Oral History

John Paul Earl: Korean War

 

Interviewed by Jacque Rankin (student interview)

Interview date November 7, 2003

 

Q:        Your full name?

 

A:        John Paul Earl.

 

Q:        OK. When and where were you born?

 

A:        I was born in Idabel, Oklahoma, 1935, January 13. 

 

Q:        Was the Korean War expected, or did the war and US involvement come as a complete surprise to you?

 

A:        Well, at my age, it kind of came as a surprise, because at the time that it started I was a teenager.

 

Q:        How old you when the Korean War broke out?

 

A:        Ah, let’s see, I was 16 at that time.

 

Q:        Were you in the military at the time?

 

A:        No.

 

Q:        Of course not! Were you a World War II veteran?

 

A:        No. 

 

Q:        If you were not already in the military, were you drafted or did you enlist?

 

A:        I enlisted.

 

Q:        In what branch of the military did you serve?

 

A:        In the US Navy.

 

Q:        What are your personal feelings about going off to war and what were your feelings in regards to communism and the anxieties and tensions it created in the United States?

 

A:        Well, at that time, I felt that, ah, communism was a bad thing and it should be taken care of and gotten out of our societies in the United States and in the foreign nations. Ah, I felt like the only way to do that was the process that the United States was going through at that time.

 

Q:        What were the feelings of your friends and acquaintances about the war?

 

A:        There were some that did not believe in war, which, you know, that’s normal. There were some that enlisted at the same period of time that I did. Some enlisted just a little while later, so apparently they had the same feelings that I did that they needed to go with the nation. 

 

Q:        Yeah, that’s true. Did all the people that you knew what to join the military and serve?

 

A:        No. Of course, that’s, like I say, that’s normal, too.

 

Q:        Right. And how did your family, wife or girlfriend feel at the time?

 

A:        Well, ah, at that time I was more or less on my own, even at 17. My mother and father were divorced and I’d been living with my grandmother that had passed away and just had some people kind of looking after me while I was in high school. 

 

Q:        Where did you undertake basic training?

 

A:        I went through the naval training center, which they called NTC, at San Diego, California.

 

Q:        Explain your experiences and impressions about basic training.

 

A:        Well, being 17 years old, of course, you’re a little bit on the scared side. You don’t know exactly what’s going to happen to you. Ah, I was fortunate enough that, ah, I already had some marching skills from being in the band and some more mature men that were in the same recruit company that I was in kind of took me under their wing and helped me get through boot camp (laughing).

 

Q:        That was sure nice of them! After basic training, where did the military send you?

 

A:        From, ah, basic training, I went to a 14-week, ah, class A diesel engineman’s school at a naval destroyer base in San Diego. And from there I went to Japan, where I picked up my first ship.

 

Q:        Oh, man. That’s awful young to be doing all that! In what capacity did you serve during the Korean War? Your duty, rank and such?

 

A:        When I first reported aboard ship, I was a what they call a fireman, which is about an E-3, I think they call it now. Ah, I worked in the main engine room and the generator room in the engineering department. And that’s – we were a supply ship. We carried not artillery, but gunnery supplies and, ah, ah, engineering supplies. 

 

Q:        What was your rank?

 

A:        An E-3, at that time.

 

Q:        In terms of your own experiences in Korea, what kind of conditions did you live and work in?

 

A:        Being aboard an old converted LST, it was converted to an AKS Works where you used it to haul supplies with. We had a 137-man crew aboard. Ah, the living spaces were quite cramped. The food was good. You, ah, didn’t have any air conditioning at all. You had a little bit of air that circulated, and sometimes it was pretty warm. In winter times, it was nice and chilly! (laughing)

 

Q:        In a nice iron environment! If you feel comfortable talking about your combat, please describe the combat experiences you had, if any.

 

A:        All of our combat was long-range, so you didn’t . . .

 

Q:        No close-to-close?

 

A:        No close-up stuff. 

 

Q:        What was your most memorable experience in Korea, combat or otherwise?

 

A:        I guess my most memorable would be picking up some refugees and taking them from Korea to, ah, Japan, where they could be taken care of and what-have-you.

 

Q:        You were a brave, brave person! How has that particular experience impacted your life?

 

A:        Ah, I hope it’s made me a better person. My wife seems to think that I tend to try to do too much for other people (laughing).

 

Q:        Which is very, very nice. Craig always says that, too, you’re very helpful when needed. What kind of contact did you have with the people back home and what kind of correspondence did the military permit?

 

A:        Mostly all your contact with back home was strictly by mail. Ah, they censored very little of your mail at that time. Ah, it wasn’t – unless you were in a real sensitive position, they didn’t, ah, mess with your mail too much.

 

Q:        How long did you serve in Korea?

 

A:        My first tour over there, I got there in November of ’52 and I was there until February of ’54. Then I got to come back to the states for 6 months and went right back. 

 

Q:        Oh, my goodness. After serving in Korea, where did the military send you, or were you immediately discharged?

 

A:        I came – like I say, I came back to the states. Took 30 days leave and took time and was married. Then went aboard a repair ship. Ah, there was another repair ship getting ready to go back to Japan and they needed a diesel engine repairman, so I got transferred to it and went back for another six or seven months. 

 

Q:        If indeed you experienced the horrors of war, how did the experiences affect your relationships, interactions with family, friends, spouse or girlfriend?

 

A:        Well, like I said before, all mine was long-range. You know, I saw some of the after-affects of it. Some of the people coming out, but, ah, wasn’t up close to it.

 

Q:        Do you still keep in touch with some of the people you served with?

 

A:        Yes, we have some friends that I, ah, was with, ah, that live in Sacramento, California, and we still commute back and forth every now and then. If nothing else, our kids go back and visit with them. And we talk on the telephone every now and then and, ah, of course, always Christmas cards and. . .

 

Q:        Yeah. . .

 

A:        Have one in Missouri the same way that we communicate with letter and telephone every now and then, and Christmas cards, but you don’t ever get away from all of them.

 

Q:        I wouldn’t imagine. Not after going through that stuff together. What kinds of general observations and conclusions to do you have about the Korean War and your Korean War experience?

 

A:        Well, most of my observations are kind of political. I felt like that was the beginning of the time when the politicians started trying to control the military on their stuff and therefore, we didn’t do what we needed to do.

 

Q:        Didn’t get quite the job that needed to be done?

 

A:        Right, and since then, ah, there’s been some other actions that have come up that probably never would have come up if we’d have done the good job that we should have done. 

 

Q:        OK. Well, I’m done!