Johny Bineham
Bio
Johny Bineham was born on November 1, 1933 in the town of Tully, Australia. He grew up in a tropical climate and enjoyed finding adventure with his siblings. When he became of age, he decided that the Army would be his school, and he enlisted in the spring of 1952 looking for more adventures. When he got his orders for Korea, he was excited and unafraid. He had unwavering faith in his own ability to survive and a mentality that enabled him to endure the hard parts of war, such as taking the life of an enemy or losing the life of his best friend. He recalled seeing the orphans fending for themselves as being the hardest part of war, emotionally. Upon revisiting Korea, he was amazed at how color had returned to the landscape and how the buildings had been rebuilt even bigger and stronger than before. Witnessing the success of South Korea has made him proud to have served in the Korean War knowing that what he and others did made a difference.
Video Clips
Growing Up Fast
Johny Bineham remembers what it was like serving at the age of eighteen and having to grow up fast. He recalls that in his first week on the front lines, his best friend was killed in action and he took the lives of three enemy soldiers. He describes the necessity of being unemotional and developing the mentality that war is business and nothing more in order to survive.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLRixSVnMIM&start=1120&end=1197
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/johny-bineham#clip-1
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The South Gate
Johny Bineham describes the beauty and awe of the South Gate in Seoul, and how it stood so stately amidst the ruins of the city. He remembers it standing on the main road and having to march through it on different occasions. He recalls being quite impressed with its architecture and style, as well as the fact that it had withstood so many battles.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLRixSVnMIM&start=1515&end=1627
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/johny-bineham#clip-2
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