Home

By WilliamWilliam

November 7, 2012

WIlliam Home, Page 1

Author’s Note

The Korean War ended in 1953. My grandpa did not go then because; 1 it was dangerous, 2 he was still in college. A few historical events were there were missionaries that went to Korea; there were still signs of war and North Korean soldiers were in the mountains. My grandpa stayed in Pusan and Soonchung for a few years and met a lady and got married. My grandpa and grandma are now retired and living in the U.S.

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My Family Tree

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HomeI was overjoyed that I could see land and also that

I would get to see my dad! It was 1957 and I, Kenneth. E. ____ was coming home to Korea. It had been a long time since I had seen the land of my birth, and it had been a decade since I had seen my dad. I had so many memories, and worries coming back to me. I remember getting a skeleton key and unlocking a door, and not being able to lock it back up before the Japanese came. I was always worried about that unlocked door.

As we were sailing in to the dock at Pusan, Korea, I was anxious to get back on land. It had been a long few weeks on the freighter, from San Francisco, via Japan.

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Near the end of the trip, there was a gigantic storm, in which I heard an ominous, ripping noise. When the storm had past, I went out onto the deck, and saw that the storm had ripped the poop deck, off the back of the ship. I found out later, that the storm had also damaged the covering over the passengers and crew’s belongings getting them wet.

A few weeks ago when walking on the boat, I was apprehensive of returning to my home, and becoming a foreign missionary. But now, I walked off the boat without hesitation. I instantly saw the differences in the people. Gone was the occupation foreign country. I turned and looked at crowds of people, and saw sorrow and hurt in each and every face, but also a glimmer of hope for the future. Why was this? It was because of the Korean War.

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The Korean War started on June 25, 1950. The cause of the Korean War was, the Japanese conquered Korea in 1895. Then in WW2 the Soviet Union and the U.S.A made them leave, then the Soviet Union and the U.S.A settled there. The UN wanted them to decide on one leader. And they did not want that so they fought. My dad stayed during the War visited the POW (Prisoners Of War). He wrote to me saying, “There were around 40,000 Korean POW and 1,074 Chinese.”

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Amongst the crowd I saw a familiar figure. My face lit up and I rushed towards my dad. We got all my suitcases in to his jeep and we drove out of Pusan. On the way there, to my great sadness I saw the signs of war. There were destroyed houses, and broken down military vehicles. I saw a U.S. tank that had gotten stuck while crossing a river, so it had been abandoned still half way under water. There were North Korean soldiers in the mountain areas, so we had to hurry to Soonchun.

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I had been contemplating most the car ride, if this was the right thing to do. Even though I had dreams of becoming a missionary since I was a teenager. I was just not sure, because I didn’t know if I was doing this for the right reasons. Then I thought, ‘Mom and Dad will be proud of me, following in their foot steps.’ We got to the house and I stopped for a few seconds. I felt a weight lifted from my chest. I knew then that I was doing the right thing, so I walked into my house with a happy heart.

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Interview Where were you during the Korean War?My grandfather was in Florida for part of it and at collage for the rest.

How did you get involved in the Korean War?Was not Involved

How/When did you leave Korea?Left Korea a few years before he went to collage.

What happened after the War?He went back to Korea to be a Christian Missionary

How did this Event (war) affect you? He saw so much sadness and disaster he was depressed and decided to do something about it.

how did you get in the national guard.For a job in the summer/ Helped spot fires in the forest.

Just got out of national guard he was browning auto rifle man, corporal. Most of those people were killed first. Almost no one from his group survived.

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Where did you enter Korea? I went from San Francisco to Pusan on a freighter. Had a big storm on the ocean that did some damage to the ship and those who had their freight in the front hold of the ship, got their baggage wet! Many of my books got wet. (2.) Do you remember anything about that day? My father, who was stationed in Soonchun, came in his jeep and met me. We drove back to Soonchun, together. It was a long bumpy ride as there were no paved roads in that part of Korea, in those days & it took a number of hours on a dusty road. (3.) What were the signs of the war? There were still destroyed houses, broken down military vehicles, … I saw a U.S. tank that had gotten stuck while crossing a river, so was still abandoned & part under water in the middle. There were still North Korean soldiers in the mountain areas, so traveling at night wasn’t all that safe. I was assigned to Taejon, but headed to Seoul, for language study with four other new missionaries who had been on the ship with me.

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Bibliography

1.)   Boyer,  Elmer  T.  "...to  Build  Him  a  House"  Norfolk,  VA:  Posung,  1976.  Print.

2.)   Armstrong,  Charles  K.  "Korean  War."  World  Book  Student.  World  Book,  2012.  Web.  30  Oct.  2012.  

3.)   My  Grandpa  Kenneth  Elmer  _____.

4.)  Figliuolo,  Mike.  "ThoughtLEADERS,  LLC:  Leadership  Training  for  the  Real  World."  The  ThoughtLEADERS  Blog.  Mike  Figliuolo,  15  Aug.  2011.  Web.  07  Nov.  2012.  <http://www.thoughtleadersllc.com/>.

5.)  "Korean  War  Pictures  -­‐  POW  Camp."  About.com  20th  Century  History.  National  Archives  and  Records  Administration,  n.d.  Web.  07  Nov.  2012.  <http://history1900s.about.com/od/photographs/ig/Korean-­‐War-­‐Pictures/korean93.htm>.

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ReflectionsWhat  specific  challenges  did  you  face  during  this  project?

During the project I was challenged to write because I do not enjoy typing. I also had trouble with asking questions because I never got enough information.

What  did  you  learn  about  your  family  member?  (personality,  character…)

I learned that my great-grandpa met my grandpa in Pusan. Also, I learned that the North Koreans were reluctant to leave after the war.

What  did  you  learn  about  yourself  (as  a  learner,  as  a  family  member)?

I learned that I need to ask deeper questions. In addition, I need to let the words flow and not hold back.

How  have  you  grown?  (as  a  writer…)

I think I have grown as a writer because I can express more than I could before. I think I have grown because I can incorporate facts into my writing.

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Why  do  you  think  doing  a  project  like  this  is  important?

I think this important because we learn about our family. For example, to learn to write in another person’s view.

What  part  of  this  process  did  you  enjoy  most?  Why?

I enjoyed talking to my grandpa most because he felt so happy. He was overjoyed that I was interested in him.

What  part  of  this  process  did  you  least  enjoy?  Why?

I least enjoyed writing. Not because I don’t like this project it is because I don’t like typing.

How  do  you  plan  to  share  this  project  with  your  family/  family  member?    

I have already emailed this to him and after I’m done I will send the full version to him.

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