Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
3:31 | "I have flashbacks...bad." Despite that, Korean War vet Gene Sullivan says that, even at 82 years old, he would go back if he could to help America. "I could do SOMETHING!"
Keywords : Gene Sullivan Korea Infantry Flashbacks
Gene Sullivan always wanted to be a soldier. When he was sent to Korea, that feeling was tested in intense combat, "something you will never forget." Warned about Communist interrogation, he wonders if he could have withstood it.
When he saw the harsh treatment of North Korean prisoners by some of his fellow soldiers, Gene Sullivan felt sorry for them. He also had a soft spot for the civilian refugees, especially the children and a girl who cared for him when he was wounded.
Gene Sullivan says it took a long time to get over the fear and the noise of combat in Korea. Sometimes at night he can still hear the screaming of the wounded and still see the grenade that wounded him coming in.
Life expectancy was short on the Korean front lines. Gene Sullivan recalls seeing green replacements killed almost instantly as they arrived at the front. He was wounded at T-Bone Hill when shrapnel penetrated the separate plates of his body armor.
"I have flashbacks...bad." Despite that, Korean War vet Gene Sullivan says that, even at 82 years old, he would go back if he could to help America. "I could do SOMETHING!"
