Veteran's Memoirs - index

Page Contents:

• Introduction
• Standing Invitation
• The Disrespectful Daughter
• Veterans' Full Length Memoirs - Index
• Veterans' Short Stories (Mini-Memoirs) - Index

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Introduction

The veterans' memoirs and short stories on this page of the Korean War Educator are posted as a means to educate the public about the Korean War.  The memoirs found on the KWE are full-length and cover the veteran's lifespan from birth to present.  Short stories tell about a particular segment of a veteran's life.

Korean War veterans are a unique breed.  Those who served their country during the active war years 1950 to 1953 grew up in the Depression and had experienced World War II, either in the military or on the homefront.  They grew up in a time of high patriotism--a time when duty, honor, country were meaningful words.  When their tour of duty ended, most of them returned to the States with little fanfare, picked up their pre-war lives, and carried on with them.  Too few of them have talked about their Korean War experiences.  Talking about them was often too painful--and who cared anyway?

From March 2003 to February 2007, there were 3,144 American casualties in Iraq.  From June of 1950 to July of 1954, the number of in-theatre American casualties in Korea was 33,691.  No matter what the casualty count, the price of freedom has always been higher than those who have never fought for it can possibly imagine.  We encourage our visitors to read the memoirs and short stories found on this page of the KWE.  When you do, you will realize that war is miserable and horrible, and that the freedom those of us living in the United States experience today is a precious thing--its high price paid for with the blood and tears and skill of our veterans.  (When was the last time you thanked one?)

Please note that the copyrights to the memoirs and short stories found on the Korean War Educator are legally held by the Korean War Educator Foundation, private individuals, the Museum Association of Douglas County in Tuscola, Illinois (Douglas County Museum), the Camargo Township Library in Villa Grove, Illinois, and/or nationally-known magazines.  While we sincerely hope that our readers enjoy reading and learning from them, the memoirs and short stories cannot be used for publishing or for-profit purposes without the written permission of the entity that holds the copyright on them. For further information, contact Lynnita Brown.

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Standing Invitation

The Korean War Educator has a standing invitation to all Korean War veterans (any branch, any MOS, any rank, any era) to post recollections of your time in the Korean War on the KWE Website, whether you wish to share just a story or two or your entire memoir.  Pictures are welcome, too.  The process is very simple:

Send your memoir or short story, or that of your loved one, via e-mail in plain text format, pasted into an e-mail, or as a Word document attachment.  The KWE webmaster requests that you not send your memoir/story material to the KWE as a PDF file unless the PDF file is suitable for posting as is.  As an alternative to e-mail if files are too large to e-mail, you may also mail your document and picture files to us on a CD you have created.  Also state in the e-mail or in a letter to us that you are giving us your permission to post your memoir on our Website.  We cannot and will not post without written permission.

Important Note: Pictures should be sent as jpg file attachments to your email.  Please do not send pictures scanned into e-mails.  They are too tiny to use on the KWE.  Instead, scan your pictures into a file and send the files as attachments.  We cannot stress enough the importance of sending by attachment.

If you need to discuss your memoir or short story before sending it, call, write, or e-mail Lynnita at 217-253-4620 (home); 216-253-2535 (Douglas County Museum Monday and Tuesday);  217-253-5171 (Lynnita's store 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursday-Saturday), Lynnita Brown, 111 E. Houghton St., Tuscola, IL 61953, lynnita@koreanwar-educator.org.

Not one single black American has stepped forth to tell his memoir of the Korean War yet.  The KWE is extremely concerned about this, so if anyone can help resolve this problem by sending Lynnita the contact information for black Korean War veterans, please do.  Also, few female Korean War veterans, or Air Force/Navy veterans have participated in this project.  No Coast Guard members have shared their memoirs/short stories either.  The KWE is willing if these veterans are willing.

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The Disrespectful Daughter

As Veteran's Day 2004 approached, the Korean War Educator received an unusual communication from the 40-year old daughter of a Korean War veteran whose memoir is posted on the KWE's Memoirs page.  We invite you to click on the link below to read her message and the KWE's response to it:

The Disrespectful Daughter

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Veterans' Full Length Memoirs - Index

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Veterans' Short Stories (Mini-Memoirs) - Index

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