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corps in World War II (1942-46).  After discharge from the Army he was elected mayor of Nashua.  While still serving as mayor he was recalled to the U.S. Army (counter intelligence) for the Korean War (November 1950 to April 1952).  He was also a counter intelligence instructor at Fort Holabird, Maryland.  He died September 24, 2003.
     
  • Griffin, Lt. Col Julius Benjamin (Ben) - Mississippi State Orange Bowl football champ 1941.  Served in USMC in World War II.  Also served in Korea.  His plane was shot down in Korea in August 1952 while he served with VMA121 in Korea.  He received a Purple Heart and a Distinguished Flying Cross.  After Korea he served in the Florida House of Representatives in the mid-1960s.  His obituary appears on the Death Notices - G page of the Korean War Educator.
     
  • Griffin, William Edmund III (W.E.B. Griffin) - American novelist.  W.E.B. Griffin was born November 10, 1929.  He joined the U.S. Army in 1946 and had an MOS of counter-intelligence.  He served in the Constabulary in Germany at that time.  He was attending Philipps-Universitat Marburg when he was recalled to military service during the Korean War.  He became an official Army war correspondent and then a public information officer for U.S. X Corps.  He received a Combat Infantryman's Badge for service on the front line.  After the Korean War he worked as Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test and Support Activity at Ft. Rucker, Alabama.  He became a successful novelist, writing over 38 novels under his own name and publishing under 13 different pseudonyms.  He authored several of the MASH sequel novels and numerous military-related novels.

    ---

    "
    Mr. Griffin grew up in the suburbs of New York City and Philadelphia. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1946. After basic training, he received counterintelligence training at Fort Holabird, Maryland. He was assigned to the Army of Occupation in Germany, and ultimately to the staff of then-Major General I.D. White, commander of the U.S. Constabulary.

    In 1951, Mr. Griffin was recalled to active duty for the Korean War, interrupting his education at Phillips University, Marburg an der Lahn, Germany. In Korea he earned the Combat Infantry Badge as a combat correspondent and later served as acting X Corps (Group) information officer under Lieutenant General White. On his release from active duty in 1953, Mr. Griffin was appointed Chief of the Publications Division of the U.S. Army Signal Aviation Test & Support Activity at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

    Mr. Griffin is a member of the Special Operations Association, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Army Aviation Association, the Armor Association, and the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) Society. He was the 1991 recipient of the Brigadier General Robert L. Dening Memorial Distinguished Service Award of the U.S. Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the August 1999 recipient of the Veterans of Foreign Wars News Media Award, presented at the 100th National Convention in Kansas City.

    He has been vested into the Order of St. George of the U.S. Armor Association, and the Order of St. Andrew of the U.S. Army Aviation Association, and been awarded Honorary Doctoral degrees by Norwich University, the nation’s first and oldest private military college, and by Troy State University (Ala.). He was the graduation dinner speaker for the class of 1988 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He has been awarded honorary membership in the Special Forces Association, the Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, the Marine Raiders Association, and the U.S. Army Otter & Caribou Association. In January 2003, he was made a life member of the Police Chiefs Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey, and the State of Delaware.

    He is the co-founder, with historian Colonel Carlo D’Este, of the William E. Colby Seminar on Intelligence, Military, and Diplomatic Affairs." - [Source: W.E.G. Griffin Official Website]
     
  • Griffith, Peter Atwill - Born October 23, 1933 in Baltimore, Maryland, Peter Griffith was an American advertising executive and former child actor on Broadway.  He was the father of actresses Melanie Griffith and Tracy Griffith.  He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War.  Peter Griffith died May 14, 2001 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
     
  • Groat, Hall Pierce Sr. - Born in 1932, he is an American painter who works in the Impressionist style. Born and raised in Syracuse, New York, Groat completed a Masters in Fine Arts in 1962 at Syracuse University and has been a professional painter for over forty years. In his early years as an artist, he was both a friend and pupil of artist Norman Rockwell. Notable collectors of his work include Henry Kissinger and former President Jimmy Carter. In 1973, Hall was commissioned to produce a series of ten paintings for the United Nations which were featured on a series of stamps and the original paintings now hang in the United Nations Philatelic Museum in Switzerland. Groat wrote a short autobiography in 2011- ‘They Called me the Brush-Slinger’ and his son Hall Jr is also a professional artist. Groat was drafted into the US Army on his 20th birthday in 1952. After training, he was shipped to Korea and he arrived there in 1953, his unit manning trenches on the front-line for the final weeks of hostilities. On the first day at the front, Groat witnessed one of his friends killed by a mortar shell. He later commented, ‘Visually, Korea inspired me. The mountains in Korea are nothing like the mountains in the US.’ After the ceasefire, Groat’s unit served in the peacetime occupation force and his CO ordered him to paint white stripes on their helmets, paint sign-posts and also complete a mural for the company mess-hall. Groat’s problem was finding paint as when he was given a pass to go to Seoul to buy painting supplies, he could only find one store that sold paint and it only stocked three colors.
     
  • Groat, Richard Morrow "Dick" - major league baseball shortstop.  Born November 4, 1930 in Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, Dick Morrow was a standout in two sports--baseball and basketball.  He played in the NBA prior to being drafted into the Army.  (He was a two time All American at Duke University in basketball.)  He played with the Ft. Wayne Pistons 1952-53, Pittsburg Pirates (1952-62), St. Louis Cardinals (1i963-65), Philadelphia Phillies (1966-67) and San Francisco Giants (1967).  He entered the US Army to begin a two-year stint in February 1953, missing two seasons of baseball with the Pirates.  He was stationed stateside at Ft. Belvoir, Virginia with the Army Engineers.  He played on the base baseball and basketball teams, leading both of them to worldwide Army championships.  He also tried out and made the base football team as punter and place-kicker but chose not to play defensive back for fear of injury.  After discharge he concentrated on baseball.  He was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007 and was later inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.  
     
  • Gurney, Daniel Sexton - racecar legend, racecar designer, team owner.  Born April 13, 1931, Port Jefferson, Long Island, Gurney graduated from Menlo Junior College in Atherton, California.  He served two years in the Army--mostly in the Korean War--as an artillery mechanic.  In 1965 Gurney and the driver/designer Carroll Shelby founded "All American Racers."  Gurney was the first of three drivers to have won races in Sports Cars (1958), Formula One (1962), NASCAR (1963), and Indy (1967).  He died January 14, 2018, Newport Beach, california.
     
  • Haddix, Harvey Jr. - left-handed major league pitcher.  Born September 18, 1925 in Medway, Ohio, Harvey Haddix died January 8, 1994.  He served in the Army 1951-52, playing on the 39th Infantry Regiment baseball team at Ft. Dix.  He was a pitcher for the following teams: St. Louis Cardinals (1952-56), Philadelphia Phillies (1956-57), Cincinnati Redlegs (1958), Pittsburgh Pirates (1959-63), and Baltimore Orioles (1964-65).
     
  • Hagman, Larry Martin - Actor most famous for his leading roles on the television series, "I Dream of Jeannie" and "Dallas."  Born September 21, 1931 in Ft. Worth, Texas, he died November 23, 2012 in Dallas, TX.  In 1952 Hagman enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and remained on duty until 1956.  He was stationed in London during most of his service time, entertaining U.S. military troops who were in Europe during the Korean War years.
     
  • Haise, Fred - civilian NASA research pilot and Apollo missions astronaut.  Born November 14, 1933 in Biloxi, Mississippi, Haise joined the U.S. Marine Corps and served as a fighter pilot at Cherry Point, North Carolina and an interceptor pilot with the Oklahoma National Guard.  He saw active service in three military branches.  After the Korean War he received an aeronautical engineering from the University of Oklahoma in 1959.  He was assigned to the prime crew of Apollo 8, was a back-up crew for Apollo 11, and worked the Apollo 13 mission.
     
  • Hale, James Pierce - drummer with the Anita O'Day Trio and for the Lawrence Welk Show.  He was born on December 5, 1928, and gave 32 years of service in the School of Music, University of Florida as Professor of Percussion and Assistant Chair until his retirement in 1989.  He served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He was originally with the 6th Division Band and was an Instructor of Percussion in the Band Training Unit in Fort Ord, California and then with the 89th Army Band in Fort Sill, Oklahoma until his discharge.
     
  • Haley, Alex - Born in Ithaca, New York, Haley authored "Roots: The Saga of an American Family."  He enlisted in the Coast Guard in the late 1940s and became the Coast Guard's first ever Petty Officer First Class with the rating of Journalist.  He held that position until he left the Coast Guard in 1959.
     
  • Haller, William Edward "Bill"  - Major League Umpire. William Edward Haller (born February 28, 1935 in Joliet, Illinois) is a retired Major League Baseball umpire. Following service in post-war Korea in 1954-55 with the 24ID, Haller officiated 3,068 regular season games in the American League from 1961 and from 1963–1982. He also worked 15 American League Championship Series games in four series (1970, 1973, 1976 and 1980), 27 World Series contests in four different years (1968, 1972, 1978 and 1982) and four All-Star games (1963, 1970, 1975 and 1981).

    Career highlights (per Wikipedia): In 1980, Haller was wearing a microphone as part of a documentary on umpires. After Haller called a balk on Baltimore pitcher Mike Flanagan, the microphone captured an animated tirade directed from Earl Weaver to Haller. Haller was the home plate umpire when Carl Yastrzemski had his 3000th major league hit on September 12, 1979.  Haller wore uniform number 1 from 1980 through 1982 after the American League adopted uniform numbers. He retired after the 1982 World Series. He was the last umpire to wear the balloon-style chest protector in a Fall Classic game, calling balls and strikes for Game 2 between the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals. Bill Haller is the older brother of former Major League catcher Tom Haller.  He is a member of VFW Post 9770 in Brownstown.
     
  • Hamilton, Bernie - American actor.  Born June 12, 1928 in Los Angeles, California, the son of Jesse and Pearl Lee Cooley Hamilton, he was best known for his role as Capt. Harold Dobey in the 1970s television series Starky & Hutch.  He served in the Korean War from December 13, 1950 to December 10, 1952.  He died December 30, 2008 in Los Angeles.
     
  • Hancock, Joy Bright - Naval officer whose signal achievement was her role in the passage of the Women's Armed Services Integration Act of 1948 which established permanent status for women in all branches of the armed services.  Born May 4, 1896 in Wildwood, New Jersey, she enlisted in the Navy in 1918.  Her military career spanned three wars.  Hancock was commissioned as a lieutenant in the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Services) in October of 1942.  At the beginning of the Korean War she supervised the call-up of the Women's Naval Service.  Her retirement was mandatory in 1953.  The following year she married long-time friend Vice Admiral Ralph Ofstie, who died in 1956.  Hancock published her memoir, Lady in the Navy in 1972.  She died August 20, 1986.
     
  • Hardin, Ty - Born Orison Whipple Hungerford Jr. on January 01, 1930 in New York, New York, Hardin was most known for his starring role as Bronco Layne in the television series Bronco, which aired from 1958 to 1962.  After his film career ended he became the leader of a right-wing radical group called The Arizona Patriots.  Ty attended OCS at Ft. Monmouth, New Jersey after joining the Army  He attended flight school in San Marcos, Texas, learning to fly light L-19 aircraft known as the "Birddog".  After becoming a 1st Lieutenant, he served three years overseas during the Korean War with occupation forces in Germany. He died in August of 2017.
     
  • Harrington, Daniel Patrick Jr. - Born in New York, New York on August 13, 1929, Pat Harrington graduated from Fordham University and then served as an Intelligence Officer with the United States Air Force during the Korean War.  He acquired the rank of 1st Lieutenant.  After his military service he starred on television shows with Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Danny Thomas, Bing Crosby, Dennis Weaver, and others.  He was well-known for his role as "The Inspector" and as building superintendent Dwayne Schneider in the television sitcom One Day at a Time from 1975 to 1984.
     
  • Harris, James B. - American screenwriter and film producer/director.  Born in New York in 1928, James Harris joined a film exporting company in 1947 and in 1948 became a distributor with Realart Pictures.  In 1949 he co-founded Flamingo Films, which distributed movies to television.  During the Korean War he served as a cameraman in the U.S. Signal Corps.  Because he had some experience in the film business, he was assigned to the Signal Corps Photographic Center at Paramount’s old Astoria Studios on Long Island, where training films were produced. After discharge he formed Harris-Kubrick Pictures in 1954.  He produced and directed The Killing (1956), Path of Glory (1957), and Lolita (1962).  In addition he produced and directed The Bedford Incident (1965) and produced Don Siegel's Telefon (1977).
     
  • Havens, Bob - Big band and jazz musician (trombone) on the Lawrence Welk Show 1960-1982.  Born May 3, 1930 in Quincy, Illinois, Havens served as a bandsman in the Illinois National Guard during the Korean War.  After the war he played in bands with Al Hurt, Benny Goodman, and others.
     
  • Haynes, Richard "Race Horse" - legendary Houston defense attorney.  Hayne graduated from the University of Houston Law School.  He specialized in what he called "Smith and Wesson" divorces in which wives were charged with killing their husbands.  Haynes was born in Houston in 1927 and died April 2017.  He served in the Marine Corps during World War II, participating in the Battle of Iwo Jima.  He was an Army paratrooper in 1951 in the Korean War. 
     
  • Haynes, Samuel Lloyd - Actor.  Haynes served in the Marines from 1952–1964 and during the Korean War. He was a public-affairs officer for the Naval reserve with the rank of Commander. Following his military career, Haynes studied acting at the Film Industries Workshop and Actors West in Los Angeles. His film career included roles in Madigan (1968), Ice Station Zebra (1968), Assault on the Wayne (1971), Look What's Happened to Rosemary's Baby (1976), The Greatest (1977) and Good Guys Wear Black (1978). Haynes also appeared in a number of television series, such as Batman, the second Star Trek pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before", and the miniseries 79 Park Avenue. Haynes was dropped from Star Trek because series producer Gene Roddenberry preferred actress Nichelle Nichols over him. Haynes received the most recognition for his role as schoolteacher Pete Dixon in the ABC situation comedy series Room 222, with Michael Constantine and Karen Valentine. Haynes and Valentine were both nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for their roles.  He was born September 19, 1934 in South Bend, Indiana, and died of lung cancer on December 31, 1986 in Coronado, California.
     
  • Hazlewood, Barton Lee - Country western singer, songwriter and record producer.  Born July 0, 1929 in Mannford, Oklahoma, Lee Hazlewood was drafted in the Korean War.  While in the army he served with Armed Services Radio stations in Japan and Korea.  After military service he went on to write million-seller music hits for singers such as Nancy Sinatra (These Boots Are Made for Walkin'), Frank Sinatra (This Town), and Dean Martin (Houston).  He died on August 4, 2007 in Henderson, Nevada.
     
  • Hearst, George R. Jr. - Chairman of the Board of Hearst Corporation, President of the Hearst Foundation and a Director of the William Randolph Hearst Foundation.  Born in San Francisco on July 13, 1927 to George R. Hearst Sr. and Blanche Wilbur Hearst.  He served ten years in the military, enlisting in the Naval Air Corps during World War II.  He then served in the Army in the Korean War as a combat helicopter pilot.  He joined the staff of the Los Angeles Examiner in 1948 and in 1958 he was vice president of Hearst Publishing Company.  He became publisher of both the Los Angeles Herald-Express and Los Angeles Examiner in 1960, and publisher of the Los Angeles-Herald Examiner in 1965.
     
  • Henderson, Frank E. "Rudy" - South Dakota state senator (1965-66 & 1969-70) and associate justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court (1979-1994).  Officer in the Army in Korea.  Served in Korea 1951-53.  Earned a Bronze Star.  Born 1928.  Died December 28, 2012 at the age of 84.
     
  • Henry, Buck - Screenwriter, actor, director.  Born December 09, 1930 as Henry Zuckerman in New York City, after graduating from high school he enlisted in the Army during the Korean War and served first as a helicopter mechanic in West Germany.  He was then transferred to Special Services, touring with the 7th Army Repertory Company.  He was co-writer for the movie "The Graduate (1967), appeared in such shows as Catch-22, The Owl and the Pussycat and many more, co-directed the show "Heaven Can Wait" and worked with the "Steve Allen Show."  These were just a few of has many career achievements.  He died January 08, 2020.
     
  • Herbert, Anthony Bernard - Controversial author.  Born April 17, 1930 in Herminie, Pennsylvania, Herbert enlisted in the Army in 1947 to become a paratrooper.  He was discharged from the peacetime army in 1948 but re-enlisted in February 1950 to become a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne Division.  He was deployed to Korea in October 1950, where he earned four Silver Stars, three Bronze Stars, and four Purple Hearts.  He was wounded in Korea multiple times.  General Matthew Ridgway chose Herbert to return to the US and travel across the country promoting the war.  He was discharged in 1952 to pursue a college education at the University of Pittsburgh.  In 1956 he reenlisted as an Army 2nd Lieutenant in the Pennsylvania National Guard.  He was deployed to Vietnam in 1968 where he earned another Silver star and two more Bronze Stars, among other decorations.  He retired from the Army in February 1972.  He authored the controversial book Soldier about his Vietnam experiences, claiming he witnessed atrocities there.  These claims became subject of a CBS 60 Minutes segment that resulted in Herbert filing an unsuccessful liable suit against the program commentators.  Lieutenant Colonel Herbert later became a police and clinical psychologist.  He authored more books, including Making of a Soldier and Military Manual of Self Defense, among others.
     
  • Herriott, John Milton - Animal trainer and inductee into the International Circus Hall of Fame.  His career began in 1937 at the age of 6 in a family act for Barney Bros. Circus.  As a teen and adult he trained elephants, horses, camels, llamas and zebras for the circus.  He enlisted in the Army at the end of 1952.  He trained K-9s and saw combat, earning a Combat Infantryman's Badge.  He was a celebrity at the John and Mable Ringling Museum and a performance director for Ringling Bros. & Barnum & Bailey Circus.  John Milton Herriott was born January 15, 1931 in St. Peter, Minnesota, and died February 26, 2015 after a circus career that spanned over 50 years.
     
  • Herzog, Dorrel Norman Elvert "Whitey" - Major league baseball player and manager who was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010.  Born November 09, 1931 in the German town of New Athens, Illinois, Whitey Herzog served eight years as a major league baseball player and 19 years managing major leagues.  He was in military service in Korea in 1953-54.  Before Korea he was on an Army baseball team.  He returned to baseball by 1956.
     
  • Heyman, Ira Michael - CEO of The Smithsonian Institute and former UC Berkeley Chancellor.  Born May 30, 1930 in New York City, Heyman was an editor of Yale Law Journal.  He graduated from Dartmouth College in 1951 and then served as as 1st Lieutenant in the Korean War.  He remained as a captain in the reserves 1953 to 1958.  Heyman died November 19, 2011.
     
  • Hildemann, William H. - immunogeneticist.  William Hildemann, an internationally known authority on the comparative genetics of the immune system, was a professor of microbiology and immunology at UCLA Medical School in Los Angeles. His immunological work helped lead the way to heart and kidney transplants. Bill Hildemann was born in Los Angeles in 1927. Amyotropic lateral sclerosis ("Lou Gehrig's disease") claimed his life of on September 8, 1983 after two years of severe illness.  He served as a 1st Lieutenant in the 1st Marine Division in Korea.
     
  • Hill, Bettye - Director of the Leadership Institute at Hampton University.  Bettye Hill was born in San Antonio, Texas on February 15, 1950.  She entered the Army Nurse Corps after high school and in June of 1971 she got her first assignment as a clinical staff nurse at Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.  In June of 1973 she became an instructor of practical nursing at Brooke.  In June of 1977 she became head nurse at the 121st Evacuation Hospital in Korea.  The next year she became head nurse in the Medical Intensive Care Unit at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.  During her military career she met and married Charles W. Simmons, an Army Reserve Officer.  She became the first African-American nurse to hold the dual role of deputy commander of the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School which had 30,000 students on and off-site, and the 20th Chief of the Army Nurse Corps with 4,000 active personnel.  Bettye Hill-Simmons retired from active duty in 2000 and then became director of the Leadership Institute at Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia.
     
  • Hill, George Roy - Director, Oscar-nomination for Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, as well as win for directing The Sting. Born December 20, 1921, Hill died December 27, 2002.  During World War II, Hill served in the Marine Corps as a cargo pilot in the South Pacific. The outbreak of the Korean War resulted in his recall to active duty service for 18 months as night fighter pilot, emerging with the rank of major.  He was stationed at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point jet flight training center in North Carolina.
     
  • Hilton, Eric M. - Member of Board of Directors of Conrad N. Hilton Foundation (1971 to present) and former vice chairman of the Hilton Hotels Corporation.  He began his career with Hilton Hotels in 1949.  He attended Texas Western College for two years and had just been accepted to Cornell Hotel School when he was drafted.  He served as a radar specialist in the Korean War.
     
  • Holch, Arthur - documentary filmmaker.  Born March 13, 1924 in Omaha, Nebraska, he worked for CBS radio and NBC television in the 1950s.  He produced numerous documentaries and earned an Emmy for the 1992 HBO documentary, "Heil Hitler! Confessions of a Hitler Youth."  Holch died September 23, 2010 in Greenwich, Connecticut.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War.
     
  • Holland, John Rufus "Top" - Co-founder of the Rolling Thunder Rally in Washington, D.C.  John Rufus Holland was born March 01, 1927 in Lawrenceburg, Indiana, son of Emery and Nora Mae Loomis Holland. He died July 19, 2010 and is buried in Forest Hill Cemetery, Moores Hill, Indiana. He married Anne E. (née Lane) Holland on December 26, 1947. She predeceased him on February 5, 1995.  He retired from the United States Military having served with the United States Marine Corps from 1942 to 1945. (He lied about his age to join the United States Marine Corps.) He served in the United States Army from 1947 to 1970, with two tours of duty in Vietnam from 15 June 1968 to 2 December 1968 and from 25 June 1969 to 17 April 1970 and retired at the rank of Sergeant Major (E-9). He served with the 3rd Marine Division during World War II; the 187th Regiment Team in Korea and served four times in Vietnam with the Special Forces and was an original Green Beret. He received the Task Force Omega award in 2004 for outstanding support and dedication to POW/MIA efforts. In 2008, he received the Vietnam Veteran-of-the-Year and was recognized by the Indiana House of Representatives for his dedication to the United States of America. He was recognized at the Aurora Firecracker Festival for having written a law enacted by Congress for the humane treatment of POWs. Among his many medals received were the Combat Infantry Medal with Star, the Marine Corps Action Ribbon, and the Master Jump Wings with two Gold Stars. In retirement, he was an advocate of MIA and POW groups and was one of the four founders of the Rolling Thunder organization. He is survived by six sons and daughters-in-law, John and Cindy Holland, of Henryville, Indiana, Patrick and Charlene Holland, of Moores Hill, Steve and Lisa Holland, of Jacksonville, Florida, Rob Holland, of Burlington, Kentucky, Chris and Cindy Holland, of Clarksville, Indiana, and Eric Holland, of Texas; ; a daughter, Megan Holland, of Madison, Indiana; his brother, Robert Holland, of Pennsylvania; his sister, Luella Brooker, of Lawrenceburg; 15 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
     
  • Holleder, Don - American college football star. He was heavily recruited by a number of top college football teams, including West Point's offensive coach Vince Lombardi. He elected to enroll at the United States Military Academy at West Point. The New York Giants selected Holleder in the 1956 NFL Draft college draft, but Holleder was not interested in a professional football career. After graduating West Point, he continued to serve in the Army.

    Over the next ten years he rose to the rank of Major, serving posts in Korea and Germany, and briefly returning to West Point as an instructor and assistant football coach. In 1967, Holleder requested to be sent to Vietnam, where he became the Operations Officer for 2nd Battalion 28th Infantry of the 1st Infantry Division. He was killed in the Battle of Ong Thanh on October 17, 1967 while attempting to rescue a group of his fellow soldiers who had been ambushed. Holleder battled sniper fire to land his helicopter in a clearing. While he was leading the evacuation, he was struck by enemy fire and killed. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart. [Source: Website "www.iservedtoo.com"]
     
  • Holloway, J.L. III - Admiral Holloway graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1942 as a member of the first three-year class accelerated by U.S. involvement in World War II. During the War, he served aboard destroyers on North Atlantic convoy duty, in North African waters and in the Pacific where he participated in the Saipan, Tinian, Palau, Peleliu campaigns and the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Following World War II, Holloway entered flight training and became a naval aviator, and served in Korean and Vietnam. He commanded the USS Enterprise from 1965-67, established the Navy’s Nuclear Powered Carrier Program at the Pentagon, commanded the Seventh Fleet in 1972, and served as Chief of Naval Operations from 1974 to 1978. Retired from the Navy since 1970, Holloway currently serves as the Chairman of the Naval Historical Foundation.
     
  • Horchow, Samuel Roger - Broadway producer, author, occasional film actor (X-files), founder of the Horchow Collection, a subsidiary of Neiman-Marcus.  Born July 3, 1928 in Cincinnati, Ohio, he graduated from Yale University.  After attending Officer Candidate School, he served as a lieutenant in the army during the Korean War.  Later he founded the Horchow Collection, the first luxury mail-order catalogue.  He is a Tony Award-winning producer of Broadway shows such as "Annie", "Kiss Me, Kate", "Crazy for You", "Curtains", and "Bandstand: The New American Musical.
     
  • Hornberger, H. Richard (a/k/a Richard Hooker) - Surgeon and novelist.  Born February 1, 1924, Richard Hornberger graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, and then received a medical doctor's degree from Cornell Medical School.  He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and served as a surgeon in the 8055th MASH unit in Korea.  After Korea he served as a surgeon in a VA hospital before setting up medical practice in Waterville, Maine as a thoracic surgeon.  He remained in that practice until he retired in 1988. In 1968, under the pen name Richard Hooker, Hornberger wrote MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors.  This was followed by several sequels.  MASH was adapted into a motion picture entitled, "M*A*S*H", and was further adapted to a popular television series.  Hornberger died at the age of 73 of leukemia on November 4, 1997 in Portland, Maine.  It should be noted that several sequels in the MASH series were actually written by ghost writer William E. Butterworth.
     
  • Horrigan, Edward A. Jr. - Recipient of Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans award, Horrigan is a corporation executive who came from humble beginnings in New York.  After graduating from the University of Connecticut with a U.S. Army commission, he became commander of a rifle company in Korea.  He was a 1st Lieutenant and Field Communications Chief with the 2nd Infantry Division's Headquarters 2nd Battalion when he was seriously wounded by a missile in Korea on September 21, 1952.  He spent six months recovering in a hospital and received a medical discharge.  He is the recipient of a Silver Star.  According to the Horatio Alger Association, Horrigan, "believes his time as an officer in combat helped him develop the leadership skills that made him a success in business."  After Korea he began selling soap for Proctor & Gamble and eventually moved on to executive positions at the Ebonite Company, Thomas J. Lipton, Inc., the Buckingham Corporation, and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco International.  He became vice chairman of the board of RJR Nabisco in 1985 and held that position until he retired in 1989.
     
  • Howard, Elston - Yankees/Red Sox ballplayer.  Born February 23, 1929, Howard began his baseball career in 1946, debuting in the Tandy League.  He signed with the Kansas City Monarchs, playing left field and filling in at first base.  He was sold to the New York Yankees in 1950 but was later drafted into the Army and sent overseas to play baseball in Special Services in Japan in 1953.  He returned to the New York Yankees after discharge.  He was sold to the Red Sox in 1967.  He was the first black American to win the American League's Most Valuable Player award and the first black coach of an American League team.  He died in December 1980 at the age of 51.
     
  • Hrasch, John A. - Minor League baseball player, shortstop. [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com] College Baseball All-America John Hrasch had just started his professional career when military service beckoned. Tragedy was just around the next corner. John Arthur Hrasch, the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Hrasch, was born in Cleveland, Ohio on December 22, 1928.  He attended Ohio University at Athens, where he played baseball between 1948 and 1950. A slick fielding, right-handed hitting shortstop, Hrasch batted .399 his senior year (.403 over three seasons with the Bobcats, which remains second best), and was the first Bobcat to be named to the College Baseball All-America team as voted by the American Baseball Coaches Association. It was the Pirates who scooped up the big league prospect; Farm Secretary Fred Hering proudly making the announcement that the young infielder had been signed by scout Bill Hinchman in June 1950.  On June 16, Hrasch reported to the Charleston Rebels of the Class A South Atlantic League, managed by former major leaguer Rip Sewell. However, he was quickly reassigned to the New Orleans Pelicans of the Class AA Southern Association, where he played 73 games and batted .221. In 1951, Hrasch was back with the Pelicans, reunited with manager Rip Sewell who replaced Bill Burwell as the club’s skipper. Yet again, it was to be a brief encounter as Hrasch received orders to report for military duty on May 4. In 13 games, the 22-year-old was batting .319.  Private Hrasch was initially assigned to Fort Meade, where he regularly played baseball during the summer months. The following year he was assigned to the Medical Replacement Center at Camp Pickett in Blackstone, Virginia.  On August 18, 1952, Private John Hrasch and Second Lieutenant Ronald J. Hickey (a former basketball player at Boston University) were travelling in a car that was involved in a head-on collision with a truck near Ladysmith, Virginia. Both Hrasch (who had just received orders to report to Alaska) and Hickey were killed instantly. Floyd L. Plummer, the driver of the truck, was taken to Fredericksburg Hospital with injuries. John Hrasch was buried at Highland Park Cemetery in Cleveland on August 23, 1952. He was 23 years old.

    Sources:  Zanesville Signal - March 30, 1950
    Madison Capital Times – April 14, 1950
    Lebanon Daily News – June 15, 1950
    Altoona Mirror – June 17, 1950
    Gulfport and Biloxi Daily Herald – March 28, 1951
    Athens Messenger – April 14, 1952
    Athens Messenger – May 21, 1952
    Brooklyn Eagle – August 19, 1952
    Sandusky Register-Star-News – August 20, 1952
    Hamilton Journal – August 20, 1952
    Boston College Magazine – Winter 2002
    Ohio University Baseball Media Guide - 2012
     
  • Hudgens, James B. - Minor League baseball player.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com.  Jim Hudgens cut short a promising career in baseball to serve his country for three years, only to lose his life in a tragic accident. James Robert Hudgens was born on January 4, 1929 in Tucson, Arizona. In 1946 and 1947, as well as playing football, Hudgens played the outfield for Coach Hank Slagle’s Tucson High School Badgers team.  After playing freshman baseball at the University of Arizona in 1948, Hudgens was signed by the Wellsville Nitros of the Class D PONY League. He was quickly optioned to the Mahanoy City Bluebirds of the Class D North Atlantic League and then to the Carbondale Pioneers of the same league. The left-handed hitting outfielder played 35 games with the Pioneers and batted .235. In 1948, the 19-year-old played for the pennant-winning Oroville Red Sox of the Class D Far West League and batted .290 in 113 games, including 13 triples. Despite the beginnings of a promising career in professional baseball, Hudgens – back home in Tucson – visited the local recruiting office in November 1948 and enlisted in the Navy for three years. With the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, Seaman Hudgens served aboard the USS St. Paul (CA-73), a Baltimore-class cruiser. On April 21, 1952, while firing on enemy installations at the Kojo area off the east coast of North Korea, there was an explosion in the forward 8-inch gun turret. Thirty men were killed, including James Hudgens. The explosion occurred in the turret's left gun, which was loaded but had the breech open. The gun captain thought the weapon had fired and told the gun's rammerman to ram another projectile into the gun's breech, causing it to blow up. James Hudgens, who was awarded the Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal, is buried at Evergreen Memorial Park in Tucson.

    Sources:

    Tucson Daily Citizen – October 5, 1946
    Tucson Daily Citizen – October 24, 1946
    Tucson Daily Citizen – November 5, 1946
    Tucson Daily Citizen – January 22, 1947
    Bradford Era – March 4, 1947
    Tucson Daily Citizen – March 21, 1947
    Bradford Era – May 6, 1947
    Oakland Tribune – June 3, 1948
    Tucson Daily Citizen – November 10, 1948
    Tucson Daily Citizen – April 25, 1952
    Long Beach Press-Telegram – April 25, 1952
    San Mateo Times – April 25, 1952
    Charleston Gazette – December 6, 1952
    www.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Saint_Paul_(CA-73)
    www.findagrave.com
     
  • Humble, Weldon - NFL (Dallas Texans and then Cleveland Browns).  Military Career: Humble has an interesting parallel in his career in that he played college football before and after military service and had his pro career repeat the same pattern. Humble’s playing days at Rice sandwiched a tour of duty with the Marine Corps in World War II. He was a rifle platoon leader in the 2nd Marine Division at Saipan and the invasion of Okinawa. His actions in battle earned him a first lieutenant commission and a Bronze Star. He then entered the NFL with the Dallas Texans in 1950. The Marines recalled Humble in 1951, during the Korean War, to be an instructor at the Marine Officer School in Quantico, VA. When he completed his instructing duties, Humble returned to the NFL, this time with the Cleveland Browns.
     
  • Hunter, Bynum Merritt - prominent attorney who was the youngest inductee of the American College of Trial Lawyers.  He was the attorney for the Atlantic Coast Conference for more than 25 years.  A graduate of the University of North Carolina School of Law in 1949, he enlisted in the Navy during World War II and served in the South Pacific, attaining the rank of lieutenant.  He was recalled to active duty in the Navy during the Korean War and was a Lieutenant aboard the USS LSMR525, a rocket-firing ship in the Pacific that participated in a number of shore bombardments of North Korea.  He was released from active duty in 1953.  He was admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court in 1959, before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit in 1955, and before the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in 1995.  Hunter was born June 13, 1925 in Greensboro, North Carolina, and died January 18, 2018.
     
  • Ilitch, Mike - Founder of Little Caesar's Pizza and owner of the Detroit Tigers. In 2015 he donated land and a $ 35 million endowment to build the Mike Ilitch School of Business at Wayne State University.  Born July 20, 1929, he played baseball in Detroit before joining the Marine Corps during the Korean War.  According to Iltch, "My experiences as a Marine really helped me become more focused and organized, and helped me to set some goals for my future," Ilitch said while describing his Veteran Franchise program. "These characteristics are a good fit for business in general, and for Little Caesars in particular."  En route to Korea the ship stopped in Hawaii and Iltch was pulled from the ranks, "by a three-star general who was a big jock. He took me off the ship so I could play for a (military) baseball team in Pearl Harbor. I finished my service there."  He served in the Marine Corps from 1948 to 1952.  In addition to his time at Pearl Harbor, he was stationed at Quantico and Parris Island.  Mike Ilitch died on February 10, 2017.
     
  • Hunt, William Patrick Jr. - William P. Hunt, Jr., enlisted in the Army on 1 July 1939 and served in a field artillery battery at Fort Monroe, VA. He was discharged to become a Cadet at West Point on 28 June 1940 and was commissioned a 2d lieutenant in the Regular Army on 1 June 1943. He served in the Coastal Artillery Corps until 1946, when he transferred to Infantry. He had brief overseas assignments in the Philippines and Korea from July 1945 through 1947. He served as the Assistant Professor of Military Science at the Citadel and at the Infantry School, Fort Benning, from 1947 to 1950. In 1951 he attended the Air Force Liaison Pilot School at San Marcos, TX. He then attended further training at Fort Sill. In February 1952 he was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division in Korea. On 21 June 1952 he was killed in action as the result of a plane crash.
     
  • Imel, Lawrence Jack - Singer, dancer, musician on Lawrence Welk Show.  Born June 9, 1932 in Portland, Indiana, Jack Imel began tap dancing at age four.  He joined the Navy during the Korean War and spent six months at the Navy School of Music.  Toward the end of his tour of duty he was stationed in San Diego.  After discharge he joined the Lawrence Welk Show in 1957, playing marimba.  Beginning in the 1970s he paired with Mary Lou Metzger in speciality song and dance routines.  He also was known for wearing animal costumes alongside dancer Bobby Burgess during the Welk Show and was an accomplished drummer in the Welk band, "Hotsie Tottsy Boys."
     
  • Jacobs, Andrew Jr. - Andrew Jacobs was born on February 24, 1932 in Indianapolis and died there on December 28, 2013.  A lawyer, Indiana State legislator and Congressman, Jacobs served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965 to 1973 and 1975 to 1997.  He served in combat in Korea with the 1st Marine Division and was a disabled veteran.
     
  • Jaharis, Michael Jr. - co-founder of Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc.  Jaharis graduated from Carroll University in 1950.  During his subsequent military service in the Korean War years, he acquired an interest in medicine.  He was assigned to a Medical Corps unit in Zell am See, Austria, where he helped run the unit's medical and pharmaceutical supply management. He and his partner acquired Key Pharmaceuticals, a tiny producer of cough and cold remedies, in 1972.  Following a $836 million merger with Schering-Ploughe, Jaharis then co-founded the Kos Pharmaceuticals Inc. company in 1988.  The company developed drugs to treat chronic cardiovascular and respiratory diseases.  In 2006 Kos was sold to Abbott Labs for $4.2 billion.  Jaharis died in February 2016.
     
  • James, Sonny - American country music singer and songwriter best known for his 1957 hit, Young Love. Dubbed the "Southern Gentleman", Sonny James (Loden) had 72 country and pop chart hits from 1953 to 1983, including a five-year streak of 16 straight among his 23 No. 1 one hits. Twenty-one of his albums reached the country top ten from 1964 to 1976. He is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame. His National Guard unit was activated to participate in the Korean War, one of the first U.S. groups to respond to that war. On September 9, 1950 his Alabama Army National Guard unit was sent to Korea, returning home in the fall of 1951. His Guard unit was the 252nd Truck Company out of Hamilton, Alabama.  The 252nd was attached to the 2nd Infantry Division.  James was honorably discharged and moved to Nashville. [Source: www.iservedtoo.com] Sonny James was born James Hugh "Sonny Boy" Loden on May 01, 1928 in Hackleburg, Alabama.  He died February 22, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.
     
  • Jankowski, Raymond H. - Minor League baseball player. [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com] An Illinois State League all-star in 1948, Jankowski had only been in military service for seven months when tragedy struck. Raymond Henry Jankowski was born in Locust Township, Pennsylvania on June 23, 1929. He signed with the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 1948, pitching for the West Frankfort Cardinals of the Class D Illinois State League. The 5-foot-8, left-hander finished the season with a superb 15-2 won-loss record and a 2.52 ERA in 23 appearances. He hurled a 2-0, one-hitter against the Mattoon Indians on August 28 and was an Illinois State League all-star selection. Jankowski was with the St. Joseph Cardinals of the Class C Western Association at the start of 1949. Despite hurling a 9-0, two-hitter over Leavenworth in the season opener, the 20-year-old spent the majority of the season with the Hamilton Cardinals of the Class D PONY League, posting a 13-7 record in 23 appearances with a 4.70 ERA. In 1950, Jankowski was assigned to the Columbus Cardinals of the Class A Sally League. However, an arm operation kept him on the disabled list for the entire season. In 1951, he was signed by the Pocatello Cardinals of the Class C Pioneer League but military service called before the season began. Stationed with the Army at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, Private Jankowski had only been in the army seven months when he was tragically killed in an accident. On November 2, 1951, he was run over by a bulldozer and died of his injuries several hours later.

    Sources:

    Mount Vernon Register-News – July 7, 1948
    Mount Vernon Register-News – July 19, 1948
    Mount Vernon Register-News – August 28, 1948
    Mount Vernon Register-News – August 30, 1948
    Joplin Globe – April 24, 1949
    Ada Evening News – April 27, 1949
    Miami (OK) Daily News-Record – April 29, 1949
    Dunkirk Evening Observer – September 13, 1949
    Idaho Sunday Journal – October 15, 1950
    Ogden Standard-Examiner – October 16, 1950
    Idaho State Journal – January 14, 1951
    Idaho State Journal – February 20, 1951
    Berkshire Evening Eagle – November 6, 1951
    Hagerstown Morning Herald – November 6, 1951
    Arizona Genealogy Birth and Death Certificates - http://genealogy.az.gov
     
  • Janssen, David - actor.  Famous for his starring role as Dr. Richard Kimble in "The Fugitive" (2963-67).  Served two years in the Army (6/52/-6/54) at Ft. Ord, California in Special Services.  He took basic training in Company K, 20th Regiment at Ft. Ord.  Was MC of the program, "Operation Goodwill" while in Special Services.  Honorably discharged with rank of Corporal.  Born 3/27/1931.  Died 2/13/1980.
     
  • Jenkins, George "Bud" - electrical engineer for Cal Tech's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).  Born in Tuscola, Illinois, and graduate of Tuscola High School in 1952, Bud's equipment and signature were on two of the Voyager space crafts.  He served in the US Navy from November of 1953 until his discharge in August of 1957.  Stateside he taught pilots to fly on instruments in Florida.  On Guam he taught pilots to fly intercepts.  After military service he received a BS in electrical engineering from the University of Illinois.  He then moved to California and worked for Lockheed for a while before becoming a member of the technical staff for JPL.  After 26 years with JPL, Bud retired in 1994.  In 2019 he was living in California.
     
  • Jenkins, Harold Lloyd (a/k/a Conway Twitty) - Country western superstar who also sang blues and gospel.  Born Harold Lloyd Jenkins on September 1, 1933 in Mississippi, Conway Twitty died June 5, 1993.  He wanted to become a professional baseball player and was offered a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies, but Harold was drafted into the Army for the Korean War and served in Japan.  While in the Far East Command, he became a member of the Fuji Mountain Boys band representing his army base in the 1954 All-Army Talent Competition.  Other band members were Johnny Eubanks, Gene Jones, and Craig Reemes.  After the band won the competition, they changed the name of the band to the Cimarrons.  The Cimarrons were voted the "Best Instrumental Group" of the Far East Command.  The band began playing for military service clubs in Japan and it was joined by Nick Cristiano on the drums and trumpet.  Conway Twitty's recording of Mabelline on his 1994 CD, "The Conway Twitty Collection" was recorded in 1956 while he was aboard ship en route from Japan to San Francisco.  When Harold returned to the States he still had an open offer to join the Phillies, but chose a musical career instead.  Harold Jenkins changed his name to Conway Twitty in 1957.
     
  • Jenkins, Lew - Lew Jenkins was Lightweight Boxing Champion of the World in 1940 and 1941. He knocked out Lou Ambers in May 1940 to win the title. Lew learned boxing in the old peacetime Army in the 1930s. He took his discharge in the late 30s and turned pro fighting first in Texas and later in New York, winning the title in 1940. In World War II Lew served in the US Coast Guard, insisting on seeing combat.  He operated a Landing Craft in all of the landings in Europe and later took the British troops on landings in the Pacific. He served in the 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division in the Korean War and received the Silver Star in the fighting on "Bloody Ridge."  Lew was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York in 1999. Lew retired from the Army in 1969. Art Lajeunesse of Latham, New York wrote to the KWE: "I had the pleasure of meeting Lew at a Platoon Sergeants School in our 2nd Infantry rear in February 1952. Lew Jenkins was from Sweetwater, Texas and one of the best fighters and soldiers I ever knew. He died back in the 1980s and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Military Career: Former Lightweight Champion Jenkins, after losing his title in December 1941, found a bigger calling than boxing during World War II. He enlisted in the Coast Guard and was involved in troop deployments in Sicily, Salerno, North Africa, and the Normandy Invasion. During World War II, he received a good conduct medal for teaching fellow soldiers how to box and keeping morale high. After World War II, Jenkins reenlisted in the Army in 1948.  Unsatisfied with the lack of combat experience, he reenlisted again at the outbreak of the Korean War, this time signing up for the infantry. While in Korea, Jenkins was awarded the Silver Star and other medals. Jenkin’s actions in combat that garnered the Silver Star: The 38th Regiment of the 2nd Infantry Division started with 200 men, but it quickly was reduced to 68. Jenkins took control and formed what was left of the regiment into a platoon. He led his men to a jungle creek bottom behind Chinese lines, where the platoon held off the Chinese for ten days, allowing men from two other companies to escape the engagement. Major General Robert N. Young on Jenkin’s actions: “I have brought back with me from Korea one of the bravest and finest soldiers I have yet to have under my command. He was very popular with all the men up and down the line. He is First Sergeant Lew Jenkins.” Jenkin’s Army career ended in 1963 with a tour of duty in Germany.
     
  • Jepko, Herbert Earl Sr. - 1st radio talk show host to do a nationally syndicated, satellite-delivered program.  Born March 20, 1931 in Chino Valley, Arizona, Jepko was drafted into the army during the Korean War.  He was based in California, where he became chief of radio-television operations for the 4th Army.  He returned to civilian life in 1954.  In 1964 his talk show, "The Other Side of the Day" first aired.  The show's name was later changed to "Nightcaps".  Jepko was posthumously inducted into the Utah Broadcaster's Association Hall of Fame in 2003.  He died March 31, 1995.
     
  • Johnson, Samuel Robert - U.S. Representative to Congress from 3rd District of Texas, as well as served seven years in the Texas State legislature, elected in 1984.  Born October 11, 1930, Representative Johnson (R) flew 62 missions in Korea in F-86s.  During the last of his 25 combat missions in Vietnam, his plane was shot down and he was a POW in Hanoi from April 1966 to February 1973.  He retired from the US Air Force in 1979 with the rank of Colonel after 29 years in the Air Force.  among his military decorations are two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, a Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star with V, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three outstanding unit awards.
     
  • Jolstead, Jerry Alf - radio  personality.  Age 75, passed away on September 28, 2006. A current resident of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, he owned and operated Running Bear Mortgage throughout Arizona and Nevada. Born in Potlatch, Idaho to Alf and Devota Jolstead on April 12, 1931, Jerry enjoyed a full life with his wife and 6 children; he had more enthusiasm than possibly imaginable. Jerry moved from Lewiston, Idaho in 1950 and joined the Navy during the Korean War. He became a radio shack operator and won awards for his ability to send and received coded communications in three different languages. He was a radio operator on the DE LeRay Wilson 414 stationed out of San Diego. In late 1953 he was honorably discharged earning six naval accommodations. After Korea he attended and graduated from Washington State University where he was a sports announcer and TV talk show host in Spokane. Jerry played football in high school and for the Cougars. He was lovingly knows as the "Bear". After earning his degree Jerry worked in Los Angeles at a major TV station. Jerry moved to San Bernardino in 1960 where he worked at KFXM 590, then moved to KITO radio where he helped build K/MEN 129 radio into the #1 Rock 'n' Roll station of the 60s. He also worked collaboratively to bring The Rolling Stones, Donovan and several other well known groups to the U.S. for their signing debut. In late 1978, Jerry assisted the owners of radio station KBBL 99.1 in launching the brand new sound of radio station KGGI/99.1 in late 1978; it became the new #1 station in just a few months. In the mid 70's, Jerry established Bear Broadcasting and purchased K/GUY radio in Palm Desert and commuted from his home in Grand Terrace. Jerry opened Running Bear Mortgage in 1991, and eventually expanded the business to include five offices throughout Arizona & Nevada. The company was named after one of Joan and Jerry's favorite songs at the time, "Running Bear Loved Little White Dove". Jerry was a life-time animal lover. He never saw a dog he didn't like! Jerry had a long-time commitment to the Western Arizona Humane Society and to the care of the sick and/or injured dogs. Jerry loved to fly and owned his own own plane. He was also very athletic and enjoyed boating and all types of sports. Jerry leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Joan Jolstead; his son, Mark Jolstead and daughter-in-law Terian; son, Brent Jolstead and daughter-in-law Marisa; son, Michael Jolstead; daughter Jennefer Collins and son-in-law Patrick; daughter, Patrice Blank and son-in-law Mark; brother and sister-in-law, Raymond and Sannie Covelli of Colorado; aunt, Shirley Jolstead of Lewiston, Idaho; 17 grandchildren; God-child, Treana Rodelas, and beloved company employees. Jerry was a wonderful father, grandfather, husband, and employer. Private family services will be held at the Riverside National Cemetery. His family has requested donations be made to the Western Arizona Humane Society, 1100 Empire Drive, Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403.
    Published in the Press-Enterprise.  [Source: Findagrave]
     
  • Jones, Dean - actor.  Born January 25, 1931, in Decatur, Alabama, Jones joined the U.S. Navy Air Corps and served four years during the Korean War era.  He was stationed in San Diego, California, where he entertained the men at the base with variety shows and performed on the local television show, "Liberty Calls."  Famous for several leading roles in Disney movies from 1965 to 1977, he founded the Christian Rescue Committee in 1998 to help aid individuals around the world who are persecuted for their faith.
     
  • Jones, George Glenn - greatest honky tonk performer ever!  Country western singer George Jones was born September 12, 1931 in Saratoga, Texas.  He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1950.  He remained stateside throughout the Korean War, stationed at San Jose, California.  On Saturday nights he was hired by local music entrepreneur Cottonseed Clark at $25 for each performance to sing in bars near the base (Moffett Field Naval Air Station).  After discharge from the USMC in 1953, his music career took off and during his lifetime he achieved the following:  60 studio albums, 2 live albums, 6 compilations, 140 singles, 18 music videos, and 14 No. 1 Hit songs.  He was inducted in the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1992.
     
  • Jones, James Earl - actor.  Born January 17, 1931 in Arkabutla, Mississippi, at the end of the summer of 1953 he enlisted in the ROTC and then got orders to Ft. Benning, Georgia, to attend Basic Infantry Officers School.  He said he washed out of Ranger School.  His regiment was established as a cold weather training unit at Old Camp Hale near Leadville, Colorado.  He never saw live action in Korea.  He was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant.  During college he joined the Reserve Officer Training Corps and became a cadet on the Pershing Rifles Drill Team.  The recipient of Tony Awards, a Grammy Award, an Oscar and an Emmy, he was also the voice of Darth Vadar in Star Wars.
     
  • Jones, Roger D. - founder of Fireline Inc., Youngstown, Ohio, a company that produces industrial ceramics that are used to create turbine engines.  The company is a leading supplier for the aerospace and other industries.  Jones received a Bachelor of Science in Ceramic Engineering in 1951 from Alfred University in New York.  From 1951  to 1953 he served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War.  He was awarded the Bronze Star.
     
  • Jones, Thomas Collins - lyricist.  Born February 17, 1928 in Littlefield, Texas, he attended the University of Texas, graduating with a master's degree in 1951.  After serving in the Korean War he collaborated with John Donald Robb in the musical "Joy Comes to Deadhorse".  He and fellow Korean War veteran Harvey Schmidt collaborated on the musical "The Fantasticks", which was the longest-running musical in history.  He is also known for his contributions to "110 in the Shade" and "I Do! I Do!"  Tom Jones died of cancer on August 11, 2023 at his home in Sharon, Connecticut.  He was 95 years old.
     
  • Kanaya, Jimmie - Born in Oregon, Kanaya enlisted at the age of 20 in the Army Medical Department in 1941, was assigned later to the 442nd Infantry Regimental Combat Team Medical Detachment as a SSG, and entered the Italian campaign attached to the 34th Infantry Division, receiving a battlefield commission. during this campaign. While attached to the 36th ID in Southern France, Kanaya was captured while attempting to evacuate casualties from the Vosges Mountains. He was taken to Oflag 64 POW Camp in Poland, marched 380 miles West Germany, escaped with the aid of Patton’s Third Army, and was re-captured and returned to Oflag 64. After World War II, Kanaya served as a Regular Army officer in Germany, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Hawaii and Alaska as a Company Commander, Intelligence Officer, Field Hospital Commander, Battalion S3, Executive Officer and Commander, and as Executive Officer of the Medical Training Center at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He retired in 1974 with 33 years of military service.
     
  • Kasem, Kemal Amin "Casey" - Best known for hosting Top 40 radio countdown shows, as well as the voice of Shaggy on Scooby Doo (1969-2009), Casey Kasem was born April 27, 1932 in Detroit, Michigan.  He was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1952, serving as DJ and announcer at the Armed Forces Radio Korea Network in Korea in 1952.  He died Jun 15, 2014 in Gig Harbor, Washington.
     
  • Kaye, Darwood "Waldo" - actor.  Born in 1929 and died 2002, Kaye starred in 21 "Our Gang" movies as Waldo.  He enlisted in the US Army, spending one and a half years in the service, mostly in Korea.  He became a pastor later in life.  He was killed by a hit and run driver while walking on a sidewalk in Riverside, California.
     
  • Kehoe, Ralph Patrick - University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Famer.  One of the greatest versatile athletes ever to don the Green and Gold was Ralph P. Kehoe, a 1973 UVM Hall of Fame inductee. The former Waterford (Conn.) High School football coach won letters in football, baseball and basketball, the lone three-letter recipient in his class. At UVM, he was also a member of Delta Psi fraternity. Like many offensive lineman throughout the country, Kehoe was sometimes overlooked while performing brilliantly up front on the offensive line. "An outstanding football player and all-around athlete," says "Fuzzy" Evans, his coach in college and fellow Athletic Hall of Fame inductee in 1973. Each year, the Ralph P. Kehoe Trophy was presented in his honor to the "Outstanding football lineman that is often unrecognized." The 1951 UVM graduate was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze and Silver Stars for his heroic action in Korea, while serving in the Army. Ralph P Kehoe began his football coaching duties as head football coach at Waterford (Conn.) High School, in 1963. He was also a former assistant principal at Old Lyme High School.  Ralph was born June 1, 1928 in Rutland, Vermont and died May 1, 1989 in Essex, Connecticut.
     
  • Kellner, Walter Joseph - pitcher in major leagues.  Born April 26, 1929 in Tucson, Arizona, Walt Kellner died June 19, 2006 in Tucson.  He served in the US Army 1951-52.  He made his MLB  debut on September 6, 1952 for the Philadelphia Athletics..  His last MLB appearance was September 11, 1953 for the Philadelphia Athletics.  He played several years in the minors until 1958.
     
  • Keys, Sarah Louise - on August 1, 1952, Pvt. Sarah Keys was en route from Fort Dix, New Jersey to her family's home in Washington, North Carolina, on a Carolina Coach Company Bus.  During a bus change stop, the bus driver ordered Private Keys to give up her seat to a white Marine.  Sarah refused, was put in jail for 13 hours, and forced to pay a $25 fine for disorderly conduct.  Her parents encouraged her to file a lawsuit against the bus company, which she did.  Her attorney was former WAAC and African-American lawyer Dovey Mae Johnson Roundtree (1914-2018).  Attorney Roundtree graduated from Howard University Law School in 1950.  Miss Keys won her case, resulting in an Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ruling prohibiting segregation on interstate buses.  The ruling was made public on November 25, 1955, six days before Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of a bus.  The ICC did not enforce its own ruling until 1961.  Sarah Keys married George Evans in 1958 and became a hairdresser in Harlem.  On August 1, 2020,  a plaza with eight chronological murals and two bronze plaques was dedicated to Sarah Keys Evans in the MLK Park, Roanoke Rapids.
     
  • Kelly, Brian - television actor who played the dad, "Porter Ricks" in the TV series Flipper in the 1960s.  He served in the United States Marine Corps 1950-53, beginning his acting career after discharge from military service.
     
  • Kennedy, Edward Moore "Teddy" - 2nd longest serving US Senator.  Born 2/22/1932 in Massachusetts, he died 8/25/2009.  Teddy Kennedy graduated from Milton Academy Prep School in 1950.  He joined the US Army in 1951 and trained for the Military Police Corps at Camp Gordon.  In 1952 he was assigned as an honor guard in Europe.  He was discharged from the Army in 1953 as a PFC.
     
  • Kennedy, Francis - inventor.  Francis Kennedy, 95, died May 10, 2020 of coronavirus in a nursing home in Clarence, New York.  He was born June 21, 1924 in Pittston, Pennsylvania, to Francis P. and Loretta Kennedy.  At the age of 27 years, he served as a forward artillery observer in the Korean War.  He flew on 154 sorties, many as an air-spotter.  He was shot down three times.  He received a Silver Star for pulling three of his men to safety after a Chinese ambush.  He was the recipient of two Purple Hearts.  He was the investor of an early form of caller ID and designed an energy efficient concrete block.  He was the father of eleven sons, three daughters, 38 grandchildren, 38 great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild.
     
  • Kerr, David C.G. - This prominent lawyer in the Tampa Bay (Florida) area, was also head of the Florida Transportation Commission and served as commission member 1987-1999.  He was a member of the University of Tampa Board of Trustees.  He also served 39 years as general counsel and executive director of the National Juice Producers Association.  He died in 2002 of Lou Gehrig's disease.  David Kerr was born in Hamburg, Germany but his family moved to Bronxville, New York at the start of World War II.  He served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War, receiving his law degree from New York University in 1957.
     
  • Kerrigan, Evans Edward - Ed Kerrigan was involved in veterans' advocacy at the state and national level.  He was the author of several books on military history and medals, and was former editor of the Purple Heart Association magazine.  Born November 30, 1932 in Brooklyn, he died November 20, 2014 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.  An E-2-5 Marine in Korea, he received three Purple Hearts and the Navy Cross for action in the Korean War.  His obituary is located on the KWE.
     
  • Kevorkian, Jacob "Jack" - Infamous physician who assisted in patient suicides.  Born Jacob Kevorkian on May 26, 1928 in Pontiac, Michigan, he graduated with a medical degree from the University of Michigan in 1952.  He  served 15 months as an Army medical officer in Korea, finishing his military service in Colorado.  He began a crusade for assisted suicide in 1986.  In 1999 he was convicted of second degree murder and the illegal delivery of a controlled substance following the assisted suicide of Thomas Youk, who suffered from Lou Gehrig's disease.  He was sentenced to 25 years in prison, but was released on good behavior in 2007.  He died June 03, 2011 in Royal Oak, Michigan.
     
  • Kielian, Alfred B. "Al"  - electronics expert for NASA.  Al joined the Air Force in 1950 for a four-year stint that included service in the Korean War.  He was born February 3, 1930 in Nebraska and grew up on a farm.  He worked on NASA's missile defense program, including being part of the ground team for Apollo 11 and Apollo 13 missions.  He later worked on the Saturn V booster rocket.  Al Kielian died on November 9, 2017 in Lincoln, Nebraska, at the age of 87.
     
  • Kilpatrick, Robert Donald - former chairman and chief executive of CIGNA Corp.  [See Topics - Underwater Demolition - Obituaries].  He served in the U.S. Navy in World War II (underwater demolition) and was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds in combat and the Silver Star for Valor. He was recalled to active Navy duty when the Korean War broke out and stayed until 1954. Mr. Kilpatrick died January 27, 1997.
     
  • King, Nelson Joseph "Nellie" - pitcher for major league.  Born March 15, 1928 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania and died August 11, 2010 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  King was originally signed to the St. Louis Cardinals in 1946 but was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates after the 1948 season.  He was drafted into the Army the first month of the Korean War and began basic training at Ft. Dix, New Jersey September 28, 1950.  He began leadership training to become an infantry rifle squad leader and as cadre served on the Browning Automatic Committee headed by Lt. Constantine Thomas (World War II and Korean War veteran).  When the Battalion Commander of the 60th Infantry Regiment discovered that King could type 70 words a minute, he made King a clerk typist at Battalion Headquarters for his two-year stint in the Army.  King played baseball on the 60th Infantry Regiment baseball team until he was discharged from the Army on September 28, 1952.
     
  • Kline, Ron - Florida-based inventor of the magnetic credit card strip that is now used in more than 609 million credit cards worldwide.  He was drafted into the army during the Korean War and served as an artillery forward observer.  He went on 58 missions, getting a spinal injury on the last mission.  Often referred to as the "Grandfather of Possibilities," he did not patent the strip that he invented, and thus did not make any money from it.  He did, however, also design a highly successful and financially lucrative nutrition system that is now used to raise chickens more efficiently.
     
  • Knox, John - New York Fire Department marshal 1960-1998.  John Knox, 84, New York, died March 16, 2020 of coronavirus at Mt. Sinai South Nassau Medical Center in Oceanside.  Born in 1936, John first served his country as a United States Marine in Korea.  He then served two years with the New York Police Department, and then the New York Fire Department fro9m 1960-1998.  Thirty-four of those years was as fire marshal.  During the 1970s and 80s he investigated hundreds of fires.  He also founded the FDNY union that represents fire marshals.  He enjoyed cross-country road trips and retired in 2018.
     
  • Koehler, Walter T. - Minor League baseball pitcher.  Born in 1928 in Kalamazoo, Michigan, PFC Koehler was serving in the US Army's 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division as an aidman with the Medical Company, when he was killed in action in Korea on July 28, 1952.  He received the Silver Star posthumously.  Koehler pitched against Mickey Mantle in professional baseball.
     
  • Koerner, Frederick "Fritz" - engineer that worked on war spy plaes.  Frederick "Fritz" Koerner, age 86, died of coronavirus on April 20, 2020, in the St. Therese of New Hope facility.  He was born November 30, 1933, son of George and Bernice Koerner.  He grew up in Bovey until his family moved to Litchfield.  After graduating from Litchfield High School, he served in the US Navy for three years, three months, and three days.  After his military service he worked for Honeywell Corporation's aeronautics division while attending the University of Minnesota. He married Jeanne Carlson and they were married for 66 years.  The family lived in Japan, England and Sweden while he worked on top-secret war spy planes, including the SR-71 Blackbird.  That aircraft flew faster and at a higher altitude than any other airplane at that time.  He loved bird-watching, fishing, and listening to country and gospel music.  He was also an excellent storyteller.  He was survived by his wife; daughters Mrs. Michael (Kandice) Bennett and Mrs. Scott (Kathy) Bennethum; son Mark; 11 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.  A graveside service will be held for Fritz Koerner in Litchfield at a later date.
     
  • Kroening, Carl W. - Educator and Minnesota politician.  Born April 19, 1928 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Kroening was a high-profile educator in the Minneapolis Public Schools.  From 1975 to 1981 he served in the Minnesota House of Representatives and from 1981 to 1997 he served in the Minnesota State Senate.  He was a Master Sergeant during the Korean War.  Carl Kroening died June 29, 2017.
     
  • Lane, Dick "Night Train" - one of the greatest defensive backs in NFL history.  Was a Lieutenant Colonel in World War II and Korea (US Army).
     
  • Larsen, Don - minor and major league baseball pitcher.  Before serving in the army 1951-52, Larsen was a minor league player.  After playing baseball for an army team in Hawaii, he was added to the St. Louis Brown's roster in 1953.  He was a pitcher for the New York Yankees, winning two World Series titles.  He pitched a perfect game in vvc Game 5 of the 1956 World Series against the Brooklyn Dodgers.    
     
  • Lary, Robert Yale Sr. -  Professional football player and politician.  Born November 24, 1930 in Fort Worth, Texas, Yale was a football player for the Detroit Lions 1952-53 and 1956-64.  He served in the ROTC at Texas A&M and was ordered to report for military duty in July of 1954.  He was stationed at Fort Benning and was a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army in Korea.  After his military service was completed in May of 1956, he returned to the Detroit Lions.  Before retiring from the NFL he was a member of the Texas House of Representatives 1959-63. He died in Fort Worth on May 11, 2017.
     
  • Lawrence, Dick - Radio producer, director and announcer for radio stations WBEZ, WAAS, and WIND, he was also host of the popular Dick Lawrence Revue on WNIB and WNIZ Radio Stations in Zion, Illinois.  He also wrote for many popular radio personalities, including Arthur Godfrey, Danny Thomas, Arlene Francis and Groucho Marx.  During the Korean War he worked on film and broadcast productions for the Army Department of Public Information.  In the 1960s he won the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company Award for outstanding achievement for a syndicated feature for the National Safety Council.  He died on March 20, 1992.
     
  • Lazar, John - Minor League baseball pitcher.  Born December 11, 1929 in Kewanee, Illinois, Corporal Lazar was serving in the US Army's 35th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division when he was killed by a sniper in Korea on September 7, 1951.  He is buried in South Pleasant View Cemetery, Henry County, Illinois.
     
  • LeBaron, Eddie - quarterback for Washington Red Skins (1952-59) & the Dallas Cowboys in Texas.  Born January 07, 1930, he was also a football announcer for CBS after the end of his football career.  He was a 1st Lieutenant in 1-7 Marines, Korea.  He was wounded twice and was the recipient of a Bronze Star.  He was on Hill 673 in Korea. "Quarterback Eddie LeBaron, who stood just 5'7", was often referred to as the "Littlest General." The citation, however, was as much in praise of his leadership skills and military record as it was about his stature. LeBaron, a college football sensation at the University of Pacific, accepted a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps in August of 1950, and spent nine months in Korea, seven of which were on the front line, where he was twice wounded. In a hard-fought battle at Korea's Heartbreak Ridge, LeBaron, left cover under heavy fire to contact the forward observation post of a mortar platoon, in sight of the enemy. After an assaulting rifle platoon in his area lost its commander, he took charge and resumed the attack. For his heroic efforts, he was awarded the Bronze Star. The NFL's Rookie of the Year in 1952, LeBaron led the league in passing in 1958 and was a four-time Pro Bowl selection during his 11-year career with the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys. He later served as the general manager of the Atlanta Falcons (1977-1982) and the team's executive vice president/chief operating officer (1982-1985)." Source: Pro-Football Hall of Fame website.
     
  • Lee, Samuel "Sammy" - first Asian-American to win an Olympic gold medal for the USA.  He was a diver.  Born August 1, 1920 in Fresno, California, he earned an Olympic bronze medal in the 3-meter springboard competition and a gold medal in the 10-meter platform diving events at the 1948 summer Olympics in London.  He attended Occidental University and then he joined the Army Reserve to pay for his tuition at the University of Southern California School of Medicine.  He graduated with an MD in 1947.  During the Korean War he was a major in the US Army Medical Corps, but was sent to compete in the 1952 Olympic games in Helsinki, Finland.  He later coached Olympic medalists.  In Korea he served in the US Army Medical Corps (1953-55) at the 121st Evacuation Hospital in Yong Dong Po, Korea, as an ear, nose and throat physician.  He was discharged from the Army in 1955.  Dr. Lee died December 02, 2016.
     
  • Leisure, George S. Jr. - lawyer for Howard Hughes, Walt Disney Company, and others.  He worked for the CIA, was an assistant U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and was a trial lawyer in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.  During World War II he served in the U.S. Navy and was a lieutenant in the Navy on destroyers during the Korean War.  Leisure died August 25, 2003.
     
  • Lema, Anthony David ("Champagne Tony") - golfer with 12 PG tour victories.  Lema was born February 25, 1934 in Oakland, California, son of Anthony Harry and Clotilda (Cleo) Lema.  Lema enlisted in the US Marine Corps at the age of 17 in 1952.  He served four years in the USMC, with duty as an artilleryman in Korea as the war ended.  He spent most of his 11 months overseas playing golf in Japan.  He was discharged from active duty in 1955. Lema was in the Marine Reserves from 1956-1958.  He married his wife Betty Cline on April 28, 1963.  The next year he won the British Open.  On July 24, 1966, while en route to a one-day golf tournament in Crete, Illinois, the twin-engine Beechcraft Bonanza he was riding in crash landed at Lansing, Illinois.  Lema, his wife Betty, the pilot, and a passenger were all killed.  Lema is buried in Holy Sepulchre Cemetery, Heyward, California.   
     
  • Lemon, George "Meadowlark" III - Harlem Globetrotter also known as the "Clown Prince of Basketball".  Born in Wilmington, North Carolina on April 25, 1932, Lemon was attending Florida A&M university when he was drafted into the US Army in 1952. He took basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, and then spent the remainder of his military career in Austria stationed in Salzburg.  While there he auditioned for the Harlem Globetrotters, which resulted in a 40-game contract for a European Globetrotters tour.  He became an actual Globetrotter in 1955 and stayed with the team for 24 years.  He died in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the age of 83 on February 27, 2015.  He was survived by his wife and ten children.
     
  • Leneve, Edward Conrad - Minor League baseball player.  Born October 25, 1929 in Richmond, California, PFC Leneve was serving with 1/7 Marines when he was killed in action in Korea on December 2, 1950 at the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir.  He played baseball in the California league in 1948 for the Stockton Ports and the Visalia Cubs.  His grave marker is in Arlington National Cemetery. 
     
  • Leonard, Jack C. - Minor League baseball player.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com].  Jack C. Leonard was born on November 25, 1930 in Chattanooga, TN, where he attended Central High School. A star pitcher in the Chattanooga Times Twilight League, Leonard signed with the Chattanooga Lookouts of the Class AA Southern Association in 1949, making just a few brief appearances. In 1950, he joined the Fulton Railroaders of the Class D Kitty League and posted an impressive 11-4 won-loss record in 26 appearances. A promising start wasn’t given the opportunity to progress as military service intervened with the progression of the Korean War. Serving with the United States Air Force, Airman Second Class Leonard was at Brookley Air Force Base in Mobile, Alabama, when he met Miss Evelyn Richardson. They married on July 7, 1952 at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. Not long afterwards, Jack Leonard was diagnosed with leukemia which claimed his life at the Maxwell Air Force Base Hospital in Mobile, Alabama, on September 15, 1953. He was just 22 years old.  Thanks to Lisa Barganier for her help with this biography.
     
  • Levine, Donald - Creator of Hasbro's G.I. Joe action figure (based on a concept of "outfitted action figures" created by Stanley Weston) and the Kenya doll series.  Raised in Forest Hills, Queens, and Great Neck, Long Island, Levine attended Syracuse University where he got a degree in business administration.  He was drafted into the Army and participated in the Inchon Landing in September of 1950 with an army infantry unit.  After discharge he tried various business adventures before going to work for Hasbro in 1959.  By 1963 Levine was vice president and director of marketing and development for Hasbro Toys.  G.I. Joe was created by Levine in 1963 and released to the public in 1964.  G.I. Joe has now netted over $500 billion in worldwide sales.  In an interview with the 700 Club, Levine said, "For almost two years I served in the Korean War and the word ‘heroes’ became very important to me,” Don said. “Men I served with insured that I came home safely, and so I wanted to create a line called ‘GI Joe - A Real American Hero’ in order to recognize and appreciate my life, because of those military heroes; and incidentally are still our Heroes around the world today!”  Donald Levine left Hasbro in 1975 to form his own successful toy development company.  He developed "Kenya"--one of the best selling dolls in the world.  The doll is particularly marketed to African-American girls.  Levine and John Michlig co=authored the book, "GI Joe: The Story Behind the Legend; An illustrated history of America's greatest fighting man".
     
  • Liddy, George Gordon (G. Gordon) - Public speaker, author, talk show host, and actor, G. Gordon Liddy worked for the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover.  Serving President Richard Nixon's administration, he helped organize and direct the infamous Watergate burglary of the Democratic National Committee Headquarters in 1972.  The scandal resulted in the resignation of President Nixon.  Born November 30, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, Liddy graduated from Fordham University in 1952 and then enlisted in the United States Army.  He served for two years as an artillery officer during the Korean War, but remained stateside for medical reasons.
     
  • Lilley, Jack - legendary stuntman on film and television westerns.  Born August 15, 1933 in Texas, Lilley grew up in California.  He was a horseback extra on the "Durango Kid" films at age 14.  During the Korean War he served in the US Navy.  From 1959 to 2001, he earned numerous film credits for appearances on movies such as "Cat Ballou", "Support Your Local Sheriff", "Blazing Saddles", "Planet of the Apes", and more.  He also has television credits for shows such as "Cheyenne", "Zorro", "Wild Wild West", "Wanted Dead or Alive", "Have Gun Will Travel", "Rawhide", "The Virginian", "Bonanza" and more  He doubled for Victor French on the television series "Little House on the Prairie" from 1974 until 1983.  After retiring as an actor/stunt performer, he became owner of the Movin On livestock company.  His company supplies animals, wagons, harnesses, saddles, and authentic tack for movies.
     
  • Linden, Hal - Actor, musician, television director.  Hal Linden was born Harold Lipshitz on March 20, 1931 in New York, New York.  Raised in The Bronx, Linden attended the High School of Music and Art and went on to study music at Queens College, City University of New York.He later enrolled in Baruch College and then City College of New York where he received a Bachelor of Arts in business. During his youth, Linden aspired to be a big band bandleader. Before embarking on a career in music, he decided to change his name stating, "'Swing and Sway with Harold Lipshitz' just didn't parse." He decided on the name Hal Linden, after seeing the name on the water tower while passing through Linden, New Jersey." During the 1950s, he toured with Sammy Kaye, Bobby Sherwood, and other big bands of the era. Linden played the saxophone and clarinet and also sang. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1952 where he was sent to Fort Belvoir and played in the United States Army Band. While in Fort Belvoir, a friend recommended that he see the touring production of Guys and Dolls playing in Washington, D.C. After seeing the show, Linden decided to become an actor. He was discharged in 1954. He is well-known for his role as Barney Miller in the television series Barney Miller.
     
  • Lindsey, George Smith - character actor (Goober) on the television series, the Andy Griffith Show"Veteran character actor and north Alabama native George Lindsey (1928-2012) achieved his most lasting fame playing the character of Goober Pyle on television's The Andy Griffith Show. In addition to that role, Lindsey performed on the stage and screen and lent his distinctive voice to numerous cartoon and animated film characters. Although he left Alabama after graduating from college, Lindsey was active in charitable and cultural events in the state throughout his professional life, including establishing the George Lindsey Academic Scholarships at his alma mater, the University of North Alabama. In appreciation of his life and work, the university hosts an annual George Lindsey/UNA Film Festival each spring.

    Lindsey was born in the midst of the Great Depression on December 17, 1928, in Fairfield, Jefferson County, to George Ross and Alice Smith Lindsey. His father had difficulty in keeping a job, and his mother suffered from the bone disease osteomyelitis. When George, an only child, was an infant, the family moved to Jasper, Walker County, where he was raised largely by his grandparents. As a boy, Lindsey displayed a keen sense of humor and comedic timing, and he spent many afternoons watching films in his local theater. He first became interested in acting after seeing the musical Oklahoma! in Birmingham at age 14. Lindsey also excelled at football during high school. Upon graduating, he entered Walker Junior College in Jasper, transferred to Kemper Military School in Boonville, Missouri, and finally transferred to Florence State Teachers College (now the University of North Alabama) after winning a football scholarship as quarterback of the school's Lions. Lindsey also began participating in the school's theater productions, deepening his interest in acting.

    After graduating in 1952 with a bachelor's degree in secondary education and physical education, Lindsey enlisted in the Air Force and was stationed in Orlando, Florida, as a recreation director at Pinecastle Air Force Base. While there, Lindsey produced variety shows, performed stand-up comedy, and acted in local theater. He also met his future wife, Joyanne Herbert, in Orlando, with whom he would have two children. Lindsey was discharged in 1956, and the couple returned to Alabama, where Lindsey took a position as a teacher and basketball coach at Hazel Green High School outside Huntsville. In the late 1950s, Lindsey and his wife moved to New York City. There, Lindsey enrolled in acting classes at the American Theater Wing and studied under legendary actress and teacher Helen Hayes.

    In addition to acting, Lindsey pursued training in voice and speech, ballet, and other activities relating to the dramatic arts. He was so successful in his studies and classwork that he earned the lead role in the culminating play of the program. After graduation, Lindsey landed small parts in local theaters and performed in comedy clubs and dinner theaters. His career began to take off when he won major roles in the off-Broadway musicals All-American and Wonderful Town. Lindsey stayed on with the touring company of the latter production, and when it closed in San Francisco in 1962, he decided to go to Los Angeles to pursue roles in television.

    After signing with the powerful William Morris Agency, Lindsey appeared in small parts on several television shows, including The Rifleman and the Twilight Zone, and he appeared in the film Ensign Pulver in 1964. That same year, he won the role of Goober Pyle on The Andy Griffith Show. Despite his previous efforts to improve his voice and lose his southern accent, Lindsey ironically took on the persona of an uneducated "yokel," a role that would define much of his film and television work for the remainder of his professional career. Lindsey had originally tried out for the part of Gomer Pyle, which went to fellow Alabamian Jim Nabors, and Lindsey's character was written in three years after the show premiered as Gomer's cousin. Goober became a popular character on the show, and Lindsey attracted attention and appreciation from fans back in Alabama by mentioning people and places from his home state on the show.

    After a successful eight-year run, The Andy Griffith Show was cancelled in 1968. Many of the actors associated with the show, including Lindsey, simply moved their characters to a new series, Mayberry R.F.D., which starred Ken Berry in the lead role. The series ran for three years, and Goober Pyle remained a central figure in Mayberry's civic and social life. His popularity helped Lindsey continue his career after the series was cancelled in 1971. That same year, he recorded a comedy album entitled Goober Sings! The recording brought him to the attention of the producers of the hit country-themed variety show Hee Haw, where Lindsey would spend the next 20 years as a cast member.

    In addition to his television work, Lindsey lent his voice to a number of animated Disney characters, most notably in The Aristocats (1970), Robin Hood (1973), and The Rescuers (1977), which also featured characters voiced by fellow Alabamian Pat Buttram. He also played guest roles on such series as M*A*S*H and Banacek and appeared in the films Take This Job and Shove It (1981) and The Cannonball Run II (1984), among others.

    Although Lindsey lived in the Nashville area for most of his life, he maintained close ties to his north Alabama home. A strong supporter of the Special Olympics, Lindsey helped raise more than $1 million for the program in Alabama through the George Lindsey Celebrity Weekend and Golf Tournament, established in 1971. The event was held annually for 17 years in Montgomery and also raised $50,000 for the Alabama Association of Retarded Citizens. Always interested in supporting the arts, Lindsey helped to establish the George Lindsey/University of North Alabama Television and Film Festival in 1998. Events during the weeklong festival include screenings, panel sessions with industry professionals, and competitions for such categories as professional feature documentaries, feature screenplay, and young filmmaker.  Lindsey earned a number of awards for his achievements and philanthropy over the years. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1983 and in 1995 received the Governor's Achievement Award from the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. The state of Alabama named a section of Birmingham's Highway 78 as the "George Lindsey Highway." He was the 2007 recipient of the first ICON Award presented by the Nashville Associations of Talent Directors. Lindsey died on May 6, 2012, in Nashville.
     
  • Litchfield, John - Dartmouth ski team star who went on to have a long and influential career in the sport.  Born July 21, 1917 in Lisbon, Maine, he joined the 10th Mountain Division and was sent to Italy in 1944 during World War II.  He received a Bronze Star for valor.  After the war he joined Friedl Pfeifer and Percy Rideout as co-director in the newly-founded Aspen Ski School.  He was also an original director of the Aspen Ski Company.  In 1945 he opened Aspen's famous Red Onion Restaurant.  He later became chief instructor and executive director of Sun Valley Ski School. When the Korean War broke out, he was recalled to active duty and served as an intelligence officer at the Pentagon.
     
  • Little, Richard Dudley "Big Tiny" Jr. - Ragtime keyboard artist on the Lawrence Welk Show from 1955 to 1959, Tiny Little was a BARman in the National Guard before joining the Air Force during the Korean War.  His tour of duty took him to the Far East.  He was born August 31, 1930 in Worthington, Minnesota and died March 03, 2010 in Carson City, Nevada.  His father was a famous musician and band leader.  After leaving the Welk Show, he recorded over 45 albums and was a regular on television music and variety shows.  He performed in USO shows in Vietnam in 1966.  He also performed at Ronald Reagan's presidential inaugural ball in 1985.  In 2004 he began a tour with other Welk alumni on the Live Lawrence Welk Show.  He was the father of eight children.
     
  • Locklear, William - Father of actress Heather Locklear, William was a Colonel in the Marine Corps who served in the Korean War.
     
  • Loes, William "Billy" - major league baseball pitcher.  Born December 13, 1929, Billy Loes died July 15, 2010.  He spent 11 seasons in major league baseball: Brooklyn Dodgers (1950, 1952-56), Baltimore Orioles (1956-59) and San Francisco Giants (1960-61).  He missed one season in 1951 due to military service in the Army.  He was ordered to report for induction on February 16, 1951.  Stationed stateside, he received an early discharge on October 19, 1951 as a hardship case.
     
  • Lombardo, 1Lt. Thomas Angelo - USMA Class of 1945.  From St. Louis, MO.  He was the Captain & Quarterback of the undefeated 1944 Army Football Team.  He was KIA while serving as Company Commander of Item Company, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division, on September 24, 1950 during the fighting near Ch'ogye, South Korea.
     
  • Long, Richard McCord - actor.  Born December 17, 1927 in Chicago.  Died December 21, 1974.  Served at Ft. Ord during the Army in the early 1950s during the Korean War.  Special Services.  His first film role was in "Tomorrow is Forever" starring Claudette Colbert and Orson Wells.  He then had leading roles in The Big Valley (Jarrod Barkley), Nanny and the Professor, and Bourbon Street Beat.
     
  • Louvin, Charlie - country music singer.  Born July 7, 1927 in Section, Alabama, Charlie's birth name was Charlie Elzer Loudermilk.  He served as an auto mechanic in the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II (1945-late 1946) and was recalled for duty in the Army during the Korean War in June 1953.  He served in Korea for ten months beginning in December 1953 to 1954.  He was in the 24th Infantry Division in the Army Post Office on Koje-do island where prisoners were held.  He and Jesse McReynolds, who was also a country western artist serving in the Army on Koje-do, played in a group called "The Dusty Roads Boys".  In the autobiography, "Satan is Real: The Ballad of the Louvin Brothers," Charlie provides details and opinions about his time in the Korean War.  After discharge, Charlie and his brother Ira had 11 hit singles between 1956 and 1963.  In 1963 Charlie and his brother Ira wrote and recorded the song, "From Mother's Arms to Korea".  Charlie and Ira first performed in 1942 as "The Radio Twins" (they were not twins).  On November 9, 2010, their new 12-track studio record, "The Battles Rage On" (inspired by Charlie's military service) was released.  The record is a tribute to the men and women in service.  The Louvin Brothers also recorded, "Weapon Through Prayer", a song encouraging a home front effort through prayer.  Charlie and Ira were made members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.  Charlie died January 26, 2011.
     
  • Lovullo, Salvatore "Sam" - producer of the syndicated television series Hee Haw.  Lovullo was born September 30, 1928 in Buffalo, New York and died January 03, 2017.  He attended Manual Arts High School, Los Angeles City College, and UCLA (receiving a degree in accounting and finance).  He served in the US Army during the Korean War.  He produced 86 episodes of Hee Haw. 
     
  • Luisi, James - actor and professional basketball player. He was born November 2, 1928 in East Harlem, New York and died July 7, 2002 in California.  In 1953-54 James was a guard on the Baltimore Bullets basketball team.  During his acting career James was most known for his role as policeman Lt. Doug Chapman in the 1970s TV series Rockford Files and was Chuley Carr in the Sporting Chance segment of The Rifleman.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War.
     
  • MacAfee, Ken - professional football player.  Born August 3, 1929 in North Adams, Massachusetts, MacAfee died July 4, 2007 in Massachusetts.  He became a pass receiver while playing for Marine Corps teams during and right after service in the Korean War. He signed with the Giants while still in the Marine Corps.  In 1959 he played for both Philadelphia and Washington.
     
  • MacGeorge, James Andrew - voice actor, puppeteer, stand-up comedian.  According to the biography of Korean War notable John T. Melick Jr., Jim MacGeorge was a fellow Korean War veteran.  Born October 15, 1928 in Seattle, Washington, MacGeorge had voice roles on the show Beany and Cecil, The Laurel & Hardy Cartoon Show, The Kwicky Koala Show, The Mighty Orbots, Clue Club, and Bionic Six.  He also appeared on shows such as Get Smart, Happy Days, and The Teenagers from Outer Space.  Jim MacGeorge died January 16, 2021.
     
  • Madison, David Pledger - major league pitcher.  Born February 1, 1921 in Brooksville, Mississippi, Dave Madison died December 8, 1985 in Macon, Mississippi.  He played with the New York Yankees (1950), St. Louis Browns (1952) and Detroit Tigers (1952-53).  He debuted with the Yankees September 26, 1950 but then went to the Army.  According to an article in the St. Petersburg Times (2/2/1952), he was discharged at a Lieutenant from Ft. Jackson, South Carolina.  He returned to baseball until his final game on August 20, 1953.
     
  • Magner, James Jr. - Publisher of twelve books of poetry, and author of several Korean War-related poems.  Born in 1928 in New York City, Magner grew up on Long Island and in New Rochelle, New York.  He enlisted in the Army in 1948 and arrived in Korea in 1950.  He served three months as an infantry sergeant with Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Regiment, 3rd Division and was badly wounded by machinegun fire in North Suwon in February 1951.  He was evacuated to a hospital in Japan and discharged September 1951.
     
  • Mamales, George - professional ballet dancer.  Born in 1931 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mamales served in the Korean War before training with the San Francisco Ballet and the School of American Ballet.  He danced professionally with the American Ballet Theater, San Francisco Ballet, Ruth Page of Chicago, Alicia Alonzo, Brooklyn Ballet, and Radio City Music Hall.  He was a master teacher of both the Pilates technique and ballet.  Mamales died September 11, 2016 in Manhattan from injuries received when he was struck by a boxcar truck. 
     
  • Manes, Fred George "Fritz" - Movie producer who produced more than a dozen films in the 1970s and 80s for Clint Eastwood.  Fritz Manes was born April 22, 1932 in Oakland, California.  He served as a combat Marine for 14 months during the Korean War, receiving a Purple Heart.  He split with Eastwood in in 1986 and formed his own production company, Sundancer.  He also served on the California Film Commission.  He died September 27, 2011 in Sherman Oaks, California.
     
  • Margoneri, Joseph Emanuel - professional baseball pitcher with the New York Giants, as well as prominent in the corrugated paper products business.  Born January 13, 1930, son of Joe and Mary Poli Margoneri, he signed with the New York Giants just before the 1950 season.  He was drafted in the Army in November of 1951 and was stationed at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas with the Army Medical Corps.  He missed the 1952 and 1953 baseball seasons while serving his country.  He pitched for the New York Giants for two years after being discharged from military service.
     
  • Marowitz, Charles - Playwright, stage critic, co-director of the Royal Shakespeare  Company in London, founder of the Open Space Theatre in London, Fand co-founder (1990) of the Malibu Stage Company.  Born January 26, 1932 in New York City, Marowitz was drafted to serve in the Korean War.  He went to the United Kingdom under the GI Bill in 1956.  He died in 2014, ending a longtime battle with Parkinson's Disease.
     
  • Marshall, Garry - comedy writer, television producer.  Born in New York, New York on November 13, 1934, he was a writer for the Dick Van Dyke Show, Lucy Show, I Spy, The Odd Couple, Jack Paar Show, and Joey Bishop Show.  He also produced Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and other television shows.  Born November 13, 1934 in New York, New York, he was a writer for Stars & Stripes during the Korean War, as well as production chief for Armed Forces Radio Network.
     
  • Martin, Alfred Manuel "Billy" (Pesano) Jr. - 2nd baseman for the Yankees and manager of the New York Yankees.  Born May 16, 1928 in Berkeley, California, Billy Martin died December 25, 1989 in Johnson City, New York.  His first pro baseball contract was with the Idaho Falls russets where he played 32 games.  He was farmed out to the Phoenix Senators and then sold in October 1949 to the New York Yankees.  He was drafted into the Army in 1950 and spent five months in the military in the winter of 1950-51 before being discharged as a hardship case due to his financial responsibilities to his wife, sister, mother and stepfather.  During the 1951 season Martin and a group of major and minor league stars traveled to Japan for a series of exhibition games.  Near the end of the tour, Martin and fellow ballplayers Dom DiMaggio, Mel Parnell, Farris Fain and George Strickland flew to Korea with comedian Johnny Price to visit the troops.  In January 1954 Martin was reclassified 1-A and was drafted a month later and sent to Ft. Ord for basic training.  Martin was then sent to Ft. Carson, Colorado where he rose to the rank of corporal in the 61st Infantry Regiment.  He was player/manager of the post baseball team and led Ft. Carson's team to a 15-2 record in 1955.  Martin also was a member of the base basketball team.  He participated in the 1955 World Series while on Army furlough.
     
  • Martin, Lecil Travis - A/K/A "Boxcar Willie", this country music artist sang in "hobo style", earning him a place in the Grand Ole Opry in 1981.   He joined the military in May of 1949 and became a pilot, training on the B-36 bomber. According to the website www.iservedtoo.com, "In 1952 the Korean war was in full swing, he was a second engineer and at this time was sent for final training in preparation for the conflict. Flight engineers were needed, he was then re-assigned to the magnificent B-29 super fortress. He later became a Flight Engineer on KC-97L aircraft in the 136th ARW in the Texas Air National Guard, including air refueling flights around the USA and overseas in Germany."
     
  • Masini, Alfred - television producer.  Born on January 5, 1930 in Jersey City, New Jersey, Masini created syndicated television programs such as Entertainment Tonight and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.  He served in the US Air Force during the Korean War.  He died in Honolulu, Hawaii on November 29, 2010.
     
  • Matheson, Don - American television actor, best known for his continuing role in Irwin Allen's series Land of the Giants. In 1965 Matheson appeared in the Lost in Space episode, The Sky Is Falling in the non-speaking roll of the alien Retho and then in 1968 as Idak Alpha 12 in the episode Revolt of the Androids. After working in a number of plays, television episodes and commercials, Matheson was signed to join the cast of the Land of the Giants. In 1984, he had a regular role in the primetime series Falcon Crest. He also appeared briefly in another primetime soap, Dynasty. Served in the Korean War. Left high school at the age of sixteen, and continued his education whilst in service in the Marine Corps. After some time in the Army Airborne division, he was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). He acted as an agent for the United Nations Command, posted in Korea. Whilst in Korea, he was awarded the Bronze Star for valorous leadership and a Purple Heart for injuries suffered in an explosion. His CID work included investigations in to the use of narcotics amongst Army troops. [Source: www.iservedtoo.com]
     
  • Mathews, Edwin Lee "Eddie" - Major league baseball player for 17 seasons, inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1978.  Eddie Mathews was born in Texarkana, Texas on October 13, 1931 and died on February 18, 2001.  When the Korean War broke out he was drafted into the Navy, serving just a few months before receiving a hardship discharge because he was the sole support of his family due to his father's illness.  He returned to the Braves for the 1951 season.
     
  • Mays, Willie - Player with the New York Giants, San Francisco Giants, and New York Mets.  Drafted.  Served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War 1952-54.  He reported for duty in the Army May 29, 1952, was inducted at Camp Kilmer in New Jersey and then sent to Ft. Eustis, Virginia, where he spent most of his time in the Army playing baseball.  He missed 266 regular baseball games due to his military service.  At Ft. Eustis he was initially assigned to the Transportation Replacement Training Center for eight weeks of basic training.  He then became an instructor in physical training and a baseball instructor.  He never went overseas.  He played baseball for the Ft. Eustis Wheels ball team, lived off base and also played weekend games for the semi-pro black team, "Newport News Royals."  He filed for early discharge due to the fact that he had 12 dependents, but the Army refused to release him from duty, even when his pregnant mother died in childbirth while Mays was at Ft. Eustis.  Mays chipped a bone in his left foot while sliding into third base during a game for Ft. Eustis on July 25, 1953.  His foot was in a cast for six weeks and he was confined to the base hospital. He was released from military duty in March of 1954.
     
  • McCloskey, Paul "Pete" Norton - Seven-term Republican Congressman from Northern California, famed trial lawyer and author, McCloskey served in the U.S. Marine Corps, receiving a Navy Cross and the Silver Star in the Korean War while serving in Company C, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines in 1951.  He was twice wounded in combat and received two Purple Hearts.  "Following Stanford University, he joined the Marine Corps as an officer and served in the Korean War. While in the Marine Corps section, McCloskey commanded a reserve rifle company at San Bruno, California from 1953 to 1960. A recipient of the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism, the Silver Star for bravery in combat and two Purple Hearts, McCloskey was a platoon leader and company commander. He retired from the Reserve with a rank of Colonel."
     
  • McCourt, Frank - New York public school teacher for over 30 years, he later became a Pulitzer Prize-winning author for his memoir, Angela's Ashes (11.4 million copies sold).  Born August 1, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York, to poor Irish immigrants, his family returned to Ireland during the Great Depression.  Frank returned to the United States at age 19 and was drafted into the U.S. Army in 151.  He was sent to Germany, where he initially trained dogs and then became a clerk-typist.  He attended New York University on the GI Bill, graduating in 1957.  Angela's Ashes and other literary works by McCourt were completed after he retired as a public educator.  Frank McCourt died in New York City on July 19, 2009.
     
  • McEachin, James - born in North Carolina, raised in Hackensack, New Jersey.  Enlisted in the Army in 1947, training with the 24th Infantry Regiment.  Discharged.  Returned to the Army in 1950.  Attached to 2nd Infantry Division in Korea.  Wounded in 1952 in the legs and chest at the Battle of Old Baldy.  Movie and television career, appearing in shows Perry Mason, Matlock, Murder She Wrote, Hill Street Blues, and Tenafly.  Author of four books, including the award-winning Farewell to the Mockingbirds, a novel about the largest mistrial in U.S. military history.  In 2005, during an interview for the Veteran's History Project, California Congressman David Dreier discovered Mr. McEachin had no records of his service.  Promptly investigating, his office uncovered that Mr. McEachin had earned many medals of valor, including the Silver Star and Purple Heart. Congressman Dreier awarded the medals to Mr. McEachin in August of 2005. The following October Mr. McEachin accepted the nomination and was named as a US Army Reserve Ambassador for the 63rd Regional Readiness Command in Los Alamos, California. The position carries the rank of a two-star general and is held for three years. In August 2007, McEachin was the keynote speaker for the 89th American Legion Convention. He performed VOICES to open the ceremony with a rousing and enthusiastic standing ovation. May 2005, Mr. McEachin's film Old Glory in which he wrote, produced, directed, and narrated, won the 2007 GI Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Film Short.  July 2007, MOPH National Commander, Thomas Poulter honored Mr. McEachin with the Commander's Medal, the "most prestigious and coveted recognition granted by the Military Order of the Purple Heart" for his contributions to veterans and soldiers of the United States Armed Forces.  Mr. McEachin spends his time touring the United States and speaking before veterans, soldiers, and civilians. He performs from the Benjamin Franklin Award-winning CD VOICES: A Tribute to the American Veteran and in the character of an "old soldier."  According to the June/July 2013 issue of VFW Magazine, "McEachin enlisted in the Army in August 1947. He served two years in Japan and was discharged the day before the outbreak of the Korean War. He re-enlisted and got his chance to serve on the front line with 23rd Inf. Regt., 2nd Inf. Div., in 1952. His unit was ambushed on Hill 266 (Old Baldy) on July 17, 1952. McEachin was severely wounded by enemy shrapnel and left for dead. A fellow soldier found him and carried him to safety. For his actions at the Battle of Old Baldy, McEachin was retroactively awarded the Silver Star and a Purple Heart, as well as the Combat Infantryman Badge."
     
  • McGaa, Ed "Eagle Man" - an author of popular books on Native American spirituality and ecology, and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of the Korean and Vietnam Wars. One of the founders of Democracy Corps, a liberal political research group.  Went on 110 combat missions in Vietnam.
     
  • McIntyre, Ward Wharton "Ward" Jr. - Broadcaster in Birmingham, best remembered for playing Birmingham's "Bozo the Clown" from 1962 to 1968.  (There were numerous actors playing Bozo the Clown throughout the USA).  After that show he remained in radio broadcasting through the early 1990s, retiring from WBHM-FM as a writer and producer.  After graduating from high school he went on to graduate from Birmingham-Southern College (1953) before joining the US Army as a broadcaster during the Korean War. He developed and announced a 30-minute radio show from Fort Dix, New Jersey.
     
  • McKee, William Fulton - Head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during the Johnson Administration (1965-1968).  Born October 17, 1906 in Chilhowie, Virginia, General McKee had a 35-year active duty military career.  A graduate of West Point, he was assigned to Headquarters, Air Materiel Command as vice commander on June 10, 1953.  He died February 28, 1987 in San Antonio, Texas.
     
  • McKim, John Samuel "Sammy" - Disney artist and Canadian-born child actor with roles in American movies that featured Hoot Gibson, Ray Corrigan, Spencer Tracy, John Wayne, and Gene Autry.  There were five child actors in his family during the 1920s and 30s.  Born 1924 in Canada, Sam and his brother David tried to enlist in the US Army in 1942 but were turned down because they were not U.S. citizens.  Sammy gained citizenship in 1943 and was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He served a tour of duty in the infantry in the Philippines and then in Japan on occupation duty. After service he attended the Art Center College of Design in Los Angeles, graduating the day before he was drafted in a recall to the Korean War.  He received the Distinguished Service Cross and a Bronze Star in Korea.  Sam McKim became an artist for Walt Disney, creating the initial Disneyland Park maps, some of the original design of Disneyland, including Main Street and Frontierland, and the Haunted Mansion.  He died in California in 2004.
     
  • McMahon, Ed - former Tonight Show personality.  He joined the Marine Corps during World War II, and was assigned to a Marine aircraft carrier unit on the same day the US dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.  He remained a stateside flight instructor until discharged from active duty in February 1946.  He was recalled to the USMC during Korean War, arriving in Korea February 1953, flying 85 combat missions in Korea (artillery spotting in a Cessna OE Bird Dog).  He earned six Air Medals. He functioned as an artillery spotter for Marine batteries and as a forward air controller for fighter-bombers before returning to the States two months after the ceasefire in September 1953. He retired from the Marines as a full colonel.  Serving as Johnny Carson's sidekick during the Tonight Show, Ed McMahon died June 23, 2009.
     
  • McKinney, Bill - American character actor whose most famous role was the sadistic mountain man who abused and then sodomized Bobby Trippe (Ned Beatty) in the movie Deliverance (1972). McKinney is also recognizable for his performances in seven Clint Eastwood films, most notably as Union cavalry commander Captain "Redlegs" Terrill in The Outlaw Josey Wales (1976). Other memorable films The Shootist (1976), First Blood (1982), Against All Odds (1984), Heart Like a Wheel (1983), Back to the Future Part III (1990), and The Green Mile (1999). As well as films, McKinney has appeared in the classic TV movie The Execution of Private Slovik (1974), while guest-starring on some of the top TV shows, including The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, Starsky and Hutch, The A-Team, Murder, She Wrote and Columbo. [Source: www.iservedtoo.com]

    Served in the Korean War. Joioned at 19. He served two years on a mine sweeper in Korean waters, as well as being stationed at Port Hueneme in Ventura County, California.
     
  • McReynolds, Jesse - country music artist, half of Jim and Jesse McReynolds of Grand Ole Opry fame.  Born July 9, 1929 in Coeburn, Virginia, Jesse and his brother signed a recording contract with Capitol Records in 1952. That was the same year Jesse was drafted into the Army.  He was a jeep driver on Koke-do Island, where he drove Red Cross workers out to troops to deliver doughnuts and coffee every day.  He also played in a five-piece band "The Dusty Roads Boys" with another country western artist, Charlie Louvin.  He and his brother Jim (a World War II veteran) joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1964.  In 1993 the brothers were inducted in the Blue Grass Hall of Fame.
     
  • McReynolds, Jim - country music artist, half of Jim and Jesse McReynolds (see above). 
     
  • Melick, John T. Jr. - bandleader, pianist and arranger.  Born December 21, 1929 in North Plainfield, New Jersey, he graduated from Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Oberlin College in Ohio, in June of 1951.  He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War and served in Special Services, Camp Yokohama, Japan, 1952-53.  Following was a long career as a pianist for Jimmy "Dancing Shoes" Palmer's band, playing on the Palladium Dance Time TV Show, joining the Orrin Tucker band on the Orrin Tucker Show, playing for Guy Lombardo, playing at the Chaparral Club, playing in Dallas, and much, much more.  He died June 25, 2021.
     
  • Meredith, William - Author of nine well-known books of poetry.  Meredith was born January 9, 1919 in New York City and served in the Korean War.  He was a 1940 graduate of Princeton and then flew combat missions in the Pacific in World War II.  He was a Navy aviator and carrier pilot.  After the war he became an associate professor at the University of Hawaii, but in 1952 he reenlisted so he could fly missions in Korea.
     
  • Merriman, Lloyd - major league baseball player.  Born August 2, 1924 in Clovis, California, Lloyd enlisted in the United States Marines in November 1942 under the V-5 Naval Flight Program.  He began active duty in the USMC in 1945 at the Opa-Locka base near Miami, Florida.  He was discharged in December 1945 as a Lieutenant (jg).  He played minor league baseball in 1948 and then debuted in the major leagues in 1949 with the Cincinnati Reds.  He was recalled to the USMC in May 1952 and was sent to a Marine base in El Toro, California to learn how to fly a jet.  He served eight months in Korea beginning in January 1953 in the 1st Marine Air Wing.  He flew 87 combat missions in an F9F Panther Jet and was discharged in September 1953.  In 1955 he was purchased by the Chicago White Sox and played one game with them before being purchased by the Chicago Cubs.  In 1956 he started his own insurance business, which he operated for 15 years.  He then began to train, raise and show horses in California.
     
  • Messerli, Joseph - cartoonist and illustrator.  Born November 18, 1930 in Texas, Messerli designed the title logo for the television series, The Twilight Zone, and worked as an inker on the Dennis the Menace show.  He illustrated for the western series Bonanza, Flintstones and Yogi Bear comic strips, and for Western Publishing/Gold Key Comic Books.  He died June 23, 2010 in Fairfield, Connecticut.  During the Korean War he served in the US Army.
     
  • Milk, Harvey - Gay rights activist and politician. Born May 22, 1930 in Woodmere, New York, Milk was a civil and human rights leader who became one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977.  He graduated from New York State College for Teachers in 1951.  He then enlisted in the US Navy, where he became a Navy diving officer/instructor.  He was discharged in 1955 with the rank of lieutenant junior grade.  Milk and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated by a disgruntled former city supervisor on November 27, 1978.
     
  • Miller, Roger Dean - country music singer.  Born in Ft. Worth, Texas, Roger Miller was drafted during the Korean War and sent to Ft. McPherson in Atlanta, where he played the fiddle in a Special Services outfit called the Circle A Wranglers.  After discharge he headed to Nashille, where he worked as a bellhop until he was hired to play fiddle in Minnie Pearl's road band.  In 1965-66 he won 11 Grammy awards.  Among his most famous songs were, "Dang Me" and "King of the Road."  He died October 25, 1992.  He was inducted posthumously into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
     
  • Miller, William - newspaper publisher and owner.  Mr. Miller was publisher and owner of The Missourian newspaper.  Born in 1929 in Kansas City, Kansas, he graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1949.  He enlisted in the Army in the summer of 1951.  After basic training at Camp Chafee, Arkansas, he attended OCS at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma, graduating in December 1952 as a 2nd Lieutenant.  He spent two months t training camps in Japan and then volunteered to Korea.  In late February 1953 he was assigned to B Battery, 39 FAB, and then E Company, 15th Infantry, 3rd Infantry Division as a forward observer.  He spent most of his time in the Chorwan Valley.  He returned to the US in October 1953.
     
  • Milner, Martin - actor in 1960s and 70s in "Route 66" and "Adam 12", two of his best known roles.  Drafted in the Spring of 1952 for two years.  Served in Special Services at Ft. Ord, California the same time that David Janssen served.  Milner directed 20 training films while at Ord and participated in variety shows and plays to entertain the troops.  Milner worked on Dragnet radio series and was in six episodes of the Dragnet television series between 1952 and 1955. 
     
  • Minter, Iverson "Louisiana Red" - renown blues musician.  He was initially trained with the 82nd Airborne as a parachutist and he went to Korea in 1951. The 82nd airborne didn't go there as a complete unit, only some of soldiers were dispatched and became rangers in 2nd, 3rd and 7th Infantry Divisions. Red said he was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.
     
  • Mondale, Walter Frederick - 42nd Vice President of the United States (1977-81) and US Senator from Minnesota 1964-76.  Born January 5, 1928 in Ceylon, Minnesota, Mondale graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1951.  He didn't have enough money to attend law school so he enlisted in the US Army.  During the Korean War he served two years stateside at Ft. Knox and was discharged with the rank of corporal.  Using the GI Bill, he attended law school and graduated from the University of Minnesota Law School in 1956.
     

  • Moore, Charles Willard - Charles Willard Moore (1925-1993) - American architect who was educated at Michigan & Princeton Universities and who is considered one of the leading post-modernist architects of the United States. He founded the Yale Building Project in 1967 and among his most notable designs were the Beverly Hills Civic Centre, Haas Business School at California University and the Sea Ranch, a planned community in Sonoma County, California. Moore also authored a number of books and he was Dean of Architecture at Yale University 1965-1970. After his death, the Charles W. Moore Foundation was established in Austin, Texas as a living memorial to his life and work. Moore enlisted in the US Army in 1950 and he became a Lieutenant in the Army Engineers, serving in Korea where he worked in Seoul, designing new schools and chapels for refugee and impoverished South Korean civilians. He was discharged in 1954.
     

  • Moore, Rudy Kay - actor, singer, comedian, producer.  Born Rudolph Frank Moore on March 17, 1927, in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Rudy was drafted into the Army in 1950 and served in an entertainment unit in Germany.  While serving in the Army for 34 months, he adopted the persona "Harlem Hillbilly".  He also performed for troops in South Korea and Japan.  Following his military service his life was devoted to acting, singing, and other forms of entertainment.  He was well-known for creating the comic character "Dolemite".  Rudy died on October 19, 2008 in Akron, Ohio.
     

  • Moore, Wayne Richard - Olympic Medalist, author, businessman.  Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Moore won swimming competitions (gold medals at intercollegiate championship races and in the 1952 Olympic games held at Helsinki).  He was drafted into the Army during the Korean War.  Later he became the CEO of Moore Special Tool Company in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  He also authored Foundations of Mechanical Accuracy, a text on precision engineering that was translated into seven languages and became a classic reference in the machine tool world.  Moore died February 20, 2015.
     

  • Moore, Winfield Scott "Scotty" - pioneering rock 'n' roll guitarist who helped jump-start the singing career of Elvis Presley.  Born December 27, 1931 in Gadsden, Tennessee, he enlisted in the Navy, serving from 1948 to 1952.  With his band, The Starlite Wranglers, he cut a single record on Sun Records.  After that he collaborated with Elvis Presley on the song "That's All Right" and remained a lifelong friend and performer alongside Presley.  He was vice president at Fernwood Records and later founder of Independent Producers Corporation.  He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000.
     

  • Mossman, Douglas Kinilau - actor.  Born April 07, 1933 in Honolulu, Hawaii, this native Hawaiian graduated from Kamehameha schools in 1950 and then served six years in the military, including seeing action in the Korean War. From 1959 to 1963 he played security officer Moke on the television series Hawaiian Eye. In 1974 he became a series regular on Hawaii Five-O as Detective Frank Hamana. He made appearances on Magnum P.I., The Brian Keith Show, The Jeffersons, Hart to Hart, Love Boat, and Jake the Fatman. He made television commercials, did charity work, and was president of the Honolulu Boy Choir. Mossman, the son of Douglas and Mary Napahuelua Needham Mossman, died on May 18, 2021.
     

  • Murphy, William Parry Jr. - physician and inventor.  A prolific inventor of life-saving medical devices, Dr. Murphy was born November 11, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He joined the US Public Health Services as a blood transfusion consultant in 1952 and served in the military in the Korean War for two years.  Among his inventions was a vinyl blood bag used to replace breakable glass blood bags in the Korean War.  He died November 20, 2023 in Coral Gables, Florida.
     

  • Murtha, John -  U.S. Democratic Representative from Pennsylvania.  Born June 17, 1932, he died February 8, 2010. Murtha left Washington and Jefferson College in 1952 to join the Marine Corps and was awarded the American Spirit Honor Medal for displaying outstanding leadership qualities during training. He became a drill instructor at Parris Island and was selected for Officer Candidate School (OCS). He was then assigned to the Second Marine Division. Murtha left the Marines in 1955. He remained in the Reserves after his discharge from active duty until he volunteered for service in the Vietnam War, serving from 1966 to 1967, serving as a battalion staff officer, receiving the Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a Colonel in 1990, receiving the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
     

  • Needham, Hal Brett - one of the top stuntmen in films in the 1960s, serving as stunt double for actors such as Richard Boone in Have Gun, Will Travel, Clint Walker, Burt Reynolds, etc.  He was also film director for films such as Smokey and the Bandit and Cannonball Run.  He was born on March 06, 1931 in Memphis, Tennessee, son of Howard and Edith May Robinson Needham.  He dropped out of high school to join the United States Army, serving as a paratrooper during the Korean War.  He specialized in testing parachutes, and earned extra money by jumping in aerial thrill shows.  In the process, he developed some of the equipment now used by skydivers.  Hal Needham died October 25, 2013 at the age of 82.
     

  • Neeman, Calvin Amandus "Cal" - minor and major league baseball catcher.  Born February 18, 1929 in Valmeyer, Illinois, Cal Neeman served in the Army during the Korean War.  He spent about a year in Korea with the Army's 105th Field Artillery Battalion, returning in time for the 1953 season.  He played four seasons in the minor leagues until he was drafted on December 3, 1956 to the Chicago Cubs.  He remained with the Cubs until he was traded to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 13, 1960. He played for the Pittsburg Pirates in 1962 and the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators in 1963.
     

  • Neighbors, Robert O.  - Major League baseball player.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com]. Robert O “Bob” Neighbors was born on November 9, 1917 in Talahina, Oklahoma. When he signed with the Siloam Springs Travelers of the Arkansas-Missouri League in 1936, he had never played baseball – only fast-pitch softball. However, he made the conversion easily and batted .278 in 118 games with 16 home runs and 86 RBIs. Neighbors produced similar numbers with the Travelers in 1937, and joined Palestine of the East Texas League in 1938, where he hit .301 in 139 games. The young shortstop played for Springfield of the Three-I League in 1939, and his 14 home runs and 80 RBIs in 119 games earned him a late-season call-up to the St Louis Browns. The 21-year-old made his major league debut on September 16, 1939, and appeared in seven games, getting two hits in 11 at-bats. Neighbors played for the Toledo Mudhens of the American Association in 1940 and was with San Antonio of the Texas League in 1941. Neighbors married his wife, Winifred Wilcox, in January 1941, but tragedy struck that summer Winifred hit by a car and killed. Bob was on the road with the team at the time. Neighbors entered military service with the Army Air Force at Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 8, 1942. He served with the 22nd Air Transport Training Detachment at Sheppard Field in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he played baseball for the Sheppard Field Mechanics. The Mechanics team was led by Texas A&M star Lieutenant Marland Jeffrey, and featured Dave Short of the White Sox, Ray Poole of the Athletics, Bill Gray of the Hollywood Stars, Ray Murray, who would play for the Indians and Athletics after the war, and Pete Hughes of Spokane in the Western International League. Neighbors later served at Maxwell Air Base in Montgomery, Alabama, where he met and later married Katherine Burke. He also served in California at Fairfield-Suisan Army Air Base and Hamilton Field, where he also had the opportunity to play ball. Bob Neighbors didn’t return to professional baseball after the war. He chose, instead, to remain in military service although he did manage and play for the Maxwell Air Base team. Major Neighbors saw combat duty during the Korean War as a Douglas B-26B Invader pilot with the 13th Bomb Squadron of the 3rd Bomb Group. On August 8, 1952, during a night mission, Neighbors and his crew – First-Lieutenant William Holcom and Staff-Sergeant Grady Weeks – reported they had been hit and were bailing out. There was no further contact and the crew was reported missing in action after failing to return. All hope for Neighbors, Holcom and Weeks was lost after the fighting in Korea ended on July 27, 1953, and prisoners were repatriated.
     

  • Nelson, Willie Hugh - Singer, songwriter, actor, musician, animal rights activist.  Willie Nelson was born April 30, 1933 in Abbot, Texas.  He joined the Air Force after graduating from high school in 1950. He was stationed at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas.  He was medically discharged nine months into his military service due to back problems.
     
  • Newcombe, Don "Newk" - player with the Brooklyn Dodgers 1949-51 and 1954-58.  Born July 14, 1926 in Madison, New Jersey, he was the first African-American pitcher in MLB.  "Newcombe pitched in the Negro Leagues before breaking in with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1949. He led the Dodgers to the pennant with 17 victories, winning the National League Rookie of the Year award. And he kept getting better; he won 19 games in 1950 and 20 games in 1951. Then he was drafted. He missed two seasons, and when he returned, he went just 9-8 with a 4.55 ERA in 1954. A year later, he helped lead the Dodgers to their first World Series title, and he won the NL MVP and NL Cy Young awards in 1956." [Source: Bob Nightengate, USA Today, July 01, 2013]  Newcombe served in the Army Medical Corps, mostly as part of a special demonstration unit at Brooke Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas.  He had tried to join the Army in 1942 but was underage.  He then joined the Navy in 1943, but was discharged after a month because he was still underage. He served in the Army during the Korean War (1952-1953), physically training
    recruit Army doctors at Camp Pickett, Texas. Newcombe was the only man in baseball history to receive all three of the sport's major awards: Rookie of the Year, Cy Young Award, and Most Valuable Player.
     
  • Newhart, Bob - Actor and comedian best known for his role in television sitcoms The Bob Newhart Show and Newhart.  He was drafted during the Korean War, stationed stateside in California as a personnel manager.  He was discharged in 1954.
     
  • Newton, Calvin - Founder of Justice Recording Company of Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  Born in West Frankfort, Illinois, gospel singer Newton was a member of the Melody Masters and the Blackwood Brothers Quartet before serving in the military during the Korean War.  After Korea he sang with the Gaither Homecoming Family, the Oak Ridge Quartet, Sons of Song, etc., but the gospel singer is best known for his song, When They Ring Those Golden Bells.  He entered the field of music production when he founded the Justice Recording Company.  His company produced and recorded the music of local "garage bands" in the North Carolina area, releasing some 22 rock and roll albums and a number of 45's.  The music of these local bands was preserved by Newton and now appreciated by music historians.  Newton received the Living Legend Award by the Grand Old Gospel Convention in 1999.
     
  • Nimoy, Leonard - Actor most notably known for his role as "Dr. Spock" in the Star Trek series, he was born in Boston, Massachusetts and died at the age of 83 on February 27, 2015.  He enlisted in the Army Reserves in 1953 and served 18 months, with some time spent in Van Nyes, California, but most of it spent at Ft. McPherson in Georgia, where he was a platoon sergeant.  He was discharged in 1955 with the rank of sergeant.  Part of Nimoy's time in the military was spent putting on shows for the Army Special Services branch which he wrote, narrated, and emceed.
     
  • Novak, Robert "Bob" - political commentator and co-host of the political television talk show Crossfire on CNN from 1980 to 2005.  In 2005 he joined Fox News.  Born February 26, 1l931 in Jolit, Illinois, he died August 18, 2009.  He attended the University of Illinois, then joined the U.S. Army, serving stateside during the Korean War.  After military service he became an Associated Press reporter and writer for the Wall Street Journal, but was most known for his work as a political commentator.
     
  • Olson, Karl Arthur - major league baseball backup outfielder.  Born July 6, 1930 in Ross, California, died December 25, 2010.  He played for the Boston Red Sox (1951, 1953-55), Washington Senators (1956-57), and Detroit Tigers (1957).  He served with the 78th Infantry Regiment based at Ft. Ord, California for about 11 months in 1951 and played for the base team.  he was sent to Camp Drake and spent nine months as a mailman in Japan, sorting mail for troops coming and going from Korea.  He played 70 games on the base team in Japan.
     
  • O'Neill, William A. - The 84th Governor of the State of Connecticut, William O'Neill was also a former member of the East Hampton Finance Board, a member of the Connecticut House of Representatives, and Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut.  He was credited with increasing state funding for education, as well as for rebuilding the state's infrastructure and providing additional resources and programs for the less fortunate.  He established a new state veterans' cemetery in Middleton.  Governor O'Neill was a US Air Force B-29 gunner who flew 12 night combat missions over North Korea during the Korean War. 
     
  • Oravetz, Ernie - minor and major league baseball player.  Batting champ of the Florida State League in 1951.  Drafted into the Army January 1953.  Tour of duty in Germany with the Army where he helped manage a football team and played baseball and basketball.  After discharge he signed with the Washington Senators (American League), playing in 1955-56 before being sent back to the minor leagues.  He played baseball there until the mid 1960s.  Ernie Oravetz died on December 3, 2006.
     
  • Osborne, Bobby - Mandolinist and singer with the Osborne Brothers.  Bobby was born in Kentucky and served in the Marine Corps during the Korean War.  He was the recipient of a Purple Heart in combat.  He and his brother formed the Osborne Brothers singing group in 1953 after he returned from Korea.  The Osbornes were known for their hit song, "Rocky Top".  Bobby was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 1964 and remained a country western icon until his death on June 27, 2023.  His memory lives on.
     
  • Osterkamp, Howard William - This Dent, Ohio resident is widely attributed to coining the phrase, "all gave some, some gave all."  Osterkamp served in the U.S. army from 1951-53.  He participated in heavy combat with C Company, 5RCT during the Korean War.   His nine months on the frontlines included time he spent there after his leg was broken in two places from shrapnel.  Doctors sent him back into battle in spite of the injury. 
     
  • Patterson, John Malcolm - 42nd governor of Alabama, known as a strong supporter of segregation.  Patterson was born September 27, 1921 in Goldville, AlabamaHe served in a field artillery division in the Army during World War II in North Africa and Europe.  He was discharged in 1945 with the rank of Major and with a Bronze Star.  He returned to active duty in 1951 and was stationed in Europe.  Shortly after arriving there he was transferred to the Judge Advocate's section.  For a while he considered a career in the Army, but returned to law practice in the family law firm in Phenix City, Alabama in December of 1951.  He served as governor of Alabama from 1959 to 1963.
     
  • Peete, Charles "Charlie" Jr. - professional baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals, 1956.  He was drafted into the Army in 1951.  According to the Society for American Baseball Research, "While his military service cut into his professional career, he nonetheless spent most of his two-year hitch playing baseball. Initially, it was for his post team at Camp Pickett in Virginia. There, according to the Norfolk Journal and Guide, the African-American newspaper for his hometown, he batted clean-up and hit .382. When the Army sent him to Asia for fifteen months, until his discharge in 1953, he was a member of the Special Services division, playing baseball as well as football to entertain American troops in Japan and Korea."  He was honorably discharged in 1953.  Born February 22, 1929, in Franklin, Virginia, he played in the Negro League before moving into the major league.  He was only in pro ball one year (1956).  En route to play winter ball, he was killed in a plane crash at age 27 along with his wife, Nettie, and their three small children, Ken, Karen and Deborah. There is a little league baseball field named in his honor in Portsmouth, Virginia, the city where he grew up.
     
  • Pennington, Dr. John W. "Jack" - retired urologist, Grand Prix race car driver, track physician at Riverside (California) Raceway.  Dr. Pennington earned his MD at the University of Colorado and then completed his internship and residency at UC San Diego in 1966.   While practicing urology in Los Angeles for 35 years he earned the reputation of making housecalls and never worrying about fees.  Born February 25, 1932 in Phoenix, Arizona, and died January 27, 2007.  He was a Korean War veteran.
     
  • Pepper, William - inventor who patented the touchscreen panel in the 1980s.  A descendent of inventor Benjamin Franklin, he pioneered touch screen technology.  He was a self-taught electrical engineer who not only patented the touchscreen, but also several other inventions.  He served in a MASH unit during the Korean War.  Born in Philadelphia, he died at age 86 on April 12, 2016.
     
  • Perot, Henry Ross Sr. - founder of the Electronic Data Systems Corporation, billionaire, U.S. Presidential candidate 1992 and 1996.  Born June 27, 1930 in Texarkana, Texas, Ross Perot graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served in our country's Navy from 1953 to 1957.  He was chief engineer on the destroyer Sigourney when he had a disagreement with his commanding officer.  He later served on the aircraft carrier USS Leyte.
     
  • Peterson, Frank Emmanuel Jr. - Chairman of the Marrow Donor Program and vice president of DuPont Aviation.  Born on March 2, 1932 in Topeka, Kansas, he joined the US Naval Reserve as seaman apprentice in June 1950.  He was designated marine aviator and 2nd Lieutenant on October 22, 1952.  He was the first African-American to fly for the Marines.  In 1953 he was assigned to Fighter Attack Squadron 212 "Devil Cats".  He flew 64 combat missions and earned six air medals and the Distinguished Flying Cross in Korea.  He was the first African-American to attend the National War College in D.C., and then served in Vietnam.  He was the first African-American general in the Marine Corps.  He retired in 1988 after 38 years of service.  He then served on the board of directors of the National Aviation Research and Education Foundation.  Beginning in 1999, he served two years as chair of the National Marrow Donor Program.  In 1999 he joined DuPont Aviation as a vice president.
     
  • Phelan, James Joseph "Jim" - basketball coach for 49 years at Mount Saint Mary's University.  A 1951 graduate of LaSalle University, Jim played one season for the Philadelphia Warriors of the NBA.  From 1951 to 1953 he served in the United States Marine Corps.  He was born March 19, 1929.  Inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
     
  • Philbin, Regis Francis Xavier - television host in Guinness Book of World Records for having the most on-air, on-camera time of any person.  Born August 25, 1931 in New York, New York, Philbin attended and graduated from Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx (1951).  He attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating with a BA degree in 1953.  He joined the US Navy, serving from 1953-1955.  Lt.jg Philbin was a supply corps officer at the Naval Amphibious Base (NAB), Coronado, California.
     
  • Pinckard, Bill - Hollywood stuntman, minor league ballplayer, baseball/baseball glover designer.  Born in 1929 in Rockford, Illinois, Pinckard was a minor league baseball player who played 12 seasons in Boston, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Cincinnati.  During the off-season he was a Hollywood stuntman who subbed for Charlton Heston and Gary Cooper.  His rise to the major leagues was interrupted by service in the Army during the Korean War.  He was one of the first Caucasians to play baseball in Japan.  There, his nickname was "Marco Polo."  Due to a bad back, his Hollywood stuntman career was over by the 1960s.  In 1963 he designed a new baseball made from cowhide rather than horsehide.  This successful venture was adopted by the professional leagues and then he turned to making baseball gloves.  
     
  • Poelker, Marcel C. - Minor League baseball player.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com]. Marcel C. Poelker was born on August 26, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri. The son of Mr. and Mrs. Alphonse Poelker, Marcel attended Roosevelt High School in St. Louis. Poelker graduated from high school in 1946 and signed with the Bristol Twins of the Class D Appalachian League in 1947. The 6-foot, 160-pound left-handed-hitting second baseman played just 10 games with the Twins and was hitting .115 (3 for 26) when he was released to the Fort Smith Giants of the Class C Western Association. Appearing in 19 games for the Giants, Poelker hit .145 and finished the year with the Lawton Giants of the Class D Sooner State League, where he batted .193 in 30 games. Despite his weak hitting, Poelker was an excellent defensive infielder and the 19-year-old played 133 games with Lawton in 1948, batting .210, as the club finished in second place. In 1949, Poelker was batting .160 over 21 games with Lawton before being optioned to the Belleville Stags of the Class D Mississippi-Ohio Valley League. Poelker batted .245 with the Stags in 103 games and hit two home runs. In 1950, the 21-year-old infielder was with the Sanford Giants of the Class D Florida State League and batted a career-high .271 in 139 games. After four seasons of minor league baseball, Poelker appeared to have found his groove but military service was on the horizon and he was inducted in the Army in December 1950. He was carried on the National Defense Service List of the Muskogee Reds of the Class C Western Association at the time. Marcel Poelker attained the rank of sergeant and served in Korea as a Light Weapons Assault Infantryman with Company C of the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He was killed in action September 25, 1951, aged 23, during the ill conceived attempts to overrun North Korean positions at the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. Allied forces (American and French) suffered 3,700 casualties during the battle.  Marcel Poelker is buried at Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, Missouri.
     
  • Poholsky, Thomas George "Tom" - starting pitcher in major league baseball. Born August 26, 1929, Tom Poholsky died January 6, 2001 in Kirkwood, Missouri.  He debuted in the major leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals on April 20, 1950.  His baseball career was interrupted when he was drafted into the Army, reporting for duty July 17, 1951.  He played with the 1953 All-Army champions (Ft. Belvoir's team) in 1953.  He returned to baseball after discharge, pitching for the Cardinals 1954-56.  His last MLB appearance was September 11, 1957 with the Chicago Cubs. 
     
  • Pollak, Stephen J. - This attorney graduated from Dartmouth in 1950 and Yale Law School in 1956.  He served in a variety of government positions during the Kennedy and Johnson Administration, including Assistant to the Solicitor General, Advisor to the President for National Capital Affairs, and Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Civil Rights Division at the U.S. Department of Justice.  Between colleges he served in the Navy during the Korean War.  He was assigned to the USS Borie, a destroyer operating out of Norfolk, Virginia operating out of Norfolk, Virginia.  The Borie was part of the first Atlantic division ordered to the Far East to serve in the Korean War.  The destroyer stayed on the battle line just off the Korean coast until the end of July 1951.   
     
  • Pournelle, Jerry Eugene - Science fiction writer, essayist and journalist.  Born August 7, 1933 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Jerry Pournelle served as a Lieutenant in an Army artillery unit during the Korean War.  After serving his country he went on to become a renowned science fiction writer of such military-themed sci-fi books as Prince of Mercenaries, Prince of Sparta, The Mercenary, etc.  He was also a contributor to Byte, a computer magazine, and in 1973 served as President of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
     
  • Presley, Wycliffe L. - amateur baseball player.  Killed in action while serving as a corporal with the Canadian Army in Korea June 26, 1952.
     
  • Price, James Kenneth "Kenny" - country western singer who was part of the gospel quartet that performed on the television series Hee Haw.  Affectionately known as the "Round Mound of Sound" (he weighed 200 pounds), he recorded 34 songs that made the Hot Country Songs charts between 1966 and 1980.  He was born May 27, 1931 in Florence, Kentucky and died August 4, 1987 at age 56.  He was a corporal in the US Army (1952-54) during the Korean War.  While stationed in Korea, he auditioned for a USO show. By the time he was discharged, Price had decided to become a professional musician and studied briefly at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. Later in 1954 he began playing on Midwestern Hayride at WLW Cincinnati. Three years later he was appearing on Buddy Ross' local television show Hometown.
     
  • Pyle, Ralph Reeves Jr. - Photographer of celebrities at the Hollywood Canteen.  Served in World War II.  Recalled to duty for the Korean War.  In Korea, Pyle was assigned to the Signal Corps as Chief Photographer.  He took pictures of the first round of peace talks and was then released from active duty.
     
  • Rangel, Charles B. "Charlie" - U.S. Representative from New York's 15th Congressional district 1971-2011.  Served in Korea with the 503rd Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division.  The 503rd was an all-Black unit.  He fought in the battle of Kunu-ri in 1950, and for leading a group of soldiers out of a Chinese Army encirclement during that battle, he earned a Bronze Star with Valor device. He also earned a Purple Hear for receiving shrapnel at Kunu-ri.  
     
  • Rathgeb, Lawrence "Larry" - Influential Chrysler/racing engineer.  Lawrence "Larry" J. Rathgeb, Detroit, Michigan, died March 22, 2020, at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital at age 90, a victim of COVID-19. He was born February 12, 1930, in Harrison, New York. His family later moved to nearby New Rochelle, and he worked as a mechanic at a local garage. In 1948, he joined the Army and was part of Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s motor pool. He also became a member of the general’s honor guard, serving in the Korean War, Jeff Rathgeb said. He noted that his father kept an autographed photo of the general in his home office. Rathgeb and his wife married after he got out of the Army. He later came to Michigan and Chrysler through the Chrysler Institute of Engineering after attending what was then the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. Larry was the lead engineer for the car that on March 24, 1970, broke one of racing’s most significant milestones, the 200 mph closed-circuit track lap. By the mid-60s, he was head of Chrysler’s “Special Vehicle Group,” according to the Hall of Fame listing. The effort that led to the ground-breaking Charger Daytona was spawned by a battle to outdo Ford and its Torino Talladega, driven by Richard Petty, in the 1969 NASCAR season, according to Mopar. Larry was a good family man who was a friend to everyone and apparently a bit humble about his contributions. His son said those included convincing Dale Earnhardt Sr. to stick with racing after Rathgeb hired him to test the Chrysler Kit Car and his dad’s work as a suspension and alignment consultant on the Dodge Viper.
     
  • Ray, John W. - Senior Judge for the State of Nevada.  Senior Judge John W. Ray passed peacefully on September 03, 2016 at age 85. He is survived by Geniel, his wife of almost 66 years, 3 children, 3 grandchildren and his sister, Peggy. "Jack" grew up on ranches in Colorado and Kansas and served in the Navy during the Korean War. After the Navy he drove cattle trucks and served as a Police Officer in Pueblo, CO; moving his family to Carson City in 1965, where he worked in law enforcement for the State of Nevada before becoming Special Master of the Juvenile Courts. Jack was first appointed and then twice elected as Justice of the Peace in Carson City. He always said that he was lucky to have been elected with majority votes as being the Judge meant "he could only make half of the people happy at any one time". He was subsequently appointed as a Senior Judge for the State of Nevada. The Nevada State Supreme Court recently acknowledged his work with a special commendation for his years of service and reputation for empathy and fairness. Jack was a member of the LDS church and when not working, was a "hands on" father before it was the norm. He enjoyed working with the Eagle Scouts, family camping and four-wheeling trips, working with the Coast Guard Auxiliary, working as a Trustee for the local library, participating in the local Masonic Lodge, and reading mystery novels. He retired to a quiet life with family and close friends in 2005. Services will be held Saturday, September 10, at 1pm at the LDS Stake Center in Carson City, 411 N. Saliman Road, to be followed by graveside service at Lone Mountain Cemetery. Published in Reno Gazette-Journal on September 8, 2016.
     
  • Reed, Joel Melvin - film maker.  Joel Melvin Reed, Manhattan, New York, died April 14, 2020 of coronavirus in a hospital in Queens.  He was born December 29, 1933 in Brooklyn, a son of Albert and Gertrude Harris Reed.  He was survived by brothers Elliott and Michael.  After completing high school he served in the US Army in Korea.  Mr. Reed gained fame as a soft-core porn and then splatter-horror filmmaker.  His most famous film was the misogynistic film, "Bloodsucking Freaks".
     
  • Reeden, George C. - Minor League baseball player.  He was serving in the US Air Force when he was killed in a plane crash at Panama City, Florida, on December 11, 1953. (George C. Von Reeden)
     
  • Reiter, Norman Franklin - Senior Scientist at Goodyear Atomic/Martin Marietta plant for 36 years.  During his career he was awarded four U.S. patents for inventions in the atomic research field.  Born August 26, 1929 at Sciotoville, Ohio.  He received a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Ohio University in 1951.  He graduated from the U.S. Air Force as a 1st Lieutenant from 1951-53 during the Korean War.  He died July 2, 1989 in Waverly, Ohio. 
     
  • Render, Rudolph Valentino "Rudy" - Musical accompanist of movie star Debbie Reynolds for many years.  Born on July 1, 1929, Rudy lived in Terre Haute, Indiana before moving to Hollywood.  In 1949 he was on his way to a career in Hollywood, having a hit recording, "Sneakin' Around."  He was suddenly drafted during the Korean War and was stationed at Ft. Ord, California in Special Services.  According to Curtis W. Long, after his duty hours Rudy was a pianist and conductor for the musical group that was playing at "The Rose Room", a recreational club for "colored" soldiers at the time.  Bill Reynolds, brother of Debbie Reynolds, was stationed at Ft. Ord the same time Rudy was.  When Debbie came to Ft. Ord to put on a show at the base recreational facility, she met Rudy and they became lifelong friends.  After leaving the military Rudy appeared in the Joan Crawford film, "Torch Song."  He returned to Indiana to complete his master's degree and then returned to Hollywood when Debbie Reynolds offered him a job as director of music for her traveling show.  He remained in California after that.
     
  • Repetski, Jerry Joseph - community college department chairman.  Born April 25, 1929 and died May 14, 2015, Repetski was the first chairman of Niagara County Community College's newly formed math, chemistry and technology department.  He held that position from 1968 to 1982.  He enlisted in the USMC and served in the Korean War as an air intelligence officer with Marine Fighting Squadron 441 (VMF-441).  He retired from the USMC reserves as a colonel.
     
  • Reycraft, George D. - trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice.  He rose to chief of the special trial section in 1958.  Reycraft served as a major in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and the US Air Force during the Korean War.  He died March 01, 2004.
     
  • Robertson, Marion Gordon "Pat" -  Conservative host of the 700 Club, one of the largest television ministries in the world, Pat Robertson was born March 22, 1930. During the Korean War he served in the Marine Corps, stationed in Japan and Korea, but he was not a combat Marine. Robertson is the author of numerous spiritual, social and political books.  He founded Operation Blessing in 1978.  The non-profit has provided nearly $500 million in aid in 50 states and 71 foreign countries.  Pat Robertson also put an unsuccessful bid in for the U.S. Presidential nomination as a Republican in 1988.  The following biographical sketch explaining Pat Robertson's Korean War service was found on his website: "Growing up as I did during World War II, I attended military schools. In 1948, when President Truman re-instituted a military draft, I had the choice of enlisting in the Marines as an officer candidate or being drafted as a private in the Army. I took the Marine option, which let me finish college so long as I attended two summers of boot training for officers at Quantico, Virginia, first with the rank of corporal, then as sergeant. I graduated from Washington & Lee, Magna Cum Laude, and at my graduation for the first time in the history of the school, a graduate was formally commissioned a second lieutenant in the armed forces of the United States. In June of 1950, I enrolled at the University of London for a survey course called "The Arts in Britain Today." On occasional weekends I crossed the English Channel to France. Sitting at a sidewalk café in Paris in mid-June of 1950, I read of "La guerre dans Coree." Then as I read on, I learned that the United States was calling the "fusiliers marines" into active service. That meant me. On October 2, 1950, a couple of weeks after my return from Europe, I was ordered to report for duty at the First Special Basic Class for young Marine Corps officers at Quantico, Virginia. In January of 1951, I shipped out from San Diego to Kobe, Japan. I spent four months at a camp near Kyoto, Japan doing rehabilitation training for Marines wounded in Korea. We did long, grueling marches to toughen the men, plus refresher training in firearms and bayonet combat.  In May of 1951, I was transferred to Korea where I ended up at the headquarters command of the First Marine Division. The Division was in combat in the hot and dusty, then bitterly cold portion of North Korea just above the 38th Parallel, later identified as the "Punchbowl" and "Heartbreak Ridge." For that service in the Korean War, the Marine Corps awarded me three battle stars for "action against the enemy."

    [KWE Note: Robertson's version of his military service greatly differs from versions of other Marines who knew him during his time in the Marine Corps.  They note that Robertson was not a combat Marine.  He was in the 5th Replacement Draft en route to Korea when his influential father, a senator from Virginia, used his connections to get Pat reassigned to duty in Japan to avoid the dangers that awaited 2nd Lieutenants going into the combat zone in Korea.  When Robertson was eventually sent to Korea, he was assigned to Headquarters at Masan, some 300 miles from the front lines.]
     
  • Rudman, Warren Bruce - Republican politician from New Hampshire.  Warren Rudman served two terms as a senator from New Hampshire.  He was also the Attorney General of New Hampshire from 1970-1976.  Born on May 18, 1930, he received a BS from Syracuse University in 1953.  He received a law degree from Boston College Law after serving as a platoon leader and company commander during the Korean War.  He was wounded in action in the war and was a recipient of the Bronze Star.  Rudman authored the book, "Combat: Twelve Years in the U.S. Senate."  He died November 19, 2012.
     
  • Russ, Martin Faxon - Writer & Historian who authored a number of works of military history including Line of Departure: Tarawa (1967) and Breakout: The Chosin Reservoir Campaign, Korea (1999). Russ based his research on extensive interviews with living veterans of the military campaigns & battles he wrote about. Russ served in the 1/1 Battalion of the 1st Marine Division with the rank of Sergeant. In one incident, Russ and his platoon were pinned down in no man's land. He wrote 'During the barrage, I tried to draw my entire body up into my helmet like a fetus.' Russ served in Korea for seven months in 1953. He kept a detailed diary which was strictly against regulations and when an officer questioned what he was doing, Russ pretended he was writing letters home. After the war, Russ used his wartime diary as the basis for his first book The Last Parallel, a memoir of his experiences in Korea. Published in 1957, the book reached No.8 on the New York Times bestseller list and the film rights were sold to director Stanley Kubrick but the film was never made.  Martin Russ was born February 14, 1931 in Newark, New Jersey.  He died December 06,  2010 in Oakville, California. [Submitted to the KWE by Peter Hill, Australia]
     
  • Ryan, George - former Detroit Recorder's Court judge and lawyer. Before his legal career, the judge served in the Korean War as a judge advocate general in the U.S. Army. He graduated from the University of Detroit and got his law degree at the University of Detroit Law School in 1951.
     
  • Sack, John - Author of military-related books and pioneer of New Journalism.  He is best known for his reporting from the battlefields of Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan,   He was also a contributor to Harper’s, The Atlantic and The New Yorker, a contributing editor of Esquire, a writer, producer, and special correspondent for CBS News and its bureau chief in Spain.  After graduating from Harvard he joined the Army Reserves in 1951 and went on active duty in Korea the next year as a Private First Class.  He reported for Stars & Stripes in 1953.  His literary career included over nine military-related books.  He died March 27, 2004 in San Francisco at the age of 74. 
     
  • Salter, James - Novelist James Salter was born June 10, 1925 in Passaic, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City.  Salter was his pen name; his birth name was James Arnold Horowitz.  He was commissioned an officer in the Army Air Corps at the end of World War II.  He returned to combat duties during the Korean War, flying 100 combat missions in an F-86 Sabre jet.  He was credited with one kill.  When the war ended, he was assigned to Germany.  He gave up his career in the military to pursue a writing career.  In 1957 he published his first novel, The Hunters, based on his experiences as a fighter pilot.  The novel was sold to Hollywood and turned into a feature film story starring Robert Mitchum.  Other novels by James Salter included A Sport and a Pastime, Light Years, and Solo Faces.  Salter died June 19, 2015.
     
  • Saner, Reginald Anthony - Award-winning academic and successful poet.  Saner was born in 1929 in Jacksonville, Illinois.  He graduated from St. Norbert College in Wisconsin in 1950 with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Reserve Officers Training Corps commission as 2nd lieutenant in the Army.  He was called to active duty in January 1951 and sent to the army's arctic survival school in Alaska.  He was deployed to Korea in April 1952 where he served with the 14th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division until January 1953--six months of that time as a platoon leader.  He received a Bronze Star and was promoted to 1st Lieutenant.  He was discharged in April 1953, received an MA from the University of Illinois in 1954 and a PhD in 1962.  He was hired by the University of Colorado's English Department in 1962 and remained there.
     
  • Santiago, Carlos Manuel - baseball player of note.  "On a barnstorming trip to the United States, Santiago caught the eye of John Beckwith, manager of the Atlanta Black Crackers in '45. He played half the season with Atlanta before jumping to the Cubans, where he played short and second. Two years later, he became the first black Puerto Rican to play organized baseball, signing with the Stamford Bombers in the Continental League. Santiago's signing created opportunities in the United States for Minnie Minoso, Roberto Clemente and other men with dark skin and Latino blood. In 1951, Bill Veeck invited Santiago to training camp with the Indians, but he didn't go. Uncle Sam drafted him and sent him to Korea. After he returned, he continued to play in various leagues in the United States and outside. His play in his homeland, Puerto Rico, earned Santiago induction into the country's Hall of Fame in 1993."
     
  • Saucier, Francis Field "Frank" - minor/major league baseball player.  Born May 28, 1926 at Leslie, Missouri, Saucier was a right-fielder for the St. Louis Browns in 1951--the only year he was in the majors.  He entered the Navy's V-12 program during World War II and served as a deck lieutenant on the USS Barnstable in the Philippines, Japan and China seas.  In 1949 he received a Silver Slugger bat for having the highest batting average in professional baseball.  In 1950 he was an outfielder in the St. Louis Browns system.  Simultaneously he invested in a Texas oil well, which began producing 150 barrels a day in February 1951.  He then quit baseball.  Saucier was recalled to the Navy during the Korean War (1952) and was sent to the naval station at Pensacola, Florida. 
     
  • Sawatski, Carl Ernest "Swats" - minor league hitter and major league baseball catcher.  Carl was born November 4, 1927 in Shickshinny, Pennsylvania and died November 24, 1991 in Little Rock, Arkansas.  He was a left-handed batter who threw right-handed.  He was in the major leagues on the following teams: Chicago Cubs (1948, 1950 & 1953), Chicago White Sox (1954), Milwaukee Braves (1957-58), Philadelphia Phillies (1958-59), St. Louis Cardinals (1960-63).  He reported for duty for a two-year stint in the Amy in 1951 at Camp Chafee, Arkansas, returning to baseball in 1953.
     
  • Schein, Edgar - M.I.T. professor.  Born March 05, 1928 in Zurich, Schein immigrated to the United States in 1938.  He entered the U.S. Army's clinical psychology program, graduating with a PhD from Harvard in 1952.  He then served in the Army until 1956.  According to an M.I.T. article, "During his service, Schein interviewed American prisoners of war about indoctrination attempts conducted by Chinese captors fighting on behalf of North Korea during the Korean War. In a 2012 interview with Indiana University’s Tobias Leadership Center, Schein said talking with ex-POWs brought him to the concept of coercive persuasion."  Professor Schein died January 26, 2023 at the age of 94.
     
  • Schirra, Walter "Wally" Marty Jr. - Born March 12, 1923 in Hackensack, New Jersey, Schirra graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1945.  He flew 90 missions in the Korean War, downing a Russian MiG.  He was one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, flying in the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo space programs.  He commanded Apollo 7 in October 1968.  Schirra logged more than 295 hours in space.  He helped to develop the Sidewinder air-to-air missile as a Navy test pilot.  Wally Schirra died of a heart attack on May 2, 2007 in LaJolla, California.
     
  • Schmidt, Harvey Lester - American composer for musical theatre.  He was born September 12, 1929 in Dallas, Texas.  After studying art at the University of Texas he was drafted into the Army and served during the Korean War.  After leaving the military he collaborated with Tom Jones [see Thomas Collins Jones entry on this page] in the longest-running musical in history, "The Fantasticks" and other well-known musicals.  He died February 28, 2018.
     
  • Scivoletti, Michael "Mike" - minor league ballplayer.  Born in 1930, Michael Scivoletti enlisted in the Army and took basic training at Ft. Dix.  He was then stationed at Ft. Monmouth, where he joined the base's 1949 Signaleer team as a second baseman.  The Signaleers were third place in the All-Army Tournament that year.  When not playing baseball, Scivoletti worked at the base radio station.  He was TDY at Ft. Meade in 1951, but returned to Ft. Monmouth in time for the 1951 season.  In 1953 Scivoletti played on the Crowley Millers ball team managed by Tony York, playing in the Evangeline League.
     
  • Serpico, Daniel - Cape Cod radio personality.  He was the morning announcer for radio station WOCB AM/FM for twenty years.  He hosted a jazz show, sports talk show, and other programs.  Serpico was born in Montclair, New Jersey.  He served in the army artillery during the Korean War (1952) and then served out his enlistment in radio.  He died June 7, 2015.
     
  • Shaw, Leander Jerry Jr. - first black chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court.  Born September 06, 1930 in Salem, Virginia, Judge Shaw received his law degree in 1957 from Howard University, Washington, D.C.  Shaw was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1960.  He was appointed in 1983 and retired January 2003.  During the Korean War he served as an artillery officer.   
     
  • Shea, Dr. John Joseph Jr. - Known as the "father of middle-ear surgery", this legendary Memphis, Tennessee physician developed a revolutionary way to treat otosclerosis--a calcification of the stirrup bone in the inner ear that causes hearing loss.  On May 1, 1956, he performed the first stapedectomy on a 54-year old patient to restore her hearing.  A graduate of Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, he graduated in 1947 from Harvard Medical School. While there he enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve.  While in his residency at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston, he was called up to serve in the Naval Medical Corps during the Korean War.  Born September 4, 1924, he died February 08, 2015 at the age of 90.
     
  • Sheridan, R. Champlin "Champ" - founder of The Sheridan Companies.  This Baltimore native graduated from Johns Hopkins University and then served in the Korean War.  In 1967 he purchased the Everybody's Poultry Magazine Publishing Company.  In 1982 he changed the company name to The Sheridan Press, a world-class print and publishing services company.  Champ Sheridan died August 7, 2013 in Vero Beach, Florida.
     
  • Sherin, Edwin - actor, director, executive producer.  Edwin Sherin began his acting career in the mid-1950s and then began directing in the 1960s.  He directed 36 episodes of the television series Law and Order and was executive producer of 151 episodes of the same.  He directed James Earl Jones on Broadway's "The Great White Hope."  Born January 15, 1930 in Danville, Pennsylvania, he graduated in 1952 from Brown University with a degree in international relations.  He then enlisted in the U.S. Navy and saw combat as a gunner aboard the destroyer USS Twining.  He left the Navy in 1955.  Edwin Sherin died on May 4, 2017 in Lockeport, Nova Scotial Canada.
     
  • Shibata, George - Actor and lawyer.  George Shibata was born November 14, 1926 in Garland, Utah.  He was the first Asian-American graduate of the United States Military Academy in the Class of 1951.  He was commissioned in the USAF in 1951 and flew F-86 Sabres out of Taegu AFB during the Korean War.  His acting debut was in the film Pork Chop Hill in 1959,  Among other films, he also starred in The Wackiest Ship in the Army (1960) and The Ugly American (1963). After military service he became a lawyer in California.  He died May 20, 1987 in Huntington Beach, California. 
     
  • Shigeta, James - This 3rd generation Asian-American was a well-known actor best known for his roles in the movies "Flower Drum Song" and "Midway", as well as his appearances in the television shows: Perry Mason, Hawaii Five-O, Mission Impossible, Ironsides, Kung Fu, Streets of San Francisco, The Love Boat, and Beverly Hills 90210.  He is also known for his 1988 role in "Die Hard" as businessman Joseph Takagi.  He served in the USMC from 1951-54, achieving the rank of Sergeant.  He served with the 2nd Replacement Company during the Korean War.  Born in Honolulu, he died July 28, 2014.
     
  • Shirk, Gilbert F. "Gil" - minor League baseball player.  Born in 1930, Shirk was serving in the military when he was killed in an auto accident at Perryville, Maryland, on May 20, 1953. Source: Elizabethtown (Pennsylvania) Area School District website

    Gilbert “Gil” Shirk was one of the most elite athletes to come out of Lancaster County. At Elizabethtown, Gil excelled in football, basketball, and baseball and was named County All Star for all three sports. In the 1948-49 school year, he played a major role in helping EAHS capture the section title and the county championship in all three sports, a “Grand Slam”, a first by any school in the county. A quarterback/halfback, a forward, and a catcher, he was hailed by his coach as one of “E-town’s greatest all-around athletes.” At championship games, crowds of thousands would turn out to watch him play. After high school, Gil was drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers and played in New York and Colorado before being drafted into the Army. It is widely believed that had Gil not been tragically killed in an automobile accident he most certainly would have been a Major League baseball player, the first from E-town. In honor of his accomplishments, the Gil Shirk Memorial Trophy was dedicated in his memory to award junior athletes on their leadership, personality, athletic, and scholastic ability. Accepting the award for the late Gil Shirk was his sister, Dottie Little.
     
  • Siegal, Jack L. - CBS reporter and later co-founder of Chagal Communications in Los Angeles, California.  Siegal joined the Navy ROTC program at Pennsylvania University and then joined the US Navy as an Ensign during the Korean War.  He first MC'd Armed Forces radio and television programs in Washington before being sent to Korea to gather radio and television data for the Navy.  He covered the Inchon Invasion from a flagship off Wolmi-do, and that eye witness account was aired on the Edward R. Murrow show on CBS.  He recorded war activities under combat conditions during the remainder of the war, including action on the road to Seoul after the Inchon Invasion, and coverage of the cease fire and truce negotiations at Kaesong and Panmunjom.  After discharge from the Navy he became a reporter for CBS television.  In Vermont he established a broadcast group that served the Montreal, Canada area.  He moved to Los Angeles in 1970 and founded Chagal Communications with two Korean business partners.  Chagal served the Korean community in particular.  Jack Siegal died in July 2004 at the age of 75.
     
  • Silverstein, Shel - famed poet, children's book author, composer.  Born in Chicago in 1932, Shel Silverstein died May 10, 1999 at the age of 68.  He was drafted into the Army in 1953 and signed up for the infantry.  He was on his way to Korea when he got an interview with Stars & Stripes.  He was hired as a map maker and layout man, but became one of the newspaper's most well-known (and controversial) cartoonists.  After discharge in 1955, Shel Silverstein got a job as a staff cartoonist for Playboy magazine in 1956.  He contributed to Playboy until 1998.  He was the author of numerous children's books and became a poet.  He was also a composer, particularly of country western songs.  He wrote the lyrics to Johnny Cash's hit song, A Boy Named Sue.  He authored The Giving Tree, Where the Sidewalk Ends, The Missing Piece, and The Light in the Attic, among numerous other books.
     
  • Simanovsky, Franklin Joseph - left-handed pitcher for New York Yankees.  Frank was born on October 4, 1929 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the son of Mr. and Mrs. L.R. Simanovsky.  Known for an extraordinary knuckle-curveball, he played for the Kansas City Blues (1948), Grand Forks Chiefs (1949), Joplin Miners (1950), Iola Indians (1954), St. Petersburg Saints (1954), Tyler Tigers (1954) and Binghamton Triplets (1954).  He spent the 1950 season as a teammate of Mickey Mantle at the Yankees' Class C farm club in Joplin, Missouri.  He was the League's top pitcher with a 21-3 record, 16 complete games and a 3.13 ERA.  This up and coming Yankees pitcher joined the Marine Corps and served in F-2-7 during the Korean War.  He was injured in combat. After being discharged in 1954, he tried to make a comeback as a pitcher but his war injuries ended his professional baseball career.  He retired from US Airways in 1992 after 25 years of service.  He died January 18, 2004 in San Diego, California, survived by his widow Pat and daughters Anne Simanovsky and Lynn Jamison. 
     
  • Simmons, Curt - baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.   He joined the National Guard in 1948.  With just a month left in a successful baseball season, the Whiz Kids' Simmons was drafted to active duty when his guard unit was activated due to the Korean War on September 4, 1950.  He left the team on September 9, 1950, and reported to duty at Camp Atterbury, Indiana.  He was given a 10-day leave without pay, but couldn't play in the World Series in which the Yankees beat the Phillies in four games.  Simmons was stationed in Germany during his military service.  He missed the 1951-52 baseball seasons, but earned a World Series title with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1964.     
     
  • Simpson, Joe "Red" - prolific country music songwriter associated with the Bakersfield Sound.  Born on March 06, 1934 in Higley, Arizona, Red Simpson served on the hospital ship USS Repose during the Korean War. In down times he wrote songs and formed a country band called the Repose Ramblers.  After discharge from military service he became famous for his country songs.  Buck Owens and Merle Haggard recorded more than 40 of Simpson's songs.  He later co-wrote songs with Buck Owens.
     
  • Smith, William - actor in the Western series, "Larado", and the television series "Hawaii-Five-O".  Smith served in the Air Force as an interrogator/translator because he could speak several languages, including Russian.  He flew secret missions over Russia during the Korean War and had CIA and NSA clearance.  Born March 24, 1933 in Columbia, Missouri, he has appeared in almost 300 feature films and television productions.
     
  • Sowell, Thomas - American economist, social theorist, political philosopher and author.  Born on June 30, 1930 in North Carolina, Sowell grew up in Harlem, New York.  He dropped out of high school, and served in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War. He received a bachelor's degree from Harvard University in 1958 and a master's degree from Columbia University in 1959. In 1968, he earned his Doctorate in Economics from the University of Chicago. Because of his experience in photography, he became a Marine Corps photographer; he also trained Marines in .45-caliber pistol proficiency.
     
  • Spear, Harry - A child actor who played one of the Little Rascals in Our Gang shorts from 1927 to 1929, Spear's legal name was Harry Bonner.  He was born December 16, 1921 and died September 22, 2006 in San Diego.  He served as a chief petty officer in the Navy during World II,  Korea, and Vietnam.
     
  • Spinks, Alfred - founder of SAS Marine Services.  Born on November 11, 1928 in Ft. Mill, South Carolina, Alfred Spinks joined the Navy at age 14 and served in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam.  He received the Bronze Star for valor.  After his military service he founded SAS Marine Services.  Among his life achievements was directing the search and investigation of the Challenger Shuttle accident in 1986.  Alfred died on January 07, 2018.
     
  • Spruance, Donald William - Actor who appeared in the following television series in the 1960s: The Streets of San Francisco, The FBI, The Fugitive, Ben Casey, Gunsmoke, and the Donna Reed Show.  Don Spruance was a tap dancer in Special Services at Ft. Ord in 1953.  His name appears in a military biography about actor David Janssen's time at Ft. Ord.  Spruance was born November 17, 1933 in San Francisco, CA.
     
  • Stauffer, Jay Thomas "Tom" - craftsman, designer, metallurgist, inventor.  This Korean War veteran was renowned for his reproduction pewter plates from the colonial era.  He was a designer of toys of all types for the former Hubley Toy Company, designing Mr. Magoo's car.  He worked for Wilton Armetale, where he made a Presidential Seal for Air Force One.  He created a prototype for one of the origin al IUD birth control devices.  He also created a mood ring.  A Korean War veteran of the US Navy, he served aboard the dock landing ship, USS White Marsh.  Tom died September 04, 2012.
     
  • Stevens, Richard - corporate turnaround specialist.  One of the top resort and hospitality executives in the world, Stevens ran multi-million dollar projects for the Howard Hughes organization and for oil tycoon Jack Wrather, founder of Disneyland Hotel Resort in Anaheim, California.  A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley, Stevens was a Regular Army officer in the Korean War.  He was later assigned to direct one of the largest logistics bases in the Pacific theatre--a $400 million electronics supply operation.
     
  • Stephens, Stan - broadcaster turned governor.  Born September 16, 1929 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, he moved to the United States at age 19.  Prior to that, by age 7 he was a gifted trumpet player who played solos in the Calgary Symphony.  He enlisted in the US Armed Forces Broadcast Network and served in the Korean War.  After the war he enjoyed a 38-year career in broadcasting and community television.  He was co-owner of radio station KOJM.  From 1959 to 1984 he wrote and broadcast radio editorials.  He also had ownership interests in cable television stations.  He served as a Republican senator from Havre, Montana, for 16 years and then in 1989 he became Montana's 20th governor.  He retired from public life in 1993 and died April 3, 2021 in Kalispell, Montana.
     
  • Stevenson, Adlai E. (III) - Senator from Illinois; tank commander in Korea.  Great-grandson of Vice President Adlai Ewing Stevenson, born in Chicago, Cook County, Ill., October 10, 1930; attended grammar schools in Illinois and Milton Academy, Massachusetts; graduated from Harvard College in 1952, and from the law department of the same university in 1957; entered United States Marine Corps as a private in 1952, served as a tank platoon commander in Korea, discharged as a first lieutenant in 1954 and from the Reserves in 1961 with the rank of captain; law clerk to justice of Illinois Supreme Court 1957-1958; admitted to the bar in 1957 and commenced practice in Chicago, Ill.; member, Illinois house of representatives 1965-1967; treasurer, State of Illinois 1967-1970; elected in a special election on November 3, 1970, as a Democrat to the United States Senate to fill the unexpired term caused by the death of United States Senator Everett M. Dirksen; reelected in 1974, and served from November 17, 1970, to January 3, 1981; was not a candidate for reelection in 1980; chairman, Select Committee on the Senate Committee System (Ninety-fourth Congress), Select Committee on Ethics (Ninety-fifth and Ninety-sixth Congresses); resumed the practice of law; unsuccessful Democratic candidate for governor of Illinois in 1982 and 1986; discontinued practice of law in 1992; founded and served as chairman of investment banking firm of SCM Investment Management 1992-; is a resident of Hanover, IL.
     
  • Stewart, James - actor.  First major actor to wear a military uniform in World War II.  A decorated World War II veteran, Stewart served in the Air Force Reserves during the Korean War.  He was an Air Force Commander at Dobbins Air Reserve Base in the early 1950s.
     
  • Styron, William - Pulitzer Prize winning author.  Born June 11, 1925, Styron died November 1, 2006. He was made a Lieutenant in the Marine Corps, and he was scheduled ship out of San Francisco but the Japanese had surrendered by then. His was recalled for the Korean War and it prevented him from immediately accepting the Rome Prize but was discharged in 1952 for eye problems.
     
  • Sulski, Robert J. - Cook County (Illinois) judge and city alderman.  "Robert J. Sulski, 69, former Cook County Circuit Court judge and alderman of the 32nd Ward, died Wednesday in Swedish Covenant Hospital. A lifelong resident of the Northwest Side, Judge Sulski was elected alderman of the 32nd Ward in 1959. In 1968, he was elected to the Circuit Court. He retired in 1987. Judge Sulski attended St. Viator School and Lane Technical High School. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the John Marshall Law School. During World War II, Judge Sulski served in the Army and received the silver and bronze star. He served as a lieutenant during the Korean War. After the war, he was an assistant state`s attorney until his election as an alderman. Mr. Sulski is survived by a son, Stephen; two daughters, Karen White and Linda Basil; his father, Bernard Szulski; and one brother." [Source: Obituary]

     
  • Sulzberger, Arthur Ochs Sr.  - Publisher of the New York Times.  Born February 5, 1926, he died September 29, 2012. Sulzberger graduated from the Loomis Institute and then enlisted into the Marine Corps during World War II serving from 1944 to 1946, in the Pacific Theater. He served in the Leyte and Luzon campaigns in the Philippines and then became a jeep driver at Gen. Douglas MacArthur's headquarters in Japan.  He married Barbara Winslow Grant on July 2, 1948 in a civil ceremony at her parents' home in New York. He earned a B.A. degree in English and History in 1951 at Columbia University. As a member of the Marine Forces Reserve he was recalled to active duty during the Korean War. Following completion of officer training, he saw duty in Korea as a public information officer and then in Washington D.C. before being inactivated. He returned to civilian life in December 1952, holding the rank of Captain.  He divorced Barbara Grant Sulzberger in 1956 and married Carol Fox Fuhrman in December 1956. She died in 1995.  Arthur Sulzberger died in September 23012 at the age of 86.
     
  • Sutton, Percy - civil rights activist and lawyer who represented controversial figures such as Malcolm X in 1965.  Sutton became the highest-ranking African-American elected official in New York City in 1966.  He was the elected president of Manhattan borough, serving until 1977.  He was influential as leader of the Harlem Clubhouse.  Percy Sutton was born November 24, 1920 in San Antonio, Texas.  He enlisted in the army in World War II, and served as an intelligence officer with the Tuskegee Airmen.  He was discharged as captain.  He then enlisted in the Air Force during the Korean War and worked as an Air Force Intelligence Officer.  He returned to civilian life in 1953.  Sutton died December 26, 2009 at the age of 89.
     
  • Sweiger, Carroll W. "Bill" - Minor League ball player.  He was serving in the US Army when he was killed in action in Korea on October 4, 1951.
     
  • Tayback, Victor E. - American actor that played many roles, including Mel, owner of Mel's Diner in the television series Alice.  He was born on January 06, 1930 in Brooklyn, New York and died of a heart attack on May 25, 1990 in Glendale, California.  After graduating from high school in 1949, he joined the U.S. Navy, serving during the Korean War.  In 1963 he married Sheila Maureen Barnard.  She died in 2001.
     
  • Taylor, Charles Elmer "Rip" Jr. - American actor and comedian.  Born January 13, 1934 in Washington, DC., he became a Congressional page and was then drafted in the US Army.  He was assigned to the Army Signal Corps and was sent to Korea.  Rip was on a troop ship heading to Korea when he put on a comedy pantomime act for the soldiers on the ship.  He was later transferred to Special Services in Tokyo, Japan.  After the war and during his Hollywood career, he was a frequent celebrity guest panelist on game shows such as Hollywood Squares, To Tell the Truth, The Gong Show, etc.
     
  • Taylor, Maxwell D. - U.S. Ambassador to South Vietnam, 1964.  Maxwell Taylor was a 1922 graduate of West Point.  He commanded the 101st Airborne Division on D-Day during the Battle of the Bulge and the drive through Germany.  He took command of the 8th Army, Korea, 1953-54.
     
  • TerHorst, Jerald - Press Secretary (1974) for President Gerald Ford.  Born July 11, 1922, he died March 31, 2010.  He served in the Marine Corps from 1943 to 1946. After his military service, he worked as a reporter for the Grand Rapids Press (1946–1951). He returned to active duty with the Marine Corps in 1951–1952. He then joined the Detroit News, where he served as city and state political writer (1953–1957), Washington correspondent (1958–1960), and Washington Bureau Chief (1961–1974).
     
  • Tessier, Robert W. - actor.  Born June 2, 1934, Lowell (Middlesex County), Massachusetts.  Died October 11, 1990. Buried in Saint Josephs Cemetery, Chelmsford (Middlesex County), Massachusetts.  Robert Tessier was an actor primarily known for his powerful build, scowling face and shaven head.  He was an Algonquin Indian who broke into the acting profession in the late sixties. Typically cast as the tough guy/villain or Native American (which he was), he was a mainstay in movies and television in a career that spanned over twenty years. His first movie role was in the 1967 Tom Laughlin film, The Born Losers (the film which introduced the "Billy Jack" character) in which he played a biker named "Cueball". Ironically, Robert sported a full head of hair in this film (despite the name of his character) and this was also a nickname by which he was affectionately known by in real life by his friends. He was also a lifelong motorcyclist (who once performed motorcycle stunts in the circus) and formed the company "Stunts Unlimited" with Director Hal Needham. As a young man, Robert Tessier also received four Purple Hearts, two Bronze Stars, and a Silver Star for his military service during the Korean War. (He was a PFC and a paratrooper in the US Army's 45th ID.)  Although Robert Tessier starred in a vast number of movies and TV roles over his career, probably two of his best remembered movie roles were as the menacing, karate-wielding convict, 'Shokner' in the 1974 comedy-drama The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds (whom he counted as one of his friends) and as 'Kevin' in the 1977 mystery-thriller, The Deep. He even ventured into the realm of TV commercials during his career, as Mr. Clean and in a series of commercials in the eighties for Midas Mufflers in Canada with other high-profile stars such as Lee Van Cleef, Jack Palance and Bo Hopkins. (Biography written by Todd Young - with additions by the KWE.)
     
  • Thomas, Dave - Founder of Wendy's Old Fashioned Hamburgers Restaurant chain.  Mess Sergeant, US Army,  during the Korean War.  Volunteered for the Army.  Sent to Cook and Bakers School at Ft. Benning, GA.  Mess Sergeant in Germany responsible for the meals of 2,000 soldiers per day.  Discharged 1953 with the rank of Staff Sergeant.
     
  • Thomas, Earnest "Chilly Willy" - Born on November 20, 1935 in Jonesboro, Louisiana, Thomas was a co-founder and leading force in the Deacons for Defense and Justice, an armed black self-defense militia that helped protect civil rights workers from the Ku Klux Klan.  Earnest Thomas was a Korean War veteran (US Air Force) and the vice president of the first chapter of the Deacons in Jonesboro.  He died on February 21, 2006 in California.  The father of five children, he is buried in Rose Hills Memorial Park, Whittier, California.
     
  • Thomas, William B. "Billie" - Child actor (Buckwheat) in the Our Gang/Little Rascals series 1934-1944.  Born March 12, 1931 in Los Angeles, California, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1954 and served until he was discharged in 1956.  He died October 10, 1980 of a heart attack in Los Angeles after a long career as a film lab technician with Technicolor in Hollywood.  He is buried in Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.
     
  • Thomasson, Jerry Kreth - Member of the Arkansas House and official in the Social Security Administration.  Born October 17, 1931 in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, Jerry Thomassen graduated in 1949 from Arkadelphia High School.  He served in the US Army during the Korean War.  From 1963 to 1966 he was a Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives.  In 1971 President Richard Nixon appointed Thomasson as an administrative law judge of the Social Security and remained there until his retirement in 2000.  He died April 29, 2007.
     
  • Throne, Malachi - Born December 01, 1928, this actor was best known for his roles in Star Trek. It Takes a Thief, and Batman.  He also made numerous guest appearances on television shows such as Ben Casey, The Untouchables, and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.  He served in an infantry unit attached to an artillery outfit in Korea.  He died March 13, 2013.
     
  • Tillis, Mel - country music songwriter and singer.  Lonnie Melvin Tillis was born August 8, 193 in Tampa, Florida.  He attended the University of Florida briefly in the early 1950s.  He served in the Air Force in the Korean War.  He was stationed in Okinawa where he worked as a cook and baker and sang regularly on Armed Forces Radio.  After discharge he began his music career in earnest, moving to Nashville in 1957.  He wrote hit songs for Webb Pierce, Ray Price, Brenda Lee and Waylon Jennings.  In the 1970s he was a prime recording artist.  In the 1970s and 80s he accumulated numerous comedy-action film credits.  He is an inductee in the Country Music Hall of Fame.
     
  • Topf, Martin - engineer and inventor.  Born January 14, 1935, Topf was an engineer at the Bronz-based NASA subcontractor Farrant Optical Company, which did work for the Apollo program.  He worked at Andrea Electronics Corp, Queens, where he was a pivotal engineer that helped Andrea transition to computer-based equipment in the 1990s.  Topf created voice dictation and noise cancelling technology used in IBM microphones.  He held six patents with Andrea by the time he retired in 1997.  Martin Topf served in the Army during the Korean War.  He died November 18, 2018.
     
  • Townsend, Edward Benjamin - "Edward Benjamin Townsend was born in 1929 and as a child sang in his father’s African Methodist Episcopal church. He graduated from Arkansas State College before enlisting in the Marines in 1951. Corporal Townsend served for two years in Korea, where he was discovered by bandleader Horace Heidt. With Heidt, Townsend toured Asia before he settled in Los Angeles, where he would write more than 200 songs – most notably, “Let’s Get It On” with Marvin Gaye. Townsend died August 13, 2003, and is buried at Riverside
    National Cemetery (Section BA, Grave C-213)." [Source: www.cem.va.gov]
     
  • Trent, 2LT John Charles Trent - USMA class of 1950.  From Memphis, TN.  Captain of the undefeated 1949 Army Football Team, he was killed in action November 15, 1950 near Wonsan, North Korea, while serving with Company E, 2nd Battalion, 15th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division.
     
  • Tschudin, Frederick B. "Fred" - Minor League baseball player.  [Source: Baseball's Greatest Sacrifice.com]. Frederick Beverly Tschudin was born on May 29, 1922 in St. Louis, Missouri. He attended Beaumont High School in St. Louis and signed as a catcher with the St. Louis Browns in 1940. Assigned to the Lafayette White Sox of the Class D Evangeline League, Tschudin (who used the first names of Fred and Beverly during his playing career) batted .200 in 70 games. In 1941 he started the season with Lafayette but was released at the end of June and picked up by the Port Arthur Tarpons of the same league. By mid-July he was with the Evangeline League’s Rayne Rice Birds and finished the year with the Alexandria Aces. In 55 games he batted .192. Tschudin started the 1942 campaign with Alexandria but joined the Pampa Oilers of the Class D West Texas-New Mexico League in June. Playing just 10 games with the Oilers, Tschudin joined the Muskogee Reds of the Class C Western Association for the remainder of the season, batting .212 in 62 games and earning honorable mention as a Western Association all-star selection. Tschudin’s contract was owned by the Shreveport Sports of the Texas League at this time, but when the Sports ceased operations at the end of 1942, the 20-year-old catcher was purchased by the St. Paul Saints of the American Association. However, he never played a game for his new affiliate before military service beckoned early in 1943. Tschudin served with the US Navy during World War II and attained the rank of Lieutenant serving with VT-17 (Torpedo Squadron 17) aboard the USS Hornet. Returning to baseball in 1946, Tschudin attended spring training with St. Paul and started the regular season with the Asheville Tourists of the Class B Tri-State League. He batted .206 in 50 games before joining the Grand Forks Chiefs of the Class C Northern League. Tschudin really found his stride with the Chiefs and hit .327 in 30 games. He was with the Pensacola Fliers and the Vicksburg Billies of the Class B Southeastern League in 1947 and joined the Miami Tourists of the Class C Florida International League in 1948, batting .273 in 135 games. In 1949, Miami became a Brooklyn Dodgers affiliate and Tschudin spent spring training with the renamed Sun Sox at recently opened Dodgertown. By the time the regular season came around, Tschudin was with the Douglas Trojans of the Class D Georgia State League where he enjoyed a career year batting .350 in 135 games. Aged 28, he was named player-manager of the Trojans during 1950 and led the club to a second-place finish. He was player-manager of the Tifton Blue Sox in 1951 and batted .300 in 122 games while guiding the team to a fourth place finish and a spot in the league finals. By the time spring training 1952 came around the Korean War was almost two years old. Many players were in military service and Tschudin – with his World War II combat aviation experience – was serving as a civilian instructor at Kinston Air Base in Georgia, a USAF Air Training Command base. On March 14, 1952, Second Lieutenant Martin F. Gould – a Rutgers graduate – was taking flight training instruction from Tschudin aboard a North American T-6D Texan. At some point during the flight the single-engine trainer suffered engine failure and crashed while attempting an emergency landing 12 miles northwest of Kinston, killing both Tschudin and Gould. Fred Tschudin was survived by his widow Winifred “Winkie” Mitchell and their two children John Richard and Cindy. He is buried at Douglas City Cemetery in Douglas, Georgia.
     
  • Tucker, Jerry - actor who played the "rich kid" in the Our Gang series.  Born in Chicago, Illinois with the name Jerome H. Schatz on November 01, 1925, he served in the US Navy in World War II and the Korean War.  Tucker was injured on April 14, 1945 off Okinawa.  While serving on the USS Sigsbee DD-502, a Japanese kamikaze did major damage to the destroyer.
     
  • Tumlinson, Carl D. - Minor League baseball player.  He was serving in the US Army when he was killed in action in Korea on April 7, 1953. Serial number US51191564.  Private E2 Tumlinson was a light weapons assault crewman/infantry leader when he was killed in Korea.  Carl "Duane" Tumlinson was born on March 31, 1932 in Phoenix, Arizona, the son of Carlos and Dorothy Tumlinson. Known as Duane during his teenage years, he attended Union High School in Phoenix where he was an outstanding baseball and basketball player, earning honorable mention in the Class A High School Basketball championship.  On July 4, 1952, Tumlinson left Phoenix to return to Elmira, New York, where he was inducted in the Army on July 8. Private Carl Tumlinson served in Korea with Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Infantry Regimental Combat Team. He was killed in action on April 7, 1953. Private Tumlinson was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Infantryman's Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
     
  • Turner, Stansfield - President of the Naval War College 1972-74/Director of Central Intelligence 1977-81/Commander of the 2nd Fleet 1974-75.  Born December 01, 1923 in Highland Park, Illinois, he served in the Navy for thirty-plus years.  He was gunnery officer aboard the destroy USS Stribling and then operations officer aboard the USS Hanson, taking part in bombardments in the closing months of the Korean War.  He died January 18, 2018.
     
  • Twitty, Conway - See Jenkins, Harold Lloyd.
     
  • Ulman, Bernard "Bernie" - American football referee (NFL 15 years, and Super Bowl 1 and Super Bowl IX) and one of the most well known lacrosse officials.  Ulman played as a lacrosse midfielder at the University of Maryland from 1938 to 1943. He was inducted into the Lacrosse Hall of Fame as an official in 2003.  He is the namesake of the Bernie Ulman Award, which is given to an individual who has contributed to the continued success of intercollegiate lacrosse officiating and, when applicable, has made a meaningful contribution to the game of lacrosse.  Bernie Ulman also operated a sporting goods store in BelAir.  Born December 16, 1917 in Baltimore, Maryland to Bernard and Cora May Mitchell Ulman, Bernie died on January 30, 1986 in Ocean Pines, Maryland.  Ulman served in the Army in Korea with the 1st Cavalry Division, 8th Cavalry Regiment in the Korean War.
     
  • Van Brunt, Frederick Baskerville "Tad"  - Actor. Van Brunt was born on July 22, 1921 in Yokohama, Japan, and raised in Japan of Dutch-American and British parentage so that his fluency in the Japanese language led to assignments in Guam and Okinawa as an interrogator of enemy troops. He was so popular among the native Okinawans that they asked that he be allowed to stay as governor of their island in 1945. This, of course, did not happen, and he had bit parts in three films before rejoining the Marines in 1948 and participating in the Inchon, Korea landings as an intelligence officer in 1951. A career in advertising and sales preceded his death from alcoholism in 1977.  He acted in films, The Big Clock (1948), Road to Rio (1947), and Dream Girl (1948).
     
  • Van Dyke, Leroy Frank - country western singer.  Born October 4, 1929 in Pettis County, Missouri, Leroy Van Dyke arrived in Korea three days before the open hostilities ended in 1953.  He worked as a special agent in the U.S. Counter-Intelligence Corps, associated with the 160th Infantry Regiment.  He had the honor of being the 15-minute opening act in the USO show in Korea that featured Marilyn Monroe.  After his discharge from the Army, Van Dyke worked as an agricultural journalist on several Midwest livestock newspapers based in Chicago. In 1956 he wrote the hit song, "The Auctioneer".  He moved to Nashville in 1961 and became a regular on the Grand Ole Opry.  He also wrote the hit song, "Walk On By."  His music career continues on.
     
  • Vaughan, Norman D. - Antarctica explorer and Olympic participant.  Born in Massachusetts in 1905, Vaughan died in 2005.  He is best known for his role in exploring Antarctica with Adm. Richard Byrd in 1928-1930.  He climbed Mt. Vaughan in Antarctica (named after him) at age 89.  He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in February 1942.  He commanded the search and rescue element of the North Atlantic Wing of the Air Transport Command, leading a dogsled team on some 200 rescue missions across Greenland during World War II.  As an Air Force reservist, he served as part of a psychological warfare unit operating out of Tokyo during the Korean War.  He flew some missions over Korea in 1952.  He participated on the 1932 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid.  It was the only time dog sledding (mushing) was an Olympic event.
     
  • Vincent, Gene - See Vincent Eugene Craddock entry.
     
  • Wachtler, Sol - former chief judge of New York State and adjunct professor at Touro Law School.  Born April 29, 1930, Wachtler is a graduate of Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Vermont.  He served two years in the Army during the Korean War in the Provost Marshal Center in charge of its Courts and Boards section and as an instructor of military law.  Je served in New York's Court of Appeals from 1985 to 1992.
     
  • Wadsworth, Harrison Morton Jr. - professor/author.  Harrison Morton Wadsworth, Jr., 85 of Atlanta, died August 3, 2010. Mr. Wadsworth was born in Duluth, Minnesota, grew up in Miami Beach, Florida, and lived most of his life in Atlanta. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Irene Hawkins Wadsworth; son, Harrison Morton Wadsworth, III, and his wife Toni Wadsworth; daughter, Alice Eleanor Wadsworth; grandchildren, Renee Wadsworth, Harrison Morton Wadsworth, IV, William Wadsworth, Harrison Ritchie, Benjamin Lunsford, Matthew Lunsford, and Alison Lunsford. Dr. Wadsworth received his B.I.E. Degree and M.S. Degrees from Georgia Tech and his PhD from Case Western Reserve University. He was a professor of statistics in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Georgia Tech for 31 years and taught in China and Turkey. He operated his own quality auditing consulting business since retirement in 1991.
    He served in the U.S. Army in World War II and the Korean War. He was a U.S. Delegate and subcommittee chair to the International Standards Organization and the American National Standards Institute. He authored or co-authored several textbooks and served as editor of the Journal of Quality Technology. He received numerous awards and medals, including the American Society for Quality's highest honor, its Distinguished Service Medal and he was a Fellow of the American Statistical Association.

     
  • Walker, Charles Tait - acclaimed pilot.  Charles T. Walker is one of only 4,829 people to have ever received the Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration's Wright Brothers "Master Pilot" award.  To receive this prestigious award a recipient has to have been an active pilot for at least 50 years with a clean flying record, no license revocations or other enforcement actions, and no at-fault accidents.  Walker was a pilot with the Civil Air Patrol for 45 years, flying more than 50 CAP missions.  A member of the Smith Mountain Lake Pilots Club, Walker served in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division's 38th Infantry Regiment.
     
  • Walker, Dan - 36th governor of Illinois (1973-77).  Born August  6, 1922 in Washington, D.C.,    Walker (a Democrat) was convicted of fraud and perjury after  receiving more than $1 million in fraudulent loans for his business (First American Savings and Loan Association in Oak Brook, Illinois) and repairs on his yacht, the "Governor's Lady."  He served 18 months of a seven-year sentence in federal prison.  After he was released he moved to California, where he died in Chula Vista on April 29, 2015 at the age of 92.  Dan Walker joined the Naval Reserve while in high school.  He then joined the Navy as a seaman before enrolling in the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.  He graduated from the academy in 1945.  He served on a minesweeper during World War II and was then recalled to the Navy during the Korean War.  He served one year as Communications Officer on the destroyer USS Kidd DD661. After that he served one year in the U.S. Court of Military Appeals.  
     
  • Wallace, Fredrick - Wallace served in the Air Force during the Korean War. In 1970, after 20 years in the military, he retired at the rank of Major. Moving to Los Angeles, he worked for the Veterans Administration and counseled veterans returning from the Vietnam War. During those years, the VA began the Veterans on Campus program, which Wallace believes was one of the most effective VA programs. In 1995, he retired to Georgia where he volunteers for AARP and through its Partners program, contributes his time and energy to the Veterans History Project.
     
  • Wantling, William - Respected poet of the literary underground who wrote memorable poems about the Korean War.  Born in East Peoria, Illinois on November 7, 1933, Wantling joined the U.S. Marine Corps at age 18 years, 2 months and 2 days on January 23, 1952, and began active duty March 4, 1952.  After training he was deployed to Korea as an aircraft radio repairman on January 7, 1953, and was assigned to Marine Composite Squadron 1, which was engaged in electronic countermeasure warfare.  The squadron was based at K-3 located at Pohang.  He remained in Korea from January to November 1953, became a corporal in January 1954 and earned his sergeant stripes in October 1954.  He was released from active duty in the Marine Corps in 1955 and settled in southern California.  According to his own writing, Wantling was imprisoned in San Quentin in 1958 for "forgery and narcotics".  It was in San Quentin that he began to write poetry.  He was discharged from San Quentin in September 1963 and in 1966 enrolled at Illinois State University in Normal, where he graduated with a BA and MA.  He was teaching a one-year term at ISU when he died May 2, 1974 of heart failure.  According to numerous sources, Wantling was known to embellish the truth from time to time, so the validity of the following cannot be verified.  Wantling wrote that he was riding in a jeep in Korea when it hit a landmine.  A 50-gallon can of gasoline on the jeep ignited, burning him.  He said he spent ten days in a coma, eight weeks in a hospital, and his leg remained permanently scarred from his injury in Korea.  Wantling further stated that he was given morphine for his injury and that ultimately led to his abusive use of narcotics.  His life after the Marine Corps was filled with marital/custody battles, trouble with the law, incarceration, and drug abuse.  All of Wantling’s Korean War poems are reprinted in War, Literature & the Arts 9.2.
     
  • Warner, John - Senator.  In 1944, at the age of 17, he left high school to volunteer for the United States Navy. He was released from active duty as a 3rd-class electronics technician in July 1946, and enrolled at Washington and Lee University. He was awarded a B.S. degree in basic engineering in 1949.  He then entered the University of Virginia Law School. In September 1950, he volunteered for another tour of active duty, this time in the United States Marine Corps. He served in Korea as a first lieutenant and communications officer with the First Marine Air Wing. He was released from active duty in May 1952. He returned to law school and was awarded a law degree by the University of Virginia in 1953.
     
  • Watson, Bobs - actor who played Pee Wee in the Spencer Tracy film, Boys Town.  He also appeared in The Twilight Zone, Beverly Hillbillies, Lou Grant, Green Acres, and The Fugitive.  In addition to being an actor, Bobs Watson was a Methodist minister.  Robert Ball "Bobs" Watson was born November 11, 1930 and died June 27, 1999.  He served as a Private in the Army at Ft. Ord in 1953 alongside actor David Janssen.
     
  • Watson, William G. - software designer who founded the company SoftWare International.  He was also developer of the Heavy Duty Hydroblasting Company.  The son of Bernard and Mary Catherine Donovan Watson, William served in the United States Army during the Korean War.  He died July 09, 2004.
     
  • Weidler, Jay Benoir Jr. - civil engineer extraordinaire.  Jay Benoir Weidler, Jr., 86, of Brenham, Texas on November 17, 2019. He was born May 27, 1933 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Emma Dorothy (Stalker) Weidler and Jay Benoir Weidler, Sr. (b. 3-8-1901; d. 6-22-1969 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). Jay grew up in Philadelphia, attended Central High School (196th graduating class), and left for Rice Institute in Houston, Texas in 1951. He joined the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps (N.R.O.T.C.) and tragically was one of the only survivors of a plane crash occurring shortly after midnight on July 17, 1953 in Pensacola, Florida as part of midshipman amphibious training. After recovering from his injuries at home in Philadelphia, he returned to college for his junior year. He graduated from Rice Institute in 1956 with a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering. He then served in the Marine Corps, as an Engineering Officer ending with a rank of First Lieutenant. He was honorably discharged from the Marine Corps in 1959 and from the reserves in 1964. He returned to Rice in 1959 for graduate school, earning a Masters in Science in 1961 and a Doctor of Philosophy in 1965 in civil engineering, followed by postdoctoral work at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island from 1965 to 1968. He left academia and returned to Houston in 1969 to join Brown & Root, Inc. and rose to Senior Vice President, Chief Marine Engineer and Director of Technology, semi-retiring in 2000, and fully retiring in 2004 after consulting part-time.

    Dr. Weidler had over 45 years of engineering experience in the military, academic, and industrial fields. He authored or co-authored 26 technical papers and held five patents. Weidler's accomplishments included the design, fabrication and installation of the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which received the ASCE Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Award in 1982. In 1995, Jay was the Offshore Technology Conference recipient of the Distinguished Achievement Award for Individuals for significant leadership in the application of structural engineering concepts and approaches that allowed the safe and economic development in challenging offshore areas worldwide, including the Gulf of Mexico, North Slope and Cook Inlet, Alaska, and the North Sea. Also in 1995, he was awarded the American Society of Civil Engineers John G. Moffatt-Frank E. Nichol Harbor and Coastal Engineering Award. He was inducted in 1998 to the Offshore Pioneers Hall Fame as a charter member at the Offshore Energy Center in Galveston, Texas. Dr. Weidler was a two-term member of the Rice University Alumni Board, an initial Chairman of Industry Advisory Board for the University of Texas/ Texas A&M University for the establishment of the Offshore Technology Research Center, 1988-1990. Jay was also on the Board of Trustees of the Southwest Research Institute, served as Brown & Root representative to the American Petroleum Institute Committee Two, Committee for Standardization of Offshore Structures and was active on numerous subcommittees, work groups as a member and/ or chairman for over twenty-five years. Jay married Mary Hughston "Mary Hugh" Patrick in 1961 in Houston, Texas. Jay is survived by: his wife, Mary, his daughters, Teresa Weidler and Julia Hall Weidler; his son and daughter-in-law, John Benoir Weidler and Christine Elizabeth Edwards; his grandchildren, Jodie Olivia Tokumoto; Sean Mareo Tokumoto; Joseph Thomas Weidler; and Elise Catherine Weidler; Jay's younger sister, Phyllis Jane (Weidler) Gilbert; and his three nephews and their wives: Samuel Vanderpoel Gilbert IV (wife Kristine), Jay Benoir Gilbert (wife Marti), and Geoffrey Calderwood Gilbert (wife Jennifer), and their children . Jay was preceded in death by: his parents, his grandchild, Corinne Elizabeth Weidler; his brother-in-law, Samuel Vanderpoel Gilbert III; his aunts, Phyllis Edith Stalker; Jessie Apoline (Weidler) Oberholtzer; Jane Groff (Weidler) Blizzard; his uncles, Robert Dobson Stalker; William John Stalker, Jr.; Edward Dale Stalker; Joseph Grier Weidler; John Alford Weidler; James Theodore Weidler; Grier Lud Orth Weidler, Jr.; and his grandparents, Grier Lud Orth Weidler, Sr.; Jessie Apoline (Bennor) Weidler; William John Stalker, Sr.; Emma Dorothy (Hall) Stalker; his father-in-law, William Lester Patrick; and mother-in-law, Julia Emma (Taylor) Patrick. A funeral service was held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Brenham, Texas. Memorial Oaks Chapel – Brenham had charge of arrangements. [Source: Findagrave]
     
  • Wellons, Kennard - social worker, professor, leader in the field of gerontology in Kentucky.  Kennard W. Wellons was born in Laurel, Mississippi on December 15, 1933, to John Clifton Wellons, Sr. and Patsy Watson Wellons. He is predeceased by his brother John Clifton Wellons, Jr. and sister, Joy Wellons Wiltshire. The family relocated to Jackson, Mississippi, where he was an academic and sports star in football and baseball at Central High School. After graduation in 1952, Kennard enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in the Korean War. He then returned to Jackson in 1954, graduating from Millsaps College in 1958. He then earned an MSW from Tulane University in 1961. After graduation, he married a fellow Tulane MSW student, Pat Blankenship and they moved to California where Kennard worked for Sonoma State Hospital. In 1967, they moved to Arizona where Kennard was a professor of Social Work at Arizona State University. Their only child, Bradley Wellons was born there on 11/2/68. Kennard returned to California in 1969 to do a Ph.D. in Social Work at University of California - Berkeley and graduated 1973, specializing in Gerontology. The family then moved to Lexington Kentucky, where Kennard took a position of professor at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work. He was instrumental in helping Dr. William Markesbury and Dr. David Wekstein to establish the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging. Dr. Wellons also taught courses in human development, human behavior and personality theory in addition to research methods and Aging. He was passionate about teaching advising and mentoring thousands of students over the years. He was promoted to full professor in 1988 and retired to emeritus in 2000 after 27 years at the University. Dr. Wellons was also a co-founder and later President of the Kentucky Association of Gerontology and served on the board of the Bluegrass Area Agency on Aging and numerous State Boards for the Kentucky Department of Aging & Independent Living. The Wellons family lived at 424 West Third Street a historic 1700's Federalist style house that they renovated. This house became one of the homes of their beloved "Third Street gang" and the historic Northside neighborhood. Kennard was known in the neighborhood as a wonderful, gregarious, outgoing person with a wry sense of self deprecating humor. He had what friends and family have called "Kennardisms" funny sayings that made everyone laugh. Kennard loved sports, particularly University of Kentucky Basketball and Football. He loved his dogs, hunting, fishing, and photography. Kennard passed away on April 13, 2020 after a long battle with Alzheimer's and short but fatal battle with COVID-19. He is survived by his son, Bradley, daughter-in-law Rachel, and his grandson Jackson and multiple nieces and nephews. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Pat B. & Dr. Kennard W. Wellons Scholarship Fund at the University of Kentucky College of Social Work. This fund will benefit social work students who are the first in their family to go to college.
     
  • West, James Edward - James Edward West (February 10, 1931–) was born on February 10, 1931 in Prince Edward County, Virginia. After graduating from high school he attended Hampton University before being drafted to serve in the Korean War, where he earned a Purple Heart. After his return to the U.S. after the war, he transferred to Temple University, where he studied physics. While in school, West worked during the summers as an intern for the Acoustics Research Department at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey. Upon graduation he was hired by Bell Labs to work full-time as an acoustical scientist specializing in electroacoustics, physical and architectural acoustics. In 1960, West teamed with Gerhard M. Sessler, a German-born physicist, to develop an inexpensive, highly sensitive and compact microphone. At the time, condenser microphones were used in most telephones, but were expensive to manufacture and necessitated a large battery source. Microphones convert sound waves into electrical voltages, thus allowing the sound to be transmitted through a cord to a receiver. Their electric microphone solved every problem they were seeking to address. By 1968, the microphone was in wide scale production and was quickly adopted as the industry standard. Approximately 90% of microphones in use today are based on this invention and almost all telephones utilize it, as well as tape recorders, camcorders, baby monitors and hearing aids.
     
  • Westermann, Horace Clifford (H.C.) - Sculptor and Printmaker who produced artworks from the late 1950s up until his death. He had a successful career, producing work which was associated in its style & forms with the Surrealist and Expressionist movements of modern art. Westermann's work was also highly political in nature, commenting on topics such as militarism and materialism. There have been several major retrospectives of his work since his death, the most recent at the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art in 2001. Westermann enlisted in the US Marines in the Second World War, serving as an anti-aircraft gunner on board the aircraft-carrier USS Enterprise 1943-1945. When the Korean War began, Westermann re-enlisted as an infantryman in the Marine Corps, partly out of patriotism but also partly because his fledgling artistic career was not yet going as well as he hoped. He was assigned to G Company of the 3/5 Battalion of the 1st Marine Division in the spring of 1951. In his notes on the war, he commented on the landscape in Korea, "It's either straight up or straight down. Nothing's on the level." Westermann's unit saw action near the Hwachon Reservoir along the 38th Parallel. Westermann was close friends with Corporal Jack A Davenport who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for deliberately falling onto a live grenade to save the life of another soldier sharing the same foxhole. Another friend was Corporal Paul 'Stick' Flowers who was also killed in 1951 and to whom Westermann later dedicated one of his sculptures The Human Condition (1964). After nine months in Korea, Westermann was rotated back to San Diego in January 1952. He remained serving in the Marine Reserves until 1958. After leaving the army, Westermann became a firm pacifist and his artworks made strong comments against militarism and war. He disapproved of his son Gregory's decision to enlist in the US Marines and serve in Vietnam. A book about his wartime experiences in both WW2 & Korea- H C Westermann at War: Art & Manhood in Cold War America by David McCarthy was published in 2004. [Submitted to the KWE by Peter Hill of Australia
     
  • Weston, Stanley - created the concept of the G.I. Joe action figure.  Weston joined the US Army at the end of the Korean War.  He invented the "outfitted action figures" (male military dolls), selling his concept to a Rhode Island Company that later became Hasbro for $100,000. The Hasbro executive who participated in the sale was Donald Levine, also a Korean War veteran. Weston watched his concept become a billion dollar success story.  Weston received a masters degree from New York University and then entered the licensing and merchandising industry.  He formed the Leisure Concepts company, representing "Charlie's Angels" star Farrah Fawcett, the World Wrestling Federation, Nintendo, and others.  Weston was born April 1, 1933.  He died at the age of 84 in Los Angeles, California.
     
  • White, Robert Willie - Founding member of Motown's Funk Brothers.  Born November 19, 1936 in Billmeyer, Pennsylvania, he was an African-American soul musician and rhythm guitarist.  He is well-known for his work with the singing group, The Temptations.  During the Korean War he worked radio communications on the F-86F.  He died October 27, 1994 in Los Angeles, California. 
     
  • Whitfield, Malvin Greston - Tuskegee Airman and three-time Olympic gold medalist.  Born October 1924 in Bay City, Texas, "Marvelous Mal" Whitfield was a middle distance runner.  During World War II he was a staff sergeant in the 100th Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. He was recalled to service during the Korean War and served as a tail-gunner on 27 bombing missions.  He was honorably discharged in 1952.  He was elected to the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1974 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1988.
     
  • Wilburn, Thurman Theodore - country western artist and half of the Wilburn Brothers duo.  Teddy Wilburn was born November 30, 1931 and died November 24, 2003. He was inducted in the Army in January of 1952 and was sent to Korea.  He met up with his brother Doyle in Seoul as Doyle was being sent back to the States following his tour of duty in Korea.  Between 1955 and 1972, he and his brother Doyle scored 30 hits on the music chart.  In the late 1950s the Wilburn Brothers joined with Don Helms to found the Wil-Helm Talent Agency and Sure-Fire Music publishing company.  They also starred in the Wilburn Brothers Variety Show from 1963 to 1974.
     
  • Wilburn, Virgil Doyle - country western artist and half of the Wilburn Brothers duo.  Doyle was born July 7, 1930 in Hardy, Arkansas and died October 16, 1982.  He was drafted in the Army in 1951, serving 14 months with the 8th Army Special Services.  Both Doyle and Teddy Wilburn were discharged from the Army at different times in 1953 and resumed their music careers in the country western field of entertainment.
     
  • Wilcox, Charles B. - Minor League baseball player.  He was serving in the US Army when he was killed in action in Korea on September 18, 1952.
     
  • Wilder, Lawrence Douglas - 1st black governor in U.S. history.  Born in Richmond, Virginia on January 17, 1931, Wilder was the grandson of slaves.  He graduated from Virginia Union University in 1951 with a chemistry degree.  He was drafted into the U.S. Army, and served in the 17th Infantry Regiment of the 17th Infantry Division.   He attained the rank of sergeant.  He received a Bronze Star for valor in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill on April 12, 1953.  After his discharge he received a law degree in 1959 from Howard University and ran for public office.  He held a seat as a Virginia state senator for 10 years.  In 1985 he was elected lieutenant governor of Virginia and then was elected as the 66th governor of Virginia in 1990.  He was later elected mayor of Richmond, Virginia from 2004 to 2009. 
     
  • Williams, Archie - Olympic gold medalist.  He set a world record at the NCAA championships with a 46.1 second run and then became a gold medalist at the Berlin Olympics.  After earning a pilot's license, he became one of just 14 African-Americans to be commissioned during World War II in the aviation meteorological cadet program. He went on to serve as a flight instructor and meteorology teacher at Tuskegee.  He retired from the Air Force in 1964 as a Lieutenant Colonel.  
     
  • Williams, Betty Jane - pioneered the use of television in the military.  She was a motion picture-TV writer, director, and producer for Lockheed Sales Promotion Department for 20 years.  Born in 1919, Lt. Col. Williams (USAF Ret.) was one of two women and 98 men selected worldwide to pioneer the use of television for the military.  She produced the first (black and white) aviation television show in the United States in 1947.  She was a Women Air Force Service Pilot (WASP) during World War II.  She was recalled to active duty during the Korean War as a television writer-producer and public affairs officer with the 1354th Video Production Squadron.  Retiring in 1979, Lt. Colonel Williams was the winner of twelve national film awards.  She died December 8, 2008 and is buried in Arlington Cemetery.
     
  • Williams, Grant - Film, theater and television actor.  Best remembered for his acting role in The Incredible Shrinking Man and as Greg MacKenzie on Hawaiian Eye from 1960 to 1963.  He enlisted in the US Air Force in September 1948 and served until September 1952.  He was discharged as a staff sergeant.  Born John Joseph Williams on August 18, 1931, he died July 28, 1985.
     
  • Williams, Theodore Samuel "Ted" - Red Sox ball player and Hall of Famer.  (No steroids for this splendid splinter.  He was a natural!)  Born August 30, 1918, in San Diego, California, Williams learned how to play baseball from his uncle, who had played semi-pro ball.  While still in high school he was signed to the San Diego Padres and in 1937 he was signed to the Boston Red Sox.  Williams was optioned to the minor league Minneapolis Millers until he was called up to the Boston Red Sox as an every day player in 1939.  He played 21 seasons for the Red Sox.  In 1941 he finished the season with a record .406 batting average.  He did not play for the Sox 1943-45.  Instead, he joined the Navy and trained as a military pilot and gunner, but did not see active duty overseas.  After serving in World War II he returned to baseball.  When the Korean War broke out he was called back to active duty and flew with the 3rd Marine Air Wing, 223rd Squadron.  He was future astronaut John Glenn's wingman. On February 16, 1953, he was part of a 36-plane strike package against a tank and infantry training program just south of Pyongyang, North Korea.  Before being pulled from flight status in June 1953 after hospitalization from pneumonia, he flew 39 combat missions in Korea.  He was discharged from the Marine Corps in July 1953. Williams ended his baseball career as one of the greatest ball players in history. He won two AL Triple Crowns and two MVP awards -- in four different years -- and was named to the All Star game 19 times. When he retired, he was third all-time in home runs and seventh in RBI and batting average. His career batting average still is the highest in the post-1920 era.  He was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1966 and was manager of the Washington Senators for four seasons.  In 1984 his No. 9 was retired by Boston Red Sox.  In 1991 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George H.W. Bush.  Four years later he suffered a major stroke.  An avid fisherman, he was named to the International Game Fish Association Hall of Fame in 2000.  Ted Williams ("Teddy Ballgame") died of a heart attack on July 5, 2002.
     
  • Woodruff, John - Olympic gold medalist in the 800m race at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.  Woodruff entered the Army in 1941 as a 2nd Lieutenant and was discharged as a Captain in 1945.  He rejoined the military during the Korean War and was the battalion commander of the 369th artillery, later the 569 Transportation Battalion, New York National Guard.  He ended his army career in 1957 as a Lieutenant Colonel. He died October 30, 2007 at the age of 92.
     
  • Woodward, Morgan - This actor holds the record for the most guest appearances on the television series Gunsmoke beginning in 1957.  He appeared in over 250 television programs and motion picture films.  In addition to his Gunsmoke appearances he acted on Wagon Train, Logan's Run, Days of Our Lives, Dallas (eight years) and Cool Hand Luke.  Woodward was born in Fort Worth, Texas, and served as a pilot in the Army Air Corps during World War II and in the Air Force (military air transport command) during the Korean War.  He died in 2010.
     
  • Wolfe, Gene Rodman - American science fiction and fantasy writer.  Born May 7, 1931 in New York City, Wolfe joined the ROTC during high school and college and then the Texas National Guard (G Company, 143rd Infantry) while attending Texas A&M University.  He graduated from high school in 1949 and entered Texas A& M that fall.  He dropped out of university during his junior year (early 1952), lost his student deferment, and was drafted into the Army in August 1952 to serve in Korea toward the end of the war.  He was sent to Ft. Sam Houston in August 1952, where he took a classification test that covered such subjects as reading retention, auto repair, mathematics, machine shop knowledge, etc.  He was then sent to Ft. Leonard Wood in late August 1952, where he served in Company D, 86th Reconnaissance Battalion, Combat Command Reserve, 6th Armored Division, for eight weeks training.  In October 1952 he was still with the 6th Armored Division at Ft. Leonard Wood, but with Company C, 50th AIB Combat Command, taking engineer basic for eight weeks.  He attended Leadership School in December 1952 at Ft. Leonard Wood, graduating in February 1953.  After a leave home he was sent to Camp Stoneman, California, and shipped to Japan on the USNS Patrick in March 1953.  On March 25 he was at Camp Drake in Japan, where he was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division and sent to Korea onboard the USNS Sturgis by way of Okinawa.  He arrived in Korea on April 4, 1953.  Wolfe was assigned to 7th ID, 17th Infantry Regiment, HQ Company, Pioneer and Ammunition Platoon.  His company was on OP Arsenal, Pork Chop Hill, Erie, etc.  He received a Combat Infantryman's Badge in June 1953.  In July 1953 he became an Operations Specialist making maps for S-3 and became NCO of TI & E after the cease fire.  He left his company on May 14, 1954 to return to the States, sailing home on the Marine Phoenix on May 18, 1954.  He processed out of the Army at Ft. Bliss, Texas.  Some of his experiences in Korea (1952-54) are included in his rare non-fiction book, Letters Home, published in 1991 by United Mythologies Press, Ontario, Canada.  Only 260 copies of the first printing exist.  Because his mother preserved his letters, Gene Wolfe's book has one of the most complete accounts of any American notable who was a Korean War veteran.  After the war Wolfe lived with his parents while using the GI Bill to study mechanical engineering at the University of Houston.  With his industrial engineering degree he contributed to the machine that is used to make Pringles potato chips.  He has authored numerous sci-fi novels, with the best known being a multi-volume novel, The Book of the New Sun.  Other novels include The Book of the Long Sun and The Book of the Short Sun.  Wolfe won the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1996.
     
  • Wray, Link - Guitarist Link Wray, a half Shawnee Indian, was born May 2, 1929 in Dunn, North Carolina and died November 05, 2005 in Copenhagen, Denmark.  Pioneer of the power chord and "father of heavy metal rock", his birth name was Fred Lincoln Wray Jr.  He joined the U.S. Army after high school, serving as a medic in Korea during the war.  Although he didn't know it at the time, he contracted tuberculosis during his tour of duty there.  After returning from Korea he entertained troops in Germany in the Armed Forces Network.  After his military service he lost a lung to the TB in 1956.  Rather than sing, he concentrated on playing the guitar.  His style influced heavy metal rock, punk rock, etc.
     
  • Yardley,  George - NBA player with the Ft. Wayne Pistons.  After earning All-American status twice at Stanford University, George “The Bird” Yardley was drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons but opted to serve two years in the United States Navy before playing with the team. After serving the military during the Korean War, Yardley started his stellar NBA career with the Pistons in 1953, and in 1957 played with the Syracuse Nationals. During his career he broke numerous records (he was the first NBA player to score 2,000 points in a season) and is considered to be one of the most outstanding leapers and forward players in his generation. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1996.
     
  • Young, Faron - A member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, Faron Young was known for hit singles Hello Walls and It's Four in the Morning, as well as other country-western/honky-tonk songs. He served in the US Army during the Korean War. Drafted in 1952 (the same year he became a member of the Grand Ole Opry), he had a hit song on the Billboard country charts while he was in basic training. It peaked at No. 2, and the U.S. Army Band took the young singer to replace Eddie Fisher on tours, just as If You Ain’t Lovin’ was hitting the charts. He was discharged in November 1954.  Faron Young committed suicide in 1996.
     
  • Young, Skip - actor who starred as Wally, friend of the Nelson boys in Ozzie and Harriet (1956-66) served in the Navy during the Korean War.  He was born March 14, 1930 in San Francisco with the name Ronald Plumstead.

Marine Football Players killed in action in Korea:

  • Beeler, Lt. James - Navy, Quantico 1949 (Silver Star)
     
  • Berry, Capt. Ed - Scranton, Assistant at El Toro 1946; Cherry Point coach 1947 (DFC)
     
  • Chase, Lt. Byron - San Diego State, Quantico 1951; stadium at alma mater named for him (Silver Star)
     
  • Ellis, Capt. Grant - Cornell, Penn
     
  • Stewart, Lt. Gene - Mississippi State, Quantico 1951; 26th-round draft choice of Philadelphia Eagles in 1952

Army Football Players killed in action in Korea:

See Thomas Angelo Lombardo and John Charles Trent in main listing.

NFL personnel who served in the military during the Korean War:

  • Nicholas Adduci
  • John Amberg
  • Rudolph Andabaker
  • Elmer Arterburn Jr.
  • Dale Atkeson
  • Bill Austin
  • Ed Bagdon
  • Kenneth Barfield
  • Paul Berry
  • Joe Bartos - WWII & Korean War - Earned a Silver Star in Korea
  • Maurice Bassett
  • Edward Bawel
  • Lloyd Baxter - WWII & Korean War
  • Ray Beck
  • Edward Bell
  • Marvin Berschet
  • Jack Bighead
  • Rex Reed Boggan
  • Don Boll
  • Bill Bowers
  • Cloyce Box - WWII & Korean War
  • Bob Boyd
  • Harold Bradley
  • Ed Brown
  • James Cain
  • Joe Campanella
  • Marion Campbell
  • Stanley Campbell
  • Pat Cannemela
  • Camillo Capuzzi
  • Bob Carey
  • Ken Carpenter
  • Russ Carroccio
  • Bud Carson
  • Rick Casares
  • Frank Cassara
  • Tom Catlin
  • Lynn Chandnois
  • Earnest Cheatham
  • Herman Clark
  • Randall Clay
  • Bill "Spot" Collins - WWII & Korean War
  • Larry Coutre
  • John Cox
  • Jim Cullom  - WWII & Korean War
  • Al Davis (Hall of Famer)
  • Ameleto Del Bello
  • Dick Deschaine
  • Dorne Dibble
  • Al Dorow
  • Dick Doyle
  • Wally Dreyer - WWII & Korean War
  • Dick Dugan
  • Doug Eggers
  • Leo Elter
  • Dick Evans
  • Hal Faverty
  • Howard Ferguson
  • Tom Finnin
  • Bernie Flowers
  • Dick Flowers
  • Heschel Forester
  • Bob Forte - WWII & Korean War
  • Joe Fortunato
  • Dominic Fucci
  • Bob Gain
  • Arnie Galiffa
  • Hal Giancanelli
  • George Gilchrist
  • Gary Glick
  • Robert Goode
  • Ken Gordal
  • Everet Grandelius
  • Bob Griffin
  • Forrest Griffith
  • Roscoe Hansen
  • John Hatley
  • Hall Haynes
  • Don Heinrich
  • John Helwig
  • Ed Henke
  • Ralph Heywood - WWII, Korean War & Vietnam War
  • John Hock
  • Jack Hoffman
  • Al Hoisington
  • Glenn Holtzman
  • William Horrell
  • Harry Hugasian
  • Weldon Humble - WWII & Korean War
  • Charlie Hunsinger
  • Kenneth Huxhold
  • John Huzvar
  • George Idzik
  • Ken Jackson
  • Vic Janowicz
  • Bill Jessup
  • Herb Johnson
  • Charles Jones
  • Charlie Justice
  • Johnny Karras
  • Bob Kelley
  • J.D. Kimmel
  • Kim Kincaid
  • George Kinek
  • Don King
  • Edward Kissell
  • Don Klosterman
  • Pat Knight
  • Ken Konz
  • Eldred Kraemer
  • John Kreamcheck
  • Ray Krouse
  • Dick "Night Train" Lane (Hall of Famer)
  • Jim Landrigan
  • Robert Langas
  • Bud Laughlin
  • Eddie LeBaron
  • Toy Ledbetter
  • Jack Lee
  • Jimmy Lesane
  • Veryl Lillywhite
  • Gene "Big Daddy" Lipscomb
  • Cliff Livingston
  • Loyd Lowe
  • Ken MacAfee
  • John Macaerelli
  • Gilbert Mains
  • Leon Manley
  • Dave Mann
  • Joe Matesic
  • Ollie Matson (Hall of Famer)
  • Clay Matthews Sr.
  • John Mazur
  • Art McCaffray - WWII & Korean War
  • Willie McClung
  • Dewey McConnell
  • Mike McCormack (Hall of Famer)
  • Len McCormick
  • Lewis McFadin
  • Bob Meyers
  • Art Michalik
  • Andrew Miketa
  • Fred Miller
  • Paul Miller
  • Bill Milner
  • Billy Mixon
  • Edward Modzelewski
  • Jim Mutscheller
  • Bob Myers
  • Jack Nix
  • James Norman
  • Pat O'Donahue
  • Chester Ostrowski
  • Don Owens
  • Jim Owens
  • Bob Perina
  • Pete Perini
  • Volney Peters
  • John Petibon
  • Earl Putnam
  • Volney "Skeets" Quinlan
  • George Radosevich
  • Ken Resse
  • John Reger
  • Les Richter (Hall of Famer)
  • Fred Robinson
  • Ben Roderick
  • William Roffler
  • Ray Romero
  • Brad Rowland
  • Pete Schabarum
  • Bob Schneiker
  • Gene Schroeder
  • Ed Sharkey
  • Billy Shipp
  • Don Shula (Hall of Famer)
  • Joe Signaigo - WWII & Korean War
  • George Sims
  • Emil Sitko
  • Joseph Skibinski
  • Ray Gene Smith
  • Robert Lee Smith
  • Gordy Soltau
  • Julian Spence
  • Art Spinney
  • John Steber - WWII & Korean War
  • Dick Steere
  • Majure Stribling
  • Breck Stroschein
  • Jack Stroud
  • Leo Sugar
  • Leonard Szafaryn
  • Walt Szot - WWII & Korean War
  • Jesse Thomas
  • Ralph Thomas
  • Billy Tidwell
  • Travis Tidwell
  • Bob Toneff
  • Frank Tonnemaker
  • Ted Topor
  • Wally Triplett
  • Harold Turner
  • Edward Tyrrell
  • Chuck Ulrich
  • Teddy Vaught
  • Bill Wade
  • Fred Wallner
  • James Weatherall Jr.
  • Gerald Weatherly
  • Larrye Weaver
  • Charles Weber Jr.
  • Ted Wegert
  • Stan West
  • Bob White
  • Ray Wietecha
  • Bob Williams
  • Walter "Wally" Williams - WWII & Korean War - Earned a Bronze Star in Korean War
  • Tom Wilson
  • Elmer Wingate
  • Casimir Witucki
  • Junior Wren
  • Walter Yowarsky
  • Caroll Zaruba
  • Ronald Zatkoff

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Post-Korean War (veterans who served in Korea after the "active" war)

  • Alda, Alan - actor.  Born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo in New York on January 28, 1936, Alda graduated from Fordham University where he studied English and Theater.  He joined the U.S. Army Reserves (1956-58) and did a six-month tour of duty in post-war Korea as a gunnery officer.  As an actor he played the role of Hawkeye on the television series M*A*S*H.  He was one of only two of the show's characters who actually served in the military in Korea.
     
  • Anderson, Sunny - American Food Network personality Sunny Anderson joined the Air Force in June 1993.  She earned the rank of Senior Airman and worked as a military radio host in Seoul, Korea, then worked for Air Force News Agency radio and television in San Antonio from 1993 to 1997.  She was honorably discharged from the Air Force in June 1997.  She began hosting How'd That Get On My Plate? on Food Network in July 2008. She also hosts the Food Network program Cooking for Real and served as co-host of the Food Network program Gotta Get It.
     
  • Cosby, William Henry "Bill" Jr. - comedian and actor. Navy corpsman who served at Marine Corps Base at Quantico.  Born July 12, 1937 in North Philadelphia, he enlisted in the Navy in 1956.  He served as a hospital corpsman for four years.  Cosby served on the USS Fort Mandan, a Navy support ship that was based at facilities including the Naval Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, where he helped in rehabilitation of wounded Korean War veterans.  He was honorably discharged in 1960.
     
  • Dennehy, Brian - actor, writer, producer, director. Born on July 09, 1938, Dennehy left his junior year at Columbia University to join the Marine Corps. He served five years in the Corps, including tours of duty in the U.S., Japan, and Korea. He has starred in over 40 feature films and numerous TV movies.
     
  • Farr, Jamie - actor (played the role of Klinger) on television series M*A*S*H.  Served with the U.S. Army in Korea after the war was over (1956).  Served two years in Japan and Korea.  The dog tags he wore on the TV series M*A*S*H were really his own.  Jamie Farr served as part of a USO show with Red Skelton.  Farr appeared in the movie Blackboard Jungle (1955) just prior to entering the U.S. Army.  He worked with Skelton before, during, and after his military stint.|
     
  • Greer, Craig Morgan - country music writer/singer.  Craig was born on July 17, 1964 in Kingston, Tennessee.  He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served on active duty from 1986 to 1996.  (Later he was in the reserves.)   He was with the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions in Panama and Desert Storm, later serving as an air assault instructor in South Korea.  He performed in 12 USO tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is known for such hit country songs as "That's What I Like About Sunday" and "I Love It."  His first major appearance was as an opening singer during Sawyer Brown's visit to South Korea.
     
  • Healy, Denis Sr. - Co-owner and former CEO of Turtle Wax.  The Turtle Wax company which produces cleaning and polishing products for cars was founded in 1941 by Healy's father-in-law, Benjamin Hirsch.  Born May 2, 1933 in the Bronx, Denis Healy was attending City College New York and majoring in chemistry when he was drafted into the Army and called up for service in January 1954.  He arrived in Korea May of 1954 where he was assigned to the 55th Military Police Company and then the 728th Military Police Battalion in the Spring of 1955.  The MP company patrolled and guarded a pipeline from Inchon to Kimpo Air Base.  Healy left Korea in November 1955.  He later joined the Turtle Wax company in 1971.  He is active in veterans organizations, and the USO of Illinois.
     
  • Hicks, Ken - former CEO and president of the sneaker chain, "FootLocker".  He also held high level executive positions at J.C. Penney and Payless Shoe Stores.  He was stationed in an armored cavalry unit at Ft. Bliss after the end of the Vietnam War.  He was a forward observer and then Fire Direction officer.  He was nominated to West Point by Congressman George Herbert Walker Bush.  Hicks later served as an artillery battery commander in Korea with the 3rd Cavalry Division, supporting the Korean army with special weapons capabilities.  He was in Korea when the North Koreans used an axe to murder Captain Bonifas and another US Army soldier in 1976.
     
  • Ho, Don - Hawaiian entertainer

    "Tiny Bubbles" star Don Ho flew C-97 transports
    by Robert F. Dorr

    To most Americans, 68-year-old Don Ho is the master of Hawaiian melody, a world-famous musician widely loved for his trademark song "Tiny Bubbles." For decades, Ho has performed regularly along Honolulu's Waikiki Beach, not far from Kaneohe where he grew up.  But even Ho's most loyal fans often don't know that the composer, singer, and actor was an Air Force transport pilot from 1954 to 1959.  As a young lieutenant, Ho flew big, four-engined C-97 transports. Friends view him as symbolic of all the Americans who served in the Cold War years immediately after the Korean conflict.  "The Korean War had just ended," Ho said in a July 19 telephone interview. "I had originally thought I might be flying jets in the fighting there, but I had an opportunity to be assigned near home at Hickam" -- the Air Force base near Honolulu -- "so I took the assignment." The Air Force assigned Ho to flying class 55-L and sent him to Mississippi and Texas for fighter pilot training. As a student pilot, he flew the T-6 Texan, T-28, and T-33 Shooting Star trainers. "The T-33 was the only fast jet I got to fly," Ho said. "The Hickam assignment meant transports, and for that I had training at West Palm Beach, Florida.  Ho's airplane, the C-97, was a transport version of the B-29 Superfortress bomber. Its features included the wing, tail, and 2,200-horsepower Wright R-3350-23 Cyclone piston engines found on the B-29. The C-97 had a very different fuselage from the B-29, however -- described by aviation writer Peter M. Bowers as "double bubble." The aircraft was almost identical to the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser operated by several airliners, but had a different passenger and cargo configuration on the inside. The Pacific Division of the Military Air Transport Service operated several versions of the transport, including C-97A, C-97B, C-97D, and VC-97D. Most military people are more familiar with the KC-97 tanker version, hundreds of which were flown by the Strategic Air Command. As an Air Force C-97 pilot, Ho flew cargo all over the Pacific. In an earlier interview, he told Hickam historian Lincoln Higa, "The high points were every time we flew into Tokyo. In those days, the yen [Japanese currency] was 360 yen to a dollar." Lodging, food, and shopping were readily available to American service members at low prices. Although he wanted to stay in the Air Force and loved flying, Ho's mother was ill and wanted him home. After five years as a pilot, he began musical performances in small groups, at first strumming at a ukelele, later playing the organ. His career as an entertainer took off in 1960 when he accepted a long-term contract at Duke Kahanamoku's, a well-known night spot in Honolulu.  Today, Don Ho is known to many as "Mr. Hawaii." Apart from the recording success of "Tiny Bubbles," he is often cited by business and tourism groups as one of the strongest entertainment attractions in the island state. Ho's daughter, Hoku, is now well established in a musical performing career with the MTV television network. A scrapbook of material about the Air Force and the C-97 is "one of my treasures," Ho said.
     

  • Leonard, Dave - founder of the Bach to Rock music school in Wayne, Pennsylvania.  He served in South Korea in 1966.
     
  • Lewis, Gary - Leader of the band Gary Lewis and the Playboys.  Born Gary Harold Lee Levitch on July 31, 1945, he was drafted into the Army in 1967 and was stationed in Korea and Saigon.  He was a drummer, guitarist and vocalist who had seven songs on the Top 10 List from 1965 to 1966.
     
  • Marshall, Garry - Director, writer, producer (The Odd Couple, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy).  He also directed over 18 films, including Pretty Woman (1990) and The Princess Diaries (2001).  Born in Bronx, New York, on November 13, 1934, he died on July 19, 2016 at the age of 81.  His father was Anthony Masciarelli and his mother was Marjorie Ward.  Garry Marshall joined the U.S. Army in 1956 and was stationed in South Korea, where he wrote for Stars & Stripes and Seoul News. He also served as production chief for the Armed Forces Radio Network.
     
  • Morgan, Craig - This country western artist/Grand Ole Opry star served in post-war Korea.  Born July 17, 1965 in Kingston Spring, Tennessee, Craig Morgan Greer (a/k/a Craig Morgan) enlisted in the Army and spent 11 years on active duty and 6 years in the reserves.  In South Korea he was an air assault instructor and trained at the ROK Ranger School.  While stationed in Korea he won several awards for singing and song writing.  He also opened a Korean show for the band Sawyer Brown.  During his military career he became a 13 Fox Fire Support Specialist serving in the 101st and 82nd Airborne units.  In 1989 he participated in Operation Just Cause in Panama,  Among his hit songs are: "I Love It", "Almost Home", "Redneck Yacht Club," "That's What I Love About Sunday," and "This Ole Boy."
     
  • Norris, Carlos Ray "Chuck" - Christian actor/martial artist/film producer/screenwriter, Chuck Norris was born on March 10, 1940 in Ryan, Oklahoma.  He joined the Air Force to become an Air Policeman in 1958 and was assigned to Osan AFB in South Korea.  There he began studying the Korean martial arts Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwan Do.  After returning to the States, he continued to be an Air Policeman at March AFB in California until his discharge in August 1962.  He is the brother of Vietnam KIA, Wieland Norris, on June 3, 1970.  Wieland and his brother Aaron both joined the military during the Korean War.  Aaron was sent to Korea, while Wieland was sent to Vietnam.
     
  • Potok, Herman Harold "Chaim" - US Jewish novelist and rabbi, Potok was born February 17, 1929 in New York City.  He was ordained a conservative rabbi and taught at several Jewish colleges before becoming editor of Conservative Judaism in 1964 and then editor of the Jewish Publication Society of America in 1966.  He is most known for his novels The Chosen (1967), The Promise (1969), and My Name is Asher Lev (1972).  He served as a chaplain (lieutenant) in the U.S. Army in South Korea from 1955 to 1957.  His novels, The Book of Lights (1981) and I Am the Clay, were drawn from his experiences in South Korea.  Chaim Potok died on July 23, 2002.
     
  • Povlitz, David - entrepreneur who co-founded Anago Cleaning Systems in Florida.  Anago has more than 2,400 franchises throughout the USA and received the award, "Top Franchise for Veterans" in 2017.  Povlitz served in Korea in the late 1960s.  He was a sergeant in the U.S. Army.
     
  • Robinson, Hugh Cranville - first African-American military aide to a president of the USA (Lyndon Johnson.  He graduated from West Point in 1954 and was a platoon leader and company commander in Korea from April 1955 to July 1956.  During the Vietnam War he was executive officer of the 45th Engineer Group and then commander of the 39th Engineer Combat Battalion.  He was promoted to Brigadier General, being the Army Corps of Engineers first African-American general.  He retired from the Army in 1983 and that same year he joined the Southland Corporation as vice president.  He supervised the construction of Southland's corporate office complex in Dallas, Texas.  In 1989 he became chairman and chief executive officer of the Tetra Group.  In 2003 he held the same title with the Cranville Construction and Development Company.  He was then Chief Executive Officer of Global Building Systems, then chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
     
  • Robinson, Roscoe Jr. - served on board of directors of parent company of Northwest Airlines.  Born October 28, 1928 in St. Louis, Missouri, he graduated from West Point in 1951.  During the Korean War he served with the 31st Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.  In 1954 he was instructor in the airborne school at Ft. Benning.  He served during the Vietnam War, and then in August of 1982 he became the first African-American four-star general in the Army.  He retired in October of 1983.  He served on the Board of Directors of the parent company of Northwest Airlines.  He died on July 22, 1993 of leukemia.
     
  • Ryan, George - former governor of Illinois.  Drafted in Army in 1954.  After basic he was sent to Korea for 13 months where he was in charge of a base pharmacy.  Discharged 1956.
     
  • Valluzzo, John - founder of the Military Museum of Southern New England in Danbury, Valluzzo served in Korea 1956-58.  He later made a fortune working for his family's manufacturing company.  He was shot dead by police in May 2013 outside his Connecticut mansion.
     
  • Waller, Calvin Agustine Hoffman - environmental leader.  Born December 17, 1937 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he entered the Army in August of 1959.  In December 1963 he was made chief of the Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Center in the Office of the Assistant Chief of Staff, 7th Logisti Command, 8th US Army in Korea.  He retired from the Army on November 30, 1991 as one of the highest ranking African-Americans in the armed forces.  In July 1995 he joined the environmental contractor Kaiser=Hill as Senior Vice President for Department of Energy programs.  Between 1995 and 2005, Haiser-Hill managed a cleanup of radioactive hazardous materiaqls from Rocky Flats, a former nuclear weapons plant outside of Denver.  Waller died of a heart attack on May 9, 1996 while visiting Washington, D.C.
     
  • Yeager, Charles Elwood "Chuck" - first supersonic pilot.  As a full-bird colonel in February of 1968, Colonel Chuck Yeager commanded the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing during its emergency deployment of a wing of F-4 Phantom II’s to South Korea during the USS Pueblo Crisis to Osan AB (K-55). Prior to that, Yeager was also involved in the extensive debrief of the defecting North Korean Air Force MiG-15 pilot, Lieutenant No Kum-sok (노금속), aka Kenneth Rowe, in 1953, just a few months after the Korean War ended.  Born February 13, 1923 in Myra, West Virginia, he entered the Army Air Corps during World War II on September 12, 1941 and remained in the Air Force until 1975.  He retired as a Brigadier General.

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Notable Civilians (those who participated in the Korean War effort as civilians)

  • Suh, Anna Wallis - Born in 1900 in the USA, Anna Wallis was from Lawrence County, Arkansas.  She graduated from Scaritt College for Christian Workers in Nashville, Tennessee, and then went to Korea as a Methodist missionary.  She married Suh Kyoon Chul, a Korean schoolteacher.  When the North Koreans took Seoul after the start of the Korean War, she became a radio propagandist for the North Koreans and against troops from Allied nations.  Her job was to undermine the morale of opposing forces.  She did this by announcing the names of captured and killed US servicemen, mocking African-American troops for their lack of civil rights, and warning new arrivals to the war zone. She was known by American troops as "Seoul City Sue".  A few days before US forces retook Seoul the Suhs evacuated to the north.  She remained in North Korea until her death in 1969.
     
  • USO stars who entertained troops during the Korean War: Click here.
     
  • War correspondents (civilian) in Korea: Click here.

 

 

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