Oral history interview with John R. Reynoldson, [sound recording], 1995.

ArchivalResource

Reynoldson, John R., 1929-2009. Oral history interview with John R. Reynoldson, [sound recording], 1995.

Oral history interview with John R. Reynoldson, [sound recording], 1995.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/732039489

John "Jack" R. Reynoldson, a Madison, Wisconsin native, discusses his service as an officer in the 7th Infantry Division during the Korean War. Reynoldson details joining ROTC while attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison, attending college with World War II veterans, joining the 84th Airborne Division Reserve Unit, summer camp infantry training at Camp McCoy (Wisconsin), and being commissioned in the Army in 1951. Assigned to Fort Leonard Wood (Missouri), he talks about teaching basic infantry subjects. After receiving orders for Korea as a replacement officer, Reynoldson recalls being encouraged to spend extra time with his wife and then being flown via Alaska to Tokyo aboard an airplane that developed an overheated engine. He relates his positive impressions of the Japanese people and living in an old kamikaze base while attending chemical, biological and radiological warfare school in Gifu. Reynoldson discusses his arrival in Pusan (Korea), being given milk powder that was made in Madison, and seeing a P-80 airplane crash and burn. He reflects on feeling anxious when in a combat area except during actual fighting. Assigned to the 3rd Platoon in the 17th Infantry Regiment, 7th Division, he describes meeting the men in his platoon and the defensive position they held in the Chorwon Valley. Reynoldson details two particularly memorable patrols: one when they were pinned by enemy fire and had to retreat through a minefield, and another when they retrieved decomposing bodies. He tells of seeing a soldier whose twin brother had been mortally wounded set down his brother's body in order to carry a wounded soldier out of combat. Reynoldson describes seeing an impressive time-on-target artillery demonstration that would have resulted in friendly fire in actual combat conditions. He details his platoon's assault on "Baldie Hill," including getting in position under cover of darkness, participating in an intense firefight, seeing mortar shells explode around him, getting wounded, continuing to fight until everyone around him was wounded or dead, and being carried off the hill on a litter. He recalls regaining consciousness on a helicopter and being treated at a MASH unit. He analyzes the high casualty rates of front-line units and recalls the grim atmosphere of the MASH unit being tempered with the hope of being sent home. Sent to a hospital in Tokyo, Reynoldson recalls the surviving members of his platoon coming to see him and to return his personal gear while on R&R. After spending five months at a hospital in Fort Campbell (Kentucky), he touches on retiring from service. He describes the Chinese and Korean soldiers as "excellent soldiers" and addresses trench warfare, living in bunkers, human excrement fertilizer in the rice paddies, and fearing hemorrhagic fever. Reynoldson comments on the soldiers' heavy use of alcohol and using juices donated by the Women's Christian Temperance Union to make mixed drinks. He reflects on the high casualty rates among first lieutenants and sergeants and states, "You recognize that eventually it's gonna get you." He describes the surrealistic nature of combat, including how time seems to slow down and the incredibly loud sound of concussions and bullets. Reynoldson reports his unit was successfully integrated without tension and relays the rumor about the segregated 24th Regiment being abolished after twice "bugging out" during combat. He portrays having a flashback in the States after smelling decaying skin outside a hospital but, on the whole, not having readjustment problems, partly in thanks to his close-knit family. He relates using the GI Bill to return to school for a teaching degree and reflects on the self-confidence he gained from his military service. Reynoldson reveals that soldiers were aware of the fight against communism, but that the greatest motivator in combat was that "no man wants to be seen as a coward by his friends." He talks about recently joining the VFW and going to Washington, D.C. to see the dedication of the Korean War Memorial. Reynoldson declares the best predictors he's come up with for effective combat soldiers are paratrooper training and punctuality.

Sound recording : 2 sound cassettes (ca. 96 min.); analog, 1 7/8 ips.Master sound recording : 1 sound cassette (ca. 96 min.); analog, 1 7/8 ips.Transcript : 32 p.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center