Korean War Legacy Project

Dadi Wako

Bio

Dadi Wako was born in Ethiopia in 1935. His family died when he was young so he grew up in a religious school before joining the military around age 17 in 1953. Dadi Wako served in the 5th Kagnew Battalion and sailed for South Korea in 1955. In his nine months in Korea, Dadi Wako primarily was engaged in security operations as an infantryman even though he was trained as an engineer in Ethiopia. He revisited South Korea in 2018 and was amazed by the changes he saw.

Video Clips

Journey to Korea

Dadi Wako describes not knowing anything about Korea prior to his arrival. He journeyed by sea for the first time and was not the biggest fan of the rolling boat. Dadi Wako describes his excitement as a teenager upon seeing Korea for the first time as well.

Tags: Incheon,Impressions of Korea,Prior knowledge of Korea

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Revisiting Korea

Dadi Wako discusses revisiting South Korea in 2018. He was amazed by the many changes he saw. He was especially proud of how veterans were treated.

Tags: Seoul,Impressions of Korea,Modern Korea,Pride

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Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8dZMVkrew&start=1120&end=1257

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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dadi-wako#clip-2

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