Rene F. Cardenas
Bio
Rene Cardenas was born on March 30, 1933, in San Antonio, Texas. Although he was an avid reader, he did not like his years in formal education. He enrolled in the ROTC program and decided that education was not for him and that he wanted to see and experience the world. Having graduated from high school a year early, he was too young to join the Army, so he spent one year in junior college waiting to turn 18, upon which he joined the Army, in the airborne division. He was eager to go to Korea, because he wanted to be a part of the action. By the time he arrived, there were ongoing negotiations between the two sides, so there were not many large-scale battles, but still some small skirmishes. During his time in Korea, Rene was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor. After the armistice which ended the war, Rene returned back to the United States, and pursued higher education.
Video Clips
Going to Korea
Rene Cardenas recalls being excited to go to Korea, because he was looking for adventure. Having arrived towards the end of the war, he discusses what he knew about what was occurring in the war, including China's entrance into the war. He went from being assigned to a parachute regiment to a fighting infantry unit.
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Arriving to Korea and Joining the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon
Rene Cardenas describes his arrival in Korea, and his conversation with an officer, who was looking men to join the Intelligence and Reconnaissance Platoon. He recalls the job description that he was provided and initially was skeptical, because he wanted "more action", but the officer reassured him that he would see plenty with this unit. Upon that assurance, Rene joined the unit.
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Dangerous Conditions in Korea
Rene recalls the dangerous conditions in Korea and how volatile the situation was. He describes one of his jobs in his platoon as observation and explains how he went about that job. He also recalls a funny story about a run-in with a captain who continuously put him on company punishment.
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More Dangerous Conditions
Rene Cardenas recounts a scary experience at an outpost where he was almost shot in the head. He further explains another instance where a mortar round exploded at the entrance of the outpost, and he was pushed back by a fellow service member. He recalls serving in Korea in the last year of the war while negotiations were on going, so he and his fellow soldiers were very reluctant to get hurt or start anything unnecessarily.
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Experiencing Battle
Rene Cardenas remembers a bombardment that started while he was in a trench. He explains his fear as this was occurring and the conditions that he endured. He recalls grabbing his rifle, running towards the door, and knocking himself out on the top of the door. Initially, his fellow soldiers thought he had a shrapnel wound. He also recalls being left behind by his friends.
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Bronze Star Actions
Rene Cardenas discusses the circumstances surrounding his receipt of the Bronze Star. While on a night patrol with a company that was not his own, he had to go behind Chinese lines and they came under heavy fire. It was discovered that the squad leader was missing, so Rene went to look for him. They were found on top of a hill, in an exchange with some Chinese soldiers, and Rene was able to cover for them to allow them to fall back and avoid being captured.
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