Lawrence Elwell
Bio
Lawrence Elwell was born on December 17, 1930, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Not long after his older brother joined the U.S. 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 fight in 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 thirty years teaching communications at several Oklahoma Universities.
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 shares he was then evacuated to Yokoska, Japan. He explains that his injury prevented him from returning to the front lines and adds he was not eager to go back into the firefight anyway. While hospitalized in Japan, he recalls being awarded, rather unceremoniously, the Purple Heart. He recounts how he was later sent to a U.S. Navy hospital in Pensacola, Florida, to finish his recovery.
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A Bright Spot in the War: Humanitarian Evacuation of North Korean Refugees
Lawrence Elwell, despite all the horrors he witnessed while serving in Korea, describes witnessing the evacuation of ninety-seven thousand North Korean refugees from Korea to the United States. He muses they almost depopulated North Korea in doing so. He recalls meeting some of those refuges who were successfully settled in the Dallas, Texas, area.
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Letter Home
Lawrence Elwell recalls a vivid memory of sitting on a hillside in North Korea near Yudamri. He recalls the timing of the event as early December 1950 and shares he was writing his father a letter. He remembers explaining in the letter how they are surrounded by the enemy and that he was not certain he would make it to his upcoming twentieth 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 while serving in the Korean War that helped shape him into being a productive adult. He recalls the influence of his superiors that helped impact his life beyond the Marine Corps. He names one of his superiors, Captain Milton Arthur Hull, as an individual 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 speaks 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 in the United States which resulted in high casualties among American troops.
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Lessons from The Korean War
Lawrence Elwell speaks about lessons he learned from the Korean War. He emphasizes one of those lessons included the human capacity to overcome. He recalls 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. He explains that the program paid veterans twenty dollars per week if they attended college fifty-two weeks in a given year. He shares he used the program to attain a Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, and Ph.D. in Communications.
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