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Ken Hersemann - Korean War

Ken Hersemann is a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War. Ken was assigned to Battery A of the 49th Field Artillery Regiment (105 mm howitzers). He worked as a cannon crewman for several weeks, then moved to the battery's mess section where he cooked for his unit, eventually becoming the mess sergeant.

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Abstract

Interview (Audio)

Transcript


Photos

Caption
Bill Schoedel and Ken Hersemann at the front in the winter of 1951-52. Bill was Hersemann's next door neighbor back in East Peoria, Illinois.

Where:
the front

When:
winter of 1951-52

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
Hersemann and others take a break behind the wire section shelter. In the back is the mess hall, aka 'Jake's Place.' From left to right are Job, Chi Sun Gup, Lou Stinson, and Ken Hersemann, with Sergeant Ritter standing.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
Ken, with a pistol on his hip, in the summer of 1951.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Summer of 1951

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
Ken took this photo of his buddies in Chunchon, on their way to R & R in Japan. From left to right are Fred Frye, unknown, Luke Spinder (a high school buddy), and Don Seger of St. Jacob, Illinois.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
Battery A, 49th Field Artillery, arrayed for inspection.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
Ken, in the center with Robbie Robinson, left, and Chi, a Korean national who worked in his mess hall.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
Ken with the gun crew he served on for his first few weeks in Korea. From left to right are Wilson of Alabama, Ken sitting on the trails, Hayes of South Carolina, Shields of Chicago, and Jansen of Iowa.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
A honey dipper, a common site in Korea, plying his trade in a typical Korean village.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
This is the bunker that Ken's section slept in during October, 1951.

Where:
Unknown

When:
October, 1951

Ownership:
Narrator's photo.

Caption
This building was converted into a barracks at Inchon, and used for soldiers, including Ken, as they rotated back to the states.

Where:
Inchon

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
Narrator's photo

Caption
"Burp Guns and Mortars and High, High Mountains," G.I. poetry from the war.

Where:
Unknown

When:
Unknown

Ownership:
UnknownMay be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the original copyright holder. The ALPL Audio-Visual Archivist can assist you in this regard.



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