Charles Earnest Berry
Bio
Charles Earnest Berry served in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. He recalls experiences as a Black soldier in the south of the United States and eventual integration of the US Army. In Korea, he fought in the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir, was captured, and escaped. He recounts the horrors of battle and how the Korean War impacted his views on life, including contemplating fighting for a country that would not let him sit where he wanted.
Video Clips
Integration in the US Army
Charles Earnest Berry discusses his first experience with integration. He recalls his Sergeant instructing the men in his unit to pick their bunks in an integrated fashion and how Black soldiers chose bunks on one side of the room while the White soldiers chose bunks on the opposite side of the room. He remembers the Sergeant then forcing the unit to integrate by instructing Black and White soldiers to certain bunks near each other.
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Arrested in Greenville, SC
Charles Earnest Berry discusses an incident where he and other Black troops were arrested in Greenville, South Carolina. He recalls the treatment they experienced from local police officers and a Military Policeman (MP). He details the subsequent charges brought on the MP for the treatment of the soldiers.
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Experiences with Chinese Soldiers and Rethinking War
Charles Earnest Berry discusses fighting the Chinese and how quick and mobile they were since they carried less equipment than the American soldiers. He explains how the Chinese put human waste on their bayonets to increase the chances of wounds becoming infectious. He recounts finding an entire National Guard unit dead, hauling dead bodies from the front, and how all of this made him rethink war. He shares that he told his mom to send liquor not cookies when asked what he would like her to package and mail.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdGngEUUrl8&start=2937&end=3053
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/charles-earnest-berry#clip-3
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Capture and Escape
Charles Earnest Berry discusses the cold in Korea and being captured at the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir. He describes how he was able to escape and return back safely to American lines. He recalls the waves of Chinese soldiers and artillery bombardments.
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/charles-earnest-berry#clip-4
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The Role of Aircraft at the Jangjin (Chosin) Reservoir
Charles Earnest Berry recalls seeing American aircraft strafing the Chinese and North Koreans and pilots dipping their wings to American soldiers. He describes arriving at a bombed bridge and having to wait for the bridge to be airlifted in which rendered a loss of people and equipment during the wait. He describes the USS Missouri firing on the enemy and how he was evacuated from Korea after being wounded.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdGngEUUrl8&start=3101&end=3298
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/charles-earnest-berry#clip-5
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Lessons Learned from the Korean War
Charles Earnest Berry offers an overview of how the Korean war affected his beliefs on mortality, on people, and on coming back to the United States. He remembers the obstacles his still faced returning home despite having just fought for his country. He shares how not being allowed to sit where he wanted to back home made him question what he was fighting for.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdGngEUUrl8&start=3057&end=3087
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/charles-earnest-berry#clip-6
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