Ricardo Torres Perez
Bio
Ricardo Torres Perez was born in Puerto Rico and raised in Brooklyn, NY. He enlisted in the United States Army and was sent to Korea as a Korean Defense soldier in 1977 where he stayed for eighteen months. The whole time he was stationed in Korea, he was nervous about war since he knew that the Korean War never ended and there had only been a cease fire in 1953. The first ROK (Korean Armed Forces) worked with him while he was there to protect South Korea. The driving force that pushed him into the military was to make his father proud since he was a Korean War soldier for the 65th Infantry Division from Puerto Rico. He wanted to honor his father.
Video Clips
Entering Korea as a Defense Soldier
Ricardo Torres Perez shares he did not want to go to Korea in 1977 since it was so far away. He admits he was nervous about the probability of war rising again. He recalls realizing the possibilities of war were still as high as in 1953 after hearing planes come in and out of Osan Air Force Base where he landed.
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Working and Living Conditions in Korea in 1977
Ricardo Torres Perez recalls seeing green land and rice patties from the plane as he was entering Osan. He recounts how he worked with the ROK, the South Korean troops, to protect South Korea during his eighteen-month deployment in Korea.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWvyzY0QW2o&start=298&end=615
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ricardo-torres-perez#clip-2
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Fighting for His Father
Ricardo Torres Perez shares he wanted to represent and work hard for his father since his father served in the Korean War with the 65th Infantry Division from Puerto Rico. He recalls how his father hid under two dead bodies while the Chinese were looking for living soldiers to take as POWs.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWvyzY0QW2o&start=771&end=856
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/ricardo-torres-perez#clip-3
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