Lauren Mai

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Bio

Lauren Mai was born and raised in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. After graduating from high school in 1953, he enlisted in the Army and headed out to his basic training. Upon completing basic training in July, he was sent to Korea, where he served for 20 months. While there, he worked in demolition and later as a supply sergeant. When Lauren returned to the United States, he married his high school sweetheart, Ellen, and together they raised four sons.

Lauren remained in the Army Reserves and was briefly called up during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He later enrolled in college under the G.I. Bill and earned a degree in Special Education. He taught Elementary School for 20 years before retiring. Lauren never spoke much about his time in Korea, aside from very few stories that he shared with his family. Some of the more mundane stories of his life in Korea were chronicled in daily letters that he wrote back home to his future wife. In April of 2015, Lauren participated in an Honor Flight with other WWII and Korean War veterans, accompanied by his granddaughter. After this experience, Lauren was able to speak much more openly about his time in Korea, and his periodic nightmares from his time in the war ceased. The Honor Flight was one of the best days of his life, and he remembered it fondly until his death in 2019.