Jimmie A. Montoya
Bio
Jimmie Montoya served during the Korean War. His service began at the age of fifteen, but he was sent home when his real age was discovered. He persuaded his mother to sign the papers that were needed for early enlistment and was then allowed to reenter. He was sent to Korea at the start of the Korean War and was subsequently captured in July 1950. He was wounded when taken as a prisoner of war, and he relied heavily on fellow prisoners for survival. Two books have been written that reference Jimmie Montoya’s experiences including The Namwon Bunch and Korean Atrocity: Forgotten War Crimes 1950-1953. Later in life, he was able to reconnect with the soldier who ultimately saved his life. Like so many others, he rarely spoke of his experiences in Korea, but his family has continued his legacy by sharing his story.
Video Clips
Korean War Rarely Taught
Georgia discusses the challenges of teaching the Korean War. She explains how teachers had to be creative to find ways to integrate the Korean and Vietnam Wars into a discussion. She recalls that textbooks covered little information on the Korean War.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLeWeOrRKF8&start=465&end=534
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jimmie-a-montoya#clip-1
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You Will Remember This Someday
Georgia discusses how the term "Forgotten War" upset a lot of people. She recalls her family telling her to remember what she was watching on television as the men returned home from war because it would be history.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLeWeOrRKF8&start=535&end=597
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jimmie-a-montoya#clip-2
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The Grip of Communism
Georgia remembers the reports about communism and how her family built a basement per directions from the Civil Defense. She recalls the basement including provisions in case of attack. She explains how this indoctrination was a contributing factor of the United States' entry into the Korean War.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLeWeOrRKF8&start=770&end=855
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jimmie-a-montoya#clip-3
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The Difference Between Farmers and City Boys
Georgia describes the differences between farm kids and city boys in a POW camp. She explains how the farm kids knew how to forage for food while the city boys did not know such. She describes how his difficult childhood prepared him in many ways to survive the war.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLeWeOrRKF8&start=1024&end=1102
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jimmie-a-montoya#clip-4
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