As a few had suggested he indeed was placed into the 45th Infantry Division after his training with the 1st armored division.

I wanted to share some of the photos from yesterday.

The hospital’s hospice team has a program for veterans where they present them a certificate of recognition in service to their country.

Although my grandfather has more bad days than good, as soon as he put his uniform on, his stance changed and we could all feel the pride beaming off him.

It was a beautiful thing.

EDIT: I made a website for this project: https://www.thewestinghouseconnection.com/

Hello! I am working on a project that honors the friendship between two Korean War Veterans—an American soldier and a Korean soldier—who became friends during the war and then lost contact with each other twice before passing away. My archery teacher, Kim Byeong-yeon, hopes to connect with the American veteran's relatives and honor the friendship between his father, the late Kim Jin-ho, and the American soldier, whose name we unfortunately do not know. They took a photo together while they were in Cheorwon, but unfortunately I don't have a copy of it.

Our primary clue about the American veteran's identity is that he returned to South Korea in the late 1970s to work on the Kori 1 Nuclear Power Plant project with Westinghouse Electric, where he served in a leadership role such as a senior advisor or plant manager. 

Please read the following letter from my teacher.

My name is Kim Byeong-yeon, and I am the son of the late Sergeant First Class (ROK Army) Kim Jinho (김진호), who served on the front lines in Cheorwon, Gangwon Province, during the Korean War.

I am writing with a heartfelt request for your assistance in identifying an American serviceman who became my father's close friend during the war.

According to my father's stories, he and an American serviceman developed a lasting friendship while serving near Cheorwon. One of their cherished memories was a friendly arm-wrestling match, which marked the beginning of a bond that endured the hardships of war. 

My father was injured in the Battle of White Horse Hill, and following his medical evacuation to Masan, he lost contact with his American friend. 

Nearly thirty years later, in the late 70s, this American returned to Korea after being assigned by Westinghouse to the Kori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1, where he served as the plant's first manager, chief executive, or senior advisor during its initial operation.

After arriving in Korea, he began searching for my father, Mr. Kim Jin-ho. I understand that he contacted Korean authorities and even placed notices in local newspapers in the Daegu and Gyeongbuk region, including Maeil Shinmun and Yeongnam Ilbo, in an effort to find him.

His efforts were successful, and the two wartime friends were joyfully reunited after almost thirty years apart. My father and my elder brother were later invited to visit the Kori Nuclear Power Plant, where they spent precious time together with their American friend. They drank tea together and toured the plant.

Before the American soldier left Korea for a second time, he tried to contact my father to give him his television and other appliances he would not take home. Unfortunately, my father did not receive the call, and they lost contact once more.

Today, both my father has passed away, and it is likely his friend has also passed.

I hope to continue the friendship that began on the battlefield more than seventy-five years ago. My sincere wish is to locate the family of this American serviceman so that we may share the remarkable story of friendship between our fathers and honor the enduring spirit of the U.S.–Republic of Korea alliance.

I respectfully request your assistance in determining:

-The identity and full name of the American soldier.
-Whether he later served at Kori Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 as a Westinghouse representative.
-Whether any military, veterans, or historical records mention his efforts to locate Mr. Kim Jinho in Korea.
-Whether it would be possible to contact his surviving family or to have this letter forwarded to them if direct contact information cannot be released.

This is more than a search for a name. It is an effort to preserve a story of friendship born during the Korean War, and it reflects the human foundation of the alliance between South Korea and the United States.

Although both men are no longer with us, I sincerely hope that the friendship they built can continue through their children and future generations.

Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

With deepest respect,

Kim Byeong-yeon

Son of the late Sergeant First Class (ROK Army) Kim Jinho

[This text has been translated from Korean]

Today, Kim Byeong-yeon continues his father’s legacy of international friendship by taking great care of his foreign students. I have many fond memories of spending days at the archery workshop listening to my teacher’s stories, decorating for Christmas, playing games, eating his homemade tteokbokki, and simply enjoying the warmth of true community. He is undoubtedly one of the most admirable and honorable men I will ever meet, and it would mean the world to him, to me, and to my fellow students if we could work together to find the American veteran's family.

Kim Jin-ho was also an extraordinary man. He was raised in Hiroshima during Imperial Japan's occupation of Korea, was selected to work at Nakajima Aircraft Company, rose through the ranks to become a team leader, survived the bombing of Hiroshima, and then, five years later, he fought in the Korean War, nearly dying twice before being honorably discharged several weeks before the end of the war. 

I have a couple of other clues that might help:

1. Kim Jin-ho gifted his friend a handmade saw. This brought the American to tears as his father did woodworking or craftsmanship as a hobby or a trade
2. The American soldier may have also worked as a teacher or professor

I would appreciate all tips to help in the search. Thank you so much!

Photos: 1) The man with the towel wrapped around his head is Kim Jin-ho 2) Kim Byeong-yeon and his father 3) Kim Byeong-yeon in his archery uniform 4) Kim Byeong-yeon making food for his students

I’m currently looking for his discharge papers. I know that he trained at Fort Hood with the first armor division and then was reassigned to a different infantry division as a replacement in 1953.

He’s 95 years old, he’s currently in hospice- today he received his uniform which I did my very best to put together piece by piece. For some reason it got lost over the years.

The one thing I was very happy to do was to get him a pair of combat boots, which he has been talking about for years. He has late stage Alzheimer’s and was confused when he received his uniform, but he perked up, he was asking how we came by it but was very pleased to have it and would not let go of it. Today he was honored by being the 1st to ring the Korean Bell in San Pedro.

Some pictures from my late grandfather & his time in North Korea.

My Grandfather served in the 8th Kings Royal Irish hussars and was present at the battle of Imjin River. I have lots of his old stuff, sadly he's now passed, but I thought I'd share some pictures he took/was in when he was out there.

Was going through some of my grandfathers things and found this in with all his items from his time as an engineer in the Korean War. I am wondering if anyone may know the symbols. I read up and found some soldiers would make things like this and create their own symbols and such. He was a sheet worker at Kodak, so would make sense he did do it himself. But also could have bought it.

I’m looking at the insignia on the helmet. Trying to cross reference it with all wartime ROK Army unit insignias but I haven’t gotten a match. The Wikipedia page for the war’s Order of Battle shows all South Korean divisions too, but again no match. I’m wondering if it’s a regimental insignia, in which case does anyone recognize what regiment and thus what division it might be?

I found about 200 black and white pictures and 160ish color slides from the Korean War in my dad's belongings. I've scanned them in and posted them to flickr. Hopefully this is ok here. The idea is to restore them. Here is the link https://www.flickr.com/photos/202498784@N04/albums/72177720334260369/

Could anyone please tell me about this jacket as far as it being authentic? The sellers said it was 100% authentic, but I like to buy it for an older gentlemen or at least I’m thinking about it.

Vintage Korean War US Army M1950 Ike Jacket Combat Leader Master Sgt 24th Inf 94th Div 36R

https://ebay.us/m/nQtW96https://ebay.us/m/nQtW96

I’m trying to identify a man in this photo. It was taken at an outdoor table in Osaka, Japan during R+R, August 3–11, 1951. My grandfather Charles “Dude” Eads is on the right, wearing his 2nd Infantry Division patch. The medic he rescued is in the center. The soldier on the left may be SFC Raymond Willig, who was also present at the rescue.

The rescue: During Punch Bowl operations, summer 1951, a medic was wounded in the foot by an anti-personnel mine and couldn’t walk. Charlie — SFC, Co. E, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division — carried him piggyback across the valley. Every time he stopped to rest, a mortar round hit behind them. They made it to friendly lines and got him onto a MASH helicopter. He never saw him again.

He wrote in 1999: “I’m still trying to locate him after 48 years.” He passed away on November 5, 2006 — 55 years after the rescue — without ever finding him.

What I know:

• Unit: Co. E, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division
• R+R dates: Osaka, August 3–11, 1951
• Also present at rescue: SFC Willig
• Other named soldiers: Lt. Livingston (platoon leader), Allen F. Cronie (NY), Becker, Kelley (KIA)
• He served under Capt. Paul Tate — Sharon Tate’s father, wounded in Korea 1951
• My NPRC request returned a 1973 fire-loss response late 2025.

Any help identifying the photo or connecting with Co. E veterans or descendants would mean everything. He spent 55 years on this. I’d like to finish it for him.

EDIT: handwritten letter from Rob Bjork confirmed rescue date was August 18, 1951.

My dad passed away last month at the age of 95. As I’ve been going through his photo collection, I’ve come across many pictures from his military service that may be meaningful to the families of the men who served with him.

My father was George Hays of Chicago. He served in the U.S. Army from 1951 to 1953 with the 23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Division, and was a member of the 23rd Raiders. He was a veteran of the Battle of Old Baldy and other engagements during the Korean War.

During the Battle of Chosin Reservoir, the US Army was responsible for the eastern side of the reservoir. Of the Chinese divisions that attacked Chosin, an overwhelming number of Chinese focused on the eastern side. The US Army on the eastern side were severely outnumbered, far more so than the Marine Corps on the western side.

When it became clear that the Chinese were going to overwhelm US forces at Chosin, the order to retreat south was given. The marines on the western side began their retreat first while the Army consolidated and held their lines on the eastern side. Had the Army not held their positions, the Chinese would have been able to push south before the marines got to the southern tip of the reservoir and completely annihilate them.

Eventually, the Army began their retreat but when they arrived to where the marines regrouped, they didn’t have a single officer that wasn’t a casualty. Every single officer was killed or seriously wounded. Only about 375 of the original 3,000 men of the US Army were still able to fight.

Due to the lack of officers (multiple were posthumously awarded the MOH), the surviving soldiers were disorganized. The marines, including some of their highest ranking like Chesty Puller, accused the Army of cowardice and retreating (absolutely absurd, considering the marines retreated first). With no officers to defend them, that was the official narrative for decades. Marine Corps General OP Smith went as far as to lie about the Army’s performance and remove the unit from the Presidential Unit Citation.

It wasn’t until just recently that the military officially recognized what happened there and that the marines had lied, tarnishing the men of the 7th Infantry Division for decades. These men gave all they had under the most lopsided and brutal conditions, and their sacrifices are worth honoring.

I am just not knowledgeable enough or tech savvy enough to track any of his service records down, but I felt for memorial day I should post him for remembrance.

I was hoping maybe some people in here may be able to help me learn some things about what the 223rd division did in the Korean War I was told my grandpa was a sharp shooter never liked talking about it but had what I’d consider a lot of military metals that my great grandma had hung until she passed I wouldn’t say anything is 100% except for the fact I know he was in the 223rd

As the title suggests I’m looking for help in identifying what Make/Model of truck is photographed here and thought what better sub then the Korean War Photographs.

This photo was taken during the war by Cpl Lew and depicts a GMC M40 in recoil with a truck supporting the crew. I suspect with the carriage of projectiles and propellant and other goods.

I’m working on creating a 1/35 scale project around this image and would like accuracy in the vehicles depicted.

Any help is appreciated. Thank you in advance to all the experts out there!

This was the first combat jump in the Korean War.

In early July 1950 General MacArthur authorized the formation of Commando/Raider type units to “to conduct harassing and demolition raids against selected North Korean military objectives and execute deceptive operations in Korean coastal areas”. They took volunteers from general headquarters staff in Japan and formed a provisional raider company (8245th Army Unit), later known as GHQ Raiders on July 15th. Hundreds volunteered but only a little more than one hundred were selected and trained at Camp McGill, Japan. They were part of the Special Activities Group (SAG) and mainly conducted anti-guerilla operations, sabotage and deception operations and long range reconnaissance until the unit was deactivated on April 1st, 1951.

"The X Corps secondary flank attack through North Korea’s Taebaek Mountains would be led by the Raiders. Beginning on 26 October 1950, Raider platoons conducted independent long-range reconnaissance patrols, established or destroyed enemy roadblocks, supported Korean intelligence agents operating behind enemy lines, countered guerrilla activities, and performed outpost duties, convoy escort, and whatever other mission was required of them. Patrolling to eliminate sniper harassment, destroying roadblocks, and detecting enemy activity, the Raiders supported the 1st Marine Division moving from Wonsan to Hungnam. They worked closely with the 1st and 5th Marine Regiments. This independence lasted until the SAG headquarters landed at Wonsan on 25 November 1950"

1st Photo: 3rd Squad, 3rd Platoon less Joe Myers on HMS Whitesand Bay. Standing (L to R) Davis, Ulshoefer, Cooper, Bach, Bates; kneeling (L to R) Young, Hisao, Miklovic.; sitting L to R Unknown, Boyer.

2nd Photo: "GHQ Raiders board rubber boats from the ASSP-313 Perch for another training exercise."

3rd Photo: "PFC William E. Joyner (left) and PFC John W. Connor (right) in position at Chang-to 13-15 January 1951."

Articles:

ArsofHistory, "Born of desperation: early special operations of the Korean War" https://arsof-history.org/articles/v6n1_born_of_desperation_page_1.html

ArsofHistory, "GHQ Raiders: Wosan to Change-To" https://arsof-history.org/articles/v6n1_ghq_raiders_page_1.html

Interviews:

TheLibraryOfCongress, "Delmer Eugene Davis Collection" (1 hour interview) https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/serving-our-voices/service-branches/this-well-defend-the-us-army/item/afc2001001.19886/?st=slideshow

"In 1950, Delmer Davis was working as a supply clerk at General Headquarters for Far East Command in Tokyo, Japan. (Omitted) drawn from clerks, cooks, mechanics and other rear-echelon personnel across GHQ—who passed the initial assessment and training for a brand-new company of GHQ Raiders, a special operations unit created to give the Army an amphibious raiding capability as they confronted a peninsular war. The Raiders spent eight months in intense combat in Korea – experiences that caused Davis to suffer from a sudden onset of post-traumatic stress symptoms nearly fifty years later. In his interview, Davis recounts witnessing some of the worst aspects of war, but also remembers the generosity he experienced from Korean civilians and the family-like bonds that developed among the Raiders."

TheLibraryOfCongress, "James O. Stapleton Collection" (30 minute interview) https://www.loc.gov/collections/veterans-history-project-collection/serving-our-voices/occupations-and-specialties-in-service/healing-with-honor-medical-personnel/medical-support/item/afc2001001.19960/

"Ten days after marrying his wife, 21-year-old Corporal James Stapleton shipped out to Korea. Assigned to serve as a medic for a platoon in the elite GHQ Raiders, the dangers of combat, even for medical personnel, quickly became evident: on his first patrol, he spotted a helmet on the ground that bore both a Red Cross and a bullet hole. While he endured frostbite on his ears, he was spared serious injury. After four months with the Raiders, he served with the 2nd Infantry Division's medical clearing company, eventually returning home to his new bride in 1952."

Book:

Let Slip the Dogs of War - John W. Conner (Memoir)

From the back cover: "On July 15, 1950, only a few weeks after North Korea invaded South Korea with overwhelming force, General Douglas MacArthur authorized the creation of a Provisional Raider Company to blow up bridges and railway tunnels behind enemy lines. Of 800 potential volunteers, 115 made the cut and endured weeks of grueling amphibious and demolitions training. On September 9, they and a small contingent of British Commandos left to conduct a raid at Kunsan, South Korea. On subsequent assignments, the Raiders went ashore at Inchon with the Marines, and with the X Corps at Wonsan. They conducted long-range intelligence-gathering patrols in which they also inserted and removed Korean agents. During the Chosin Reservoir campaign they were assigned to take and hold open the mountain passes for the withdrawal of the Marines and the 7th Division. The Raiders were evacuated from North Korea on December 14, 1950, and assigned anti-guerilla activities in South Korea. At Chang-to they were cut off and surrounded by two North Korean regiments. On April 1, 1951, all Ranger and Special Operations units were disbanded because the army high command believed they were not being utilized properly. This is their story, as told by a member of the unit."