Lawrence Elwell
Bio
Lawrence Elwell was born on December 17, 1930, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not long after his older brother joined the Army, he joined the Marine Reserves. In 1950, his unit was activated and he traveled to Camp Pendleton, California for training. In October of 1950, he boarded a troop ship to join the Korean theater as a part of Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division. After a fierce battle defending Hill #1240 at Yudamri, Korea, his unit was sent to Hagaru-ri to build an airstrip to evacuate wounded Marines. En route, he was shot through the right arm by enemy fire and was evacuated to Yokosuka, Japan for treatment. After his initial recovery, he was sent stateside to Pensacola, Florida to complete his service. For his sacrifice, he was awarded the Purple Heart. After his discharge from the Marine Corps, he earned a Ph.D. degree in Communications and spent the next 30 years teaching communications at several Oklahoma Universities. Today, he resides in Oklahoma and still keeps up with many fellow Marines that he served with in Korea.
Video Clips
Grateful to Be Alive
Lawrence Elwell describes being wounded in a battle near Hagaru-ri after getting caught in crossfire with the Chinese. He notes that a navy corpsman tended to his wounded right arm and stopped the bleeding. He was evacuated to Yokoska, Japan. He explains that his injury prevented him from returning to the front lines, but he was not eager to go back into the firefight anyway. While hospitalized in Japan, he was awarded, rather unceremoniously, the Purple Heart. He would later be sent to a U.S. Navy hospital in Pensacola, FL to finish his recovery.
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A Bright Spot in the War: Humanitarian Evacuation of North Korean Refugees
Despite all the horrors he witnessed while serving in Korea, Lawrence Elwell describes witnessing the evacuation of 97,000 North Korean refugees from Korea to the United States. He muses that they almost depopulated North Korea in doing so. He shares meeting some of these refuses who were successfully settled in the Dallas, TX area.
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Letter Home
Lawrence Elwell recalls a vivid memory of sitting on a hillside in North Korea near Yudamri in early December 1950 and writing his father a letter. In it he explains that they are surrounded by the enemy and that he was not certain he would make it to his upcoming 20th birthday.
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"The Marine Corps did a Great Deal for Me"
Lawrence Elwell reflects on his gratitude for experiences in the Marine Corps in the Korean War that helped shape him into being a productive adult. He recalls the impact of his superiors that helped impact his life beyond the Marine Corps. Among those superiors was Captain Milton Arthur Hull who was an inspiration to his men.
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"Tonight Marine, You Die!"
Lawrence Elwell describes fighting the Chinese at Yudamri . Among his revelations, he talks about the esprit de corps of the Marines in this battle and the courage of their Chinese counterparts. He also mentions that ironically, many Chinese soldiers carried Thompson Machine Guns manufactured the United States which resulted in high casualties among American troops.
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Lessons from The Korean War
Lawrence Elwell talks about lessons he learned from the Korean War including the human capacity to overcome. He shares the importance of the close bond he shared with his commander and members of Dog Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Marine Division.
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The GI Bill and the 52/20 Program
Lawrence Elwell discusses the GI Bill 52/20 Program, a program the paid veterans $20/week if they attended college 52 weeks in a given year. He used the program to attain a Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, and Ph.D. in Communications.
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