Marvin Ummel
Bio
Marvin G. Ummel was born in Arnold, Kansas, on March 4, 1932. He grew up working on his parents’ farm and graduated from Arnold Union High School in 1949. Afterward, he worked in a lumber yard until a supervisor encouraged him to study Morse Code in Omaha, Nebraska. With that training, he quickly secured a job transcribing Western Union telegrams in Pueblo, Colorado, where low wages forced him to take odd jobs to cover rent. After several years, he was drafted in 1952 and completed basic training at Camp Gordon in Georgia. Later that year, he traveled by ship to Japan and then to Incheon, South Korea. Serving as a private in the 8th Army Division, 304th Signal Operation Battalion, he spent long hours deciphering Russian Morse code, much of it propaganda. He returned home in December 1953 and married his girlfriend. He service continued a family tradition of service to his country shared by his father and brother.
Video Clips
First Impressions of Korea
Marvin Ummel described a difficult landing at Incheon in early August 1952, made worse by bad weather and a ruined harbor. Soon after, he boarded a railcar to his first duty station near Seoul. As he arrived, he saw the city’s near-total destruction; almost every building showed war damage. The devastated shops, in particular, left him deeply unsettled.
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Prisoner of War Exchange
Marvin Ummel recalled witnessing prisoner-of-war exchanges and watching released POWs quickly change clothes, which local Koreans then collected to take home. Doctors inspected the men before sending them stateside, and many arrived in such poor condition they were sprayed with DDT to remove vermin. Although the soldiers felt relieved to return, their deteriorated state deeply troubled him.
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Impressions of South Korea, Then and Now
Marvin Ummel revisited South Korea in 2017 and described the Revisit Korea trip as an incredible experience. He marveled at Seoul’s transformation, recalling that no buildings were undamaged in 1952, yet now the city is filled with modern homes, roads, and skyscrapers. After riding the bullet train to Pusan at more than 180 miles per hour, he felt even more amazed. Throughout the trip, he noticed how deeply grateful South Koreans remain toward Americans.
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The Forgotten War
Despite South Korea’s remarkable transformation and its deep gratitude toward American veterans, the Korean War remains the “Forgotten War.” Marvin Ummel remembered that, even when he returned home, few people knew much about Korea. Instead, many still focused on World War II, overshadowing his generation’s service.
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