Oral+History+Interview

Did you join the army or were you drafted?

-I joined the Army in the city where I now live, Wurtland, Kentucky.

Why did you join the Army?

-I joined because I believed that we needed to stop the reds (communists) before communism reached the United States.

What was the general consensus of the platoon you were in?

-We were mostly volunteers there for the same reason that I was there. What was the temperature like in Korea? They had very cold winters and the weather was the worst I'd ever experienced. What happened on the day you performed your Medal of Honor actions?

- We were scouting the enemy position when all of a sudden we see grenades rolling down the hill we were on. My lieutenant behind me was wounded and I took his role as leader, ordering those not injured to retreat. I ran over to my lieutenant and shielded him from and picked him up and started carrying him down the hill. I don't really remember well what happened, except that I killed some of the enemy and saved another man before being hit by a grenade.

How did your war experiences affect you later in life?

-I went back to work and the first day back a co-worker came up and clapped me on the back. (chuckles) I then tackled him to the ground and told him just to give me some time before surprising me.