Korean War Legacy Project

Gregory Garcia

Bio

Gregory Garcia was born in Puerto Rico and came to the US when he was three years old.  With the permission of his parents, he joined the Army to become a paratrooper just like his cousin in 1949 at the age of sixteen.  After basic training, he was sent to Korea to help with the retaking of Seoul in Sept. 1950, but the Marines had already taken it back.  Using what he called guerrilla-stomping, Garcia went through the mountains to secure the hills. He explains his scariest moment when he had to jump into combat at Pyungyang. He describes the living conditions while in Korea as well.   After making 65 jumps, he was discharged April 4, 1952.

Video Clips

Change in Plans

Gregory Garcia remembers that he left for Korea around August or September 1950. He recalls how they put the battalion together and they were going to land in Seoul to help the Marines, but the Marines had retaken Seoul. Therefore, he explains that his job at Gimpo was to clean up dead and injured in addition to on guerrilla missions to clear out the mountains around the area.

Tags: 1950 Seoul Recapture, 9/22-9/25,Seoul,Yeongdeungpo,Front lines,Physical destruction

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Jumping into Combat

Gregoy Garcia spent time in Pyongyang trying to stop the infiltration of Chinese and North Koreans in the fall/winter of 1950. He remembers his most dangerous moment was jumping into combat and landing while shooting. He explains that his griswold bag with his knives fell off due to their weight.

Tags: Pyungyang,Chinese,Fear,Front lines,North Koreans,Weapons

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Living Conditions in Korea

Gregory Garcia describes the living conditions while in Korea. He remembers that they lived in sleeping bags, foxholes, and slept in tents in Taegu. He recalls that he was paid a little over 100 dollars per month to be a soldier and then was paid 45 extra per month for being a paratrooper.

Tags: Pyungyang,Living conditions

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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/gregory-garcia#clip-3

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