Frank Zielinski

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Zielinski: My name is Frank Zielinski. I was born in Staten Island New York. I was a farmer

before I went into the service and then when I came out of the service I worked for Mobil Oil as a maintenance man. I just came out of high school. I was just quitting high school at the time because my father needed help on the farm and uh when I got out of school the army said well there’s not gonna be any work when

 

0:00:30

Zielinski: You come out so you might as well join the army. So there’s no all I’m only 17 so I don’t need to join the army now, but they said well we’ll draft you anyway if you’re 17. So I went in at 17. Well we went to Hokkaido Japan we stayed there for uh six weeks training ski training

 

Interviewer: Whoa

 

Zielinski: So then I said uh oh Korea is next didn’t expect it but that’s what happened we wounded up in Korea in 1950.

 

00:01:00

Interviewer: What was your uh basic unit and specialty?

 

Zielinski: 45^thdivision Oklahoma National Guardsfma

 

Interviewer: And what was your specialty?

Zielinski: I was an air-cooled 30 machine gunner.

 

Interviewer: machine gunner

 

Zielinski: Yeah

 

Interviewer: Could you tell me about your training of this machine gun?

Zielinski: Yes Sir

 

Interviewer: Did you receive that in Hokkaido or?

 

Zielinski: Well, I carried it in Hokkiado. I had the 45 and I had also the machine on the air called

30 so I would be a 30 caliber system

 

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Zielinski: machine gunner so when we landed in Incheon with Macarthur is when we lost a machine gunner so automatically I took over the gun

Interviewer: Anything before and after picture Incheon landing?

Zielinski: No.  When I had got into Incheon, we went over the side of the boat over

the rope ladders. I lost one friend, he fell off between the rope end of the

 

 

00:02:00

 

Zielinski: ship and he drowned with his pack. So uh that’s where we lost him, but he did and then from there when we landed in Incheon we had this hero tent city and the first night we were there the North Koreans invaded and killed one of the fellas sleeping in his sleep and then we

were alert from that time on and from there we we hid in Incheon. Incheon was

 

 

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Zielinski: leveled off there was nothing.  There was nothing but rubble so that’s how we kept going until we got further out. Then we came into the Chosun frozen with the Marines. I was in the infantry and the Marines were surrounded and then we got surrounded when the lake froze we were surrounded.

 

Interviewer: uh-huh

 

Zielinski: We were surrounded by the Chinese they came over the frozen lake when the lake froze

 

00:03:00

 

Zielinski: overnight not not right off in when we went a little further from Incheon and that’s when we ran into trouble. That’s when we start hitting it. What happened? We ran out of ammunition. We were on the end of the supply line. We had no winter clothing. The weather hit us about 40 below zero. We had start to start in on an advance. We wrapped it around our legs.

 

Interviewer: Did you have a Mick Mouse at the time?

 

Zielinski: No. Mickey Mouse didn’t come out

 

 

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Zielinski: until July

 

Interviewer: mm-hmm

 

Zielinski: that’s when they gave’em to us in July that’s when we wounded

up with trench foot because the more you sweat. How do you figure? We used the North Korean shoes and we used the North Korean cut uniforms under our uniform the jackets came up to here on us so we had to cut the shoes our toes stuck up about that far out of the shoes because

 

00:04:00

 

Zielinski: we’re on the end of the supply line they came so fast that you didn’t even realize it because there was so much power firepower that you were aiming for them and they were falling all around you

 

Interviewer: How close were you?

 

Zielinski: Well we came pretty close where you almost had to use the hand to hand

 

Interviewer: And you survived it without any

 

Zielinski: No wounds

 

Interviewer: No wounds, you are lucky man.

 

Zielinski: Uh I had buddies behind me.

 

Interviewer: How many, how many uh

 

Zielinski: Well you figure you had two

 

00:04:30

 

Zielinski: riflemen behind me they brought the ammunition when we ran out of it so they watch my back and I watched theirs, scared yes.

Interviewer: How many days you were there at around the lake of Jhungen?

Zielinski: about three days until we had uh reinforcements and our reinforcements came

 

Interviewer: and then what happened?  That you withdrew.

 

Zielinski: We pulled out.

Interviewer: Pulled out.

 

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Zielinski: We helped the Marines to get to help the Marines at that time

 

Interviewer: Well but when you finally withdraw from that region and you

 

Zielinski: And everybody was pulled back and the replacements took over

Interviewer: Right

 

Zielinski: Yeah

 

Interviewer: mhmm

 

Zielinski: Because that’s a fresh troop

 

Interviewer: So when did you leave Korea

 

Zielinski: When I left Korea it was 1953

 

Interviewer: Well you were there for three years

 

Zielinski: Yeah from 50 to 53. I came out in

 

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Zielinski: September 1953

 

Interviewer: So you were there when the armistice was signed

 

Zielinski: Yes

 

Interviewer: Where were you?

 

Zielinski: I was on Old Baldy

 

Interviewer: What it, where is that?

 

Zielinski: I uh don’t remember the hill and the number but that was right where the north where the north was you can see them walking they would just stand walk around the top of the mountain just to see if you’d shoot at them but that was a peace treaty then

 

Interviewer: So there was a west-side of it?

 

Zielinski: Yes

 

Interviewer: Yes

 

Zielinski: See they were dropping these

 

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Zielinski: 500-pound bombs and we thought they were duds but they didn’t go off until midnight then all hell broke up

Interviewer: What was the most dangerous moment that you remember during your service?

 

Zielinski: Uh you know in the trench when I was on the line when we got hit midnight they hit us at midnight and uh that’s when a machine

 

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Zielinski: gun and all started firing then you had to make sure the other guy would stay awake sometimes you’d hear them snoring on God there’d be snoring you throw rocks on him to wake him up so they wouldn’t sneak up behind you

 

Interviewer: What was like living in that time?

 

Zielinski: Was hell you had water in a trench there was no way you can keep warm until we had the bunkers then finally we built our bunkers and we

 

00:07:00

 

Zielinski: Were able to keep ourselves warm

 

Interviewer: So there was no stove or anything like that

 

Zielinski: No. we made our own stoves.

 

Interviewer: Your own stuff.

 

Zielinski: How?  We made out of ammunition cans and tomato juice cans. We made the chimney and then they do a delivery of five gallon can of gas. And we made a rubber hose from the gas can put our clamp on it, put a little piece of tubing in so it would vaporize the gas and that’s how it would heat the

 

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Interviewer: Genius

 

Zielinski: Yes we had well you had a figure one hot

 

Interviewer: How about food?

 

Zielinski: Food was C rations.

 

Interviewer: C rations?

 

Zielinski: Pork and beans.

Interviewer: So there was no hot food.

 

Zielinski: No.

 

Interviewer: Not at all.

 

Zielinski: Only on Thanksgiving is when the KSC’s brought it out to us.

 

Interviewer: What was the best part of the C rations for you?

 

Zielinski: Well the C ration is with the cigarettes and the cookies and the uh instant coffee. Fact we left a lot of it

 

00:08:00

 

Zielinski: For the kids. There’s a lot of children there that were left alone and we would leave, take for what we need for today and we’d leave the rest for the kids so they’d have something to eat.

 

Interviewer: They were Korean villages around your base?

 

Zielinski: Yes.  There were villages around.

 

Interviewer: Huh. Tell me about it please.  And what was?

 

Zielinski: Well the only thing I can remember is it was a grass house with a concrete floor and when he used to make the fire

 

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Zielinski: Underneath to keep warm that was to it the only thing I remember about it, I was more worried about keeping my skin

 

Interviewer: Uh is your unit have household boy, Korean boy, the bus boy?

 

Zielinski: Some did. The officers, sergeants, lieutenants

 

Interviewer: Not you.

 

Zielinski: No

 

Interviewer: Have you had any experience with working with the crane KATUSA?

 

Zielinski: Just a KSC’s when they

 

00:09:00

 

Zielinski: Brought the food up to us.

Interviewer: Mm-hmm.

 

Zielinski: We wondered how they did it. I used to carry that stuff heavier than them and they’d bring it to us.

 

Interviewer: What was the most rewarding moments in during your service?

 

Zielinski: Most rewarding is when I came out with the turkey.

 

Interviewer: When was it?

 

Zielinski: That was around Thanksgiving.

 

Interviewer: You were really missing Thanksgiving holiday.

 

Zielinski: Well the chicken and stuff you know. Things that you didn’t have.

 

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Interviewer: So there was the happiest moment.

Zielinski: That was a happiest moment that’s when you forget about everything no matter how dirty the food was you still ate it. It was good.

Interviewer: What is the overall impact of the Korean War in your life?

Zielinski: In my life it taught me a lot to respect others, protect others and that’s what I try to do today.

Interviewer: Today. So after you coming back from Korea what

 

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Interviewer: Did you do?

 

Zielinski: I had to learn everything over again it was hard to get used to having somebody tell you brush your teeth,  comb your hair, get a haircut shave you had to do everything for yourself

 

Interviewer: But that’s what you used to do before the war.

 

Zielinski: Naturally, yeah, right.  We were told to do it

 

Interviewer: About what I meant was what kind of job did you have? Did you just continue to work as a farmer?

 

Zielinski: No, when I came back uh I put in for a

 

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Zielinski: maintenance man job and I worked for Mobil Oil as a maintenance man. I used to do the fireballs and party East Brunswick New Jersey so I used to repair the gas station

Interviewer: Mmm.  So while you carried out all of your jobs were there anything that you think you got from the Korean War Service?

 

Zielinski: Yeah it taught me how to protect myself

 

00:11:00

 

Interviewer: Mmm-hmm

 

Zielinski: Discipline myself yes.

 

Interviewer: Mmm-hmm. Have you been back to Korea?

 

Zielinski: Yes

 

Interviewer: When?

 

Zielinski: I was back to your last two about three months ago

 

Interviewer: Three months ago?

 

Zielinski: Yeah

 

Interviewer: That was the first time?

 

Zielinski: It was my first time since

 

Interviewer: Tell me all about it. How did you feel?

 

Zielinski: Well when I went to Incheon I was looking to see where we landed. I couldn’t find it because it was bigger than New York City everything was changed different. I

 

00:11:30

 

Zielinski: thought I was back in New York. People were different the food.

Interviewer: What other place did you go?

 

Zielinski: Well we went to the museum and somehow I got the bug that night and it made me very sick. I was rinsing my mouth I guess after I washed the teeth and I got very sick from it.

My wife was also sick.  My son’s a doctor he came with us and uh he enjoyed himself.  He’s teaching the

 

00:12:00

 

Zielinski: Korean students today.

 

Interviewer: Hmm. So oh your son is in Korea?

 

Zielinski: No he’s here in the United States but he teaches the Korean students in Jersey

as a doctor.

 

Interviewer: Hmm

 

Zielinski: He’s his students are Korean students.

 

Interviewer: So when you go back to Korea and find that it’s so different how did you feel about your service and your um….

 

Zielinski: I couldn’t believe that after all

 

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Zielinski: we went through to see the country change as much as it did there. Even when I went to the DMZ I couldn’t believe it. It was a big change.

 

Interviewer: So how did you feel about your service?

 

Zielinski: I felt that I did my job.

 

Interviewer: Overall how do you describe the legacy of the Korean War and Korean War Veterans?

 

Zielinski: Korean vets

 

00:13:00

 

Zielinski: We stick together we watch one another even today.

 

Interviewer: Even today.

 

Zielinski: Yeah.

 

Interviewer: Yeah and why that some people call it as a Korean Conflict or some people say substantial

 

Zielinski: The forgotten war.

 

Interviewer: Or the forgotten war.  Why? And how can we overcome that?

 

Zielinski: That they wouldn’t even put into the history books. Half of the kids in this country don’t even know there was a Korean war unless when we go to the schools and we talk to the

 

00:13:30

 

Zielinski: Children about it. We take the helmets we take the canteens we show the children

 

Interviewer: You’re talking about tell America Program?

 

Zielinski: Yes

 

Interviewer: Yeah

 

Zielinski: Yes

 

Interviewer: Umhmm. How many grandchildren do you have?

 

Zielinski: I have five.

 

Interviewer: Five. How old they are?

 

Zielinski: I have a 23 he’s a policeman I have a 25 year old he’s going to be a policeman I have a granddaughter that’s a schoolteacher and I have two one seven and one five

Interviewer: What even seven-year-old?

 

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Zielinski: seven-year-old, five year old.

 

Interviewer: Great-grandchildren right?

 

Zielinski: Yep

 

Interviewer: Yeah

 

Zielinski: No. Grandchild

 

Interviewer: Oh grandchild.

 

Zielinski: And he loves the American flag because I had brainwashed him

 

Interviewer: Have you talked to them about your service?

 

Zielinski: Yes we do. The children know.

 

Interviewer: Hmmm

 

Zielinski: They go to the parades, they watch they see, grandpa out there. I just when I go back to Korea I see a lot of these young fellas I mean they were children one

 

 

00:14:30

 

Zielinski: When I was were there. When I was there and I see. They come over thank me for what I’ve done when I was over there and it makes me feel proud. Because it could been one of those child children that I played the father of the day with when we could were in R&R; rest and recuperate they called it. We had like ten boys and we were to make sure that they would eat for that day and we’d act as their father. Most of the Korean vets did that.

 

Unknown: Official

 

00:015:00

 

Unknown person: proclamation of ambassador for peace.

 

Zielinski: Uhhhuh

 

Unknown person: Mr. Frank Zielinski. Here it is.

 

Zielinski: I thank you.

 

Unknown person: Yeah.

 

Zielinski: Thank you very much.

 

Unknown person: Thank you. And I also have a medal for you.

 

Zielinski: Thank you very much. It’s my honor. My honor Sir.

 

Interviewer: Thank you Sir.

 

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