Ali Dagbagli
Bio
Ali Dagbagli served in the Turkish army during the Korean War. He was born one of eight siblings and ultimately graduated from elementary school. He left for Korea in September of 1950 and after that arrived in Busan harbor by October. Ali Dagbagli was part of the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment that consequently took him all over the Korean Peninsula. He took part in Battle of Kunu-ri (aka Battle of Wawon) and as a result was shot four times. Ali Dabagli has revisited South Korea in 2002 and the cleanliness of Seoul amazed him.
Video Clips
Battle of Kunu-ri
Ali Dagbagli describes the Battle of Kunu-ri. The Battle of Junu-ri was the first major military engagement for Turkey since WWI. He describes being surrounded on all sides by the enemy. The battle lasted for three nights and four days. Therefore he lost many friends in the battle and was shot four times.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_feRQfbwO4&start=462&end=657
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ali-dagbagli#clip-1
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Destruction and Living Conditions
Ali Dagbagli describes the poor conditions of the Korean people. Kids would beg for food and cigarettes. People lived in houses made of rice stalks. Ali Dagbagli traveled from Incheon to Daegu, before moving north to Kunu-ri, North Korea.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_feRQfbwO4&start=249&end=462
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ali-dagbagli#clip-2
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Transformation of Korea
Ali Dagbagli describes the transformation of South Korea. He describes what he saw during the war. Kids were begging for food and cigarettes for their fathers. Contrast this with today where Seoul was clean, no dirt and no cigarettes on the ground. Ali Dagbagli could never have imagined the transition in such a short period of time.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_feRQfbwO4&start=680&end=1012
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ali-dagbagli#clip-3
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