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Daniel B. Nifong: Korean War
Judith D. Blankenship (Student Interview) Interview
Date: October 23, 2003
Q: When and where were you born? A:
Ozark, Arkansas. October 30, 1924. Q:
Was the Korean War expected or did the war and US involvement come as a
complete surprise? A:
It was unexpected. It was a surprise. Q:
How old were you when the Korean War broke out? A:
I would have been 24. Q:
Were you in the military at that time? A:
Yes. Q:
Were you a WWII veteran? A:
Yes. Q:
In what branch of the military did you serve? A:
In WWII, I served in the navy. In Korea, I was in the army. Q:
What were 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:
It came so suddenly and the unit was activated in such a short time, we
really didn’t give it much thought. We were busy. The Korean War broke out,
they called in all the inactive reservists and took those of us who were active
duty regular army as cavalry and formed a unit. We went to Fort Ord and took
three days of refresher. We moved up under an artillery barrage, ran the close
combat course, and the night infiltration, then we were on our way.
I was strongly opposed to communism. I understood the reason for the
necessity of the outbreak of the war, so I had no problem with that. Q:
What were the feelings of your friends and acquaintances about the war? A:
Most of those that I was serving with were professional soldiers and were
prepared to go anywhere that the country called them to go. The inactive
reservists who were called back to duty were pretty bitter about it.
Understandably so, because a number of them had served in WWII and then had not
bee associated with any type of military function from then until the Korean War
broke out, not even active reserve. It was a mistake to call the inactive
reserve first. Q:
Did all of the people you knew want to join the military and serve? A:
Initially the feeling was pretty positive. After the war had
gone for a couple of years, you could tell there was a difference in the
attitude of the younger draftees. They weren’t as anxious as they had been at
the beginning. Q:
How did your family, wife, or girlfriend feel at the time? A:
Well, I only had one wife (laughing). We had just bought a home in
Bakersfield, California. I was stationed at Presidio in San Francisco, so it
pretty well disrupted the whole family. My wife was pregnant at the time. I
didn’t make a real special effort to avoid going because I knew someone would
just have to fill my place. So we just went through the deal. Q:
Where did you undertake basic training? A:
Basic training for me, because I had been in WWII was not necessary. What
I did was take a four-week refresher course at Fort Ord. Q:
Explain your experiences and impressions of basic training. A:
Our training was not thorough. It was limited to firing on the rifle
range and learning how to use protective gas masks and going through the gas
chambers. We went over some of the rules and regulations on the Articles of War.
That was just about what it consisted of. I was already a staff sergeant at the
time, because I carried my rank over. I was more of a platoon sergeant than a
trainee. Q:
After basic training, where did the military send you? A:
After the refresher training, I went back and was assigned to Fort Baker,
Calfironia, in the artillery detachment. In the artillery detachment we operated
the coast artillery at that time, and we operated land mine planting vessels in
the harbor in San Francisco, and that’s where we were doing most of that time [sic]. Q:
In what capacity did you serve during the Korean War – your duty, rank
and such? A:
I was a platoon sergeant and the unit they activated was called a
provisional battalion. We were designated as a military police company in that
battalion. Our principal responsibility was protecting main supply routes, (they
call them S.R. in the army), clearing road blocks, picking up and transporting
prisoners of war. We were an 8th Army asset and we did just about
anything 8th Army wanted
us to do. Q:
In terms of your own experience in Korea, what kind of conditions did you
live and work in? A:
They
were not good in Korea. We were shipped out in such a hurry that we landed in
Inchon, in about November, and that winter was one of the coldest winters in
history. We were issued two army blankets, a field jacket with no liner and a
pair of gloves. That was our equipment. Probably more men were lost from active
combat duty from frostbite than enemy action. Q:
If you feel comfortable talking about combat, please describe the combat
experiences you had, if any. A:
When we landed at Inchon, we were issued a basic round of ammunition
which consisted of five rounds of ammunition for an M-14 rifle. We went north to
join the major united in Kanggye. My platoon was separated and sent to Kunari,
where we supported the 2nd Infantry Division. It was not a good
affair because while we were there the Chinese intervened and I always like to
tell the kids it’s not pleasant when you see a million Chinese coming down the
mountainside. But, as a soldier, you make the best with whatever your to work
with. Q:
What was your most memorable experience in Korea, combat or otherwise? A:
Probably the Chinese army intervening and the fact that we had to
evacuate so rapidly. We had lost all of our jeeps and trucks, combat vehicles,
so we had to commandeer a Korean train with a Korean engineer. At the same time,
we brought 200 of their prisoners of war back south with us. One of the things
that stands out in my mind is they put the three railroad cars holding the
prisoners of war out in front of the locomotive, pushing them and were a few
cars behind. The main idea was if they sabotaged the track or blew up a bridge,
they would subject their own people to the activity first. I have no animosity
towards the North Korean soldier or the Chinese soldier as an individual. He’s
just another soldier doing what his country demanded of him. So, we didn’t
have any ill will toward them, but we had to make sure we got to where we were
going. Q:
How has that particular experience impacted your life? A:
That, with the other incidents that took place – it isn’t so bad now,
but years ago my wife had to be very careful about entering the bedroom if I was
asleep and startle me when I woke up. Q:
What kind of contact did you have with the people back home? What kind of
correspondence did the military permit? A:
We had equivalent to WWII email. The services at that time were provided
pretty fast. My wife tells me that she would get a letter within four or five
days, when I had an opportunity to write. That’s the only communication we
had. Toward the end of the war I was able to get back to Pusan, which was still
in American hands, and make a telephone call home because my dad had been killed
in a car accident. That is another thing that sticks out vividly in my mind. My
battalion commander, my brigade commander, all wanted me to come home because my
mother was not in good health, but the military in all its wisdom said, “No,
he’s dead. There’s nothing you can do about it. So we stayed there and did
our job.” Q:
How long did you serve in Korea? A:
I served in Korea about 18 months. Q:
After serving in Korea, where did the military send you or were you
immediately discharged? A:
Well, that’s an interesting thing, too. When I rotated back to the
states, we landed at Fort Mason in San Francisco and they put us on a train. We
got to Camp Roberts, California, about three o’clock in the morning. They put
us all in a big building around some tables and asked to fill out these papers
and put down the army area where you would like to be assigned to and at least
three installations, because we can guarantee you can at least get that. So I
put down the 6th Army area, which was California and Fort Ord, the
Presidio, and Fort MacArthur, because I could drive home from any of those
places. I went home happy on a thirty-day leave and came back and my orders were
posted on the bulletin board. They said 101st Airborne Division, Camp
Breckenridge, Kentucky. So, so much for the promise. Q:
What kind of reception did you receive when you got back to the United
States? A:
Nobody paid much attention. Q:
If indeed you experienced the horrors of war, how did that experience
affect your relations or interactions with family, friends, spouse, and/or
girlfriend? A:
I don’t know that it impacted the relationships to any extent. I guess
maybe that I had it a little different than a lot of the older people did,
because in WWII I went in when I was 17 and went immediately to the Aleutians
and I saw a lot there. Then I was in the last great battle of Okinawa, so by the
time Korea came along I was pretty well prepared for it. Q:
Do you still keep in touch with some of the people you served with? A:
I did for a long time, but most of the close ones I served with were
older than I was and they have passed away. There is still one young fellow that
was in my platoon and served twenty years in the army, then got out, who lives
in Maryland. I hear from him every once in a while. Q:
What kinds of general observations and conclusions do you have about the
Korean War and your Korean War experience? A:
I have some thoughts about the way it was handled from a civilian
standpoint. I thought in most cases, if we were going to commit the number of
troops that we did and lose the number we did in combat it was not good of our
civilian bosses to then make a deal to say we quit right here. I don’t believe
that . . . you could say that I was supportive of MacArthur’s attitude and the
advice he was giving. All of the people I served with, no exceptions, were
really disappointed when he was relieved of his command because he had made some
statements. We knew he was not supposed to oppose the orders of the President
and that sort of thing, but I do think a senior military officer should have the
right to speak out and say what he believes to the American people. This gives
them an idea of how they should go. Rose State College |