My Memories Of Serving In Korea !953 /54 In The U S A F

Discussion in 'Other Reminiscences' started by Lon Tanner, Feb 25, 2021.

  1. Lon Tanner

    Lon Tanner Supreme Member
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    In 953/54 I was in Korea with the Air Force and there was a rumor that our group of F 86 Sabre Jets were being sent to Viet Nam via the Phillipines to aid the French who were about to be defeated by the Viet Minh army.
    U.S. involvement in Viet Nam was much earlier than most people know, UNFORTUNATELY.

    Picture is me pulling guard duty at a Ammo Dump KOREA GUARD DUTY.JPG
     
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  2. Bill Boggs

    Bill Boggs Supreme Member
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    So did I, Lon. The army recruited volunteers to jumb into Vietnam to train Montibond tribesman
    to fight, Viet Mien I was volunteered by a former buddy who had gotten out of our infantry company and
    was working on the General Staff of Eighth Army commander. I went to a meeting out side of the
    South Korean Capital (I can't spell the town's name but something like this: Yung Dung Poh, across the river fro the capital of SK.)
    I would have gone and trained but they forbid leaves to the United States before hand. All volunteers
    could take a leave anywhere in the far east including Australia. Because i coudn't go see muy mom
    and dad before hand, I backed out. Their training was to take place in the Phillipeans.

    When you were about to go rescue the French I was on five day R&R in Japan trying to get back to Korea but was ordered to stay in place.
    All sea and air transportation was involved in that evacuation of the French.
     
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    Last edited: Feb 26, 2021
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  3. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    In 1953/54 I was in Hah School, but I did go to Korea in 1961 with the US Army
    Occupation Forces.

    Yowzah
     
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  4. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    The Viet Minh was the Korean Army under Ho Chi Minh.
     
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  5. Boris Boddenov

    Boris Boddenov Very Well-Known Member
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    At Ft. Campbell I heard horrifying tales about the Korean winters, let alone the enemy.
     
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  6. Bobby Cole

    Bobby Cole Supreme Member
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    The first American “advisor” groups went to Vietnam in 1951.
     
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  7. Hugh Manely

    Hugh Manely Very Well-Known Member
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    Thank you for your service, Lon.

    I was a little too young for Korea, but my older brother was drafted and almost went to Korea (they signed the armistice when he was finishing his last month at Ford Campbell), so he wound up in Landshut, Germany.

    I joined for 6 months after 2 years at a Jr. College, went to Fort Knox for basic and then spent 5.5 years in reserve. going to Camp Pickett for 5 summers while finishing college. They wanted me to go to officers training, but I declined. My family (mom and dad had health problems and needed me), so I was hired as a high school teacher. Later I went to grad school and finally spent my career at a community college, where I worked for 38 year (counting part time teaching at the end). My wife and I have a combined 80 years of teaching.

    Now I enjoy retirement (and trying to survive the pandemic), spending my time in Christian endeavors (such as the Gideons, Big Brothers, bus ministry, drama team, passing out bibles) and other things (such as building bird houses)
     
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  8. Hal Pollner

    Hal Pollner Veteran Member
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    The original name of the Korean peninsula was "Chosen". (Pronounced Cho SEN)

    The extreme winters gave it the name "Frozen Chosen".

    I spent a year there in the safety and comfort of the 8th Army Communication Center.
     
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  9. Lon Tanner

    Lon Tanner Supreme Member
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    I was a Aircraft Instrument technician working primarily on the F 86 Sabre Jet. It was a formidable fighter jet against the Russian made Mig 15. When pilots wrote up problems with a particular instrument we generally pulled the instrument out and replaced it with a new one. The old one was sent to Japan for repair.

    F 86 Cockpit.jpg
     
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  10. Lon Tanner

    Lon Tanner Supreme Member
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    sabre jet.jpg
     
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  11. Hoot Crawford

    Hoot Crawford Veteran Member
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    Wow! Doesn't look anything like the instrumentation on my Dad's Piper Vagabond...
     
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    Last edited: Jun 8, 2021

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