Edmund W. Parkinson

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E:        My name is Edmund William Parkinson.

I:          Uh, so P A R K

E:        P A R K I N S O N.  I’m known as Ted.

I:          Ted.

E:        Yeah.

I:          What is your birthday?

E:        First of the third, 1929.

I:          So March 1^st

E:        First of March, 1929.

I:          Your, you born in the year of Great Depression.
E:        Yes.

I:          Where were you born?

E:        Born and raised by, in Sydney.

I:          Sydney.

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Tell me about your family when you were growing up, when you were child, your parents and your siblings.

E:        Right.  Well, I had, uh, a sister, elder sister, elder brother and a younger brother.]

I:          Um hm.
E:        My father was part Maori, and he was District Traffic Supervisor for, for Sydney

I:          Um hm.

E:        and my mother was an Australian.

I:          Tell me about  the school you went through there.

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E:        I went to Wellington Street School, uh, I really started in Bondi, and then I went over to, to Wellington Street School in, in Bondi.

I:          Um.

E:        and finished at Sydney High.

I:          So when did you  join the military then?

E:        Uh, I first joined the Australian Army in, uh, 1945 or ’46, something like that.

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I’m not too sure now.

I:          Yeah

E:        and ended up in Japan at the end of the War, and I came back from Japan in 1948 and was discharged.  And then I went over to New Zealand.
I:          Um.

E:        Country of my father’s birth.  And I met all of his relatives and what have you.  And then the War broke out in Korea, and I joined the New Zealand Army.

I:          Uh.

E:        And I went over

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to Korea in the New Zealand Army as a forward observer for the  artillery.

I:          So when did you join the New Zealand Army?
E:        1951.

I:          1951.  And where did you get the basic  military training?

E:        In Papakura.

I:          Papakura.

E:        Papakura in, uh, in New Zealand in the North Island, and

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I went somewhere else. I can’t think of the name of the place, uh.

I:          Did you get the basic military training there again?
E:        Yes.

I:          But you were also Australian Army.  So you are veteran, yeah.

E:        So it was just a refresher really.

I:          Uh huh.

E:        Yeah.

I:          So how was it to get the two basic military training twice?
E:        Well, uh, it was pretty easy the second time because I knew what I, to expect all the time.  So they made me a bombardier straight away.

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And, uh, I remained a bombardier through, through my life as a, in the artillery.  Uh, and, of course, I had previous training in the help and so they made me a forward observer.  And, uh, I was the one looking at what we were firing at and sending fire orders back to the, the batteries, to, to bring down fire on the enemy.

I:          Um hm.  And

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what was your unit when you were in Australian Army?

E:        168AGT.

I:          1

E:        68A, AGT.

I:          AGT?

E:        Yes.

I:          What is that?

E:        Australian General Transport.

I:          What does AGT mean?
E:        Australian General Transport.

I:          Oh, okay.  So you were not in the artillery.

E:        120 Platoon.   No, that, that was the Australian Army.  And when I went into

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New Zealand Army,

I:          Um hm.

E:        that’s when I was trained in artillery.  And I became a forward observer for the artillery, [INAUDIBLE] and calling down the shelling.

I:          What was your unit in New Zealand Army?

E:        [INAUDIBLE] Field Regiment.

I:          I’m sorry?

E:        16^th New Zealand Field Regiment.

I:          Field Regiment.

E:        Yes.  161 Battery, Baker Troop.

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I:          And by the time, did you know anything about Korea?

E:        Yes, I did.  I knew, knew a bit about Korea

I:          Because you were in Japan, right?
E:        Japan.

I:          Yeah.  What did you know about that?

E:        Well, we went over to, to Korea whilst I was in Japan, didn’t stay long and t hen came back again.  But I, I knew a bit about it, you know.

I:          What did you know?

E:        I don’t know.  I do not know.  I knew where the towns were.  I knew South Korea,

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you know, virtually because we had people who talked to them about it and looked it up on the maps and so forth and, uh, that’s why I made a pretty reasonable observed cause I knew what I was looking at.

I:          Had you imagined that you’d be in the Korean War when you were in Japan?
E:        No, not at all.  But then, that’s what happened.

I:          That’s what happened.  So when did you arrive in Korea at the,

E:        1951 I think it was.

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I:          What month?

E:        Oh,

I:          Summer, winter

E:        Eh, it was the middle of the, middle of the  year.

I:          Middle of the year.

E:        Yeah.

I:          And where did you arrive in Korea?

E:        Uh, Seoul.

I:          Seoul?

E:        Yeah.

I:          So did you take a flight from Japan?
E:        From Japan, yeah.  No, no, no.  We came across by boat.

I:          Right.  Where did you arrive, Pusan or Inchon?
E:        Pusan or Inchon, geese, I don’t know.

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We came, we got off the boat, and then we were put on a train.  We, we came up, you know

I:          To?

E:        through the center of Korea.

I:          Okay.  So it’s gotta be Pusan

E:        Pusan, yeah

I:          And then, where did you end up?

E:        Up in Seoul I suppose.

I:          Seoul?
E:        Yeah.

I:          Were you in Seoul?
E:        Yes.  Then we went forward of Seoul up to the  38^th Parallel.

I:          Where?  Was it in the

E:        I think it was virtually in the center left.

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I:          Center left.

E:        Yeah.

I:          Okay.  Do you remember any name or

E:        There were no  names at the time.

I:          No  names.

E:        We moved you, we just had coordinates, you know, mapped coordinates set to where we were.

I:          Um hm.

E:        and what we were doing.

I:          So after artillery, what did you do?  Where were you, and what did you do?

E:        Well, as artillery I was a forward observed, and I was up with the Infantry all the time.

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The, the batteries in the back in their stable positions.  And, uh, where I, for targets and cold air targets to the, to the battery and, uh, gave them fire orders, and they followed the fire orders and zeroed in on the targets that I sent them.

I:          Um.  That’s a very dangerous because you have to be in the up front line, right, very close to the enemy.  Anything happen to  you, uh,

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severe battle or snipe attack or anything like that?

E:        Yeah.  I, uh, had my leg blown off.

I:          You wounded?
E:        Lost my left leg.

I:          You lost your leg?

E:        Left leg.

I:          Oh.  What happened?  Tell me about it.  What happened?  H ow did it happen?

E:        This is June 1953

I:          Yeah.

E:        Finished in July.  And, uh, I was going forward and,

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uh, a mortar came over, landed behind me, exploded  mainly that way, further back.  But I got the remainder that came forward, and that was kind of a back side and both legs.  And so I lost my left leg below the knee, you know, and I was wounded all down the right leg.

I:          Was it direct hit?  No, it wasn’t direct hit.

E:        No, it wasn’t a direct hit.

I:          But how did you lost your left?
E:        It was bone,

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so badly wounded, you know, and the bone was snapped in half.

I:          Shrapnel?

E:        Shrapnel, from the shrapnel, yes.

I:          Um hm.

E:        shrapnel and blast and, uh,

I:          Do you , do you remember the moment that you were attacked?
E:        Oh, yes.
I:          Where was it?  What?  Tell me.

E:        Well, it was, I was calling down fire against the opposition

I:          Um hm.

E:        and this mortar came over and landed behind me and exploded, you know.  And I took the blunt of it.

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I:          What were you thinking?  You were fighting for a county you didn’t know very well, and you lost your leg.

E:        Well

I:          Did you regret?  Was it

E:        Not at all.  Not at all.

I:          Not at all.

E:        I was doing what I was trained to do, and as a matter of fact, I enjoyed it.

I:          You enjoyed

E:        my Army life, yeah.

I:          But I’m talking about the day that you lost your left leg.

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E:        The day, the day that I lost my leg, uh, I was bundled back, uh, through trenches and up, up around, above the trenches when I had to go around corners and what have you.  And then put in a, a, an ambulance and then taken back, uh, and then from there into hospital and into

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I:          What hospital?  Where?

E:        At the back of the, the back of the line

I:          Uh huh.

E:        we were adding a medical hospital

I:          MASH?

E:        MASH.  MASH I was

I:          American MASH or

E:        No, no.
I           Was it India?

E:        I think it was British.

I:          British?

E:        Yeah.
I:          Okay.

E:        English?  Yeah.  And, uh, from there I was sent back and put on a plane and sent to Japan.  And once I was in Japan, I was in the hospital in the South, no,

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that’s not, Japan was, wasn’t Seoul, Kurae

I:          Yeah.

E:        at the hospital in Kurae, and that’s where I had my leg amputated and the other one all fixed up.  After spending some time there, I was evacuated and sent back to New Zealand.  But we got as far as Australia and I said I’m not going any further than here because this is where I live.

I:          Um.

E:        So I was discharged in Australia.  In Sydney.

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I:          Looking back all those years, you know, and you, you sacrifice your left leg for Korean people.

E:        Yeah.
I:          What do you think about that?
E:        I’d do it again.  That’s what I think about it,  yeah.  It was my job.

I:          Your wife is sitting with you right now.
E:        Yes.

I:          And you, you saying that you gonna do it again?
E:        She didn’t know everything.

I:          She doesn’t want to

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lose you, okay?

E:        No, but I  wouldn’t, I, I’d do it all over again, not do it again.

I:          Yeah.

E:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          I understood, but I was just pulling your leg.

E:        Yeah, it comes off.

I:          Yeah.  Wow, that’s a, that’s a serious commitment to Korea,  You have a very serious commitment.

E:        Yeah.  Well, I appreciated the South Korean people, you know?
I:          Why?

E:        I, they were genuine, and they had courage, and every time we wanted help, they were first in to give us help.

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I:          Have you been back to Korea?
E:        On several occasions.

I:          When was the first time?
E:        When was the first time, Corrine?  Corrine?

C:        2001.

I:          2001?  Did you go together?

E:        Yeah.
I:          So

C:        Official visit.

E:        Official visit.

I:          And when was the latest time?
C:        2005.

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He was invited by the disabled organization from Pusan.

I:          Yeah.  Um, at this point, I wanna invite your wife

C:        Name is Corrine Parkinson.

E:        When did you marry?
C:        Oh, 30 years ago.

I:          Thirty years ago.  But it was far after the Korean War, right?

C:        Yes it was, yeah.

I:          Yeah.

C:        The second time for us [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Did he talk anything about his experience in the Korean War, to you?
C:        Yes  Yes because I’m a psychologist and so he talked to me.
I:          Oh, you are the psychologist.

C:        [INAUDIBLE] yeah.

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I:          Oh.  Did he have, uh, PTSD?

C:        Yeah.

I:          Oh.  What was the

C:        Not, not, not at that time.  But now he has it.

I:          Oh.  What is the symptom?  Can you share that?

C:        Um, forgetfulness and, um, yeah, kind of, sometimes a bit deaf.  His vision is going.  It’s not too bad actually.

I:          Okay.  And what did he tell you?  What do you

C:        About Korea, that he loved Korean people

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and, uh, then we went back on a revisit in 2005 with other disabled people, and he and a, and a disabled, very disabled American Colonel stood up together, and they asked him same question, uh, do you mind being disabled?  What is it? And they both said it was worth it.

I:          Why was it worth, Edmund?

C:        Because they’re rebuilding.

I:          Tell me, Edmund.  Why was it  worth to lose your leg?
E:        To see how, uh,

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the Koreans had, uh, come good, uh, I can’t think of the word, come back.  They, they came back very well and started a life over there.  They are an absolutely delightful race of people.  Very helpful and, I just enjoy them.

C:        The fighting spirit and, and, and

 

 

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to rebuild the whole country in such a short time whereas other countries are still a hundred, you know, a hundred years from now and there’s still rubble lying around, and it’s just, it’s, it’s so terrific what you’ve done in Korea.  It’s unbelievable.  And he’s so proud of having been there and said yes, it was worth all because, I mean, you did it, sire.  Yeah.  Fighting spirit.  Marvelous.

I:          That’s amazing, Edmund.  You’re a great friend.

E:        It’s how I feel.

C:        Yeah.

E:        You know?

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Uh, my God, when I was wounded, there was no one quicker to my side than them.  They looked at me like nobody’s business, you know?  It was just so wonderful.

I:          Um.

E:        And, uh, I was proud to have been of help.

I:          So when you went back, did, you didn’t know anything about Korea either, right?

C:        Not much,  just, just the country and so on.  A lot of my, of Dutch people.  I’m originally Dutch, they felt, they, they  had told us they lost their family of mine, too.

I:          So tell me about the country you saw in 2001,

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the country that you fought in 195, when was  it, ‘53

E:        Yeah.

I:          How, how different it was to you.

E:        It, it, well, South Korea was so magnificent.  It was brilliant, uh.  And I, it, it, it wasn’t war torn or knocked down or anything like that like it was back in the early 1950’s.  It, uh, I, I was just so proud that, what we did,

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and I helped them to rebuild and relive and make a place so magnificent as it is today.

I:          It’s just something very meaningful history that we need to teach.  But we don’t teach about this thing.  Do you know the, whether Australians are talking about the Korean War in the History class now?

C:        I don’t.  It, it, it’s shocking.

I:          Why is it then?

C:        I thought, they just, the don’t even talk about their own war.

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E:        They don’t even talk about the Second World War and, in New Guinea or in, in the Pacific.
I:          Um hm.

C:        [INAUDIBLE] you know?
I:          I understand that people do not talk about the war.  They don’t like war.  But still it has a very concrete historical outcome out of his service and his, you know.

C:        Uh, I find it amazing.  But like, he’s so lucky in, in Japan and then in, in, uh, was it China?  But, but, uh, they, the denied.  Wars are not taught in schools anymore.

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I:          Um hm.

C:        I don’t know why not.  But it’s just not taught.
E:        I suppose it’s something that they’re not terribly proud of in China, you know.

C:        But still, I mean, you know, that it’s to honor the people now.  I can’t believe it, either.  I don’t know.
I:          Um.

C:        In Europe, they still do.  They, they still have to [INAUDIBLE]

E:        I know the people who gave up their lives

C:        Yep.
E:        to, to

I:          You know, the Turkish people saying that the best way to kill the veteran is to forget about what they did.

C:        That’s true.

I:          You know.

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C:        I looked it, yeah.

I:          Yeah.  So Edmund, what is Korea to you personally now?
E:        Uh, a marvelous peaceful people as far as I’m concerned.  I, I’m proud that I was there.  I enjoyed the Koreans, uh.  And I’ve, my, I still have a lot of friends who served over there with me and, and, at the same time.
I:          Um hm.

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E:        And, uh, it’s just part of my life now.

I:          So what would you say to the young generation about the war that you fought for in Australia?
E:        The young generation?
I:          Yeah.  What would you say to them about the War?
E:        About the War?

I:          Yeah.

E:        Oh, it’s like MASH wasn’t, it wasn’t lovely.  But it was necessary and worthwhile

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for the results.

I:          Hm.  What, what do you think about the Korea that you know now through your husband?

C:        Oh, I think it’s

I:          Corrine.

C:        fantastic.  I couldn’t believe it.  It’s just, uh, I’ve seen photos of what it used to be, uh, and what it is now is a, it’s just a, what I like is about, it, in such a short time.  Because I come from Europe, I’ve seen what war-torn is, and I went 10, 20 years later after the war, still, through Germany, and it was still all like it

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was just during the War.  In, in, you come in Korea, and it’s, a couple of years later, and it, and it’s all rebuilt.  It’s just, you know, unbelievable what you, you

I:          When did you come to Australia?
C:        Um, 1960.

I:          Ah.

C:        In the 60’s, yeah.

I:          So you from Netherlands.

C:        I’m from the Netherlands, yes.

I:          Ah.  Been just there.  I did interview there, too.

C:        Did you?
I:          Yeah.
C:        Oh yes.

I:          The Netherland participated in the War, too.

C:        Yes, they did, yes, oh, yes, yes.

I:          Yeah.

C:        I had some, uh, family members that died in the Korean War, yes.

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I:          Oh.

C:        I didn’t know that until we start, we went to, uh, visit, uh, Seoul I think, yeah.  The big, um, memorial there.

I:          Hm.  How many children do you have, grandchildren?

C:        Ah, gosh.  We’re, we’re a, a new family.

E:        The second time around.
I:          Um.

C:        Both of us.

E:        I have three from a previous marriage.

I:          Anybody who are teaching in the school?
C:        Oh, yeah.   Mine are.

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I:          Ah.

C:        Oh, and your son is, yeah.

E:        My son is.

I:          What does he teach?

C:        He’s, Andrew.

E:        Andrew.  Oh, he teaches, what’s he, does he teach right now?
C:        He’s a minister of relations.

E:        He’s a minister of relations.

I:          Oh, I see.

C:        Baptist, then he

E:        Baptist.

C:        goes into churches.  Now, he goes into schools and, and, and teaches children an, anthem.

I:          Um hm.

C:        My daughter was a teacher.  I was a teacher.  My son is a teacher.

I:          So you don’t seem to have any problem walking around.

E:        I’ve had

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66 years practice.

C:        And I chase him.

E:        I’ve, I said I’ve had about 14 artificial, different artificial legs over the period.

I:          Um hm.

E:        and every one is an improvement on the previous one, you know?  So I, I, I play golf, and I, I

I:          You play golf?

E:        Oh yes.

I:          Ah?

E:        I go down to four.

I:          Four?

E:        handicap.

I:          Four handicap?  Wow.  That’s a very impressive.

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Do you hitting like a 70’s?

E:        Oh yes, yeah.  I, I used to break 72, 72 is usual number, you know.

I:          You kidding me?
E:        I, I, I break 72, and sometimes I didn’t .  Most of the times I didn’t.  But

I:          Best score that I have is s81.

E:        Ninety-one?  That’s, that’s a nice score.  that’s

I:          But 72 is 10 less.

C:        He was very determined.
E:        No, I, know enough.  You know enough, 72.  Nine over.

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72 to 81?

C:        Yeah.

I:          Yeah.

C:        It’s pretty good.

E:        That’s pretty good.  You putted well.

I:          Come on.

C:        Oh he, he’s got medals from the, you played in the Masters, in the Veteran Masters, not with the disabled people.  He always played with ordinary people and got medals, gold medals, silver medals.

I:          Geez.

E:        And I’ve played all over the world.

C:        Yeah.

I:          Tell, explain about the medal you have in your left chest there.  Could you explain?
E:        That’s my left.

I:          Yeah.,
C:        This is your left.

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E:        Which one?

I:          Yeah.  What is the first one?
E:        I don’t know.  I can’t even see it.

I:          That’s a black

C:        Like a white one.

E:        Oh, I don’t know.  Let’s see.

C:        You can’t take them off, can you.

E:        I can take them off [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Wow.  But  you don’t have to.  There a Korean medal too, right?
E:        Yeah, Koran medals.

I:          Uh huh.

C:        Japan.

E:        Japan.

I:          So

C:        New Z, that’s a New Zealand one.

I:          Oh, got it.  So by losing your left leg, that must have affected your

0:22:30

life a lot, right?

E:        Uh, well, it, it did.  But, uh, when I got back to Australia, I, I did courses and, uh, I became an accountant.

I:          Accountant.

E:        Yep.  And I worked for a finance company, Amalgamated Retails Ltd..  They were the finance between, behind Walton Sears, and then eventually I had a news agency.

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I:          Oh.

E:        Worked there 30 years.

I:          Pretty good career,  huh?
E:        Twenty years.  Twenty years.

I:          Does, uh, Australian government reward you as a veteran who lost?
E:        Oh, oh yes.  Now, uh, once I retired, I became a TPI.  That’s Totally and Permanently Incapacitated

I:          Yeah, um hm.

E:        Ex-servicemen.  And so I get a reasonable pension.

I:          Pension.

E:        Yeah.
I:          That’s very good.
E:        Yeah.

I:          That’s very good.

0:23:30

Any other story that you haven’t told me that you want to leave it to me?

E:        No, not really.  I think that  I’ve

C:        You’re a President of

E:        I’m the President of the, what am I the President of?

C:        Of the

E:        Korea War Veterans Association.

I:          In

E:        Sunshine Coast.

I:          Sunshine Coast.

E:        And, and North.

I:          North

E:        Yeah.

C:        And Bundaberg and

E:        Bundaberg, [INAUDIBLE] Bay, all those places.

0:24:00

I:          How many veterans here?
C:        Um

I:          under your leadership?

E:        Not a great number now.  They have, they’ve died off.

C:        Used to be more than 100, 150 something like that.

E:        Yeah.,

C:        There’s still 20 in Cannes.  There’s not many here.

I:          Yeah.,  That’s why we are doing this, to preserve.

C:        You’re a bit late.
I:          Yeah.  But  thank God I haven’t lost  you yet.

C:        Not yet.

E:        It’s great that there will be a record

I:          Yes.
E:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Yes.

C:        Um hm.

E:        Absolutely magnificent.

0:24:30

I:          Yeah.

E:        what we did just doesn’t fade away.

I:          Um hm.

E:        You’ve got records of it and [INAUDIBLE]

C:        Yeah, it is terrific.

I:          Edmund, thank you so much for sharing your story, and thank you for your sacrifice, your left leg you lost 1952

E:        Three

I:          Fifty-three.  But you haven’t regretted at  all, and you are proud of giving your, part of your body for the Korean War.  That’s amazing.

0:25:00

That’s amazing to know, and I will never forget about it.
E:        I’m proud to  have helped.

C:        Yeah.

E:        That’s what I am, very proud to have been able to help them.  And I have a, a large infinity with the South Koreans.

I:          Um.

C:        But, but  what he’s always told me when he was in hospital, and he lost his leg, and you lost, looked in the bed next  to you.

E:        Oh, yeah.

I:          Tell  me.

E:        Ryker lost his arm and his leg.

C:        No, two arms.

E:        Two arms, that’s right, two arms.

0:25:30

C:        And he

E:        And, you know, I, I, all I thought I’ll get an artificial leg and I’ll be able to walk anyway, oh, without it I’d be able to limp around.  But he couldn’t even pick his nose.

I:          Right.

E:        which is terrible thing to say.  But he could not do anything, no arms, you know.  And uh

C:        That’s worse.
E:        And to, I don’t, I think that’s next thing to being dead is missing two arms.

C:        So he thought a leg was nothing.

E:        A leg in comparison to what he had,

0:26:00

was absolutely

I:          Yeah.  There are so much suffering going around all of the world and never ended.

E:        That’s true.
I:          It’s  nothing new.

E:        No.

I:          That’s, that’s the problem.

C:        Yeah.  When we went to the, to, to,  105, 2005 reunion for the disabled, there was so many disabled, uh, Korean soldiers.  And it did, all in wheelchairs.  It was just so, we were so upset.

I:          Um.

C:        But he says I still can walk, and I was just, you know,

0:26:30

E:        Yeah.  They’re restricted to wheelchairs. They can’t get around without a wheelchair, and they’ve got to be helped in and out of wheelchairs.  I at least have a certain amount of individuality.  I can do things for myself.
C:        Yeah.

I:          You are very nice person.

C:        Of course he is.  He’s married to me.

I:          [LAUGHS]

E:        I’m [INAUDIBLE – LAUGHING]

I:          Nicely biased, yeah.

C:        It’s the way you look at  life, that’s it.  Yeah.  And I think you do him very, that’s tremendous what you doing to, even at this late time, right.

0:27:00

E:        What, what does happen to this that you’re doing now?

I:          Why?

C:        What.

E:        What.  Now what happens to what you’re doing now?  Do you make a movie of it or

I:          No.  We, we are making a educational material with this

E:        Oh, yeah.

I:          So, so for example this is the lesson plan and primary and secondary resources for the teachers so that they can teach about, about Korea,

0:27:30

and we are publishing another book like that which has a lot of lesson plans and

E:        Oh, that’s great.
I:          resources for the teachers on the Korean War.
E:        Yeah.

I:          But that’s not just another book on the Korean War.  It’s, it is made upon exact quotes all the veterans that we interviewed.

E:        Yes.

I:          So that’s going to be real,. something very special, uh, curricular resources

0:28:00

made by you guys, Korean War.  So

E:        [INAUDIBLE]

I:          Could you, could you show that, could you show that?  Bring it up to your chin so that, yeah.  That’s why we are doing this, you know, because sooner or later, there will be no Korean War veteran because we all died.  And not many people will talk about Korean War.  The best way to keep your legacy, the best way not to waste the loss of your left  leg, is

0:28:30

to educate our History teachers so that they can talk about it forever.

E:        That’s great.

I:          Right?

C:        Yep.

I:          So that’s why we are doing this, and we made a, we made a documentary, film.  This is the documentary film, and I want to give it to you and share that with other veterans in your, uh, chapter.

E:        Thank you very much.

I:          Show that to, show that to the camera please, Corrine, yes.  Yeah.  And the gentleman on the left side,

0:29:00

he’s the former POW, Prisoner of War, trapped in the camp for three years

C:        Yikes.

I:          And he finally, you know, you know, freed,

C:        Yeah.
I:          and then, the right person there is h is great grandson

C:        Oh.

I:          And two years ago, he just graduated from high school  We took them to Korea, and we took the fill in. and let them engage in the conversation about the war that he fought for and  the war that he didn’t really know.

0:29:30

E:        You know his name?
I:          Huh?  His name is, uh, Arden Rolley.  Alden, Arden Rolley.

E:        Arden Rolley.  I knew

I:          Yes.  He is from Utah in the United States.  Yeah. Yeah.

E:        American.

I:          American, yes.  He is quite well known POW, and he is

E:        I know the name Rolley.

I:          Yeah.

C:        Yeah, but there’s another Rolley.

E:        Yeah.

C:        Yeah.
I:          So that’s why we are doing this.  So it’s not just preservation of your memory, but we going to use it to

0:30:00

make curricular resources and anybody in the classroom can check in the website and click Edmund Parkinson, and then they will hear from not just from you but from Corrine, too.

E:        Yeah, that’s

I:          Yeah.

E:        [INAUDIBLE]  I’m a star.  Not on television.
I:          We have a 1200 of those.
E:        Oh my gosh.  twelve hundred stars, see?

I:          Interviews.

0:30:30

I’m sorry.  You are just one of 1,200.

E:        Twelve hundred. [INAUDIBLE]

I:          But you are a few with, uh, wives.  So you are special.
E:        Good thing.
I:          Any other message you want to leave to this interview about  your War?

E:        No, I don’t think anything I wanna say more about the War.  But I am so proud that you are doing this and you’re going to pass on and people will know about  it,

0:31:00

that our war wasn’t something that happened a long while ago.  It wasn’t as big as the Second World War, and it happened in between the Viet  Nam War and the Second World War sort of thing.  This is telling people about that particular war.

I:          Yeah.  And this is the War that has been hostage to the Korean people for 70 years.  We don’t have a peace treaty.  The superpowers around the Korean Peninsula doesn’t want to  change anything there.  That’s why it’s a status-quo there for 70 years.

0:31:30

It’s a ridiculous war.  But it’s the war that you lost  your left leg and so many people’s lives and there has to be something coming out of rather than what Korea is now.

E:        But  it, it was a war, South Koreans have a much, much happier life than anyone in North Korea should have.
I:          Um hm, yep.

C:        It’s, it’s to show, I think it’s to show of the willpower what you can do if you get together, and you aim for the same thing,

0:32:00

and you all join up together.  That’s what you do, and that, that’s, you’re set a good example.  It’s terrific.  Fantastic. Really.

E:        I’m proud to have [INAUDIBLE] come along here and be interviewed by you to

C:        It’s absolutely fantastic.
E:        Fantastic questions that get my memory working.

I:          Yes.
E:        I give you the right answers.
C:        Yeah.  Thank you.

I:          I want to thank you again.  Look at me, Corrine.  Smile.  Give me a smile.
E:        Cheese.
I:          That’s what you can do better, do better.  Big smile.  That’s it.  Thank you.

E:        Thank you.

I:          Thank you.

C:        Thank you very

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