Oral history interview with Robert A. Larson [sound recording], 2003.

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Oral history interview with Robert A. Larson [sound recording], 2003.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/85273933

Robert A. Larson, a Chicago, Illinois native, discusses his Korean War service as a military police officer with the 1st Marine Division, 5th Marine Regiment. Larson comments on joining the Marine Reserves as a senior in high school, having summer camp at Camp Lejeune (North Carolina), entering active duty in August of 1950, and boot camp at San Diego. Not allowed overseas yet because he was still seventeen, he talks about assignment to a security detachment at a Naval supply depot in Utah. Larson tells of the good food at the depot and, after three months of advanced infantry training at Camp Pendleton (California), his reassignment to a Military Police (MP) company in Korea in 1953. Stationed at Camp Casey (Korea), he talks about patrolling Little Chicago and other surrounding villages. After the cease fire, he talks about duty at Freedom Village during Operation Big Switch, and he details the reunion of a fellow Marine with his brother, who had been a prisoner of war. Larson mentions guarding the road between the Panmunjom truce site and Freedom Village. He addresses wearing white helmets at night, having two orphaned Korean boys attach themselves to the company, the MP markings on the company jeeps, watching movies, and living in tents. He discusses going into an off-limits town with a Korean Marine and eating sukiyaki at a restaurant. Larson tells of another Korean Marine who had a pet dog on base that he ate after it was hit by a truck. Larson tells anecdotes about duty in the brig at the Naval supply depot in Utah and the reasons why some Marines were serving time for going AWOL. He mentions having company reunions, joining the American Legion in Chicago, using the VA hospital in West Bend (Wisconsin), and becoming a charter member of VFW Post No. 7588 in Port Washington (Wisconsin). Larson talks about the establishment of Post 7588 and the beginning of their tradition of running a food stand on Port Fish Day (an annual Port Washington festival).

Sound recording : 1 sound cassette (ca. 45 min.) ; analog, 1 7/8 ips.Master sound recording : 1 sound cassette (ca. 45 min.) ; analog, 1 7/8 ips.Transcript : 17 p.

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center

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SNAC Resource ID: 8333092

Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center

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There are 7 Entities related to this resource.

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Larson (b.1933?) served in the Marine Corps from 1950 to 1954. He eventually became an electrician and settled in Saukville (Wisconsin). From the description of Oral history interview with Robert A. Larson [sound recording], 2003. (Wisconsin Veterans Museum Research Center). WorldCat record id: 85273933 ...

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Arendt, Laurie,

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