Jack Spahr
Bio
Jack Spahr left high school to enlist in the United States Air Force and served in Korea. He completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base and spent two years at Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. Eager to serve overseas, he volunteered for duty in the Far East. He deployed to Korea in 1953, during the armistice. In Daegu, he served as the NCO in charge of the 6151st Air Base Group. His duties included managing advancement testing and delivering payroll to nearby units. After returning to Bergstrom Air Force Base, he received an honorable discharge in 1955. Spahr hopes to return to Korea someday and witness its transformation.
Video Clips
Deployed Near the End of the War
Jack Spahr recalls traveling overseas to serve in the Korean War, arriving as a young Air Force serviceman near the conflict’s end. Stationed in Daegu, he managed personnel records, handled payroll, and oversaw testing as a clerk. He took pride in actively supporting daily operations behind the lines.
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First Impressions of Devastated Refugees
Jack Spahr admits he knew nothing about Korea before joining the service. When he arrived, the bleak conditions immediately struck him, as he saw refugees desperately searching for food and assistance. He remembers fellow servicemen stepping in to help whenever they could. He also recalls South Koreans working on base, earning far better wages than they could elsewhere at the time.
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Honoring the Soldiers Who Served
Jack Spahr shares his strong desire to return to South Korea and see how the country has transformed since the war. He remembers how deeply grateful the Korean people were to U.S. soldiers during his service. Even today, he notes, South Koreans actively honor those who fought for their freedom.
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Black Market
Jack Spahr describes the thriving black market near the base, where alcohol was a highly sought-after item. He acknowledges that base personnel likely played a role in supplying it. Despite strict regulations, the market flourished, highlighting the difficulties of controlling goods in a war zone.
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Video Transcript
Spahr, Jack
35:59
Transcribed by Paige Marie Wright
00:00.00 [Beginning of Recorded Material]
Jack Spahr: Name is Jack Spahr. S-P-A-H-R
Interviewer: Spahr? Is that a German name?
J: Yeah, it is German
I: So you are the German descendant?
J: Yes.
I: Good. What is your birthday?
J: August the 25th, 1934.
I: 34? So you are pretty young?
J: Yeah, got a birthday coming up.
0:00.30
I: Yeah, and where were you born?
J: Where?
I: Yeah
J: Kansas City, Missouri
I: Right here. And so Kansas City belongs to Missouri or Kansas?
J: Well, it’s on the border line Kansas and Missouri.
I: So why do you stay at the. . .
J: Missouri justa neighbor I’d say. . .
I: Okay.
J: Of course, I was born over there, but eventually ended up over here.
0:01:00
I: And tell me about your family when you were growing up, your parents and your siblings.
J: My father, my father was a butcher.
I: Mm-hmm.
J: And my mother she was, she took care of the children of the women who worked in the bases. She had about 20 full-time girls that she took,
0:01:30
boys and girls that she took care of during seven days a week while their mothers worked in the defense plants. And I had two brothers, I got three brothers, I had three brothers, two of them were in World War II, one of them was in the Navy, he was a signalman in the Navy.
0:02:00
And the other was in the Merchant Marines and the reason he was in the Merchant Marines was he tried to enlist but he had flat feet and they didn’t take service at that time depending on what service he was. So he went to Merchant Marines which was quite, quite something. They traveled basically everywhere
0:02:30
that they were needed and the USS Bingham, I believe my brother was on, not sure about the merchant ship but. . . Then my youngest brother he was of course too young. He’s a firefighter for the Kansas City, Missouri Fire Department.
0:03:00
And my wife I got married, she passed away with cancer in 2004. We had two daughters Deborah and Patricia. Patricia died two years ago of complications and Deborah’s living over here in Shawnee also. I have four grandchildren
0:03:30
and two girls, oh three girls and one boy.
I: When did you graduate your high school and what high school.
J: Well, graduated. Oh, I didn’t graduate, I went to school at Central High School in Kansas City.
I: Mm-hmm.
J: And I quit my sophomore year.
I: When was it?
0:04:00
I: When was it? 1952?
J: It had to be 1950, I guess.
I: 50?
J: Yeah.
I: Why did you quit?
J: I quit to join the service. And I would join the Air Force in November 1951.
I: Mm-hmm
J: of course before that I was
0:04:30
I was a paperboy.
I: Mm-hmm
J: And went in the service. Of course we had to get our parents’ okay at that time because the age. And I went into service and was assigned to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.
0:05:00
And after basic training went to Castle Air Force Base in Merced, California. That’s where I was stationed for two years, yeah, but two years at which time I volunteered to go to Korea right at that time they didn’t tell you
0:05:30
where you were going as I volunteered to go to the Far East which is either Japan or Korea. And so, we went over there.
I: When did you leave?
J: I’m sorry?
I: When did you leave the United States?
J: You left in 1956, 57, 56. . .
I: Was it after the war?
0:06:00
J: 19 see. It would have to be 1953. Yeah. 1953 were left for Korea
I: What, what, what month?
J: Pardon?
I: What month did you leave for Korea?
J: What was I?
I: What month?
J: Oh, what month?
I: Yeah.
J: You’re bringing up a lot of dates here I wasn’t prepared.
I: I just want to know whether you went to Korea before the war.
0:06:30
I mean, I mean during the war,
J: the war was presently going on.
I: Right. So, it’s uh, before July, right?
J: Yeah. And went to Camp Stoneman went by ship 18 days to Yokohama. And then from there they flew us to Korea. Well, that’s when we found out wer were going to Korea at that time.
I: But you said, that you volunteered.
J: I’m sorry?
I: But you
J: Yeah, the Korean War was there right at the point of armistice at this time
0:07:00
- Am I right, 1953?
I: Yes, Yes.
J: And they was in the middle of the armistice when we went. I went to K2 which is down at Taigu
I: Yeah.
J: And assigned to headquarters Fifth Air Force. They assigned me to the 61 51st Air Base Group,
0:07:30
which is in Taegu.
I: Could you repeat that? The Fifth Air Force and what?
J: And they assign you to an air base group.
I: Which is?
J: Which is 54 6151 Air Base Group and Taegu was not a base per se was up in a town Taegu.
I: Yeah, I know the place because I was brought up
0:08:00
and my father was in charge of that K2 whole air force.
J: Yeah?
I: Yes, I know very well. I can actually draw the matter right not.
J: It’s probably changed a bit since I’ve. . .
I: Yeah, so you gotta be careful now that location of it. I’m so glad to find the one who served at K2
J: Yeah.
I: But before, what was your MOS?
J: My MOS? And then from there they flew us to Korea, well. . .
I: Yeah
J: 70250
I: Which is?
J: Which is an, excuse me, might say orderly room clerk
0:08:30
in office. I was NCO in charge of the office and of course at that time we had a lot of duties. I was a testing NCO for various testing of the service men around the country around Korea. They would come in there for testing, you know, after a possible advancement to another grade or
0:09:00
possible advancement to another service. And also we did payroll. We took payroll out to the troops outside the base. Payroll, you know they love payroll.
I: So let me ask about that, because I’ve been asking this question to other Korean War veterans.
J: Yeah.
I: And about how much they get, and you know it’s about 100, the officers about
0:09:30
200 and 300. But let me ask you this question, what was the salary arrangement? I mean the range, do you know?
J: The center range you say.
I: Salary range for typical rank.
J: I’m sorry, I didn’t understand
I: So for example, if you are corporal, how much do you actually pay to them?
J: How much attention to?
I: How much do they pay, you pay them?
J: Oh, did they get paid?
0:10:00
I: Yep, yep, yep.
J: Oh geez, it was very little. I don’t know, maybe it depends on if, if they was on a yearly or weekly or whatever. But if at that time I can’t remember you know, it could be thirty-five, forty dollars a week, possibly a month. I don’t really remember too much about the pay end of it. We just went out there and handed it out
0:10:30
to them, they signed for, then we went back. Of course, we had a heavy escort coming and going ahead you know, so you never know what’s going to happen over there. So we were well taken care of, but they would, the servicemen would come to our base and we would test him you know for various, various reasons, and some of them would
0:11:00
some of them are highly classified so of course we didn’t see the questions they answered, they always had a senior officer there on that end of it. We just started them and closed them out. So no, and then we just took care of the basic, ever just keeping track of the personnel on the base and assigned them, you know as they came in
0:11:30
to wherever they had to do, and occasionally I was a courier to take different papers over to Japan for either us or the Korean government. And it was quite intensive, you know they had we had a lot of duties, of course, we didn’t have a lot of personnel, so we have a lot of duties or each individual had a duty you know.
I: Mm-hmm.
0:12:00
J: Mine was just keeping track of all the personnel, where they were and all.
I: So when you about the time that you joined the Air Force, which was 1951, and I bet that you didn’t know anything about Korea, right?
J: Sorry, what?
I: Did you know anything about Korean when joined?
J: When I went in?
I: Yeah.
J: Oh, absolutely not.
I: You didn’t know where Korea was located?
J: [Laughs]
0:12:30
No. Nobody knew anything.
I: You didn’t know anything about Korea?
J: Not so. We got in a service actual service you know and then they were just a little bit of what we heard, but no there really wasn’t much talk about the Korean War or any war really. It’s like I said 17, young and at the at Castle Air Force Base is basically the same as I was over in Korea.
0:13:00
So it is basically the same thing in there and Castle as I get in Korea a little bit more scaly, you might say so.
I: Be honest with me, when you first saw Korea and K2. How did you feel about it? What was the scene? How people were there at the time and how was the city just give me some detailed description
0:13:30
of what you saw there in 1952.
J: 3
I: 3, I’m sorry. Yeah.
J: Yeah, it was very depressing.
I: Why?
J: To see, of course, I guess the refugees were spread out on a river bank you might say. I don’t know what river it was that ran through there, but if it was, it was dried up, but the refugees I guess coming down from the north
0:14:00
with nowhere to go they were settled down there. And it was quite devastating and then to see him walking up and down the street you know, looking for food or assistance or anything like that. But no, we paid a lot of attention to them you know, we tried to help as much as we could and other than that we had a few on a base at workforce
0:14:30
Korean workforce. And they were you know well, they really enjoyed it on base, naturally you know. We pay too well, I mean well compared to what they would get. I was there during MPC change when they changed military payment certificate. And the idea there was to get all the money off with a Black Market you know an issue new, new
0:15:00
MPC to the troops or whoever was eligible for it. And that was a surprise to everybody even us you know. We didn’t know how they hit the base what was going on and of course the base was closed out. And people outside were held out unless they were military personell, but of course there was a lot of black market money
0:15:30
involved you know they were trying to get it back into us for exchange, so that was that was quite an experience.
I: Tell me about how this black market was created. You are in charge of dispensing the money right the salary and . . .
J: Well.
I: And who did it?
J: I think we were part of supplying a black market by say, I mean. . .
I: I think you are getting a little too honest right here. . .
J: And we had on base of course not everybody did it
0:16:00
naturally, you know. But some of them would take it off base or a lot of times we would order stuff. We would order stuff through Montgomery Wards or Sears at the time you know. And those became black market items on the outside, but nothing but booze was a big whose a big black market item.
I: Burbu?
J: Whiskey, anyway.
0:16:30
I: Okay. No wonder. You describe very. . .
J: No, I tried to stay away as much as possible.
I: Are you sure?
J: Because in my position.
I: Oh, you describe very depressing the Korean people at the time and the scene right? What else did you see? What were you thinking when you see them?
J: Oh, I see very inadequate housing,
0:17:00
you know. And of course I didn’t have a chance to go in any of the houses per se, but you know they just didn’t have any way to make a living you might say. And of course they dreamed up a whole bunch of different ways but a lot of them of course was, was bad, you know. But it’s just the way
0:17:30
the world was at that time. But there’s a lot you’d like a done for them, but you know what could you have done for other than help them you know, on base. And of course, when I did go into town, we go into what they call, you know an approved place to eat and drink. And then of course we had to come back a certain time, but I know
0:18:00
we four of us checked out a jeep one time, you know to go out and see the countryside. And as was going out the base they won’t know where our firearms were. We had to go back check out firearms you know rifles and pistols and all that. So we went up in the and seen of various tanks that were taken out of the various rows, you know
0:18:30
and the troops where the troops had come through. And of course, I think Taegu was just about the last, last stop for them you know down there. There was quite a few tanks that was taken out down around there. And seeing some of the villages you know along the way. And of course, we were advised not to you know to really stop in any of them, because you never knew.
0:19:00
We didn’t know that it was anything could happen you know. So, but we was on the base most of time, had a lot of entertainment on a base. And we got to go to Japan, you know two or three times for leave and come back and start all over again. But no, the Korean people were very, very, very nice you know,
0:19:30
they just want to help you all the time you know. And of course, you would like to help them to that we can only do so much. So we could do what we could when we could. We give them clothes when we could but other than that we didn’t mingle too much with them.
I: Were there any dangerous kind of moments
0:20:00
where you could have been killed or anything like that?
J: Yeah, well I don’t think we realized it at the time you know, when we went over there. Of course the Armistice was more or less in process. So, I think the fighting was more or less over. There was a few skirmishes I’m sure. But I don’t know, the next big deal was the prisoner of war change. And I was trying to be a part of that
0:20:30
I volunteered for but they all they have plenty of people you know plenty of GI’s to go up there on that and other than that. No, there was a few air raids, you know before that, just to keep us on our toes. You know, but other than that it was relatively quiet that far south anyway so.
I: Have you been other part of Korea other than K2?
J: No
I: No?
0:21:00
When did you leave Korea?
J: Left Korea in 1954.
I: And came back and what did you do?
J: And was assigned to Bergstrom Air Force Base in Texas. Of course, I was belong to SAC. Once you’re in Strategic Air Command, you’re always in SAC so I sent back to I was at Bergstrom
0:21:30
Air Force Base in Austin, Texas. And say more or less the same capacities, I was prior to my discharge in 1951. Well prior of that we want TDY to England in 1955, early 1955. Went TDY to England,
0:22:00
they took the whole wing over there at that time so we went to support personnel. And I went over there and I was over there. TDY was supposedly at three-month duty, but it turned out to be four weeks or four months, so the station that what to call Sturgate which is the middle of a farm you might say. And from there we
0:22:30
came back to Bergstrom and that’s where I was discharged from in November 1955.
I: And, have you been back to Korea?
J: No, I’d love to. You I’ve heard so much. Well, you know we was a participant in the Memorial Day over at the Korean War Memorial
0:23:00
and of course a Korean gentleman come up to me while I was over there while I was there introduced himself. And he said he was in the Korea until he was 10 years old. And that was the last he seen of his father and that’s always sorry to hear such stuff like that, but no I’d love to go back you know.
0:23:30
I’ve heard so much about Seoul. Seoul changed quite a bit for what it was at that time and it was up in Seoul but I know it’s a beautiful, beautiful city now. And I think the Koreans, I don’t know they’re just, the Koreans you meet now they just can’t do enough for you, you know. It’s overwhelming, you know that they just they’re just so dedicated to us. They served in the service.
0:24:00
I don’t know about the rest of the services, you know for the rest of the wars. I’m sure a World War II was about the same. I’m not sure about the other two, you know so, but I know that the Korean people were very, very thankful that we were there.
I: Very thankful because Korean War was the important events in the Korean history
0:24:30
before Korea was really under the Japanese colonial control now it’s the 11th largest economy in the world. Can you believe that? You’re not going to believe your eyes when you go back and see how Taegu has been transformed.
J: Oh, I know, I know it has been changed quite a bit. Well, I think the same thing was with Japan, you know, when we went Japan we seen a lot from the war, you know, we seen a lot of destruction there and
0:25:00
how they build up. When I was England, is the same way you know they built up quite a bit since the war, and I seen all that.
I: But England is very different.
J: Oh, yeah.
I: And Japan is also very different because Japan. . .
J: Very different.
I: by only Twentieth Century, Japan was one of the strongest nations of the world, and they were strong enough to attack the United States, right?
J: Yeah.
I: But Korea had been a failed state until
0:25:30
the Korean War began.
J: And that’s when everything broke out again. I guess they still it is there a lot of problems in North Korea.
I: So, if you I invited you want to go to Korea?
J: Oh, I would very definitely go. I’d like to see you know the improvement that they made. And just see some of what we helped
0:26:00
you know build and give back their freedom. Which there so you know they really want to take care of it South Korea very well, but they want North Korea to go away, everybody does you know. So, I think other than that, Korea would be a very good place to visit, you know as a tourist
0:26:30
or South Korea would be anyway.
I: The Korean government running revisit Korea program and they can take care of every other expenses except for half of your airfare.
J: I understand that.
I: And you will have a great time there. You will see what you did and what you planted there 60, 60 some years ago that you did for some Koreans now it’s a unbelievable country.
0:27:00
J: [Laughs]. I know it would be and that’s why the last admission would make it so great to go over there and see what well I’ve seen it before. And you see it after. And to see the improvements it has been made and I know we helped you help him quite a bit probably they did it all on her own I really do they did a lot of their own. We helped them
0:27:30
maybe financially and all that. They built it back the way they wanted it, but no it would be great to see it and I intend to make that trip eventually, you know if health allows it.
I: You look healthy, you are young. You are young and group of Korean War veteran you born 34, so you born after the Great Depression. I will let MPV, the
0:28:00
Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs know that you want to go back. You want to go back, okay.
J: Yeah.
I: Yeah. So there are very successful outcomes out of your service right South Korea 11th largest economy in the world. We don’t have drop of oil. We are smaller than obviously Kansas, is a much bigger than us. We now helping other countries
0:28:30
who needs, no? So there has been a successful outcome of your service, but our history textbook doesn’t talk about much. Why is that?
J: How is what?
I: Our history world history textbook in high school, they, they don’t talk about Korea case, only one paragraph, why is that?
J: I’m not sure there should be a lot more in there now that it was I know there is more now than it was
0:29:00
but there could be a whole lot more. I’m sure come on. Because I know my kids don’t know much about Korea until I was telling them all about it you know and they it’s hard for them to believe you know it really is.
I: Yeah.
J: They’re breathing more and more now because my daughter goes to a lot of the functions are not as well that folks are individual functions that allow the Korean functions like this memorials and that
0:29:30
and I had the privilege that going to the to see all the memorials in Washington. One month or one day. And I enjoyed that very much, but no I enjoy history. I wasn’t much in when I was in school much of a history buff, but no I read quite a bit as much as I can on Korea and other places I’ve been.
0:30:00
I: My foundation hosted a Korean War Veterans Youth Corps convention. It’s a grandchildren club of Korean War veterans and I found some history teachers among the descendents of the Korean War veterans. And I asked them to analyze the history textbook about the Korean War. And it’s one paragraph, and it still says Forgotten War, and it still says some of them
0:30:30
saying conflicts rather than war, and then it’s all about MacArthur. General MacArthur and MacArthur. They don’t talk about Jack Spahr at all, right, so?
J: Well, you know they didn’t talk about us at all weven when we came back.
I: Exactly
J: But here recently, probably the past two or three years, it has really changed quite a bit for all veterans, just not Koreans. It of couse we were always known
0:31:00
as a Forgotten War. But I think that’s all changed quite a bit. And our people are honoring us a lot more than they ever did the past. And no, it’s changed quite a bit on any other quite a bit you know we didn’t come back expecting a whole lot. You know a whole lot of recognition, but in other words, we were kind of forgotten
0:31:30
once we even got back you know because it wasn’t much more much going on. Of course, now you know, thank good for Korean Veterans Association, you know a lot of that is coming back. You know so all of use know what’s been going on it’s about not be we’ve got a great chapter president.
I: Mm-hmm. By the way,
0:32:00
he is with us right now, and I’m going to ask him to join you a little bit later, but let me ask this question: You said that you didn’t expect much when you returned from Korea, right? You didn’t expect much when you returned from Korea?
J: No, right.
I: Did you ever have you ever thought that Korea become like this today when you left Korea in 1954? Did you think that Korea turn out like today?
0:32:30
J: No.
I: You didn’t have any hope about the future of Korea?
J: No, I didn’t, you know, did I think it was going to be what it is today, back then, not really. You know, I think that as a service man, you don’t think too much about that end of it. Of course, you want to get home in one piece.
I: Yeah.
J: That’s your main subject, but I think once you leave, you, know you you don’t hear too much. You don’t see too much,
0:33:00
so it’s not a public forum, you know, like it is now, it’s getting more and more. Thanks to people like you. Making aware of it, you know they’re doing it good or not, I don’t know, but I feel like we are, you know. But no, I get more and more questions no matter where I go about Korea. You know people don’t even know you know. They knew I was in
0:33:30
Korea. They didn’t realize I was in Korea, you know.
I: That’s the ridiculous, isn’t it.
J: Because we didn’t wear it on our flag you know. Where we was during the war or what we did during the war, but most of us when we got back you know, we just got back try to get back and in our everyday services, you know.
0:34:00
After that you know we didn’t think too much really you didn’t care too much, you know until things happen, you know?
I: So are you proud of your service as a Korean War veteran?
J: Am I?
I: Proud?
J: Very, very, very proud, very proud of my service, my four years. I figured I did as much as I could
0:34:30
and there’s always more to do, but you always got the others coming in hopefully. I think the services are more available now than they were before, before we had to go out and get them. There was very few volunteers, my brothers were both volunteers. I was a volunteer, so they didn’t have to come after them. So that was always proud to
0:35:00
see that aspect of it, you know. And they, they’d come back and tell us a little bit about what they’d seen, you know, their World War II. Of course, my one brother was on Merchant Marines, you know, and of course, they didn’t have any armament on the ships. They weren’t allowed carrying guns or anything. Of course, they wasn’t allowed to be shot at either, but what they were,
0:35:30
but every time they got shot at they got a big bonus. Well, just kiss kid, kidney you know, they sit out there on a shoot me, shoot me, no, not really, but no, they so it was a very dangerous merchant ships were as the Navy was. You know why I joined the Air Force, I’m really not sure. It just look good you know, Air Force looked good.
[End of Recorded Material]