Jerry Kaspen
Bio
Jerry Kaspen, son of two Polish immigrants, emerged from a troubled childhood to become a celebrated war photographer. One small lie about his past job set Jerry Kaspen up to be a VIP photographer in Korea, working with the Office of Public Information and decorated Generals across Korea. The skills that Jerry Kaspen developed during his time with the Army greatly influenced his life back home, ultimately working for several newspapers and freelancing for the Associated Press. Jerry Kaspen shows a gripping photo while describing the tense moment when he was left alone in a field of live bombs. Jerry Kaspen describes with pride his photograph of an Olympic hopeful that was published by a military news group. It was his experiences in the war as a photographer that would change his life and forever help him.
Video Clips
Live Bomb evacuated by Helicopter
In this clip, Jerry Kaspen describes the tense moment when he was left alone with in a field of live bombs. During this time the military removed a live bomb that was too close to a local village. Jerry Kaspen historically photographed the first live bomb ever evacuated by helicopter.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dDr15InsE4&start=1625&end=1824
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jerry-kaspen#clip-1
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Photo pride for Olympic hopeful
Jerry Kaspen describes with pride his photograph that was published by a military news group. Soldiers would visit different units to spread around current events and boost moral. The subject of the photo was a solider who was trying to break into the Olympic Team.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dDr15InsE4&start=2655&end=2839
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jerry-kaspen#clip-2
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How the War Changed His Life
Jerry Kaspen discusses how his experience as a photographer carried him through the rest of his life. As a student, he used his photography skills to supplement his college costs that were not covered by the GI Bill. He even used the skills after retiring from teaching.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dDr15InsE4&start=4656&end=4178
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/jerry-kaspen#clip-3
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