Edmund Reel
Bio
Edmund Reel enlisted in the United States Army in hopes of playing a role in the end of World War II. He was, however, sent to Korea in 1948 instead of Europe. He recalls tensions beginning to mount prior to his departure during the peacetime and shares that he was sent back to Korea in 1950 while waiting to be discharged from the Army. He recounts taking part in a number of different campaigns, including Bowling Alley. He offers an account of his capture and the march he endured with fellow soldiers taken as prisoners of war (POW) to a work camp controlled by the Chinese. He shares that he found strength in his faith during the hardship and provides a story of making foot booties for fellow prisoners during the cold months. He is proud of his service and hopes that the remains of soldiers who perished in Korea will return home someday.
Video Clips
Korea Prior to War
Edmund Reel recounts being stationed in South Korea prior to the war. He recalls the easy ability to see into North Korea from the mountains near the 38th Parallel. He comments on the peacefulness and shares that right before he left Korea, tensions started to mount.
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The Making of Foot Booties in Camp
Edmund Reel shares how he made thirty-two pairs of foot booties for fellow prisoners while a POW. He details the materials used to make the booties and offers an account of how he assembled them. He provides an example of the booties he made.
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Food in the Prison Camp
Edmund Reel describes the food that he and other prisoners received from their Chinese captors during his thirty-four months as a POW. He recalls eating soybeans, cracked corn, sorghum, and millet. He shares that they were fed two meals a day and provides an example of the ration size.
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Marching Wounded
Edmund Reel recalls the cold conditions at the time of his capture and being fed sweet potatoes. He describes the discovery of a wound on his leg while having to carry a friend on a stretcher. He recounts marching and being turned over to the North Koreans.
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Captured by Chinese
Edmund Reel explains the circumstances that led to his capture and imprisonment for thirty-four months. He recalls there being roughly five thousand enemy soldiers advancing towards him. He shares that he had no choice but to surrender.
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Video Transcript
0:00um Edmund Leon Reel a born january
0:05thirty first nineteen twenty-nine and
0:13where you want Morefield West Virginia
0:16morefield West Virginia my family at
0:28the time add that my father and my
0:31mother yes I’m the oldest son of three
0:36and my mother had one which is a halfbrother
0:40brother you made it to start out with I
0:49went up to the first school went to was
0:51Buckley school B U C K L E Y West Virginia
0:55West Virginia then from there was
0:59transferred to Luxembourg and they’re
1:03from Luxembourg then I went to morefield
1:06high school and I left the morefield
1:09high school and joined the army I joined
1:14the army on the 25th day of September
1:201947 I was 18 no no it’s 17 you did and
1:36I wanted my father to sign for me so I
1:40can go in then which I’d been on the
1:42tail end of World War two so you
1:44enlisted yes why did you enlist what I
1:48listened well because at that time they
1:52wasn’t drafted so uh drafting know they
2:00are drafting calling people into them
2:03right yes so before you are being
2:07drafted you want to volunteer oh yes
2:09okay
2:12yes so you joined the army where did you
2:15get the basic military training for next
2:17New Jersey well hold on tell me about
2:20that well ice in one of the last cycles
2:24of World War two basic training there he
2:27you learn everything about field
2:30exercises combat training etc etc at
2:39that time I was a rifleman
2:43yes sir not at that time and then after
2:52after a basic training guess where I’m
2:57not bad where Korea I know about before
3:01we talking about Korea where did you go
3:04if you go to Washington’s seattle or
3:06seattle washington to to leave for korea
3:09where visual no this was some we got on
3:12a ship to go to Europe and they convert
3:17a ship and sander stand correct no not
3:28sent back to get that was my first now
3:30this is before the war when the 1948 if
3:38then they’re in a career in 1948 oh yes
3:46oh yeah yes and our troops when they
3:54shipped all the troops out of Korea
3:57which was in December of 1948 then I
4:03went to Japan and I was in Japan then
4:07until march of 1950 and then I was
4:11shipped back to the states here waiting
4:15for discharge no no I was waiting for be
4:20discharged when my enlistment was up
4:22was a
4:25then the war broke out before got
4:27discharged then I went back to Korea so
4:31tell me about this did you know anything
4:33about Korea before you went to oh yes oh
4:38and I know anything about Korea no no
4:42and never heard of no not till they said
4:47was going to Korea first time so when
4:50you arrived in Korea where did you go
4:53arrived in Incheon
4:57best port was on a big sign what was your
5:03first impression of all Korea well not
5:06expect that you know I got my mind saying what
5:11hell over got into now but once we got
5:14once we got in it and got a range and
5:18what having all yeah where did you
5:20stationed I’m a station right out of a
5:26seoul yeah cause the 38th parallel yeah but I
5:33guarded the 38th parallel for about six
5:36weeks oh you go yo ya welcome down the
5:40mountains look across over into North
5:43Korean say they’re Russians over there
5:45yeah all you are able to see what grins
5:48oh yeah that close oh yeah yeah wings up
5:52on the 38 they’re up on the mountain
5:56there and you with binoculars and
5:58whatever and looking up a cross over
6:02there say there were Russians over there
6:04foursomes do oh yeah oh yeah pretty
6:09girls right pretty girls the women
6:15was purdy yeah I guess I had their wives
6:18over there her girlfriends but they were
6:20pretty because he was doing it wasn’t
6:23during the world no no it’s a four-door
6:26were you able to tell that is going to
6:30be completely changing from that peace period
6:34to the war well what other war at that
6:42time not really no but I told him in dig
6:47them foxholes on without train wave it
6:49back here using them well we should stop
6:59having it cook huts and I got a little
7:03remembrance right there that’s where my
7:07lip was cut split open there why well
7:10when I told one of my men to get up to
7:12Bogart to parallel his door and the
7:17second time when I told him to get up he
7:19jumped up off his fist and bust it there
7:21I can stick my tongue out yeah well
7:25there is Cornish between US soldiers and
7:29old friends or the Russians no no not at
7:32that time though oh yeah it’s before we
7:37left there things started getting a
7:39little hot prior to that I was up in
7:47camp Drum New York which is known now
7:50and then Wendy this all broke out Angela
7:58so they took us back to Fort Devens
8:00Massachusetts or was wait to finish my
8:03over three months so there we do little
8:07extra what we call refresher training
8:10and of course I guess they might as well tell the
8:14truth we stayed mostly drunk because I
8:20think probably most of the boys same
8:24thing I did well they told us where was
8:27it going then oh yeah and so we stayed
8:36practically drunk and so goes we I did I
8:40thought well
8:42I won’t fun to go my won’t be coming
8:47back alive anyway if I come back so
8:50finally they even notice all true cattle
8:54cars there clear across whole United States to
8:58camp Stoneman California and they’re
9:01reserved for dare to and still drunk and
9:06get on the ship oh yes can’t remember
9:11that I don’t never getting on this ship
9:13but one month it was august the
9:19twenty-fifth nineteen fifty yeah that’s
9:26a ship went over a dinner but went into
9:29Busan I think about 14 days I there yeah
9:39thing yes terrible seasick but that when
9:49the first time I’ve seasick well I was
9:58in apple orchard there North Koreans at
10:02posters all the way back to Pusan there
10:06and we got there then therefore dare to
10:13then we went into battle yeah tell me
10:18about your second arrival in Korea in
10:23like one year or two years right a year
10:26to how do you feel that you were in the
10:30battlefield and you may lose your life
10:32yes well first battles end was a battle
10:37of the bowlin alley just short way some
10:40boots on and of course we lost
10:45everything that we hadn’t we fought our
10:49way out of her it was known as a bola
10:51valley was the battle we fought our way
10:54out there
10:55lost everything we had and then we came
10:58back to Busan to that voucher is there
11:01for a couple days and reformed up again
11:04and then we proceeded north and all the
11:09way if this soon all was nothing aired
11:12on the rubble all the way we fought all
11:16the way certain battles well and so we
11:22got to bond yang and there they thought
11:29the war was over a matter of fact they
11:30told us was we gotta clean equipment up
11:37yeah how’d you know somebody else must
11:40told you there and but then I think
11:47probably I think it was probably the
11:4929th of no 29th of October young and
12:02they call the Santos was gonna move on
12:05up and set up a line and wait for you
12:08troops come with your leave us and go
12:10home well this didn’t happen we serve
12:16for day or two what did you see Chinese
12:20soldier at the time around town young
12:22Ward vicinity of that area oh you never
12:26know but did you hear that Chinese
12:29soldier or they’re already know you
12:31never know but you know what October
12:34fourth Chinese across across the Yalu
12:37River only October and US intelligence
12:43actually missed it no no but anyway you
12:52wish you knew right I yes yes
13:00and I knew in the side of a guns hit us
13:03that morning about two o’clock in the
13:05morning I didn’t know what the hell read
13:08it was with all the vehicles and what
13:09have you they just bowed us to kingdom
13:12come yes yes how many can you describe
13:18him yeah they must been five six hundred
13:22thousand so what the same bad what God
13:27that thing but they was they were like
13:30flies i think what i have done had it oh
13:37i thought i’ve done had it my life was
13:41gone I figured they went they were just
13:48up in the shoes Gillis but they didn’t
13:53thank God we with some of the first ones
13:59to be captured and they were kind of
14:02with the rifles up in the air fine and
14:08of course to me what went through my
14:11mind which I use it tell my story in the
14:14school it was just like sin Oh glory
14:20come on to and down and I got it I mean
14:24it in my head I’m not going home ever go
14:29home again and I just forgot about my
14:31loved ones and what have you and today I
14:36think that is one thing that I’ve able
14:43to survive all the war deals that it was
14:46but through because of that Edwin and
14:51with God with might estimate right here
14:55because it’s one of thought it was
14:58having is going to happen to me tell you
15:00about the day that you will capture new
15:02above the waves it waves an unsung
15:05counting it’s where we were at and of
15:09course I was captured there
15:12and then on some one’s own on song
15:17that’s where we were set up that and
15:20that’s where I was captured at weird a
15:22lot of those capture what wasn’t dead
15:24and then that eating what was that was
15:30that morning then eating is rather than
15:35afternoon late they know yes you love
15:40him yeah it was terrible to have to do
15:43that but whether you got about 5,000 to
15:46come right at you what you gonna do I
15:48don’t know where the other two soldiers
15:50went here I am just a soldier here with
15:535,000 enemy in front of me what are you
15:55going to do and then after his capture
16:01they marched us to a building and of
16:09course they didn’t allow us into doing
16:11we sit outside beside this building in a
16:14goal and and there then to learn eating
16:22then they marched myself and the other
16:27two GIS away but there was two South
16:32Korean soldiers that was captured with
16:35me but they took them away from him
16:36eating so as I said to started getting
16:40dark or dusk as we say they marched just
16:44down the road little piece up into a
16:46pine thicket and there there was some
16:49more of the individuals and yeah
16:55American soldiers and then they had a
17:02great big tub of sweet potatoes and then
17:08they start now we’re going to feed you
17:11and then we’re going to march you to the
17:14rear the one my buddies who was with me
17:16he was wounded so we got rice bag it was
17:22big rice bags and we made a stretcher
17:24and I carry one day of the stretcher
17:27every night cause we marched at night
17:29and slept in the daytime and then as we
17:37like I said and the second night out or
17:42the third night this leg gear starts
17:46swelling on me and I didn’t know why so
17:51I pulled up the pants and all and I seen
17:54here that I’ve been wounded by shrapnel
17:56in his knee no no I’ve been scared the
18:00bad didn’t know it wasn’t really that
18:02bad you know but I would did in a much
18:05acts where they kept us out the one
18:07today I kept my steel helmet and I would
18:11heat water in it and bathe my knee and
18:15like say each night we marched for about
18:1830 nights and to where they got us back
18:21to the rear that to Pyoktong dome built
18:26don’t excuse me yes once we got there we
18:29were turned over to the Chinese I mean
18:34the North Koreans there we were
18:37there but over to them they kept us are
18:41then and as I for eight months and of
18:44course well right after we captured
18:48there and so the other end of people
18:50probably that you’ve interviewed with
18:52tell you the same thing I’ve done you we
18:54was there for I don’t know how many it
18:59wasn’t too long that they moved us back
19:04down the road that we came up because
19:07they were bombing and strafing across
19:10over the mountain or the hills there for
19:13the electric company factory and so they
19:18moved us out there it moves back down
19:20the road and marches up into a big
19:24ravine that ravine in became as known as
19:28Death Valley there’s war we lost our
19:30first person to die now you’ve probably
19:33heard the word
19:35to some of the soldiers maybe who was
19:37endeth valley if you have been
19:39terminated by from our labor camp know
19:43when be hard labor camp in the when was
19:46there father Kapaun yummier has now he
19:56was with me there I was with him I wrote
19:59nice letters telling about him and what
20:03healthy able to get to middle monetary
20:05or a few weeks ago i was hoping i get to
20:08i found out that i’d get the letter to
20:11go to it but I didn’t but anyway he got
20:14it news I this if I do this when I’m
20:26tell him a story of school excuse me if
20:33if there’s ever a man that’s in heaven
20:37except he was 10 he would sneak out a
20:42tonight at nights through the compounds
20:47one of you father Kapaun as I said he’d
20:50sneak out at night with and father
20:52Kapaun he smoked tobacco it is I can’t
20:56marry he like Prince Albert but he may
20:59know had Prince I award at the time how
21:02are we smoked a pipe and when he get
21:05into their little compound or mud shack
21:07our room he would get out his eye his
21:11pipe and he would lighters this is not
21:15you people who smoke take a drag off of
21:19it just a drag because we wanted us to
21:21go around and then he would have a
21:26prayer with us no I got this to show
21:33when I go to the kids I use that to that
21:36buddy I don’t think was a prince albert
21:38game but he smoked Prince Albert when he
21:41could get it these are soybeans this is
21:44all of us there in death valley they
21:47fetish
21:49some soy beans and cook them things all
21:53day long they’re still there not we’re
21:56done but nice i used to work hungry
21:58which I very seldom ever do it’s just
22:01like using God in vain to to me that
22:04word is I always like to use the word
22:06empty and when they pass through your
22:10body not outlaw and you go out and you
22:13pick them up and eat them again that’s
22:14when you are hungry this is crack corn
22:22that crack corn and we try to eat that a
22:26little bit of got going there to give us
22:29okay so you collect this not from again
22:35no I’m here showing you the kids yes
22:40this is the food that we fed will do
22:43this is sorghum that they have over there
22:48sargam right fit some of that and I know
22:53what you this is what are you going yes
22:59you’re sure that they felt a lot of that
23:03lever that was our breakfast they
23:11campfire went to a day yes I hope my 34
23:17months was to a day I rations was
23:24canteen cup full recent no Anna reason
23:28why no is because I did a lot of the
23:32cooker and we measured just out half of
23:35it first morning the other half at night
23:39this is not actually the cup that I
23:42brought back but the original cup I did
23:47bring home with me is down in the museum
23:53reason we call campfire if the Chinese
23:56take miss over they numbered the camps
23:59one two and three so when you speak but
24:05when you Speaker came five it was
24:07numbered when i was there when the
24:10Chinese taking us over yes yes yes and
24:20then the Chinese started to damn calm
24:24their studies and all that so 150 of us
24:28no we’re not going to do it oh we refuse
24:34the one just to write we know right they
24:37want us to this this isn’t this we
24:40didn’t do it then he took a hundred and
24:42fifty of us and put us on the barge all
24:47night down the river and put us in would
24:52become the hard labor camp of number
24:55three as far as i know we were the first
24:59GIS to be in camp three the reason i say
25:05that is if they got us Sarah you know
25:10ago give you good food and all this
25:12stuff well it was a little bit of butter
25:15phone yes yes and so they tried again
25:19with their calmness studies well we
25:23refuse again but us to put us to work
25:30but not doing what we wanted to do we
25:33wanted to build roads no we didn’t do
25:38that they made us unload barges and the
25:49cut would dig playgrounds dig bomb
25:56shelters and things of that nature every
26:02morning then they would after he they
26:08get us up sent us the river divorce come
26:11back and take a fiscal accounts that
26:16exit fetus some of this garbage here
26:19which tasted mighty good when you’re
26:21hungry and then they would like us carry
26:27rocks way down here no one of around the
26:34waters and way over there to the other
26:39village over there we’d lay down the
26:42rocks and then they would march a sewing
26:45up the road or whatever you want to call
26:47her I presume would probably be back up
26:50the road and marches up into the
26:52mountains and repair we cut big poles
26:57light poles telephone poles big ones and
27:00of course we have oh hello we had a
27:03homemade axis of course by being an old
27:06farm boy I carried acts and I do the
27:11Chopin in the US to the boys they scoot
27:14these big poles off of the mountain and
27:17of course it’d be guards all the way up
27:19this side of mountain look this side of
27:21mountain we be working in between then
27:23we need income they put the back off
27:26then we’d have to carry these big long
27:28telephone poles or like bowls what one
27:31of them used way I found later on I will
27:33tell you about them what they’re really
27:34used him for and then we carry them all
27:38the way back now if we had good guards
27:42they had let us lay them down and take a
27:45break but if you had a bunch SOS they
27:49make you choke you the damn things all
27:50day long oh wait long back then when you
27:55get back her you may have
27:57one is one of these delegates but not
28:01this one right levis didn’t get too much
28:05about them but that was a that was
28:11summer but their day all summer
28:14companies though that’s 1951 then then
28:20they come along about oh almost he said
28:24now we’re going to take you to the
28:25mountains to cut your where I would Oh
28:28fine my gosh we’ll get to stay warm this
28:33letter because we have any hid in the
28:36winter of nineteen fifty no no you know
28:40what must be damned cold colder than
28:44hell that you’re now go L is eight it’s
28:48hell’s pretty odd well in all ways first
28:55captured we just know they made us hung
28:58up in the room they down I think there’s
29:0130 some in my little room in this room
29:03here they would be they’d be a hundred
29:07more in his room here what yeah well you
29:10seeking want revenge and fill this room
29:12well you go outside and maybe roll this
29:19way in a row this way they march you
29:22outside and then they march in there and
29:25you get there you lay down and the
29:27element lay down his body and you’re
29:29like this yeah and that’s the way that
29:33and of course stay warm what cuz we had
29:39what cause we had at at the time yeah so
29:46you will come the wood for the hit for
29:49the winter of 1951 yeah yeah and then
29:54get it we didn’t get burned the wood oh
29:59his prisoners that Westar this joy was
30:04treated we’re bad boys with bad boys so
30:09well that was it and so then who well
30:20shit him I gotta hit him a story and all
30:23when the Chinese took us back it took us
30:26back over they brought us some clues
30:34thin clothes and a white shirt that I
30:37tell you was that they say he brought us
30:40in gave us a white shirt and a blue coat
30:43like and blue trousers and of course
30:47their summer shoes and give us a cake of
30:50soap and marked us down to the river and
30:55we made it took a bath first bath we had
30:58an eight months this Bible which has got
31:02my name and gold order this Bible was
31:05given to me mm 8th grade at school i’ll
31:11read it to put it up put in this Bible
31:13this tempest was given to me a Christmas
31:18at Christmas 1946 I believe my school
31:24teacher elver Park I carried it through
31:28the Korean War also was able to keep it
31:32all through 34 months as a p.o Debbie it
31:37was in the flood of 1985 so when I was
31:44capture of course all-american good
31:46American soldiers would carry her
31:48Testament up here in his pocket when
31:52after is captured and they marched me
31:55put in this barn to start their search
31:57of me and these are my dog tags the
32:01defecation dogs that we where he went he
32:06says searching me and he felt my poverty
32:10and so it was either at that time it was
32:14either life or death as far as I concern
32:17again there so I wanted had learned a
32:21few words of
32:22trip though few words of Japanese I
32:25don’t know what I and whether he
32:28understood any of it and you’re not but
32:30anyway I held us up yeah I guess can I
32:35be like it and he and he loved that and
32:40I the Chinese Hera and I thought well
32:44listen he’d probably good take it or
32:47slevin me but he did he didn’t I wish I
32:51went and put it in my pocket put this
32:54back in my shirt pocket when he came to
32:58my dog tags he left mine on the neck the
33:03other two soldiers that was kept me he
33:06just grabbed his there’s and jerked him
33:08off and thrown away why would you I
33:11don’t know only they I know God must own
33:15him not to do it I I had an interview
33:19with other prisoner of war in care for
33:23Captain Cottam and they said that they
33:26were not allowed to kid the Bible
33:28whatsoever that’s true but why mommy I
33:33don’t know I don’t know that’s like why
33:37didn’t leave me if anything you know
33:39what I had an interview with the bill
33:41baker from Texas the Arlington chapter
33:45he kept his own Bible tool it’s a little
33:48bit smaller than their yes he kept he
33:51had the raker military Bible yes no but
33:55the Testament there that’s a regulatory
33:58when he had yeah and he wrote the names
34:02of this click in the camp you know the
34:05click yeah well so did you read it every
34:10day anything twice you mean twice a day
34:14now read the Bible the whole bottle
34:17twice I heard that there are many
34:21actually attempted suicide to give up
34:24their lives in the camp have you seen
34:26those no no no matter about it no what
34:31is
34:32to commit suicide I there some may have
34:37I don’t know I don’t know why do we have
34:40them today people look at the military’s
34:43committed suicide today what made you
34:47survive there
35:04so when did you know that you are going
35:07to be released I guess there’s a day
35:16that degrade all the camps was brought
35:21together at their headquarters and which
35:27we didn’t believe him and then they
35:30still receive you will be going home
35:32soon you know nobody’s excited because
35:37we didn’t believe it oh no and of course
35:42then if us guys there’s 149 I was still
35:47living you i have 150 maybe someday well
35:57we if we get to go home will be the last
36:00ones but we was i guess it probably in
36:05the middle of a turn this loose to come
36:07home and show that to the camera and
36:13tell me about this story this story
36:22as a no farm boy and what I I started
36:27one day I’m going to start making some
36:31booties oh yes yes in the present yeah
36:37and these are just a replicant the ones
36:42that I made for the boys in the state in
36:44the prison camp and I made these and as
36:49I said nervous what each individual this
36:53is his clothing that I’ve taken to make
36:57these and I made 32 these wobba in there
37:01before I was released so the reason why
37:04I have this pair of booties here today
37:06is because one of the soldiers who came
37:11to me after we was put in the hard labor
37:17camp he had been shot earth is still
37:20making out to die and i hated water and
37:24nursed his wound so when he came home he
37:30went to Mississippi where he was from
37:34and I had heard that he got killed in a
37:39car wreck shortly after come home well I
37:43never felt but I found out then Oh about
37:5010 to 15 years later when we was going
37:54to we are poww nature and here he came
37:58the reunion wheelchair and it’s oh no
38:03and he said to me well there’s more real
38:08and yeah before we left there he said
38:14more real would you make me a pair
38:16booties like you made for me well as
38:18impressive as the one yes I said okay
38:22ray I’ll make you a pair of booties so
38:26after i get home i sit down
38:29and I made him a pair of booties and I
38:33mailing to it I said would listen to
38:35myself I’m going to make me a pair of
38:38booties to taking show people so i made
38:41this pair of booties here from I see
38:44that you have your of the day I’ll in
38:49the other think that I hear the shirt
38:53the white shirt each HD i had to give me
38:57his shirt I took your shirt I cut the
39:01pattern his to then the claw two sides
39:05two souls and stuff them with the cotton
39:09of the ends of the their overcoat okay
39:15the needle and thread I there’s a piece
39:20of a guide war that you see on bowls I
39:22took two rocks and I pound them together
39:28and I got a piece of war that took this
39:31war and that’s a sandstone and I took
39:35into work this and made a sharp on the
39:38end then I took two other rocks and a
39:42pound together to make a I and I took
39:45the thread can I set this down now then
39:50I took the thread other the blankets the
39:56issued us would pull the string of
39:59thread other and I used to do that and
40:07then the the cotton here was packed in
40:12here they was Philippe the continent
40:17what is inside here was out of the tale
40:20of the overcoat and then once I got the
40:26fun here then I sold up soda back up and
40:30then after did that then I went through
40:33and not of that so the Cottonwood no go
40:36down the bottom or in the end that’s
40:39like Wilton that mama and grandma used
40:41to quilt
40:43so that’s the Angels please save the
40:47little people from the coldest winter
40:52Evan L real Amy Korean War survivor 34
40:58months I was captured on November the
41:01first 1950 by the Red Chinese and
41:04marched for 30 nights and then turned
41:06over to the North Koreans in order to
41:09survive during these eight months of
41:11captivity I mean maintain my faith in
41:17God I had to try to steal food from the
41:20crims to keep from starving I survived
41:24standing on the hills on a rock over my
41:27head and the dead the winner with a
41:30guard standing by me for the punishment
41:34for stealing shingles from the Koreans I
41:37was going to use the shingles to burn to
41:40eat upon for cooking myself and others
41:43in the compound I said I’m having the
41:46black new money even after praying to
41:49God to take me because I was in so much
41:54pain and out of my head one of my
41:58buddies ray hudson was shot through the
42:00stomach through his bang in order for
42:04him to survive i heated water daily to
42:07try to clean the womb he survived in
42:10return in remaining twenty six months
42:13was spent being held captive by the
42:15Chinese treatment here was no different
42:19than before a small group tried to make
42:22a mass escape it was captured and then
42:25in n thar 150 were punished by putting
42:29us in a large opentype building with
42:32temperatures 52 below zero with no heat
42:36in order to survive to smuggle real
42:40close together for some body I held the
42:44others to survive the bitter goal by
42:47making them booties for their feet I
42:50would take a man’s shirt and a coat for
42:53the materials for the man’s booties
42:56a number of my buddies fella buddies
43:00survivor from horrible punishments also
43:03an individual or individuals with can’t
43:07escape and be captured they some time
43:11would be court-martialed and sometimes
43:13they would be thrown at a big hole in
43:17the ground and be made to stay there for
43:20six months the only time they would
43:23allowed to come out was to use the
43:26bathroom these were some very trying the
43:31most horrible experience but through the
43:36prayers and faith in God I said I I know
43:46about it yes at the present time I have
43:53made up my mind ago ah i had a colonel
43:59set beside me at the such a thin a
44:01banquet last Tuesday night and oh I
44:05learned so much about Korea again and he
44:11told me all about this and and he still
44:15means like for me to come out revenge
44:19the crazy says I’ll take care of you he
44:22goes back to Korea and three months yeah
44:26Oh at the time I I really haven’t got
44:32the reoccurring i guess i should say
44:37them to go I’ve seen pictures I’ve said
44:41other buddies I got one or two that’s in
44:44our outfit the gate of here that’s been
44:46there yeah I can I I can imagine it you
44:51know and like I say I was there before
44:55the war then I saw all the way from
44:58Pusan all the way through so South Korea
45:01alway car up to the eula river and then
45:06all I saw going up
45:08susu but another power revel in oven
45:12area and uh I still still have that you
45:19know is my mind is to you know to really
45:24go you want to me I thought if I ever
45:28had the opportunity I’m and get the
45:36opportunity go with the teens excavating
45:40up there the and that we can go all the
45:43way up there I’ll buried some of our
45:47buddies I would consider really going to
45:52see if I could find him but but can’t
45:56five as you speak of that big backwater
46:00there which that winner there that when
46:03she died we took them out to him buried
46:06him on that brow point of the hill and
46:10scrape a little dirt a little snow on
46:12then when the spring there came in for
46:14our left k if I had to go to flurry they
46:17just floated down their bodies there
46:19with those bodies now are down in the
46:21bottom that’s been drained and I’ve been
46:25told by DoD yeah if there’s always
46:32between you and Chinese soldier in that
46:36camp would you be willing to shake hands
46:39with him yes i will now yes yes yes I
46:45would why a Charlie soldier yeah because
46:50let me elevator of it this way after
46:53they after was in prison that long the
47:02the lady tur Peter and the one pedone
47:10later who was an out brothers both
47:12officers Oh for each platoon
47:17and the episode leader who couldn’t
47:24speak no English but when he left there
47:27he could speak pretty good English now
47:30he he and of course the interpreter were
47:34very good to us they if I could shake
47:39his nail in her hand ico her her because
47:44we nickname him women yeah I r
47:48interpreter we nicknamed her Maxine
47:51because he was so feminine at all but i
47:54would if i could nae if I can meet I
47:58don’t know his name if I can eat him and
48:00her forgiving him yes I would yes I
48:05would because they those two individuals
48:08especially him well real good to us
48:13prisoners their Lords say that that way
48:16what about Luke wins ah no no no your
48:26service and I want to present this
48:30certificate it’s a certificate of
48:33ambassador for peace which was made by
48:36the Korean government ministry of
48:39patriots and Veterans Affairs and also
48:41Korean Veterans Association and I wrote
48:44your name in Korean as it pronounced F
48:47real okay that real so please read it
48:51and show you through the clamor of this
48:54ed real this picture here was taken the
48:59day I was released which was a 24th day
49:0390 August 1950 I got back on it the 25th
49:12the same ship that I got off of three
49:15years to the day this picture here is
49:20the
49:23worthy was having a swim of me and
49:27individuals from other president camp
49:29which they would come in at was swimmin
49:32meet there we weren’t allowed to go to
49:34other camps so this is a bigger picture
49:38of the day these group from her here a
49:41ghostly we have no head select like that
49:44in our camp so evidently the sum one of
49:49the other camps which was her away from
49:53us wow this is the exceptional picture
49:57the prisoners are swimming there he has
50:00illness thank you for sharing this
50:04picture with us