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Lawrence Curtin - Korean War
Larry Curtin grew up on a farm in central Illinois during the Great Depression and WW II, and was drafted into the Army in December, 1950. Following Basic Training at Ft. Leonard Wood, he shipped to South Korea, received additional training as a radio operator, and was then assigned to the 3rd Signal Company of the 3rd Infantry Division. He served in a variety of different capacities during his year-long tour in Korea.
Interview Links
Feature Excerpt
Signing Into Signal
Abstract
Interview Session 01 (Audio)
Life on a central IL farm during Depression & WW II
Interview Session 02 (Audio)
Army service as a radio operator during the Korean War
Transcript
Photos
Caption
Lawrence and Marie Curtin, Larry’s parents, on their wedding day on April 12th, 1921.
Where:
Unknown
When:
April 12th, 1921
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
“I was the ‘horse’ pulling the wagon. Brother Bill was holding the reins (about 1930),” wrote Larry in the family scrapbook.
Where:
Unknown
When:
About 1930
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Ireland School, the rural school that the Curtin children attended in 1933,(left in second row) Bill, Larry and Leo. Larry’s sister Catherine is in the third row with her head down .The teacher was Mr. Cashin, a WWI vet.
Where:
Ireland School
When:
1933
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator
Caption
Larry at age 10, in 1936 while the family operated a farm near Stonington, Illinois.
Where:
Stonington, Illinois
When:
1936
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry on a friend’s pony in 1937.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1937
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry Curtin’s Stonington High School graduation picture in 1943.
Where:
Stonington High School
When:
1943
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
L.F. and Marie Curtin family picture. In the front row are Paul, Dorothy, Dad, Mom and John. In the back are Leo, Larry, Bill, and Catherine.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Circa 1943
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Larry and Pat Curtin on their wedding day, January 15th, 1955. The couple were married in Oak Park, Illinois, Pat’s home town.
Where:
Oak Park, Illinois
When:
January 15th, 1955
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
The Curtin family farm near Blue Mound where Larry grew up. The picture was taken in 1958, with Larry now farming the land.
Where:
Unknown
When:
1958
Ownership:
May be restricted. Patrons desiring to use this photograph should contact the ALPL Audio-Visual Curator.
Caption
Larry Curtin and his unit are ready to go on a speed march during the 9th week of basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri in early 1951. They carried horseshoe rolls on their shoulders.
Where:
Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri
When:
Early 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Several basic training buddies gather for a picture. From left to right are unknown, “Whitey” Liewinski, Larry Curtin, Spike Spears, Metzger and Schuerer.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry on Bivouac in March,1951 during basic training, in the woods of Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Where:
Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri
When:
March,1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Francis “Ike” Anderson and Larry in front of their pup tent on bivouac at Fort Leonard Wood in March 1951.
Where:
Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri
When:
March,1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Private Larry Curtin at Ft. Leonard Wood’s ‘Leadership School’ in April 1951.
Where:
Ft. Leonard Wood’s ‘Leadership School’
When:
April 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry and fellow replacements wait to eat chow at the Replacement Depot in Sasebo, Japan. They spent only a couple of days in July, 1951 before being shipped to South Korea.
Where:
Replacement Depot in Sasebo, Japan
When:
July, 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
- R. Schenk, Larry Curtin and R. Elzy at the 3rd Division’s Signal School near Seoul, Korea. There is an open well in the background; the water was used for bathing, shaving, and ‘beer cooling’.
Where:
Seoul, Korea
When:
August, 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
This building in Seoul, Korea was used by the 3rd Infantry Division for records storage during the war. Before the war it was part of Seoul University.
Where:
Seoul, Korea
When:
During the war
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Two Belgium switchboard operators flank a ROK soldier sharing mealtime. Curtin’s initial assignment in the fall of 1951 was to work with a Belgian infantry battalion.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Fall of 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry Curtin and the unit’s Chief Radio Operator on top of their radio truck while they were assigned to the Belgian infantry regiment in September of 1951.
Where:
Unknown
When:
September of 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
“Some of the ‘Gang’ taken at PUP-YANG-NI” read Curtin’s caption of this group of Korean children while he was stationed in South Korea in October 1951.
Where:
South Korea
When:
October, 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Danny Kaye & Monica Lewis’s 3rd Division USO show can be seen in the distance. The show spent November 1951 touring Korea, often near the front lines.
Where:
Korea
When:
November, 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry was chief operator for a three man Radio Team providing communications between a Belgian battalion and the 3rd Infantry Division in the fall of 1951.
Where:
Unknown
When:
Fall of 1951
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
The view looking down on part of the 3rd Division Headquarters, near Yonch’on, South Korea. You can see two radio trucks in the foreground.
Where:
Yonch’on, South Korea
When:
Unknown
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Larry Curtin sometime in the winter of 1951-52. He was assigned to the 3rd Sig Company, 3rd Infantry Division in South Korea.
Where:
South Korea
When:
Winter of 1951-52
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sergeant Curtin on his 5th day of R
Where:
Tokyo
When:
February, 1952
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
Sergeant Curtin sailed back to the US from Japan via Alaska to Seattle, Washington aboard the U.S. Naval Ship Frederick Funston. The ship was his home for 13 days before arriving in Seattle on March 23, 1952.
Where:
U.S. Naval Ship Frederick Funston
When:
March 23, 1952
Ownership:
This image is considered to be in the public domain.
Caption
This is the Radio Section 3rd Signal Company in in March, 1952.
Where:
Yonch’on, South Korea
When:
March, 1952
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
The view of Inchon Harbor, South Korea in the summer of 1953.
Where:
Inchon Harbor, South Korea
When:
Summer of 1953
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo
Caption
“Civilian at last
Where:
Euclid in Oak Park
When:
November 1952
Ownership:
Narrator’s photo