Dadi Wako
Bio
Dadi Wako was born in Ethiopia in 1935. Tragically, his family died when he was young, therefore his upbringing took place in a religious school. In 1953, he joined the military at the young age of seventeen. He served with the 5th Kagnew Battalion and sailed for South Korea in 1955. In his nine months in Korea, he was primarily engaged in security operations as an infantryman. Having arrived to Korea after the armistice was in place, he found his work there to be routine and safe, though the destruction of war was still seen everywhere. He revisited South Korea in 2018 and was amazed by the changes he saw. He was happy to do his part in helping Korea become the nation that it is today.
Video Clips
Journey to Korea
Dadi Wako recalls not knowing anything about Korea prior to his arrival. He describes traveling by ship for the first time and experiencing unpleasant conditions at sea. He shares his excitement as a teenager upon seeing the shoreline of Korea for the first time.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8dZMVkrew&start=260&end=483
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dadi-wako#clip-1
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Revisiting Korea
Dadi Wako discusses revisiting South Korea in 2018. He describes his amazement at the many changes he saw. He recalls feeling especially proud of how veterans were treated.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y8dZMVkrew&start=1120&end=1257
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dadi-wako#clip-2
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