Richard Knoebel
Bio
Richard “Dick” Knoebel was born in Sunbury, Pennsylvania on January 7, 1926. He joined the US Navy, was trained as a Corpsman, and in March of 1943, he was deployed to the South Pacific during WWII. After the war, he continued his service in the Navy and was assigned to the 2nd Marines at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. His unit was deployed to Korea arriving in Pusan on September 3, 1950. While in Korea, he served as a Navy Corpsman and performed his job on the battlefield during the invasion at Inchon and the Battle of the Chosen Reservoir. He returned home from Korea in May of 1951 and was stationed at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida. Later, he attended Nuclear Medicine School in Bethesda, Maryland and continued his career until he retired from the Navy in 1962. After his naval career, he moved his family to Gaithersburg, Maryland, opened an electronics store, and became involved in local government. He revisited Korea in 1987.
Video Clips
First Impressions of Korea
Richard Knoebel describes landing in Pusan near a pier where transports were waiting. He discusses sleeping on the pier that first night and remembers a salvation army was close by. Most of the focus there was on preparing and planning for the move up to Incheon.
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Revisiting Korea
Richard Knoebel revisited Korea in 1987 with a Chosen Few group. He particularly remembers the drive from Incheon to Seoul. He mentions trying to go back to Korea the year of the interview but had to decline due to the physical nature.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAWzOoqFS6E&start=744&end=930
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/richard-knoebel#clip-2
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After the Return Home
Richard Knoebel recounts returning home and focusing on the future. He remembers a book about the Chosen Reservoir being published in 1985 which got him interested. He also learned about a Chosen group from his daughter. These led him to be involved in the community of Korean veterans.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAWzOoqFS6E&start=1255&end=1398
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/richard-knoebel#clip-3
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