Thomas Carneal
Bio
Thomas Carneal was born in Mynard, Nebraska, and grew up in the Plattsmouth area. He enlisted in the military and became a medical technician. Throughout the Korean War, Thomas Carneal served in Germany and constantly feared the Soviets would attack at any moment. Overall, his service in Germany was satisfactory. He was thankful for not being stationed in Korea to be a grunt. Subsequently, Thomas Carneal has traveled extensively through the Far East. He was very impressed with South Korea and the friendliness of the people. He was very proud the military taught him a sense of morality, responsibility, honestly, and independence. Thomas Carneal wants future generations to remember the veterans we lost and the importance of standing up for your country and what is right.
Video Clips
Fear in the Cold War
Thomas Carneal expressed being fearful the Soviets were coming anytime during the Cold War. In case the Soviets crossed the border, his unit continually practiced drills so they were ready at a moment's notice. On occasion when he was on the West Germany/Czech border, he waved at a Czech soldier who waved back and realized they did not want to go to war anymore than us.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW9AGeepmQ&start=244&end=350
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/thomas-carneal#clip-1
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Don't be a Grunt
Thomas Carneal feared being a grunt in the Korean War. Everything he heard about being in Korea led him to believe that life as a grunt on the front line was the worst case scenario. Even though he was not taught about Korea in school, Thomas Carneal learned military horror stories from his barber.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW9AGeepmQ&start=1034&end=1144
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/thomas-carneal#clip-2
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South Korea Has Grown Differently than the Rest of Asia
Thomas Carneal notes how different South Korea is now. He was impressed with the number of church steeples and the friendliness of the people.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPW9AGeepmQ&start=1144&end=1247
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/thomas-carneal#clip-3
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