Trip to Korea - 1951

On way to Korea

Basic training was over and now I had a little money in my pocket.I look sharp wearing my uniform had my orders and the date to report to California. I went back to the trailer park in Gainesville to sleep on a couch,take a shower across the road. My Foster parents in a way could of cared less if I had come home.

I would have more fun on an Army post, I went to Cedar Keys but nothing there. I found out quickly I was living better in the Army than where I was, so I bought my tickets for my trip to California had to go to Jacksonville, Where I got on a train.That train ride started my seven plus days trip across the United States.

I enjoyed every minute watching the scenery and eating good in the dinning car. When we reached Texas it took us three days to across the top of Texas, On the train I met a sailor we after talking we agreed to write each other, he would become a medic with a Marine unit and later in the Korean war win the Silver Star when a squad of Chinese came at him while he was working on some wounded. He threw grenades, fired his weapon and killed all the Chinese. It was one of the best trips I ever took across the United States. When we arrived in California on the seventh day. It took one more to get to our destination.

I reported in and showed the Sgt my orders. Then he said that I had reported in three days early. He also told me about others that were deserters. Our barracks was near one of those canals famous in California and we warned not to go near them.

It was a changing point in my life. I had started to think differently growing up? I knew I was completely on my own now, even my taste in music I went from Western cowboy type music to Doris day, Bing Crosby and Pop music. The first song that got my going was ? "The world is waiting for a sunrise" Les Paul and Mary Ford. While I was at the camp they had typewriters that work by putting a dime in and it work for so many minutes. I wrote letters but I never received a letter from my foster parents. We pulled details but soon we were packing up and brought to the docks. That troop ship was so big a two stacker the bow of the ship was way past the dock, a two stacker is a big ship. The ship was the General Johnson.

The last thing I saw was the Golden gate bridge.

A couple of days out we hit a typhoon and I got very sick and put on guard. The officer took me to an upper deck on the port side. He open the door and there was a soldier sick lying on the deck. He told me if I got sick I should get on the deck to.

The wind was blowing very strong. On that trip there is a couple of days I do not remember I was that sick.

Later when I felt better rumors went around that the Chinese had a special weapon. The ship would move in such a way all the trays flew off the dinning room table. We would be at sea over two weeks going to Japan.