James Bradshaw
Bio
James Bradshaw was born on a farm near Ashdown, Arkansas. Like many at that time, his family was very poor and struggled during the Great Depression. He dropped out of high school to work, joining the military in 1952. He was drafted into the army, but went to the Air Force recruiter and was able to switch his papers for the Air Force. His job involved extinguishing planes that came in on fire, and get the pilots out safely. He recalled the terrible destruction of Seoul and the children there. Overall, he is very proud of his service as it was the “best thing that happened to him.”
Video Clips
Impressions of Korea
James Bradshaw delivered an emotional account of how bombed out Seoul was when he saw it. He became tearful remembering the children he felt sorry for, and recalled saving his rations for them.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmSpuHd5paA&start=1005&end=1110
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/james-bradshaw#clip-1
Embed:
Crash Rescue Duties
James Bradshaw explained his duties as a firefighter, rescuing pilots from burning planes. He said that this happened very often, saying "it looked like a huge wrecking yard on both sides of the runway." He remembered that many times they could not get the pilot out alive, especially when they crashed into the mountainside.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmSpuHd5paA&start=476&end=630
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/james-bradshaw#clip-2
Embed:
Rough Times during the Great Depression
James Bradshaw recalled that it was rough times during the Great Depression. He explained how his family raised their own produce and how they got meat through raising livestock and hunting. He said it was better than living in town because at least they could provide their own food on the farm.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmSpuHd5paA&start=50&end=164
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/james-bradshaw#clip-3
Embed: