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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:
April 06, 2024 Table of Contents:
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Back to Page Contents
Main Listing:
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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, on
July 10, 1931. 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 Law, Bosom
Buddies, The 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, Alabama. He 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.
- Sabalauski, Walter James - Boxer & US
Army officer. Born Vladislovas Sabaliauskas in
Lithuania, he was a professional boxer from 1929 to
1937, winning 31 of 33 fights. He served in
World War II, Korea and Vietnam, receiving multiple
decorations that included the Distinguished Service
Cross, Silver Star, eight Bronze Stars, four Purple
Hearts and three air medals. In Korea he
served with the 187th RCT and 25th Infantry
Regiment. He died August 9, 1993.
- 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
Back to Page Contents
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.
Back to Page Contents
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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