Willie Bacon, Sr.
Bio
Willie Bacon, Sr., was born in South Carolina and spent his early years working on the farm. He was drafted into the United States Army in 1951. He spent his training in Ft. Leonard Wood in Missouri where he did both infantry and engineer training. His engineer training consisted of building roads, bridges, and working in a saw mill. One of is harrowing experiences in training was building a bridge across a river when he was not able to swim. In July of 1951, he was head to Korea on a troop ship, which took 29 days to travel to Japan because of the bad weather. He recalls arriving in Seoul and seeing nothing there and the Korea was nothing but hills and mor hills. As a member of the 73rd combat engineering battalion, his job was to make sure that troops had clean water. He recalls being close enough to the front that he could hear the artillery shells flying over his location. He mentions the cold and having his duffle bag stolen by Korean civilians who wanted the clothes to say warm. He spent thirteen months in Korea, and decided he would rather come home than reenlist. After Korea, he became a member of his local Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter and the American Legion.
Video Clips
Infantry and Engineer Training
Willie Bacon, Sr., discusses his experience in his infantry and later engineering training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. He mentions his experience of shooting a shotgun helped when shooting the M1 Rifle. He describes his battalion as consisting of three companies, two of which were all White and his which was all Black. He recalls that the hardest part of training was the running and walking long distances. He remembers having to build a bridge across a river and being afraid since he was not able to swim. He mentions working in a saw mill and the early hours of training.
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Water Purification in Korea
Willie Bacon, Sr., explains his job in water purification as part of the 73rd Combat Engineer Battalion. He describes that there were three people that he worked with pumping water out of the Hangang river. He recalls the process of purifying water, and working with 500 gallon tanks. He mentions that the area he worked in was part of the front lines, and at times United States artillery was fired over where he was pumping water.
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Living Conditions in Korea
Willie Bacon, Sr., describes his living conditions in Korea. He describes living in a squad tent. Even though they had a heater, he comments about how cold it was in Korea. He mentions having a Korean "house boy" who was a grown man that kept his tent clean and could also get them whiskey. He recalls a time that their duffle bags were stolen. When they found the bags the only that was missing was the clothes, not any guns and equipment. He reflects that the clothes were stolen by Korean civilians to keep warm.
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Moving Water Purification with the Troops
WIllie Bacon, Sr., describes how his unit would move with the troops. He mentions how they would always stay near rivers and dams so they were able to provide clean water. He recalls losing a friend in Korea. He offers that his friend was shipped to Korea two months before him, and how he was killed on an artillery firing line. He mentions having another friend who survived the artillery attack, because he was on the other side of the firing line.
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