The Experience Of The War In Korea

The Experience Of The War In Korea

The Korean War was a trying time for America. The nation was getting involved in a war that had little or no possibility of a fortunate outcome. The Korean people were divided among how the country should be run. A uniform system of government looked like it may never come to be. In order to protect one of its vital interests as well as to prove to the rest of the world that America didn’t stand for communism, the United States began taking up arms. The war would prove a most difficult task to achieve successfully. In fact, it was almost impossible to continue fighting what seemed to be far from a worthy sacrifice of American lives.

It was January 10, 1950 when Robert Marrara of Arthurdale, WV, among thousands of other men, were drafted and sent to California for basic training. Robert is 5’9" tall with wavy, silver hair and a structure that shows just how strong of a man he is for being 72 years old. Of Italian descent his parents immigrated here and he was one of several children. They lived in poverty, as most of America did, through the thick of the Great Depression. He attended electrical school after college didn’t seem right for him. He is a genius by all standards but is far too modest to admit it. His experiences are enough to fill days full of stories and the personal interview he gave was a treat. Robert recalls how difficult coping with the situation in Korea was, but also how he welcomed the challenge:

"It was tough and, you know, but I really, I have to say that I did enjoy being, because my knowledge was – my previous training before I got in the army – was the very thing I needed to do the job I was assigned to do. And because I could do it in such a good way – and you ...

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... a ¾ inch electric drill and I took a crank with me and I made a shaft for that drill so that it could drive that engine and start those engines with that electric drill and that 20 minutes or 25 minutes after I got back over to the quartermaster, I had all them engines running with that electric drill. From that time on, during the whole summer and fall when they had ice and ice cream I got it delivered to my tent. They delivered me ice two times a week and they’d deliver ice cream one time a week. A three-gallon can for my carburetor-ignition repair section."

Throughout the interview Robert emphasized the value of his work during the war just as he values the war effort itself. Overall, those who died did so for a worthy cause (Marrara, Personal Interview). America backed its promises to defend South Korea, even though the effort could be viewed as ill decided.