Thomas Carneal
Bio
Thomas Carneal was born in Mynard, Nebraska, and grew up in the Plattsmouth area. He enlisted in the military and became a medical technician. Throughout the Korean War, he served in Germany and constantly feared the Soviets might attack at any moment. Overall, he found his service in Germany to be satisfactory and was grateful he was not stationed in Korea as an infantry soldier. Subsequently, he has traveled extensively through the Far East. Throughout all of these travels, the friendliness of the South Korean people was impressive. He was very proud the military taught him a sense of morality, responsibility, honesty, and independence. He hopes future generations will remember the veterans we lost and the importance of standing up for your country and what is right.
Video Clips
Fear in the Cold War
Thomas Carneal expresses being fearful the Soviets were coming anytime during the Cold War. In case the Soviets crossed the border, he recalls his unit continually practiced drills so they were ready at a moment's notice. On occasion when he was on the West Germany/Czech border, he remembers waving at a Czech soldier who waved back and realized they did not want to go to war anymore than us.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW9AGeepmQ&start=244&end=350
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/thomas-carneal#clip-1
Embed:
Don't be a Grunt
Thomas Carneal remembers his fear of being a grunt during the Korean War. He says everything he heard about being in Korea led him to believe that life as a grunt on the front line was the worst case scenario. Even though he was not taught about Korea in school, he recalls learning military horror stories from his barber.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW9AGeepmQ&start=1034&end=1144
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/thomas-carneal#clip-2
Embed:
South Korea Has Grown Differently than the Rest of Asia
Thomas Carneal notes how South Korea has transformed. He is especially impressed by the number of church steeples and the friendliness of the people.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW9AGeepmQ&start=1144&end=1247
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/thomas-carneal#clip-3
Embed: