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Ben Gross

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With a big envelope holding his orders, Ben Gross went to Ft. Lawton in Seattle. His orders said “FECOM.” He didn’t know that it meant Far East Command and he was headed to Korea. (2:38)

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Shipping out across the Pacific, Ben Gross was assigned a latrine to keep clean. Luckily, he knew how to cut hair and when the call went out for a barber, he was set for the rest of the trip. (8:19)

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When The Korean War ended, Ben Gross had to leave Japan and move to Korea to guard Chinese prisoners. On a Navy ship taking him there, he remarked to the sailors that they “had it made…bacon and eggs for breakfast.” Infantry had to make do. (3:34)

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After the Korean truce, there were many Chinese prisoners in the hands of Allied forces. Ben Gross was sent to Cheju-do to help guard thousands awaiting repatriation. (6:09)

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Despite hearing about a prisoner riot during which Chinese POWs captured an American general, Ben Gross never felt afraid while guarding a POW camp for Chinese soldiers at the end of the Korean War. They were mostly just young and eager to please. When the duty was complete, he faced a stark, miserable ride to Inchon to ship home. (5:30)

Ben Knisely

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Ben Knisely was born in Indiana on a farm, but moved to Osprey, Florida at a very young age. His father was a Corpsman in the US Navy. After attending the University of South Florida, Knisely went to Fort Sam Houston for basic training as part of the Medical Service Corps. Following that he went to Fort Wolters for flight training, where he remembers having engine trouble during a solo flight. (4:54)

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Knisely remembers that medical evacuation, or medevac, training took a little longer than other flight training programs. He describes the helicopter model he flew, the UH-1H model, and the advancements and limitations of what medevac teams could do during the Vietnam War. (6:46)

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Knisely talks about the specific flight crew positions on medevac missions, and recounts the entire story of getting shot down and losing consciousness during one of his rescue missions. (7:16)

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After he was shot down, it was discovered that Ben Knisely had an injury in his ankle and couldn't walk. He struggled to survive and move through his new surroundings with his co-pilot, who fortunately could still walk. They wandered for a while before encountering a rescue team. (5:30)

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It was a while before the Army could conduct a hoist rescue mission to get Knisely and his co-pilot out of enemy territory. After he was rescued, he was admitted into the 85th Hospital for his ankle injuries. While in recovery he was approached by an Army clerk to get out of the Army, to which he declined, fought to stay in and tried to get back on flight status. (9:06)