Donald L. Mason
Bio
Donald Lee Mason was born on July 19, 1929, in Whittier, California. He was the only child and was raised by his mother and grandparents. He graduated from Whittier High School in 1948. He does not remember learning anything about Korea while in school. After graduating, he joined a Marine Corps reserve unit. While in the reserve unit, he attended junior college until 1950. He was called to duty in 1950 and was sent to Camp Pendleton in California. While in training, he only learned about what was going on in Korea from the newspapers. He left San Diego in July or August, with a stop in Kobe, Japan, eventually landing in Incheon, Korea. He was stationed at the Chosin Reservoir over winter and left Korea in the summer of 1951.
Video Clips
At the Chosin (Jangjin) Reservoir
Donald Mason recalls his experience at the Chosin (Jangjin) Reservoir. He remembers having Thanksgiving dinner while there, and they stayed at the Reservoir through Christmas. He was responsible for guarding the ammunition. He remembers how bitterly cold it was.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOqD5IDRGU&start=1632&end=1840
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/donald-l-mason#clip-1
Embed:
Revisiting Korea
Donald Mason discusses revisiting Korea in 2019 with his wife. He compares his visit then to what he remembered from his time in 1950. He remembers Seoul being destroyed during the war, with all the tall buildings gone. There were some huts still standing. But in 2019, he remembers seeing large skyscrapers from his hotel room. He was amazed at how the city was rebuilt to such an impressive scale.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOqD5IDRGU&start=1230&end=1469
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/donald-l-mason#clip-2
Embed:
Incheon Landing
Donald Mason discusses his experience during the Incheon Landing. He knew it was high tide and shares that he was in a LST landing craft. His unit, the artillery unit, went in after the infantry landed, and they pushed beyond Incheon to Seoul. He was surprised at all of the destruction he witnessed.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOqD5IDRGU&start=717&end=1000
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/donald-l-mason#clip-3
Embed:
Thoughts about Going to War
Donald Mason discusses his feelings about going to war as a twenty-one-year-old. He remembers feeling hesitant but not scared. Much of his unit was made up of experienced soldiers from World War II. He did know Korea was occupied by both China and Japan at points in history. In a way, he was excited about the new adventure. He talks about his time in Kobe, Japan.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOqD5IDRGU&start=504&end=639
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/donald-l-mason#clip-4
Embed:
A Wife's Perspective
Donald Mason's wife, Sheri, recalls what he told her about the Korean War. She says he does not like to share much about Korea because it makes him emotional. She reflects on her visit to Korea, when she and her her husband visited. She shares that the trip was wonderful, and she notes how appreciative the Korean people are. They both enjoyed the food and say they were treated like royalty. Sheri recalls that their hotel bed had a large sign on it saying "Our Hero". One of the most memorable events for her was visiting the DMZ.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prOqD5IDRGU&start=3321&end=3575
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/donald-l-mason#clip-5
Embed:
Photos
