Korean War Legacy Project

Eugene Gregory

Bio

Eugene Gregory joined the Marine Corps in 1951. He shares the level of intensity his training reached as he recalls running drills amid barbed wire, under live fire, and in harsh weather conditions. He describes his artillery support duties on the battlefield and recounts traveling between artillery bases on a daily basis to provide communication and share the password used to identify friendlies. He recalls the most dangerous elements he faced while serving in artillery support as well as a close encounter that could have resulted in injury or death. He shares that he experienced fear while serving and that while it did diminish as he became more combat aware, the fear never went away.

Video Clips

Marine Corps Advanced Infantry Training

Eugene Gregory describes training in the Marine Corps Advanced Infantry. He recounts exercises involving barbed wire and training under live fire and in cold weather situations throughout the courses. He shares that this type of training was meant to prepare them to adapt in combat situations and for Korean winters.

Tags: Basic training,Chinese,Cold winters,Living conditions,North Koreans

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The Purpose of the Password

Eugene Gregory describes serving in artillery which placed him in an artillery fire support position off of the front lines where the combat was occurring. He recounts his duty of traveling between artillery bases to provide communication and to pass along the daily changing password. He shares that the purpose of the password was to ensure that those on guard duty knew who was a friendly and who may not be.

Tags: Front lines,Living conditions,Weapons

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The Biggest Threat Support Faced

Eugene Gregory describes the dangers faced by artillery support and how they differ from the front lines of the battlefield. He shares that the biggest threats were not from rifle fire but from martyrs and artillery and recounts having to jump into foxholes often to take cover. He recalls the North Koreans and Chinese being very skillful in artillery weaponry and attributes their skill to their recognition of possessing limited ammunition resources.

Tags: Chinese,Cold winters,Front lines,North Koreans,Weapons

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Experiencing Fear

Eugene Gregory shares that he experienced fear while serving in Korea. He recounts his amphibious landing as the time he was most fearful due to having never been in combat and being unsure of whether the enemy would be there to counter the landing. He shares that as he became more experienced and more combat aware, the fear diminished but never went away.

Tags: Fear,Front lines,Prior knowledge of Korea

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