Ed O’Toole
Bio
Ed O’Toole was born in Boston, Massachusetts on March 11, 1933. He dropped out of school at sixteen with no clear direction for his life. After seeing his neighbor wearing his Marine Corps dress blues, he decided that he would join the Marine Corps despite the fact that the Korean War was raging. He knew that the Marine Corps would make him strong. He attended boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina. In May of 1953, he was sent to Korea and was assigned to the HMR-161 Marine Helicopter Transport Squadron. He was there when the Armistice was signed and was fortunate to have witnessed closure to the war without experiencing any harrowing moments. He arrived back home in September of 1954.
Video Clips
Becoming a Marine
Ed O'Toole shares his inspiration for joining the United States Marine Corps. He recalls seeing a neighbor in a Marine Corps dress blue uniform and wanting to join so that he could wear that particular uniform. He remembers getting in trouble at boot camp for accidentally kicking a bucket of water down some stairs that unfortunately soaked a drill instructor.
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A Literal Bedcheck Charlie
Ed O'Toole describes the dual meaning of "Bedcheck Charlie". He explains that originally it was a phrase coined to describe a North Korean aircraft that would harass troops, but it later became a phrase to describe the job description of the person in charge of checking the roll at bedtime. He remembers trying to watch a movie three times but was unable to do so because "Bedcheck Charlie" would come sound the alarm for an air raid to ensure everyone was in for the evening.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SS9Til-OaKk&start=1183&end=1350
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ed-otoole#clip-2
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