John K. Barton

John Barton: My name is John Keith Barton.

 

Interviewer: And where were you born and when were you born?

 

John Barton: Greenville, Utah

 

Interviewer: Mmm Hmm.

 

John Barton: March 28, 1929.

 

Interviewer: And tell me about your family background.

 

John Barton: My family’s background?

 

Interviewer: Yeah.

 

John Barton: Well, my early progenitors were pioneers to this country.

 

Interviewer: Uh huh.

 

John Barton: And my great-grandfather was one of the original settlers to Greenville.

 

00:00:30

 

John Barton: So I am a long time native.

 

Interviewer: Hmm. What school did you go through?

 

John Barton: Uh… I started elementary school in Springville and Coalville, then we moved   back here to Beaver.

 

Interviewer: Mmm hmm.

 

John Barton: And I attended elementary and high school in Beaver.

 

00:01:00

 

John Barton: And then I attended Branch Agricultural College in Cedar.

Interviewer: Mmm hmm.

 

John Barton: Then we had the Korean interruption and I went back to school there for I think one or two semesters after we came home… and um… that was the size of it. I left school and went to work.

 

00:01:30

 

Interviewer: You said that many of your classmates went together to Korea.

 

John Barton: That is correct.

 

Interviewer: How many?

 

John Barton: Well I am not exactly sure, I believe there were seventeen that left here but you can’t pin me down on numbers because I do not remember. I don’t know.

 

Interviewer: So what was your specialty in the National Guard?

 

John Barton: Well, uh… after we finished our training up at Fort Lewis…

 

00:02:00

 

John Barton: My MOS was clerk typist but I worked in the battalion supply section and drove truck and did clerical work.

 

Interviewer: When did you know you were headed to Korea and what were you thinking?

 

John Barton: [laughs] Well I was working at Geneva Steel at the time I got called up.

 

00:02:30

 

John Barton: And I had been in the Guard and had been discharged. But one of my schoolmates, my buddy, had just got home from a year’s service in the Navy and I came down back home to visit him…and uh… we had been down to the movie… and coming back to his home…

 

00:03:00

 

John Barton: And he said for twenty-five cents I could go join up with the Guard and go with him. So, I gave him twenty-five cents and we both went down and signed up again and went. [Laughs]

 

Interviewer: [Laughs]

 

John Barton: His name was Ray Pierce.

Interviewer: So when did you leave for Korea?

 

John Barton: Oh I don’t know… those dates…

 

Interviewer: Nineteen?

 

John Barton: It was January of 1951.

 

00:03:30

 

Interviewer: Mmm hmm.

 

John Barton: When we left. When we left Fort Lewis.

 

Interviewer: So you uh…you served in the same unit as Ray was.

 

John Barton: I did.

 

Interviewer: Yeah. What was your mission? Tell me about the typical day of your mission at that time.

 

John Barton: In Korea?

 

Interviewer: In Korea. What were you doing there?

 

00:04:00

 

John Barton: We were keeping the battalion supplied with food and clothing…bedding…uh…

 

Interviewer: What do you mean by bedding?

 

John Barton: Sleeping bags, blankets, mattresses, cots…

 

Interviewer: Mmm hmm.

 

John Barton: All that stuff we were responsible for.

 

Interviewer: Mmm hmm. Was it…did you like it?

 

00:04:30

 

John Barton: Did I like it? Ugh, I did like it. I liked being with my comrades and my friends and I did like it. I was uncomfortable being there altogether because I had just got married in December and we left in January.

 

Interviewer: Oh!

John Barton: So I would have rather been home.

 

00:05:00

 

Interviewer: What did your wife say to you at the time you were leaving?

 

John Barton: What did she say? I…I can not remember what she said.

 

Interviewer: Hmm.

 

John Barton: Hurry back probably.

 

Interviewer: Hmm. Did you write a letter back to her?

 

John Barton: We corresponded regularly.

 

Interviewer: Hmm. Did you keep the letter now?

 

00:05:30

 

John Barton: Matter of fact, she kept the letters and I did not.

 

Interviewer: Does she have now?

 

John Barton: My wife passed away two years ago.

 

Interviewer: Oh. So you lost all of the letters?

 

John Barton: No, I still have them.

 

Interviewer: Were there any dangerous moments where you might have lost your life?

 

John Barton: Well, yes!

 

Interviewer: Tell me about it.

 

John Barton: The Kapyong incident. I really do not have anything to say about it except that the…uh…

 

00:06:00

 

John Barton: The powers that be… whatever they are… kind of looked out for us… we were all in it together pretty much… and uh… it was just, uh, meant to be that none of us got hurt. We all got out of it without… without injuries you know.

 

Interviewer: Mmm hmm.

John Barton: No losses. It is an amazing thing that happened.

 

Interviewer: Amazing!

 

John Barton: I have no answers for it.

 

00:06:30

 

Interviewer: Were there any classmates serving with you there?

 

John Barton: Yes!

 

Interviewer: How many?

 

John Barton: Well all of those…

 

Interviewer: All of those seventeen?

 

John Barton: Yea, however, except for one or two that did not go with us over there. Again, I can not tell you the numbers. I know of a couple who did not go for one reason or another. There were age limitations, and uh…

 

00:07:00

 

Interviewer: You feel safe… you must have felt safe because you were with the classmates.

 

John Barton: It gives you a feeling of security. It does, yes.

 

Interviewer: Are they still around here?

 

John Barton: Well, quite a few of them are dead. Well, there are still about four or five of us still here.

 

00:07:30

 

Interviewer: You believe in God, right?

 

John Barton: Oh yes, yes.

 

Interviewer: So how do you think… what was God’s providence to you that you had to be in the country you never know, never knew, and you had to risk your life. How do you see that?

 

John Barton: I have no answer for that.

 

Interviewer: Mmm.

 

John Barton: I do not question it. It is just one of those things. Life is just what it is.

 

00:08:00

 

John Barton: And these things are presented to you and for some reason it is part of your destined development. I do not know.

 

Interviewer: Mmm. How did your service in the Korean War affect your life after you returned?

 

John Barton: One thing about it is I have never wanted to travel since then. [Laughs]

 

Interviewer: [Laughs] You were afraid?

 

John Barton: No. I had just had enough.

 

00:08:30

 

Interviewer: Ah!

 

John Barton: I decided that there are many many things in the world to see but there is really no place to be because it is just real estate.

 

Interviewer: Mmm hmm. What is the legacy of the Korean War?

 

John Barton: The legacy?

 

Interviewer: Yeah. And your service?

 

John Barton: I do not know…

 

00:09:00

 

John Barton: I feel like that, uh, we as a group had a mission that had to be fulfilled for some people’s betterment. The Korean people needed help. The United States people said we will help you and we as a group were just the ones who were called to do it.

 

00:09:30

 

John Barton: And I am proud that I served my country.

 

Interviewer: Mmm. Have you been back to Korea?

 

John Barton: I have not. No.

 

Interviewer: Do you know what happened? Do you know what the status of Korea is now? Economy, democracy…

 

John Barton: Oh yea I do. I kind of keep track of things on the tv and the newspaper.

 

00:10:00

 

John Barton: I know that they have made tremendous strides industrially too…

 

Interviewer: Yeah.

 

John Barton: And car making… I think that there is still problems over there with North Korea.

 

Interviewer: Yeah.

 

John Barton: And I do not know if they have ever really been settled or if they ever will be or not.

 

00:10:30

 

John Barton: It kind of reminds me of the Jewish situation…

 

Interviewer: Uh huh.

 

John Barton: There is no end to it it seems like. It goes on and on and uh, I do not know what the reason is. These things are beyond me. I do not have the background nor the intelligence to deal with them. [Laughs]

 

Interviewer: [Laughs] You are very honest and straightforward. I really appreciate it. Anything else you want to add to this interview?

 

00:11:00

 

John Barton: No. Not unless there is something that you want to ask me.

 

Interviewer: Yeah. Let me figure it out. [Laughs]

 

John Barton: [Laughs]

 

Interviewer: Do you have grandchildren in the age of high school or college?

 

John Barton: I have grandchildren who are…well, one of them is just finishing his internship as a doctor, one of them is an attorney that graduated from Harvard, uh..

 

Interviewer: Wow.

 

11:30:00

 

John Barton: I have… let’s see… I have two grandchildren that are in college now. I have one son who is a college professor who teaches over at Southern Utah University.

 

Interviewer: What does he teach?

 

John Barton: He teaches communications.

 

Interviewer: Ok. What is his name?

 

00:12:00

 

John Barton: His name is Matthew.

 

Interviewer: So, uh, let me introduce this. This is my foundation’s brochure. It is the Korean War Veterans Digital Memorial Foundation. Ok? And… my foundation launched the Korean War Veteran Youth Corps last year. It is a group of grandchildren or great-grandchildren in the age of high school or college of the Korean War veterans.

 

00:12:30

 

Interviewer: And I want to activate them so that they can work on your legacy… continuously… would you be.. And this year, my foundation will host the second convention of this… Korean Veteran Youth Corps in Washington D.C. from July 25-28. Would you be willing to talk to your grandchildren or anybody to come to and join the same group?

 

00:13:00

 

John Barton: Would I be willing to talk to them?

 

Interviewer: Yea.

 

John Barton: Oh yes, yea.

 

Interviewer: Would you?

 

John Barton: Yes. I certainly would.

 

Interviewer: And there is my contact information. My foundation covers everything except for half of the round trip. So our foundation will cover half of the round trip.

 

00:13:30

 

John Barton: Are you talking about the cost?

 

Interviewer: Costs. Yes.

 

John Barton: Oh ok. Uh huh.

 

Interviewer: And hotel, meals, and everything is going to be paid by the foundation. I just want to create this group so that they can learn from the Korean War and from the history and respect and honor their grandfathers’ service and sacrifice.

 

John Barton: Mmm hmmm.

 

Interviewer: So that is why I created this and I need more youth so that they can grow out of it.

 

00:14:00

 

Interviewer: And the first convention topic was what good can come out of Korean War and Korean War veterans legacy and obviously Korea. Korea’s strong economy, free democracy, and I hope that they can work on your legacy. Keep on working. So, you said that your grandson graduated from Harvard?

 

John Barton: Well yes. One of them.

 

Interviewer: And he just graduated from law school?

 

John Barton: Law school.Yea. He graduated from law school at Harvard.

 

00:14;30

 

Interviewer: Uh huh.

 

John Barton: He had his basic education I guess you would say at Brigham Young University and then went to Harvard Law School. But he is practicing in Denver now.

 

Interviewer: Ah. So please talk to your grandchildren, or it does not matter, your great-grandchildren, in the age of high school or college.

 

00:15:00

 

Interviewer: Ask them to contact me or Sonny, ok? And I want them to be in Washington D.C. We are going to the Pentagon and we are going to the National Mall. We are going to have a lot of discussions and good lectures about it. Ok?

 

John Barton: This attorney just finished a… well, not just a year ago… just finished a clerkship in Washington D.C. He was there with… what do you call it… the…oh boy.

 

Interviewer: Whatever. Could you ask him to contact me?

 

John Barton: Uh huh, ok.

 

Interviewer: Alright.

 

John Barton: Ok. What the point was is that he is very well acquainted with Washington.

 

Interviewer: Very good. So I need someone like him and we can get together and we still working on your legacy ok?

 

John Barton: Mmm hmm.

 

00:16:00

 

Interviewer: Alright. Anything else?

 

John Barton: Not unless there you have something else you want to know.

 

Interviewer: So you promise me you will talk to them?

 

John Barton: I will talk to them. Yes.

Interviewer: Thank you.