7:22 | Bill describes being shot numerous times throughout a battle during the Korean War.
Upon his release, Callovi is offered a job in Japan. His girlfriend (and future wife) denies his request to stay, establishing an understanding that would last throughout his career: Judy knows best.
It was called Hill 205. The small Ranger company was told to take and hold the hill. They did that as long as they could but Ralph Puckett and his men had to go through hell to do it. Waves of Chinese attackers had him calling in very close artillery strikes. He lay there, unable to move after three wounds, watching the Chinese bayonet wounded Rangers. Then two figures charged up the hill.
Ray Davis tells the extraordinary story of the expedition he led to save the encircled Fox Company in North Korea near the Chosin Reservoir. This act earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor.
When it was time to act, Bill Minnich came through. On a night watch, as he caught sight of a Chinese patrol, the only question was, rifle or grenade? When the unit was pinned down and no one responded to the order to move out, he cussed them all out and charged forward. And when he fell wounded, it was a sure thing that he would get up and scramble through the bullets landing at his feet.
Ben Malcom recalls a mission to infiltrate and destroy a 76mm gun hidden inside a North Korean mountain. During the cover of night on July 14, 1952, Malcom managed to sneak 120 guerilla fighters onto the mountain and into the bunker, and describes the combat that ensued.
Ron Clark remembers when the Chinese would attack and how the strategies between American and Chinese differed. He also explains one detailed account of an American casualty during battle and his own major injury that permanently disabled his eyesight.
Recalled from the reserve for Korea, engineering officer Bob DeBoo was assigned to LST 803, another amphibious assault ship. The crew's first task was ferrying prisoners, then they performed general duties, sometimes in bone chilling sub-zero weather.
He had evaded Nazis in France and followed the action through Korea, but there was one more adversary for George Starks to overcome, the unfairness of army bureaucracy. He had to defeat, or at least outlast, this final obstacle to return home.
As an engineering officer on an LSM, which stands for Landing Ship, Medium, Bob DeBoo was responsible for all mechanical operations on the ship. It was a flat-bottomed vessel, so it rolled mercilessly in whne the water got rough. While he was in the reserve, between the wars, he got a taste of life on the bigger ships.
He had been a pilot, but George Starks was now an army dentist. When war broke out in Korea, he had to go, following the action all the way from Inchon up into the north. He was part of the hasty retreat south, as well as the push back northwards after regrouping.
Bill Ozmint reflects on the current problems going on in Korea and where he thinks things will go from here. He sees further action needing to be taken in the near future and wonders if his time in Korea was somewhat of a waste.
While serving on an LST off the coast of Korea, engineering officer Bob DeBoo was entertained by a dog someone had smuggled on board as a pet. He was less amused by Inchon Charlie, piloting a North Korean biplane that would harass the ships. What nearly did the ship in, however, was a typhoon.
Bill Ozmint remembers arriving in Korea and getting prepared to replace a company in country there. Facing the weather was a huge challenge for them as they had to learn how to cope with the extreme cold.
It was long after his service as an army dentist in Korea that George Starks read an article in the paper about a veteran who described his evacuation and medical care. He was sure he must have done the surgery so he decided to contact him.
Bill Ozmint remembers leaving Korea and returning home, which his company was ready to do after their year in-country. After returning home, he was able to find work through a family friend and was able to secure his future career in the pharmaceutical industry.
Callovi's role as Military Policeman comes with its perks, but also leads to some awkward experiences - with GIs and Generals alike.
Bill Ozmint remembers patrolling on the border and the various precautions they had to take to safely navigate his platoon through enemy territory. Seeing friendly casualties as they were ascending a hill put into perspective how dangerous the war really was.
A veteran of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Frank Noonan reenlisted after the war and served on the aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge during the Korean War. He details the awesome firepower its dive bombers carried and the technology of launching and landing jets on a floating runway. (This interview made possible with the support of JANIS HAUSER In Memory Of Alfred W. Hauser, Army Air Corps.)
A medical condition requires Callovi to seek surgery in Japan, where he works and plays during recovery. He navigates the complications of becoming romantically involved with the locals.
Figuring out little ways to make the time in war more pleasant was essential to Harold Maples. In retrospect, there were ways to win the Korean War but the wrong moves were made at the time.
Callovi falls in love, causing him to lose track of time and become AWOL on several occasions. His ping-pong record of promotions and demotions leads to his stripes being applied with snap-on buttons.
Growing up during the Depression, Harold Maples decided enlisting in the service would be the best decision for him and his later education. On the way to basic training, he met another trainee named Guy Metcalf, who later went on to be his closest friend.
Callovi's military experience provides lessons about work ethic and tolerance. He holds no animosity to his former enemy, and offers sage advice to young enlistees.
First arriving in Korea, learning the terrain became very helpful for Harold Maples and his regiment. When he received his first letter, he began to feel comfortable there.
While stationed in Korea, Callovi experiences combat bureaucracy, bitter cold and a close call with a stealthy enemy. An attachment of Turkish soldiers proves to be a little too comfortable with the butchery of war.
Records clerk Lou Pardy had always been just behind the front lines with Headquarters Company, but after the rapid retreat from North Korea, all HQ personnel were moved back to Seoul. As his rotation date neared, and with a savvy replacement already in place, he took an unofficial job as a courier, which carried him back to the front on a daily basis.
Harold Maples speaks on the problems he thinks were happening during the Korean War and tells future generations what he would like them to remember about veterans.
Canadian soldier Ralph McKay describes the attempts by the enemy in Korea to overrun his position. He still used his British single shot rifle, but many had traded with the Americans for better weapons. The men were ecstatic over the peace agreement, but they had to stay in country until their 14 month tour was up. At least no one was shooting at them.
Despite his efforts, Brooklyn-born Peter Callovi is inducted into the US Army in 1951. His skills with a rifle land him a position with the Military Police, which he hopes will keep him stateside - but fate has other plans for him.
The stuttering truce talks in Korea were incredibly demoralizing for the troops, says Jim Walsh. Repeatedly, it seemed as if they would be going home and then, invariably, their hopes would be dashed. When he finally did return to America, everyone expected to see a festive hero's welcome. It was not quite that.
