But for some veterans, especially those who served in Korea, it will be their last. I am now 96 years old and at this age I don't know if this upcoming Memorial Day will be my last one or not. I don't know that I can fully explain why it was so hard to return home, but it was, and I think many (most?) veterans have felt this. Two of the scariest days in my my life were the day I learned I was going to Korea, and the day I learned that I was going home. Needless to say, the colonel got his way and what I got was a very "costly" (and still very uncomfortable) pair of new high-top boots The next time I saw that colonel, my boots were laced to the top but he was still not pleased. So I "amputated" the top portion of the boot to comply with his request. One day I was walking past a colonel who noticed this and told me that the next time he saw me, my boots better be laced all the way to top. When I wore them I laced them only half way up.
But what I really I disliked were the Army-issued boots. There were a lot of comforts American soldiers lived without in Korea there was often no hot water or toilet paper, and our sleeping quarters could get really cold. They really were true medical professionals.ĭuring my time in Korea I quickly learned that military life was not for me. They would assist in surgery, suture wounds and start transfusions. It was a lot of fun, but also a way for us to say "thank you" for the work they did - which went way beyond nursing. We would serve drinks, dinner and play music on an old phonograph. On a few occasions I can remember us "hotel dwellers" preparing dinner for the nurses. Three of us were from the Chicago area, and to make it seem a little more like home we painted signs on the door and inside the tent naming it the "Drake Hotel." We had fun with that and would often answer the phone "Drake Hotel." We had a potbelly stove to keep the place warm and would try to cook all sorts of things - from pizza to apple pie. I was lucky and got along really well with the other five guys. Our living quarters were tight with six men to a tent. Korea was not all work and we definitely had fun too, although not quite to the extent portrayed on the "M*A*S*H" television series.
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