Another new story.....Korean war Draftee

[solo1]

A Korean War Draftee................Me  I have no idea if my I had it easy or whatever, but it was an experience. Just another little true story,  No big deal just putting memories on paper for my kids.

                                               March 1952.  Camp Pickett, Va.

8 weeks basic training.   Did it get me ready for combat? No. A Good thing as I was one of 96% that saw no combat.

Yeah, I threw hand grenades, shot the 30 cal Browning aircooled machine gun, went on hikes with full field packs,  and went into a building with tear gas and took off the mask. Ran with gas mask on,  that was interesting. All kinds of PT.  Ran downhill three times with M1 Garand with bayonet and crossed a rolling log over a creek at the bottom (didn't get wet) We had an overweight drill sergeant who drank and ran us through foot locker drill until we slammed the screen door on the barracks about 15 feet hinges and all.  Had a corporal tell us about srtripping the installation (sic) from the wires on the field phone and instructed us in digging cat holes. Map hikes at night, tent raising, and more hikes. Close order drill and “I don't know but I've been told that Eskimo p**** is mighty cold.  That must've been around for a long time (Full Metal Jacket” movie)

There were not enough Garands available in basic training, one in three. I was told to hurry up and qualify on the 200 yard range and given a Garand. After one sighter with Maggies drawers and two more rounds, the rear sight fell off.  I ended up as marksman.  In the Infiltration course I was given another Garand (never saw it before either) and told to walk forward in a line shooting from the hip at pop up targets.  After the first 8 round clip went brang, the next one I loaded the bolt became disengaged from the operating rod and I couldn't clear it but had to keep walking. The only weapon at that time that worked perfectly was Mr. Brownings water cooled 30 cal machine gun shooting live rounds over our head while we crawled through the field with the explosive pits.  Finally, the 8 weeks were over and we went into 8 weeks of medical basic training. The first day we all thought, Wow the hard is behind us. Nope.  Two man carry litter through ankle high barbed wire followed by a relay contest of one man 'fireman' carry.

After the first day in medical basis we were all issued new Garand M1's wth cosmoline. The rifles passed inspection but the latrine didn't.  Later on, we were each given 200 rounds of ball ammo and told to fire our M1's at  a distant hill until the ammo was gone.

Medical basic training was also not much. Lots of first aid theory “What do you do for a penetration wound of the head?”...”Nothing”. Back then just about everything was taught too fast and inadequate.
Anyway, that was my experience as a draftee. We weren't ready for the Korean War and it showed in the half assed training to get the REcruits (and draftees) over there.  One man's experience, mine.  Overall, a  changing but good experience for me even so.

BTW, did you know, in 1950, that tanks mounted on concrete monuments at Ft. Knox KY, were taken down and converted back to use to combat the North Korean Russian T-34 tanks. In Korea?   Mortar rounds 8 out of 10 were duds.  2.5 inch rockets antitank were also duds plus not effective agianst T-34's.  We were caught with nothing. Worst of all, many of our Marines and GIs were fighting the North Korean and Chinese with summer clothes in temps at  -40 degrees.
We have a member in our chapter of the Korean War vets who served in the Navy and was on one of the ships that evacuated the First Marines and Army remnants from the Chosin Reservoir at Hungnam when the Chinese beat the hell out of us.

It came down to a team effort on the part of all of the Armed Forces to reduce our losses in the beginning of the Korean war.

[Avanti]

I think my Dad baked bread in Va, 12,000 loaves a day.

[Savago]

Interesting report and nice photo!
 

[old2soon]

When I was aboard Yorktown somewhere somehow someone found or came up with WWII k rations I believe it were. The chocolate had turned white and the luckies cigarettes were gone in two puffs-they were THAT dried out. We ate some of the spam and none of us got sick or died.  The "meat" was rather tasteless-guessin that's the WHY of needing Tobasco? Wayne-everything I've ever read about Korea in your time indicates we were near bout as ready there as we were for WWII. Good story of your When Wayne. RIDE SAFE.

[Thunderbolt]

Thanks again Wayne. 

[DDT (12)]

Wayne,

Thanks for another insightful story. Nothing captures 'early military life' like a true story written by someone who was there... For those who've never had the experience, there are no words to accurately describe it. For those who have, few words are necessary! A major league adjustment for any young person who embarks upon that path, and much to be gained from the journey... Thanks for taking us along on part of yours...

DDT

[Pappy!]

Wow you bring back stories told to me by Uncle Dusty. Dusty was primarily flying in WWII but transitioned to jets and also flew in Korea for a short time. Like you, he could tell a story, and before long you were right there, in the cockpit with him seeing what he saw and going through what he went through.
Love these stories!

[da prez]

  I went in in 1966 by an invitation. After reception , I enlisted to get a school of choice. I took basic at Ft. Campbell Ky.  I was in basic with the 101st Airborne. When we got to the field combat training , we also got to enjoy the K rations from 1945 thru 1947. In one day I was able to dine on ham and lima beans for four meals in a row. No one would trade with me. The best part of the dining experience was that there were no fires allowed. Just sit back and imagine how delicious those meals were. I think the companies that packed them went on to make T V dinners. I learned to keep all the items others would throw away. You could make something out of it , maybe even eatable.

                                        da prez

[3fan4life]

I learned to keep all the items others would throw away. You could make something out of it , maybe even eatable.

A lesson learned by GI's from all branches across many different wars.

[solo1]

Maybe you vets won't believe this but I never had those 'ration's' in Korea!

While the war was still on , the territory claimed by both sides didn't change. Our medical outfit, north of the 38th, cared for the wounded and drew rations for them.  Fresh eggs, fresh T bone steaks, fresh baked rolls every morning, and fresh Army coffee. overall, better cooks in our outfit, and better food than in the states............................except when there were many wounded. Then we ate the leftovers but still no @#$ stale rations. On days of no wounded, we had two or three steaks and as many eggs as we wanted (but no fresh milk, ever)

At any rate, the wounded passing through our medical clearing company, were treated first rate, as deserved.

[Jess from VA]

I never had a K or C ration.  I had a couple MREs, and they weren't that bad.... especially for a hack bachelor cook that I am.  You had to avoid the beany weenies in the Air Force, because in aircraft at altitude, the gas would explode your guts (or bowels).

I had military chow that was very good, and I had some that was just like HS and college cafeterias.... mystery meat, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  It tasted OK, but in an hour you were sending it down the porcelain flusher.  And hungry all over again. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

I never had a K or C ration.  I had a couple MREs, and they weren't that bad.... especially for a hack bachelor cook that I am.  You had to avoid the beany weenies in the Air Force, because in aircraft at altitude, the gas would explode your guts (or bowels).

I had military chow that was very good, and I had some that was just like HS and college cafeterias.... mystery meat, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  It tasted OK, but in an hour you were sending it down the porcelain flusher.  And hungry all over again.  

I ate plenty of C rations out moose hunting. My Dad would get them cheap somewhere on Elmendorf AFB. Food in the Navy was not bad. Some better than others. But there was one on Mare Island Naval Yard that was outstanding. For some reason they got good cooks and good food there. I’m sure some officer had some pull. They had Award Plaques all over the place. Leaving there and going aboard the USS New Orleans was definitely a letdown.

[old2soon]

I had two GREAT dining experiences while in Uncle Sugars Canoe Club. The first was on U S S Enterprise and sadly I was only aboard but 3 days. The enlisted chow hall was I M H O-Superb.  Plenty of Anything and Everything you wanted. Fresh bakery stuff every day and gallons upon gallons of hot fresh coffee. Lets just say from the E boat to Yorktown on the food scale and the bed down scale were a MAJOR letdown.  BUT as true Everywhere I was stationed or passing thru that gallons and gallons of hot coffee seemed universal.           My next good and B T W long term food experience was N A S Atsugi Japan. Course it was incumbent on a couple of us to show the Japanese cooks that it were indeed okey dokey to turn up the heat on the grills.  After we showed them that bacon could be crisp and eggs could be cooked with the whites done and the yolks runny we ate cursed good there. Anybody else remember those chain drive 3 slices wide toasters? Course Then after we were done eating we'd git another cup of coffee light a cancer stick and shoot the crap til we had to leave and get to morning muster. Stirring up some memories and wiping away some cobwebs.  RIDE SAFE.

[Serk]

Thanks for the write-up Wayne! And glad to see you're saving these memories for posterity, so many things I'd love to ask my WWII grandfather that I can't now...

[Karen]

Thank you all for the memories, and thank you Wayne, for starting it. When I was in, we didn't get bad food, mess hall was good. Occasionally we'd get some old rations, and loved the cigarettes and chocolate. We were still considered ladies then...

[The emperor has no clothes]

Thank you all for the memories, and thank you Wayne, for starting it. When I was in, we didn't get bad food, mess hall was good. Occasionally we'd get some old rations, and loved the cigarettes and chocolate. We were still considered ladies then...

Karen, you'll always be a lady in my book. 

[flsix]

Dad came home after a stint in the Corp during the spring of 52.

Among other things he did make a comment on occasion about the fringed weather over there, and the lack of gear.

[solo1]

An added memory. Since we were a medical outfit back then it was deemed wise to furnish free cigarettes to everyone who went through our outfit.  We had BOXES containing cartons of Pall Malls (we called them Small Pauls). I tried a pack of them. They were so old that one puff would change half of those long ones to ash. Imagine, a medical outfit giving out free cigarettes.

Times have changed and for the better in this case, I think.

[RainMaker]

Thank you for sharing your memories - these stories aren't in the official history of the war, I'm sure.  Great read!

RainMaker

[MarkT]

Every airbase I was stationed at, had good chow.  My first PCS base was at Nellis, the base in Las Vegas.  They were the AF's contender base for the Hennessy Award which was a competition bewteen the AF and Army for the best chow.  Nellis won repeatedly. Figures, it was a plum tour for everybody in the AF -who doesn't want to get stationed at Las Vegas?  The Wonderturds - oops I mean the Thunderbirds are stationed there.  I just lucked out.  They had two enlisted chow halls - the main one for all type foods and the smaller one near the main gate for lighter fare - burgers, fried chicken, other fast foods.  Very good actually - considerably better than McD's for example.  Even the bacon was crispy - all the bacon after this tour was undercooked rubber.

This tour spoiled me for what to expect.  However it was the exact opposite of my introduction - a cold dried out burger with no condiments at 3AM at Lackland (boot camp) which was at best prepared 9 hours earlier.  OH SHIТ is this the food I'm getting for 4 years?

[phideux]

My Dad died last week, in the Korean war, he was a B-29 mechanic. After the war he was some sort of electronics guy on the B-29s that were storm chasing, flying into and around cyclones and hurricanes.

[hubcapsc]

My Dad died last week

... prayers for you and your family...

-Mike

[solo1]

My Dad died last week, in the Korean war, he was a B-29 mechanic. After the war he was some sort of electronics guy on the B-29s that were storm chasing, flying into and around cyclones and hurricanes.

So sorry to hear that, my condolences. There's not many of us left. It works on my mind.

[phideux]

My Dad died last week, in the Korean war, he was a B-29 mechanic. After the war he was some sort of electronics guy on the B-29s that were storm chasing, flying into and around cyclones and hurricanes.

So sorry to hear that, my condolences. There's not many of us left. It works on my mind.

My Dad died last week

... prayers for you and your family...

-Mike

Thank you, and thank you. He was old, he was sick, he was never the same after my Mom died. I have tons of pics of him with the old Airplanes. He originally got me into them and I started out my adult life as an A&P mechanic. Back in the old days he would take me and my brother to the base with him and we would climb all over them airplanes. You could get away with that in the 60s.

[Forge]

I thank each of you for your service to our country.