A draftee in the Korean War

摘要

I served in Korea with the 7th Infantry Division. They landed in Inchon in September 1950, but I was not with them. A New Yorker back then, I was employed by General Motors, waiting to be drafted. When confronted with something distasteful, I tend to deal with it quickly to put it behind me. For example, when eating dinner I eat my vegetables first, and then enjoy the meat and potatoes. So I called my draft board and volunteered to be drafted. Unlike the World War II draft that was for the duration of the war, our military service was established for a period of two years. "Let's get it over with," I thought. The draft board advised me they could not call me until my number came up. Others joined the National Guard to avoid the draft, taking their chances in that manner; many were activated, some making the supreme sacrifice in Korea as did many guardsmen in Viet-Nam and Iraq.